Veritas
Part One: Dawning Along the Horizon
Chapter Two - England
Another day, another workload. Everything had a specific procedure and it had
to be followed by the letter. It made everything nice, easy, and predictable.
On the downside, everything was boring and highly repetitive. It was enough to
drive a lesser person into madness. This was how it was like to work in the
Ministry of Magic. One could be driven into madness because it was so
mundane. Percy Weasley was one of those
people not affected by this.
Percy had been working for the Ministry of Magic for just over a year. The first department he had worked for was the Department of International Magic. He had lost his position from there and had undergone an inquiry because the previous head had been murdered and furthermore, he was guilty of various crimes, including aiding a Death Eater from Azkaban.
Many would have thought that Percy's career would have been over. Currently,
Percy was working in the main offices of the Ministry of Magic. He was directly
under the control of the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge. Of course,
he wasn't the only one working as an aide to the Fudge, but his presence there
had been most unexpected, considering what had happened before.
Many Ministry employees were surprised by Percy's appointment to the top
offices. Many upon meeting him were surprised because they knew his father, Arthur
Weasley. Percy resembled his father in looks, but not in personality. He was
far too serious and formal. He had no close friends, and he wasn't on speaking
terms with his family currently.
During the months following the Triwizard Tournament, Percy had moved out of
his childhood home, the Burrow. He was living on his own for the first time in
London. He lived alone with little contact with his neighbors. In fact, many of
them did not know him. His social life was nonexistent because he had cut off
his family and the few friends he had.
In Hogwarts, Percy had only a handful friends who had been fellow prefects. He
had even had a girlfriend by the name of Penelope Clearwater, but he had broken
up with her just a few weeks after the Triwizard Tournament. He made no contact
with his friends and didn't return any correspondence to anyone, especially his
family.
Arthur and Molly Weasley were worried about their third son. They feared for
his life and safety. Percy was out in the open and on his own. On top of that,
he was angry with both his parents. His faith in them had been shaken. His
father had come to his defense when the inquiries started, but it wasn't
enough. Percy grew to resent his father's attempts of help and labeled them as
meddling. He did not talk to his brothers and sister as well, even though they
had written letters to him. He would send back short ones, but lately even
those had stopped because he simply had no time to respond.
He was sitting at his desk doing some paperwork when a hawk came. Percy
immediately recognized it as Bill's hawk, Zeus. The hawk hopped up and stuck
out his leg. Percy untied the envelope and put it on his desk without looking
at it. Zeus squawked at him expectantly. "What do you want?" demanded Percy. "I
have a lot of work to do."
Zeus squawked again and puffed out his chest. "I don't have the time. You'll
just have to go back without anything. I'll send a letter back to Bill by my
owl," said Percy. Zeus squawked in response. Percy glared at him. He wasn't
about to waste his time in a staring contest with a bird. He sighed and pulled
out a piece of parchment and wrote a note without reading Bill's. He stuffed it
into an envelope.
"I'll admit you're a pretty smart bird considering that the address on the
envelope is to the general offices, but you're very annoying," said Percy as he
tied the letter to Zeus' leg. "Now, go."
Percy stared at the letter on his desk. He picked it up and opened it. The
letter from Bill came as no surprise to him. He had written an appropriate
answer and told Bill that he was too busy to do anything. That was the truth.
There was more to the truth than that, but Percy did not even bother to think
about it. He had a meeting to go to during lunch that was very important. He
hoped that he would be able to leave the Ministry of Magic soon, but he had a
feeling that was not going to happen anytime soon. Percy had his reasons for
doing what he did, and they were very good ones.
Somewhere else in London, Sidney Nelsen was walking down the sidewalk of a busy
Muggle intersection. It was the middle of the day, so everyone was off for
lunch. She had a meeting to attend that she was already running late for.
Sidney was dressed in a tailored business suit. It was gray and the skirt was
just above her knee. She pulled back a lock of her reddish-brown hair behind
her ear. It had been cut short, just above her shoulders, when she had left
Hogwarts. Other than that, she still looked as beautiful as before, but she had
something that could only be described as wisdom. She was one of those people
who only got more beautiful with age.
