Disclaimer: I own the plot, I apologize if it's been done before. Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.
AN: Hi! Real AN at the end! Enjoy!
Consanguina by Jess S
Chapter 8: Confrontations, Questions & Sightings
Harry sighed as he finished his meal, setting his fork down so that it was balanced precariously on the edge of the plate, that way it wouldn't fall into the plate, where his leftovers were, or off the plate onto the table cloth. "Thank you, Aunt Petunia," he smiled, "that was wonderful."
"Your welcome, Harry." His Aunt smiled in response, her light-blue eyes alight with happiness at her nephews pleasure.
They sat in silence for a several moments after that, then Vivian decided to break it.
"What's wrong, Harry?" she asked, her vivid green eyes focused on him as she took a sip of her second glass of 1998 Chateau-Neuf de Pape for the evening.
Harry remained silent for several moments afterward, but soon decided that his sister wasn't going to let the matter drop, so he replied. "I'm sorry, all of this really is wonderful..." he paused, frowning. "It's just that..." he shook his head.
"You miss your friends." The Auror guessed.
After a moment, the teen nodded.
"Understandable." She continued gently. "Don't worry, Harry. You'll see your friends again."
"But... how?" Harry shook his head, "I mean... as long as the spell is still active no one would believe us if we told them you were my sister... and if I can't tell them that, then I can't explain why we left willingly and remained with you all summer..."
"You won't have to."
"What do you-" Harry started, but was cut off by the arrival of slightly panicked house elf.
"Milady! Milady!"
Vivian frowned, "What is it, Berry?" she asked, taking in her servant's lack of composure. "What's wrong?"
"Berry is sorry to interrupt, Milady! Berry will punish himself soon, Milady! Berry is-"
"Don't be ridiculous," Vivian shook her head, "You know I don't believe in those foolish traditions, Berry. And I forbid you to harm yourself in any way because of this. Now, surely you had a reason for interrupting us?"
The house elf's head bobbed and down repeatedly as he nodded. "Yes! Yes! Berry does have reason, Milady! Berry does!"
"Well?" Vivian raised an eyebrow, looking slightly amused now. "What is it?"
"Milady has guests!" Berry replied.
"Guests?" the Auror frowned, "I don't recall any scheduled appointments."
"They just arrived through the Floo Network, Lady! They say they are sorry for having to disturb you, but they must speak with you immediately! They say it is very important." The house elf bowed again. "Berry is sorry for disturbing the Family, Milady! Berry did not know what to do!"
Vivian waved a hand, "Don't be ridiculous, you were right to come inform me. Do you know who it is?"
Berry, the house elf bowed again. "Berry did not ask, Milady. But Berry recognized Mr. Moody and Mrs. Figg and Mr. Dumbledore, the Hogwarts Headmaster! And there are other adults too, and a large Black Dog with a magical aura. And many wizards with red hair, and two witches with red hair. And a girl the Lord's age with bushy brown hair." He informed her.
Vivian sighed, shaking her head. "I suppose it was only to be expected." She smiled at her younger brother and her aunt. "Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't show up sooner. They had to grow somewhat suspicious at some point..." she shook her head. "I'm sorry, Harry. We will have to finish this discussion later."
Harry nodded, "Of course."
The witch then smiled at her aunt, "And thank you, Aunt Petunia. Harry was right, the meal was wonderful."
Petunia blushed slightly, nodding in reply. "Thank you."
Still smiling slightly, Vivian rose to her feet. "Now, both of you remember the rules?"
Both nodded. They'd been given a thorough tour of the Manor not long after arriving, and had been surprised to find how complex it was, and how easy it was to keep someone hidden. It had been an enlightening experience for Harry. After all, this was the type of place most Slytherin's boasted of living in. So it wasn't any surprise that all of Mr. Weasley's raids hadn't managed to bring up anything that they could bring 'suspected' Death Eaters, like the Malfoys, in for.
"Good," Vivian nodded. "Have a nice evening. Harry, I'll come to see you in a few hours, if you like. We could finish this conversation then."
Harry nodded, and then watched as the only living member of his immediate family glided from the room.
