A/N- Ok, so this chapter is a little different from the tone of the first chapter, but there IS a reason trust me. This is not going to be an action and adventure fic at all, so bear with this chapter while you can. Thanks! Keep reviewing, everyone!
IceSugarHigh: Thanks for the review! Sorry, but you're going to have to wait just a little bit longer to find out exactly what Ginny threw away! Kep reading and reviewing, I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
Lurid-eyes: I'm glad you like the story! Keep reviewing, I'm hoping to get the next chapter up in the next couple of days.
Josephine Sawyer: I'm happy that you like my story. Thanks for all the praise (even though I really don't deserve it). You're right about Harry being more mischievous than he was in school, but I'll explain everything in time. I don't think you're going to like this chapter- it's a little different and digresses from the story a little towards the end- but I promise, there is a reason for everything! Keep reading and reviewing!
Eat paper: Thanks for reviewing! It'll get more interesting, I promise.
Lourdes 1: I/m glad you liked it! Please keep reviewing, your suggestions are always helpful. Thanks!
Chapter 2:
"AND HERE IS THE ENGLISH TEAM, THE FAMED CHUDLEY CANNONS!" Lee Jordan, the wizarding world's most famous sports announcer shouted, "HERE ARE OUR CHASERS, THE INFAMOUS SWIFT TRIPLETS LAURA SWIFT, SARAH SWIFT, AND ASHLEY SWIFT! NEXT COME THE BEATERS GREG THOMAS AND MARK FINNIGAN! HERE'S RON WEASLEY,ONE OF THE BEST KEEPERS ENGLAND'S SEEN IN YEARS! AND FINALLY, SEEKER AND TEAM CAPTAIN HARRY POTTER!" Here Lee's magnified voice was drowned out by the screams and cheers and applause of the audience as Harry flew out behind a red-faced Ron, grinning from ear to ear. He smiled and winked at the audience, causing many girls to stare openmouthed or faint.
The team flew around the stadium at breakneck speed as Ireland's team was announced.
"AND THE IRISH TEAM!" Lee yelled as the Irish supporters jumped up with a deafening roar, "CHASERS CASSIDY CLEARY, DARA CULLAN, AND DEIRDRE DEVLIN! BEATERS BRIAN AND PATRICK DELANEY! SEEKER DAITHI BLYTHE! AND CAPTAIN AND KEEPER MILO OISIN!
The Irish team spun around the stadium in fancy dives and tight whorls.
"All right," The referee shouted, "Let the game begin," He blew the whistle.
"AND THE BALLS ARE LET LOOSE. THERE GOES THE SNITCH! QUAFFLE IN POSESSION OF THE ENGLISH TRIPLETS. THERE THEY GO IN THE SPECIAL FLYING V FORMATION THAT HAS BECOME A TRADMARK OF THE CANNON'S GAME!"
Harry tuned out Lee's voice, his eyes darting around the Quidditch Pitch, searching for a flash of gold in the air. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Oisin trailing behind him, marking him, It was a well-known fact that Harry had never not found the Snitch, and so most Seekers simply resorted to trailing him. He'd see about that.
Harry flew above the action of the game, spinning in slow circles around the stadium. No sign of it yet. He saw Oisin follow him, and quickly focused eyes eyes on the ground as if he had seen something and sped straight down, in a vertical position. He furrowed his brow in concentration. Oisin was right beside him, vertical as well. He vaguely heard the crowd's gasps and screams as the two Seekers hurtled towards the ground. Three feet from collision with the hard grass, Harry suddenly pulled his broom up in a sharp angle and flew up again. He heard the cheers of the crowd, pleased with his incredible Wronski Feint. He looked down and saw Milo Oisin in a pale heap on the ground as the Irish side of the stadium erupted in angry shouts.
Harry flew about as the referee made sure that Oisin was all right. He stumbled back onto his broom and flew unsteadily up to where Harry was.
"I'll get you back for that, Potter," Harry heard him mutter. Suddenly, Harry spotted a flash of gold above Ron's head. He tried to distract Oisin.
"How are you feeling Oisin? A little unsteady? Maybe you need to go rest for a little while?" Harry taunted, flying backwards as Milo advanced on him. Nearly there. He flew casually nearer the goal posts, keeping his eyes locked with Milo's. "Your eyes look a little blurry..." Harry turned sharply and before anyone could register what had happened, sauntered over to Ron and grasped the Snitch from above his head.
