***The Marauder Chronicles; The End of Innocence is a fan fiction. It isn't to be taken as true to the event's preceding Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Characters belong to J.K. Rowling. The IWBI, description of, and concept belong to me. This story isn't to be duplicated or sold. No copyright infringement is intended.***

Author's note: And now the seeds I have planted in the past twenty-three chapters can begin to grow. This is so much different from the years at Hogwarts that I've added to the title. This chapter breaks into a new era, so to speak, and so much of it is introduction and description. There are new characters who will take form with time. I hope you like it; please tell me what you think. There is a reason for everything, even though some of it doesn't seem important...for now. Thanks.

The Marauder Chronicles; The End of Innocence

or 'The Years that Followed.'

...three weeks later...

Two men, not uncommon in stature, walked through a dark, cold hallway. The wind could be heard humming through the crevices in the doors and blacked-out windows. One of the men sneezed and wiped the snot off his nose and flicked it to the already molding walls. By the light of the acid green torches, which were lined on the gray stone walls, the men discerned two double doors to their left. Standing on each side were tall, ugly, and menacing mountain trolls, each equipped with large clubs. One of the men grunted, and the trolls opened the massive steel doors, which reached the ceiling of about twenty-five feet.

Inside was a small pentagonal room equipped with five doors, including the ones they had just entered. One of the men, the taller of the two, pointed to one of them to the left; the other nodded, and they continued to open it, revealing a steep curved staircase which led to their destination. They ascended.

At the top they met a cloaked figure, much like them. They couldn't see his face, nor could he see theirs. The two men lifted their sleeves to reveal their left forearms. The cloaked guard nodded to them and opened the door.

This room was adorned in green. The furniture was of deep red oak with black leather upholstery. There was a fireplace on one side of the round room filled with green and yellow flames.

"Any news?" said a high, cold voice from the dark depths of a high backed chair. The men couldn't make out his face as the darkness cloaked it, but they were able to see his long, spindly fingers as they flexed and touched each other's tips.

"Yes my lord," said one of the men, the shorter one.

"And..."

"He made it through the first stage."

"How was that allowed to happen?" His hands now clenched the arms of the great chair.

"I don't know my lord," he said.

The other man, taller, but not much, raised his hand. "If I may, Master?"

A long white finger raised, signaling the go ahead.

"He was thought of too highly by the Director of that sector. Russ is only second in command there, so he couldn't override the Director, nor could he come up with a reason to turn him down. His records are impeccable, and he is very intelligent."

There was a deep, disappointed sigh which came from the direction of the "Master." He reached out to the desk and grabbed his wand; he stroked it with his other hand.

"I ask myself every day, Russ, why you continue to disappoint me. Sometimes I think you spy on me and give information to your agency."

"No, my lord, never. I serve only you." He collapsed and got down on his knees, his hands clasped together in desperation.

"Then why was he appointed? You have an excellent standing, yet he made it through."

"Only the first stage. He's not an agent yet, my lord, not an agent yet. Please, give me a chance."

"How many should I give you?"

The man didn't say a word, but he kept himself on the floor.

"I see," he said, standing up and pacing back behind his chair. "How am I supposed to kill him if he's so well protected? Hmmm? What do you suggest?"

"I don't know," he said.

"Hasn't Lord Voldemort treated you well? Haven't I given you enough chances? Perhaps my constant requests are too much for your small, bureaucratic mind."

"No. Please master, don't-"

"Why shouldn't I? I told you to make sure that he didn't get through the first step. That place is near impossible to penetrate, not even you know where it is. He's too smart, you say. He's too well protected. He's too fast on his feet. Well, that is a shame now isn't it? Do you think I'm paranoid, Russ, you foul creature?"

"No, my lord, no. I will try to get him out, I will try."

"Try? And what do you think I should do to you if you fail?"

"My Master," the other man said. "If you kill him," he said, pointing to Russ, "you will lose one of your most valuable windows into the world. Not even Queen can stop the appointment of a field agent. It doesn't work that way. Perhaps if you told us why killing him is such a high priority we could better help you."

"No. If Potter gets through he'll be harder to kill. His father, small as he was, still proved valiant and willing to die for a good cause. I can imagine that our young Mr. Potter is just the same, and with some training he could be more than a burden to me."

"But nothing you can't handle, my lord," Russ said on the ground, still kneeling.

Voldemort whipped around quickly, stepped into the dim light, and pointed his wand at Russ. "Crucio," he muttered. Instantly Russ hit the floor, his back arching like a bow, his body twitching, his legs and arms flailing about. He screamed high and loud; it echoed on the rounded walls of the tall chamber.

"I can't stand your incessant failure and your less than respectful attitude. How dare you hold that tone with me, Russ," he said as Russ screamed louder with each second. The other man dared not turn to see what was happening. "Give me a reason, just give me a reason to kill you and you will breathe no more." He raised his wand, and Russ relaxed as he crawled to the door. Voldemort walked back to the other man, smiled, and lowered the man's hood.

"My faithful servant," he said lovingly as he stroked the man's hair with his skinny fingers. His red eyes widened with love as they looked upon the man. "I can count on you always. What are you going to do with our dear friend Potter?"

"It'll be hard to keep him out of the Bureau due to his intelligence, his skill, and his family connections, though they cease to exist. Having an Auror as a father is helpful. But we could always try to bring him to our side, and if that doesn't work, we kill him. But you're right, as always; he will be painfully protected and hard to kill if he's accepted into the Bureau, but it isn't impossible."

"Yes."

"Why do you want him dead, Master?" the man asked.

"I'm going to let you in on a little secret. I too wondered why I have such a drive to murder him, but it's really quite simple. My goals are clear and within reach. I want to conquer and rule over all. And I can't have people like him in this world to do so." He pointed his wand at Russ again and threw him to the wall. "Do what you can to get him on our side, but if you can't we'll have to go to another plan." He nodded to the man, let Russ go, and then walked back to his chair.

The men both bowed deeply to him, raised their hoods back over their heads, and left.

Voldemort sat down in his deep chair and smiled to himself. He summoned a large book to him from his shelves. The cover was made of a blood red satin with gold trim. He ran his fingers over it and sighed deeply with an evil smile, as if the book gave him far too much pleasure. He laughed as he stared at the volume, big and heavy in his hands. "Oh James," he laughed cruelly, "oh if only you knew!"

* * * * * * *

Yet another fire alarm sounded through the kitchen of a large manor in Norfolk, England. It was so loud and piercing that Amanda feared the windows would shatter. Lily ran for the fire extinguisher and sprayed it inside the oven from which thick smoke was billowing.

"Lily!" her mother cried.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled back as she continued to spray inside the oven. After the flames had gone out, both she and her mother opened all the windows and waved large towels at the fire alarm.

"That's the third time in two days, Lily dear," Amanda said, not sounding at all soothing.

"I know that," she said back.

"How can you burn bread? Just set the oven to the right temperature, put the timer on, and let it bake."

"I did that."

"No, no, no. If you had done that the house wouldn't have burned down."

"Mum, I just want to learn to cook, is that so much to ask?"

"It is as if your father and I are risking our lives."

Lily dropped the towel, rolled her eyes, and walked back into the kitchen. She opened the oven, looked inside, and dropped her shoulders. "It's black," she wined.

"Well of course it is, dear," she said. "Isn't there some magic way to do all this?"

"Probably," Lily said, sounding defeated.

"Then stick with what you know and leave the real work up to the real people. You don't want to kill your husband, do you?"

"No," she said. Lily took out the bread and put it on the tile countertop to let it cool. Just then there was a soft popping noise, and Jade appeared out of thin air. She smiled at Lily.

"I love how convenient Apparation is. Oh no," she said as she saw the bread, "burst into flames again?"

"Yeah. Gosh, would you look at how black it is," she wined.

"Bread tends to turn black when you set fire to it. Funny how that works."

"So, what's the story?" she asked Jade. They moved into the living room and sat in the sofa.

"I saw them."

"You saw them?" Lily asked excitedly.

"Oh yeah."

"And?"

"Very nice."

"Where?"

"The cutest little shop in Bordeaux, France. They were absolutely perfect, Lily."

Amanda then entered the living room and sat down in the love seat. "What are we talking about?" she asked.

"Jade found the bride's maids' dresses in Bordeaux. We've been looking for them for a while in magazines and shops but couldn't find them."

"They're perfect, Amanda. Soft light blue, nice cut, and they don't make me look hippy."

"Jade, you have small hips," Amanda said.

"Yeah, for a horse. Anyways, the price is a little high, but I told the woman to put them on reserve for us."

"Price doesn't matter," Amanda said lightly. "You only marry once. Get the dresses. Which reminds me, Lily you have the hair appointment for the 8th. Ten in the morning."

"Thanks Mum, and great."

"So, how's your Dad handling this?" Jade asked with a grin.

"Well, you know. He's...well...let's just say that he's a little less...maybe that's not the best way to describe it....I mean he really likes James and all. It's just the idea of me walking down the aisle and getting married and leaving him forever. He's less composed, I suppose. Hey that rhymes."

"Less composed, huh. Has he cried at all?"

"Only when we talk about it," Amanda said with a smirk.

"Yeah, the wedding isn't mentioned too much with him around. I guess he fell apart when he got the invitation. We're going to try to ease into it, little by little."

"Very wise," Jade said nodding. "I personally don't think it's the wedding that bothers him..."

"I agree somewhat. The actual ceremony is an issue, but more so is..." Lily said moving her hand.

"The sex?" Amanda suggested. Jade had to cover her mouth to keep her composure.

"Mother!" Lily said, surprised. Jade lost it; she burst out laughing.

"Well honey, I'm not an idiot. Have you bought something naughty to wear for that night, because that's what I did for our honeymoon?"

Lily wanted to put her hands over her ears and hum loudly when she heard this. "I really don't want to hear what you and daddy did on your honeymoon."

"The same thing you're going to do on yours. Anyway, I found that black was the best color for me, but of course I was much thinner and youthful back then. It doesn't stop me now, though," she said with a wry smile. Jade was very amused; Lily looked like she was going to be sick.

"Can we not talk about this?" Lily said. Jade grinned and changed the subject.

"So, Amanda, what do you really think of James?"

"He's adorable," she said. "He's perfect for Lily. Tall, handsome, great smile, tight butt," she said casually then laughed with Jade.

"Mother!" Lily said laughing as she slapped her mother's knee. "What has gotten into you?"

"What? She asked me, and I said what I thought. Just because I'm old it doesn't mean that I'm blind and I don't know these things. Besides, we're all just young girls here."

"Well, I'll let it pass," Lily said, still smiling, "but only because he does have a tight butt." They laughed again.

"So, Jade, what about Sirius? We only talk about the wedding, but what about the two of you?"

"Oh we're good. He's still trying to get this job. They're having him jump through all these hoops, and he's been really busy, but we're good. They're still working on their flat, or should I say hole in the wall, but it's coming along. Boxes are all over the place, but they like it."

"It is a bit of a hole in the wall, isn't it?" Lily said.

"Yeah, but at least they have a hole. I don't, so I have to envy theirs. My parents are driving me crazy," she said. "Sirius seems to be growing into the situation though, which is good. He needs to grow up some."

"I'll swim in tomato soup the day he grows up, both of them for that matter. I think the job will be good for them."

"Yeah," she said.

"What is this job they're after?" Amanda asked.

Lily and Jade took a deep breath. "Well, that's just it. We know it's in the IWBI," she said, but then went to elaborate when she saw the confused look on her mother's face. "International Wizard Bureau of Investigation. It's the magical equivalent to the Central Intelligence Agency in America or MI-6 here. Only instead of focusing on one country, it's international. Anyway, we don't exactly know what department. It's hard to get information on the Bureau, we only know it exists and fights evil, but that's about it. James and Sirius interviewed for it and made it through the first step, but they can't tell us the rest of it until they get formally accepted," Lily said.

"Sounds important and dangerous. So how did James hear about it?"

