1/5/03:  I hope everyone had a great New Years!  Mine was pretty laid back…the days of concerts and parties are done now that my baby's crawling around (she's nine months!).  Here's a 'turning point' chapter – hopefully things will pick up now!

There's a very important question in my author's note at the end.  Need your opinions - will have a significant impact on the rest of the story.

15. A Lucky Break

Thanks to the Dursleys, Harry learned early on not to do anything to stand out in a crowd.  Although being famous in the wizarding world loosened him up a bit over the years, Harry was, by any measure, a modest man.  However, within his most private of thoughts, Harry would say that he was a damn good Auror.  While his record spoke for itself, Harry knew he had a natural talent for being an Auror, and that didn't even take into account his fame or his magical prowess.  Harry had an eye for detail and that rare ability to go from 'A' to 'C' without needing to stop off at 'B' first.  Many of his cases, Harry felt, would have been unsolvable by anyone other than him.  Even the case he was on now was sparked by his ability to 'read' magic better than anyone else.

But, Harry would grudgingly admit, luck was often just as important, if not more important, then skill.  More times then he would care to count, Harry had been stymied by a case, without a single lead to follow, when lady luck would appear and send Harry on his way again.  Perhaps it would be an eyewitness who just remembered something, a passerby who noticed something fishy, or maybe the perpetrator simply did something stupid, but the value of luck could never be discounted.  At the moment, Harry and the entire team were floundering on their case, with more questions then answers, and it only stood to reason that perhaps luck might lend a helping hand.

Arm-in-arm, Hermione and Harry walked back towards the lake in the direction of the Wall.  They chatted amiably as they walked, and Harry was in the content mood that started in the Quidditch stadium and was bolstered by Hermione's company.  Harry was a little curious about Rick (why wasn't he with Hermione?  Hopefully he didn't come), but he didn't want to ruin his good mood by talking about the blustering idiot.  As they approached the lakeside, Harry saw that it was a much different scene than before – rather then an elderly couple holding vigil at the memorial, an array of chairs and a small stage had been set-up in front of the Wall with a large number of people milling around.  Harry turned his head to look back at the Quidditch stadium, wondering with bewilderment just how long he spent on the pitch with his memories.  Hermione led Harry towards a group of Gryffindors where they started reminiscing about school days.  A few minutes later, Dumbledore arrived on the scene, indicating that the memorial service was to begin.

Harry and Hermione found seats together in the back, with Ron sitting on Hermione's other side.  Harry grimaced slightly when Dumbledore took the stage.  During Harry's first four years at Hogwarts, Dumbledore played the role of the gentle, all-knowing grandfather to McGonagall's role of strict grandmother.  It all changed in fifth year.  Although Harry still felt the lion's share of the blame for Sirius' death, he also harbored quite a bit of resentment towards Dumbledore for keeping so many things from him, including information that might have saved Sirius – if only Harry had known what was in the Department of Mysteries, if only Harry had known what Voldemort was after, then maybe…

Harry mentally shook his head of these thoughts, hoping to leave them in the past where they belonged.  But the fact remained, his relationship with Dumbledore never improved during his final two years at Hogwarts, and Harry couldn't recall having a real conversation with the old Headmaster since his graduation.  Harry was brought back to the present by the feeling of Hermione squeezing his hand.  Surprised, Harry looked over at her, and she gave him a reassuring smile, evidently still able to read Harry's body language well enough to see that Dumbledore's appearance had troubled him.  Harry returned her smile, and only then did he notice the dark circles under her eyes.  Harry briefly checked the program he was handed and saw he had a full afternoon of speeches ahead of him.   He leaned towards Hermione, who inclined her head towards him while still keeping her eyes on Dumbledore.

"Are you all right Hermione?" Harry whispered.

Hermione responded while still looking at Dumbledore.  "I'm fine, Harry."

Harry frowned.  "Are you sure?  You look tired."

Hermione finally turned to face him and gave him a half-smile.  "Thanks," she said dryly.  Harry was about to apologize for how it sounded, but Hermione was quicker.  "I'm just tired, that's all.  A lot of late nights at St. Mungo's."

Harry patted her hand in sympathy.  "You know what I always say: you work too hard."

Hermione chuckled.  "You're one to talk, Mr. Potter."  But then her face grew serious.  "Did you hear about the MSARS fatality near Bristol?"  Harry nodded.  "We've really stepped up our work since then.  It's the first step, you know?  The first death…I'm so afraid of how many more there'll be.  We need to be able to find a cure or at least an effective treatment soon or-"

Harry saw Hermione was on the verge of tears, and he leaned over and took her in a hug.  She didn't protest like he was afraid she would, and she sniffled softly against his robe.  Ron gave them an alarmed look on her other side, but Harry gave him a look that would hopefully come off as reassuring.  After a few seconds, he felt Hermione start to pull away, and he reluctantly let her go.