She waited for the crosswalk to change and crossed the street. Her destination
was a teahouse that had private rooms for meetings. It was a relatively new
establishment in London and had an Asian design. Sidney walked through the door
and saw a man dressed in a suit waiting for her. "Hello, Ma'am. Welcome to
Tsuki Teahouse," said the host.
"My name is Sidney Nelsen. I have a meeting in one of the rooms," she said.
"Ah, of course. Your party has already arrived and is waiting for you," said
the host as he stepped around the counter. "This way." Sidney nodded and
followed him down the hallway. The host stopped and opened the door to find a
man already waiting for her. The host bowed to her and left.
"I am sorry for my lateness," said Sidney immediately. She took a seat across
from the man.
He was dressed in a finely tailored suit that exceeded the cost of Sidney's
many times over. His hair was white as was his beard and moustache, which were
trimmed neatly. The man was exceedingly tall and handsome. Everything about him
spoke volumes of wealth and power. His eyes were a striking shade of
blue. His name was Prometheus Wallace.
"It is quite all right," said Prometheus. His accent was slightly Scottish,
which was no surprise because his main wizarding house was located there. He
had other properties all over Great Britain along with summer homes in the
Caribbean and Ireland. His properties included Muggle homes as well. He had a
lordship and was a member of the House of Lords, though he rarely attended the
meetings. Prometheus was not a player in politics, and intensely disliked both
the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government.
"Word has come from Asmodeus. The orb has been secured in bank," said Sidney.
"Has the contact from the Ministry sent any word?"
"Only to say that things have remained unchanged. I do not want to pull the
contact out though," replied Prometheus as he took a sip of his tea.
Sidney left her cup untouched. She had devoted her entire adult life to the
cause of Prometheus Wallace just as so many others had. She believed in him.
Their world was a different one. It was a world in between the wizards and
Muggles. About half the members of their organization were Muggles.
The organization in question goes by a simple title, Veritas. Their motto being
"I live by the truth, and die by it."
They were a group of Truth Seekers. These were people who defended
others, while cloaked in secrecy. They were a secret organization that devoted
themselves to understanding. Their work was very important, especially in times
of turmoil.
This was a time of turmoil. There was an impending war in the wizarding world
that was going to explode into the Muggle world. The majority of the wizards in
the Veritas were Muggle born or half-bloods. Once in a while, only a handful
were recruited from around the world to replace older members. Sidney was
considered one of the younger members, but she was not as young as some of the
new recruits. There was only one new recruit that was selected only a year ago.
He was the youngest member of the entire Veritas. This new recruit wasn't
really active.
"There is something I wish to ask of you, Sidney," said Wallace in a very soft
voice as he traced his finger along the edge of his cup.
"What is it?" asked Sidney.
"This new recruit will have to be put into action sooner than we realize. The
Death Eaters are moving quickly. If the Ministry of Magic's predictions are
correct, then many will perish. The new recruit is not ready for the field yet.
His skills have never been tested. I have decided that you are to be his
handler. You are one of my finest agents, Sidney. I want you to teach him what
he needs to know to survive," replied Wallace.
Sidney locked gazes with him. She knew that it was not a request; it was an
order. She nodded. Sidney knew better than to question Wallace's orders. "I'll
try my best to guide him," she agreed.
Wallace pursed his lips. "Be careful with him," he added. "I do not know if he
is ready." He looked out window. The teahouse had a peaceful Zen garden in the
middle with the rooms surrounding it. The sound of birds and gentle lapping
water created the atmosphere of serenity. "It is amazing how utterly calm they
can be. They are not aware of it," he whispered.
"The ones who are, are terrified," said Sidney quietly. "My family is worried.
My father wants to move back to Holland with my mother and brother. He hasn't
shown any magic. Not so much as a spark."
"If we cannot prevent it, there will be no place for them to run. None," said
Wallace. "Do you ever regret joining me?"
A chill traveled down Sidney's spine. She shook her head. "Dumbledore cares
about the Muggles, but the wizards are his first concern. The Muggles are only
a close second. I would gladly lay down my life for the Muggles before the
wizards." For a moment, Sidney thought of the other things she had sacrificed
for the cause, but her sacrifice was nothing compared to the ones that others were
forced to make. Sidney was a little curious as to what Prometheus Wallace had
to sacrifice as head of the Veritas, but she knew better than to ask.
