Harry Potter and the Path of the Phoenix
Disclaimer/Plot/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER
Recommended Reads: Knight Errant by ArlyssTolero, The Rise of the Last Potter by HPfanfictioner66, Aspirations by megamatt09, Saviour of Magic by Colt01, The Last of the Peverells by Arcturus Peverell, Harry Potter The Protector of Magic and The Protector and the Four Guardians by TigerSwarm9122, Harry Potter and the Ashes of Chaos by ACI100, Can't Have It Both Ways, Proud Parents and Who Will Fill a Coward's Grave? By RobSt, Apex and Damaged Raven by JustBored21 and Harry Potter and the Return of Heritage, Harry Potter and the Peverell Legacy and Harry Potter and the Serpent Conquest by Jayan phoenix
Key Pairing: Harry/Hermione
Other Pairings: Ron/Luna; Neville/Ginny; Others TBD
Normal Speech
'Thoughts'
/Parseltongue/
{Foreign Languages}
Review Answers:
ArlyssTolero: Yeah, well, you've known for a while that, when I read Ravenwood, I think Damien Darhk, so I was trying to capture that callous sense of humour of his, mixed with the cold indifference and ruthlessness he has; also, I hope you like this chapter, especially since it sets up something I never considered in the original adoption;
"They call you the Boy-Who-Lived, but that is simply a title, one that traps you and holds you prisoner. However, if you break free of that prison, become the balance between Albus Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort, you can rise up, stand tall and stride across the skin of this world…or…you can go ahead and throw yourself into oblivion."
As Harry whimpered in response, Ravenwood looked to the hand he'd stepped on before, lifting his wand, he ignited the tip with a single spark that made shadows dance over his face, making him look truly-terrifying, like he'd been sent from Hell itself.
"The choice must be yours, so I leave you with this message…decide your own fate, Harry Potter! Not the hand that so-called manipulators of the Powers would want you to choose…when you do…I will return and, at that time, you, my little, emerald-eyed friend, will be…ready!"
Chapter 2: A Terrible Discovery
"Stop! Stop! That's my son!"
To the alarm of all involved, the frantic cries of Arthur Weasley seemed to come too little, too late, as the spells cast by the Aurors finally stopped being fired at the Weasley children and Hermione Granger, all of whom rose from where they'd been forced to duck when the red flashes had come from the wands all around them.
As the Aurors, who seemed to employ the classic shoot-first-ask-questions-later policy, even though their targets were children, only Hermione noticed the air of unease that filled each of the wizards' faces as they saw the aforementioned children for what they were: children.
Not for the first time in four years now did Hermione question the sanity of the magical world, let alone the logic behind their actions, but, at the same time, her thoughts were drowned out when Arthur moved towards the group of friends, his face aghast, but also relieved as he looked from one to the other as he asked them, "Are…are you kids all right?"
When he heard their consent, relief began to flood in, or rather it did for the briefest of seconds until he noticed, with some rising dread, the missing face from the usual suspects. "Where's Harry?"
"We-we…we don't know," Hermione said softly, sniffling with an air of sorrow and dread as she remembered the reason she'd gone back into the chaos around the camp with the Weasley children in the first place. "We got separated in all the chaos. We hoped to find him in the woods."
Before they could say anything more, however, Arthur's eyes widened while Ron's eyes darkened slightly as he saw Bartemius Crouch Senior was among the witches and wizards who'd attacked them. As if that wasn't enough, the pale-faced man didn't even give them time to explain; instead choosing to demand to know which of them had conjured the Dark Mark.
It was only after the discovery of a house elf, Crouch's elf to be precise, under where the Mark had been cast holding a very familiar wand, that the conversation became less confrontational and, instead, the man who'd accused them suddenly turned into the master of denial as he ignored the obvious for the common sense as dictated by him.
And that common sense told him to dismiss his elf, much to Hermione's horror,
However, as Amos Diggory held up the wand that the elf had been holding, both Ron and Hermione let out a gasp that seemed to vanquish the horror of the previous moment from Hermione's thoughts.
Hearing the gasps, Arthur turned to the two as he asked in a curious tone, "What is it?"
"T-That's Harry's wand," Ron stuttered, while Hermione nodded in agreement, her face very white at the sight of her best friend's wand.