~ * ~
"Wow..." Ginny murmured after a moments silence.
The others nodded staring around the room in awe. None of them had been prepared for the sheer splendor of their colleague's home. It was certain; they had no doubt, that few could ever claim to have a home anywhere near as luxurious as the 'Potier' Manor.
The fireplace they'd come out of was clearly made, or perhaps redesigned, for the purpose of Flooing. It's opening was probably six feet across, and no less than fifteen feet tall. Although the chimney was made of pale gray stones, the steps that led up to them were of fine marble, which only end when it reached the exquisitely polished wooden floor they all now stood upon.
The room wasn't circular, for it was more of an oval shape; the large double-doorway the house elf had run through a short time before located directly across from the fireplace. A large ovular rug was placed in the center of the room. It was a soft, gentle green shade, given a majestic appearance by the fine, golden designs placed upon it. There were several armchairs along the walls, large, well-cushioned ones with soft, white leather.
At first glance, you probably would have found the paintings along the walls rather strange, for they didn't move. There were four paintings in all, and not one of them was a Wizarding painting. Rather strange, for a Wizarding home... All four were lovely though, clearly the work of a master, soothing landscapes that looked just as they were meant to... These paintings shouldn't move, for then they would lose their purpose. Each painting was of the exact same landscape, painted at different times of the day; catching the moment.
"My... I might have to look at some of the Muggle art galleries after all." Arabella murmured, "These are quite lovely..."
"Aren't they?"
All present turned from admiring the artwork to the young Auror who had just swept in, a welcoming smile gracing her fair face.
"I've always been rather fond of them." Vivian informed her visitors, gazing at one of the paintings for a moment, before turning back to the party. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" She didn't miss the tense silence that followed her inquiry, although she gave no sign of noticing it, her smile not slipping in slightest.
"Miss Potier..." Dumbledore sighed, "I do apologize for calling on you at this hour, but I am afraid this simply could not wait."
Vivian raised an eyebrow slightly. "Oh, of course." She replied, still smiling as she waived her hand gently. "And the hour means nothing, I assure you. I've been an Auror for too long to carry about minute details. Furthermore, friends are always welcome here."
Almost all present had to hold back a cringe at this. They all felt bad for mistrusting the young woman, but they couldn't overlook the possibility that she could simply be acting.
After a moment of carefully gauging their almost flawlessly hidden reactions, Vivian shook her head. "Perhaps this conversation would proceed more smoothly in more comfortable settings." She offered, turning around and walking to the door, glancing back at them when they did not follow. "If you'll follow me, please?"
The Hogwarts Headmaster immediately nodded, walking to the door. And with a small amount of hesitation, the others followed him.
~ * ~
"I understand that your family had lunch with General Potier and her brother not long ago," Voldemort began, his demonic gaze betraying no emotion whatsoever. "Is that true, Lucius?"
"Yes, my Lord." Lucius Malfoy replied with a bow as he stepped forward out of the crowd.
"Did you learn anything from her?" the Dark Lord demanded.
"Very little, my Lord." The tall, regal Death Eater answered immediately, his soft, aristocratic tones revealing no more than the Dark Lord's gaze did. "She would not speak much of Potter's case, but she did admit that they've been making little progress."
"That confirms Severus report, then," Voldemort nodded, "perhaps I should give him more faith. He has proven himself worthy of it thus far. Don't you agree, Lucius?"
"I do not doubt your judgement is just, my Lord."
"Of course," the Heir of Slytherin nodded in approval, before focusing on his most august servant once again. "And what of the General herself?"
"General Potier is a very competent and thorough investigator, and exceptional politician as well. Her department is second to none, as she herself is often said to be." The masked Malfoy replied readily.
"And how much of a threat do you professionally believe her to be?"
"Should she choose to be," Malfoy replied, "she would undoubtedly be a considerable one."
"Ahh... very well, then." The Dark Lord incorporated this for a moment, before continuing. "Continue to keep an eye on her, and stay in her good graces."
"As you wish," the Death Eater bowed, "my Lord."
