Ah, my wonderful reviewers – you have no idea of the boost I just got. I have a feeling I have James to thank – thanks for the plug for my story, my friend – you're awesome! Personal responses to your reviews are at the end – and again, thank you.

Also, people keep telling me that they're confused...is this supposed to be H/M or H/G?? Well, maybe I'm being TOO subtle...Harry and Maura will definitely have a very close relationship, but it's very confusing to them just what KIND of relationship. Especially to Maura. They feel an attraction to each other, but they have to figure out if it's a sexual attraction, or attraction of another kind. Harry was convinced a long time ago that Ginny was lost to him, and Maura IS a very physically attractive woman – and Maura feels something for Harry, but it's not like any sexual attraction she's ever felt. At first, she had it pegged as that – and acted accordingly, but... well... sometimes it takes us a while to understand what we really feel for people. Remember, neither of them are very experienced at long-term intimate relationships.


And for those of you still confused... well, all I can say is, it will all make sense it a few more chapters. Really. I promise.


And, for those of British persuasion, I am aware that the entire royal family doesn't live at Windsor Castle, but for the sake of the story, let's just say they were visiting, okay?


Again, I own nothing.

CQ


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Chapter Nine: Back to the Muggle World

When Maura entered the kitchen the next morning, she knew that something had changed. Drastically. Harry was talking into a cell phone, Ron was pacing, and Ginny was sitting, whitefaced, watching Harry on the phone.

"Ginny? Ron?" Maura stood in the doorway, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb Harry on the phone. "What's happened?"

Ron turned and looked at her for a moment, blankly, before his eyes cleared. Shaking his head, as if to clear it, he stepped forward. "There have been some Death Eater attacks overnight, Maura. We're just finding out..."

At that moment, Harry wound up his call with a terse, "Call me when you know more."

"Well?" Ginny asked quietly, as he closed the phone and put it in his pocket. "How bad is it?"

"Forty seven separate attacks starting at three this morning."

There was a collective gasp, and Ginny sobbed.

"So many?" Maura was shocked, wondering at the number of Death Eaters that would be required to make so many attacks at once.

"That is the most in one night since...well, in a long time," said Ginny.

Harry's eyes were on the red-headed woman's bent head for a moment before he spoke quietly, "Five years, Gin."

She raised her eyes to his and Maura felt their connection, like electricity, in the room.

"So..." Ron cleared his throat. "Harry? Who?"

"Too many," Harry sighed. "Seamus Finnegan survived, but Lacey and the boys..."

"No!" Ginny cried. "Dear God, neither one of them were five years old yet!"

"Ginny," Harry turned to her, "There's more."

Both Ginny and Ron stiffened at the tone in Harry's voice. When Harry hesitated to tell you something, you knew that he was gaging either your reaction, or your ability to handle what he was about to say.

"Charlie's home was destroyed. He and Amelia and the twins are okay, but the house is...gone."

"Oh, Merlin..."

"They're on their way here. So are your Mum and Dad. The Burrow just isn't safe right now, and your Dad is going to be a target. I've asked the twins to bring their families here, but they both have refused. Bill is on his way with Janie, as well. He says things are heating up in France, too."

"It's beginning," said Ron flatly, staring at the wall.

"Again," whispered Ginny.

"Yes," Harry confirmed. "There were more casualties last night...many more. No one that we knew personally, but Dennis Creavey was injured. He was at his parents home, lucky for them. If he hadn't been, they'd be dead. They're the only known survivors other than Charlie's family and Seamus. Every other target that we know of was...well, there were no other survivors of a direct attack."

His cell phone beeped, and Harry answered it quickly.

"Hello. Yes," his face froze. "Dear God... you're kidding? Where was he? Yes...okay. Let me know. I should be there in about....twenty minutes."

Maura stared at him, knowing there was worse news coming, but not knowing what it could possibly be. As he hung up, he stared straight at Maura.

"There's been another attack."

"What? Another?" Ron said, stunned.

"In muggle London."

"Oh," Ginny said, turning to Maura.