"Well, Byron, his father, was an Auror, so I suspect that's how he heard. Aurors are privy to tons of information, and he probably told James at some point. People know about IWBI, just not a great deal. It's more like they seek you out for a job instead of the other way. Anyone can apply, but only the top students get the first interview. The second one is an accomplishment to make, but the third is near impossible. James and Sirius were both very happy when they made the third interview. But yes, it's important. As for dangerous, I'm not sure. James might work at a desk for all we know. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Sounds riveting," she said. "So you'll know everything that's going on in the intelligence world then?"

"Not exactly. He told me a while ago that if he got a job there, he wouldn't be able to discuss work too much. I mean he can tell me some things but nothing remotely interesting."

"So what will you talk about?" her mother asked.

Lily shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Stuff."

"That's Lily's way of saying that they won't talk but-"

"We're at my parents' house, Jade. Could you keep it to a minimum?"

"Oh, I knew what she meant before she said it, sweetie. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll find something to say to one another."

"Speaking of which," Jade said, looking at her watch, "we have to be there soon, and I'm still not dressed the way I want to be. I have to go. See you there, Lily. Bye Amanda," Jade said, and she Disapparated quickly.

Lily looked at her watch. "Yeah I should get ready to go, too." Lily got up and ran to her bedroom.



...Some where in Leeds...



"I got him!" Sirius said, jumping over a pile of boxes and dashing around a leather chair.

"He's going through the wall, Sirius!" James yelled.

Sirius got down on the floor and put his hand through the wall. James came up behind him.

"Can you get him?" he asked.

"I'm trying but-OW! It bit me!" he said pulling out his now bleeding fingers. "I'm going to get the plague and die," he continued as he slowly turned green at the sight of blood.

"Sirius, just cover it up with a towel or something, and we'll let Lily take care of it when she arrives, which is in about five minutes. We need to find that rat."

"You get it. Can't you see I'm bleeding to death?" he said weakly as he wrapped a towel around his hand.

"Bleeding to death," James chuckled as he shook his head at Sirius. "Please, Sirius, you're going to be fine. I'll get the big, bad rat for you." James got down on his stomach and pulled up the wall panel. The black rat shot out and went for the small kitchen. James leaped up, grabbed his wand, and yelled, "Stupify!" The rat flopped down and ceased to move. "There," he said, "no more rat."

"I bet he has a family here: momma rat and the little kiddy rats."

"Well, we'll kick them out when we find them." James took the rat by the tail, walked over to the window, and tossed him out. The rat fell in a trash bin two stories down. James wiped his hands together then looked back at Sirius. "This place is a pigpen." And Sirius couldn't agree more. There were boxes of all sizes strewn over the floor, the walls were dusty and falling apart, the carpet had a number of mystery stains, and they could clearly hear crawling between the walls.

"Ah," Sirius said, surveying the place, "home sweet crap." James laughed. "The girls are going to complain again, I can just hear it."

"I think they're dying to help us with this mess."

"I think this place has a lot of character. And even better, it's cheap. Cheap is better than living with parents, that's for sure. At least the furniture is good. I'm glad you didn't sell that."

"Me too."

There were three knocks on the door. James went over to it and opened it.

"Hey!" he said to Lily and Jade. "Welcome to our home," he said sarcastically as he showed them in.

"Oh dear," Jade said, looking around. Sirius came over to her and gave her a greeting kiss then took her hands and led her to his room. "What's in there?" she asked.

"Privacy," he said with a smile.

"I like privacy," she said with a grin and allowed him to pull her in.

"That leaves us then," Lily said. "Please tell me you're going to fix this place up and not leave it in this state. We can help you."

"Sirius and I going to fix it up, alright. We just eradicated a resident rodent as a matter of fact. But this place needs a lot of work besides decoration."

She leaned on him and wrapped her arms around him. He did the same and kissed her forehead. "At least you won't be living here too long," she said warmly.

"I can't wait to be married to you," he said. He could feel her smiling into his chest.

"Me neither," she sighed.

"Lily," Jade said loudly. She slammed Sirius's door open, and dragged him by one hand into the kitchen. "Sirius needs your medical attention," she said, showing her Sirius's bitten hand.

"How did this happen?" Lily asked him, taking a closer look. Sirius looked anxiously to Jade then smirked at James.

"Rat" was all he said. Jade choked a cry.

"Rat?" she repeated with her hand to her mouth. "There are rats in here? Not that I'm surprised, but actually in the room?" she said calmly, though her trembling fingers would suggest anything but eased nerves.

Sirius grinned and looked to James. "Oh yeah, in this very room."

"Adds charm and character," James said back.

"And we don't mind sharing it with some other tenants, even though they don't pay rent."

"Actually Sirius, if you think about it, they kinda do. Last night they ate your crust."

"Right!" Sirius said, as if a light bulb had just come on. "They did do that for us without our even asking them. How considerate."

"You guys are too much," Jade said, lightly sniggering. James and Sirius smiled and bowed. "So can you fix him Lily?" she continued.

"Of course, it's nothing I can't handle." She whipped out her wand, mumbled an incantation, and Sirius was healed.

"You're handy to have around," he said to her.

"Why thank you. Shall we get to the fixing then?" she said, looking around the flat. "Please," James and Sirius said in unison. The four of them nodded and pulled up their sleeves.

Jade took care of the walls with some spells she had found and put them back to how they would appear normally. She also completely renovated the carpet, not only removing the stains, but cleaned and changed the color to a nice clean cream with the boys' permission.

Lily went through the boxes and shelved the books, folded their clothes, and cleaned their rooms.

"What should we do?" James and Sirius asked as they leaned against their new wall.

"Just stand there and think of how you're going to pay us," Jade answered with a smile to Sirius. Lily agreed and told them to stay out of the way and let them handle it.

In no time, the flat had gone from grime to shine. Lily and Jade had managed to make their kitchen sparkle, their rooms dazzle, and the living room livable. They were both very happy with their accomplishment, so they stood and admired it for several minutes without saying a word.

"Er..." James said, looking around, just as impressed, "it looks really nice. If it were left to Sirius and me, we would have tried cleaning it, but you two gutted it out, and it worked."

"Well you know," Jade said, "a woman's touch."

They decided to dine there, as it was so much better.

They talked about nearly everything: the wedding, Lily's schooling, which would start soon, Peter and his domineering mother, Liz and her new busy job at the Ministry, and Remus who was still unemployed. Jade, who always considered herself to be out of the loop, had finally put two and two together and got that Remus was a werewolf. She was shocked and surprised but didn't think any less of him. After all, it wasn't like he asked for it to happen.

Lily voiced some of her concern for Liz and Remus's relationship but hoped for the best, whatever that was. Then they discussed how open it was to be out of school. The protective walls of Hogwarts were gone; they all felt strangely naked and exposed without them. News of Voldemort flew around their table as well as what should be done with him. They, of course, couldn't think of anything reasonable, but it was enjoyable to discuss.

Then finally the jobs came up. Jade talked about her position at the Ministry of Magic but surprised them all when she said she was privy to classified information.

"How can a historian know top secret data?" Sirius asked.

"We can. Besides, I'm not just a historian. I take the information from the past and wield it so I can see how a country, or a person, behaves therefore giving me the knowledge to know what they'll do next. But I do know stuff that you don't know. I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"So what about you two? Tell us about what the Bureau is having you do all the time."

Sirius and James looked at each other, each scanning the other's face.

"Well," James said, looking at his empty glass, "they offered me a job," he said.

Lily looked into his eyes and smiled. "That's great, isn't it?" she said.

"Yes, but I have to talk to you about it before I can continue on. I need to know what you think about it first."

"And you Sirius?" Jade asked. He grinned.

"Yeah, me too. Different position, but same sector. Actually it's a little funny, but they offered me a job to be an analyst, sort of like you. I don't know why exactly. I thought maybe they would have me work in the field, but they didn't. So it's off for a nice desk job for the time being."

"Well, you're very smart, Sirius. History-"

"No, it's not history. That's a whole different level. I get to look at reports from the field. I get to look at spy photographs, listen in on bad guys, and even, if I'm lucky, interrogate a few people."

Jade leaned forward across the table with a huge exited grin on her face. "Really?" she asked breathlessly. "That is the neatest job ever! I'm so happy for you, Sirius! You actually get to look into espionage, wow. I envy you," she said, getting up and hugging him tightly. He grinned, kissed her, and held on to her.

"Yeah, I can't wait to get started." Sirius looked over at James and saw he needed to talk to Lily now rather than later. "How about you and I get some desert or something?" he asked her. She nodded, looked back at Lily and James, then got up and headed for the door, Sirius right behind her. He winked at James, and then they both left.

James got up and moved over to be with Lily. He took her hands and took a deep cleansing breath.

"What do they want you to do?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.

"They want me to work in the field," he said slowly.

"The field? Isn't that their way of saying they want you to be a spy?" she said.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I won't be a spy. Spies go into the action; they go undercover and essentially become a Dark wizard to get the information. What I would be doing is different. I would be more like the home base, or a coordinator. I'd get information that Sirius would analyze, take pictures, plant homing amulets, listen in when the spy has the ears. Does that make sense?"

Lily looked at him hard and smiled, but it wasn't a happy one. "James, that is a spy."

He sighed and shut his eyes. "No."

"A coordinator you said? So you would command them? Tell them what to do, listen to what they hear, plant devices, and take pictures and you don't think that's spying?" she asked.

"Well..."

"James, what kind of protection are they giving you?"

He looked up at the ceiling, around the walls, and at the floor. He pointed to everything. "This entire building, because Sirius and I are living here, is being concealed with the use of a Nascondersi spell. It's a high security charm that enables us to be hidden like a shield is covering us. It's nearly impossible to break, and I'm not even working there yet. I would be very safe, Lily. They don't send dummies out there."

She continued to stare at him, his hands still clutching hers.

"How often would you go out into the 'field'?" she asked.

"I don't know. When they need me, I guess. I wouldn't be the only one holding this position. I mean there are at least four others that I know about. They say that it switches around quite a bit, so the enemy doesn't know what to expect."

"Oh well then," Lily said sardonically, "that makes me feel tons better. As long as they change shifts so the enemy can't find a distinct pattern...go for it. By all means become a spy." She got up, picked up the dishes, and took them into the kitchen. He got up and followed her.

"Look, nothing is going to be a sure deal. It's dangerous out there. Voldemort's hands are slowly taking control of everything. No position is safe. Hell, I just read an article today about Muggles being killed by him. Muggles, Lily. He's killing them for sport because he can. Not even people in the other world are safe from him. No one is safe. This job, the job they want me to have, could work against him. The more we learn about him the better our chances are for beating him. Don't you understand that? I would be gathering information that could save lives. And it's safer than other jobs, even Quidditch. Ashika said that Voldemort has Death Eaters in at least twenty-five percent of the teams."

"Who's Ashika?" Lily asked.

"Ashika Narayan. She's the Director of Counterintelligence, my division if I take the job. They're everywhere, Lily. And what's scary is that more and more join his ranks with each obstacle he blasts out of the way. We're not in Hogwarts anymore. We can no longer turn our heads to the evil that's swallowing our world."

"I just," she started, but stopped. She covered her face with her hands and ran them up through her hair. "This is so much. I just want you to be safe."

"I will be. These people are safety freaks, Lily. I haven't even seen the Bureau yet. Ashika doesn't even know what country it's in. That's how safe it is. It's 'static free', and you have to have security clearance just to Apparate to the Apparation chamber. It's hard to describe, but I assure you, it's one of the safest places in the world. I could save lives, Lily." He stared hard into her eyes, as if looking for her answer there. She looked back at his eyes full of determination, not to achieve world fame and glory like the eyes she saw after Quidditch, but the blue eyes that were resolved to extinguish the fires of evil. He wanted to do this, she could tell.

He did have that natural goodness in him. He wasn't perfect, but he was moral and just. He played by his own rules, got into trouble from time to time, but somehow you could always trust him. As stupid as it sounded, you could always trust him.

"Why you?" she asked. "Why do they want you to do it? Wouldn't they want someone with more experience, someone older and wiser? Why do they want you?"

James shook his head. "I don't really know. Ashika said I had good qualities. I'm smart, I work well under pressure, and she says I'm a good leader and that people look up to me."

