Well, I seem to have been lacking in reviews lately... Anyway, GCSE was a pain, I'm glad it's finally over WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
BTW, I gotta note that Snape is quite young in this fic, he's still a rookie at the auror office and very OOC. Rita and Percy are also quite OOC, I think. And once again I don't know the difference between R and NC-17. I'll try to keep it at R but, if anyone knows the difference between the two, please contact me and be my beta reader, please (author gets on hands and knees and begs pathetically) (Not that I ever written an NC-17 before)
On another note, it is legal for wizards to buy property in muggle cities as it is for muggles to buy property and live in the Wizarding world assuming they are closely related to a wizard e.g. muggle-borns. But the wizards who do live there are not permitted to use magic in the muggle world.
Chapter 7: The detectives and the press
"Hey Ced, is Ron in there?" Harry asked almost pleadingly as the man walked out of the dressing room. He'd been waiting for about an hour in front of the locked door.
"She ain't gonna see you Harry. She's really pissed; I wouldn't be surprised if she hexes you on sight. "
"Well, just tell her I'm sick ok?"
"Draco poisoning?" Ced asked teasingly.
"No...sick of waiting around here."
Ced sighed dramatically before flipping his hair and walking away, he had better things to do than monitoring other people's love lives.
In the changing room.
Once Cedric walked out of the changing room, Ron let out the tears he'd been holding, allowing them to spill from his eyes as he thought back to all the mistakes he'd made in his life.
"Only a fool, like fools before me
I always think with me heart
Only a fool, that same old story
Seems I was born for the part"
"It's a lesson that I've learned
And a page I should have turned
I shouldn't cry but I do
Like an ordinary fool
When their ordinary dreams
Fall through"
"How many times, have I mistaken
Good looks and laughs for bad news?
How many times have I mistaken
Love songs and laughs for the blues?"
"When the road I've walked before
Ends alone at my front door
I shouldn't cry but I do
Like an ordinary fool
When their ordinary dreams
Fall through."
Hesitantly, Ron got changed back into his old clothes and waited for his body to change back. He wiped his tear stained face with a tissue and decided it was time to find a new place to live.
Harry leaned quietly against the wooden door. He new the red head couldn't stay in there forever and the dressing room is a non apparition zone so Ron couldn't get out that way even if he knew how to. So, Harry waited.
Until that split second in which he realized that he was leaning against thin air.
"Oh shit" were the words that left his mouth as he fell unceremoniously to the marble floor.
Fortunately, his head met with the tip of Ron's shoes.
"Whadda you still doing here?" Ron asked the moment the mop fell at his feet. The potion had already worn off but the pissed-off-girlfriend expression on his face kept him from being entirely masculine.
"I needed to talk to you" Harry replied as he tried to get up but slipped back onto the floor.
"I have nothing to say to you" The red head said as he walked over Harry's body and began walking away.
Harry quickly got himself up, his hand went to the boys shoulder. "Then just listen ok?" When Ron didn't reply nor move away, he continued.
"There's nothing going on between me and Draco."
At that Ron turned around. "Right, and I suppose shovin' yer tongue down his throat was just a European way of sayin' 'hi'"
"Hey, I ain't the one doin' the tongue shovin' alright?"
"Well, you ain't stoppin' it either"
Ron tried to turn away again but Harry stopped him. He looked the boy in the eye.
"Ron, listen to me ok? What Draco and I had ended a long time ago. Yes, we were in love once but not now and will never be again. I know this is completely cliché but I only have eyes for you Ron."
"'s that why you closed your eyes when you kissed him?"
"Stop tryin' to be a smart ass Ron, you know what I mean...Draco didn't share that kiss with me Ron, he shared it with an old lover, one that died a long time ago. One that he never got a chance to say good bye to."
A few seconds of silence went by before Ron started to relax again.
"So, that old lover's not coming back?" he asked hesitantly.
"No, he's long gone now."
"Really?"
"Really"
"Promise?" Ron asked again for reassurance, his lips forming a coy smile.
"Promise."