"ENGLAND WINS! 500 TO 320! THAT'S RIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WITCHES AND WIZARDS, ENGLAND WINS THE WORLD CUP- AGAIN!" The stadium exploded. It sounded as if three thousand helicopters were flying overhead as the buzz and cheers and applause continued. Harry grinned at his teammates. They had done it- broken a world record. The Irish team walked sadly into their locker rooms, heads bowed, Oisin supported by the two Beaters. The Cannons flew over and ecstatically hugged Harry as he held the large gold cup over his head.
"Congratulations Cannons!" The room coursed. Harry and the team walked into the large reception hall of Hotel Amorphous, an elite hotel reserved for the banquet held in the Cannon's honor.
"Well done, Harry," The Minister walked up to him, a smile in her eyes, "Of course, we all knew you would win."
"Harry," Alexis ran up to him, "Congratulations! It was an amazing game. Even my sister came back from St. Mungo's to watch it. She was ready to come out onto that field and Heal you if you didn't manage to wriggle out of that Wronski Feint."
"Well," Harry said saucily, "If I'd have known that I would have let myself hit the ground!" Lex smacked him on the arm and went off to find her sister.
"Speaking of which," Hermione walked up to Harry, "If you ever do that again, I'll kill you. You nearly gave me a heart attack! I've told you over and over that Quidditch was a dangerous sport. But at least it worked." Harry hugged Hermione before she went to congratulate Ron.
Harry sat down at the table with the Minister, the team, and the team's families. Harry noticed the Irish players giving him nasty looks.
Harry and Ron dug into the heap of food on their plates while Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Some things never change," She muttered as she looked proudly at her two boys.
The rest of the evening was danced and drunk away, and two very drunk, very happy men Apparated home that night to fall asleep with liters of alcohol and some of Hermione's hangover potion in their stomachs.
"Well," Harry said, as he ate breakfast with Ron and Hermione three days later, "Quidditch season's over. Time to get back to the real work, eh, mate?"
"Yup." Ron said, his mouth full of boiled egg, "Back to the good ol' Auror standby. Doubt there'll be much to do now. You basically single-handedly destroyed the Death Eaters and Voldemort. It all seems like a bad dream. And now there are only those random cases of Dark wizards over the world trying to replace Voldemort. Nothing serious though."
Hermione glared at Ron for bringing up Voldemort- a subject Harry hated to talk about.
Four years ago, when Harry was seventeen, he had finally defeated Voldemort. Most people didn't realize that Harry was not just a talented wizard- a select few knew that Harry was probably the most powerful and brilliant wizard in the world, now that Dumbledore was dead. He had powers that no one could ever dream of, but he rarely used them now, except when he was an Auror.
That fateful day, the day before his own graduation from Hogwarts, Harry had faced the Dark Lord. He had faced him, and he had won. And for that he was famous. But there were things about that day that still came back to haunt him. Especially the fact that that had been the day that any chance of love for him had died- the day Ginny Weasley had left him, and the wizarding world behind.
Harry shook his thoughts out of his head. No need to dwell on the past, he reminded himself.
"So Hermione, how's the work going? What's the research about now."
"Awwww, Harry! You know how she is about that. She won't shut up about it for another half hour mate!" Ron groaned.
"Well," Hermione replied, shooting Ron a venomous look, "We are trying to formulate a new potion. That spell you came up with to fight the Crutacious curse was incredible, so we are trying to put it in potion form to make it last for up to a month as protection from it. The spell only lasts for an hour or so. But its uphill work. Speaking of work, I have to get there now. Unlike men of leisure like you."
"Well," Ron remarked, as she Apparated away after kissing him, "We men of leisure certainly make more money than she does."
Harry laughed and shook his head at his friend. "We better get to the Ministry. I told Bones we'd start as soon as the season finished. Lets go."
Ron glared at him, but relented. They Apparated to their joint office at the Ministry. It was a large, spacious one, with a full length wall window overlooking the Muggle office buildings. It was in the heart of London, after all. There were dark brown leather sofas and dark, wood-paneled walls with two large desks across from each other. Ron sat down in his desk and began to review files as Harry went to the Department Head to inform her that they were back at work.
"There you are Harry!" Cho Chang, the Head of the Auror Department, called. "Nice win at the World Cup! Back at work, are you? And Ron, too? Well, we sure could use you. I've been saving up a case for you two."
