AN2: Here's chapter two after many revisions and changes. Feel free to leave cheers and helpful jeers.

Disclaimer: I don't own HP. It belongs to JKR. No cent is being made from this exercise.

Dark Hunters: Return of the Dark Mark

Chapter 2 – The Recruit

The dark-haired man pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked out the cab window. He knew he was nearing his destination, a new place he'd have to call 'home' for who knows how long. Uncertainty etched on his face, he pondered once again Albus Dumbledore's decision to send him here.

The cab came to a stop in front of a Victorian-like structure. Dark brick red walls exuded an air of mystery and superiority over its surroundings. The roof, made of black singles, flew off at certain sections. Some windows were adorned with iron bars, giving off a prison-like atmosphere. Others were tinted dark shades that imposed the structure's predilection for privacy from unwelcome eyes. The neatly trimmed lawn, which stretched about a hundred meters from the property entrance, was dull and unwelcoming. To separate itself from the outside world, black iron gates surrounded the complex, standing at about fifteen feet from the ground. The building, ancient in its facade, felt out of place with its overly imposing appearance.

After looking over the area, he glanced at the paper on his hand to confirm his destination's address after he got out of his cab. "So this is Grimmauld Place."

Without wasting another moment, he picked up his duffel bag and pushed open the iron gates.

-■-■-■-■-

Hermione looked down on the office below her through the glass window panels that lined as walls in her superior's office. Below, she saw Draco sitting on a chair and getting reprimanded for his rash actions last night by Alastor Moody, supervising chief of the Auror Assault unit in the London Headquarters.

"You did an excellent job last night, Granger," a deep voice from behind her said. "Malfoy, on the other hand, still needs to learn to rein in that… enthusiasm."

Hermione turned and faced Lleod Vodim who sat on his desk chair, smoking a cigar. He had a long face, grey eyes that were sharp, and his slicked-back black hair was tinged with gray at the edges. A short beard framed his mouth and small wrinkles hinted by his forehead. "Draco's good but a bit rash at times. I think that's still mostly his arrogance but I know I can count on him to listen when push comes to shove."

"Really?" Vodim puffed out a cloud of smoke as he took his cigar from his mouth. "You put a lot of faith on your team."

"Yes, I do."

Vodim flicked his cigar on the ashtray. "Well, I'll leave it at that." A small smile formed on his lips as he opened a drawer and took out a file. "It seems that we're finally getting a replacement for your last partner. You've got a new addition to your team."

Hermione's eyes narrowed. "A replacement? For Connor?"

Vodim tossed the file onto the desk, the folder's front lap open. "Yes. Harry Potter. Seems quite experienced in the field. Up until now, he's been working under Dumbledore. I'm sure you've heard of him."

The brown-haired agent took a step forward and glanced the open file. She scanned the front page for Potter's basic information. No photos of him were attached. "I've heard of him, yes. Very little, though. Mostly information on some operations he's been involved with. He works international operations primarily, right?"

"Yes." Vodim watched Hermione carefully. "But starting today, he'll be calling London his base for an indefinite amount of time. He's supposed to arrive sometime this afternoon. I suggest you two get acquainted as soon as possible. You might need his assistance on the field sooner than you think."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, actually about last night's case. It seems that our Death Soldier had a partner. He was supposed to have met up with his accomplice in the area but was spooked by last night's bust. Compared to last night's wizard, this accomplice is deemed to be more experienced in the use of the craft." Vodim spun his Viewing Pane and showed Hermione the other wizard's profile. "We just received intelligence on his frequent locales… one of the warehouses by the West India Docks. Longbottom has the information now and is developing tactical analysis. We'll have a meeting later to formulate our plans. Our next raid might finally get us Doholov."

"Understood." Hermione gave the Viewing Pane another once-over briefly then turned to leave the office without another word.

Vodim leaned back on his chair and took in another whiff from his cigar. He glanced down at the folder that lay on his desk once more before turning his chair to face the windows behind him.

-■-■-■-■-

Seamus Finnegan tapped his fingers impatiently by the fireplace as he waited for someone from the fifth level to acknowledge his summons. He despised guard duties in the first level since it included having to perform receptionist tasks which he always felt awkward with. Right now, the dark-haired man's intent stare at him made feel really uncomfortable and he wanted to be rid of him as soon as possible. He felt like those green eyes looked through him, exposing his fears and all his secrets. Finally, Dean Thomas' face appeared in the fire.

"I've got someone here who says he's supposed to meet with Hermione Granger, Dean. Can you get her for me?"

"I'm sorry, Seamus. She's at a meeting right now, most likely about the next assignment so it could take awhile. What does he want?" Dean asked nonchalantly.

"The only thing he's caring to tell me is that he's got Auror business with Hermione. If she can't come right now, I'll have to send him off somewhere else in the meantime. He can't wait here long. He makes me a bit antsy, you know?"

Dean shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I'll tell Hermione later if I catch her after the meeting. Otherwise, talk to Moody."

The heavy entrance doors behind Seamus suddenly opened. Luna Lovegood came through, her blond hair untied and getting tousled as she hurried inside. Her hurried manner was stopped for a moment as she laid eyes on the dark-haired man waiting by Seamus. The man directed his gaze at her.

Tall with a slight build, the man had slightly unkempt hair and a thin scar by this right temple. His slightly pale face bore an unreadable expression but Luna suspected that he was carefully reading her through those green eyes. Stare not too intense, his green eyes held her gaze, unashamed.