"How does she know that?" Lily asked, but smiling somewhat.

"Dumbledore, I suspect. Being Quidditch Captain did have its drawbacks, but so far it hasn't come close to the advantages. I've already worked with a team towards a goal. I've already been a team leader."

"But this time it isn't catching a snitch or scoring a goal," she said. "This time it's going in behind enemy lines, so to speak."

"Yes, but the methods are the same. It's about all about strategy, the players, finding their weaknesses, and learning how to throw them off course and make an interception. Espionage is a game, Lily. Dangerous and complicated, but still just a game. But this time I won't be scoring with the Quaffle; I'll just pass it and let the rest of the team score." He smiled and watched her face.

"You really want to do this, don't you?" she asked.

He grinned back at her. "Yes, I absolutely do. They are not only safe but also family oriented. They've already told me that if I take the job, they'll give me a week and a half paid vacation for Rome. That's how bad they want me. They said they'd call me when needed, and it's true, but I won't work around the clock like I would be if I played for the Eagles. I mean it all fits. I could see you when you're not at school, fight the bad guys, and be safe. This is it, Lily. This is what I was born to do. I know it; I can feel it. All the pieces are falling into place. When we were at school, we snooped around, drew a map so detailed not even Dumbledore knows as much as we do, and we were able to infiltrate the Slytherin common room. I've been playing the spy game for years, now I can do the real thing in the real world."

He does have a point, a little voice said inside her busy mind. He can be sneaky, yet trustworthy, a weird but valuable combination. She had never thought of it before. He always told her the truth, yet he was deceptive to others. No wonder they want him so badly, who wouldn't?

"You'd be safe," she said more for herself than James. "And you'd be happy as you save the world. And it's so sweet that you came to me to talk about it."

"We're a team, you and I. So what do you say teammate?" he asked with a boyish smile.

"I think," she started as she looked into those baby blues, "I think you would be good for it. I think you're right; perhaps you were born for it. You just have to promise me that you'll always come home to me in one piece, James Potter," she said, shaking a finger at him, which he found amusing.

"I promise," he said grinning. "Will you promise that when you become a world famous doctor you won't leave me for someone better looking."

"Well, there isn't anyone better looking than you. I go for looks alone, you know."

"Is that right? So do I," he said, nodding his head.

"We're just a couple of shallow individuals I'd say."

"I quite agree. But for now I'll just admire your face up close," he said, leaning in closer to her. She put her hands around his neck and drew him closer for an ardent kiss.

The door slowly opened a crack. A nose, very similar to the nose of Sirius Black, emerged slowly. Then lips, and then eyes. Soon a head and neck were quite visible in the flat. Sirius looked into the kitchen, smiled, then ducked out.

"Well?" Jade asked. "Kissing, right?"

"Of course," he said.

"It was wrong of us to listen in on them, wasn't it?"

"Well, not really. They did have privacy, and it's not like they wouldn't have told us anyhow. Besides, we are working on our intelligence gathering."

"Oh I see," Jade said. "Intelligence gathering. You are positively correct, Mr. Black. This is purely work related."

"Absolutely."

"Not eavesdropping?"

"I wouldn't stand for it," Sirius said as if scandalized by the very idea.

They sat in comfortable silence for a small time and waited to hear talking coming from the door.

"Do you think they'll suspect us when we 'return' without ice cream?"

"Do you really think they'll remember that?"

"Maybe."

"Yeah, let's go get some," he said, taking Jade by the hand.



James and Sirius walked down a sidewalk to a café where they were told to be at six in the morning. James had a very difficult time in rousing Sirius awake. He finally took a bucket of cold water and splashed it on his face. Sirius didn't speak to him on their long journey to the café.

The two entered the restaurant as if they had done it one thousand times before and looked for a booth where they could sit and wait. James pointed to one in the corner and they made their way over.

"Can I get you two gents anything?" a waitress asked. She was very thin with bleach-blonde curly hair and wore painfully red lipstick.

"Coffee," Sirius said as he laid his head on his hand. "And a sledgehammer for my good pal here," he added.

"I'll have some tea," James told her. She looked strangely at Sirius then went to get their orders. "Do you know whom we're supposed to meet?" James asked.

"No," Sirius said coldly. "Someone with a really funny sense of humor. Someone whose nose is going to be so much smaller when I meet them. God doesn't get up at this ungodly hour. That's why it's called an 'ungodly' hour. Because even He, the Divine seer and wisest of all, is still sleeping."

"I don't think God sleeps," James said. The waitress brought over the coffee and tea and set it down for them.

"There you go chaps," she said. "Have a nice ride."

James and Sirius looked at each other and both agreed without even speaking to each other; that the woman was weird. James shook it off, raised his cup to Sirius who did the same, and made a toast.

"To...God for his sense of humor and good laugh that he is having right now."

"Here, here," Sirius said. Then they drank.

But instead of fluids traveling down to their stomachs, they personally traveled at break neck speeds to an unknown destination. It was the fastest moment of their lives as they were catapulted into a circular room which was void of human life. They both lay on the white marble floor, eyes bulging and hearts racing. James could hear himself and Sirius breathing very rapidly and rather loudly.

"What the hell happened?" Sirius asked.

"No idea," James said breathlessly.

"Where the hell are we?"

"No idea."

Slowly, the two of them got up and looked around. It was a round room, with a diameter of about twenty feet. Both the ceiling and the floor were made of pure, almost glowing, white marble. The walls looked like black obsidian, for James and Sirius could see their reflections. It was amazingly bright, yet there were no lights, candles, or sun in this room. The silence was overbearing.

"Interesting," James said as he walked along the wall.

"It would be if we weren't stuck here. Press on the walls and see if you can get out," he suggested. James touched the shiny black walls, but they were solid all the way around the room.

"We're trapped," James said, trying not to sound panicked.

"I'll bet you everything that vampire lips put something in our drinks. I mean she said 'have a nice ride.'"

"Really?" James asked sarcastically. "Wow Sirius, excellent analytical perception. However, that's not helping the current situation is it?"

Sirius mumbled something rude under his breath and started pacing the wall. "This is probably some sort of test," Sirius said. "Probably a psyche test. They keep us in a room, like lab rats, and watch how we behave under pressure. These walls," Sirius said knocking on them, "are double sided glass. They're watching us. A bunch of shrinks are studying our every move and scribbling it down on a clipboard." Sirius turned to the wall and stuck out his tongue then checked his teeth. "There, what you think about that, you pinheads!"

"Why don't you just moon the wall, Sirius," James said.

"You know, I might do that if we're in her for much longer!" he yelled to the ceiling.

"We need to relax. I don't think we're in immediate danger," James said.

"We will be if the oxygen runs out. This is all because they woke us at six in the morning and didn't allow us coffee."

"If this is a psyche test, then I think we flunked it. It'll be the first test I've flunked, ever. And I am not crazy. Not at all."

"James, proposing marriage when you're sixteen to a girl you've been dating for less than a year in a train station is crazy."

"Well," James said. "The truth comes out."

"Oh please. You've always been a fruitcake. It's part of who you are, and I like it, but saying you're not crazy is pushing it, pal."

"Hey, you were only attracted to Jade because she pretended to hate you. You fell for a girl who hated you. Now who's the crazy one?"

"At least I didn't turn down a chance to play professional Quidditch because my girlfriend didn't want me to," Sirius said. He put on a high voice, "Oh James, don't leave me, don't you love me?" James advanced on him.

"Are you mocking Lily?" he asked, trying to tower over him.

"No," Sirius said sarcastically.

"Listen, that choice was mine and hers, not yours. You're just jealous because they offered it to me instead of you."

"Yeah, that's it," Sirius said, with sarcasm again. "I'm jealous of you. Yeah."

James put his hands to his face. "Look at what we're doing," he said. "This is crazy. We don't think this of each other."

"Well, a little," Sirius said, throwing out his hands.

"You think I'm a nutcase?" James asked, looking quite hurt.

"Just a teeny, tiny, little bit," Sirius said as he put his thumb and pointer finger close together.

"Well that's swell," James said, pacing again. "My best friend in the world thinks I'm off my rocker. Right?"

"That's a bit strong, but essentially...yes."

"Fine," James said, throwing his hands out shoulder high. "Answer me this truthfully: Were you jealous that I was offered Quidditch and you weren't?"

"Of course I was. Who wouldn't be? I mean gosh..." he hesitated then held his hand up to his eyes.

"Oh Sirius," James said, drawing close to his friend, "I'm so sorry."

"Can I hug you, man?" Sirius asked.

"Sure," James said as he enclosed Sirius in his arms. "It's going to be okay." They stood there hugging for a few short seconds when both of them pushed each other.

"Were we hugging?" Sirius asked as if disgusted by the idea.

"Yeah," James said with a facial expression as though he'd eaten dung.

"We sounded like women. I mean, women hug and talk about feelings. This room is really getting to us!"

"Okay, I got it," James said. "You sit over there, and I'll sit across from you, and we won't talk until...well...until we rot into oblivion."

"Sounds good," Sirius said lightly as he slid down to the ground. James did the same. They ended up staring at each other with nothing better to do. It seemed like hours that they just sat there, staring.

"Maybe we should talk," James said.

"Okay. What do you want to talk about?" Sirius asked.

"I dunno," James said.

"Well, it's your idea. Pick a topic."

"How about..."

"Women?" Sirius suggested.

"I thought I was picking the topic," James said resentfully.

"You took too long," he said.

"Like it matters. This is probably Hell. That woman poisoned our drinks, and we died, and now we have to spend eternity in Hell together. So excuse me if I don't think of a topic to discuss as soon as you wanted it. We have eternity."

Sirius furrowed his brow at James then continued on. "I like Jade a lot. Too bad I'll never see her again."

"Would you have married her? I don't get to be married to Lily. I really wanted to marry her. Now I have to die a virgin. Well, I'm dead a virgin. Geese that stinks."

Sirius started laughing hysterically like a madman. "What's so funny?" James asked, smiling slightly.

"At least you won't have to streak through school!" And he laughed again.

"I really had that dream, you know. I'm dead serious about that."

"Sure," he continued. "You just made it up. If it was true you would have told me about it."

"No!" James said. "I had that dream. I can't believe how crazy we're becoming! Will somebody please help us!" James yelled at the ceiling.

Just then one black panel disappeared and was replaced by what looked like a vertical water puddle, both blue and rippling with waves. James and Sirius looked at it then slowly back at each other.

"What is that?" Sirius asked. They both got up and walked towards it to examine it closer. They could see their wavy reflections in it. "So what is it?" Sirius asked again.

"How should I know?" James said.

"Touch it," Sirius said.

"Touch it? Why me?"

"Because you're braver than I am, and you're a virgin."

James looked at Sirius for a while wanting to give him a good shove into whatever the heck this thing was. "Fine," James said, "because I have guts and you have...whatever!"

He shoved Sirius aside and stood directly in front of the phenomenon. He took his hand and reached out and touched it. Nothing happened.

"What does it feel like?" Sirius asked.

"Air," James said. Sirius came up and stood beside him, then touched it for himself.

"Weird," he said. James took a deep breath and started forward, but Sirius held him back. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Going through, of course."

"Why?"

"I'm sick and tired of this room, that's why. You coming?" he said with determination.

"I guess. You go, I go, right?"

"Right. On the count of three, and don't you dare go on two or I swear I'll hurt you."

"Fine. I'll count. One...two...three." And they stepped through. They felt like they were being pulled many different directions, the pressure on their heads was mounting like they were fifty feet under water, and they saw swirls of black and bright electric blue flash before their eyes. But then it all ended. The next thing they knew was that they were standing in a large, oval room full of bustling people. The ceiling and floor were marble though not the blinding white as in their previous room but a pleasant, shiny, dark gray. The walls were still mirror like but royal blue which looked rather pretty, actually. Directly in front of them was a long and wide hall way with people of all nationalities walking to and fro doing business as usual.

"James Potter and Sirius Black. You're right on time," a short woman said. She appeared, it seemed, out of nowhere and was standing in front of them. "Welcome to the International Wizard Bureau of Investigation."