"Good, then let 'im croak." Ron said before he was back in Harry's arms.
It had been two days since the two aurors arrived at muggle New York and since Minister Dumbledore had restricted them to using magic in the muggle world, Severus had spent his time teaching Mr. I'm-too-good-for-muggles how to survive without magic. Not that he was an expert himself, but the Captain could barely step out of his own pants without using a wand. He had never met anyone so dependant on it in his entire life, no wonder he was so good with his wand, he can't do anything without it, literally.
Having taken a little bit of muggle studies when he was in school, (he suspected it was why he was chosen for this job as no one else seem to give a damn about them) He managed to get along alright in this world, though he did took the wrong subway a few times when he went out to get them some food. But it was a simple mistake anyone can make and the important thing is that he managed to find his way back.
It was that morning when Severus realized that they have yet to investigate anything since they've arrived.
"Captain, captain." He said as he shook the brunette in the bed next to him.
"Hm..." was the reply he got as the Auror captain shifted away from him.
"CAPTAIN!" he shouted, this time the man covered his ears with the pillow and continued to sleep.
Sev sighed deeply to himself and put his hands in his head, how Tom Riddle became the ministry's top auror was beyond him.
Then, he spotted on the small table, a pitcher filled with water.
A smirk spread across the man's face as the cold water was thrown from its container in one big splash.
That got him up alright.
The pillow was thrown onto the ground as the man jumped out of bed and within seconds, had Snape by the collar of his shirt.
Tom's face was red as Severus' paled, they could feel each other breathing at the close proximity. There was silence between them and they could hear the sound of distant cars in busy streets outside.
Then Tom let go of him, and it was as if nothing had happened.
Snape went over to get the plate of breakfast he had prepared for them; he had made them both scrambled eggs and a glass of milk and juice. It was the only thing he knew how to make without the aid of magic.
"So, I was thinking that maybe we should start on our investigation sir."
"I was thinking about that too, but quite frankly, I don't know where to start. Especially without magic" the last words were said through gritted teeth, this whole, no-magic policy was obviously suffocating him.
"Well, what would you usually do if you do have magic?"
Tom thought for a few minutes.
"Well, I would identify his magic signature and use it to track him down then monitor him until we have enough evidence to arrest him. If that doesn't work, which it usually won't then I'll track down the signatures of those who worked for him and somehow use them to lead us to Fat Zam, or to Lucius Malfoy. It's usually not that straight forward, but that would be where I start."
"Alright, well then do you know who works for them?"
"Yes, about 49% of this entire city works for Fat Zam, the other 49% works for Lucius Malfoy. This number, including muggles as well as migrant wizards, and more than half of these people probably don't even realize they're working for him."
Severus grimaced. "Well, who do we know for sure works for them?"
"We have the names of some of the leading members in their gangs but so far we haven't been able to connect them to any illegal activities. The closest we've got is alcohol trade but that's legal among wizards and we haven't been able to catch them trading liquor with muggles."
"Well, do you have a list of the properties he owned in muggle New York? Maybe we can get more information if we go to those places."
Tom got up and retrieved the box of Fat Zam's files, he then handed a three scrolls to his assistant.
Snape unrolled it to find that they were longer than their entire room.
"Knock yourself out." Tom said sarcastically. "Oh and by the way, according to the minister, the mayor of muggle New York has us on a very tight leash and we have to follow muggle laws. One of which is we are not allowed in private properties without an official warrant, which we can only get from the muggle NYPD."
"Great" the younger man groaned. This is going to be a long day.
Their first trip, Tom decided, had been to the public library. They figured they needed to know all of the muggle laws so that they don't accidentally break them. After a few hours of searching they found themselves some very thick books on the laws of New York, some detective manuals, a few Sherlock Holmes novels and some private eye magazines.
Then they went to stores to find the stuff needed for their 'detective work' such as microscopes and Precinct Finger-Print Kits.
It wasn't until two days later that they began the actual investigation. They've decided to start with one of the places that were attacked.
