Chapter Eight: Who's the blond Stranger?

Disclaimer: I don't own what you recognize; therefore what you don't recognize I do own. Kinda. Not officially, or legally, but I made up all the stuff that Ms. Rowling didn't. (Obviously!)

A/N: Sorry for the long delay. I've been having some computer problems.

Trevor paused in the doorway to the main courtroom, jotting down a last few notes from the Animagent meeting he had just come out of.

"Lieutenant," James said, walking up next to him. "How was your trip this weekend?"

Trevor looked up at him. "Not as bad as I thought. It was bad, mind you, but the company was enjoyable. In fact, I owe you four Galleons."

"See!" James replied, grinning. "What did I tell you?"

"You were right," Trevor said, fishing the coins from his pocket. "However, friendship is all I think I'm ever going to get."

"This Brent thing will pass," James said. "Besides, at least you are speaking now."

"Yeah," Trevor said, handing James the Galleons. "But I think I'm going to start to move on. I've held on this long. Its getting old."

"She'll come around," James replied.

"I don't know," Trevor said. "I don't know if I want to wait."

"You just have to decide whether its worth it or not."

"I'm beginning to feel like its not."

"Well, just hang in there," James said, and glanced at his watch. "Damn, I've got to go. Erika will kill me if I'm late again."

"You'd better run then," Trevor replied, and James dashed off down the corridor.

"Lieutenant!" someone called, and Trevor turned to see a fellow Auror walking up to him.

"Hello, Corporal Simms," he said to her. "Looking forward to the training exercise tonight?"

Anne Marie Simms laughed. "Actually I am. Its exciting to be doing something other than paperwork."

"I agree with you there," he said, and they walked down the hall.

"I was on my way to get something for lunch," she said. "Would you like to join me?"

Trevor looked at her, and smiled. Her long dark blond hair was falling softly on her shoulders and down her back, her gray eyes shinning at him like silver Sickles.

"I mean, if its not too much to ask of a Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award winner," she said, laughing.

"It might be," he replied. "But I think can make an exception."

"Well thank you for your generosity," she replied.

"Did you have someplace in mind?" Trevor asked.

"Anywhere but the Ministry cafeteria."

"Thats fine with me," he said. "Let me drop these papers off in my office and we'll be off."

"Sounds good," she replied, smiling at him.

Reagan left the courtroom a little late, having many Aurors asking her question after the meeting. She was not too excited about having to go on a training exercise tonight, though James had informed her she needed to be there.

Bloody Aurors and their rules, she thought, stuffing files into her bag. As she walked up the stairs she glanced around for Trevor. She had seen him at the meeting, but he hadn't stopped to say anything afterwards.

She spotted him in the lift line talking to an attractive blond witch. Reagan was about to ignore it and laugh, assuming it was just another secretary who was annoyingly snapping her gum (there had been tons of them lately), but stopped, realizing that this new blond was an Auror, and they were laughing about something. Reagan had see her in the Animagent meeting, and hadn't thought she looked to bright.

Reagan made her way through the lift line, watching them from a few paces back. They got onto a lift and rode it out of her eye sight, and she felt an strange twinge of jealousy. It was the first woman she'd seen make Trevor laugh like that.

She rode the lift to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, deciding to talk James out of making her go on something she felt she didn't need to go on. She stepped off the lift and made her way to the Auror headquarters, going over what her argument to her brother was going to be, when she saw Trevor and the blond Auror standing beside the door to his office. James' office was adjacent to Trevor's, so making sure her ID badge was clipped onto her blouse, she set off in a true Gryffindor style.

"Hello Trevor," she said, walking up to him.

He looked at her and smiled.

"Hello," he said. "Reagan, this is Corporal Simms."

"Anne Marie," she said, introducing herself. "Nice to meet you."

"Reagan Potter," Reagan replied, accentuating her last name. "Good meeting, don't you think?"

"I felt it was very productive," Anne Marie replied. "I can't wait for the training tonight. Are you coming?"

"Reagan doesn't come to the training," Trevor interjected. "They are for the Aurors only."

"Thats right," Anne Marie said. "You're one of the junior Advisors, aren't you?"

"Senior Magical Advisor, actually," Reagan replied. "And I will be at the training tonight."

"You will?" asked a surprised Trevor.

"That was actually what I am here for, to talk to my brother about it," Reagan said. "Have you seen him?"