"Hey Cho. Now what's this new case?" Harry said, leaning casually against a wall in her office as Cho sat back, her black hair enveloping her face. Ron walked into the office as she began.
"Well, I'm sure you've heard of the strange goings on in the United States right now. Dark wizards there have formed a group called the Circle. I need you to disguise yourselves as two members of the group, infiltrate it, and destroy it. I think it'll take you about a week. I'm giving you two weeks there just in case. You leave for New York City tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!" They exclaimed in unison. Cho just nodded and waved them away.
"If I known she'd be like this when she grew up," Harry grumbled, "I wouldn't have liked her so much fourth and fifth year."
"How an I going to tell Hermione? She hates it when I'm gone for too long. Let's try to get this done in a week, all right mate? I'm going to go read up on this circle or whatever- you better do the same."
Harry and Ron sat down in their armchairs and flipped through the files detailing the Circle.
"Look at this, mate. There are twenty of them! And they are all unregistered Animagi! Good thing we're unregistered Animagi too." Ron mused.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Neville were all unregistered Aniagi, thanks to Harry's tutelage. Harry himself was mainly a Merlin, a small, quick, intelligent bird with startlingly green eyes, although he could transform into any animal at will. Ron was a loyal, flaming red- haired Labrador. Hermione was a brown-furred fox, Ginny was a dark auburn cat, Neville a deer, and Luna a raven.
Harry looked at the pictures of the wizards. They didn't look dark, like the Death Eaters. They looked like normal human beings, wearing Muggle clothes, relaxed and happy in a dim room with newspapers and calendars covering the walls. Harry wondered what he and Ron had gotten into.
The next day, Harry and Ron met Heathrow airport. Ron stared at the planes.
"Dad is right," Ron said in awe, "Muggles have come up with the most amazing ways to get by without magic.
Harry was used to airplanes. They weren't actually going to get on one- there was a Portkey arranged for them. They slipped unnoticed into a bathroom, where Harry searched for a small, unobtrusive object.
"Hear it is!" Ron called. Harry walked over, and both of them looked at each other. "Ready to go mate? Harry asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be to walk straight into danger. Lets go." They both placed one finger on a small piece of tissue paper. Harry felt a familiar tug behind his navel as they were transported to a stall in the bathroom of the Waldorf-Astoria.
Harry and Ron untangled themselves and walked out of the stall. Three men turned to stare at them.
One of the men winked and said, looking Harry up and down, "I wouldn't mind a turn in there with you either."
Ron blushed crimson and mouthed wordlessly. Harry laughed and said, "Sorry, man, I'm taken." He pushed Ron out of the bathroom and into the reception area.
Ron looked at Harry. "Did that man think we were...that I was..." he stopped.
"Ron," Harry said, walking over to the receptionist, "This is New York. No one cares about that here. Half the men in this city are gay. Besides, its not a big deal."
"Hello, sir. Do you two have a room reserved?" The clerk said, looking at Harry and Ron.
"Yes," Harry replied, studiously ignoring Ron's scarlet face, "Its under Rank, James Rank. This is my friend Remus Jones. Just one room, I believe."
"Ron," Harry whispered, in answer to his protests at one room, "This is the Waldorf Astoria. Its too bloody expensive to get two rooms. Its not like it's the same bed. Relax, will you."
The bellboy took them to the sixth floor, to a large suite with two bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen. Ron was impressed. "This place is even better than my apartment!" Ron flopped down on the couch and turned on the television. Living with Hermione had improved his knowledge of how to work some Muggle entertainment devices. Harry looked at his friend exasperatedly.
"Ron, we aren't here to have fun. We have dark wizards to catch, if you remember."
"Well, I suggest we both have showers and get some lunch before we start our Dark Wizard ruse. You go first."
Harry sighed and went into the luxurious bathroom, taking a long, hot shower. He shaved with a shaving spell and turned his hair blond, arranging his hair into the modern style of controlled dishevelment. He applied some thin aftershave balm and cologne, and dressed in a pair of loose khakis with a thick brown belt and a white button-down shirt, giving him a young, collegiate air. He had long since gotten his eyes magically fixed, so that his eyes shined in all of their emerald glory. To conceal himself he turned his eyes to a chocolate brown and made his scar disappear. He emerged from the bathroom looking crescent-fresh.
"Whoa Harry," Ron said, "I actually wouldn't mind being a gay man right now." Harry grinned at him lopsidedly. "Sorry, mate, you aren't really my type, and the name is James." Ron laughed and went into the shower, emerging later with dark brown hair and brown eyes, his freckles gone.