She dabbed at her eyes.  "I'm sorry, Harry.  I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay Hermione.  You're under a lot of pressure, I understand."

She gave him a soft smile, and then sighed heavily.  "It's just that the victim…oh Harry, it's such a waste!  He was so young, just graduated from Doral, the little wizarding school up north?  He was Muggle-born, you know, like me.  It seems like all the deaths are Muggle-born.  Did you know he'd never been anywhere magical except for school?  His friends and neighbors said he was so excited when he got to London to work; he had never seen all the wizarding things that we have…his flat was filled with all the newest wizarding things, like the clock that told you if you were late, a wizarding wireless, a new stove, you know, one of the ones that looks Muggle but is really magical, and…"

Up to that point, Harry had been listening compassionately, knowing that Hermione had to let a few things out.  But the second she described the stove, something clicked in Harry's brain.  Gradually, pieces started to fall into place, forming a picture that was too horrible to believe.  Shacklebolt had said that the mysterious Malvagita had a plan to kill all Muggle-borns…Hermione had said it seemed like only Muggle-borns died from MSARS…the latest fatality had purchased a new stove… Harry and Robert had only looked at the broken machines, not the ones that still worked…an Auror had been killed using the same M.O. as Mediate and the Campbells…Tway had probably been murdered, something that would be quite excessive if this was merely a case of cheap parts. Harry shook his head, unwilling to believe what his brain was pointing towards, but he knew he had to find out for sure.

"Harry?  Are you okay?"

Harry looked blankly at Hermione, his mind still spinning.  "Hm?  What?"

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, putting the back of her hand against his forehead.  "You sorta zoned out there for a minute."

Harry stood suddenly.  "I...uh…I need to leave Hermione."

Hermione looked alarmed.  "Is everything okay?"

"I…I don't know.  I'll floo you, okay?"  Without waiting for a reply, Harry rushed away towards Hogsmeade.  Once he passed through Hogwarts' protective wards, he apparated to the Ministry.

*********************************

About an hour minutes later, Harry stood in the hallway outside of the dead man's flat.  With a surprising amount of difficulty, he had finally managed to get the address from St. Mungo's.  The flat had been quarantined, as the healers feared that there still might be a contagion inside.  After a bit of arm-twisting, Harry was allowed access as long as he wore the enchanted amulet, and procuring one required the filling out of a lot of paperwork.

The amulet was designed for healers to wear when working with highly infectious materials.  It was the wizarding version of a contamination suit, though far superior for it used magic.  The amulet created a field around the wearer that no substance could easily penetrate, while at the same time recycling the air by transporting fresh air from another location (a special room in St. Mungo's) and disposing of carbon dioxide in a similar manner.  The field wasn't powerful enough to withstand a spell or physical blow, but it would stop any germs from reaching the wearer.  The air replenishment feature of the amulet was very difficult and very tricky to charm in itself, it worked much like a miniature floo network, and that combined with the protective field made it very, very, very expensive – hence all the paperwork.  It was only through Harry's fame that he was finally able to persuade St. Mungo's to loan him one.  Before taking a cab over (the amulet was too delicate for apparition), Harry stopped by the Ministry to grab a few items that he felt would come in handy.  Finally, with the field activated, Harry entered the flat.

It was as Hermione had described.  Though small, it contained almost every imaginable magical household item, but Harry's attention resided solely on the stove in the kitchen.  Harry reached into the pockets of his robes and retrieved a small, round disk.  He attached the disk to the stove (the amulet's protective field sealing itself around Harry's fingers as he released the disk) and waved his wand.  There was a sizzle in the air, and a protective field was set around the stove. 

The small disk was similar in purpose to the amulet, though not nearly as delicate.  While the amulet's purpose was to protect what was inside the field, while the disk protected those outside the field.  It was commonly used by the wizarding equivalent of a bomb squad - explosives or suspicious packages were encased with the field.  Thought the field was not indestructible, it was strong enough to for most situations.  The field was also pliable, allowing Aurors to handle what was within much like a Muggle glove box.  Harry was confident that the disk, combined with the amulet, would protect him.

With the stove prepped, Harry began taking it apart with his wand, trying to remember where the coiled bit of metal that David Harrington had showed him was located.  After about two minutes, Harry spotted heating element.  Checking the disk still attached to the top of the stove, Harry saw that nothing had changed beyond the fact that it now lay in pieces – given that many spells and poisons were invisible to the naked eye, the disk would change colors whenever there was danger, from an explosion to the release of a poisonous gas, within the field.  Harry detached the disk and reattached it to the heating element before he gently removed it, holding it gingerly in his hands.