"Luna?"

Luna blinked and turned to Seamus. "Hm?"

"You're on your way up, right? I've told Dean already but I'm sure he'll forget. Can you tell Hermione about this fellow here? His name's Harry Potter. He's here on Auror business, he says," explained Seamus.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "All right. We have a meeting soon but I'll try to see if Hermione will see him soon after." She walked up to the double brass doors at the end of the hallway and to a square panel with a palm mold and a small hole by the middle. She then took out her wand and slid it inside the hole, disappearing. After that, she palmed her right hand over the mold. The double doors opened with a hiss to allow her entrance. As soon as she crossed over, the same doors closed swiftly, further preventing any other entrance.

Seamus sighed and turned to face the newcomer again. "Look, the meeting might be awhile. Is there someplace that you want to go to first? Drop off your luggage and all?"

The man gave Seamus an odd look then finally stood up. "The Dog Star Café isn't far from here, is it?"

"Actually, it's just about fifteen minutes walk north of here," Seamus explained. "It'd be open now and Sirius, the patron, will be there."

"I'll come back later." The man picked up his duffel and left without another word.

-■-■-■-■-

When the front door swung open and the bells tinged, Sirius didn't bother turning around behind the counter. He just bent over underneath the bar and reached for his pad and menu, guessing that he's got a late lunch customer on this darkening afternoon. "I'll be with you in a sec," he said as he reached for a pitcher of water.

"I'd like some rum on the rocks," the newcomer simply said.

Sirius smiled and shook his head. An early drinker then, he thought to himself. He reached for a glass, some ice, and a bottle of rum. He turned around to slide the drink the bar. "Here you g–sweet Merlin!" he started as he saw his customer's face.

The customer picked up his drink and took a small swig. "It's nice to see you again after three years, Sirius."

Sirius blinked and caught himself. "Harry? You've… What are you doing here?"

Harry took another sip. "The Order sent me here. I'll be working at Grimmauld starting today. Don't look so surprised, Sirius."

Sirius walked up to him. "I… You're right. I just wasn't told by Dumbledore that you were coming."

"You look well. How's retirement treating you?" Harry straightened up in his seat as he glanced around the café. "Not a whole lot of customers save for myself right now."

"Come six, they start coming in for drinks and some dinner. It's not bad, you know."

"Miss working in the field?"

Sirius heaved a sigh. "Sometimes, but my priorities have changed. I can definitely live without the hoopla." He filled up Harry's glass again. "Since you're here, I gather that the campaign against Voldermort has moved back again to London."

"More or less."

Sirius looked at Harry and wondered if he was going to say more on the matter. Harry didn't. "So, have you stopped by Grimmauld already?"

Harry nodded. "Nice what they've done to the place. I haven't seen Grimmauld in what? Ten years?"

Sirius smiled. "Right about, yeah. Have you met Leo? Or your new partner?"

"No. I got as far as the lobby, I'm afraid." Harry set his drink down. "Seamus, the man up front, said that Granger was at a meeting and couldn't come down to meet me."

The bearded man frowned. "That's odd. You did give him your name, right?"

Harry shook his head. "He didn't ask. I didn't say."

"Harry, if you'd just given him your na–"

"It's all right, Sirius," Harry cut him off. "I don't need to be recognized for my name."

"But Dumble–"

"It's fine."

Sirius sighed. "All right. So you're going to go back there later, right? You will, even if I have to hex and drag you there."

Harry flashed him a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Of course. London is where Dumbledore wants me to be. And working in Grimmauld."

Sirius gave him a doubting look. "I don't figure you've got a place to stay yet. I've got some rooms upstairs. You can stay in one of them for as long as you'd like. You won't be too far from Grimmauld this way."

"Thanks." Harry stood up. "Mind if I tuck in for now then? I've had a long trip and a kip sounds swell right about now."

"Feel free. I'll wake you up in an hour so you can drag yourself back to Grimmauld. Go upstairs and take the room that's to the farthest left, all right?" Sirius pointed to the stairs.

"It's nice seeing you again, Sirius. We've got some catching up to do, Godfather," said Harry smirking.

"Drop it with the formalities. You make me sound like a thug. Go on now," Sirius ordered. "We've got some catching up to do later!"

-■-■-■-■-

Two hours Later…

Harry woke up feeling refreshed. He frowned at the clock though upon seeing the time. He left his room and went downstairs to the café, slightly disturbed to find that it was empty and dark. "Sirius?"

He trudged on to the bar and found a note addressed to him.

Harry,

I've had to leave to run some errands. I was going to wake you up but thought the better of it. I don't think you'd sleep in for more than three hours at most anyway. I'll be back later. In the meantime, feel free to help yourself to whatever you might find in the bar and the refrigerator. Just lay off the bottle of Rumplestilskin's Vodka 501. That stuff's expensive and should be saved for special occasions.

Sincerely,

Sirius

Harry chuckled and shook his head. He'd have to remember to have some of that Vodka 501. In the meantime, he searched around in the refrigerator and found himself a corned-beef sandwich to eat. He also grabbed himself a small bottle of Firewhiskey and sat himself at the end of the bar, eating in silence. Outside the bar, rain spattered noisily against the glass windows, rumble thundered faintly behind.

-■-■-TBC-■-■-

UL: 11/30/2005