About a thousand questions popped into each of their heads as they stared at this magnificence which appeared right before their eyes. The woman in front of them wore a very friendly smile and held in her hand a clipboard, presumably with their names and photographs. She appeared to be in her thirties. Her dark, graying hair was back in a professional bun, her eyes glowed of friendliness, and her gold loop earrings swayed back and forth though she wasn't moving.

"I'm Nyah, your tour guide," she said as she put out her hand for them to shake. Both did so, but with half their hearts. "So, if you'll follow me I'll tell you about the headquarters."

"Um...I'm sorry," James said.

"Nyah," she said cheerily.

"Nyah. What was that room we were in for hours?"

"That, James, was the Apparation Chamber. You'll Apparate there every morning for work and travel through the portal to get here. It is impossible to Apparate inside this building so everyone takes the portal."

"Portal?" Sirius said.

"Yes. We have few doors here. Portals have three levels of security. The one you just entered is high security. The room you were in, for a few minutes actually, scanned your body and knew instantly that you were you. Then the portal knew that you had been cleared to enter. Only people with clearance can enter here, you see. It makes it safe."

James and Sirius nodded in confusion. "So, let's get started." She started walking forward, and they followed. With a loud whoosh, the room that they had been in vanished, and behind them was now a wall, solid to the touch.

"What happened to the room you met us in?" James asked.

"Oh, that's just the entry room. You'll see it every day, don't make such a fuss," she said then started on her way again.

"Yeah, but it's gone!"

"James, it's there, but you just don't have a reason to go back there. Now can we continue?"

James and Sirius gave each other quizzical looks and followed Nyah onward. Each of them couldn't help but notice how many different types of people were here. They passed a German and a Frenchman bickering, and then they saw an American telling jokes to three Japanese wizards.

"To our left is the main area for counterintelligence analysts, which is you, Sirius. To our right is the Counterintelligence Operations Unit which is where you'll be, James." There was a small bronze plaque beside each portal which led to the offices. One said "Counterintelligence Operations Unit" , and the other said "Analysis and Development Unit." And just like the portal they entered, these were blue and wavy. They even saw a young woman come out of one of them as if it were totally normal.

"Awesome," Sirius said in awe. James silently agreed. He never imagined the Bureau to be this amazing. Nyah showed them everything on the Counterintelligence level which included a large facility for the Historians, a safe house and training room for field agents, a Medical wing, a Counseling center, and a Gymnasium equipped with a swimming pool (a nice one), weight room, a real track, and a boxing ring. Across from that was a field agent and operations officer simulation training room which, Nyah informed them, they would both see a lot of. They had to go through the minimum-security portal of the Gym to get to the classrooms which looked much more modern than the ones at Hogwarts. And adjacent to the classrooms was an amazing Aviary filled with hundreds of birds, most of which weren't owls but raptors.

"Now," Nyah continued, "there are two conference rooms which are, of course, for meetings, some boring others fascinating. I can't show you these as I don't have clearance and neither do you. Our last stop will be to see the Director and Vice Director of this sector. Do you have any questions so far?" she asked.

Yeah, they had questions, about a million. It was so much to absorb, yet they wanted to learn as much as possible from this place.

"How did we get here?" Sirius asked first.

Nyah smiled. "Our agent gave you some rather interesting drinks, didn't she? Inside were tiny grains, invisible to the naked eye, which were programmed for your bodies alone. If you had switched drinks, mayhem would have unfolded. They transported you to the Apparation chamber. Now you'll have to remember that place and just Apparate, then walk to the portal."

"But we were in there for eternity. We thought we were dead and in Hell," Sirius said.

"The grains do funny things to you. They're still working the kinks out upstairs. You actually weren't in there for very long. You just perceived it as such. The portal appears when you ask the room for help, so in a way, Sirius, you were right; it was a bit of a test." She grinned guiltily at the looks on their faces and then led them to the far end of the building, hung a right, then a left, and they found themselves facing yet another portal, but this one was quite a bit larger and looked more like a mirror rather than vertical water. James looked at the plaque to the right and read aloud: Director and Vice Director of C.I. Sector.

"Well, I leave you here," Nyah said. "They'll tell you everything else. See you two around." And without a goodbye, she left. James and Sirius looked at each other, and, this time without counting, entered.

The other side looked like a regular office. A single secretary sat at a blue steel desktop that was suspended in midair. She had brown curly hair and a stone hard face. She looked up at them skeptically.

"Potter and Black?" she asked.

They nodded.

"Wait one moment please." She got up and went down a hall.

"How cool is this place, man?" Sirius whispered excitedly.

"The coolest!" James said and they gave each other a high five before the secretary came back.

"They'll see you now. Please follow me." They did so and found themselves in front of an oak door. The woman opened it for them, and they entered.

Sitting on one side of a long, smooth, black, shiny table were two people. One was a man in his early fifties with matted brown hair, big ears, and a weak chin. He didn't smile at them when they entered, just nodded his head and scanned them. The other was a woman. She looked to be from India. She had thick shiny black hair which was nicely arranged into a braided bun. She had large black eyes, an exotic but very attractive face, and a nice smile full of clean white teeth. She looked very young, but James, who had met her previously, knew otherwise.

"Welcome Mr. Black and Mr. Potter," she said with a slight Indian accent. "I am Ashika Narayan, Director of this Sector and your boss. This is my second in command, Kim Philby," she said, motioning to the man who was still seated. He nodded again but said nothing. "Please sit down."

They did so. Sirius noticed that this table was like the one out in the entrance; it floated.

"I would like to congratulate you on making it to the Bureau and thank you for accepting our offer. You will each be assigned a desk after you have completed basic training which will commence today after this meeting.

"Here are booklets concerning our rules," she said as she handed out thick booklets to them. "You will be tested on them in two days so you might want to get on it. I'm sure the guide we assigned you gave you the tour and instructions on getting here. You will report to the classroom at six thirty tomorrow morning. If you're late just one minute, the consequences will be harsh. You will go on active duty as soon as you have completed basic training. Your superiors will be located in your individual offices. Mr. Potter, you will be under the supervision of Amin Mohammed, and you, Mr. Black, will be under Matthew Sanders. You are not to leave this facility under any circumstance with any documents, briefcase, or simple notes and quill. Is that clear?"

She had a McGonnagal like quality about her. She spoke very formally and quickly. James and Sirius both recognized that with her position she was probably very busy.

"Yes ma'am," they said together.

"Excellent. If I'm out for some reason, Kim will be in charge. If you have no further questions for me, you are both dismissed." James and Sirius looked at each other, nodded, then started to leave.

"Oh, I have one question," Sirius said as he made an about face. "What's basic training?"



"Well look at that pretty boy!" a short burly woman yelled at Sirius. They both found themselves in the Gym with about fifteen other newbie Bureau employees shortly after their interview with Ashika. James and Sirius had been shown the locker room, given gym clothes, and told to report to Didi Khan in the Gym for the start of basic training. They assumed that someone with the name 'Didi' would be a kind women; they were wrong. Didi Khan was far from kind and cute. She was a true believer in 'no pain, no gain' as well as the infamous line 'drop down and give me twenty.' She had immediately given all of them nick names, but she seemed to be drawn to mocking Sirius more than anyone else.

"Don't worry, hon. The sweat won't damage that baby face of yours!" She had lined them up and told them to stand attention while she paced back and forth and found things about their appearance she didn't like. Her large army boots clunked with each step she took, echoing throughout the large gym. "You," she said, stopping at a young woman and pointing at her with her riding crop, "did you spill peroxide on your hair? Why's it so yellow, eh?" she yelled. The girl, James could see, looked truly crushed. Didi continued. "What happened to your ears?" she asked.

The man shrugged as he looked at her.

"Looks like you got pulled backwards by a rhinoceros for thirty miles!" Sirius sniggered quietly as he agreed. The man did have wide ears.

Didi heard him laugh, and she skipped all the others and went right back to Sirius. "You think you look perfect, pretty boy?" she asked.

"No, ma'am," he said flatly.

"Then why don't you wipe that cocky smile off your face and drop down and give me twenty?!"

Sirius dropped his shoulders and rolled his eyes.

"Twenty not enough for you? How about fifty?!"

Before she could assign him anymore, he dropped and started on his pushups. James tried to look the best he could, but she had a name for him too.

"Well, Specs, you like running?" she asked him.

"Sort of," he said, thinking that it was the safest answer.

"Sort of?" she asked as she moved in closer to him. "I want an answer from you, twig boy! Yes or no! Do you like running?"

"Yes," James said.

"Great, because you get to run five laps around the track! Go now!"

James stared at her. "Why?" he asked. Her eyes popped open wide. She looked quickly at her clipboard.

"Potter, James. Operations Unit. When you tell one of your field agents to do something, will you allow them to ask why?"

"I-I don't know," he said.

"You don't know? What do you know, Potter, James? Do you know how many laps two miles is?"

"No," he said, afraid of what she was going to say next.

"Eight! Eight sweaty laps. Now go run them!" James gave her one more frightened look, and then ran to the track to start his two-mile run. "Faster, Specs!" she yelled. James could think of a number of spells he could use on her at the moment. For some reason the Crutacius curse kept floating to the top of his list. He had never ran two miles straight before; he had never run one mile straight before. He could hear her yelling at the remaining fourteen poor souls.

Sirius finished his fifty pushups and stood back up, his face redder than a cherry. He looked at James running and smirked.

"Miss him do you?" she said. She looked at the clipboard again. "Black, Sirius. What the hell kind of name is that?"

"Astronomical," he said bluntly.

"Oh really? You and Specs joined at the hip are you? Why don't you go run two miles with him? And now that you're both doing it, I want it down in ten minutes!" she yelled.

"Ten minutes? Two miles in ten minutes is impossible!"

She threw down her board, slapped her hand with her crop, and advanced on him.

"You're wasting time, pretty boy. Better get sprinting!"

"You are really scary!" Sirius yelled at her. This was a mistake.

"A short woman with a whip scares you? Well, you're not very tough, are you? Drop down and give me twenty!"

"No. I'm an analyst, not a draft horse."

"Oh an analyst! Well, you never said that! Does it look like I care, Black, Sirius? When you got the tour of this place, did you see any fat analysts? Are you willing to go up to your future office and tell them that they can't run two miles because they're big sacks of lard!"

"No," he said weakly.

"Twenty!" she yelled. He dropped and did twenty more, thankful that he worked out regularly. After that, she made him catch up with James on the track. He was breathing heavily, and his face was pink and shiny.

"That woman is a Nazi," Sirius said as he jogged along side James.

"This is insane. How long are we supposed to do this?" he asked.

"I hope not long. How many more laps you got?"

"Six," he said miserably. They ran the rest in silence.

After the two-mile run, the entire group moved to the pool. Neither James nor Sirius was an excellent swimmer, as he never had a reason to swim, so they were nervous. Putting on the trunks was probably the most embarrassing thing in James's life. He was quick to notice that he was the thinnest and the whitest of the bunch. Sirius told him not to worry about it. Easy for him to say, James thought. Sirius had a well-defined set of abs, strong pecs, buffed biceps, and the rest of his body was just as chiseled. The six women in training with them all took a good, long look at him before they got back to their own business.

"Ten laps in the pool," Didi said, her whistle in hand. She told them to get a partner, James gravitated to Sirius, but a young German woman was asking him to partner with her. She was very attractive, James noticed. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She didn't speak much English either, but seeing as how the Bureau was international, she had no reason to.

James ended up with an Italian man as his partner.

"When I blow the whistle, one of you dives in and swims five laps. When you finish, tag your partner so they can have their turn. The first pair to win doesn't have to do the next exercises. James looked a Palo, who looked back at him and grinned.

"We have to win," James spoke clearly. Palo nodded and volunteered to go first.

Sirius and Palo were ready to jump in, five other swimmers standing buy. The whistle blew. Sirius was the first to dive in. His partner was beside herself with glee and jumped up and down screaming his name. Palo was in second, a very close second.

For a while, James thought that Sirius might actually win, but he soon dwindled. He had put out most of his energy on the first laps, and when the last came around, he had to dog paddle to the finish.