'Casa di Moccolo' is one of the most famous restaurants in New York, it was the only place that was fancy, romantic and expensive, yet amazingly manages not to be seen as a snobby place made exclusively for social elites like most fancy restaurants are.
"According to the papers the restaurant belongs to Mr. James Potter, a half American half Italian wizard and his wife, Lillian Potter a muggle born Irish witch with an American citizenship. The place's been open for three years, and the couple has two kids, Harry Potter and Clara Potter. I've been researching sir and so far, the only connection they have with Fat Zam and his gang is that they're Italian."
"Are you sure?" Tom asked, "Well then why would Lucius' gang attack them?"
"I'm sure sir, I've looked through all the files, there's nothing in there that involves anyone even closely related to the Potters."
"Potter" Captain Riddle repeated, "That doesn't sound like a very Italian name."
"It isn't sir, James Potter's Italian heritage came from his mother's side of the family. "
"Oh...So, have you rounded up all the witnesses?"
"Well, not really sir, cause the muggle witnesses have already been obliviated, but according to the ministry officials, they didn't know anything about the gangs to begin with anyway. But I did manage to get the witnesses who were witches and wizards here."
The captain gave a sigh, "Alright, lets get started shall we?"
So Snape started with the finger print kit, blowing baby powder on to the floor and over the clues.
Going over the floor with a brush, he came across a strange long scratch on the wooden floor.
"Captain, I found something."
"What is it Snape?" The man said looking at the brush in the other auror's hand.
Snape looked confused for a few seconds then looked at his hand. "This...This is a brush captain."
Tom rolled his eyes, "Yes, I know that's a goddamn brush Snape," he said, hitting the other man on the back of the head. "I meant, what have you found?"
"Oh, um...I found a scratch on the floor sir." He said as he knelt down and gestured to it.
"And?"
"W-well, I don't know sir, I ju-"
"Of course you don't, now please stop bothering me with such stupid things. I'm trying to conduct an investigation." He said as he turned away.
"Oh don't bother me while I'm trying to conduct an investigation" Snape mocked quietly in a snobbish voice.
"What was that Snape?" The man turned around.
"Um.. nothing sir."
Then they moved on to their interrogations. Their first witness was a musician hired by the restaurant. He was a Polish squib violinist with an accent as thick as his mustache.
"Now," Tom started, "We know that there were five men here. Can you tell us what else you saw?"
"Nuttink. I see nuttink,"
Severus rolled his eyes as he cut in, "Vell, you must have seen sometink!" he mocked "We know you're not blind."
The violinist still insisted on his earlier statement. "Nuttink. Honestly Mr. Auror, I see nuttink. I came on ze boat just this year. I got papers, ok. I see nuttink, I just play music. I mind my own business, ok. I see nuttink."
And that was all they got out of him.
Their second witness was a red headed boy in his late teens.
"Ronald Weasley is it?" Tom asked in his best I-know-your-up-to-something voice.
"Yes sir," the boy replied, trying his hardest stay calm.
"Tell me, Mr. Weasley, what are your relationship with Fred and George Weasley a.k.a. the twin disasters and Jerry 'Gin Tonic' Weasley?"
(A/N: They don'[t know Ginny's really a girl)
Ron raised his eyebrows. "Sir, what has my brothers got to do with this?"
Tom moved closer to Ron, staring him straight in the eye. "We're asking the questions here Mr. Weasley." He said before moving back to his seat. "Tell us more about your brothers."
"Well, I don't know much sir, those three had disappeared years ago. The twins ran away from our home in Alabama three years ago, and Gin,...Jerry followed their lead a few years after, we never heard from them again." He was only giving them half truths, but it was better than out right lying., or seeing his brother in jail.
"I see" the auror replied in a deep and disbelieving manner. "So what were you doing here the night of the crime, Mr. Weasley? You don't seem the type to be in this sort of restaurant."
Ron tried to keep the anger from showing on his face. "Harry Potter invited me sir. I'm a friend of his and since I don't have a place to stay in New York, he let me to stay with him. "
"Well, thank you for your cooperation Mr. Weasley and if any of your brothers ever contact you. Please contact us, you can reach us at this address," Tom said before calling the next witness, Harry Potter.
