Disclaimer: I would love to say they are all mine, but they're not. I only own the plot and other characters J.K. Rowling doesn't own.
A/N: At last, chapter 6 is up. This chapter contains the aftermath of the first encounter between the auror team and the death eaters; Ginny's daily chores in the ER, and our first glimpse of the bad guys in their HQ. Also, I promised that I will explain everything about Godric's Katana, so let's stop babbling and on with the chapter.
Suspicions
Ron looked at the space Harry used to occupy for a second, and then walked over to Hermione with his wand in his right hand. He prepared to fire the memory charm at her the moment she wakes up, but a hesitant look played on his face and he seemed to be struggling with his thoughts.
'I must erase that scene from her mind; no muggle should witness our fights'
'But she is smart; she can prove helpful in the future'
'You must obey Harry's order, he is your superior'
'Why should I always act to Harry's thinking, I can think by myself and can't be right all the time, he's a human after all'
Ron then came to a final decision, and holstered his wand back in its invisible pocket, then called forth the aurors from their hiding and ordered them to collect the bodies of the dead death eaters and bind the unconscious ones. After they finished their doings he checked his watch; Hermione should awake by now.
As soon as he lowered his hand he heard her moaning, and she opened her eyes slowly. He picked her up and asked her in a concerned manner.
"Are you OK?"
"Sore a bit, what happened?"
"It seems … The murderers escaped again" He lied while looking at the ground
"WHAT … but I saw that person, that … thing, killing two of them"
"Yes, but they took the bodies before we can get our hands on them"
"What about the victim"
"Dead …"
"It is not my day" Hermione said as she walked over to the bar, and she remembered something "Pierce"
She ran to the building that Pierce is on and scaled the stairs quickly with Ron running after her. When she reached the roof, they didn't find him, but they saw a large whole on the other side. Hermione ran to the floor just under the roof and found rubble everywhere with the ceiling above them about to crumble.
"PIERCE" she celled, but no answer.
"Hermione, it is dangerous to shout here, the building might collapse any minute"
"That's why I have to find him … PIERCE"
"No need to shoot missy, I'm here" Pierce called from under the rubble in the far side of the room.
Ron and Hermione ran to his spot and gently removed the rubble, and pulled the groaning Pierce from under it.
"Aw, aw, easy … I'm not a fuckin' chair"
"You mind your mouth, Eagle Watch" Hermione scolded him but couldn't help but smile.
"As if eagles really speak … Well, it's actually good to see too you detective Granger, or should I say 'detectives', as if one Hermione is not enough"
"I think you hit your head hard" she looked more worried than before.
"Don't worry sweetheart, I will not die so soon, only the good die young, and I'm a baaad boy" he replied joyfully although looking disoriented.
While they were having their 'friendly' conversation, Ron was examining Pierce's injuries "Multiple bruises, shoulder dislocation, fractured femur, moderate concussion"
Pierce looked at Ron who moved and looked down through the window and said jokingly "Are these my injuries, or were you reading an Emergency Medicine textbook"
Hermione hit him lightly on the head and stated "Actually, you are lucky that you didn't acquire everything that is written in the textbook … Stupid boys, always playing heroes"
"Well, girls are attracted to heroes, aren't they?" Pierce replied naughtily earning him another beat on the head"
"Stop it Hermione or his concussion will increase" that was from Ron who was rather annoyed by their banter.
"He started it" Hermione said in defense.
"Next time we have a conversation I'll be sure to bring a helmet" Pierce tried to provoke her more, but Hermione didn't get a chance to retaliate because the ceiling then whole building began to crumble.
"GET OUT, BOTH OF YA'" Pierce exclaimed at both of them with determination on his face.
"NO, we have to get you out" Hermione shouted and tried to pull him up, but her effort was in vain as he pushed her away.
"Stupid woman, I will only slow you down … RUN" he ended his sentence with a groan of pain.
"No, no, and no … We are partners, we all live or die together" Hermione exclaimed with tears frozen in her eyes.
"This is not a movie Hermione; remember the rule, only minimum casualties are accepted with at least on detective alive"
"But …"
They didn't see a huge chunk of the ceiling coming down at them as they were engrossed in their melodramic conversation. He ran toward them shouting "WATCH OUT", and without thinking he held both of their hands and with a loud pop he apparated all of them to the opposite alley beside the bar.
Everyone including Ron was stunned as they saw the building they were in it a moment ago coming down soundly. Both Hermione and Pierce looked at Ron with a shocked expression on their faces; Ron himself didn't believe he did what he did, he proceeded with his lies but couldn't remove the nervous 'You Got Me' look from his face "I think whatever happened there means it was too soon for us to die"
Ron was rather concerned with Pierce's look; it was not a confused look, but a semi-understanding; he was startled with the gleam in Pierce eyes.
Pierce himself had a theory, but he didn't bring it up to Hermione; it was too soon to confront her or his 'suspect'. He tried to change the course of conversation so he does not alert Ron about his theory.
"I told you only the good ones die young, I never thought you were not so goody-goody Herms, what have you done sweetheart? Tortured some innocents, hit some children, or…" he continued with a mischievous look "had a part-time job at Red-light District"
Hermione's shock even doubled as she heard the last part of his sentence, then her face changed into a brilliant mix of anger and joyfulness "You cheeky fellow"
"That's me babe"
Ron cleared his throat loudly attracting their attention "I think I have to escort Pierce to the hospital, he needs medical attention; the ambulance is already here"
"And I should check the crime scene" Hermione stated as she walked toward the bar.
The EMTs placed Pierce on a gurney and pushed him to the ambulance with Ron behind them, and they all rode to Downtown General Hospital.
------------------------------------
By the time these events occurred, Harry was at the entrance St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies – Southwest USA Branch; he entered hastily and was recognized by the reception employee almost immediately.