"Albus has his priorities, and we have ours," said Wallace simply. He placed
his hand on his cane, it was adorned with a silver lion's head on it, as an
indication that he was ready to leave. "Our obligations are not only to the
Muggles, Sidney, but to our brethren as well. Even though they will never know
what we have done."
Sidney nodded again. Every time she met with him, she was left either
dumbfounded or speechless. He rose to leave with the aid of his cane. He walked
to the door before turning and saying, "Please take care of the new recruit. We
will speak again when there is time." Sidney didn't know what to say as he
left. She never turned back around even when the door shut.
Her heart felt heavy as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She never thought
that she would ever be someone's handler. She doubted whether or not she had
the strength to send someone into a mission. Furthermore, Sidney was not so
sure if she could handle the new recruit.
Percy returned home to his flat, dropped the keys on a table by the door, and
took off his shoes. He took of his robes before apparating into the alleyway
just outside his apartment complex. He rather enjoyed his small slice of
London. It was his own place and everyday after work, he would just look around
and admire it.
He went to the bedroom to change his clothes and get to work on other things.
Most people did not know what he was doing for a living. He told his Muggle
neighbors that he was doing nothing more than a government desk job. They did
not seem to ask anymore questions. Percy got the feeling from them that Muggle
government work was just as boring as wizarding government work.
When Percy was done with his extra work, he would wander Muggle London. He
enjoyed looking at the sites like a typical tourist. He was from Southern
England, so it was not hard to believe that he did not know his way around too
well. Percy explored the area with great zeal. He was always careful not to ask
too many obvious questions, and he was thankful to his old professor of Muggle
studies back at Hogwarts.
Percy did everything he could to appear like the normal, run of the mill
Muggle. He even went grocery shopping at the local market and attended movies
at the cinema. He succeeded in appearing ordinary. He even limited the use of
his wand in his flat and had some of the electronics that Muggles typically had
in their homes.
There was a computer, air conditioning/heating, telephone, and lighting. The
only thing that Percy did not have was a television, which he did not think was
necessary. He knew how to work most of the gadgets when he was at school, but
the computer was a different story. It intrigued him because it was so
functional. Percy gathered as much information on his computer as he could get.
His computer was a laptop, expensive and portable. It was in his office.
Percy turned it on and waited for it to boot up. He took off his glasses
because he did not need them. His vision had been corrected by Muggle
technology, but hardly anyone knew that in the wizarding world. No one in
the Ministry of Magic suspected that he had been using fake lenses for
months. His vision was corrected because it was a requirement for his
night job.
Percy had two jobs. There was his day job at the Ministry of Magic as the aide of the Minister, and his night job, which was something else entirely. Percy had to make out a report to his contact right away. He entered a detailed report. The computer made Percy's reporting job easier. It was a pain to learn how to type, but once he had mastered it, he found it was much more efficient than handwriting. Once more, his handwriting could not be traced.
The Muggle technology was far more fascinating than Percy had ever learned from school or his father. He found it interesting that so much data could fit into such small amounts of space. There were things that remained a mystery to him, even though he had heard highly complicated explanations about them. Percy followed the directions on how to keep things secure and encrypted.
Percy carefully wrote the report. It was almost identical to all of the other reports. Percy sighed when he reread it for errors. It was disappointing. He had hoped to have something new, but weeks had passed since then. The Ministry did not suspect him of anything, which made him wonder if he was doing his job right or completely wrong.
Minister Fudge trusted Percy implicitly. He had no reason to doubt Percy's loyalty to him because Percy had sided with the Ministry over his entire family. There was no reason to suspect him of anything. At first, Percy took some satisfaction from it, but things had gotten too quiet for his taste.
Percy wrestled with himself. He thought of talking to his father again, so that he could get information about the Order of the Phoenix. At least, he would have something to offer his supervisors. Percy did not know if he could talk to his father again. Not after all the idiotic things he had said. Percy knew that his father made frequent attempts to make eye contact with him ever since the attack at the Ministry that revealed to the world that Voldemort had returned.
What Father doesn't know is that it's better that he doesn't talk to me. What I'm doing could get everyone in the family killed. I don't want anyone else to get hurt. He already got hurt because he was working for the Order. I'm protecting the family in my own way. I can't afford to allow myself to be distracted. Father wants me to talk to him, but I can't. I won't put them in danger. They'll just have to think that I'm a horrible human being. I'll let them think that before I let anything happen to them. I'll be hated by my own family before I see them killed because of me. I don't care if they never speak to me again.