~ * ~
The parlor that Vivian led them to was no less impressive than the entrance hall or the corridor that had preceded it. An exquisite, ovular, Persian rug covered the consummately polished wood floor beneath her desk and the two chairs in front of it. Bookcases serried with a wide variety of Wizarding items stretched from the floor to the ceiling on the right and left walls of the room, starting along the wall the door was in and going down to the far wall, and around the corner until the reached the large windows. There were bookcases underneath the window as well, and they were also full. You couldn't, however, walk right up to any of these bookcases and just take something off the shelves. Glistening glass doors, which were undoubtedly heavily enchanted and warded, would thwart such action.
As she entered, Vivian waved her wand, before re-sheathing it, and suddenly, instead of two chairs before her desk, there were eighteen. There was also a large, well-padded footrest right up by the front, next to one of the chairs, clearly not for its namesake purpose.
"Please," Vivian gestured to the chairs as she walked around her desk and sat down. "Have a seat." When all of them had complied she raised an eyebrow at 'Snuffles' and nodded to the footrest. "That was for you, you know."
'Snuffles' stared at her a moment, clearly surprised, before jumping up onto the footrest and curling up on it, yipping his thanks as he did so.
After shaking her head in amusement, Vivian turned back to her audience. "Now, how may I be of service?"
This time, Professor McGonagall decided to speak before the strained silence became too disheartening. "Miss Potier... it has come to our attention that you may be withholding, or altering evidence pertinent to Mr. Potter's procuration..."
Vivian blinking, and then raised an eyebrow. "Withholding evidence?" she chuckled slightly, "What evidence? There isn't any!"
"Precisely. And as everything recovered comes through us through you."
The Auror just looked at her, her expression perfectly neutral, with the exception of the spark of amusement in her emerald eyes.
"Is it not possible, Miss Potier," Snape began, "that you may have overlooked some of the evidence your department has brought in while reviewing other case files?"
"It is possible," Vivian shrugged, "but very unlikely, considering I have ten house elves and six highly-qualified assistants making sure I don't do any such thing." Before anyone else could speak, she continued, "I think, perhaps, what you are really interested in, is if I am 'altering' any of the evidence, at the Minister, or perhaps Lord Voldemort's direction."
Many of her guest's shuddered when she said the Dark Lord's name, but then blinked when the realized what she had just said.
"So you believe he's returned?" Hermione asked excitedly. After all, there were very few people who did, and the higher you went in Ministry ranks, the harder it was to convince them. At least, that was what the Order members had been telling them.
Vivian gazed at her for a moment, before nodding.
The Order member's digested this new information warily, eyeing each other questioningly. Just as Hermione had been excited to hear of this admittance, so were they. As Fudge's media campaign continued it was becoming increasingly difficult to convince people of Voldemort's rebirth.
"Why?"
The Auror turned to Ginny, "I beg you pardon?"
"Why do you believe... he's back? Hardly anyone else does." Ginny inquired, frowning.
"Oh, you'd be surprised." Vivian replied. "I know, for a fact, every member of my department knows he's back, regardless of the Minister's claims... There has been far too much Dark activity as of late to believe otherwise... Of course, I have other ways of knowing," she shrugged, "and I'd like to think I'm not a fool."
Suddenly, a burst of orange light drew everyone's eyes to one of the gadgets on Vivian's exquisite desk. It lasted only a moment before fading, until only the palm size paperweight was glowing orange.
"What's that?" Fred - or maybe it was George - asked, looking up at the Auror, who had already risen from her seat, her eyes on the magical item.
After a moment, Vivian turned attention back to her guests, and sighed. "I do apologize, but I'm afraid I must be leaving." She frowned slightly, her brow creased in consternation. "If it would ease your concerns, I believe at least two of my secretaries are still on duty. And she would be happy to take through all of the material that has been collected for Mr. Potter's case."
"That would be most helpful," Arabella nodded replied, quickly rising herself, the others following suit. "Code orange?" she asked, nodding to the paperweight.
Vivian only nodded in reply, leading them out of the study.
Once the door had closed behind them, and the study was unoccupied, the eighteen chairs Vivian had created for her guest drifted sulkily together until there were only two chairs left once more. The footrest the 'Snuffles' had been seated on simply vanished.