"I'll be damned, it's Harry Potter" she exclaimed and everybody at the reception area turned to see the newcomer.
"Thanks, thanks a lot for calling unwanted attention" Harry said scowling at the woman in front of him, who lowered her eyes with apology.
"Sorry, sir; I couldn't help but to notice that a celebrity such as yourself has graced us with his appearance …" she tried to appease him with silver tongue speech.
"Well, this celebrity needs some help; you see, this woman here has sustained moderate physical injuries and severe mental ones, I need her to be attended by the best doctor you have"
"OK sir"
"And I want a secure floo connection to the Ministry of Magic"
"You can use the one in the Chief of Staff office, is that all sir"
"Not all, I want four security guards to be places at her ward; two inside and two outside, until the aurors arrive from the Ministry" then Harry placed Pansy at the floating gurney two healers just conjured.
Harry made his way to the Chief of Staff office passing the confused but awed secretary and knocked the door, then entered without waiting for an answer ignoring the secretary's protests.
"Excuse me sir" Harry called for the Chief of Staff.
"What's that, explain yourself; young man" a short chubby man shouted in disapproval of the intrusion.
"I'm terribly sorry sir, but I need to use your floo connection" Harry answered hastily
"And what made you think this is a public floo … Bless my stars, it's Harry Potter"
"Can I use the floo now, sir" Harry said taking the advantage of his fame
"Why of course, it is time for my rotation anyway; feel free to speak loudly, this room is under the silencing charm"
"Thank you sir", and then he waited until the chief exited the room then jumped near the fireplace and shouted "Minister Malone's office" and put his head into the emerald fire.
Minister Malone was deeply absorbed by paperwork, which caused his to jump when he heard the emerald flames burst at his fireplace.
"Minister"
"Oh, its you Potter"
"I've got some news and requests"
"News first"
"We've encountered the death eaters and caught one"
"Well, that's good news. Who is the sorry ass?"
"Pansy Parkinson"
"Well, I'll be … That's a good catch Potter"
"Actually sir, I don't think she's a death eater"
"Based on what evidence, you know better than me that she is the one who killed your fellow aurors"
"It was not her sir, it was Flint; I saw her memories, she refused to kill them"
"Well, I think this is of dispute, but we will look into it another time. Now, where is she?"
"In St. Mungos, she couldn't bear the intensity of the Legilimensy, which leads to my request, I want some aurors to be placed at her ward in case any death eater would come and try to murder her"
"Request denied … And what if those death eater jerks tried to kill her, good riddance. And why do care much about her safety rather than her escaping"
"Because I know she won't, sir. I accidentally tripped a sad memory within her mind which showed her daughter being killed in cold blood by a death eater"
"…………"
"With all due respect sir, I have to ask you to send some aurors or I'll assign my whole team to guard her, it is my fault she is in here"
"……… Request granted, and I hope you are right Potter or it will be your ass and badge on the line"
"Thank you sir, you will not regret it"
------------------------------------
The ambulance reached the hospital after 10 minutes of driving. The EMTs parked at the entrance and pulled Pierce out in haste, which pained him slightly.
"Ouch, easy there idiotas"
"I heard you, Pierce" Hermione's voice came out of nowhere.
"Wha … Who's that" he turned around seeing Ron holding a walky-talky just removing his thumb from the talk button; he almost doubled over with laughter.
"Sorry Pierce; couldn't resist" Ron said between laughs
"Very funny" Pierce muttered coldly "And I thought Hermione left the force and started working as my conscious; I'll repay you that Weasley, with a handsome tip"
"You really would make a good partner with my brothers; they were the biggest mischievous chaps in school"
"Really, I never thought that anyone would be as naughty as me" Pierce laughed a bit, before he drefted to unconsciousness.
Soon they reached 'Trauma One' room, Ron stood outside while the doctor were doing their jobs.
"RON" he jumped as someone called him from behind.
"GINNY … How many times I told you not to spook me", he lowered his voice as he continued "I was about to pull my wand out in presence of muggles"
"Oops! Sorry Ron, I won't do it again" she said it indifferently earning her a scowl from Ron "You enjoy vexing me, don't you", but she him paid no attention as she turned to trauma room and looked through the glass
"Friend of yours"
"Yes, his my partner at the police force"
"I never knew you are working with muggles"
"Now you know; so if you please listen to me without interruption for a minute"
Ginny's face turned serious, because Ron would never indicate her to listen unless it is something worth attention.
Ron cleared his throat and looked sideways before starting to talk slowly nearly whispering "Pierce there barely escaped a Reductor curse, it might have only grazed him but he couldn't escape the aftermath of the curse; he have fallen one floor down with part of the roof before another part came down at him and he sustained some … minor wounds"
"All that and he only got minor wounds" Ginny looked at her brother in a skeptical look.
He took a deep breath and then continued "I want you to tend to his wounds personally, as he was attacked by wizards so the law clearly allows him to be treated by healers. And by the way, do not obliviate him, I want his memory intact"
Ginny protested "Why, muggles should be obliviated whenever they witness something magical"
"Ginny, please" Ron was now irritated "For once in your life, do what is told to you without arguing", Ginny looked at him in protest but didn't hold on to the matter.
"OK, move so I can enter"
"Just do as I say …"
"For God's sake Ron, I am not stupid. Now move" Ron moved out of the way without saying a word.
Ginny pushed the doors to trauma, and was greeted by her friends and colleagues.
"Ginny, good timing as always" that was from her close friend Alicia Adams
"Morning Alicia, although the sun hasn't risen yet; Now, gimme the bullet"
"McLaden, Pierce; 29-year-old male, 6' to 6'3" in height; weight appears to be 155–160 lbs; brought by EMTs from a cop shootout; Airway and breathing normal with no signs of breathing difficulties, abdomen rigid and distended, suspected internal injuries, pupils reaction to light normal; lost consciousness just before he is brought to trauma, he developed mild to moderate concussion at the scene, broken right femur, cracked right tibia and lift fibula"
"Just minor injuries … I swear I'll get you for this, Ronald Weasely" Ginny mumbled angrily.
