Somewhere in London
Harry steered the car through traffic, while Severus sat scowling next to him. Finally, the ex-Professor broke the silence.
"Turn right," he said. "So. You're the Raven, huh? I hear you're ... very good ... at what you do."
"I try."
"Heard about your little stunt yesterday. Pretty Gryffindorish." Harry didn't respond. "Last time I heard anything out of you, you were working for the Phoenix Project. Assassin stuff, right?"
"Yeah."
"And they gave you an Order of Merlin."
"It was a slow year."
Pause. "It's over, you know."
"What is?"
"The war."
"Yes. I know."
"Just thought I'd remind you." He motioned to the gun in Harry's belt. "Check out your piece?" he asked, before reaching over. Harry's hand shot out, stopping him cold.
"Bad manners, man." Harry removed the gun and handed it to Severus, who was watching him with barely disguised interest. "Don't hurt yourself."
".9 millimeter Beretta," he whistled. "That's some serious shit."
"You carry a wheel gun?"
".38 Special."
"Lot of old-timers carry that," Harry said casually and Severus shot him a look.
"From what I know of the Raven, you're registered as a lethal weapon," Severus said suddenly.
"True. Look." Harry turned towards Severus. "Let's cut the shit. We both know why I was transferred. Everyone thinks I'm suicidal, in which case I'm fucked and no one wants to work with me. Or they think I'm dangerous and playing both side of the game, in which case I'm fucked and no one wants to work with me. Then there are those who think that I'm spying for Death Eaters, in which case I'm fucked and no one wants to work with me. Basically, I'm fucked."
"Guess what?"
"What?"
"I don't want to work with you."
"Then don't."
"Don't have a choice. Damn. We're both fucked."
"Terrific."
Harry parked in front of an old, run-down building and lit a cigarette.
"I'm very old," said Severus, rubbing his eyes. "God hates me, that's what it is."
"Hate him back. Works for me."
Amelia Bones' office, London city Bank
"Murder? But I thought ....... " Amelia trailed off, looking depressed.
"Poisoned. Even if she hadn't jumped, she'd still be dead," Severus told her quietly.
"Merlin. I can't take ....... "
"Amelia, why did you call me?" Harry looked at him incredulously. This was the first time he had heard about that.
"Called you? Yeah. That's right. I heard you were working out here. I wanted you to find her for me, Severus. Take her out of it."
"Out of what?"
"She did movies ....... " Amelia started sobbing and Harry put an arm around her shoulders.
"Easy," he said soothingly.
Amelia dried her eyes and looked back at Severus. Cold fury was practically pouring from her face. "I want a promise. You owe me. You know you do."
"Yes, I know that," said Severus.
"When you find who did it, I want you to kill them. If it's more than more than one, I want you to kill all of them. Make them squirm first, take your time ....... and fucking kill them.
"I'm Auror, Amelia," said Severus, looking at Harry for help. But Harry just looked away.
"Forget the law. It's easy to do. You owe me."
"We have to go now."
"I know you can, Severus. You kill them. And if not, Harry, I'm sure you can."
They left.
Back outside
Severus sighed as Harry took out another cigarette. "Are you going to smoke in the car?"
"Thinking about it," Harry responded.
"Terrific."
Harry started to put the cigarette in his mouth, but stopped abruptly. "Whoops. Bugger." He replaced that one in the pack and pulled out another.
"What's wrong with that one?"
He pointed to the tip of the very old cigarette: there was a tiny red circle around the filter. "This one is the last cigarette I'll ever smoke. Trick I learned from Mundungus Fletcher. I smoke all I want, but when I smoke this one, I'm through."
"Brilliant. Get in the car."
"Want me to drive?"
"You're suicidal, remember?"
"Anyone who drives in London nowadays is suicidal."
Severus sighed again and slid into the diver's seat.
"She said you owed her," Harry finally asked. "What did she mean?"
"In the final battle, she saved my life. Took a severing charm to the stomach."
"That was nice of her."
"I thought so."
The radio suddenly blared to life and Severus turned it up. "All units and seven eight twenty-one, possible jumper at the corner of Kinston and Mullberry, seven eight twenty-one handle code two."
"Four King Sixty en route," Harry said into the hand mike. He turned back to Severus. "This is great. I love this job."
"Stuff it."