A near miss or a close call?
I keep a room at the hospital.
I scratch my accidents into the wall.
I couldn't wait to breathe your breath.
I cut in line,
I bled to death.
I got to you, there was nothing left.
September 7th 11:30 AM Wednesday
United Wizard International Airport in New York was almost identical to HJP International. The only difference I could see between the two was the abundance to muggle clothing compared to wizard robes. As we neared the exit we were stopped by an older man in a plain, black suit.
"You must be Mr. Dumbledore," the man said as he held a hand out to the headmaster, "I am Special Agent Johnson of the FBI."
"It is a pleasure to meet you Agent Johnson," Dumbledore greeted him warmly while shaking his hand.
"If you would follow me we have a car waiting for you outside." We followed Johnson outside to a large, black Escalade. Dumbledore and Khalida sat in the middle two seats, while Draco and I took the seats in back. I could see Johnson mumble something into his watch before getting into the passenger seat.
"I'd like to inform you," he said as the car pulled away from the curb, "That myself, and Agent Perkins," he motioned toward the driver, "know exactly what and who you are and we must request that you refrain from using magic during your stay in America. We work for the federal government and are not wizards. The FBI is the only government entity that has full knowledge of the wizarding world and we work closely with the President of America as well as the wizard President of America."
"American wizards have a President?" Draco asked in surprise.
"Yes," Agent Johnson responded with no hint of emotion, "The American wizarding government is nearly identical to America's non-wizarding government. It has a President, Congress and even a Supreme Court. Both presidents work very closely with one another, which is in the best interest of both governments of course."
"And how is President Curtis?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully.
"He is fine sir," Perkins responded with a smile, "We were to inform you that a portkey will be taking you to Ivory Manor where you will stay for the night. Tomorrow you will travel by portkey to Minneapolis, Minnesota."
"Where and what is Ivory Manor?" I asked curiously.
"It is the home of the wizard President," Johnson explained, "and we cannot divulge its actual location because we do not know it. The only people who know the location of Ivory Manor are the President's close advisors and the President of non-wizarding America."
"But why are we going there for the night?" asked Khalida, "Wouldn't it be faster to travel to Minnesota tonight?"
"It would be," Johnson responded nervously, "but we have run into some complications there which we are trying to sort out at the moment."
"What kind of complications?" I asked. Johnson glanced at Perkins and Perkins shot me a pointed look in the rearview mirror.
"Apparently a certain muggle policeman in Minneapolis has officers stationed at the cemetery where Mr. Riddle is buried," Perkins stated, "We were not aware of the situation until this morning. It will be easier for us to exhume Mr. Riddle's body with no interference from the local authorities."
"Sorry about that," I replied with a shaky smile, "I've been talking to Officer Wilkes ever since the break in at my home. He's just trying to help."
"We understand that Miss Riddle, but we cannot allow Officer Wilkes to become involved any further," Johnson stated, "We have been investigating the break in at your home and the fire which destroyed it."
"Have you found anything?" I asked hopefully and Agent Johnson shook his head sadly.
"The only suspect we have is a man by the name of Charles Smith," he admitted, "and he seems to have disappeared into thin air."
"You mean Charles Smith the broom maker?" Draco asked as his eyes widened in surprise.
"We don't know anything about Smith's activities before he came to America," Perkins responded, "He entered the country as a muggle and there is no record of any magic used in the vicinity of his home or office."
"But you're the FBI," I stated indignantly, "Surely the FBI should be able to track down someone, isn't that what you people do?"
"Tracking down one man in America is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Johnson explained, "Especially when the man doesn't want to be found. If Charles Smith knows we are looking for him, which we can only assume he does, then he's going to do everything he can to remain hidden."
The car pulled up in front of a small post office. Agent Johnson got out of the car and scanned the street around us. He mumbled something into his watch again and then opened the door next to Khalida. As he helped Khalida out of the vehicle I opened the door next to me and climbed out. The agent gave me an angry look before motioning with his head toward the building.
Draco and I walked into the building and it appeared to be a normal post office. A middle-aged woman was sitting behind the counter helping a customer as a few others waited in line. Dumbledore and Khalida walked through the entrance with Johnson following behind them. He directed us toward the restrooms in the back and stopped in front of a gigantic painting of an eagle.
A video camera scanned the hallway behind us as Johnson placed one hand on the eagle's wing. There was a small clicking noise and suddenly his hand fell through the painting. He stepped through the painting and disappeared into the wall behind it. A moment later the painting swung open and we were pulled inside.
"This is one of the many portkey sites setup for government use," Johnson explained. "Each portkey is set to a different location, they only respond to passwords and they are used by muggle and magical government workers."