"Excuse me" Alicia turned to her, and Ginny replied almost instantly "Nothing … Let's get this fellow fixed up now, shall we? I need a CBC, Chem-7, blood gases, X-Rays, and a crit"
And everybody got into action.
------------------------------------
"Now mister, would you repeat the whole scene again? And this time slowly" Hermione asked the bartender; who – despite his huge size – was shaking vigorously as if someone plugged him in 220V outlet.
"Senorita I told you; that black-hood loco stormed the place and fired an orange beam at poor Julio at that table, icompasivo Dios" he exclaimed fearfully while praying.
"Is that all?" Hermione asked in a frustrated tone but still hoping for more information.
"Si senorita, that's all"
"It is detective for you, macho" then Hermione shot toward the table where the victim were at, and was taken aback by the sight of gore.
This time the murderers weren't giving any chance of failure, the victim's upper chest and head has exploded with bits of brain, flesh and bone spread on the entire area around the table. She wore her gloves and tried to pull the wallet out of what remained of the body.
"Stop right there, detective" a familiar voice shouted from behind, she turned around and found her tormentor "Investigator Laura" she said frowning "You're late".
"And your about to contaminate the crime scene"
"I took my precautions" she waved her gloved hands "And I want that wallet for investigation"
"I think this is our job" Laura said calmly
"Now, now, Laura; you know the rule I set previously …"
"I happen to have new rules from your superiors" She didn't change her stance as she pulled out a folded letter from her pocket, which Hermione snatched almost tearing it.
Los Angeles Police Department
Robbery and Homicide Division
LAPD Board Committee
Memo to all Field Detectives:
On the light of recent events which includes some field detectives who are ignoring a trivial regulation, which notes that the crime scene investigators are the ones responsible for collecting and processing evidence, although they are not ignorant of the fact that their interference might cause some degree of contamination to the crime scene, which leads to disturbance in the case itself. The Board Committee of Chiefs of Los Angeles Police Departments has agreed to apply certain compromising solution for this undesirable situation:
1 - The detective in charge of a case must remain passive until the CSI team arrive at scene and finish their work.
2 – Any detective who does not wish to comply with the new rule will bee relieved of his/her duty and be forced to present his/her detective badge and gun.
This new regulation is effective immediately, and the CSI personnel are granted the power to extract any detective fails to comply with the regulation and report them immediately.
Head of LAPD Board Committee
John S. Maronski
If the Hermione was shooting daggers from her eyes, Laura would be dead by now; she gave the young investigator her most intimidating leer.
"Now detective, if you please; I have a crime scene to check" said Laura not giving a damn about the leers of the young detective
Hermione stood there for a minute glaring at the cool investigator before storming out of the bar swearing loudly.
"That old goat; good-for-nothing, wrinkled-arse, vile retard"
"Bloody Hell Hermione, I never thought your language could descend to that colorful speech you just blurted"
"Oh, shove it Weasley; I'm not in the mood" She retorted aggressively at Ron who just came from the Hospital.
"Why? What happened?" Ron asked in confusion.
"That wanker Maronski has put some new restrains on our jobs" she stated as she handed the notice to Ron, who read it quickly then stood there with a smile.
"At least now we have some vacancy in our time"
"Who said I need vacancy" Hermione exclaimed in disapproval.
Ron stared at her for a minute before speaking "You know Hermione, sometimes I mistake you for a machine. Since I came here I never saw you rest for a minute, what's eating you lassie? Do you have any problems with your boyfriend?"
Ron regretted his question when he saw the sad look appearing on her face. She that answered in a calm, tear-shedding voice "Actually, my boyfriend was tortured and killed by the Drug Lord Muerte; he was my past partner and our informer inside the cartel. He was exposed because some corrupt investigator leaked information about the detectives who deal with Muerte's cases. I, myself, was and still their number one target and barely escaped death once, everyone around me is also become tainted and targeted by them, and that's why I always like to work alone, I am a cursed person, I'm all alone"
Few tears escaped her eyes despite her effort to push them back, and Ron looked at her with sympathy and tried to comfort her.
"You are not alone; and you remind me of a friend, who also was a target since he was one year old, his parents died by the hands of the Dark Lord himself in an attempt to save him, he then ……"
His eyes widened as he saw her confusion and fear, he noticed that he spoke his thoughts out loud; too loud 'This is bad, I almost blurted the secrets of the Wizard World to a muggle. This is truly bad'
"Wha-What, Dark Lord, one-year-old target, what are you babbling about" Hermione looked at Ron with a confused look
"Nothing, nothing, just some nonsense" Ron tried to dismiss the matter.
"I never her of a nonsense so … Complicated" Hermione not wore her usual inquisitive look, which made Ron sweat real badly.
"I'll go and convince the investigator to give us a draft of their progress" Ron said as a last attempt of escape, which – for his relief – was answered with an approval yet skeptical nod from Hermione; but as he headed for the bar, he felt Hermione's piercing looks at his back.
Hermione then stood for a second processing her thoughts before heading toward the dark alley beside the bar, 'There is something fishy about that Weasley' she thought to herself on her way to the alley 'I've got to speak to Pierce about it'
As she reached the alley she looked around, this is the place where the second party came out from and confronted the murderers; their allegiance is still unknown, but until it is revealed they must be treated as hostiles, no more unwanted trust in strangers; she once done it and lost her boyfriend as a price.
She didn't find any interesting so she went deep into the alley for a thorough check, only to find nothing. She stood there with frustration and hopelessness, and was about to leave the alley, but her police intuition kept her, and a thought of going deeper came to her.
