Disclaimer:
J. K. Rowling owns all the characters. No copyright infringement is intended.
I'm writing this for my own amusement and I don't make any money of it.
Chapter 20. Training begins
After waking up the next morning, Harry and Neville quickly got dressed and went down to breakfast. After a light breakfast, they gathered their belongings and apparated to an alley just across from the Ministry. Exiting the alley carefully so as not to attract attention, they made their way to an old telephone booth. Harry picked up the receiver and heard a lady's voice say "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and reason for visit please." Harry replied with "Harry Potter, Auror training" and watched as a badge came out of the slot. Harry took the badge and stepped forward into the main lobby. A few seconds later, Neville appeared beside him. They headed up to the security desk, had their wands checked out and proceeded to the lift. They got in and headed down to the floor where the Auror office was.
***
Kingsley Shacklebolt sat at his desk making final preparations. He had just gone over the reports of the murders they had linked so far, and nothing made sense. The attacks did not seem to be as random as everyone thought. This case was definitely not only going to be a good teaching case, as it seemed; it was also going to be worked by someone who had the best chance of cracking it. He looked up as he heard a knock on the door.
"Enter." He looked at his assistant, who had just opened the door. "Yes, Richards?"
"Potter and Longbottom are here, sir."
"Show them where to stow their gear, then bring them to the main classroom."
***
Harry and Neville followed the man through the Ministry to a room with four cots inside. They put their things on cots as directed. Looking around, Harry noticed that beside each cot there was a desk and a trunk. These were Spartan furnishings, to be sure, but both Harry and Neville realized that this was not like Hogwarts.
"Now that you are settled, Shack wants me to take to you to the classroom. Follow me, please." He led them through a maze of corridors into a hallway that looked as if it hadn't been cleaned in years. Cobwebs and dust were its decorations; there were no furnishings. He showed them to a door and motioned for them to go inside. After they went in, he closed the door and left.
They found themselves in a well-lit room with tables and chairs. No one had been there to greet them. Rather than sit and wait, they each walked around the room, lifting books to look at titles or opening doors to closets. Just as they had reached the door that they had entered through they heard the slightest sound and whipped around, wands at the ready. There stood Shacklebolt, laughing.
"Good work, gentlemen. You passed your first test."
"What test was that?" asked Harry.
"The test where I make you wait and watch what you do. Rather than sit idly by, you chose to investigate your surroundings. It's not something that can be taught. You will find soon that our profession calls for curiosity and stealth. These things cannot be taught without a basic instinct in the student. Now, gentlemen, play time is over. Let's begin. Please have a seat so that we can start."
As Harry and Neville took seats at the front table, the door opened and in walked Moody, Tonks and Richards, whom they had met earlier.
***
Ginny woke up disoriented. She was in her room, but it didn't feel right anymore. She missed waking up with Harry beside her, but she knew that for now, she had to finish school and Harry had things he needed to accomplish as well. As she got up and dressed, she could smell breakfast cooking. She finished getting ready and headed downstairs.
As she neared the kitchen she heard voices. Her mother, Ron and Hermione's voices she could identify, but there was a female voice she couldn't recognize. She entered the kitchen and saw a middle aged woman that looked vaguely familiar.
"Morning, Ginny dear," said Molly. "Arabella here has been telling us stories of those awful Muggles Harry lived with."
"Simply dreadful, they were. But I imagine Harry will be a mite happier with you, young lady," said Arabella. "I'm sorry, dear, I didn't introduce myself. My name is Arabella Figg. I lived near Harry and kept watch over him for Dumbledore. And now, I get to actually go to Hogwarts!"
Ginny was confused. "You are going to Hogwarts?"
Arabella looked at Molly and laughed. "I'm a Squib, Ginny. I didn't get to go to Hogwarts when I was younger, but since Madam Pince is retiring soon, Dumbledore asked me to apprentice with her so that I can take over when she's left."
Ginny got a thoughtful look on her face. "I don't know if you are right for the job."
Molly looked horrified. "Virginia!"
Ginny burst out laughing. "But, Mum, she's way too nice! Madam Pince is a bit more…um, shall we say…stern?"
At that they all burst out laughing and started chatting as Molly poured some tea.
***
Harry and Neville sat quietly in the Ministry cafeteria eating lunch. They were both tired from the morning full of training they had just had. Tonks came up and sat beside Harry. "What's wrong with you two?"
Harry looked up at her. "Just a bit overwhelmed I think. To work so hard for something for years and then finally get here…then the real work begins." He laughed.
Tonks smiled. "It's not easy being an Auror. Isn't much fun, either. But it is rewarding to know that you are helping to keep the world safe from harm. Shack will be the first to tell you, it's a tough life. But when you close a case, it's a good feeling."
Neville looked at Tonks. "I noticed everyone calls Mr. Shacklebolt 'Shack'. Is that something we should do?"
"Not quite yet," replied Tonks. "You have to get your nicknames first."
"Nicknames? How do we get nicknames?" asked Harry.
"Well, sometime during training one of your instructors will name you. It's not really a set thing. When you have been nicked as we call it, you can call the others by there nicks."