"So, Mr. Potter, tell us exactly what happened here?"
"Well, I was having dinner with my friend Ron Weasley when suddenly these big thugs in black trench coats burst in and started shooting melting potions at us with these strange looking muggle machines. Then after a few minutes, they all stopped and walked away. But on of them tripped and dropped the machine onto the and so I went to try and grab it, but it was too late and the guy got the thing away from me and hit me in the head with it. There's still a little bump right here, see?" he said as he gestured to the little bump under the thick black forest of hair on his head.
"So what did their weapon look like?"
"It was big, long and black with a small tube where the potion came out and a weird looking handle."
"Is there anything else that you remember about it?"
"No sir."
"Well, if you do, please contact us, your friend has our address."
"Yes sir" Harry replied before walking away.
"So, Snape, what do you think?" Tom asked once they were out of the restaurant.
"I think that Harry Potter is hiding something sir."
"What about that Ron Weasley? I don't believe a word he says about those brothers of his. I think that he knows exactly where his brother is and that Harry Potter is somehow involved."
"Well, maybe we should keep them under surveillance, captain"
"Well, of course we will, what else can we do? It's the best lead we have so far, but we've got to go ask for permit on a tracking spell from the ministry first. We can't waste time following them ourselves, there are other places where there were attacks."
"Yes Captain,"
Percy tightened his hold on his lover as he kissed his blond head. Then he tried to disentangle himself from the muscular arms.
"Hmm, too early, stay in bed," came the murmured reply from under the thick mass of messy curls.
"No Rita, we can't. We gotta go to work. Remember, work, as in how we get money to pay for stuff."
"Too lazy, enough money, sleep better." Ricky, or Rita said as he tried to pull his young lover back into their bed.
Percy swerved away and began to get dressed.
"Come on Rita, if you don't, you won't have enough money to pay for me and I might leave you." It was a joke, and they both knew it.
"Yeah right, like you have anywhere else to go. Besides, you love me too much." He replied confidently.
"That doesn't change the fact that it's my job to get you up every morning."
"Then your fired, now let me sleep,"
Percy sighed; it's been five years since he had left his home in the Southern Alabama to fulfill his dreams as a journalist. He, like his brother Ron, had a very difficult time looking for a job in New York and by his third year there he was hopeless, homeless and desperate.
That's when he met with the famous reporter Rita Skeeter who gave him an offer which, at the time he couldn't refuse.
Percy could remember that night like it was yesterday.
!Flashback!
The grey clouds swept over the evening skies, creeping slowly over it until neither sun, nor stars were visible to the pale blue eyes that looked upon it. It wasn't long before the showers begun, slowly at first as the soft droplets washed away at the last shred of hope of a small town boy.
The young man sat himself on the pavement, defeated after three years of struggling in this cruel city. He'd previously been kicked out of his job at a small newspaper and then later, his roach filled apartment. And now, he has no where to go.
So there he sat, with nothing but his suitcase for company and not enough money for a meal, let alone a ride home. His body was slumped and he hid his face in his arms as he began to cry, his tears flowing along side the rain as it slid down his face.
And for hours he sat there reflecting over old hopes and shattered dreams as the skies darkened into black and the rain poured down harder and harder as if punishing the city itself.
He was so deep in thought that he didn't notice the red car that was coming his way until it stopped right in front of him.
The red head looked up from his knees as the car door was opened and he was met with a big pair of high heeled magenta slippers. The man ran his hand through his drenched locks, letting the streams flow from them before looking at the person in front of him.
His gaze met a tall figure. He could barely see behind his wet glasses in the dim light, but he first thought it was a strange looking man. The person held his umbrella above him and handed him a handkerchief.
"Thank you," he said as he took the handkerchief and use it to wipe his glasses. Upon closer inspection, the handkerchief was pink silk with floral designs on it. The red haired man looked up again as he handed the fabric back and squinted.