She only walked a few steps until she reached a bend before feeling the presence of someone on the other side of the bend; she leaned forward only to see the silhouette of two people under faint light, and overheard the weirdest conversation she ever heard in her life.
"Have you got everything Sofia?"
"No sir; the equipments here are useless in thorough check; we'll have to wait until the body remains are transferred to the morgue"
"Not good Sofia, you already disappointed me once; I will not tolerate failure again"
"Yes sir; also there is some good news, our encounter with the death eaters left them no time to remove the magic signature of the curse used on the victim"
"Really; maybe not all has been in vain after all"
"I will spare no effort in acquiring the needed information"
"I know Sofia, I have high expectations in you and the whole team; I have not chosen you blindly, you are the best aurors in the world; but don't let that get in your head"
"I see sir; I will not disappoint you. How's auror Pavlov doing sir?"
"He's doing well; although he was hit by bone-exploding curse that hit his shoulder; and a slicing curse that nearly amputated his leg; but I do not doubt the skill of the chaps in St. Mungos, they will get him patched up in no time"
"I see sir; the loss of auror Pavlov would be a major blow, as he is considered a great asset to our team"
"I know that; but not to worry, he will be back in a couple of days mostly"
I hope so sir; I better return to the crime scene now"
"Go, I will wait your full report at the headquarters"
Hermione heard a door open as one of them entered the diner; but the other one is still there; she devised a plan to catch him off guard, but her mind was still all wrapped up with the conversation she eavesdropped. She made up her mind, and jumped in the alley's section the person was in, "Freeze" she shouted with firmness, and suddenly her eyes caught his.
She never saw eyes that green in her whole life, she felt as if she was hypnotized for minute before noticing him moving backwards slowly; she fired her first shot at him, and her widening as she saw him dodging the bullet in a un-human speed; she fired a second bullet but didn't reach him as it seemed to hit a force field that suddenly appeared around him. She stood there dumbfounded only to see him running astounding speed toward the end of the alley as there was a bend there; she regained her awareness and leaped behind him, but by that time he reached the bend and turned to it. She jumped forward and pointed her gun, but to her dismay he was gone, and it was a dead-end.
"H-How?" she said almost fainting; she stretched a trembling hand toward the wall in front of her, it was clearly a solid wall. She stepped out of the alley shivering violently wearing a stunned look on her face only to meet Ron's worrying eyes, she held his arms tightly.
"There's a man … bullet dodged … disappeared … dead-end" she stuttered almost fainting in Ron's arms.
"It's okay; the darkness of the alley along with your injuries caused you to hallucinate" Ron said with a weak smile.
"Injuries? Hallucination?" Hermione looked at Ron with tired and confused eyes.
"You see; that spe… Beam you were hit with caused you to hallucinate about everything happened there; I checked the alley when you were at the bar before you come out, and there was nothing"
"I-I don't know, I don't feel well right now; I will go to home, I want to lye down for a while"
"Good for you" Ron said with a wider smile "I will escort you to your flat"
------------------------------------
"BP 90/60 and falling" a nurse exclaimed
"Give him an amp of Epi; and where those bloody results are. Maria call the lab and tell them to get their arses to work for God's sake" Ginny shouted at the nurse beside her
"Okay" nurse Maria ran toward the phone.
"Kati, how's the BP" Ginny asked the first nurse
"100/62 and rising" nurse Kati answered giving Ginny a thumb-up
"He's in V-fib" a nurse shouted
"We're losing him" Alicia said to Ginny
"No we're not" Ginny said firmly
"The lab are sending the results now" nurse Maria said as she entered the room
"Give him 3cc of Potassium slowly" Alicia shouted at Kati
"Don't die McLaden; I promised Ron you won't die" Ginny mumbled nervously
------------------------------------
Harry panted heavily as he appeared at the alley in front of the HQ "That was close" he said while leaning his back to the wall behind him and trying to regain his composure; he then made his way to the HQ, and pushed open the door.
"Harry Potter sir" Dick greeted
"Greetings Dick"
"What happened sir?" Dick asked with concern
"We couldn't save the victim, and Vlad sustained moderate wounds"
"Sorry to here that sir"
"Not to worry; I have good new too, we caught or killed all of them save one who escaped after stunning detective Granger"
Harry then looked at Dick with weird eyes "So, have you to talked to her yet"
"Who?" Dick said feigning confusion.
"You know who I'm talking about; so don't play fool. I know you fancy Sofia since the beginning of the team"
"I-I …" Dick stuttered blushing fiercely
"Don't tell me you didn't; I haven't order you to contact her constantly just for information ya' know"
"Actually I … I was giving it a thought"
"Don't think about it Dick, just do it; you don't know when you will get another chance. Anyway, enough of that matter, I think that this time we caught them off guard and they didn't have the time to remove the magic signature of the curse; I want you to send this report to the Professor Malfoy in UK and tell him that more details will be available by tomorrow"
"I'll do it right away sir"
"Has Ron came yet"
AS he finished the question the door opened and Ron entered the HQ "Oi Harry, you are early" Ron exclaimed
Harry shrugged and answered "If you considered taking two hours to finish my chores early, then I suggest you check your biological clock"
Ron was shocked at Harry's answer; then he shook his head stating "Honestly, if there was anyone who considered taking down three death eaters single-handedly a chore, it would be you Harry"
"You know me mate; abnormal since my birth" Harry said smiling
"Actually; I was going to say extraordinary" Ron chuckled; then continued "Anyway, what's with the sword?"