~ * ~
Less than a half an hour later found the group crossing the Ministry of Magic's lustrous entrance hall. As the passed the Fountain of Magical Brethren; a fountain with five life-size, glittering golden statues in the center, Vivian pulled a bag about the size of her fist out of one of her robes many pockets and tossed it at the fountain. It soared over to it, and when it was just above the water's surface, the golden string that held the green silk cloth shut came undone and the bag turned over, releasing a shower of golden coins. Then the now empty bad soared back into Vivian's hand just as they'd reached the other side of the fountain.
"What'd she do that for?" Ginny whispered to Hermione and her brother, while staring up at the strikingly glamorous waterworks in awe.
Hermione frowned for a moment, before spotting the small, smudged sign beside the fountain. She nodded to it, drawing her friend's attention to it.
All proceeds from the Fountain of Magical Brethren will be given to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
"Oh..." Ginny murmured, and, after a moment's consideration, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a handful of Knuts and a few Sickles and quickly threw all of the Knuts and a few of the Sickles into the Fountain. Hermione and Ron did the same, while hurrying to keep up with the rest of the group.
"Don't we need to go through Security?" Professor McGonagall asked as they neared the golden gates that were obviously the actual entrance to the MM.
Vivian shook her head, "Not with me, you don't." She replied, as they stepped through gateway and into the smaller hall beyond. There, at least twenty lifts were positioned in various stages of usage. But the Auror shook her head when they started to move towards the lifts, "This way," she said, turning off to the right and leading them past the elevators into another lesser hall.
At the end of the hallway they came to a small room with four elevators on the opposite wall.
As they neared the lifts, one of the doors open, and two wizards in robes similar to Vivian's came out. Both bowed slightly when they saw Vivian, and she offered a smile in return.
"Heading home, Derick?"
The middle aged Auror nodded, "Finally..."
"Long day?" Vivian chuckled as she led her guests into the elevator, keeping her eyes focused on the older Auror.
Derick rolled his eyes, "As usual."
"Well, have a good evening, then. Tomorrow will be no different."
The wizard nodded, bowing slightly again before turning on his heel and crossing the room to the exit.
"Anything interesting as of late, Richard?" Vivian asked, turning her attention to the younger wizard who'd followed him into the elevator. He looked to be close to her age, but he didn't have anywhere near the amount of sheer presence she had.
Richard shook his head, "Quiet as a tomb on this end... except for the mummy that Goldenross brought in around noon." He replied, while pulling out a large silver key that was attached to the thick golden chain around his neck, and placing it in the lock above the key panel he stood beside.
"Another one?" Vivian blinked, then shook her head. "Well, his report should be interesting... How he's managed to find thirteen mummies this far from Egypt baffles me. Regardless of the black market."
Almost all of her guests blinked at that.
"There's a black market for mummies?" Charlie asked.
Vivian nodded, "Umm-hmm. Nobility usually goes for ten thousand Galleons and up, royalty's anything over twenty-five Galleons." She then turned her attention back to the lift operator. "Just the main entrance, please."
Richard nodded, "Yes, ma'am." He replied, pushing the largest button on the now lit up panel, and turning the key as he did so.
Only the feeling of their stomachs dropping slightly told the group that the lift was now moving upward, which caused many of them to blink.
"What...?" Percy asked, but stopped, not quite sure of what he was asking, before looking at Vivian.
The Auror smiled slightly, "I have my department's lifts upgraded every year. This is a model we bought from an American Muggle company. Nice, isn't it? We'll be upgrading again in a few weeks time."
"This is a Muggle invention?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sending her husband a look to keep him quiet even as excitement first began to make its way across his face.
"Yes, it is. The next upgrade is too, but it'll be a bit more elegant."
"More elegant?" Hermione asked, looking around. "What's wrong with this one?"
"Oh, nothing... I just like the other one more, and I can afford to upgrade it-"
"-Easily," Richard coughed.
"So I'm having it upgraded." Vivian finished, glaring at the operator.