The two men walked onto the bustling streets of New York. They took a cab to Rockefeller Center, where Cho had arranged for them to meet undercover with two Circle members.
Harry and Ron sat on the steps of Rockefeller Center, observing the Muggles hurrying past and eating hotdogs hungrily.
"The one thing these Americans are good for," Ron grunted, "Is their food."
"Are you James Rank and Remus Jones?," A rough, husky voice asked. Harry and Ron looked up. Ron's mouth dropped open in astonishment, while Harry looked cool and composed, only his eyes betraying his surprise.
"Yes," Harry said warily, "And who, exactly, are you?"
The woman in front of them eyed him. Her eyes were a hooded, light gray, with shadows dancing though them. Her face was cold and serenely beautiful, perfect features chiseled to perfection, straight gold hair falling perfectly around her face. She was dressed in a play gray suit, looking like an ordinary Muggle businesswoman. Her full lips pressed into a cold, stern pout. "I am a member of the Circle you are here to join. Let's go somewhere more private, gentlemen." She led the way to a small café, empty but for a barman whom she greeted and a thin, pallid man in a corner smoking a cigar and reading a tattered newspaper.
"The Circle has checked out your backgrounds. Graduates of Durmstrang Academy, practice the Dark Arts. Fresh out of Auror training in London, but decided to take the Dark Side over the Light. Pretty shaky story if you ask me." The woman stared at the two of them. "In fact, you two look vaguely familiar. Aren't you a little young to turn to the Dark Side?
Harry gulped inwardly. His and Ron's faces were widely known, because of the Cannons, but he wasn't sure how much interaction Americans had with Quidditch- they were the only country in the world without a Quidditch team, because there were so few witches and wizards here.
"You don't look too old yourself," Harry returned, flashing her a cold smile. She frowned at him.
"Well, the other Circle members should be here soon. Until then, I'll need some ID and both of you'll need to drink some Veritaserum."
Harry and Ron looked at each other nervously. They hadn't anticipated this, but they had no way out of it. They handed over their fake wizarding identity cards Cho had given them and took the glasses she handed to them. One by one, nineteen more wizards dressed in suits came in and sat down at the corner, surrounding Harry and Ron. Harry nodded at Ron to go first. Ron swallowed, sweating, and drank from his glass.
The woman looked at him coldly.
"What is your full legal name?" She asked, her ballpoint pen at the ready.
"Ronald Weasley." Ron answered monotonously. The woman's face hardened in shock while the other wizards talked amongst themselves angrily. Before any of them could do anything, Harry jumped up and whispered 'obliviate', waving his hand over the crowd. Instantly their faces took on dazed, confused expressions. Harry used one of the spells only he could use and whispered 'tempus desino'. Everyone in the room except Harry was frozen in time. Harry knew it would only last for ten seconds, and he quickly ran to Ron and released him from the spell of the Veritaserum.
"Harry?" Ron said groggily.
"James, Ron. And you're Remus. Remember where we are." Harry said as they sat down as they had before. Harry whispered, 'finite incantatem'. The wizards and witch looked around, confused.
"What's going on?" The blond woman said.
Harry took things into his own hands. "You just gave Remus and I Veritaserum to verify our identities. Are you satisfied?" He asked courteously. The woman looked around, and seeing no dissent, she nodded.
"Alright. From now on you are a member of the Circle. We shall give you this necklace," She held up a wrought silver chain, "It glows and turns cold when we call meetings. When you touch it with your right index finger it will take you to the spot where we meet."
She surveyed the two young men. "We need some fresh blood," She said, "And two students of Durmstrang are just the thing."
The meeting began. Harry and Ron listened intently to everything the people said, noting dates and times, names and places that they could report to Cho. It was clear after one or two speakers what the Circle wanted to accomplish- they were planning to overthrow the small American Ministry of Magic with their own people, and make it a Dark Ministry concerned with gaining power over the wizarding world.
Six hours later, Harry and Ron went back to the Waldorf, thoroughly exhausted.
"Y'know, mate," Ron said as they trudged into the elevator, "I reckon this is not going to be as easy as we thought." "Actually, Remus," Harry said, a smile in his voice and a glint in his eye, "I think this is going to take us much less than a week."
Ron looked at his best friend suspiciously, but kept his mouth closed. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what Harry was thinking.
The two men fell into their beds and went into a long, deep sleep.