"First your debrief" Harry said gaining him a disapproval grunt from Ron; but a firm look from Harry forced Ron to submit to his leader's 'order'
"OK; after the duel between you and the death eaters, me and Granger looked for McLaden who was in the ruined building; you did a great job by destroying the street and the surrounding building. We found McLaden injured and as soon as we reached him the building began to collapse, and without thinking I … Apparated them"
"WHAT?" Harry shouted "You apparated two muggles? Are you mad? They could be suspecting you by now"
"I didn't have much choice by then; the building was collapsing for God's sake"
Harry snorted and then asked the inevitable question "I hope you obliviated them after this 'undesirable' incident"
"Well … McLaden's injuries was critical, and the memory charm would cause further damage"
"I hope he is okay after that Reductor curse; I'm still wondering how he survived it" Harry stated in worry
"Don't worry mate; the Reductor didn't hit the bloke, as he dodged it" Ron said in cheery manner.
"Really! I never thought a muggle could dodge a normal curse let alone a Reductor"
"Well, you have to give those muggle detectives some credit mate, you sound as if you see them as hopeless bastards; they do have special training ya' know"
Harry chuckled at the comment but didn't say anything; and Ron continued his debrief "After we 'apparated' from the building, I escorted Pierce to the hospital and told Ginny to look after him personally"
"Well, that's good thinking from you at least for once in this bloody debrief; and I hope she don't give him any potions and cause more commotion among muggles"
"You know her Harry, the brains of the family; and quite hardheaded as a matter of fact. If she wanted to give him potions there is no force on earth that could prevent her from doing so" Ron stated with a sly grin; and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Anyway" Harry said wryly "About that detective Granger; have you obliviated her?"
"Didn't have a chance actually; your unfortunate encounter with her caused her to go hysterical; and there is no way I could obliviate her without doing permanent memory damage; and this time it is your fault" Ron said with a mischievous grin.
"I give up" Harry said holding his hands up "I should have known better that to enter an argue with a Weasley"
"That's true" Ron said in a victorious tone "And it's your turn mate; what's with the… BLOODY HELL HARRY DON'T DO THAT"
Dick almost doubled with laughter because Harry drew his sword in a swift move and placed the blade's tip under Ron's chin; causing the latter to trip with surprise and terror. Harry himself laughed hard to Ron's reaction.
"Sorry mate" Harry said containing the laughter "Couldn't resist", Ron looked at his friend with killing leers
"Don't you ever do that again" Ron shouted warningly while standing "I thought you were going to slit my throat"
"No way mate; who will argue with me then" Harry said chuckling
"Well … I know certain redhead who is infatuated with you and can make a good arguing wife" Ron replied with an evil grin
"That is low Ron" Harry said uncomfortably "You know better that to use your sister's emotions in teasing me; maybe I should tell her about it"
"You wouldn't dare" Ron looked horrified, and Harry looked at him victoriously "I won this time mate"
"That was so Slytherin of you" Ron stated "But enough of this matter; tell me about the sword, where did you get it from?"
"It has been mine" Harry answered flashing the side of the sword and handed it to Ron who grab it and looked at it with awe
"Godric Gryffindor" Ron said in surprise, causing Dick to look at Harry in the same awe "But I thought it has been destroyed in the final battle, and this is not its former shape" Ron said while looking at the Japanese katana
"Well, it has been remade; and it is now Godric's Katana" Harry answered his friend; who turned the sword showing the other side where Japanese letters where carved.
"What does it mean?" Ron asked with interest.
"Phoenix Sword …" Harry answered him and began to tell his story with the sword … And his destiny.
FLASHBACK
After the final battle, Harry thought he was free; and that the death of his arch-nemesis means the end of his problems; but his feeling was on the contrary of that; he felt the victory so hollow, and so bothering, so lost. He left his position as a Senior Auror and declined the position of Director of Auror Department; and went on a long journey around the world for two purposes; repairing Gryffindor's sword as it has been shattered by the sheer strength of the exchanged spells during the final battle, and looking for an answer for his discomfort. He traveled through the coldness of tundra, the heat of the desert, and the dampness of the tropics; he checked in all the magical villages in these places, he even checked the magical libraries around the world, including the Library of Alexandria; which was hidden by wizard sages to protect it from destruction by Roman legions; the guardian of library handed him a letter that addressed to him by no other than his mentor, Albus Dumbledore; it contained instruction of what to do after he destroy Voldemort and, for his surprise, what to do if the sword was broken. There was a map that showed place that has become the end of his almost two-month journey; Okinawa Island, Japan.
Harry apparated directly from Alexandria to Okinawa International Apparition Zone; he made his way to Matsurumi village, the last magical village in all Japan. He reached the village by night as there was no floo connection to any place in the village and he didn't know where to floo to if there ever was. As he reached the village, he asked the inhabitants for directions to the swordsmith dwelling. He was directed to a humble house in the outskirts that shows no signs of living, he entered with caution.
"Tatsuya-san" Harry called entering a semi-dim room; only to feel a tip of a Japanese sword under his chin; the sword itself was held by a person who was concealed in the darkness of the corner. They stood without a move for a minute that seemed to Harry like eternity, and then the dark figure withdrew the sword and came out of the darkness.
"Too slow, Harry Potter-san" said the person who was an old man, even older than what Dumbledore was; but his swift and silent moves was so much like him "From what I heard from my old friend Dumbledore-san; you are much quicker"
"I was taken aback by your swiftness, sir" Harry said with awe
"But what if I was an enemy" Tatsuya said in scolding tone "I would not give you the luxury of being taken aback; I would slit your throat and go on with my business"
Harry looked uncomfortable by that statement, and followed the elder swordsman who sat down behind a Japanese-style low table and ushered him sit opposite of him.
"Constant Vigilance, young man, always be in the state of constant vigilance; those who live your life must be in that state" Harry hardly contained a laugh as he heard the elder man saying Mad-Eye Moody's motto.