Palo finished first and tagged James. He ended up belly flopping into the pool instead of diving, and it stung a lot. He was glad he was submerged for a short while; he wasn't to keen on hearing everyone laugh at him.

It was hard work. James didn't float well. Actually, if he ever stopped, he would probably sink right to the bottom. He tried as hard as he could to get to the finish before everyone else, but he came in third behind a Korean and the woman who was partnering Sirius. She got out of the pool wet and smiling and hugged Sirius as if they'd known each other for years. Palo was disappointed but understood the loss.

"Tomorrow, it's sixteen laps!" Didi said. "Hit the showers then head to the classroom," she said as she recorded their individual times.

"I thought you said the winners got to sit out the next drill," Sirius said.

Didi looked up at him and laughed. "I lied!"

Sirius grumbled under his breath then got a towel and headed back to the locker room with James at his side.

"So who was that girl?" James asked.

"Emily," he said. "She doesn't speak much English, so that's all I know. She's a good swimmer, though, isn't she?"

"Yeah, she is." They took showers, dried, and then dressed back into the robes they wore when they arrived that morning. Afterwards, they headed to the classroom. James and Sirius sat next to each other in the middle of the room. Emily sat on the other side of Sirius and grinned at him.

Their instructor came in a few moments later. He looked to be in his late fifties. His hair was salt and pepper gray, his eyebrows were rather black, and he had very broad shoulders. He was in excellent physical condition. He took some chalk and wrote his name on the board.

"Gary Frei," Sirius said under his breath as he read it. Gary grabbed a briefcase and set it on the desk. He opened it, took out fifteen small green stones, and tossed one to each of them.

"What is this?" James asked.

Gary Frei showed them what to do with it. He put it in his ear. Then he spoke. To James he sounded English, but his words didn't match the movement of his lips.

"Translation Amulets," he said to them. "They translate any language into your own native tongue. You should always carry this with you, no matter where you go. However, you will still need to learn languages in case you do something very stupid and forget your amulet, or the person you are conversing with doesn't have one. Please take them out of your ears now." They all did so and pocketed the amulets.

"Die deutsche Sprache ist eine der schwierigeren und allgemeineren westeuropäischen Sprachen, also Sie werden alle erwaret, sie fließend zu sprechen. Gibt es irfendwelche Fragen, Damen und Harren?" he said. James and Sirius looked at each other and raised their eyebrows. James was about to ask what he said, but Sirius beat him to it.

"What did he say?" he asked.

"I have no idea. Something in German."

"That's good, James. Emily, what did he say?" he asked. She smiled at him but shrugged. "But you speak that language, what did he say?"

"Sirius, perhaps she can't put into English for you. Put the amulet in and talk to her." James hit his head with his hand and looked at Sirius as if he was the stupidest man in the world.

Sirius did so. Emily followed suit.

"Emily, what did the instructor say?"

"He said that German is one of the most common western European languages and one of the most complicated, but we all must speak it. Then he asked if we had questions."

Sirius relayed the information to James.

"We have to learn it? By when?"

"Ask him, why don't you."

James put in his amulet and raised his hand. He pointed to James.

"When should we have it mastered, sir?"

"Oh, this takes time. You also have to learn French. The other students will have to learn English, which is a very difficult language. Once you learn the basics we'll ask you to take on an Asian language such as Korean or Chinese. Is this clear?"

"Very. Thank you." James turned to Sirius to give him the information, but he was still talking to Emily. He tapped him on the shoulder. "Take out the piece," he said.

Sirius did. "What is it?"

"We learn them as we go. Why are you talking to her so much?"

"Yeah, I need your help here," he said leaning away from her and closer to him.

"What's the problem?" he asked.

"She wants to have dinner with me," he said. "It's wrong for me to say yes, isn't it?"

"What do you think, Sirius?" James asked him as if he were five years old.

"I think it's wrong. I think I need to say no. Tell her I have a girlfriend, right?"

"Yeah, that would be good," James said.

Sirius continued talking with her, though she didn't look heartbroken in any part of the conversation. The instructor ranted on about languages and cultures that needed respect and understanding from all of them. He covered some basic geography and geopolitics but didn't tell them where the IWBI was located; he said he didn't know either.

He talked for over an hour. At long last, he closed his briefcase and left.

"Now what?" Sirius asked. James shook his head. But then the door opened again and two people entered: a tall man who looked as if he had returned from a safari and a woman who was holding...

"A falcon," James said. The class looked up instantly and paid close attention. The falcon was much smaller than an owl and much more interesting as well. It looked to be only eleven inches in height with a dark brown back and yellowish belly dotted with dark brown spots. In the center of her chest was a ruby red jewel in the shape of an oval. At the moment, the falcon was hooded.

"Good afternoon, students," the man said. He was British. "I am Nigel McCabe, and this is my lovely assistant Priya Bhan. And this is Kes. She's a Peregrine falcon, native to North America and the fastest animal in the world. I know that none of you are aware that the Bureau doesn't use owls for post but falcons such as Kes. I am here to teach you how to handle these creatures. The owl, which you are all used to, is actually one of the dumbest birds in the world. No kidding. It's quite funny that they are the symbol for wisdom and education. Falcons think more like spies in the field. They work in pairs, Peregrines. Once they've found the quarry, one of them will attack from one angle, and the other will stoop from above and knock the quarry out of the sky, usually killing from the blow alone. When the Peregrine stoops, she can reach two hundred miles per hour. And that, my friends, is fast.

"We use the falcons not just for post, but for surveillance, companionship, and long and short distance communication. One of the benefits in working in the Counterintelligence Sector is that you will all handle falcons, and some of you will own your own."

"Awesome," James said, looking at the magnificent bird. Most everyone in the room agreed.

"Now, Kes, like the falcons you will receive, is programmed to follow only my orders, as well as Priya's. The advantages of magic are beyond the wave of the wand. We can now tame the lords of the skies." Nigel signaled to Priya to remove the hood. Kes was even more beautiful than they pictured. Her head was clearly designed for rapid flight. It was small and rounded. She had dark eyes, a small yet sharp yellow beak, and a clear alertness and awareness of all the students. "She was bred from magical parent falcons who possess rare qualities. Kes can sense my emotions like a dog. She can also learn words, phrases, and even body language commands. But most impressive about her is the ability to slipstream."

A number of people seemed confused at this, as were Sirius and James.

"Let me explain. With the speed this breed already possesses, as well as the inherited magic, Kes is able to fly beyond the speed of two hundred miles per hour." He looked around the class and pointed to James. "Aren't you Byron's son?" he asked.

"Yes I am," he said.

"Well, I haven't seen you since you were about five, I'd say. We met at a Ministry dinner, and you were running around the place with your hands in the air...but I digress. Did you play Quidditch?"

James smiled. "Yeah," he said.

"Did you ever get right behind a player and fly in their air wake?"

"Sometimes, but not for very long. They moved once they knew I was there," James said, wondering where he was going with this.

"Was it easier to fly there, less work I mean."

"I suppose," James said. "Yeah, it was. There was less resistance."

"Precisely. You were flying in the slipstream. It was easier flight. The falcon, once reaching a certain speed, can project its own slipstream and fly within it. The record is back a few years, but the falcon flew from Madrid, Spain to Hartford, Connecticut in the U.S. in four hours. And that is fast, my friends. So, let's get practical, shall we? James, right?" he asked.

"Right," he said smiling. Nigel tossed him a thick, suede leather glove.

"Put it on," he said. James did so, then got up, and walked back. Priya looked into Kes's eyes, and then nodded her head towards James. Kes lunged off her hand and soared across the room to James. Everyone applauded. James brought Kes closer to him so he could look into her eyes. She stared back.

Within a few short hours, which seemed to pass very quickly, they had each held the falcon and fallen in love. Priya had demonstrated various commands: verbal and nonverbal. She showed them how to attach mail, which was much different than what they were used to. Falcons wore small jewel like stones on their chests. Nigel said it was lighter than a feather, but dead useful. Falcon post had to be written a) in code, and b) on a light parchment designed specifically for falcons. The letters, when folded, transformed into a small, clear, diamond shape stone, which would lock inside the falcon's jewel. It could only be removed by the addressee or the falcon's owner. Priya also showed them the slipstream maneuver, which they saw in a wind tunnel in the Aviary.

After many questions had been asked and answered, Nigel and Priya hooded Kes and headed out. By this time, however, one thing was certain; they all heard a low grumbling. They were hungry.

Sirius's watch read five p.m. and they had yet to have a meal. With all the activity he hadn't had the time to think or dwell on it, but now that he was sitting in a class with fourteen other grumbling stomachs, he had to say something.

"Did anyone see a cafeteria around here? I'm starving," he said.

Voices of assent raised. Just as they were thinking nothing else could surprise them, a portal appeared where the blackboard was. They all jumped backwards. James went forward and touched it.

"It's just like all the others," he said. "I'll go first." They nodded at him. He walked through. Like before, he ended up in a completely different place. He was in an extremely large room shaped like an ellipse. The ceiling, which was higher than that of the Hogwarts's Great Hall, wasn't charmed to mirror the night sky but was painted with scenes of heroic battles between wizards, goblins, and giants. James looked back down and stared ahead of him. He was standing on one end of the massive room, which was the size of a coliseum. There were at least two thousand people, easily accommodated, seated at hundreds of floating tabletops. There were wizards of all ages, dressed in so many different colored robes, and a long cafeteria lined all along the edge of this chamber. The food wafted to his nostrils. He turned around and saw the portal was still there. He went back through.

"Oh yeah," he said, grinning as he pulled Sirius in with him. They all stared about the room, mesmerized by its mammoth size and sheer eloquence. The fifteen of them made their way to the cafeteria which had foods from all around the world.

"Hogwarts has nothing on this place," Sirius said as he took a plate and helped himself to chow mein, pepperoni pizza, enchiladas, chicken alfredo, bouillabaisse, and anything else that would fit on his plate. After each of them had piled on massive quantities of food on their trays, all fifteen of them headed to an empty tabletop. Chairs appeared out of then air as they lay their trays down. James and Sirius sat next to each other; Palo and Emily sat close by.

"I wonder if I can show Lily this place," James said excitedly as he wolfed his steak. Sirius shared the same attitude.

"Can you believe our luck? They chose us to work here! This is the coolest place in the world, and we work here," Sirius said. He couldn't stop smiling, nor could anyone else at the table. Once they had all finished their meals, they got to talking. Each of them put the green translation amulet into their ears, and they discussed their old schools, previous jobs, what positions they were taking here, and how thrilled they were to be accepted by such an institution.

"Ah, the newbie table," a man said as he came up to them. He had a nice face and a pleasant smile as he looked at each of them. He was about six feet tall, of good weight (which seemed to be a trend here) and had a distinct air of confidence about him. "If I may introduce myself?" he asked them. They all nodded of course. "I am Guy Burgess, the head historian in the Intelligence Sector. I'm on the second floor. I usually like to meet all of the agents and members of the Bureau and give you some sound advice. But first, who are all of you?"

Each of them stood and said their name, in their own language then sat back down. Then he went back around the table and pointed to each of them saying their name. "It's my way to remember," he said jovially. "May I join you?" he asked.

"Please," James said.

"How do you like it so far?" he asked.

"It's amazing," Sirius said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I can't wait to get started," James said.

"Have you had the benefit of meeting Didi?" Guy asked with a wink to all of them. That got them all started. Guy laughed at their re-enactment of the morning ordeal.

"I remember what she named me," he said. "It was the most embarrassing name of all the recruits."

"What was it?" someone asked.

"You promise you won't laugh?" he asked.

"No way," Sirius said. Guy smiled.

"Okay fine. You'll probably hear it from someone else anyway. She called me pinky-pants," he said. They howled with laughter.

"Why?" James asked.

"Well, I, like you James, lived in a small flat after I graduated. Well, I accidentally put my favorite red shirt with my whites and it turned all my underwear pink. I would have fixed it if I had the time or knew the spell, but I was already running late. Didi took one look at my underwear and from there on out I've been called pinky-pants. She enjoys nothing more than making fun of the new people. She's actually quite sweet once you pass her physical exam."