These were the thoughts that attacked Percy's brain on a regular basis, but he refused to use a Pensieve to clear them. He had to use other methods instead. Percy buried himself in his work as a defense mechanism. It was his way of controlling his environment. It was only an illusion, but it was enough to keep him going.
Last December, Percy heard the news that his father had been attacked by a snake. The attack had been so bad that his father had to be rushed to St. Mungo's. Percy thought of visiting him, but he did not right away. Rather, Percy went to the hospital and inquired about his father's condition, but never made a visit. He felt bad about it, but there was nothing he could really do.
As soon as his father had returned to work, Percy watched his father from a good distance and was happy to see that he was all right. Percy was an excellent actor. Worthy of an award. He was very good at deceiving people. A talent that he wished he could be more proud of.
There was also Harry Potter. Percy made a big show of making it look like he supported the Ministry. He had to. Minister Fudge and all of his underlings were wondering where Percy's loyalties lay. Percy wrote a long winded letter to Ron, warning him about Harry. He had done that for two reasons: to prove his loyalty and to protect his brother.
In recent time, Percy took a dislike to Harry. There was so much danger surrounding him. Percy always thought that Ron would get hurt around him. Now, Percy was concerned about Ginny also getting hurt or worse. Percy thought it was rather dishonorable of Harry Potter to put people's lives in danger when it was his battle and his alone. At least, Percy never put anybody's life in danger in his work, especially people who cared about him. Percy meant almost every word he had written about Harry in the letter he had sent to Ron. Percy doubted that Ron would heed his warning.
Percy entered the hidden network that he had been allowed accessed to. He typed in his codename and password, and was just about to send his report in when he heard the doorbell. It startled him for a moment because he was not used to receiving any guests. Percy quickly canceled the connection before getting up from his chair to answer the door.
He looked through the peephole to see someone dressed in a uniform. Percy had no idea what that meant, so he opened the door very carefully. "Hello, I'm from the Penn Telegram Office. I'm here to deliver a telegram to you. Are you P.I. Weasley?" asked the very friendly deliveryman. Percy gave a quick nod. The man offered the telegram to him. Percy took it and was just about to shut the door before the deliveryman stopped him, "Wait, I need you to sign this." He handed a clipboard to Percy. It was one of those odd Muggle clip boards that had a computer chip built into it. Percy had never received any Muggle packages, let alone a telegram, in his entire life. Furthermore, he looked at the stylus doubtfully; he knew how Muggle pens worked, but he had never seen a stylus before. However, a minute had passed, so Percy signed the electronic clipboard without question. To his amazement, his signature appeared on the line, but somewhat distorted. The deliveryman tapped the brim of his hat and said, "Have a good evening, Mr. Weasley."
Percy carefully closed the door and locked it. He looked at the telegram suspiciously. It was not a howler, but he had no idea what was in it. He brought it with him to his office and decided to send off his report instead. Percy logged on to the system's secure line again. He submitted his report and waited for a message in his electronic mail. "E-mail", as the Muggles more commonly called it, was an amazing invention. Percy marveled at it because it was faster than sending an owl, which is why Percy had left Hermes at the Ministry's owlery during the day. It would have also looked more suspicious to his neighbors, if he had an owl.
To Percy's surprise, he received two messages. One was the usual message to confirm that his report had been sent to the system, which he quickly deleted. The second, was an e-mail from the main offices. It read as followed:
It has been confirmed that you are fully qualified to be placed into the field. You will be contacted with further information. A notice has already been delivered to you. Please open it as soon as possible.
That was how the message appeared. Percy reread the message again and looked at the envelope he had placed on the small table where the printer sat. He picked it up and read the edges to open it properly. A thick, small piece of paper fell onto his lap. He picked it up to look at it.
It was a ticket. More importantly, it was a ticket to a Muggle musical concert. Percy opened the rest of the telegram up to read it. The message read as followed, "You are humbly invited to this event. Please dress appropriately."