Richard smiled slightly, "You do know that this upgrade will be only five months after the last one, right?"
Vivian shrugged. "I like it!" she defended, only the spark in her eyes matching the playful, youthful quality of her words.
Now, Richard didn't even attempt to stop himself from laughing. "Did you really find the new upgrade when you were working on that assignment with Mr. Malfoy in America?"
"In New York City? Yes," Vivian replied, not noticing or ignoring how the others had stiffened slightly at the mention of the elder Malfoy.
"And did you really make him ride up in down in that thing for an hour and a half?"
"Two hours, actually."
Richard broke out laughing again. "Is that why he was glaring at you every time you saw him for several weeks after that?"
"Probably," Vivian shrugged, "I don't see why he didn't like it, it really was a wonderful view... and we were only five minutes late for the meeting."
"Why did he even bother waiting through it?" the operator asked, "Why didn't he just Apparate?"
"And have to listen to me tease him about it for weeks to come?" Vivian raised an eyebrow, "Lucius Malfoy would never want that."
"So how did you keep him there for two hours?"
Vivian shrugged, "We were trying to find the floor the meeting was on... and that isn't the easiest thing to do in a one-hundred-floor-plus skyscraper. Mr. Malfoy sent to his secretary for what floor it was after about a half and hour, it took her an hour to find out and reply, and then it took a half an hour to get up to that floor... because I'd happened to push quite a few buttons..."
Now, everyone was staring at her. However, before they could say anything, the lift came to a stop and the wall behind them opened up.
Richard cleared his throat, "Level twelve, Main floor of side Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Auror Headquarters."
"Thank you, Richard," Vivian nodded, leading them off the lift and down the marble steps that it had opened up onto. This entrance hall was very similar, but different, in comparison to the Ministry of Magic's Entrance Hall. The floor underneath their feet was dark, highly waxed and polished wood, and their was a fountain in the center of the room as well. This fountain was actually smaller than the Fountain of Magical Brethren, and it had several life-size statues as well. These statues were, however, made of silver and the fountain they stood atop was white marble. There were ten statues, positioned as if they were meant to be walking in a circle, all of their wands raised and pointed towards the air above the center of the circle, where their faces were also turned, while their robes were blown onward by an unseen wind.
"The Circle of Nitor-Arma," Professor Dumbledore murmured, as he and all of the others stared at the glittering masterpiece in awe.
Vivian nodded, "Yes, I thought it suitable for this Department..."
"Indeed, it is." Dumbledore agreed, his eyes now resting on the young Auror, searching.
"What's the Circle of Nightarma?" Ginny asked, even as she stared at the silver statues in awe.
"The Circle of Nitor-Arma," Vivian replied, "is one of the few ancient ritual-spell casting's that is still reasonably well known. Its purpose is to heighten a witch or wizards magical ability ten-fold. It has not been successfully cast in over five-hundred years."
"Why not?" Hermione asked, interested in learning more about a topic that was incredibly scarce in spell books. She had heard of the Circle in passing, but had never been able to find a great deal of information on it.
"It is very difficult to cast even when it's possible," seeing the blank looks on almost all of her guest's faces, Vivian chuckled. "It is only possible when all eleven participants are not only powerful enough to cast it, but they also must trust each other completely, and must be completely willing to risk everything."
"'Eleven' participants?" Ron asked, nodding to the fountain, "There's only ten there."
Vivian nodded, "Yes... only ten are necessary to cast the spell... the eleventh participant is the recipient. They may not even know of the casting, but as long as they trust all of those involved, it will still work. The casters don't even have to know where the eleventh is or what they're doing, all they need is a mental image of the beneficiary..." after a moment, she shook her. "This way, please." She told them, leading them around the fountain and across the fine wooden floor.
Her guests continued to gaze around themselves in awe. The sides of the entrance hall were white marble columns that continued upward for two floors, where they held the first of the three upper floors in place. They could see Aurors moving about on the balconies above, some going into while others exited different office doors.
They followed Vivian up the marble steps to the first upper level, where she led them over to an elevator. The elevator was already there, and the doors slid open as they neared, so she led them aboard. Once all were inside, Vivian pushed the upper button on the panel of two, which had an arrow pointing up on it.