"What's that like?" James asked, almost wishing he hadn't.

"Tough. It changes each time. When I did it, it was a huge course. I had to run three miles, battle the trainers, climb a hill, rescue a flag, then go through it again."

"What if you don't pass?" Keiko, a Korean woman asked.

"You take it until you do. Most people who are recruited pass the first time, but I've known some who haven't. It's the first time I'd seen them cry." He took a long drink of soda and sighed.

"Why do we have to do all that?" Sirius asked. "I'm just an analyst."

"Paranoia, Sirius. Paranoia. The Director fears that the Bureau could be infiltrated one day and he wants everyone on their guard. And people who are in shape work better. They're happier, more alert, and actually perform magic better. Being in top physical condition is a must."

"How long have you been here?" James asked.

"Oh about three years. I was recruited from the Rocky Witches and Wizard Academy, in California. I fell in love with this place."

"Did you play Quidditch at all?" James asked.

"I did, actually. I was Chaser for my house team. I miss it. I've tried petitioning for us to get a team here, but we're too secretive, I guess. We do, however, get good seats for the World Cup. I know you're quite the flier, James. Captain, correct?" he said smiling.

"Yes. It was a blast. I learned a lot from that game."

"You know the Eagles aren't doing so good. There's talk that Wimbourne is looking to buy them out, seeing as how they're doing so poorly. That's why they wanted you so badly," he said.

James was about to respond to it when he stopped. "Hey, how did you know that?"

A guilty smile spread across Guy's face. "This is the intelligence world, James." He glanced at the many faces at the table, all of which were looking impressed by him. "Well, I better be off. I'll see all of you around, I'm sure. If you ever want a word, just summon me."

"One question for you, Guy," James said. "Can I bring my fiancé here?"

"No, but you can bring your wife. It's immediate family only, meaning those who are legally yours and live under your roof. The Bureau encourages family life. As soon as you marry her, she is free to have a look around. She won't have clearance for most of the areas, but she can come here with you. It was nice meeting you all," he said, and with a last friendly wave, he left.

"That's kinda weird," Sirius said. "Such a high security place, yet you can bring people?"

"They can't see anything, though, can they," James told him. "They can just come and see."

"Yeah I guess," Sirius said.

"What do we do now?" James asked. "Do we go home or is there something else in store for us?" But nothing seemed to happen. He supposed he could ask someone, but they wouldn't know. James looked at his watch; it was five thirty. He'd been here for almost twelve hours. Surely they were finished for the day.

And at the right moment, Nyah came up to their table with her helpful smile. "Yes," she said to James, "you are free to go. But be sure to be here tomorrow at six a.m."

"Why so early?" Sirius asked.

"Only early for you, isn't it? It's six to you, but three to many others. Try to remember that when James splashes water in your face tomorrow morning," she said.

"How did you know about that?" Sirius asked.

"We keep an eye on you sometimes. We wanted to make sure you got here and stuck with the plan. No," she said looking at his horrified expression, "we don't spy on you all the time. Rest easy," she said. Sirius didn't look like he was resting easy, however. Nyah smiled to them all and left just as suddenly as she had come.

James got up and headed back to the main portal to leave. Sirius followed right behind him.

"Here it goes," James said as he walked through. Instead of ending up in the classroom, he found himself in the Apparation chamber where everything began that day. Sirius ended up right next to him. He was grinning.

"Home, James," he said to him. And in a pop, they found themselves exactly there.



"You should have seen the place, Lily," James said excitedly when she had come over. "You walk through this gateway like thing, called a portal, and you're in a whole other room with thousands of wizards from all over the world."

"James, tell her about the falcons!" Sirius said jumping up from the couch.

"Falcons?" she asked.

"Yeah, they don't use owls, they use falcons!" Sirius said. He ended up telling her all about it as James watched her face glow.

"Can I see it?" she asked as she took James's hands and grasped them tightly.

"Yes, you can, but we have to be married first."

"I see," she said, nodding her head. "But I can see it, that's important. Was there anything you didn't like about it?" she asked.

James started in first with Didi. Sirius interjected occasionally about how she had called him 'pretty boy', which Lily found extremely amusing. But so far Didi was the only drawback to their new job, though they were sure that certain people they would be working with would have some 'snapish' qualities about them.

After the two had given her as much detail as they could, James asked her how her orientation went for her new school. She said it went well. She had met her professors, taken a tour, "Though it doesn't sound anything like the Bureau, but why would it be?" she said. She had met a few classmates she was to have and got her schedule. "Nine to three," she said. "I really lucked out. I start out with Biology 1000, then a lab, which will take forever, no doubt. But, I have to learn the basic cell functions before I can get anywhere near people."

"You don't go all week though, do you?" James asked.

"Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and lectures on Sunday. I'll be studying and cramming nonstop all other times in between. But I'm really looking forward to it," she said with a smile.

"Well, kids, I'm off to bed. We have to get up at an ungodly hour and swim a thousand laps and run a million miles for that whistle Nazi," Sirius said as he stretched and headed off for his room.

"Wow," she said looking around her. "This is going to be weird, all this change. Bet it'll take a while to finally get used to it. I have to talk to the caterers tomorrow, meet with the musicians, and so forth. Oh, and either I get another friend, or you have two guys with you, not three. I know we said it didn't matter earlier, but I got to thinking that it would look silly for Peter to walk down by himself," she paused. "How are Sirius and Remus anyway?" she asked.

James shook his head. "They haven't talked since. I was going to meet Remus this weekend and talk with him, but I don't know that this can be mended. We'll have to wait and see."

"You're not going to tell me what it was about, are you?" she asked.

"No. It's complicated and more between Remus and Sirius, not me...really. Anyway...I've got to get to bed. Sirius is right; we do have to get up an ungodly hour. I'm already sore from all that nonsense she had us do. I'm feeling muscles I never knew I had." He walked to the kitchen and set his rulebook on it. "I don't have time to read this thing. Is there some sort of spell so I can just know everything in this book?"

She walked over to it, flipped through the pages casually, then looked up at him. "No," she said. "If they had a spell that useful, none of us would need schooling. This book isn't so bad. I bet you can read it during the day and...other times when you're not busy. In the meantime, I think I'll give you a goodnight kiss and then be on my way. You need your beauty sleep, my young prince."

"Yeah, I do. I'll see you tomorrow night then, yes?" he asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"But of course. I love you," she said.

"I love you back," he said, then kissed her. He escorted her the door then kissed her again, and again until she finally said that she really did have to go.

James closed the door and went to his bedroom, taking the rulebook with him. He crashed onto his bed, opened his book, and started to read. In three minutes, the book lay open on his chest. His glasses still on his face, fully clothed, he was asleep.



Through the groaning, the lack of sudden movements, the constant yawning, and droopy eyes, James and Sirius actually made it on time to the Bureau. It could have been considered the eighth wonder of the universe. They started the day with Didi; she was a keeper of the word. She had them run, swim, lift, push, sweat, moan, and drop. She informed Sirius that if he was any prettier, he could join a group of Veela. She told James too gain weight so he wouldn't slip down a street crack. She told Emily she looked too Aryan, Palo was too friendly, and the rest of them, she complained, weren't nearly unique enough to be criticized; she made them do thirty more pushups.

After so much torture that even Sirius couldn't stand up straight, she informed them they would all begin self-defense lessons very soon. "Oh great," Sirius said, his cheek on the floor. "Now she gets to hit us." And that she did. The following days were merciless. Didi came after them with clubs, fists, and a really powerful kick. She seemed to know Karate, Tai Kwon Doe, Judo, Boxing, and Kung Fu. How she could know and discern from them, James and Sirius didn't know. The only thing they did know was that she hit hard and often.

"What are you, a punching bag, pretty boy!" she laughed as she knocked him down for the third time that day. He crawled off the padded mat and wondered why they padded it when the trainer hit you so hard. He found James lying spread eagle on the floor with the rest of the class.

Lily voiced her concerns each evening when she tried easing their soreness and pain. "Are they trying to kill you?" she would say to them. She and Jade would take care of them when they were incapable of it most nights. "When is this going to stop?" Lily asked as she massaged James who was very grateful.

"When we can't move," Sirius said.

Academics wise, it was much easier. James and Sirius found themselves at the top of the class and often helped the others with their geopolitics and English. They quickly noted that two Frenchmen sitting in front of them often only talked to each other when James and Sirius didn't have their translation amulets in their ears.

"Laissez-le soin aux Anglais pour tre si provoquant," one of them said after Sirius voiced his opinion about France's political leaning. James laughed at his accurate description, as well as many others. The French weren't happy with that.

"Aucun badiner. Les duex eux ressembler aux idiots totaux," the other said with a laugh. Sirius leaned over to James.

"Did you here the word 'idiots' in that sentence," he asked.

"Yes," James said with his teeth gritted. "We need to learn that language." Sirius nodded.

As time went on, everything improved. James and Sirius practiced their defense moves on each other on their days off. They picked up several books on French and German as well as 'The Falconer's Handbook," which they needed for their final in two days. And to James's delight, he found that he was gaining weight and looked more muscular than he ever had. Sirius made fun of him when he caught James shirtless doing macho moves in front of the mirror. Lily, however, didn't. She had difficulty keeping her hands off him. He didn't mind.

James met with Remus on occasion, and Remus told him he was still unemployed but continued to look. He was living with his mother; his father had moved out. He was trying very hard to be optimistic, James noticed, but everything crumbled around him.

"I haven't told Liz, but I suspect she's finally put it together," he said as they sat in the Leaky Cauldron. "She's really happy in the Ministry. I see her every now and then, in action, and she's quite good. I also couldn't help but notice that she's getting noticeable attention from other men. Men who could make her happier than me," he said before he took a long swallow of beer.

"Liz likes you, Remus. You know that," James said.

"I know, but I think she'd be happier with someone else. We're not at school anymore; we don't have the same friends anymore. Things change. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Something will have to come along for you. Have you asked Dumbledore for a position at Hogwarts?"

He shook his head. "All the teaching positions are filled. I was thinking of moving out of the country and looking for work. Maybe I could be a bounty hunter or something. But enough about me, what's going on with you?" he asked.

James told him everything. Remus looked happy for him, but there was a tinge of envy. James could think of no one else who deserved to be jealous. Then the wedding came up. "I really wanted you and Sirius to be up there with me. I was always closer to the two of you than with Peter. I also fear that Peter might trip on someone, or rip a girl's dress. But seeing as how the two of you are no longer talking...I know it's heavy, but maybe if you guys just sat down and talked about it...I don't know. He didn't think. We were sixteen and thinking everything through wasn't a strong point of ours. We all do stupid things, Remus. That was his. He's dead sorry about it. Could you just talk with him?"

Remus finished his drink. "I'm not sure. Not yet, at least. Right now everything about Sirius is...well, he's your best friend," he said. "I'll think about it. And I'm honored that you want me up there with you. I'll try for you, James. I can't promise that we'll be friends, but I'll try."

James smiled. "Thanks," he said. "And that bounty hunter idea isn't such a bad idea, you know. They don't care who you are, as horrible as it sounds. It's a way to make money."

Remus nodded. "Thanks for coming to see me, James."

"Hey, you're my friend," he said with such a friendly smile, it made Remus want to cry.

"I know," he said. "I know.

It was the first of August. Ashika Narayan presented Sirius Black with a navy blue cloak with an embroidered flag of Great Britain on the left breast. He smiled formally, thanked her, and shook her hand. James Potter walked up next. Ashika gave him a smile, a navy blue cloak, and a handshake just as she did for the thirteen other trainees who were officially part of the International Wizard Bureau of Investigation.

A photographer took official identification pictures of them, congratulated them, and sent them to the Dining chamber for the celebration. The entire Counterintelligence sector was there to meet the group, as were some members from the Intelligence division. James could see Guy Burgess in the crowd; he gave them a friendly smile and wave.

James called him over.

"So now you're part of the team," he said. "Nothing but action from here on out. You'll be wishing for a dull moment."

"Nah, James and I never had a dull moment, not even when we were kids," Sirius said.

