Joy of joys, my hard drive has passed away from all the beatings I gave it.  Hence the long wait;  Here is what I have scrambled together for you.

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Ron surveyed the maps spread out across the wall in front of him, then back at the list in his hand.  He was in a relatively large room at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement;  As he peered at the map, a clerk moved in front of one of the maps and added another mark. 

Should he say anything? 

Trust yourself, Dumbledore had said.

He looked at his watch and decided he should get moving.  He had a meeting with the Head of the Field Division.  He didn't know why though, as he wasn't done training.  He'd simply received a message informing him of the meeting this morning.

He walked though the building to the man's office, and after a short wait he was admitted.  He found Gaverson sitting behind his desk, with Fletcher off to the side.  Ron was tempted to ask him why he was there, as he'd become familiar with him through the Order, but now wasn't the time to display familiarity.

He tried to keep his face blank, and settled with a respectful "Sirs."

"Ronald Weasley, you are now an Auror."

"…Sir?"

"Under the recommendation of the Academy, you are one of the new emergency instated Aurors."

This was it then.  He'd only fought with the Order before -now he'd be at it full time with the ministry.  "Yes sir."  He had to wonder though, why the Head was telling him about it?

"I understand that you are good at strategy."

Ron ignored the rush of pride, "In chess at any rate."

The man glanced at the heretofore silent Fletcher.  "I'm assigning you to Fletcher's team, until further notice."

Fletcher stood and shook Ron's hand.  "Congratulations."

Outside the office, Fletcher indicated that Ron should follow him.  "Sirius said you were working on something?"

"I have a hunch, that Voldemort plans something for the Board of Governors."

"For Hogwarts?"

"What else?  Think about it though.  They control school policy -Dumbledore just enforces it."

"He'd never let Voldemort take over, regardless."

"Yes, but they are also Hogwarts source of funding."

Fletcher continued walking with a thoughtful look on his face.  "How is Harry?"  The grim look on Ron's face answered him.

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Dumbledore and his party made their way to Italy, passing by few muggle areas.  The journey was no doubt extended by their need to secrecy, although other members of the IC of W no doubt had an easier journey.

After reaching the mainland they made their way through Germany and Austria, and then on down to Slovakia.  They passed by the Italian City Trieste on their way to Venice, where they met up with Jeren Derboren, an Unspeakable.

He directed them onto a small boat, which was a rather curious means of transportation for a wizard.  Lucas Terpin, the emissary from the Department of International Magical Cooperation sent by Arthur on behalf on the ministry, was seated right at the edge.  It didn't take much observation to notice how often his hand would grip the side of the boat, or the suspicious glances he sent at water.

Dumbledore garnered some amused and doubtful glances with the sentence; "It's always exciting to try new things, is it not?"

As sunset colored the sky overhead, Derboren maneuvered the boat with ease down the watery canals; He was obviously used to this means of transportation.  No one on the boat was overly surprised when he maneuvered them into a wall, and through it.  They found themselves in a dark tunnel; answering a question from Maya, Derboren named the tunnel Ciclone, and explained that the entire system of tunnels was named Le Arterie. 

The boats speed increase was quite dramatic, and even the Aurors found themselves looking at the tunnel's walls in consternation; The fear being that they would 'miss' a turn and smash into the side of the tunnel…  Dumbledore, however, seemed as complaisant as ever.

They reached their destination in a few short hours.  The sprawling complex was revealed to be somewhere between Milan and Ravenna. 

A young man who led them to the main building, which was surprisingly modern, with glass and marble comprising most of it, met them. 

As soon as they entered the building they were welcomed by an Italian, who offered them a brief tour.  Another English member of the IC of W who had decided to accompany Dumbledore where others had decided to stay put in England, was Serafina Markich, and she asked in fluent Italian to be shown their rooms.

Most of those in the party knew several languages, as it was judged needed, even for the Aurors.  The guide, however, continued speaking in English as a courtesy.

"Your rooms are all adjoining -unless you would prefer otherwise?"