The room was small and it had the bare minimum of decoration. Shelves lined the walls, each one full of different items which I assumed were portkeys. A small table sat in the middle of the room with a single chair. Johnson noticed my puzzled expression as I stared at the chair.
"Sometimes a person who has come to use one of the portkeys has to wait until a certain time," he explained and I nodded in understanding.
Agent Johnson scanned the shelves and stopped when he located an old toilet seat. His face reddened slightly as he pulled the toilet seat off the shelf and carried it over to us. Draco looked at it in disgust and Khalida let out a soft giggle which made Johnson's face turn an even darker shade of red. Dumbledore just raised an eyebrow and chuckled loudly.
"I see President Curtis has not lost his sense of humor," he said with a smile as we all placed a finger on the seat.
"It would take a miracle for President Curtis to lose his sense of humor sir," Johnson replied. "Swedish Fish," Johnson yelled at the toilet seat and with a tug we were gone. The last thought to pass through my mind before we disappeared was one of dread. I don't think I can take another Dumbledore.
"Professor Dumbledore!" a cheerful voice called out as we reappeared in front of a gigantic gate. Johnson mumbled something into his watch again.
"I must be leaving now," Johnson stated as he pulled the toilet seat away from the rest of the group, "I will return tomorrow at 10AM to escort you to Minneapolis." He walked a few steps away from us and disappeared a second later.
I looked past the ornately decorated iron gate in front of us and gasped as I caught sight of Ivory Manor. It was easy to see how the place got its name. The building was huge and completely white with gigantic pillars lining the front. It resembled the White House but at the same time put it to shame. A tall young man with short black hair and bright blue eyes was running down the steps waving his arms wildly. Two men in black suits and sunglasses ran next to him.
"Professor Dumbledore!" the man called out once more. The gates opened as he approached and he immediately pulled the headmaster into a huge hug.
"President Curtis my dear boy," Dumbledore responded, "How many times do I need to tell you to call me Albus? Besides, I do not remember a time when I was your professor."
"Nonsense," the president replied as he pulled away, "and call me Robert, none of this President Curtis mumbo jumbo."
"Then I insist you call me Albus," Dumbledore stated sternly and Robert shook his head fiercely.
"You'll always be Professor Dumbledore to me," he replied with a smile, "Besides; you're too old to not have a title." Everyone laughed as Dumbledore frowned. "This must be the rest of your little group," said Robert as he peered around Dumbledore to get a better look. The man in the suit standing at his right whispered something in his ear and he nodded in reply. "Why don't we head inside and introductions can be made?"
A group of men in suits appeared a moment later and surrounded us. Draco instinctively went for his wand and pushed me behind him. Khalida bared her fangs and stood on the other side of me.
"No need for that," the president chuckled. "These are my guards," he explained, "They're here to escort us into the Manor." Draco reluctantly put his wand away and Khalida relaxed slightly. "You've got some good guards of your own there," Robert said as our eyes met and I nodded nervously.
We were quickly ushered through the gates and up the steps. Two gigantic wooden doors opened as we approached and we followed the president inside. The two guards that had been with him when I first caught sight of him remained but the rest stayed outside.
"There are no real threats once inside," Robert explained, "The wards only allow certain people to use magic. I received permission from Congress to key you into the wards Professor Dumbledore but I'm sorry to say that I'm not able to grant your friends the same allowances."
As Dumbledore chatted with the President I took the time to look around. The foyer of the mansion was gigantic and the walls were a bright silver color. A spiraling staircase sat in the middle of the room and doors leading to various hallways were scattered along the walls. I was surprised at the lack of decoration anywhere in the room. There were no paintings on the walls or rugs on the floor. The room was even completely devoid of any furniture.
"Security risks," Draco whispered in my ear as he saw the confusion on my face, "Magical paintings could be used as spies and furniture could be charmed."
"Why don't you introduce me to the rest of your group Professor?" Robert asked cheerfully as his eyes scanned over the group.
"Of course Robert," Dumbledore replied. "This young man is Mr. Draco Malfoy," he said as he laid a hand on Draco's shoulder. The president shook Draco's hand firmly. "He is the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."
"A professor," Robert exclaimed in surprise, "Excuse me but you look very young to be a professor."
"I'm thirty-nine," Draco snapped.
"Wow!" Robert replied, "That would make you older than me."
"What?!" Draco, Khalida and I all yelled at the same time. Dumbledore shook his head in amusement.
"Just how old are you?" Draco asked.
"I turned twenty-nine last year," Robert stated proudly and all jaws dropped at the same time, except for Dumbledore of course, he thought our reactions were hilarious.
"You're twenty-nine and you were elected President?" I asked incredulously and Robert nodded merrily.