"Harry Potter's wand?" Amos asked dubiously, his eyes looking from the wand to the kids before he asked them, "I don't understand: how could Potter's wand end up with Barty's elf? You're sure it's his?"
"You don't easily forget a wand that's been used to save your life on multiple occasions, Mr Diggory!" Hermione snapped, earning shocked looks from the others, especially Ron, who couldn't believe this defiant soul was the same Hermione from before.
Then again, it was Harry she was worried about and, although he'd never said it aloud, Ron had noticed, especially after last year's madness that, where Harry James Potter was concerned, the brightest witch of her age seemed to disappear, only to be replaced by a young woman whom could be called the next Queen of the Pride – with Harry as her King.
While Ginny made a point of agreeing with the brunette about recognising the wand that saved her life, Arthur saw Ron's eyes narrowing at his best friend's outburst before, seeing the curious look from his Father, he nodded fervently. Fred and George, meanwhile looked paler than normal as they looked at the wand and the fact that it wasn't in the hand of their best friend, star Seeker and dear honorary brother-in-all-but-blood.
Seeing their shared looks, and knowing how much that emerald-eyed teenager meant, not only to the Twins as Gryffindor Beaters, but as dear friends – and the same for Hermione and each one of his kids, with the possible exception of Percy – Arthur suddenly had a very bad feeling that didn't sit too well inside of him.
Tentatively, hoping and praying he wasn't about to find what he feared he was, he pulled out his own wand, "Point me Harry Potter."
Upon his command, Arthur's wand began spinning before stopping and pointing off to the right.
With a grim-faced expression, Arthur set off in that direction, more-than-aware of how he was being followed quickly by most of the Ministry folk and his own children, including a sick-looking Hermione and a tense, surprisingly-quiet Ron.
Despite the Father in him wanting to tell them to keep their distance, Arthur relented, choosing instead to stay focused on his main objective, which was to find the young man who'd saved his daughter's life, and protected his son, in the past. As a result of this fiercely-stubborn determination, it didn't cross his mind for one second that he should send his children back to the tent in case they found Harry in bad shape.
He didn't want to think of what certain people – meaning his wife – might say or do if they'd been here with him instead of back at the Burrow.
On top of that, given what he'd heard about the relationship between the sadly-afflicted man and his favourite student – as Ron had said Harry was recognised as – Arthur didn't even dare to think of what the former Professor Lupin might have said or done in this scenario, especially given the fact that James Potter had been one of his closest friends.
And if the rumours he'd overheard Ron and Hermione discussing when they thought no-one else could hear them, there was a much-more dangerous person who'd have some serious words, should he learn or witness what had become of the boy whom, rumours claimed, wasn't his prey, but his godson!
While Arthur wrestled with his conscience and his fears, mostly surrounding what Remus and a certain ex-Prisoner of Azkaban might say or do, he was also partially-aware of the fact that, among the Ministry folk whom followed him and his children, there was Director Amelia Bones, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, who'd been at the Cup with her niece, Susan, as well as a few friends of hers.
Of course, unlike Arthur, Amelia had already sent Susan home with a dedicated portkey that she'd given the girl for her safety when the Death Eaters had attacked, which, judging by the flash of her face he caught sight of at the edge of his peripheral vision, meant she could now act in her official capacity. However, judging by her expression, Arthur guessed she too felt dread clutching at her heart as she pictured what they might find.
The smoke from the campsites had drifted into the forest now, blocking many of the witches and wizards' lines of sight.
It was because of this that Hermione Granger, who'd been walking at the edge of group, looking around uneasily, tripped over what she initially thought was a tree root due to the angle it was sticking up at.
Pushing herself to her feet, she turned to look at what she had tripped on…
And let out an almighty shriek, worthy of the screams of the damned as she saw that what she'd fallen over was no tree root, much less any other sort of plant or stray rock.
"HARRY!"
As everyone else wheeled around at the sound that tore from Hermione's lips, the brunette practically collapsed at the side of the boy who had been her best friend for three years, reaching forward as if to shake him awake.
However, as Hermione shook him awake, so too did she move away just as quickly when she saw the blood-soaked clothes, the massively broken leg, the shattered glasses, and the river of blood that both trickled out from and dripped out of his mouth. There was also a larger, darker pool of blood around Harry's back and, from where she was hunched down next to him, bile rising in her throat and terror flooding her heart at a level that neither Boggarts, Dementors nor even her fear of Flying could have matched, as she stared in horror at the sight before her, Hermione also noticed a string of vicious-looking gashes in Harry's clothes.