"He said something about meeting Erika," Trevor replied.

"Damn," Reagan said. "I'll have to owl him then."

"Why are you coming to this training?" Trevor asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Reagan replied. "There is a reason I am an Advisor and not an Auror, and this is completely breaking my Advisor only status."

"I'm sure Lieutenant Potter has his reasons," Anne Marie said.

"Lets hope," Reagan replied, checking her watch. "Trevor, I don't have to be back for another two hours, we start to test out the Containment Charm we've been working on. Do you have plans for lunch?"

Trevor glanced at Anne Marie. "Actually, I do have plans."

"Oh," Reagan said, trying her best to cover up her initial shock.

"Can I take a rain check, though?" he asked.

"Definitely," Reagan nodded. "My father is free, maybe I'll bring him some lunch. He hasn't eaten all day."

"Captain Potter has been in meetings all day," Anne Marie said. "You sure he'll have time?"

"Trust me, he's free," Reagan replied, wanting to throw her copy of The Connection of Three and How It Pertains To Me at her. Thankfully she did not have it with her.

"If you say so," Anne Marie replied, glancing at Trevor.

"Have a nice lunch," Reagan said.

"It was nice meeting you," Anne Marie said, smiling at her.

"And you," Reagan replied. She watched Trevor and Anne Marie leave the Auror Headquarters and wanted to die on the spot.

"Honestly, I do not remember you at Hogwarts," Trevor said, laughing. "You couldn't have been that far behind me!"

"I was only two years," she replied, sipping at her water. "I was in Ravenclaw. "

"Ah, so are you as clever as they claim?" he asked.

"You tell me," she replied. "I did get you to come to lunch with me. Apparently you are one of the hardest Aurors to get a lunch date with."

"True," he said. "But I still don't remember you."

"I didn't stand out," Anne Marie said. "I wasn't a prefect, and I didn't play Quidditch. I was in the Dueling club my sixth and seventh year, attended a few Defense club meetings, and I did good academically. I was perfectly content not making a scene."

"Ah, consider yourself lucky," he replied.

"You didn't stand out too much," she said. "I mean, other than being a decent Slytherin. Did you play Quidditch?"

Trevor shook his head. "Nope. I was to busy studying."

"Yeah, I was also," she replied. There was a moment of silence which the waiter broke as he came and took their orders.

"You know, I've been wanting to meet Reagan Potter," Anne Marie said. "Her ideas and theories on magic are fascinating."

"I don't know where she comes up with some of the things she does," Trevor said.

"And she's the Senior Magical Advisor?" she asked. "Isn't she as old as you are?"

"A year younger," Trevor replied. "Believe it or not, there was no one as qualified as she was."

"You mean no one else was an Animagus?"

"Partly," Trevor replied. "But she's quite brilliant. She could give her father and her brother a run for their money."

"So why is she not an Auror?"

Trevor shrugged. "I guess everyone expected her to go that way, after her father and her brother did. But Reagan has never really done what everyone expects her to. She's always tried to do something better than the expectations."

"Where has she been?" Anne Marie asked. "I mean, I don't remember seeing her with the Animagents before last summer."

"She went to some school in America," Trevor replied, not wanting to talk about Reagan anymore.

"And she works in the Department of Experimental Magic?" Anne Marie asked, and Trevor nodded. "A girl I knew from my dormitory works there, maybe she could get me a meeting with her, you know break the ice or something."

"You could just ask her," Trevor replied.

"Well she is Captain Potter's daughter," Anne Marie replied matter of factly. "It tends to make most of us nervous."

"She's not as un approachable as she seems."

"You seem to know a lot about her."

Trevor shrugged. "Her brother raves about her."

"You have to do WHAT?" Brent asked, his head green in her fireplace.

Reagan sighed. She did not want to go to a training exercise. She did not want to go and run around outside all night long. She did not want to break her dinner plans with her boyfriend. And she really didn't want to be around Trevor and Miss Blond Auror.

"I have to work," she replied.

"I don't understand why," Brent replied. "I mean, doesn't the Ministry close?"

"It never really closes," Reagan replied. "And its not Constructing work I have to do."

"What other work would you have?"

"I am an advisor for an Auror unit," she replied. "We have a field training exercise."

"At night?" he asked.

"Yes."

"This is ridiculous!"

"I'm not that happy about this either, Brent," she replied. "But James is making me go. And since he's the Commanding Officer, and I'm the Advisor, I have to go."