"Anyway" The elder said "I assume you came here to realign the sword … And your troubled mind", Harry's eyeballs almost poked out of there sockets and he said in stuttered-mumble "H-How did …"
"I always knew; as a matter of fact I was the one who foresaw the events of the final battle" Tatsuya stated coolly, "Also I advised Dumbledore to write you these instructions you came passing by"
Harry didn't say anything as he was shocked by these statements; Tatsuya ignored his looks and asked him "May I see the sword please? … Arigato" he said when harry handed him a worn bag; Tatsuya opened the bag and emptied its contents on the table.
"Ah, the great sword of Gryffindor" Tatsuya said while assessing the sword's condition "Of course I expected it not to meet Japanese standards, but I didn't know that the European blacksmiths were so … crude" Harry was shocked again, he never thought that any sword could surpass the beauty of Gryffindor' sword.
"Sir, this sword is the finest one in all Europe" Harry said hoping to regain some dignity for the sword.
"I should have known; because those so-called 'Blacksmiths' are not capable of making scrap metal look shiny, let alone a sword" Harry barely controlled his temper at the old man's statement.
"So, you think you can make it better" Harry said acidly
"I thought you'd never ask" Tatsuya replied and shoved the sword shards back into the bag and place it beside him; he looked intently at Harry before speaking.
"So, what else brought you here, young man?" He asked with a calm tone while pouring some green tea for both of them
Harry regained his composure and accepted the cup of tea from the elderly before speaking "Actually I was traveling around the world looking for answer for …"
"Your emptiness, your discomfort" Harry body tense and looked at the old swordsman with sheer shock; he hit the bull's eye.
"Are you reading my mind old man? Because I didn't feel any probing" Harry looked skeptically at the elderly who was drinking his tea calmly.
"Rest assured" Tatsuya answered him "I didn't read your mind baka; I told you before that I foresaw the events of the final battle, and every events followed it"
Harry ignored the insult and asked "Care to explain everything old man?"
Tatsuya stood up and turned his back to Harry while looking through a window "If you want an explanation then listen to me and spare me from your brilliant comments", then he took a deep breath and resumed.
"At the dawn of magic, when the people were all muggles; a magical essence divided and four creatures with magical abilities where created, a Phoenix, a Badger, a Raven, and a Basilisk. The four creatures lived side by side as brethren, but the basilisk thought due to their 'Superior' powers they should enslave the humans; an opinion that was not accepted by his brethren. He soon left them and sought to accomplish his goals; he killed and slaughtered many humans leaving a path of destruction behind him. His brethren felt his pure hatred and evil via a link that has been erected between the four of them by the magical essence; they went on a journey for their brother and help him redeem his former self, but they were late; for the basilisk attempted to kill a pregnant woman but a force repelled him before he make the kill. The sheer power of the force was too much for his body to sustain, so he died; but not before he passed his magical inheritance to the unborn child of his victim and then burst into green flames that consumed his body vowing to return one day the shape he despise; a human. The tree brethren reached the pregnant woman and attempted to treat the woman whose water was broken; the phoenix used its tears to heal the wounds of the woman, the raven places its wing under her head and comfort her, the badger dug the earth and looked for a remedy for her pain. The woman gave birth to a boy; the first human with magical ability; but alas, the mother died much in vain to their effort"
Tatsuya returned to his seat opposite to Harry; who was so absorbed in the story.
"The three brethren vowed to raise the child and teach him to control his ability, and the boy himself was so adept in this aspect; he mastered his magic by the age of ten; the age which the young wizards now are to attend the schools of magic; but by the age of twenty the three brethren felt the nearing of the end of their journey in the world, and passed all their magic into the boy; who became a young man; the raven and the badger passed peacefully, but the phoenix vowed to return as a human and protect humanity from the wrath of his brother; the basilisk. The young man traveled the world aiding the people against evil; after twenty years of traveling he reached his last stop, Britania. He aided a young man there to pull a sword out of a stone and claim the kingship of the whole island …"
Harry interrupted the elderly "You don't mean …"
"Yes" Tatsuya nodded "The king you know as Arthur of Camelot; and the Wizard was Merlin, the first wizard on Earth. After aiding King Arthur in his quest, he was granted a manor where he lived a happy married life. He had four children, those who were detained to be the descendants of the four founders of Hogwarts. The founders were named after their descendants; Godric the Griffin (Means the Phoenix); Helga of the Huffing Puff (Pertaining to her anger of anything messes with the Nature; as the Badger was); Rowena the Raven (For sheer raven-black hair); and Salazar the Slithering (For his snake-like method of gaining glory); their names has been distorted to the ones you know. Merlin passed them the essence of the four founders of magic; Gordric was passed the courage and loyalty of the Phoenix; Helga was passed the power of Nature and the ability to utilize the earth's power and plants; Rowena was passed the wisdom and the intellect of the Raven; and Salazar, as you know, was passed the resourcefulness and the lust for power as the Basilisk"
Tatsuya paused for a minute and looked at Harry to see the effect of his words, then resumed "The founders of Hogwarts passed their magical essence to many of their descendants who form most of Erath populous today; most of them turned squibs; whom we know as muggles, but even these squibs have given birth to full wizards and witches; those who are known as muggle-borns and half-bloods. But only one family are considered a direct descendant of every founder; the Gaunts are the descendants of Salazar Slythrin; the Sprouts are of Hufflepuff; The Clearwaters are of Ravenclaw; and for Gryffindor are … The Potters"
Harry now was in a state of shock "So, I'm …"
"The last descendant of Godric Gryffindor" Tatsuya stated "And the descendant of the Phoenix"
"But I thought Dumbledore was …" Harry interjected
"He was a Gryffindor indeed, but not as a direct descendant; he might have been a Phoenix animagus, but he didn't have the phoenix essence within him. Do you remember the time when you drew this sword out of Gryffindor's hat, only Gryffindor's descendants are able to do so. And do you remember your incident with the basilisk; if you have accidentally looked into its eyes you wouldn't have been petrified, and even if Fawkes hadn't healed you by its tears you would heal naturally; all that because you have the Phoenix Essence; also you can't control the dark arts nor the unforgivables. Harry, that is because you are the Phoenix"
Harry was feeling dizzy because of all this information "So, if I am the Phoenix incarnation, then Voldemort was indeed …"
"The Humans doom, the Basilisk …" Tatsuya answered
"But then, I defeated him, so my purpose is fulfilled. I shouldn't be alive" Harry stated confusingly
"Your first purpose is fulfilled indeed, but the Phoenix true purpose is to protect the Human race from the basilisk descendant and his followers and to insure that the line of Gryffindor will not extinct. I have foresaw these events as I told you, and I have seen the darkness enveloping the planet, and a phoenix burned to ashes; and his fire illuminates the Earth and removing the shadow of darkness"
"What does that mean" Harry asked in total confusion.
