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At one end of the former potions classroom, Harry Potter was getting ready. While muted discussions were taking place around them, they could still hear the reports coming in at the console at a hugely fast pace. Lucie was becoming inundated, but Harry was unable to help. Beside her, Ron was working as fast as he could to keep up.
"Forty-two, to zone seventeen. Copy that. Three-twenty, back them up. Zone seventeen, stat." She spoke clearly and rapidly, tapping the map with one hand and using the SkinPhone on her other.
"This is forty-two, Lucie, copy. We're encountering heavy activity here. Lots of Inferi. Creepy bastards, ain't they? I'd say the word is out."
"We knew it would be. Copy forty-two. Three-twenty should be arriving now." She tapped the map again.
"Just arrived, copy. We could use more help."
"Copy, forty-two. Next squadron up?" She glanced over at Ron, who hurriedly checked the glowing blue numbers to the side of the map.
"Uh…six-oh-seven, Lucie."
"Thank you, Ron. Six-oh-seven, copy. Zone seventeen, stat."
"Zone seventeen, copy."
"Forty-two, status? Copy."
"Status a go, Lucie. Although if you want to send any more troops, they won't go to waste. Copy."
"Copy that, forty-two. Next squadron up?" She glanced at Ron quickly, after marking the new position of Six-Oh-Seven on the map.
"Six-eighty."
"Six-eighty, zone seventeen, stat. Copy."
"Copy that, Ms. DeGrace."
"Lucie, forty-two here -- we're good now. Will advise as situation progresses. Copy."
"Copy that, forty-two. Give 'er." She grinned fiercely, and began to turn her attention to the next squadron.
"Copy that. Forty-two out."
On the map overhead, Ron Weasley was doing all he could to keep the squadron numbers moving to their new locations. "This is bloody complicated, this is," he said, shaking his head.
"Ah, you're doing fine, Ron. Keep up the good work." Lucie grinned and slapped him on the back. "Once deployment is completed, it'll be all maintenance."
"Good," he said fervently. She laughed.
"All right, Ron?" Harry asked, looking over at him. "You almost ready?"
"Yeah, yeah. Hold on…" Harried, Ron tapped a few more places on the map. What had originally been a scattered mass of over seven hundred dots was now a precise outline of all of Britain. Particularly bright was the tiny area where the island housing Azkaban Prison was -- troops were concentrated there. So far, there were no gaps in the glowing perimeter, and there were still dozens of blue numbers scattered worldwide, waiting for their call to duty. Ron looked over at Harry. "Ready for what? What's up?"
"Ron -- you coming?" Harry didn't look at Lucie, but maintained eye contact with his best friend as he changed into his gear. Not that he was going to need it, he thought, but figured it was best not to say anything yet.
Lucie muted her SkinPhone to glance incredulously at Harry. "I can't do this alone!"
He glared stubbornly back. "I won't do this without Ron."
"Simon!", Lucie called, swinging around in her chair. From the table in the centre of the room, Nigel-Nickerson looked up from the parchment in his hands and frowned at her.
"Yes, Lucie?"
"I can't do this alone, Simon."
"Right," he said, standing up. "Right, then. Lucie, hold on a minute. Harry…name your team."
"Ron," Harry said, ignoring Lucie's frustrated exclaimation. "Hagrid. Snape. Hermione. Luna. Neville. Remus."
"Hermione's too busy in the hospital wing, Harry," Simon said. In the background, Lucie yelped.
"Damn it! We can't spare half those people! What the hell! Why didn't you plan this out earlier? I asked you earlier to handle this, so I could have a backup ready!"
"You said I could name my team," said Harry, looking steadily at Simon and refusing to back down.
Simon sighed. "Fine. Lucie, you know better. You should have had a backup planned already. Harry, is that going to be enough?" He ignored her outraged squawk of protest.
"Should be." Harry's face was wooden. "They're the people I trust the most, other than the people who are in charge here."
Albus Dumbledore stood. "Simon, you and I need to go along as well, I think. Arthur…please take command."
"Certainly, Albus."
"No problem, Albus," said Simon. He was already decked out in gear. "I'd planned to crash the party anyway," he grinned rakishly.
From the console, Lucie said, exasperated, "Simon!" He walked over and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, which she tried to shrug off, with no success.
"Right. Luce, we're not leaving you cold here. We'll get you some help, just give me a minute please. Minerva and Filius are in charge of operations here, along with Shacklebolt…"
"Check," said the reassuring voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt. He was monitoring a separate console, one that had moving silver dots labelled with the names of his Aurors and the castle staff.
"And…Hagrid, can you spare anyone? If not, we can get an Auror…"
"I've only got two people here at the castle, Simon --"
"Who?"
"Malfoy and Finnegan."
"I'll take Malfoy," called Lucie, moving her hand away from her face. "I don't know Finnegan."
"Finnegan's got medical training," suggested Hagrid. "Send him to th' hospital wing t'help cover off Hermione."
