Disclaimer: my thanks to Conan Doyle, Hiromu Arakawa and of course J.K for the central ideas and influences in this story.
Notes: edited with write out number 2, I'm sorry if this is inconvenient, but it was something that I found was for me to refresh my self with the tale as wall as cut mistakes, A special thanks must go to LogicalRaven at this point as I'm making use of one of her characters in the story. I have also improved spelling where I found it, but this for me is a constant problem. I hope your enjoying the story…
15 minutes later Harry took a pinch of foo, he had said his goodbyes to Dobby, who was still fruitlessly giving case to Tulip, and went up to check on Mary.
She was still fast asleep upstairs despite the noise, like her farther she could sleep till the end of time, but Harry couldn't help but notice with some worry that artful marks on her arms were a dark red on the skin. He wandered briefly on his way down if any of his broken family would make it to Hogwarts unscarred.
Casting the dust on the fire it erupted in green flames he walked in yelling "ministry of magic, Tonks office" it had taken him awhile to be able to say that much without gagging on ash.
Harry felt a strange swirling motion as though he was spinning and made out the sudden apprentice of many fireplaces, he came to land, hard.
He got up and dusted himself off, peering around Tonks office. It was deserted and apart from a window sowing a stunning view of Paris, and a poster with a kitten saying 'hang in there' Tonks office had little to distinguish or recommend it.
He had only just finished looking around, and was considering how to look for her, when a paper aeroplane nailed him in the side of the head.
He gave a small ouch, and swiped the paper before it landed on the ground. Unfolding it Harry scanned the parchment, reading the fast message, which was scribbled hastily:
Met me out side the minister's office first ideas are that this looks big, Forrester, O'Riley and Shaklebolt have gone on ahead.
Your inpatient superior Tonks
PS. Grab Ron from his office on the way up.
Harry finished reading and darted out the office into a wood panelled corridor which ended with the lift, running towards this Harry ran past several offices, at the one closest to the lift he paused and raped smartly on the door.
The was a bleary cry of "get out of it" muffled by the door before a very tired Ron opened it an inch, some surprise was on his face at seeing his friend at the door, the door opened a mite wider "Harry why are you here?"
"I work here Ron" Harry sarcastically remarked, before getting serious "New case, were wanted at the ministers office right now"
At this the door slammed with a yell of annoyance from its owner, seconds later it was flung open as Ron putting on his brown lever jacket, followed Harry in to the lift.
The lift was rarely crowded on the Auror office, but with its assent it started to fill, with witches and wizards a few paper aeroplanes and a lot of discomfort.
"Why don't they ever consider putting a enlargement charm on this dam contraption" fumed Ron as an employee accidentally elbowed him in the ribs.
They made it to the next floor where the surge of workers spilled out of the doors and apart from a very harassed looking witch Harry and Ron were alone.
She holding a large stack of documents that went up to her nose, which bore thick glasses, they enlarged her eyes in a way that dimly reminded the pair of their old deviation professor. The stack of documents swayed ominously and the pair followed its movements their eyes absently assessed the fragile cargo, waiting for the fall.
"Morning guys, new orders?"
"Yep, you need a hand?" asked Ron knowing the answer
"Nope I'm OK"
This always happened…her name was Hazel the minister's interpreter a genus with languages but blind as hell. And always in position with highly droppable goods. The door for their stop swung open as the lift came to a jolting halt.
Crash…"wops"
Harry and Ron glanced at each other before stooping down to collect the fallen paper
"Thanks guys, really you shouldn't have,"
"Well you're on the way to the ministers office right"
"Err…ya"
"You don't know anything about this assignment, right?"
"Sorry guys no details, all I know is it's big, and they want this mountain of related documents pronto."
At this the two Auror's lost interest mealy nodding and accompanying her down the hallway, Hazel wasn't offended by this, she knew Auror's only did things for a reason and that the help with the fallen papers was merely a chance to ask her for information.
The walk to the minister's office was uneventful after the lift, as the three proceeded down another corridor, highly decorated with Romanesque pillars and hung with large portraits of previous ministers.
Some were sleeping in there portraits others striking posies as if for an invisible camera, some again were waving a new law or creed that they were responsible for.
At the end the corridor opened out into a waiting parlour with big, very ornate green rows of seats and a secretary desk at one end, overhead however was a vast gigantic chandelier its hundreds of candles glittering of the uncountable glass shards. Harry's gaze took all this in and drifted down the lights under which sat Tonk's.
"She looks happy," grumbled a still sleepy Ron.
Whatever the case was, it was going to be in Tonk's words 'fun' this overused lose description however was used in Hagrids Magical Creature lessons and was often similar in use by Tonks, for what ever task Harry and Ron were to be given.
They swapped glances that clearly read "Shit" the best friends Sighed walking up to meet Tonks, and murmuring a goodbye to Hazel who rather wobbly continued in to the ministers office.
"There you are! Why the hell are you so dam late?" Tonks shot at them, as they approached Harry and Ron never responded to these questions, it would knock her out of the good mood.
"The Ministers in their being told the facts by the heads of the law enforcement and the regular enforcement, parentally blame lies with one of them." Tonks suddenly became serious as she continued.
"The was another attack last night at Lauriston Gardens, some warehouse and storage site, a whole team of four Regs were downed, some permanently. The culprit or culprits are unknown and still at large. The media will be informed in two hours." She gave this brief very quickly and seemed to be smarting herself up while she talked.
"That all?" inquired Harry knowing what was going to happen next and trying to smarten his unruly hair.
"We will discus it more with the minister as she gives us our orders." Tonks answered as the double doors opened and she motioned them to enter.
Harry had some very bad experiences in that room, ones that he had never spoken off apart for an official ministry report.
The blood the bodes, Harry had tried ceaselessly and unsuccessfully to remove those memories, but they had remained like a permanent stain on his mind to emotional to distance himself from, and un-permeable to the measure of time.
Ministry records simply state that on an early summer four years ago a Tom Riddle was killed in the minister's office.
Of course, as Harry and Ron peered around the huge room the décor had changed. As had its owner, a black and white tiled flooring led up to the two sofas and desk, the room had no candles and no windows,
The only source of light coming through the milky white glass of a gigantic and ornate clock face that was the far wall. That the movement of time casting an ever-changing shadow on the rooms four figures sitting at the twin sofas.
Eleanor Fecher, had been the appointed minister since Rufus Scrimgeour's death to Tom Riddle. Her past was as a ministry hit witch during the war with some experience in regards to other departments, she was still fairly young though so her appointment by the department of mysteries came as some grate surprise.
In the aftermath of the grate war however she had proved capable and decisive, and she had led with steady progress in the reconstruction.
What had endeared her to Harry however, were her efforts to hold on to the Auror department and with there ever decreasing numbers instate them with more authority, she was the one that relied on them, and Harry was only to happy to oblige.
She at the moment wore a dark purple suit her dark black hair tired neatly into a bun and thin spindly half-moon moon glasses hung on a rounded calm face.
The other three she was with was Hazel who was standing behind the Minster for magic taking notes. The was also Tobias Gregson the head of magical law enforcement a short plump man in dark blue robes with a scar running down a burley face on the left of his chin. He reminded Harry of a squat bulldog, and Harry knew him from several briefings as the sort that took time to get to a point, but reserved and held good judgment
And none other than Draco Malfoy.