Harry moved to the main sitting room where there was better light.  Harry held the heating element up to the window for a better look.  Unlike the pipes he had seen before, the heating element showed no signs of fault, no corrosion.  Harry decided to see what would happen to the coiled metal under normal use.  After first casting a basic levitation spell (so Harry wouldn't burn his fingers holding it), he then cast a heating spell on the metal.  Harry watched it started to grow red, and he progressively increased the temperature.  After about ten minutes of staring at the heating element, Harry was about to give up when a shrill, whistle-like sound filled the room, and the protective field momentarily flashed red before becoming invisible again.  Harry pressed his thumb to the now red disk, careful to avoid touching the hot metal, and silencing the alarm.  Harry examined the heating element carefully, and he noticed a small area where the metal had crumbled a bit.  Harry stood in the middle of the empty flat, excited at his discovery but a little unsure about what to do now.  He had to choose his next steps carefully, because if his suspicions were correct, it might start a panic.  Harry had to be sure that he was correct, and to be absolutely sure, he needed…

"Hermione Granger," Harry said into his mobile, holding it to his ear in voice-only mode.  One perquisite of Hermione being a healer, beyond the free medical services, was the fact that she also carried a wizarding mobile around - being a healer, she was often needed in emergencies.  Harry waited impatiently for a few minutes before her voice came over.

"This is Doctor Granger," she said in her professional voice.  Harry could hear other voices in the background.

"Hermione, it's Harry."

"Harry!" she hissed back.  "What's going on?  Are you okay?  You ran off so quickly!  Where are you?-"

"Hermione!" Harry said quickly, cutting her off before she could really get going.  "I'm sorry for the way I ran off, but I really need your help."

"My help?"

"Can you meet me at your lab alone?  I need you to take a look at something."

"Are you hurt?  Did something happen?" she asked, the alarm evident in her voice.

"Yes - I mean no!  I'm fine Hermione, but I really need you to take a look at something for me.  It's an emergency!"

"Right now?  They're doing very interesting rituals here at the memorial to honor the dead using a number of intricate-"

"Hermione!  Please?"

After a moment of silence, while Harry could picture her mentally debating whether or not to leave, she finally agreed to meet him.  Harry reminded her to meet him alone and told her that this was to be kept secret for now.  After ending the call, Harry made his way back down to the street where he hailed a cab.

*********************************

Harry had been to Hermione's lab several times when they had been dating.  Although technically he wasn't allowed to roam the halls of St. Mungo's without permission, his Auror credentials and his scar pretty much let him do as he pleased.  He arrived at Hermione's lab to find her waiting there impatiently.

"Harry Potter!  First you tell me it's an emergency, and then you take your sweet time getting here!" she said indignantly.

Harry raised his hands in apology.  "I'm sorry Hermione, but I had to take Muggle transportation.  You know I can't apparate with this thing on," he said, indicating the amulet he wore.

Hermione's eyes widened when she saw the amulet and realized its possible implications.  "All right, what's so important?"  Harry offered her the heating element.  "What is it?" she asked, examining it closely.

"It's…something I found, and I have a hunch about it.  Do you have one of these for yourself" – Harry held up the amulet – "or do you want mine?"

Hermione shook her head and returned the heating element to Harry.  "I have one," she said as she went over to a cabinet.  Unlocking it with her wand, she rummaged inside and pulled out her own amulet, which she put around her neck before rejoining Harry.

Harry put the heating element on the table.  "It's got a protective field around it, you know, the ones we use for explosives and stuff?" Hermione nodded her head.  "Can you examine it with the field still on?  I want whatever's in there to stay in there."

"I think so."  Hermione took the metal and put it in another device that looked like a small box.  "What do you think is 'in there'?" she asked as she began to fiddle with the box.

"I'd…I'd rather you tell me." 

Hermione gave him a curious look but said nothing.  Harry waited in silence until she was finished with the box.  Then, she took what looked like a pair of Muggle binoculars and attached it to the top of the box.  Harry watched as she began to examine the heating element.  He heard a quick intake of breath, and then she began to adjust the dials and other controls on the box.   "Harry," she said, not looking up, "what…where did you find this?"

"What did you find?" Harry asked, avoiding her question.

Hermione looked up.  "It's…odd.  There seems to be a vapor trapped inside the field that seems to be…leaking, for lack of a better word, from the metal itself, or at least from a specific a point in the metal.  The vapor…well, I know this might sound a bit crazy…"

"I've heard plenty of crazy things.  What about the vapor?"