To look at him, it looked as though some savage animal had decided to try and make a meal out of him – either a non-magical creature like a lion or a tiger, or a more-magical beast like a Nundu, a Dragon, a Manticore, a Werewolf or, as Hermione recalled from the year before, thanks to Malfoy's pussy-boy of an attitude, even a Hippogriff might have been capable of – the thought of which made Hermione feel even more nauseous as she remembered their flight from Professor Lupin, not to mention Buckbeak's talons and the many other evils Harry had taken on in his short life.
She also knew, as much as she feared it might have been a werewolf, there was one wolf she could cross off of the list, if only because it wasn't the full moon and he hadn't been anywhere near the World Cup – otherwise, he would have been at Harry's side, as protectively as a friend as he had been as a teacher.
While Hermione tried to find the words to describe what she wanted to say, much less ask the questions she wanted to ask, she was aware of someone pulling her away. Given how numb she felt inside and how she barely even noticed the pull before she felt a body pulling her into their embrace, shielding her eyes from the view as they pressed their body against hers.
Given the terror, sickness and absolute disbelief she was feeling, as well as dizzying nausea that threatened to send her into unconsciousness, she let them do so, her eyes wide and shocked at the body of her best friend before it vanished under a sea of adult wizards.
When she couldn't look at the sight any longer, Hermione buried her face into the chest of the person who'd held her, though not before a quick glance upwards told her it was Ron, who was staring white-faced and horrified at where their best friend had been before the adults swarmed.
How he wasn't throwing up, she didn't know, but, then again, while Harry was the powerhouse of their trio, and she was the mind, it was usually the case that Ron was the strong-willed, emotional one who seemed to sometimes go with his mouth and fists, but, at other times, he was a true lion.
Brave, loyal and steadfast in his beliefs, especially where their best friend was concerned.
Fred and George, meanwhile, had to catch Ginny as she collapsed in hysteria while their own faces had lost any trace of a healthy flush.
Even through the blood rushing in her ears and the fear that clouded her senses, Hermione could hear shouting, but to her bewilderment, none of it seemed to be in English.
In truth, her brain simply didn't comprehend what was being shouted due to the trauma of finding her best friend's body; although she didn't know it at the time, this trauma would also test both her and Ron in the months to come.
In ways that they could never imagine happening in the here and now.
For now, all they could do was console one another and hope, pray and wonder all at once the same thing that everyone else was thinking;
'What in the name of Merlin happened to Harry?
Phoenix
In a rich, eccentrically-decorated office many miles from the chaos, Albus Dumbledore sighed wearily as he sat back in his golden chair, reaching up and pulling his half-moon spectacles off before he rubbed his eyes tiredly as he set his glasses down.
While most of his teachers were taking on the holidays with enthusiasm, Albus himself was busy with the paperwork of running the school.
Many would believe he shunted most of this off on his Deputy, but the truth was she only handled the financial aspects of the school, as allotted by their budget from the governors. Despite the sea of troubles associated with running a school, Albus was happy to say he'd at least managed to locate a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher in his old friend, Alastor Mad-Eye Moody, though he had not seen the man in some time.
After the incident with the carriage clock he'd believed was a basilisk egg in disguise – despite basilisks being notoriously difficult to breed in the first place - Alastor had secluded himself behind his wards and rarely visited others or allowed visitors in his home. Indeed, it had taken some fancy talking to convince him to come out of retirement, and in the end, it had been the fact that Igor Karkaroff, the High Master of Durmstrang Academy, was coming to Hogwarts because of the event that would take place that year, which had put Alastor in the mood to take up the job.
He'd told Albus straight out, though, that he was coming to A: ensure the students knew there were darker and fouler things in the world than they normally covered in classes, and B: to keep an eye on both Death Eaters that would be at Hogwarts this year.
Hearing the fire and venom in Alastor's voice, Albus had tried, once again, to explain that Severus had changed sides at great risk to himself, but to no avail; much like some other disbelievers out there where the Potions Master's innocence was concerned, the legend of an ex-Auror was dead-set in his ways.