"Your brother won't let you get out of it?" he asked and Reagan shook her head.

"I tried."

"I still don't understand how he can make you work at night," Brent said. "You're not an Auror, so I don't understand what you could possibly have to do."

"If I could tell you I would, Brent," she replied. "But its kinda confidential."

"How confidential?" he asked. "Is it just that you can't tell me?"

"I can't talk to anyone about it or the specifics of it," she replied. "If I do I'll be transported to my father's office with an A etched into my forehead."

"That doesn't sound so bad," he replied. "I mean, your dad wouldn't be mad if you ust explained that it was me."

"It doesn't work like that," Reagan replied. "Auror and confidential stuff stays at work. He can't and doesn't tell my mum loads of things."

"And she's okay with that? She's okay not knowing what her husband is doing?"

"She got used to it," Reagan said. "Its part of his job and she accepted that. Just like you need to except it. I'm sorry Brent."

He grumbled something and nodded. That was the best she was going to get out of him in the amount of time she had before she had to leave. She said she was sorry again and bid him goodnight before shutting off the fire, with the promise of a rain check on their dinner date.

"Rain checks seem to be the theme for the day," she muttered to herself.

Why the bloody hell does James have us outside, at night, in the middle of December on the Chudley Cannons' Quidditch pitch? Reagan asked herself, pulling her cloak tighter around her as she set off across the pitch.

"Because James has connections with the Chudley Cannons," she replied out loud. "Yeah, okay, thanks Dad. Now please get out of my head. There is no telling what you might find in there..."

She stormed across the wet grass, through the groups of Animagents, towards the bottom of the Quidditch stands where James was standing speaking to a few Aurors.

"What was so bloody important that I be here for?" Reagan cried, walking up to her brother. James turned and looked at her, and behind him were three other Aurors, Trevor, Anne Marie and another wizard she didn't recognize.

"Good evening to you too, Reagan," James replied, crossing his arms. "I assume you're ready to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she said.

"Lieutenant, Corporal, Sergeant," he said, turning to the other Aurors behind him. "We'll get started now."

Trevor nodded and the two other Aurors followed him, looking apprehensively at her.

"Its not like I didn't have plans, James," Reagan said to her brother as Trevor passed.

James cast a Silencing charm around them and narrowed his eyes. "Listen, Reagan, you are here as an Advisor. There for you are under my command, Auror or not. Don't ever disrespect me in front of my Aurors again, or I will make sure that you are removed from this unit."

Reagan glared at her brother. "The agreement when I accepted your offer to be your Advisor was that I would be strictly an advisor. Meaning advice only. I would not be trained, tested or evaluated as you would an Auror. What do you think this is?"

"Our agreement, Reagan, was that the training and evaluations would not be required, however some would be recommended," James replied. "Besides, you're not here to be trained. I'm not going to evaluate you."

"Then why am I here?" she asked.

"Because I need you to see first hand what we do," James replied. "I need you to watch and observe my Animagents in action. I need your advice, suggestions and input on what we could improve, magically."

"You want me to watch?" she asked.

"Yes," James replied. "We've been putting your techniques to use and I need you to critique them."

Reagan sighed. This was a part of her job she couldn't argue out of.

"Fine, where do you want me?"

"Press box," James replied, pointing towards a large room at the top of the stadium.

"Oh," she replied, and walked with him up the stairs. "Sorry 'bout yelling at you."

"S'all right," James shrugged. "But you can't have it both ways you know."

"Have what both ways?"

"Well you can't refuse special treatment one moment and then demand it the next," James replied. "And you can't expect us all to treat you like and adult when you act like a child."

Reagan sighed. "Yes I'm beginning to see that... About both things."

"Good," James said, and opened the door to the press room. "Here we are."

Reagan walked into a large room with twenty or so chairs all aligned in a row. A huge glass window gave her an almost bird's eye view of the field.

"The window has been charmed to show you team A, in blue, and team B, in red. They are going to switch off as the offense and defenses, Animagents as defense and insurgents as offense. We'll run through some exercises, and then bring everyone in for a briefing. Be prepared to say something then, and after that everyone is free to do home."

"This is brilliant James," she said, admiring the glass. There were little names attached to each figure moving around. Reagan could see a little blue figure with a "T. Daniels" beside it standing next to another figure with an "A. Simms" beside it.