"Well, you'll want one. I'm a historian and I still get thrown into the mix of things. The Dark Lord gets stronger each day. It'll be hard to keep him contained or even eliminate him."

James and Sirius both nodded. "Hard, but not impossible," James said. He looked at his watch. "I've got to get going. I'll see you two tomorrow."

"You going to be out late?" Sirius asked.

"Probably. Don't wait up for me," he said jokingly.

"I won't dear. Be sure you get home after midnight and no sex," Sirius said as he waved his finger at James.

"No sex until the eighth of next month. We're getting close," he said with a wry grin, then left.

"He's getting married next month?" Guy asked Sirius.

"Yeah. He's been crazy about this girl for years now. He's never dated or thought of dating another girl in his life."

"He doesn't seem to be nervous at all. If I were getting hitched in a month I'd be sick in bed with nausea."

"That's me exactly. I can't see myself settling down with one woman for the rest of my life. I've been dating a girl for a while now, and I really like her a lot, but waking up to her every day...that's another story. James will be happy though. I know it."

"I haven't dated for a while. Don't have the time or the energy. I figure the right girl will come along at the right time. Things are too hectic right now."

Their conversation continued along these lines: girlfriends, work, and friends-the normal chitchat between people getting to know each other. Sirius mingled as best he could without James being there. Finally he bumped into Ashika, who grabbed his forearm firmly in what Sirius assumed to be her way of greeting people.

"Where is James?" she asked him.

"He has a date with Lily. I'm surprised you didn't already know."

"It must have been last minute scheduling. We'll have to work on that," she said; it didn't sound like she was joking. "Listen, I need you to talk to those people over there. They're the analysts you'll be working with. Get to know them well."

"Isn't this a party?" he asked.

"You need to meet those people. You'll be seeing them all the time." She raised her eyebrows at him, pointed at the group, and watched Sirius walk over there before she left. It was a group of about five: three women, two men. Sirius was by far the youngest of the bunch and the only British one among them. He told some jokes to break the ice, but none of them laughed. He walked away, silently cursing Lily under his breath. "This is going to be fun," he thought to himself. "At least James is right across the way."

After being bombarded by Ashika twice more, Sirius left. He entered his dark, empty flat, around nine p.m. He checked the owl post, but there was nothing of interest. He decided to get to sleep early so he undressed and showered (yes, he sang and he sang loud. Not in tune, but loud.) He walked around with an unbuttoned, white, long sleeved shirt on. He examined the empty refrigerator, made a note to tell James to go shopping then headed back to his bedroom when there was a knock on his door. He went to open it.

"Remus?" he said.

"We need to talk," he said. He wasn't smiling, nor frowning. Sirius opened the door for him, buttoned his shirt, then sat down.

Neither of them said anything for about five minutes; they just stared at different parts of the room.

"I'm not here to get all mushy and let bygones be bygones," Remus finally said. Sirius looked into his eyes. "I'm here because a friend of ours wants us to stand with him at his wedding."

Sirius nodded. "Look, for all it's worth...I'm sorry."

Remus examined him closely. "It's not worth much. I want to be there for James because he's there for me. I don't want nor do I need you."

"You're the one who's drawing this out. I don't really know what else to do other than apologize. What I did was wrong, stupid, and inexcusable. I'm sorry, Remus. Why can't we put this behind us?"

"Because it's not that easy for me. Here's the deal: I'm civil around you from now to the wedding. After that I don't want to see you again. But for now, for a month, I can deal with you. I'm doing this for James, not you."

"Fine," Sirius said standing up and going for the door. "We'll do this for James. Forgive me or don't. The ball's in your court now. I'll see you around," he said as he pointed out the open door. Remus got up, gave him a stern look, and left.

Sirius slammed the door; his owl hooted in disapproval. He couldn't sleep now. How was he to sleep with Remus floating in his head with that vindictive look on his face? Sirius went into his room, changed into jogging apparel, and left to run around the neighborhood, maybe all of Britain if he thought he could do it.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Gregorian, Melissa," Peter said as he held her file in his hand. "Where are the G's?" he continued to mumble to himself. He opened drawer after drawer, filing away folders, taking some out, adding information to them.... He couldn't help but wonder if there was a better way to store information.

"Excuse me," someone said from behind the office counter.

Peter turned around. "Yes?" he said.

"I've been waiting here for my appointment for fifteen minutes. You think you could tell him I'm here?"

"Yes sir," Peter said. He got the information then went to tell his boss he had an appointment. "Thank you," his boss said. "You're very welcome," Peter answered with a toothy grin. Then he wrote addresses on envelopes to be sent out the next day. After that he restocked the office with inkwells, wrote new office labels, tossed documents out, and laughed at some corny jokes his boss told.

When five o'clock rolled around, he headed back home. His mother told him off for having forgot his lunch, for leaving the hot water running in the morning, and he apparently left his room a mess. He apologized greatly to her, but she still ranted.

Dinner was talk of recipes, his work (which she obviously found boring), her friends, her bridge game, and some new and exciting news about Quidditch.

"Boring sport if you ask me," Mrs. Pettigrew said as her son described the weekend's games. "The ball goes back and forth all the time."

"I like it, mum," he said to her. "Wish I could have played it."

"No, dear. You might have gotten hurt. I don't want to even think about losing my only son to a sport like that." He didn't argue further. He told his mother he was going to bed, kissed her goodnight, then went.

* * * * * * *

James buttoned his white shirt, adjusted his tie, fastened his leather suede arm guards to his forearms (for the falcon's sharp talons) and adorned his cloak: navy blue. Sirius looked very similar, minus the leather guards.

"First day at work," Sirius said.

"First day. You look good."

"As do you."

"You nervous?" James asked him.

"No. You?"

"Of course not," he lied. From here on out, he was responsible for other people's lives. There was no turning back. There was everything to be nervous about. "Okay," James said, swinging his hands about, "off we go. I'll see you in the chamber."

"Yes," Sirius said pointing at him, "the chamber it is. Have a safe trip."

"You too." With two pops, the flat was empty.

James and Sirius appeared in the Apparation chamber moments later. "Help," James said. The portal appeared: blue and wavy. Sirius heard James take a deep breath before he disappeared from the room.

He looked around the entryway, remembering his initial shock when he first saw this room. Sirius stood beside him, probably thinking the same thing. Then they pushed on. The entryway disappeared as the Bureau took shape. Today the shiny royal blue walls and dark marble floor didn't seem so sterile or foreign to him. Instead it looked more welcoming, mysterious, and exciting.

James waved to Sirius as he stopped in front of his portal. "Counterintelligence Operation Unit," it read on the bronze plaque. James ran his fingers over the words and smiled to himself. Then he took another deep cleansing breath and walked through the high security portal.

"James Potter," a woman's voice said as he stepped through. It wasn't anyone specific; it was the automated security. Now that he was ensconced into the Bureau, his name would be sounded in each room he entered.

He had never been in this room before; he hadn't been allowed. But of all the rooms he had seen, none compared to the sheer brilliance this one had. It was a large rectangular room, illuminated by a dark bluish glow, which upon further inspection came from the front. James turned to see. There was an astonishing map of the world. It had to be forty feet high at least. All the continents were black with tiny multicolored dots on some of them. The oceans shined blue. James was standing on a platform, the gargantuan map feet from him. When he made an about face, he saw that there were three stairs leading down into the Operation room. There were several levitating desks with people of all races behind them. Some were speaking into tetrahedron shaped orbs which floated above their desks. Others were furiously writing on clear parchment which he recognized as falcon post.

James stepped down into the mass. He walked slowly through, gazing around like a child in a candy shop. "Amazing," he said.

"Mr. Potter?" a Spanish woman said. James turned to face her. "Please follow me," she said. She turned and walked toward the back of the room. James followed her to yet another portal, this one looked more like rippling glass; he could see his reflection. "In here," she said, pointing to it, "are the offices. When you first get in, turn to your right and go to the door labeled 'Mohammed.' You're his new apprentice. Good luck," she said, then went back to her desk. James stepped through and found that this place was much quieter and brighter. James blinked his eyes and squinted. It was an immaculate white hallway. He turned to his right and found the door.

An Arabic man was pacing his room, talking into his wrist, it appeared. James knocked. The man looked up at him, signaled for him to enter and take a seat, then continued on with his conversation. James decided to take a look around while he had the chance.

The small office was full of fascinating tools, artifacts, and instruments he had never seen. There was a large jewel suspended in midair on his desk; it changed color several times as James stared at it. There were two falcons on a perch to Mohammed's right: one hooded, one looking directly at him. A map of the world, an exact miniature to the one he had just seen, was on the opposite wall. There were several bookshelves on the other walls.

Amin Mohammed was a tall man, about James's height. He was very well built with broad shoulders, thick arms, and obviously muscular legs. He was also very good looking. He had a square face, athletic chin, dark eyes, and black hair and mustache, both flecked with white. He wore the same cloak as James, only his had two gold bars on the shoulders, and there was a flag of Saudi Arabia on his left breast instead of Great Britain.

He stopped mumbling to his wrist, turned back around, and sat at his desk. "James Potter," he said with a small grin. "You're my new pain in the ass, aren't you?"

James was going to say something, but then he saw that he was smirking. He put out his hand for James to shake. "Amin Mohammed. Most people call me Tux. It's a joke that I'm sure you'll hear from someone. Now, first things first, I'm in charge until I think you're ready to run your own operation. But for now you are my assistant, apprentice, learner, student, however you want to say it. You follow my orders or people get hurt or killed. I know you're young and fresh out of school so you think you're some hotshot. Well you're not. This is real stuff, kid.

"Second, you do whatever I tell you to do no matter how crazy it sounds. If I tell you to jump, you jump. Just know that I've done this for fifteen years, and I know how to play this game.

"Third. I am considering you my right hand man. I need to be able to contact you at all times. There is no good excuse for you not to get in touch with me. If I need to send you a message, you need to get it. I've been informed that you're taking an early vacation. That's fine, but you better answer me if I call on you.

"Fourth. You do not discuss operations, nor mention names or code names of our operatives, spies, or other sources to anyone outside my presence or this office. You can't tell Sirius, Lily, not even your dog or hanging plant if you ever get one. No one. I don't care how much you trust someone; they can let it slip whether purposely or on accident.

"And lastly, this job doesn't pay well at first, as I'm sure you know. But I expect you here on time. I'll have times change on a weekly basis for security reasons. You'll never work more than ten hours; it's policy," he looked disgruntled at that. "But if I need to get a hold of you at night or whatever, you must answer me. You work five days, then three days off. It keeps things interesting around here. Is this all clear?"

"Yes," James said.

"Excellent. Now to business," he said, getting up.

"Where did you study?" James asked. He was curious because Mohammed spoke very good English.

"Well that's a long story. I always wanted this job. We have to know and study Muggles, as well as work with them, so I studied at Princeton University in the United States. Then I came here. I studied English and Foreign Policy. It's paid off, even in a Muggle school.

"Let's get you set up, James. You do go by James, correct?"

He was glad he asked. "Yes."

"This here is your falcon. She's one of the younger ones, but that'll make imprinting easy. She's been trained, but you'll have to be patient with her as you're the one that's knew to this." He pointed to the hooded falcon. She was slightly smaller than the other, but that didn't matter to James. She had a dark back and a chest of whitish gold, as common with her breed. The elliptical jewel on her chest was turquoise blue. James walked up to the perch, grabbed her legs with his left hand and gently placed her on his right forearm. He could feel her sharp talons even through his thick leather guard. He untied the hood with his free hand and with a little help from his teeth, then took it off.

She ruffled her head then turned quickly to face him. "She's beautiful," James said with a smile. 'And she's all mine,' he thought. He lightly ran a finger down her back, her dark eyes still locked with his.

"Amazing creatures," Mohammed said. "She'll be your best friend in no time flat. Magic breeding has made them more like dogs, really. She'll be very protective of you, will cry excited shrills when she sees you, and will never hesitate to tell you she's angry. We call that 'footing.' Mine gives me a real good squeeze with those razors when she wants my attention."

"She's wonderful. And I can get her food from the Aviary?" he asked.