The person was actually a woman, or at least dressed like one. She was wearing a frilly purplish-pink robe that matched her shoes and her umbrella. Her eyes were covered with a pair of large jeweled spectacles that shimmered in the dark and her hair was yellowish blond and rigidly curled.
The person gave the man her purple two inch taloned hands who took it reluctantly and got up, his muscles aching slightly.
"Waiting for something?" the person asked in a low husky voice.
"You could say that" he replied, he had to look up slightly for the 'woman' was taller than him.
"Well whatever it is, it looks like it ain't coming...at least not to this place." When the man didn't reply, she continued. "Can I give you a lift?"
"I have no where to go. Besides, it isn't safe for anyone to pick up a complete stranger."
At that the person smiled, showing a gold tooth. "You're not strange, I am. Maybe you should be afraid of me."
"I'm not."
"Good. So, since you don't have anywhere to go and we've establish that we're not afraid of each other, why don't you come stay at my place for the night."
"Um...Are you sure that's appropriate, I mean you're a woman and we've just met and..."
"Thought you said you weren't afraid of me" She said as she moved in closer, her thick fingers going to twirl his fiery red locks as her other man was placed on his shoulders.
"Well, I, I don't but, I mean, w-we don't even know each other's name" he stuttered.
She smirked as she moved her wide pink lips to his ears, "Rita Skeeter" she whispered. The man's eyes widen at that.
"Rita Skeeter!" he repeated excitedly "As in Daily Prophet's most famous columnist, Rita Skeeter?"
"Well, infamous is more like it according to every politician and celebrity in this country" this she said with a proud smile, "but, yes, I am Rita Skeeter, from the Daily Prophet."
"Wow, I mean, I'm a fan. I read your article every time I could get my hands on it. I even got a scrap book at home. You're one of the reasons I want to become a reporter myself. I'm Percy Weasley by the way" he said with a bright child like smile.
The 'women' smiled back, "Well, I guess this isn't the wrong place to be waiting after all" she said as she gestures to the car.
Percy blushed as he obediently got in.
Rita's apartment was of medium size, and decorated with mostly wooden furniture with floral designs and flowers of ever color and size as well as smell with a faint scent of nail polish and other forms of makeup in the mix.
"Make yourself at home," she said as they entered and Percy sat himself down on the sofa as Rita went into the small kitchen.
"Here, have some," she said, placing the pizza in front of him.
"Thank you," the boy said as he plunged in, though he was usually the most well mannered amongst his sibling, he hadn't eaten in days.
After a long while, Percy began to slow down and Rita handed him a glass of water.
"So, Percy, tell me about yourself." She said as she sat herself down, a little too close to the young man.
Percy took a gulp of water before he spoke.
"Well, I came to New York three years ago from Alabama where I left my family. I was the third to leave the old farm, we were struggling to keep it but, after dad left it was just too much trouble, and soon my brothers started leaving to get jobs in big cities. Um, I have five brothers one sister and from what I heard, most of them had already left home now. Only my mother and my youngest brother and sister are left, after dad left, mum's a bit...well someone had to take care of her.
So, I came to New York, hoping to become a reporter, but since I never had any experience and didn't have enough money to go to extra classes for it, nobody hired me. And so I just drifted, from job to job until I got myself into this newspaper agency. It's really small and nobody knows it but...still, it was as close as I got. I stayed there for almost a year before they fired me, and then I didn't have enough money to pay for the rent and got kicked out. And then I was sitting on the street and you found me and, here I am."
"I see. Percy, what if I offer you a job."
Percy smiled even brighter than before, "A job? Really, what kind of job?"
"Well, since you said you don't have any experience, I was thinking maybe, you could be my personal assistant for a while, and in your free time, you can take your extra classes which I'll be paying for."
"Wow, this is unbelievable. Thank you so much, I...I don't know what to say I mean...I never thought you'd be so kind to me I d-," then he paused as he realized that Rita was now sitting on his lap with her arms around him. He took in a deep breath and bit his lower lip as Rita moved her face closer to him. "Um...What did you mean by 'personal assistant' again?"