"That will be fine, signore."

They were led to a large Oak door with the English flag on the front, with Confederazione Internazionale dei Wizards inscribed overhead.

The Aurors subtly maneuvered themselves that two of them were the first inside.  It turned out to be a good sized waiting area, with six doorways leading to their own suits.

"Impressive," uttered Andrea Weasley, a cousin of the familiar Weasley family.  She was assisting the other IC of W member, Warren Mandre.

After seeing that they were all accommodated, their guide let them know that there was an informal gathering of those wizards who had already arrived tonight.

Dumbledore met with Maya and Remus to discuss the upencoming days.  "I will need to rely on you both to convey messages and keep your ears open.  We already know that Voldemort has nearly all control of Bulgaria, and yet I'm positive I glimpsed Zevaldin Ventizlan on the walk to our apartments."

Maya frowned, "Maybe he might know something that would help us?"

Remus countered, "Unless he seeks information that would help others."

"Do you think he will try to seek aid?  That can only strengthen our case, right?"

Dumbledore said, "I'm afraid there had been no indication that Bulgaria's government has contacted any other government for aid."

Maya grimaced as she set her tea on a side table.  "In other words, we don't know where Zevaldin stands.  Or anyone else for that matter.  Did I mention that I hate politics?"

Remus looked at Dumbledore questioningly; "Do you really think we have a chance of convincing the Confederation that Voldemort is a worldwide threat?"

Dumbledore's eyes seemed to measure something only he could see.  "We have a great deal of evidence, but it is likely that Voldemort has worked to counter us in ways we won't expect; For example, a testimony from Zevaldin could do much damage to our evidence of Voldemort's activities in that country."

"But Voldemort operated in several countries in his last reign, surely that will be remembered?"

"Do you think Voldemort will try something here?"

"If he's found a way to influence some of the members, yes, he will try to make us look the 'false messengers crying doom' if you will.  Though I'm more worried about him deciding that now is the time to overtake England.  With me out of the way, and young Harry stricken, he may just decide to seize the opportunity."

Remus regarding the pernsive old man, "The ministry is well hidden, and the Order would have warning if the were to strike.  I think Sirius can handle anything short of apocalypse."

"He is a strong man."  Spending twelve years in Azkaban broke everyone.  The Lestranges had maintained a limited sanity due to their pure devotion towards Voldemort, but even the innocent crumbled under the maddening cage of despair.  Sirius had shown an unexpected mental strength.

Maya said, "I think we should check into Mandre, Terpin, and Markich's plans."

"Good idea."

Dumbledore turned to Remus, "Remus, I'd like you to find out where everyone is quartered, and inquire as to whether the French would be amenable to a visit later -They have been our strongest allies thus far. And the American Ministry has shown a surprising amount of concern over Voldemort's resurgence."

Remus took his leave and Dumbledore moved to the black oval on the wall.  Luckily, he knew how to use the communication device.  While fires were widely used in England, they were not considered the most secure form of communication.  Any owl he sent would likely not make it to England in a timely manner, or at all.

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Hermione finished writing a hasty note to Ron, her pen scratching quickly across the parchment:

            Dear Ron,

            I've been called away and I don't know how long I'll be gone.  Remember what Id you about sending letters, and keep an eye on Harry.  They may not have killed him when they had the chance, but I don't trust that he is at all safe.  It breaks me up to see him like that -this morning he woke up briefly, and it was awful.  I hope to see you soon.

                                                                                    -Love Herm

She folded the parchment and gave it to her owl, Athena.  She then grabbed a thick coat and her small suitcase, before stepped into the fireplace.

A good twenty minutes later she found herself at the Golden Tooth.  She didn't pause to sit down, but instead walked out of the pub and into the Alley beyond.

A man approached her and she, alert, made no move.  "C'est un hiver étonnamment chaud," he said in French.  It's a surprisingly warm winter.

"Seulement si vous êtes la Russie," she answered.  Yeah, If you are from Russia.

"You are being sent to Italy."  He handed her a folder.