"Brilliant, Hagrid. Can you get right on this?"
"Aye. Draco," Hagrid said, tapping the palm of his hand. "Need yeh up at Lucie's console."
"Yes, Hagrid, I'll be right there," came the tinny-sounding reply.
"Oh, and Malfoy, is Seamus wit' yeh?"
"Right here, sir. We're helping Flitwick allocate replacement supplies for the troops' outfits."
"Good, good. Send Finnegan to th' hospital wing to help out, an' you get up here to th' console."
"Right away, sir."
Hagrid tapped his SkinPhone again, and said, "Flitwick."
"Yes, Hagrid."
"I've stolen yer help…"
"No problem, Hagrid, I've got some Aurors helping me, too."
"Good, then. Good luck to yeh. Arthur Weasley's in charge."
"Fine."
Hagrid clicked off the connection, and turned to the others. "That's it, then."
"Excellent. Lucie? Hagrid? Kingsley? Are you three alright with the new setup?" Hagrid and Kingsley nodded. At her console, Lucie continued speaking rapidly into her SkinPhone, her other hand tapping the console like mad, but she did pause just long enough to nod affirmative to Simon. He smiled. "Let us depart, then. Harry?" Simon moved away from Lucie, and walked over to the group assembling around Harry Potter. They would use a Portkey to transport to the heart of London, and from there, make their way to the demolished Ministry Of Magic, where the Department of Mysteries, and the mysterious Veil, still stood (albeit magically hidden from prying muggle eyes, for obvious reasons.)
"Yes. I'm ready." Harry spoke firmly.
Lucie paused at the console and turned to look at Harry and his team. "Good luck, you guys," her eyes lingering on Severus. Her golden eyes looked worried.
Giving into pure impulse, Severus limped over to her and caught her up in a quick, hard kiss, which quickly turned deeper, and much more tender, to accompanying jeers and wolf calls from the others. "I'll see you soon," he whispered, before he stepped away. Standing with Harry and the others, Albus flashed a quick grin and a wink at her.
Lucie, blushing, tried to smile back, and found that she couldn't. Her head bowed, she turned back to her console and began talking into her SkinPhone again, barely pausing to acknowledge a grinning Malfoy, who had arrived just in time to see the kiss. After Harry's party Apparated, Malfoy tapped her shoulder.
"Hey, Lucie?"
She looked back up at Draco, to find him smiling at her. "Don't worry. He'll be all right. He'll come back to you." Malfoy knelt beside her, took her hand in between both of his, and looked earnestly at her. "He wants to be here with you. I know. We've talked. He's crazy about you." He gave her another reassuring smile and a quick hug, and moved over to the chair beside her. Now that the battle had been engaged, only the main console was in use.
Her eyes stinging, Lucie smiled crookedly at Malfoy, and went back to work.
xxx
Less than two hours later, Lucie and Draco were able to relax. "Finally, everyone's deployed. What a freak-out that was." She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her red, burning eyes. Behind them, the map showed a tight perimeter of glowing blue numbers surrounding Britain, along with strategically-placed troops both within and without. Lucie's SkinPhone continued to spew status reports, and she tapped her hand with her other hand, causing the voices to quiet and a small, round purple box beside her started printing out status reports on a long piece of paper. She read it idly as she crossed her legs and stretched her aching shoulders. "Thank you, Draco. You picked up fast, and I needed that. Thank you."
Draco sat down beside her and yawned. "Hey, no problem. This is really interesting stuff! Here," he said, drawing his wand and waving at a spot behind them. A small table appeared, and with a couple more taps of his wand, a plate of sandwiches and two tall glasses of orange juice appeared. "I'm starved," he said, cramming half a sandwich in his mouth.
"Me too," Lucie said, taking a long drink of the juice. "Oh, that's good. It could use a shot of something, though."
Draco stopped chewing, and stared at her. "Really?"
She laughed, and took a sandwich. "Just a figure of speech. I'll have to stop joking like that, everyone takes me too seriously."
"Oh," he said. After a second, he began to speak rapidly, as though afraid to lose his nerve. "Because your file said that you were suspended from your job, back in Canada, for showing up at work drunk. Hagrid and I had to review your file after we brought you to the castle. Standard procedure," he added apologetically. He looked away, and started in on another sandwich, refusing to meet her eyes.
"Don't worry about it," Lucie said, evenly. "I quit drinking weeks ago, and it's not an issue. The issue is whether or not I'm going to return to Canada. I don't know if I want to go back. I mean, it was time for a change anyway." She took a large bite of her sandwich.
"No, I'm sorry, it's none of my business. It's just…well, Dumbledore was a bit worried about you. So's Hagrid. So's Severus." Draco looked up at her, through white-blonde bangs that were badly in need of cutting, and Lucie was reminded of Draco's earlier request.