"Its useful for the reporters and the Wizard Wireless announcers during Quidditch matches," James replied. "That way they can keep a better account of what is going on in the game. It works well for us as well. You can tell whats going on on the field without having to be down there. And you can note the actions of specific individuals."

"It looks a bit like the Marauders Map," Reagan said and James nodded.

"Apparently Grandpa James and Uncle Remus weren't the only ones to discover that charm. Now I've got to get back down there. I'll signal for you when we're done." He paused and handed her a large roll of parchment and a quill kit. "Make sure to take notes. And make sure to watch everyone, not just Trevor and Corporal Simms."

"I'll make sure I give everyone my equal attention," Reagan replied, sneering at her brother in the dark.

He left and she took a seat in one of the chairs and sighed.

At least I don't have to run around with them, she thought.

"It would have been fun to run around with Trevor again," she said out loud and laughed. "I doubt Brent would ever be up to turning into an animal and running around all night long... not that Brent has Animagus abilities... or that he knows I do..."

Reagan was lost in her thoughts for a moment until the figures on the window started moving around in a more organized way. It was like watching a movie screen (she had seen one once with her cousins in America and thought it was fascinating). Each figure had a small name attached to it, and the figure was wither red or blue. Each time magic was used, a line illuminated it and traced it from its caster to where the spell hit, with an incantation and spell name appearing next to it.

She watched as the group of fifty or so Aurors ran through their exercises, taking notes and jotting down thoughts the entire time. Trevor was one of the best ones, as far as magic went, and he was quick, able to avoid spells and change in and out of his Animagus form simultaneously. There were others also, Rimmwood, Giles and Macknemera were all good also. There were fifteen or so that Reagan could tell did not quiet understand the meaning of stealth, quickness or agility, and three that she wondered how they became Aurors in the first place. Anne Marie, to Reagan's great dislike, was in the middle, but above the average. She wasn't the best one on the field, but she also was well above the worst.

After an hour or so, the figures stopped running around in their defense and attack formations and she could tell James was signaling for her to come down. She capped the ink, gathered her parchments and quill and Apparated down to the field.

I should have walked, she thought as James drones on, briefing his Aurors. She tried to think of what she was going to say. What advise did she have to give? Over the past few months, she had lectured about their magic needing to be second nature, about how they needed to read up on their defense spells and offensive curses and just basic defense magic. "The better you know the basics and the theories, the easier the advanced stuff will be," she had told them. She had received quite a few snickers after that meeting but she had expected it. Unfortunately for her she was only an advisor, and she was only advising them; no one actually had to do what she suggested.

"Do you have anything to add, Reagan?" James said to her and she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Not really anything new without repeating myself," she replied. "Practice won't make perfect, but it will make your magic stronger, and your reflexes better. Even if you just practice the incantations, it will make it less likely for any slip ups or mispronunciations when you really need to say them correctly. I saw a lot of Erestio Momentus instead of Aresto Momentum, and I'm sure many of you were confused when you got a rush of bright pink cold air and not a slowed down attacker."

"I noticed at as well," James said. "Be careful when you pronounce your spells. This is first year stuff, I expect you all to be far above this!"

"Other than that I was really impressed," Reagan said, looking directly at Trevor. Luckily for him it was dark and she couldn't see him blush. Or perhaps it was a bit unlucky for him.

Reagan didn't linger on the field longer than she had to. Seeing it was still before midnight, she wanted to get in touch with Brent as soon as possible in hopes they could still have dinner.

Walking into her house, she got a wonderful surprise. Her darkened living room was illuminated with burning candles of every shape and size, the small and quiet flames flickering in the cold winter breeze.

"I decided that since you could not come out to dinner, then dinner would come to you."

Reagan beamed at Brent, who was leaning against the kitchen door frame.

"How did you know when I would be home?" she asked, pulling off her heaving winter cloak.

"I asked your father," he said.

"My father?"

"Well, I had to chat with him about something else and while I was there I asked him how long these things usually take. You said it was an Auror training, and he is an Auror having attended many training in his career, so I thought he might know."

"I'm still amazed you went and talked to my father," Reagan said, taking a few steps toward him, careful not to knock over and candles.

"Well," Brent said, putting his arms around her, "I can be pretty amazing."

"Oh can you?" she asked, smiling at him. "I take it your not mad anymore?"