"It means that the Phoenix descendant will smite the pure evil that comes to Earth, but it will not be accomplished without self-sacrifice" the elder stated calmly, and Harry looked worried and angry "It means I will die in order to save the world; brilliant … Just brilliant. And here I was complaining of boredom after fulfilling the former prophecy that indicates that I have a 'possibility' of dying; not you tell me plainly that I die!"
"It is not my own words baka; it is simply the explanation of the prophecy" Tatsuya said coolly "And you might want to know that in our knowledge as seers; Phoenix sacrifice is not something foreseen usually, it is something considered … Noble; which I can hardly fit you in"
Harry became irritated of the old man's comments "Listen old man, I had enough of that smart-mouth of yours; if you weren't on the edge of the grave I would've kicked your oriental arse"
"I would like to see you try …" and the both stood up, and Tatsuya set the table aside by a wave of his hand.
"That does it" Harry shouted angrily "Reducto", but nothing came out of his wand. Harry looked at his wand in confusion and shouted again "Rectusempra", yet nothing came.
"Only passive magic is allowed in these premises" Tatsuya stated calmly, and then grabbed suddenly by his shirt "And hand-to-hand combat", and he threw him across the room "No offensive spells, and no apparition".
Harry felt every bone in his body screaming crashed into the wooden wall; he stood quickly regaining his composure and dignity, and took the boxing stance as he saw Dudley do it.
"Now you understand me; but not enough" as he finished his sentence he disappeared and appeared beside Harry, and without warning he delivered a strong elbow blow to Harry's side pushing him through the wall into the garden. Harry tried to jump up, but he felt a presence behind him, and then heard a voice "Yield"
"Never" Harry hissed; he never backed off from a fight, and this will not be his first.
"Yield or die young man, it's your choice"
"I will die fighting; not leaning as a coward" Harry spit the words acidly
"Too bad; it was good knowing you" And he tightened his fist into delivered a rock-solid punch.
Harry didn't know what happened; but he felt the time slow down, and he tilted his head right dodging the punch barely as it grazed his temple. He then jumped up and took a defensive stance.
"Interesting" Tatsuya said "It seems some of the traits Dumbledore told me about are beginning to show up"
"What traits?" Harry said gasping from the effort he took dodging the deathblow.
"Your agility, pride, and the ability to think on your feet" Tatsuya stated "but your constant dependence on magic is what weakens you"
"Well, I think me speed is nothing compared to yours" Harry complimented "And by the way what about your statement of no apparition or magic, you seem to apparate easily within the wards"
"Who said I apparated" the old man shrugged his arms "I merely leaped to your side"
Harry looked in amazement, and then asked slyly "Care to teach me these fancy moves; or it is for Japanese only"
Tatsuya looked at Harry firmly and said "If you want to learn how to fight you better ask nicely; I only accept students not court jesters, and students must treat their sensei with respect as they are honored to be chosen as his students. Now, try again"
Harry gritted his teeth looking to the ground and spoke slowly "Would you honor me by accepting me as your student …" and then looked up and met Tatsuya's eyes "Sensei"
Tatsuya nodded with agreement "I only accept because I see that you have the qualities and the potential of a fighter" then he pointed a finger at Harry and resumed "But you must control your short temper, as it will lead you nowhere near success"
The next eight months of Harry's life in Matsurumi village was full of action, physical training; including hand-to-hand combat like Karate, Jujitsu and Japanese Sword Fighting, mental training including applying Legilimensy without the enemy feeling the probe, and sharpening his sixth sense. Also he learned some written knowledge; as Tatsuya allowed Harry to enter his family's most ancient secret, the Sacred Library of Japan.
"I will not live long, and wanted to have an heir to take care of my family's most sacred possessions; I have chosen you to be my heir. These scrolls contain ancient spells that no human in the world ever encountered, as it was invented and developed by my ancestors; I trust you will put it in good use"
Harry bended his head in appreciation "I am honored by your trust sensei"
Harry went through drastic life-threatening situations and calm situations during his training; Tatsuya's reason for this was that life itself is neither total peace nor absolute war, and if Harry has to be the one who leads the world through the bouts darkness he must master his mind in both peace and war. Harry himself became calm and understanding of his master's reasons; in fact he began to treat Tatsuya as a father he never knew.
One night during the last month of his stay, Harry was revising some of the scrolls from the ancient library, while his master was drinking some green tea and seemed to be immersed in thought.
"Sensei" Harry called quietly.
"Yes Harry-kun" Tatsuya replied
"When I first cam here and you told me the story of magic, you said a prophecy about the Phoenix sacrifice …" Harry stopped gathering his thoughts
"Yes" Tatsuya ushered him to continue
"You said that the Phoenix sacrifice is not usual to occur and it is noble, what did you mean by that?"
The elderly looked with understanding "Ah … you see, the Phoenix does not sacrifice himself for anybody, only those he seems deeply in love with are worthy of his sacrifice"
"You mean like family or friends?" Harry asked in confusion.