"They've bombed Downing Street and Windsor Castle. They were both completely destroyed. Both the Prime Minister and the majority of the Royal family are dead. Prince William is on his way back from Switzerland...he wasn't there, and Sarah and the princesses are in Vail. It would appear that England has a new king."

"Dear God..." Maura whispered.

"Maura, it's time for you to go back." Harry said.

"Yes, of course. Let me get my things..."

"Just grab your handbag. I'll get the rest to you. We don't have much time."

"Yes..." Maura left the room quickly, her mind swimming.

Apparently, it had begun.

=======================

Harry apparated them to her flat, then quickly handed her a small round token made from some dark stone, and a bit of paper.

"Keep this with you at all times. If you ever need to get to us, or you're in a situation that you need to get out of and can't, hold the stone tightly in your left hand and read the incantation on the paper. It's a portkey, and it will bring you to the Manor."

"Okay, thank you," she swallowed. "I'll be talking to my editor immediately, Harry. We'll get this done."

"I know," he nodded, trying to smile. "I'll be back tonight with your other things. If I can't get here, Ron or Ginny will come."

"Can I call you on...that phone thing?"

"Of course," he recited off the number. "It's a normal cell phone, nothing magical about it."

"Harry, be careful."

"Oh, I intend to. You remember, watch out. Be aware of everything around you, and don't hesitate to use that portkey. They may...well, we don't know what they know. They may know about you now."

"I'll be fine. But I have a job to do, and so do you. Get going."

There was a distinct pop as he left, leaving Maura feeling very alone.

===============================

She went into the office an hour later. Luckily, as she worked on a freelance basis, no one questioned her absence over the last few days. She made her way directly to the office of Naomi Baxter, her editor.

"Maura! I've been trying to get hold of you for days. Now this, this morning...who would have thought? Anyhow, I want you on the next flight to Baghdad..."

"Naomi, I've got to talk to you."

"Maura, the flight leaves in an hour."

"Naomi, send Bryce. I won't be going."

"What?" the statuesque black woman turned, looking directly at her for the first time. No one refused assignments from Naomi Baxter.

"I need to speak to you, privately, now. Please."

Naomi's eyes narrowed and she looked at Maura for a moment before nodding once, swiftly, and turning and striding towards her private office. Maura followed.

"Okay, speak," Naomi closed the door behind them, then sat behind the imposing and cluttered desk. "And this had better be worth wasting my time."

"Naomi, what would you say if I told you that there is an underground world, one that operates concurrently with ours, but is... different?"

"I'd ask what you'd been smoking, hon'."

"For the last week, I've been staying with people who live completely differently than we do. Whose daily concerns seldom have anything to do with what is going on around us in our world, but who have information on what's going on with these terrorist bombings and the reasons behind them."

Naomi, eyes glinting with interest, sat forward in her chair. "Are you telling me that you've infiltrated one of their cells?"

"No! These people aren't the terrorists. They're fighting them, just as we are. Just for different reasons."

"Oh?"

"Bear with me for a minute, okay? There are two worlds. One we know about, function in, and one that operates within ours, but separate from it. We could walk past these people on the street, and do every day, and don't know that they are so radically different from us. They have magic, Naomi..."

Naomi stood. "You're right, Maura. I'm sending Bryce to Baghdad. You need a vacation."

"Please, just listen to me!"

"No. London was attacked this morning, Maura, and you might have the time to spend thinking up fairy stories, but I have to get people assigned to cover this all over the world. This is not shaping up into a particularly good day, and you're not helping the situation! Go home, Maura."

She opened the door to her office, stepping back and gesturing for Maura to leave.

"They need..."

"Maura, go!" Naomi was angry now, and several people outside her office stopped to see what was going on.

Maura sighed, then shook her head. "They told me that you probably wouldn't listen."

==========================

She spent the entire afternoon and a good portion of the evening on the phone in her flat. She called every contact that she'd ever had, and was no further ahead than she'd been when Harry had brought her back that morning.

Frustrated and angry, she turned on the news channel and sat down, a tub of ice cream in front of her.

"...further information will be made available as we have it. In related news, after the bombings of the two most recognizable seats of power in the UK earlier today, many are asking if our national security policy..."