"The majority of the wizarding population in America was very supportive of my campaign," he explained, "The younger wizards and witches were especially interested in my ideas of combining magic with muggle technology. Under my leadership we have also worked more closely with the American muggle government then ever before."
"Wow," I replied in awe and Khalida nodded in agreement. Draco's cool and collected mask had returned and he was examining his fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.
"Let me introduce you to the other two members of our group," Dumbledore said as he moved toward Khalida and placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is Miss Khalida List. She was immensely helpful in the fight against Lord Voldemort and she is also a very good friend of Jenny's." Robert shook Khalida's hand gently and offered her a smile, which she returned nervously.
"And this," Dumbledore continued as he motioned for me to stand next to him, "is Miss Jenny Riddle. I believe you know who she is."
"Of course," Robert said with a wide smile, "Harry Potter's daughter." I extended my hand hesitantly and instead of shaking it he took it in his own and brought it to his lips.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," he said sweetly, "I must admit that I have been entranced by the legend of your father ever since Professor Dumbledore first told me stories of Harry Potter's adventures while I sat on his knee as a child." I gave him a tense smile in reply and pulled my hand away quickly. Robert gave me a confused look before straightening up.
"Why don't you all follow me and I will show you to your rooms?" he said as he headed up the spiraling staircase. We followed him through a maze of hallways and rooms, finally stopping in a short hallway with two doors.
"These rooms were specially created for your stay," Robert explained, "No one but me and my closest guards know that you are here. I must ask you not to leave your rooms unless directed to by myself or one of my guards.
"Ivory Manor may appear beautiful and innocent," he added, "but if you were to become lost here it could be your final resting place." The guard at his right whispered something in his ear and he shook his head in reply. "I must be going," he stated, "Feel free to make yourself at home in your rooms. The rooms are both the same so you may choose among yourselves who will stay where. I will return around one and we can have dinner together."
He waved farewell to us and everyone, except Draco waved in return. Dumbledore dropped his hand and his cheerful expression disappeared as the door at the end of the hallway closed. He turned to address the rest of us and I was unnerved by the cold look in his eyes.
"I must urge all of you to be cautious here," the headmaster stated. "The president may appear friendly and harmless but one does not get as far as he has in so few years without a fair bit of cunning and even more maneuvering." Dumbledore leveled his gaze on me and I shivered slightly.
"You must be particularly careful Jenny," he said sternly, "As more and more people find out who you are, it is going to become difficult to distinguish friends from enemies. There are those that will try to manipulate you by gaining your confidence and trust." I couldn't help but snort at the irony of his statement.
"You would know all about manipulation," I replied blandly. I was surprised when he nodded in agreement.
"That is true," he stated and turned to stare at the door that Robert just exited through. "And a manipulator know a manipulator when he sees one," he explained. Draco suddenly cleared his throat loudly which drew everyone's attention.
"As the only Slytherin here," he drawled, "I too know when someone is using manipulation and I can also tell when I am being watched. I would advise that we not discuss anything of importance while we are here." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Well, then," Draco said with a smile, "Let's choose rooms shall we. I suggest that Jenny take the room on the right, while Khalida and Dumbledore take the one on the left."
"And where would that leave you Mr. Malfoy," Khalida asked with a raised eyebrow.
"In the room to the right of course," Draco replied innocently and began to head in the direction of that very room. Khalida cut him off at the door and roughly turned him around.
"Nice try Draco," she replied with a grin.
I gave Draco an apologetic look as I passed by him into the bedroom. Khalida followed me inside and slammed the door in Draco's face. I could hear him cursing from the hallway before the door to the bedroom next door slammed with an audible bang. Khalida just rolled her eyes and headed towards the bathroom.
The bedroom wasn't much to look at. Compared to the rest of Ivory Manor it was a dump. Two small beds were pushed against opposite walls with a small table between them. The bathroom was through a door to the right and from what I could see through the doorway, it didn't look like much. The walls of the bedroom were painted a sickly green color and the floor was covered with dark brown carpeting.
I threw myself into the bed on the left and let out a loud sigh. I kicked off my shoes and briefly thought about taking a shower before dinner. Then I remembered what Draco had said in the hallway about being watched and I immediately discarded that idea.
I looked around the room nervously in attempt to find anything that appeared suspicious. After searching for a few minutes I decided that I had no idea what a magical monitoring device would look like. I turned over and buried my face into the pillow, silently wondering how hard it would be to relieve myself in the dark. I pulled the pillow out from underneath me and covered my head with it. I let out a nervous groan as I realized that magical cameras are most likely equipped with night vision technology.
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: This isn't one of my favorite chapters but it was necessary to set things up for future chapters. Especially the next one which I think is much better. So I stayed up all night writing chapter 41 as well so I could upload them both at the same time. Please excuse any grammatical errors, it is 4:30am after all...