Her lips twisted evilly, and her large mannish hands moved to stroke his inner thigh. "Oh you know, the usual stuff, remind me when there's a press conference, take messages, set up meetings for me, occasional wake up calls in the morning, suck me under my desk, fuck my brains out etcetera, etcetera. You know, what every other assistant would do for their boss."
"That's not what every assistant do for their boss!"
"Oh, then you really don't have any experiences do you? Listen kid, almost every assistant and secretary sleeps with their boss; most of them just aren't paid for it, at least not directly. Now, you can either take my offer, or I can throw you back on the streets, what do you say?" Rita's hands now gripped his thigh tightly, her nails digging into the grey pants.
The boy was silent.
"I thought so." She said smugly.
Rita moved herself to sit on the floor, her fingers stroking him through the fabric before unbuttoning it and pushing his pants down.
It was only half hard as she touched the head with the tip of her tongue and coaxes it into its full length, her warm tongue like a snake slithering against it. Percy moaned as the hard length disappeared into her mouth, her tongue still stroking him as his hands griped the sofa.
Percy watched with glazed eyes as the blond head bobbed up and down between his legs, up and down as his pre-come leaked and she tasted it.
Then she stopped and moved up from the floor, her body hovering over his as she reached for his mouth and kissed him with her serpentine tongue, letting him taste himself on her lipsticked lips. She pressed her body against his and he thrust into her.
Only to be met with another hard length.
It took him a few seconds before it registered in his head and he immediately detached himself from her mouth and gasped.
"Oh my god!"
He sat gulping the air like a fish for a minute before he pushed 'Rita' off him.
"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" he chanted as he got up closed his eyes and started walking around the room, occasionally tripping over the furniture.
Rita found it immensely amusing.
Finally, Percy walked himself into a chair and sat down; he had finally stopped chanting but was still gulping like a fish. Rita walked over to him.
"Ok, so I haven't been completely honest with you," the voice was deeper this time "my birth name is Ricky Santino, but despite the physical appearance, I'm a woman at heart and I'm still the reporter you so admired." The blond looked at the still silent but no longer gulping red head. "My offer still stands, you do this for me, I give you a job at the Daily Prophets, and pay for your extra classes. In addition to that, you can also have access to one of my accounts in Gringotts along with the monthly paycheck I will give you at the Prophets. You will live here with me and if you're nice, I might even give you a little extra."
"And if I don't?"
'Rita' moved closer once again and played with his hair. "If you don't take the offer, then I'll obliviate you and you can go back to moping on the streets until you can somehow get your ass back to whatever hick town you're from and be a dignified loser for the rest of your life." At that, the cross dresser moved his/her hands down to his still hard cock and squeeze, eliciting a squeak from the man as he realized that he still hadn't put his pants back on.
"So," she/he cupped his pale face in her hands "What do you say, cutie?"
Percy squeezed his eyes shut before opening them to look straight into Rita/Ricky's greenish-blue eyes.
"I'll agree if you pay for all my class all the way until I graduate in about two or three years, then you give me a shot at being a professional reporter, a column in the Daily Prophets, not a stupid one either, a real story, front page."
Rita paused to think for a few seconds, "You drive a hard bargain, deal, but before I give you anything, I think I should take you for a test drive first, see if you're worth it."
At that point, Percy licked his lips and shook off his uncertainty and cupped Rita's angular face. "Oh, I'm worth it" he said.
"Why don't you your money where your mouth is huh? Get down there and suck my cock."
"Yes sir ...um, I mean ma'am" he said as he got down on his hands and knees, lift up the robe and skirt, removed the underwear and began his first taste.
!End Flashback!
Percy smiled at the memory.
"You can't fire me Rita, you love my pretty ass too much, now get up." He said as he began to drag the cross dresser out of bed.
It amazing how far they've gone since then. Now they were in love and they were happy together.
"Just give me five more minutes Percy please," Rita pleaded sleepily
"If I give you five more minutes, you won't have time to put on all your make up. Do we really have to go through this every morning?"
"Yes,"
Percy sighed. They were gonna be late. Again.
TBC