Maura, listening intently to the announcer, was startled at a loud pop, and turned to find Ron standing there.

"Oh...hello," she said, standing.

"Maura. How was it today?"

"Terrible," she said, then suddenly began to sob, dropping the ice cream on the coffee table and stepping towards him. He wrapped his arms around her instinctively.

"That good, huh?" he asked quietly after a moment.

"You have no idea."

"Oh, I think I might," he smiled bitterly.

"I...of course you do," she nodded. "How are Charlie and the rest of your family?"

"Safe. Harry and Bill spent most of the day tightening security on the house. They're at George's right now, beefing things up there."

"Why won't...I guess I just don't understand why they don't just go to Harry's."

"A couple of reasons. If Harry's place gets found out, we would have no other place to go. Fred and George's places are very well protected, Maura. They know how to take care of themselves. I actually pity the Death Eater that gets through the outer security on either of their homes. Their pranks can be lethal, literally."

"But Harry said they didn't..."

"Nah. They just don't make a living at it. But when it comes to their families, those two know how to apply everything they ever knew about pranking in very...creative...ways."

He pulled away from her and moved over to the couch, indicating for her to follow him and sit down. "So. What's going on? Were you able to..."

"Oh, Ron!" she cried. "It's terrible! No one will believe me. I've tried every single contact I've ever had and they're all..."

"Disbelieving?"

"Like you wouldn't believe."

Ron sat, picked up her ice cream and spoon and began to thoughtfully eat. "So maybe you need some new contacts."

Maura snorted. "I've spent years cultivating the most credible contacts in the industry, Ron."

"So maybe you need some that aren't so credible, then."

"What?" Maura was confused. "Ron, credibility is everything. If you don't have that, people don't believe anything you report..."

"Maura, you're trying to tell people that a fantasy world really does exist. How credible do you think you're going to be?"

"Lose my credibility?" she shrieked. "Are you insane?"

"Maura, think about this. Get it into the tabloids..."

"The tabloids?" her voice rose even more. "You are insane! No one believes anything in those things!"

Ron chuckled. "In the wizarding world, the circulation of the Quibbler and Witch Weekly are both three times that of the Prophet. Ask Harry how many people take the stories in the tabloids seriously. Trust me, people believe what is written in them."

"But not people who matter!"

Ron looked at her strangely, "Matter? Maura, everyone matters. Every warm body that we can convince is another person who will be ready to fight. It doesn't matter how we get the information to them, just that we do. We're not worried about increasing the circulation of a publication here, or building a reputation. We're trying to save some lives."

Maura swallowed. How on earth was she going to do this?

=============================

They sat on her couch and watched the news coverage for the next hour. When Ron finally stood to leave, Maura understood a lot better what it was she had to do.

She knew that any good story started with research. Knowing what you were writing about inside and out. With that in mind, she flicked on her computer and began.

At six thirty the next morning, Harry's cell phone rang.

"Potter," he answered.

"I didn't wake you, did I?" she asked.

"Hardly," his voice relaxed a bit at the sound of her voice. God only knew what, or who, he'd been expecting. "I haven't been to bed yet."

"Oh, Harry!"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I've been up all night researching..."

Harry chuckled.

"What?"

"Nothing," he said. "What do you need?"

"Well, I have some information for you, and I need some clarification on a couple of things."

"Shoot."

For the next half hour, Maura told him everything that she had found. After telling him about three obscure terrorist cells she'd tracked down, who seemed to be able to disappear into thin air, and do other intriguing things that just might be explainable with the use of magic, she stopped.

"I wish I could fax you what I've got here. I have some pictures..."

"Well, you could fax them," he said. "Or would emailing them be easier?"

Maura was silent.

"Maura? You there?"

"I did it again, didn't I?"

"Yep. You did," he agreed. "Let me give you my fax and email...send me anything you think might be applicable."

"Harry, I have to ask you..."

"What?"

"Have you ever heard of a man named Langly Griffin?"

It was Harry's turn to be silent.

"Harry?"

"I haven't heard that name in about seventeen years."

"Who is he?"