"Now that our evening is back on track, no I'm no longer mad."

"And what do you have planned for this evening?" she asked.

"Dinner," he said, kissing her softly. "And some wine."

"Sounds good."

"And then some dessert."

"Mmmmm."

"And we'll try and make an early evening out of it," he said. "I have an early practice tomorrow so I should have you in bed by one, two at the latest."

Reagan eyed him. "You'll have me in bed."

Brent grinned at her. "I'm only joking with you."

"You'd better be," she smiled at him. "Now come on, I'm hungry."

"Yes mam'm," he replied and she followed him into the kitchen.

He had better be joking, Reagan thought as he handed her a plate of pasta.

Brent had never stayed the night at her place, and she had never stay at his, no matter how late their dates had gone. And the only thing that made their dates go late was some heavy snogging, they had never done anything more. It wasn't that she had never done more, because she had, or that she didn't want to do more with Brent, because she did. Fact was that she really didn't have a good reason why she and Brent had not done more physically, she just knew she wanted to wait. Besides, the only other person she had ever done anything more with was currently avoiding her and Reagan didn't want to think about what he was doing with his new Blond Auror friend.

So instead she focused on her dinner and her amazingly beautiful and charming boyfriend sitting across the table from her.

A/N 2: So I have decided on a few things. One, ridding a broomstick is the equivalent of riding a motorcycle. Having to experience on either, I don't know how I cam to this revelation, but I decided that they were the same. Two, I have found my Brent. Because I am a bit odd, I always imagine my fics a movies, and I always wonder who would play who. I know who I want for Brent, Trevor, James and Reagan. Some of the others are tricky. But I am excited because I found my Brent. I won't say who I think should play which character, I want to know who you all think should be cast as my characters. Please leave a review (or send me an owl) and let me know!

I had to add some fluffy Reagan/Brent time in there, because they are really cute together. Its just hard for me to get that across. Reagan really does like him, even through his arrogance. He is a good guy! A bit of an idiot sometimes, but his hart is in the right place... usually.

After writing the Floo scene between Reagan and Brent, I realized that in my head I had cast a Brit playing an American Quidditch player. Oh well.

Disclaimer 2: I don't own the chapter title either, its from a Jimmy Buffett song.

A/N 3: Added July 13, 2004

To my dearest fans,

I want to take a moment to apologize for not updating any of my fics in many many weeks. The answer is simple: I am in a rut. I have hit a huge brick wall of writer's block. I have about half a chapter of each fic still in progress, and no ideas/motivation to write.

And there is another obstacle. My husband comes home from Iraq in less that 48 hours, so my mind is a little preoccupied with that.

So here is the solution: I am not going to update for the remainder of July, and possibly into August, if need be. I think that if I don't think about forcing myself to write, then something will come to me. I do promise you this, I WILL finish each of the four stories I still have open. The Lessons in Life is the last of the three part series, Five Degrees of Love is going to be either one or two stories, most likely two. The Heirs will be a one fic story, along The Calm.

To keep you all interested, here are a few hints of things to come in the next chapters:

The Lessons in Life: As Trevor's relationship with Anne Marie blossoms, Reagan devotes herself more and more to Brent. Look for a pregnancy announcement, three new engagements, a kidnapping, and some suspicious behavior from an American Seeker, all before Valentine's Day..

Five Degrees of Love: After meeting someone he wasn't expecting at Jenny's house, Harry learns who Jenny's father is, Jenny learns about her father's fate, and about how Harry knows him. After many tears, some dramatic outbursts, and some lingering thoughts about a comment Ron made on the train home, everyone returns to Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

The Heirs: Anna and the other heirs move to Harry's, and prepare for an eventful, and uncertain new school year. The war is growing, Anna's uncertainty in her own abilites, as well as the power she and the other heirs are supposed to conjure sends shockwaves through their three some.

The Calm: Olivia Evans needs someone to confide in. Her instincts tell her that a fellow professor may be the key, but she has her doubts about trusting people, especially when they already don't trust her. But after a mysterious attack that hits Hogwarts close to home, she might need to just come clean.

So stay tuned, keep in touch. If you all go and join the Yahoo Group I created ) you will have the most up to date information, as well as each chapter a day before the public sites do. Also there are random notes, timelines, pics and polls on there to keep you occupied.

So thats all from me, see you in a couple weeks! Thank you all for being patient and understanding!

Love, Erica Evans