Percy looked at the ticket to see where the concert was being held. He deleted the second message in his e-mail before emptying out the trash can and logging out of the system. He did a brief search of information on the theater that he had to go to and found that it was a classical arts theater a lot of high society Muggles attend. Percy realized he was going to have to have some Muggle formal wear.
Percy was excited. Finally, he would have a chance to go into the field. It had about a year before he was deemed worthy enough. He wanted nothing more than a chance to prove himself. He was just as brave any member of his family. He was a Gryffindor. It was now his time to prove it.
The night of the concert came. It was summer in London and many elitist Muggles arrived to take in the culture. They were dressed for a concert that was to be given by a renowned violist and cellist by the name of Sidney Nelsen. She was considered one of the most talented musicians in the world. High society from all over the world gathered in London for her concert. Her concerts were getting rare and too far in between. Some believe that she had burned out because of the stress, but others said that she was making herself a rare commodity by not playing so many concerts. Her talent was considered as rare as gold.
This was the information that Percy had gathered on the concert. He was dressed in a fine tuxedo that he had just purchased the previous day. It had been tailored in a Muggle shop to fit his tall, thin form. He went for the traditional black tux. Percy did not wear his glasses when he was doing his extra work. It showed a distinct separation in his personality. When he wore his glasses, Percy was the model employee of the Ministry of Magic. When he didn't wear them, he was himself.
Percy had a noble bearing, which made it easy for him to blend in. He appeared to have the same blue blood that they had. Percy did not feel out of place in the midst of so many Muggles. He had gotten used to them because he lived among them. The Muggle world was notas small as the wizarding world. Going into the Muggle world, was like entering a universe. In this world, the Weasley name did not mean much. It was a neutral. Percy preferred it that way. At least, he could build himself up on his own terms without his family's history.
Percy handed his ticket over to the usher. He tore off the top and told Percy, "This is for a private box." Percy did not betray his surprise. "You're probably an associate of Lord Wallace. It's his box. Would you like me to show you to his box?" added the usher.
"You could say that," said Percy. "Yes, please show me the way." He followed the usher to the private box. He found that the view from it was spectacular. Percy chided himself for being surprised that Lord Wallace had a private box in a Muggle theater. Lord Wallace's influence was wide spread in the Muggle world, while he isolated himself in the wizarding world. "This is it," said the usher.
"Thank you," said Percy as he took his seat. He could see everyone from the box. He saw the crowds of people waiting for the performance to begin. Percy glanced at his watch. He had no idea how this whole thing was supposed to work. The lights dimmed, leaving light on the stage.
The sound of an electric violin filled the silence trailed by other instruments. The music started softly. The spotlight shone on a solitary figure on the stage. It was a young woman a few years older than Percy. She was beautiful by both Muggle and wizarding standards. Her eyes were closed, but the music was mesmerizing. The intoxication filled Percy's senses.
He wasn't the only one who was affected by violinist. People stared at the stage with glazed eyes. They were in a moment of rapture. The air felt sweeter in the theater. Percy had a startling thought that jolted him out of reverie. Is she using magic? I've never seen anyone have this effect on people before. Percy felt his senses kick into high gear. He felt very anxious before the first piece was done. Towards the end of the first piece, Percy finally recognize her. That's Sidney Nelsen. She was Head Girl the year I came to Hogwarts.
A thunderous amount of applause filled entire theater. Percy reluctantly joined in. He looked around him, wondering where his contact was. He felt his patience wear thin as he waited for the next piece. Just how long was he going to have to sit there and wait for something to happen? How much longer?
The concert continued, much to Percy's consternation. His discomfort only increased when intermission was called. Percy wondered why he was even there. Not that he did not enjoy the atmosphere. For some odd reason, the Muggles were looking at him strangely because they had heard he was attending the concert in Lord Wallace's box. Lord Wallace was a big name in high society.
Percy knew that Lord Wallace was the owner of a Muggle publication firm along with other smaller companies. The profits from those companies funded Lord Wallace's real project. Hardly anyone knew anything about Lord Prometheus Wallace. He was an exclusive man. Percy knew very little about Lord Wallace's background. The only thing he knew for certain was that Lord Wallace could have easily rivaled both Dumbledore and Voldemort in power. Perhaps, that was the reason why Lord Wallace had his own organization.