Of course, had anyone been there to see what it was Albus was going over, they would have scoffed over the irony of his argument with Alastor considering his own issues in that area.
The parchment over which he was currently stressing was yet another small mountain-sized pile of strongly-worded letters of disgust and complaint from those who had been his long-time supporters, all centred on a singular individual: the other Death Eater in the Hogwarts camp that year: Head of Slytherin, Professor Severus Snape.
As Albus knew from several personal experiences, the Ministry of Magic had the authority to intervene in the cases surrounding any life-threatening situations at Hogwarts – which was ironic given how little they'd done with the Basilisk, save letting Lucius Malfoy suspend the Headmaster – and could only set the curriculum, not how it was taught.
This was the simplest reason of all for the reason why the Wizarding Examination Authority or the Ministry's Department of Education had yet to crack down on Severus for his excesses; they couldn't. The Board, meanwhile, was held at bay by a combination of Dumbledore's influence and that of Lucius Malfoy – at least before the blond had been convinced to give up his post on the Board following the incidents two years back.
In the meantime, Dumbledore knew he was losing allies in his defence of Severus, but he needed the man close by.
His position as Head of Slytherin House gave Severus the access they needed to the children of known Death Eaters, so they could keep an eye on any developments.
As was more than proven by Draco Malfoy – one of a few who came to mind where those on Albus' to-watch list were concerned – the majority of the current generation of Slytherins were a grand departure from the Slytherins of years past, who truly embodied the ambition and cunning that were the hallmarks of the true Slytherin.
As a result, they were far easier to read and gain information from without even knowing about it.
Of course, there were one or two rogue elements among their number, such as the so-called Ice Queen of Slytherin, Daphne Greengrass, as well as her sister – whom Albus had heard was, sadly, afflicted with a Maledictus that would steal away her life soon after she graduated – and the Italian bastard, Blaise Zabini, but their neutral preferences made them unimportant to Dumbledore.
It was not as if Dumbledore could inform his followers and allies of what he was doing with Severus and the Slytherins.
Even his most stalwart defenders, such as Molly Weasley, might balk at the idea of using children to spy on their parents – an irony, given the fact that Molly was also one of his key pieces in keeping an eye on a certain boy with Slytherin's gift in him – but Albus had to make do.
Until Voldemort returned – and, given the evidence of certain movements as of late, Albus was certain he would by the time Harry Potter graduated, if not sooner – Severus still bore some suspicion from his former allies, though Lucius Malfoy, at least, seemed to believe Severus was truly loyal and that gave him a lot of leeway since otherwise the Slytherins of today might be a little more cautious around their Head of House.
Nor could Dumbledore just come out and inform his followers that the end-game in defeating Voldemort was not to be based in open conflict, where Healers and Aurors would be needed, but in Harry Potter's self-sacrifice.
As Lily Potter had defended her son, so too could Harry defend the wizarding world with a sacrifice, but to do that, he had to see the wizarding world as his salvation, something he'd willingly sacrifice himself for, in order to ensure the safety of all who relied on him, so it could be the salvation and shelter for others like him.
All right, he admitted it to himself: Dumbledore had taken a calculated risk in sending Harry to the Dursleys, hoping that there'd be enough of Lily's sacrifice powering the blood wards to keep Harry from descending into the same pit of darkness Tom had, despite the harsh conditions.
To Dumbledore's great delight, it had worked, but…
Suddenly, as his thoughts went to turn to his sacrificial lamb, Dumbledore was broken from his thoughts as the fireplace roared to life.
"Albus!" the head in the fire shouted, calling for his attention.
It took a moment for Dumbledore to recognize the man due to the soot that covered his features.
"Cornelius, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
"There's a disgusting rumour going around, saying that Death Eaters attacked the World Cup!" fretted Fudge, earning a genuinely-alarmed look from the Headmaster as the Minister continued. "Apparently, because of these troublemakers, we've got injuries all over the place, not to mention an international incident, and the worst part is what happened to Potter!"
"Harry?" Dumbledore asked, suddenly even more-alarmed as a cold force hit his chest. "What do you mean?"
"These Death Eaters must have found him, or someone else with a serious grudge against him," Fudge explained hurriedly, partially-aware of the look on Dumbledore's face when the man sarcastically drawled about the Death Eaters, as though he honestly believed this was some sick joke and not a genuine attack.