"Everyone has a nickname?" asked Neville. Tonks nodded. "What's yours Tonks?"
"Shack gave it to me…that's why I bug him so much, I hate it."
"Tonks?" asked Harry.
"It's 'Nymph'," said Tonks.
***
Draco was sitting in a room inside a house that used to be his family's summer home. Standing before him were Crabbe and Goyle.
"It's time to get Potter where it will hurt him. Tomorrow, Weasel and the Mudblood will be going to Hogwarts. I want you two to go to Hogsmeade tonight and take 2 others with you. In the morning, when they arrive, kill the Mudblood, and then come back. Do you understand?" They both nodded. "Good. Now…go!"
***
Harry was sitting in a room with Neville, Shack and Tonks as Shack was explaining how their afternoon sessions would work when suddenly a sharp pain made him reach for his scar and gasp.
"Potter?" asked Shack, concerned.
"Something's happening," said Neville. "Whenever Harry grabs his scar, it's usually a bad sign."
"I almost got a picture that time," said Harry, weakly. He looked up at the others. "Albus told me that someone appears to be channeling Voldemort in some way and that I am feeling the things I used to when he was around."
"That," started Shack, "is why this case will be your practical. I know that through certain mutual friends that we have you know something about the string of murders. I have a feeling they are all related, starting with the murder of a young Muggle boy named Johnny. It happened the night of your dinner at Sirius' house. Remember Arthur had to leave? Well, Nymph here found the boy. I will let her tell you about it."
"Well, we monitor the Muggle's Wireless system. They got a call about a boy missing near the Moors. Since that is close to Hogwarts, I asked Shack if I could check it out. I just had a feeling, you know. Well, I apparated to just outside the village where the boy lived. After I spoke with a few people, it was apparent that this Johnny could take care of himself, but always was home in the afternoons. Since he had been gone since the previous day, I decided to take the suggestion of one of his friends and start looking toward a deserted section of the Moors." Tonks took a sip of water. "There was talk of an old abandoned house a couple of miles away that had been a summer home to a rich family at one time. It seems that Johnny liked the area. So, I walked out of town since I was in a Muggle area. I came up over a hill and saw the Dark Mark floating over a lake and Johnny was in it. He hadn't drowned. He was a victim of the Killing Curse. I called Shack in and we searched the area…there was no one around. Odd thing was his hair was cut."
"Blimey!" whispered Neville.
"So this had to be a Death Eater attack since the Mark was found, right?" asked Harry. When Tonks nodded, he sat back in his chair and sighed.
Shack cleared his throat. "The next incident was a break-in at Knockturn Alley. A staff was stolen from one of the dealers down there. Whoever stole it left an envelope in its place. Inside the envelope was some hair…the hair that belonged to Johnny."
Tonks shuddered. "Then we found the staff at Hogwarts. It was the one that put you in the hospital wing. Later, after we had searched Trelawney's rooms, we were told that her favorite pink handkerchief that she always carried was missing."
"So," Harry interrupted, "whoever is behind this is leaving a trail so that we connect everything, right?"
Shack smiled. "Told you he was a natural, Nymph!"
Tonks shook her head. "I hate when you call me that! Anyway, here is what has happened since then. Trelawney's handkerchief was found in the hand of Mr. Chang's secretary, Lauren, who was mistaken for Keila McNaugh. Keila was just stunned and spent a few days in St. Mungo's, but one of her business cards was found in the hands of the next victim. That was Oliver Wood; two days after you saw him in Greece he went missing. He was found near the Acropolis. Then, a piece of his broomstick was found when someone tried to attack Hermione's parents, but got her aunt and uncle instead."
Harry jumped up. "WHAT? Hermione's family was attacked?"
"Sit down, Harry. I can only tell you this because you are a Ministry employee now. Hermione's parents are being protected at Hogwarts. She will find this all out when she gets there. That's how Neville's mother got the scrap of paper from Hermione's owl to her parents. And that brings us up to date on this case. As a team, the four of us have to solve it." Shack sat back in his chair and watched Harry and Neville.
"Then let's get to it," said Neville. Harry grimly agreed.
***
Ginny sat on the edge of her bed. She had just finished writing a letter to Harry. She sat back, listening to the sounds of her mother and father talking in the kitchen, of Ron snoring in his room and of her own breathing. Minerva had come and taken Hermione ahead tonight, so Arabella would go with Ron via Floo in the morning to the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Ginny sealed her letter to Harry with a kiss and decided to send it first thing in the morning. She turned out her light and settled in wearing one of Harry's shirts to try to sleep.
***
Early the next morning, Ron and Arabella said their goodbyes to Ginny and Molly as they vanished in the fireplace. They thanked Madam Rosmerta for use of the fire and headed out through Hogsmeade toward Hogwarts. Arabella was happily chatting about getting to see Hogwarts and asking Ron so many questions that they failed to notice they were being followed. Just as the approached the main gate to Hogwarts, they were surrounded by Death Eaters. Moments later, two bodies lay in the grass.