"Don't worry about it, all right? Seriously," she added, at his sceptical look. "Look, just between you and me -- I had some rough times, a few months back. Simon and I had been working together on…well, on one hell of a case. Nothing I can talk about, sorry. But at the same time, my husband and I split up. It was just…well, it was just too much. I mean…eighteen years on the job, Gordie left without any warning, and, well, no, that's not fair. I had warning. I knew things were falling apart. It's just…well, seriously, I can't talk about the case. But I'll tell you something. As a cop, even one in Magical Law, you'll get your cases that you can't solve, no matter what. When it's homicide… when it's kids…" She stopped, and took another gulp of the juice, then sighed deeply. "Simon had his own problems to deal with, I couldn't lean on him. And for the first time ever, God, I just needed someone to lean on. Or something." Lucie bit her lip, a look of distress on her face. "So, I had a breakdown. Hey," she added, trying to lighten the glum mood. "Happens to the best of cops, right? Anyway…things are under control now. Simon's doing better, too. He's probably one of my best friends, you know?"
"Yeah, we had to review his file, too. He's a junkie."
Lucie felt a hot flash of anger at Draco's casual tone, and her jaw dropped. She slammed the rest of her sandwich down on the table. In that quick moment, she despised the judgemental child sitting next to her. Oh, it was just always so easy for outsiders to judge, to dismiss. They had no damned idea what they were talking about. "Yeah, well, do try to keep it to yourself, if you don't bloody well mind. He won't thank you to spread stories, and neither will I. And he's still one of the best special agents the MBI ever had. Don't dismiss him for one failing. If you're lucky, someday you might be half the man he is. And you know what, some day you'll remember this conversation and I can promise you that you're going to feel like the idiot that you look and sound like to me right now. Oh, and Draco, you know what else? It'll look real good on you!" She glared at him, her cheeks flushed.
Draco looked up swiftly, his widened blue eyes locking onto her angry golden eyes. "Hey, don't get upset…no, Lucie, I know he's a good agent, one of the best. I'm sorry -- I was just telling you what was in his file. He's a legend. And so are you. You're still one of the best homicide dicks in North America."
"I can't believe you just called me a 'dick'." She said, her anger draining away as fast as it came. Lucie had never been one to stay mad. A quick flash of temper and that was it, usually. She sighed deeply, and said, "Well, enough of that. What was it you wanted to talk to me about today?" Absently, she skimmed through the long strip of paper, looking for anything alarming. There was nothing. So far, so good. All squadrons were holding up.
"Oh yeah," Draco said, starting in on the last sandwich. "Well, it's about Magical Law Enforcement, actually. Once this crap is done with," he waved an arm to indicate their surroundings, "You know, the whole Voldemort thing…I was wondering about moving to Canada, or the States. You know, trying to get on with MLE. Think you could help me?"
"Really?" Lucie was surprised. "What about your parents?"
His face grim, Draco said, "I can still visit them. But they won't even know I'm there."
"No change yet?" Lucie sighed.
"No." He looked away.
"Any hope?"
He was silent for a moment. Then he sighed and shook his head, unable to speak.
Lucie studied him for a moment, frowning sympathetically as she continued to nibble on her food. She understood the need to get away and make a fresh start, and she knew where he was coming from. "Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I can help you. You'd be a real asset. I can tell."
He smiled wanly. "Is this one of your famous pep talks?"
"No," she said, seriously. "No. I have a knack for appraising people. You'd do great. I can tell. There's a real maturity about you sometimes, a real sense of capability. Potential. I'm sure Simon would be happy to work with you, too. If you don't mind working with a junkie."
Draco flushed. After a moment, he said, "Maybe I should apologize to him. After I tell him how I talked behind his back."
"I think maybe you should. That would be…a very adult… thing to do."
She held his gaze for a long moment, and to his credit, Draco did not look away. He nodded, then said, "I'd rather work with you, though. MLE sounds more my speed than MBI. I think I'd rather be a cop than a special agent."
"Well," she said, clearing away the dishes with a wave of her hand, "When this all blows over, we'll talk, okay?" She turned back to her console. "But," she continued, "Just going with my inner gut -- you are special agent material. And if you ever change your mind, you can step down and become a cop. It's easier to step down than to climb up."
"Hmm," he said. "That's a good point. I'll think about it." They were silent for a moment. Then, as though he could read her mind, Draco said, "Wonder how Harry's team is doing?"
"Simon told me to wait for his call, not to call and bug them." She smiled wryly.
"Wonder if we're right about Voldemort's location?"
Lucie bit her lip, thinking. "No idea, Draco. But I'd bet we are." She looked up at the map, at the unblinking blue "99". Her face grim, she said, "I'd bet you just about anything that we are. I'd bet you anything that the bastard is sitting there, just waiting for Harry and his team to walk into whatever trap he's got set for them."
She folded her arms and began to nibble on her thumbnail. Then she said, "God, I hope Harry's ready for him. I hope he can handle this."
"Because Heaven help him, if he can't."
Xxx
Hundreds of miles away, in an ancient, rubble-strewn basement in London, Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew sat in the dark, alone, patiently waiting.
Very patiently.