At the same time, Albus scoffed at how Fudge was also partially-speaking as the hero-worshipper of Harry's fame he was as he focused more on the boy than anything else, making Albus wonder – and not for the first time – how he'd become Minister in the first place, before Dumbledore also remembered who was backing the one-track-minded man.
"He's been cursed badly. The Aurors that were on the scene; the older ones said it was like seeing You-Know-Who back…at full strength!"
In any other time or place, Dumbledore would have laughed if the situation weren't so serious.
The fear Fudge had of the inevitable return of Tom was something Albus had hoped to use in his favour to test Harry and see if the time was right for his self-sacrifice, but hearing it now wasn't just amusing, it was worrisome.
"Potter's been taken to St. Mungo's and the ICW has ordered their Special Investigations Unit to handle the inquiry," continued Fudge, the logic behind his words earning a nod from Albus as he took note of the letter that seemed to have arrived from the ICW. Truthfully, he was yet to look at it, but now he knew what it was, that didn't stop him worrying as Fudge went on with a grim expression.
"Albus, the Healers aren't very hopeful when it comes to Potter's recovery."
"I will ask Severus to join me, and we will see if we can help," Dumbledore said, trying to placate the man's fears while he also hid his own really well – since any near-death experiences he couldn't help Harry get over might cause certain plans and life-preservers to be used up before Albus could steer Harry into the path of sacrificing himself for the Greater Good.
Of course, he couldn't tell the Minister this; instead, he kept his expression grave as he told the Minister, "Do not worry, Cornelius. From what I know of them, the Special Investigations Unit are the most skilled investigators in the world. Even Alastor would relegate to their experiences, if the situation arises: rest assured, they will not rest until they find the culprits responsible."
Apparently appeased by Dumbledore's word, just like a good sheep should be, Fudge nodded, a look of relief flashing across his face even as his head vanished from the fire.
Once he was sure the coast was clear, Dumbledore grabbed the Floo Powder and called out Severus' name as he threw the powder into it.
If the Healers at St. Mungo's were having trouble dealing with whatever ailed Harry, he hoped Severus' extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts would be the lynchpin. He also knew the man would be very happy as he had discovered that his work in Harry's first year had not been enough to remove the life debt he owed James Potter, and through James, Harry himself.
But saving the boy from whatever ailed him that even the Healers of St. Mungo's couldn't fix?
Even Severus would willingly help the boy if it meant the removal of his debt.
Phoenix
As a boy, Tomas Nikolai Volker – known as Tommy to his closest friends and even his close-knit circle of allies – had graduated at the top of his class from the Russian Hit-Wizard Academy and, as a result, he'd quickly came to the attention of the International Confederation of Wizards as a dogged pursuer of his targets, capable of tracking a fugitive through several countries if need be, and always making sure to work with local magical law enforcement.
It was due to this reputation that, when they were forced to rebuild their Special Investigations Unit – after the previous one had been destroyed by an enterprising Dark Wizard of Non-Magical birth that had been caught attempting to foolishly fuse magic and technology surrounding the Muggles' last resort, nuclear weapons, resulting in an explosive incident that had all-but-damned the town of Chernobyl for many centuries to come, though the No-Maj's believed it was because of a leaky reactor – the ICW had turned to Volker to become the Captain of the SIU.
Volker had, in turn, filled his team with a group of handpicked specialists, all of whom he'd had experiences and encounters with in one form or another, from a pool of chosen candidates coming from organisations all around the world.
Phoenix
First was Alphonse Fournier, a Master-Level Ward Breaker whose previous experience had included a coalition with the Ward-Masters operating out of Gringotts in France, as well as the Creole Districts in America.
He was currently out in the field, checking on the wards that had been used to guard the World Cup, as a result of the SIU's latest dispatch orders, which, even as he watched Alphonse working, Volker silently grumbled about a twisted-up feeling that had been inside his guts, like a nest of live scorpions, ever since they'd arrived on scene.
Although he didn't say it out loud, Volker fully-expected his first-chosen comrade to report back that the British had been more than a little lax in their security, focusing far too much on keeping the Cup site safe from Muggles rather than ensuring no magical problems arose. Sporting events, be they Non-Magical or Magical, were prime targets for those who desired nothing more than to spread fear and terror in the hearts of innocents.