Instead of answering immediately, Hermione pulled a sheet of parchment out of the side of the box and then walked over to a bookcase against the wall.  She searched for and pulled out a book and motioned for Harry to join her.  She opened the book to a specific page and handed it to him along with the parchment.

Harry took them both and looked at the moving picture on the page.  "Interesting…" he said thoughtfully.  "Er, what am I looking at?"

Hermione sighed.  "See this picture in the book?  It's a picture of an MSARS microbe.  See the other picture?  It's a picture of vapor from your metal."

Harry squinted his eyes as he compared the two pictures closely.  "They look alike…but also sorta different."

Hermione nodded.  "Your vapor contains an altered form of the MSARS microbe.  MSARS is not airborne, but see the little hair-like protrusions on the edges?  I think that gives the microbes in your vapor the ability to travel through the air.  The normal MSARS microbe doesn't have the little hairs."

Harry looked at her.  "So, what does this mean?"

"I'm not sure…but…"

"But what?"

Hermione looked agitated.  "I'm afraid that all things we've been through together might be affecting my judgment.  I mean, with everything we went through together at school, with Voldemort, and then hearing all your stories from work, I think I'm seeing things that aren't there."

"What do you mean?"

"I…I think the gas is a carrier of MSARS, like a biological weapon or something.  But it can't be, right?  I mean, who would do something like that?  I must be wrong.  Please, tell me I'm wrong," she said almost desperately.

But Harry didn't respond, his eyes fixed on the box where the heating element still lay.

A/N: And now the evil scheme has been revealed!  Now all Harry has to do is find and deal with the evildoer responsible.  Oh, and a possible panic when people find out that their stoves and laundry machines are trying to kill them.

Here's my important question: I've noticed with this story that I'm putting in a lot more detail and dialogue.  In my other stories I'd use the old "and then a few weeks went by," but here I've describing each day in detail.  Is that bad?  Is the story going to slowly?  Want a bit (or a lot) more action and less talk?  For instance, previously I spent a chapter described the planning session among the Aurors when I could have just written, "they met and planned, and Harry found out that..." and the next scene could be a lot of dialogue between Harry and Hermione talking about what they found, and they Harry telling his bosses, or I could use one paragraph of exposition to say "Harry talked to Hermione and then he told his bosses."  Let me know what you think, I could go either way.

Rachel09: Hi there!  I'm not sure if you're reading this story, but thanks for reading my other one.  Hopefully it's not too weird for you :)

aestus: Well, now you know why I never responded to you way back when, you big rotter!  Just kidding!  Anyways, you predicted my entire diabolical plot a month ago!  Argh!  Bet you can't guess what happens next!  No, wait, better not.

Maxx77: I haven't replied to you yet, since you haven't asked any questions, but I definitely wanted to say thanks for always reviewing!

Onkel: You think you were half-hearted when I came up with all those new character?  Man, it was a pain having to think of all those names (it's such a bother I didn't make a name for the MSARS victim in this chapter).  I had to make up a cast of characters page just so I could keep track of who did what and who died when.

HPFanFicLuvr: Wow! Thanks for the long review!  So much to respond to!  Anyways…I read all those quotes from JKR (and the infamous Dateline interview), and my opinion is that she's being completely honest, but only to the extent of whatever book she's being interviewed about.  And she's right, so far, there's been nothing between H & Hr, no clues up to Book 4 that they will be together, and there's been tension between R & Hr (only on Ron's side of course).  But it doesn't mean that in Book 6 or 7 things will change, and nothing she's said or ever will say will reveal the ending…I think Rick's done, I only used him to add to Harry's angst…I keep forgetting about Hedwig!  Must write a reminder down somewhere…I'll keep your point about flashbacks in mind, maybe a short ditty about Voldie and Harry's first few cases.  Thanks again!

sethro72: I have all these scenes for Decisions in my head already. I'd actually start it now, but I can't leave this one unfinished.  No sequel for New Identity though – I can't think of a plot for one.

Risty: The Wall at Hogwarts is based on the Vietnam War Memorial.  I'm not sure if there are similar walls out there, but I'm pretty sure there's not one like it in America (at least not a federal memorial).  I could be wrong though.

Alatoci01: it's hard for me to decide how powerful Harry is.  I mean, in OotP, he showed a bit of wandless magic in the beginning (and that Lumos in the alley was pretty significant since I think it was the first time he did it on purpose), so he's got to be pretty powerful, but I don't want to make him overly powerful.  Ah well.  There will be more H/Hr, so shippers rejoice!