Just like the previous elevator ride, they heard nothing and barely felt anything as the lift began to rise, but there was plenty to see. The walls of the elevator were glass, and they offered a view of the entire department entrance hall as they rose above it.
"It's beautiful..." Hermione complimented, while the others nodded in agreement. She looked at Vivian, "Did you design it?"
The Auror shrugged, "I had a hand in it, but most of it was of it was Ria's work."
Then the elevator rose into a dark, walled in area, and they couldn't see the view anymore. It stopped a moment later, and the doors opened to reveal what appeared to be another reception area, this one much smaller, but no less pictorial than its predecessor. The floor was adorned with a soft, creamy-white carpet, and there were four well-padded benches along each wall, which was a dark green with red borders. On the right side of the room, before the benches, was a closed side door. Past the benches was one large, well-organized desk, which was currently unoccupied. Beyond the desk were seven doors, one set of double-doors on the opposite end of the room and three doors along each wall. The nearest two doors were open, and a moment after the elevator doors slid open two witches came out of each room, regardless of the fact that the doors made no sound whatsoever.
The group followed Vivian out of the elevator and into the room, where she nodded to the other witches. "Eileen, Janna."
"General," both witches replied, bowing slightly.
Vivian glanced back at the group, "Allow me to introduce Major Eileen Lufkin, by third in command, and Captain Janna Vindictus, fourth in command." She turned her attention back to the other two. "They would like to see what we've gathered on the Potter case."
Both witches bowed again. "Very well, ma'am." They replied, before turning on their heels and hurrying through a side door.
"They'll bring the materials back here in a moment," Vivian smiled back at the group, most of whom were still staring around them in awe. The Hogwarts Professors, however, were looking at the two 'secretary' carefully. "You may remember Eileen and Janna from school. They were both Prefects."
The Professor's nodded, recognition dawning in their eyes.
"What houses were they in?" Ginny asked, curious.
"Eileen was in Ravenclaw; nineteen-eight-three to nineteen-ninety, and Janna was in Slytherin; nineteen-eighty-four to nineteen-ninety-one."
Snape smirked when almost all of the redheaded children visibly suppressed a wince.
"You have six assistants?" Professor McGonagall inquired, nodding to the desks.
"Yes," Vivian nodded, and began listing them. "General Dearborn, Gryffindor nineteen-seventy-one to nineteen-seventy-eight, first in command. Colonel Vasser, Beauxbatons nineteen-seventy-five to nineteen-eighty-two, second in command. Eileen and Janna. Captain Bonham, Gryffindor nineteen-eighty-five to nineteen-ninety-two, fifth in command. And Master Sergeant Volkov, Drumstrang nineteen-seventy-eight to nineteen-ninety-four."
This list seemed to appease the Weasley children, as there were two Gryffindors in it, to make up for the Slytherin. Before they could comment, the side door opened again, and Lufkin and Vindictus came through, several boxes floating beside and behind them, at wand point.
"General Willow is waiting for you in your office, ma'am." Vindictus told Vivian as they reached the group, waving their wands to direct the boxes onto the two nearest benches.
"Thank you, Janna." Vivian nodded, "They have standard; priority access, which I believe covers everything there. If not, feel free to contact me."
"Of course, General." The brunette replied with a nod.
Vivian then offered the group a nod before quickly crossing the room and passing through the double doors, which had opened at her approach, and closed after she had passes through.
The two Ministry officers quickly turned their attention back to the visitors.
"Shall we?" Captain Vindictus inquired, here pale green eyes unreadable.
~ * ~
Vivian's office was no less impressive than the entry hall. With the same, soft white carpet and dark green walls, which had gold borders, instead of red. Directly opposite the door a desk similar to the one outside, just slightly more regal, was positioned in front of a set of an impressive set of windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Much like her main study back at the manor, waist-high bookcases lined the walls, starting at the door and going all the way around the room until they reached the window. A long panel of mirrors broke up the space between the top of the bookcase and the gold lined ceiling. Also resembling her home study, was the set up around the desk. Eight chairs, not quite as fine the leather-padded highback behind the desk, were positioned in front of the desk, one of them was occupied.