Percy sighed as he attempted to make his way back to the box, but the usher prevented him. "Here is a message for you," said the usher as he offered him an envelope. Percy accepted it, but did not open it until he had return to his box. He knew that there was more privacy there. He opened it and found a piece of neat stationery inside. The message instructed him to stay after the concert, but gave nothing more. Percy supposed he would have to stay in the box after the concert. He sighed with relief. At least, his contact had finally given word to him. He would only have to wait a bit longer.
Finally, the house lights came back on to allow the audience to exit the theater without tripping. Percy waited a bit longer. He did not move from his spot, his eyes remained focused on the stage. He was very startled when someone Apparated in the seat next to him. He turned to see who it was.
It was the violinist. Sidney Nelsen. She was even more beautiful up close. She had a small smile tugging at her soft, pink lips. "You are Omega, I assume," she whispered, calling Percy by his codename.
"And who are you?"
"They call me Aura."
"Aura," whispered Percy, feeling out her name in his mouth. "I was told to meet with you."
"And so you are. I am your handler. My duty is to train you for the field. You will answer directly to me," said Sidney. Her voice was calm. Her manner serene, but underneath she had an undercurrent of sensuality that most men were not immune to. Percy could feel that energy emanating from her, filling his senses. This was a woman not to be trifled with. Her voice had a sensuous edge that sent a shiver down his spine.
Percy nodded as she bestowed a dazzling smile upon him. He had a warm feeling in his chest. "I look forward to working with you. I want to see what kind of man you are," said Sidney. "You may also called me Sidney if you like."
Percy nodded, "But, you also know who I am, right?"
"Of course, you're a Weasley," said Sidney. "I've heard of your family. I must say I didn't expect a Weasley to be a member."
"You mean you expected me to be a member of the Order," said Percy without any annoyance. He had plenty of annoyance towards himself, but he did not really like it from other people. He didn't like people judging him just because he was a Weasley. Wistfully, he wished he was a member of the Order of the Phoenix from time to time, but he never allowed himself to think about it for more than a moment.
"No. That's not what I was going to say. You work for the Ministry of Magic. He typically doesn't like people who work for the Ministry, but I suppose it works. It allows you to get information for us," said Sidney. "And you being a Weasley will be even more helpful."
"How?" asked Percy.
"We need information on the movements of the Order of the Phoenix," replied Sidney. Percy's eyes opened slightly wider. He shook his head quickly. "You mean you don't want to?" Her voice hinted of amusement.
"I don't know if I can get any information. It would be easier to send in another agent," said Percy quickly. "My family does not think very highly of me at this moment."
"It's not your family you need to get through. It's Dumbledore," Sidney pointed out. "We can get information on the Death Eaters just fine. It's the Order that we can't touch. You are the only one with a connection to the Order."
Percy stopped himself from scowling. They only wanted him for his connections to both the Ministry and the Order. "If you are not interested, then you can wait for another mission," said Sidney simply. Her hypnotic gaze never left him.
She knew that he did not like the sound of that at all. Percy considered it very carefully. It would be harder for them to find an agent who could get inside. Percy already had the inside track, but he doubted that his own family trusted him. He doubted that he would be accepted. "Can I think about it?" he requested.
Sidney nodded. Percy stood up to leave. "I'll be in touch," she said as she rose to get up. "Good night, Mr. Weasley. Omega." She has whispered the last word. Her voice had a lingering effect on Percy.
As soon as the effect had passed, Percy was thinking. Could he do it? Could he do something even worse to his family? When did he become even capable of considering it? He sighed as he rose to his feet. He wasn't going to find the answer to those questions any time soon.
Written by kirikarin
Beta Read by IvyDragon
AN: I had to modify parts of it to fit more with the facts from the fifth book. Percy proves to become more complex as I write this. I am not making him better or perfect from the original. No, I am making him more complex with intricate flaws that are hard to understand, even for him. Sidney will probably be one of my most complex original characters; she is a woman who is flawed. Both of them, give an air of perfection or at least try to. Percy appears that way in the Ministry, while Sidney displays herself as a consummate musician and performer. However, it is their "day jobs," so it is merely a set of elaborate illusions. They are an interesting pair. Odd, how I am setting this up.
kirikarin.livejournal.com
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story belongs to me and cannot be posted anywhere else without my permission.