In this day and age, the Ministry of Magic was known to be susceptible to such people due to the trials – and Volker used the term as loosely as loose could go, since he knew of only one name on his Hit-List that had even been sentenced justly – for the Death Eaters over a decade ago. As one who'd been raised to the standards he'd acquired in his career, Volker believed in keeping the magical world pure, but the way the Death Eaters conducted themselves had set their agenda back, not moved it forward.
This was also a reason he'd acted on a second front, one that he recognised even when the call came out, but that was a story for another time.
Phoenix
Next on Volker's recruitment list had been Adelaide Kohler, a top-notch spell crafter from Germany who used a combination of Ancient Runes and Arithmancy to design investigative spells and/or devices for their cases.
Even as Volker considered the thoughts that whispered in his ear, he noticed how Kohler was taking readings from the area where Harry Potter, an icon for most of the magical world even if some felt his legend was just a bit inflated, had been found savagely cursed. Her long, platinum-blonde hair seemed to be tied up in a Japanese-style knot, while he could see her steely-grey eyes examining the spot with a mixture of dread, disgust and dark suspicions, all of which emphasised the warrior mistress she could be whenever she got the chance.
However, Volker also knew she was better off left to her examinations when she got like this.
Woe betide any Magical foolish enough to interrupt her before she reported to her superiors – namely him.
Phoenix
The remaining two members of Volker's team were David McKnight and Liam Ahlberg, both of whom were currently at St. Mungo's.
McKnight was a choice who'd raised some eyebrows in the ICW due to him being American – a non-signatory of the International Confederation of Wizards – but his experience as an ex-Auror and Legilimens who was also trained by the Muggles in the field of psychiatry made him an invaluable member of the team, especially when they were called in on a truly more demented case.
As Volker knew, he was interviewing those who'd been with Potter at the World Cup to try and construct a timeline.
As for the other, Liam Ahlberg, he hailed from Sweden, and was both their forensic specialist and their Healer.
Naturally, he'd finished his examination of the crime scene early on, having discovered most of the spells cast appeared to be unregistered spells, meaning they'd been created by a witch or wizard and not registered with the ICW or any Ministry that was a signatory, putting that part of the investigation firmly in Adelaide's wheelhouse.
Liam himself had accompanied McKnight to St. Mungo's to offer his help in healing the Potter boy.
Volker just hoped the Brits wouldn't make a fuss, being as stiff as they were.
"Captain Volker?" a young woman's voice asked, interrupting Volker's internal thought process.
The man turned to see a pair of British Aurors standing nearby: the speaker was a young woman with bubblegum-pink hair, which shifted to brown, indicating a Metamorphmagus gene present in her, as she looked around the crime scene before she addressed Volker again.
"We've been sent to liaise with the SIU for the British DMLE. I'm Junior Investigator Tonks; don't ask my first name, and this is my supervisor and Captain of the Aurors, Vice-Director Kingsley Shacklebolt."
"Vice-Director Shacklebolt, Junior Auror Tonks," Volker acknowledged, his voice as cold and calm as his looks suggested he was from time to time, which was just one of the reasons those in the Auror Circles had often referred to him as Captain Cold when they thought he wasn't listening.
Personally, he found it amusing, if not a little pretentious and direct, just like him.
"Allow me to give you a brief rundown of our efforts," continued Volker, grateful for the Translation Charms he and his team had cast on themselves upon arrival to avoid language difficulties.
That being said, even with the charm in place, his voice still radiated the same coldness as his looks and, when he spoke, it was with a voice that made you take notice, even if you didn't want to. He quietly spoke to the two Aurors about what they were doing. Once they'd finished – with Tonks looking suitably impressed and Shacklebolt thoughtful – Volker drew in a short breath before he asked, "Does the British Ministry have any leads on threats to Mr. Potter?"
"Not that we know of," Shacklebolt replied, unaware of Volker's eyes darkening as he looked around again, his own experiences filling in the blanks as he listened to the British Aurors. "Mr. Potter's current magical guardian, Chief Warlock and Supreme Mugwump, as well as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, is at St. Mungo's with his own handpicked Dark Arts specialist, attempting to help."
Volker couldn't resist sneering at the way this man intentionally used all the old legend's titles, as though he was actually supposed to be intimidated by them, now he was on British soil and in the presence of the Aurors of the UK.