That occupant was the only thing the Auror paid any mind to as she entered the room, her dazzling green eyes focusing on the tense young woman as she heard the doors swung shut behind her. "What is it, Ria?"
"A sighting."
"A sighing?" Vivian frowned, "of whom? Sightings are hardly ever code orange material."
"I know," the blonde nodded, "but I thought this one might interest you."
"Oh?" the witch replied, her gaze curious as she watched her best friend. "And, who pray tell is it that would mark such attention?"
"Peter Pettigrew."
~ * ~
"What's this?" Ron asked, reaching into one of the boxes to pick something up. Captain Vindictus had grabbed his hand and wrenched it out of the box before he had a chance to grab it.
"For future reference, Mr. Weasley," the former Slytherin Prefect began before he could snap at her. "It is rather unwise to reach blindly into enchanted boxes. Particularly when the enchantments have not yet been removed or nullified."
"Oh..." Ron blushed, biting back a sharp retort as both Hermione and his parents sent him disproving looks. "Sorry..." he muttered.
Major Lufkin nodded, picking up what appeared to be a leather-covered notebook, from atop a different box. "This is the case log." She told them, as she opened to the first page. "Where we keep a full account of all evidence from the beginning of the case to its closing in court, and anything that may be collected afterward, for future reference." As she finished saying this, her wand, which she'd seemed to be using as a pointer, stopped at something. "According to the log, Mr. Potter's case began on Thursday, July eleventh, nineteen-ninety-five, correct?"
"It is," Professor Dumbledore nodded.
Before Lufkin could continue, Vindictus cut her off, "Oh, for Merlin's sake, Eileen! We don't need to go through the entire case file! Potier never hides that much!"
"Unless it has something to do with her personal life or family," the dark haired witch agreed, not appearing the least bit offended by her colleague's interruption.
"What'd you mean?" Hermione asked before they could continue.
Lufkin shrugged, "General Potier's never liked anyone digging into her personal life, or anything about her family. Not surprising really, and it's really become somewhat of a department policy; Don't ask. It's safer that way, anyhow."
"Why?" Ron asked, appearing confused.
"Because, she's a high ranking Ministry official. And she's an Aurors. We don't like people knowing much about us."
Seeing that Ron still looked confused, Vindictus picked up where the other had left off. "The people we generally deal with are dark arts practitioners."
"Oh..." was all Ron got out before the groups attention was drawn elsewhere.
For at that very moment, the doors to Vivian's office had swung open again and the two Generals who'd been conferring inside exited, heading for the elevator at a rather rapid pace. As they neared the group, Vivian turned her head slightly toward them, focusing on her two assistants.
"Janna, could you pull up the Black case file for me?"
Vindictus nodded, and quickly left the room through the side door, not bothering to shut it behind her.
All of the 'guests' had frozen at Vivian's words, and were now visibly trying to calm themselves down.
"The 'Black case file'?" Professor McGonagall quoted. "That wouldn't happen to be applying to Sirius Black, would it?"
"Actually, yes," Vivian replied with a nod, her eyes not quite stopping on the large black dog as she looked at the group. "It is."
"Why?" Mrs. Weasley asked, "What happened?"
The Auror looked at her for a moment, before replying. "A sighting, it will need to be recorded in his case file, whether he's caught or not."
"Why?" Ron asked, moving slightly towards 'Snuffles', almost protectively. "Black?"
"No," Vivian shook her head. "Sirius Black... has remained as allusive as ever, as of late."
"Then who?" Remus asked, clearly confused. "If it's not someone saying they've seen him, than what could possibly apply to his case...?"
Vivian shook her head, her emerald eyes amused, "I think you, in particular, shouldn't have so hard a time figuring it out, Mr. Lupin. Anymore than Miss Granger or Mr. Weasley."
"What...?" Remus began, but stopped when the side door swung open again, and the Auror Captain came through.