"Yes. It's best if you feed her either there, or in the Gym on the track. It makes it more of a sport. When she's not flying you should keep her inside with you. One of their favorite games is waking you up in the morning to go to work.

"You'll keep office right next to me," he said pointing to the wall with the bookshelves. "But most of the time we'll be out and about in the field. Let me show you your new office anyway." He walked over to the bookshelves, tapped the wall with his wand and it vanished. The space within it was roughly the same size as his superior's. There was a desk, shelves, a map of the world, and a falcon's perch. "You'll find there's parchment, ink, and all that other stuff in your desk. You can bring in your personal things tomorrow. As of now, let's take a walk and get to know each other. I like knowing who I'm giving so much trust, as you should," he said.

"Yes sir," James replied.

"I hate all that 'sir and ma'am garbage. Just call me Tux, and you'll be James. If you think of me too much as your boss you won't be able to tell me things. I need trust from you. I need to know you, and you need to know me. This is very important. Now, take your bird and let's go."

Tux, as he was now called (though the transition would take getting used to) showed him the offices and introduced him to some other agents. They looked in on some training field agents from a room which Tux called the 'Crow's Nest.' There you could see and observe most of the units in the Counterintelligence sector.

Then they walked back out into the fascinating room James had entered first.

"This is referred to as the 'War Room.' That map shows the locations of all our agents. Red dots are undercover spies, blue are civilian contacts, and green are operations headquarters, where you and I will be. Now you know why are security is so high. Imagine if someone came in her and found out where our agents are."

James looked more closely at the map, now that he knew what each dot represented. There were high concentrations of each group in high-density countries, specifically the United States, but much more in Western Europe, especially Great Britain. East Germany also had an unusually high number.

"We suspect, but don't know, that the Fortress of Shadows is near Albania."

"Fortress of Shadows?" James asked. "What's that?"

"I forget how new you are. The Fortress of Shadows is the Dark Lord's lair. It's a building of three towers all connected to each other. It's formed like a triangle, each tower identical to the next. They say it looks like a rundown castle from the outside, but inside it's a catacomb of tunnels, dungeons, secret passages, and rooms all of which are drenched in Dark magic. He's smart. Three towers makes it harder to find him, that is if he is in a tower."

"You sound as if you've seen it yourself," James said.

"No. An agent we had brought that information back. He was so good, in fact, we sent him back in there to get more intelligence. Voldemort caught on, however, and tortured him. Now he's institutionalized. We still don't know how to get there, or where it is."

"Like the Bureau," James said.

"Precisely like the Bureau. But everything human is fallible. He has a weakness, as do we. It's all about finding it."

"What's ours?" James asked. He doubted that Tux would tell him, but it was worth a shot.

"Simple. People. Our building is flawless; the security system charms are perfect; our technology is state of the art. But people, that's the problem. Haven't you wondered why I wanted you for this job? Why don't I get someone with actual experience?"

"I have actually. Lily also asked me."

"Because young minds are full of mush. No offense, but you're still naive, brash, and idealistic. You still think we can fight evil, and you're right. Someone older will have a street savvy attitude and lean one way, Voldemort's way. They're clever. They've been around the block and can fool you easily with their complicated talk. But you, you're fresh out of school, still learning, still capable of being trusted. One of our main goals in this sector is to weed out moles, and we have. But we still have some, those who are too smart to capture. Voldemort doesn't use names either. He uses code, just like us. Makes things ten times the headache. We have a list of seventeen code names. Some of them work here. We don't know which."

"So I'll meet double agents here?" James asked.

"You will. Don't trust anyone."

"Except you, right?" James asked with a smile.

"Hey, if I start acting weird or different in anyway, you have to report me. Another reason you need to get to know me. Let's continue on our way, shall we?" he said as he pointed to the portal to lead them out.

"You married?" James asked him.

"Sometimes," he said.

"Sometimes?" James asked. "How's that?"

"Well, I've been married three times. The first for beauty, the second for compatibly, and the third for love. Though I don't know how long it'll last. She complains that I'm too engrossed in my work. She thinks I love my job more than her."

"Do you?" he asked.

"No, and yes. I do love this job, probably more than I should, but I also love her. It's more complicated than it looks. I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Like your work, love your wife," James said to him. "My father told me that a good few times. He followed it too. When it comes down to it, it's just a job. A very nice, interesting, important job, yes, but still a job. Maybe you should ask yourself which you would choose if you could only have one. This place, or her?"

Tux stared into his eyes, as if searching for something. James stared right back.

"You're a lot wiser than I thought you would be. I think this will work just fine," he said. James grinned back at him, and they left the unit.



Across the hall Sirius sat inside a cubicle with a short balding man who wore thick glasses. He was fumbling around his desk for something; Sirius didn't know.

"Here it is," he said pulling out a file. He took out a picture, flipped it onto the wall, and expanded it to a greater size. It was a photo of a couple walking through the park. "I'm giving you one minute to tell me about this picture. What do you see?" he asked.

"Two people holding hands in the park," Sirius said as if it was obvious.

"You're thinking like a civilian. I need you to pull anything you can from this photo. What do you see?" he asked again. Sirius willed himself to see something other than a man and woman holding hands in a park, but nothing else popped out.

"It's a couple, holding hands and walking through a park," Sirius said again.

"Okay. We all look at the obvious first off, so let's start there. What can you tell me about this couple? Are they married, single, what?"

Sirius leaned in closer to the picture. "Single," he said. "No wedding bands."

"Good. What else?"

"Well, they look to be about the same age. Um...they're Muggles."

"Anything else?" he asked. Sirius shook his head.

"Nothing. What do you see?"

"You need to look beyond the center of the photograph. But let's start there; it's a good lesson. These people are not married to each other, but the man is married. Look closer. The left hand is scratching his nose. We can see the ring finger." He zoomed in onto the picture. "You see that? There's a light spot where he ring would be. We can tell from the lightness that he's removed it recently. Now look at his face. He looks anxious and cautious, doesn't he?"

"Yeah," Sirius said as he leaned closer.

"He's got a nice hair cut, he's wearing expensive shoes and a nice suit. He's a business man and probably affluent. Now look at her. She's wearing a simple sweater, but it tells us a lot. You see her stomach? It's loose, and her breasts are larger than should be for a woman her size. She's just given birth, probably his baby. But it wasn't her first child. See her wrist? You can see a macaroni noodle bracelet that her five or six year old made her. What does she do for a living, Sirius?"

He looked at the picture, impressed by how much you could learn. "She's a...she's an artist," he said.

"How do you know that?" he asked with a smile. Sirius touched the photo to zoom in on her.

"She's got paint under her nails, as well as some here on her sweater."

"Excellent. Now you're starting to think. Now let's move away from this couple. Ignore them and look around."

"There are two kids here," he said. "A tall man over there. He's reading a letter. Um...that's it."

"So you have to ask yourself, why are they all here? You see the kids? They're standing up straight and still. When was the last time you saw two kids that age standing still in a park? They're looking at something, in the same direction as this man that's having an affair. But the guy reading the letter, he's not paying attention. Why? Why doesn't he see what the three other people see? Why isn't the woman looking?"

"She's seen it before? She's familiar with it...I'm not sure, I don't know what they're seeing," Sirius said. "Could be anything."

"No, not likely. Look at this tree," he said pointing to a tree branch. "Owl droppings. If we zoom in we see they're still wet. But it's noon. Normal owls don't fly during the day. This is recent. Now what do you see?"

A light turned on in Sirius's head. "It delivered a letter to this man. He's a wizard reading owl post. It's noon, yet the couple is casting two shadows: one which is directly below them, and one that goes way off to the right. There's another light source, external, coming from the left. The man and the children can see it. The wizard reading the letter is familiar with it, as is the woman. Her dressing style, it's funny. She could use that excuse because she's an artist as the trend is to stand out. But because she's not looking at whatever the other three are seeing, we know she's a witch."

"Now you're thinking like an analyst. So, we've got a married man having an affair with a single mother who also happens to be a witch. The two children are looking at the same thing the man it, but it's so common to the two wizards, that they don't even look up. Does the man look as if this sight frightens him?"

"No, he just looks interested. He knows his girlfriend is magical. It's not a big deal to him, but it still fascinates him. So what's the source of light?" he asked.

"Exactly. What is the source of light? Are you familiar with any friendly spells which cast so much light in midday that another shadow appears?"

"No," Sirius said.

"So the two wizards-"

"Are Dark wizards. All of this from a simple photo," Sirius said, smiling.

"There is no such thing as a simple photo. We'll get thousands of pictures in here. Some of them move, but many of them are frozen in time. You need to be able to recognize the small things. It's not just a couple; it's a conspiracy. But to most people it means nothing. When we get audio, or we intercept letters, you have to be able to listen or read what's not obviously there. Listen to the audio first, the conversation that is, then ignore it. Listen for other voices, sounds, bells, cars, anything. Many of the letters we get are coded as well. There are hidden messages inside the letter. We've even gotten some songs with morse code hidden in the drum beat."

"This job is going to make me paranoid," Sirius said, laughing.

"Just wait until we study interrogations. For example, who was the first woman you slept with?" he asked suddenly. Sirius frowned at him, leaned back in his chair, and folded his arms. "Excellent."

"What's excellent?" Sirius asked.

"That posture. You leaned back and crossed your arms. That tells me you know the truth but you won't give it to me. Actions speak louder than words. I can probably guess who the woman is based on your reaction."

"No you couldn't," he said.

"You want to put a wager on that?"

"No," Sirius said dully. "What else is there to know?"

"Plenty. I'll teach you all the right questions to ask, everything you need to look at, how you can tell if someone's lying, and so on."

"I'll know when people are lying?" Sirius asked with enthusiasm.

"It's essential. Most liars don't look you in the eye all the time, or they raise their brows too much, look to one side of their brain...so many things. Some liars are very good at it and actually convince themselves that it's truth. That's how they slip away from it."



Sirius spent the rest of the day being fascinated by all the ways to read information, all of which was extremely interesting. He was told not to discuss the information with anyone outside the Counterintelligence sector. He was allowed to talk to James about it, as James would be handing over information to that department. He was thankful for this.

He walked out of the room, which was simple yet functional. There were many cubicles, each equipped with a photo enlargement board. For now, he was told, he would be working closely with Matthew Sanders.

He decided to check the track and see if James was still there. He was. There were also other members of the Bureau getting their workout, but James was on the grassy center of the track with his new falcon. Sirius came up next to him. "Wish I could have one of those," he said as he nodded to the falcon which rested on James's arm.

"She's amazing. Been watching me all day. I came here to feed her, but I'm not sure I want to watch."

"It's nature, James. She'd be doing it if she was in the wild. You want me to release the dove?"

"Would you?" he asked with a steady smile.

"Yeah. Here he goes," Sirius said as he put his hand in a wooden crate and drew out a struggling dove. He threw it in the air and watched if fly away.

"Go get him," James said to his falcon then thrust her into the air. She flapped her wings until she got higher than the dove, who landed back on the grass somehow unaware that it was being hunted. Sirius ran towards the dove to get it to fly, which it did though not for long. James's falcon dived so fast, she looked like a brown streak. A tuft of feathers flew into the air as the dove was struck with such force that it hit the ground then bounced.

"They usually don't strike the first time. She's a good one," Sirius said. James nodded. The falcon flew down to her prey and began to feast.

"Good first day?" James asked him.

"I think so," Sirus said grinning. "You?"

"I think I'll like it here. I'll have to start a hobby with Lily though. I can't talk work with her, or you for that matter."

"Well, we can discuss some stuff. Lily will be starting school soon anyways. I'm sure she'll talk about that to you. Besides, you two can talk about nothing yet you're somehow entertained. It's just like us. Nothing could be funny, yet we were laughing."

"Put that on a t-shirt," James said.

"What are you going to name her?" Sirius asked as he nodded towards the bird.

"I was thinking Artemis," he said. "It seems to suit her, don't you think?"

"I think Nimbus, the owl, will be jealous. Nimbus and Artemis. They rhyme."

"Everything has changed. This time last year we hadn't a care in the world. Now look at us."

Sirius looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, now look at us."