While Volker did respect Dumbledore for his power and accolades, he also secretly wondered what the Powers were thinking, putting so much power and authority in the hands of just one man. Of course, he himself had stood in the presence of the Higher Power of Magic, the Archmage of the ICW – and the top-ranked authority in the Magical World, whose presence you did not want to see just for any old reason, since he only came down from Olympus in the direst, world-ending circumstances – so that was another reason for not being intimidated.
In the meantime, Volker remained cold and stone-faced as Shacklebolt went on, "He was instrumental in setting up Potter's security at his current residence, so he may shed further light on the issue."
Despite the rage that burned in him hearing that things weren't going according to the fully-recognised Emergency Protocols of the SIU, which clearly stated that all matters of Healing and Aid had to be approved by the Senior Agent in Charge – aka Tommy Volker – even if said aid came from or was suggested by a Higher Power of an individual Sovereign Nation.
Even so, Volker nodded stiffly before he conjured a Patronus, which, ironically, took on the form of a Snow Leopard, which waited in front of him.
"David," Volker began, hiding his ire as he gave the message for his Patronus to deliver, "Be sure to ask Albus Dumbledore about any threats against Harry Potter. That may provide us with a path to follow."
When the two Aurors weren't looking, however, Volker lowered his voice as he added in Russian.
{Also, be sure and keep a very close eye on the old man's so-called specialist: the fact that these purist ingrates allow such willing, if not, intentional breaches of our corps' protocols makes me nervous…and a little suspicious of their motives.}
Then, with a wave of his wand, Volker watched as the Patronus flew away, a smirk playing on his face when he saw Shacklebolt and Tonks watching him curiously, if not with an air of disbelief on their faces.
As many wizards knew, Patronus Messaging was a method of secure communication used amongst those in Law Enforcement whom were capable of conjuring a Patronus – this, of course, was a requirement for both Hit-Wizards and Aurors, though the latter only had to be capable of forming a Patronus Shield rather than a full-fledged Patronus, as was required by Hit-Wizards.
But, clearly, they'd never known anyone to deliver it in their native tongue, much less be unable to know what he was saying, even with the Translation Charms active.
Still, as a certain renowned warrior of British origins was fond of saying, so too did Volker exercise CONSTANT VIGILANCE, especially when it came to dealing with this corrupt, ass-backwards nation.
So, while the two Aurors looked on in bewilderment, Volker cleared his throat as he remarked, "Now, if you'll both excuse me; I've got a final report to prepare for from my comrades…good day, Auror Shacklebolt, Auror Tonks…"
With that done, Volker turned back to the crime scene itself, leaving Shacklebolt frowning while, unseen by her superior, Tonks took note of Volker's confidence, borderline-arrogance and professional demeanour, as well as his power.
And, when she did, she felt her cheeks redden as, for someone who was so cold, she couldn't help but find the Russian to be alarmingly hot…
Chapter 2 and, while nightmares have come to the Golden Trio, it also looks like the once-children are starting to show maturity when it comes to realising what they mean to one another, but can this union survive the test of time in events still to come?
Also, what will Volker and his team discover as they explore the lack of protocol and decorum performed by He-Who-Thinks-He-Is-God?
Keep Reading to Find Out
Next Chapter: Harry has a very weird dream…but is it a dream? Is it real, or is it all happening in his head? Regardless, when he comes to, he finds a very terrifying surprise waiting for him, as well as reunions with those who clearly share his newfound maturity;
Please Read and Review
AN: Portrayals
Tomas 'Tommy' Volker: Wentworth Miller
Alphonse Fournier: Lee Pace
Adelaide Kohler: Caity Lotz
David McKnight: Dominic Purcell
Liam Ahlberg: Alexander Skarsgard
AN2: Tonks
Also, in case anyone's wondering, yes, I am trying to set up a potential future pairing between Volker and Tonks; don't know why, but when I think of the two of them – especially their portrayals – I find myself liking the way it looks;
On that note, I should also say that romance and pairings won't be central/key to this story and any relationships will develop over time, especially the main one between Harry and Hermione: given this is a fourth-year fic, I'm sure you can all imagine when I plan on triggering any sort of long-term plans, if not, hinting at it until 5th year.