"Was. He was one of Dumbledore's cronies. He...Dumbledore...relied on him for much of his information."

"A Death Eater?"

"No. I think he was who our esteemed author fashioned Mundungus Fletcher after. A wizard who was... well, shady. But not completely rotten, if you know what I mean."

"Ah."

"Why? Where did you hear that name? Langly has been dead for seventeen years. He died in the final battle."

"Did he have a son?"

"No."

"Well, then, he's not dead."

"Maura, Dumbledore saw him fall."

"How do you know?"

"Because he told me so."

"Weren't you a little...preoccupied?"

"Maura, the final battle lasted three days before I faced Voldemort."

"Oh. Well...what exactly did Dumbledore tell you?" Her voice was uncertain. He could tell she was reading something while she spoke to him.

"He told me that Langly was gone."

"'Gone' or 'dead'?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Gone. He said 'gone'."

"Well, Harry, he's back. His name is popping up everywhere. Along with Peter Pettigrew and Theodore Nott. And another...."

"Dear God," Harry muttered.

"...yes....here it is, Ali Sam Al-Hid. AKA..."

Harry gasped. "Philip Mahood!"

"How did you know...?"

"Maura, I'll call you back. Send me that stuff right away, I have to make another call..."

"Harry, I'm starting the story! Who is this Philip Mahood?"

"He," Harry said quietly, "is the new Dark Lord."

===============================

Now – to answer each one of you....


James Milamber:
Confused? Confused is good. Actually, I'm going somewhere with this – you just have to hang in there. And I can fully imagine Maura in a semi, repeatedly running over Ron and utterly furious with him as she does it! But a profound lack of sleep can do it, too. Chocolate helps. Really. So does coffee by IV.


Shotgunn:
James Milamber is my new hero. He's sending people to my story, and that makes me VERY happy! His story (Harry Potter and the Mind Mage) is my absolute favorite. Therefore he gets TWO gold stars from me! Harry DOES come across that way in the beginning. Remember who the major influences in his life have been, and the situation he finds himself in now. Essentially, he has Dumbledore's role, and this is the only way he really knows how to play it. That, and he's a pretty strong man now, used to being listened to. He is loosening up some, though. My "love square" (I love that, can I steal it?) is only going to get better...trust me. I know it's confusing, but all will be revealed!!! I think at first HARRY thought Harry might get with Maura, but Harry needs to learn a few things on different types of attraction, I think...Thanks so much for your kind words – I needed them! I will definitely check out your story!!


Larna Mandrea:
Fright? Wow....all I can say about the last sentence is...think about it. Thanks for your kind comments, you have no idea of how good it makes me feel when people tell me they are enjoying this! Serious ego boost. Harry is easy to write. He's so sweet, and so utterly clueless when it comes to relationships, and so strong in every other way. Ron is a LOT of fun to write, you never know what he's going to say, or do. Really, sometimes it's written before I realize what he's going to say! Maura is really, REALLY difficult. Trust me, I'm having so much fun writing this, I'd write it if no one read it OR reviewed it (but don't tell THEM that!)


Saerry Snape:
Wondrous? Really? Cool! I'm glad you're enjoying it. It's been a LOT of fun to write!


Merlindamage:
Thanks for your great reviews. The connection of the two worlds is simply my fantasy – I wished for HP to be real, and... it was. In my mind, anyhow! Eliminating Sirius was one of the harder things I had to do, but I've governed myself for the inclusion of certain characters pretty strictly, and any that JKR has made a public statement about HER inclusion or treatment of (or reasons why, or why not) I've tried to eliminate, as I want the story to SOUND like it's really true. I eliminated Sirius because she once gave an interview telling about how she cried when "SHE" killed him off, and I left out Gilderoy Lockhart because she once said that he was the only character in the books who was fashioned after someone she knew. As for the twins... I wanted them boring (for now ;- ) and as "normal" as I could make them! And Snape? Well, Snape and Harry have had twenty years to come to an... understanding. I don't think he was ever that bad (underneath it all), but Harry is an adult now, and not looking at things in quite the same black and white/no shades of grey kind of way.


CQ