Vindictus stopped once she'd reach them. The notebook she was carrying was similar to the one on Harry's case, but it was quite a bit fuller. Whereas only a few pages had been filled in Harry's log, at least two thirds of this notebook were filled. The Captain had opened the book that far, and had a quill poised over the next blank space. "General?" she asked, clearly seeking what it was she was supposed to record.
"Peter Pettigrew was sighted at Kings Cross, Platform seven and three quarters, at ten past eight." Vivian told her, before heading to the elevator. As she stepped through the opening doors, she called over her shoulder. "Have a team ready to guard the thirteenth interrogation chamber. And I'll need a fresh batch of Veritaserum and a representative from the Unspeakables present."
"Yes, General." Both assistants replied, as Vindictus finished recording:
Sighting: Kings Cross, Platform 7 3/4 - 8:10 - Peter Pettigrew
The elevator doors slid shut behind the two Generals before any of the 'guests' could think to ask anything further.
End of Chapter 8.
Translations:
Consanguina - related by blood (Latin)
Nitor - to trust in/depend on
Arma - military power; protection, defense
AN: Well, that's it for Chapter 8! What'd you think?
...It wasn't that bad, was it? And the wait wasn't too horrendous... right?
Response to Reviews:
Apple Reaper - Thank you. That's good to hear... I wasn't entirely sure. I thought I might of skimmed over it too much.
Pheonixrising - Thank you.... hmm... that may be answered in the next chapter, I'm not sure... but, well... you'll have to wait and see! ^_~
Xirleb70 - LOL, yes that does fit it, doesn't it?
LOL, well, look on the bright side; at least it's over!
Thank you, that's always good to hear... ^_^
Everpresent - LOL, yes, new chapters are always nice, aren't they?...Unless they ruin the story... I hate it when that happens! How was this one?
Well excuuse me! I like cliffhangers! :P (Writing them, at least...)
LOL... I don't know. Aunt Petunia being afraid of/not liking the house elves just sort of popped into my head when I was writing one of the earlier chapters... and it stuck. I'll probably come up with a reason for it later...
Sorry if the b-day 'party' was a disappointment, but what you were probably thinking of happening (and don't think I didn't consider it!) was a little too soon for the plot.
Hmm... Well, I'm not merging everything from Bk5 in, but I am going to be bringing quite a bit in. I suppose it could be a bit confusing, but... that's part of what makes it interesting, isn't it?
You're welcome, and thank you! ^_^
Siri Kat - LOL, don't worry about it. I do that too.... It's one of the reasons I write reply's, it's always nice to see that an author does care about your review, and I ask you to take they time to review, so I figure I should take the time to reply to that review! (And I really need a life away from the computer... outside of working... *thinks about it for a moment*... or not...)
Thank you. That's good to hear.
LOL... in case you (and anyone else) hasn't noticed yet, I'll let you in on a little secret... *looks around repeatedly*, *bends down and whispers:* I like cliffhangers... :P
Sorry about the wait. ^_^
Kino - LOL... *glances at reply to Siri Kat*...*shrugs* :P
Thank you. :-D
ChennaiChica - LOL...
Sorry for the wait.
THANK YOU!!! :D I love seeing my stories on fave' lists! It makes me feel special!
...hey, hey! Come back! I'm not that strange am I?
Well, anyway... if your still there... thank you.
Rachel A. Prongs - LOL, actually, I did think of that. But they're able to Floo to the "Potier" Manor because of the spell... It was a pretty good spell... it took care of everything! Of course, it could get very ugly when it wears off... but we haven't gotten that far yet, so I'll shut up! ^^
Thank you. I'll be including a bit more, but I'm not sure of how much... yet.
DaBear - Thank you. ^_^
Sorry for the wait... Was it worth it? Yes? Maybe? Kinda-maybe? Just a little bit?
Sunrunner of Summer - (Evil)LOL! ^_^
Thank you.
Ah! *Ducks & holds hands over head* No hexing! Author can't write if hexed! And... if memory serves me correctly, you're reading five of my fics! So you don't want to hex me! :P
Thanks to all for reviewing!
Please REVIEW THIS CHAPTER!!!
Bye! ^_^
~ Jess S