"Family and friends are close to a person's heart, but not so close as a soul mate"
Harry looked with more confusion "You mean like a … Girlfriend"
"A girlfriend-boyfriend relation is merely a superficial and passing interest, but a soul mate is the person whom you are in deep affection with, the person whom you cannot live without, the one who will carry the essence of the Phoenix through the line of the Potters, your future wife"
Harry was dumbfounded from the last statement "So, she is the girlfriend after all"
"Every soul mate is a girlfriend, but not every girlfriend is a soul mate" Tatsuya stated coolly
"So, how will I find this … Soul Mate?"
"You will not find her … But your heart will"
The conversation ended with this open-end. The month has passed and Harry prepared his belongings to return to England.
"You seemed to be prepared to leave, are you that anxious to leave this place" Tatsuya asked comically while holding an object concealed under a cloth.
"Not at all sir, but I wanted to bother you no longer with my presence" Harry said politely.
"Enough of your silver tongue" Tatsuya replied with a chuckle "I brought you something" and pulled the cloth revealing a sheathed katana.
"This is your sword; or, as a matter of fact, katana … Godric's Katana" he said unsheathing the sword and revealing the name written in English and Japanese.
"I took the liberty of adding a phoenix feather to the core of the handle of the sword enabling you to use magic through it; Fawkes' feather to be precise"
"Fawkes!" Harry said in astonishment as the phoenix flew through the door and landed gracefully on Harry's shoulder, who gave it a joyful stroke.
"Dumbledore told me to take care of him if something happened to him, I apologize of not telling you so soon; but I wanted you to concentrate on your training"
"It's all right" Harry said still stroking the bird "I just feel sad because I will leave when I just met my old friend again"
Tatsuya smiled before saying "Actually, this 'old friend' will accompany you on your journey"
Harry barely contained his joy and bowed thanking his old master "Thank you very much sensei"
"Now let me continue; a regular wizard or witch needs a catalyst for his/her magic to take effect, a wand in this case; highly trained wizards, like the aurors, can use a limited number of spells wandlessly. In your case, your natural talent and your heritage the Phoenix Essence aided you in mastering most of the magic spells and curses, save the unforgivables of course. Your wand merely strengthen your non-elemental magic; but by this sword you can harness the power of elemental magic easily; this includes the five elements of Nature; Fire, Water, Lightening, Air, and Earth. Your mastery of the non-elementals will still be the same; and your inability to cast the unforgivables correctly still unchanged; just remember when to use magic and when to refer to hand-to-hand combat"
Harry bowed again "I will keep that in mind sensei"
Tatsuya nodded calmly and smiled "Just remember where to go when you need council"
END OF FLASHBACK
"Brilliant Harry" Ron exclaimed in shock "So, you are the owner of Fawkes now, absolutely brilliant"
"Just wait to see him, he seemed to gang up with Headwig against me" Harry stated "Though they seem attracted to each other in some degree"
"Oh, cheer up, Harry; I think you will be the first to own a baby of a phoenix and an owl" Ron said but shuddered at the image "Though I don't want to even imagine it; what will you call the new creature by the way … Owenix?"
Dick, who listened to the whole conversation, laughed loudly at the name "It is a name of a pig Wes, not a bird; I suggest the name Phowl"
"This sounds like a name of a snake or another dark creature" Ron protested
"Let's drop the matter for now" Harry said dismissively "We have a case in our hand"
"True" Ron agreed "And your destiny to discuss; too bad you finished from a prophecy to be part of another"
"Well, who said that my life ever been easy?" Harry shrugged his shoulders while stating.
"True again" Ron said "And this sacrifice codswallop, it seems that you will die 100 this time; at least it tell us that you will die for your true love; I wonder who is the bonnie lass" Ron ended his statement with a mischievous grin, and Harry blushed slightly answering "I dunno"
"Well, I have a certain redhead as a candidate, or …" Ron stopped while remembering something "that Granger lass" and Harry's heart gave a throb and he blushed even more.
Ron continued his mischief "Now that's brilliant, she is an excellent candidate; with curves and all …"
"RON" that was from Harry who has now turned bead-red.
"Ho, ho … have I triggered a sensitive subject" Ron said teasingly, and Dick clutched his stomach with laughter.
"Ron, I swear … If you don't stop I'll hex you to next week" Harry said while fighting the blush.
Ron held his hands up "Okay, okay … Sheesh; anyway I think I know how will we introduce you to the detectives without causing much commotion"
"Really" Harry exclaimed and looked with a hint of interest.
"Yeah, trust me on that; and after you meet that Granger girl I will begin planning your bachelor party" Ron said grinning evilly
"RON" Harry blushed again, and Dick entered another fit of laughter.
------------------------------------
"YOU IDIOT" a thunderous voice roared at the death eater who fled the scene and pushed him magically to the wall.
"B-But master … Cough … Potter n-never gave me the time, he t-took down my comrades easily"
"You should do was you have to regardless of the situation, now they will know the spell we used on the victims" Flint bellowed at the frightened death eater.
"I insist that I couldn't face Potter alone, he is a force to be reckoned with" the death eater said in frightened voice "This problem …"
"… Is not your concern anymore; AVADA KEDVRA INFINITI" The young Dark Lord fired his favorite curse on the intimidated death eater, who never had time to scream as a chain of killing curses made its way to him.
"Senior Flint, this was not our deal, hombre" a short half-muscled, half-fat male came bursting into the room.
"Mister Muerte" Flint turned to the chubby "I assure you that this is a common mistake"
"You said that your plan was tonto-prueba" Muerte exclaimed with evidence of anger flexing his arms.
Flint said without flinching "I assure you that my plan is indeed fool-proof, but we encountered certain … Difficulties"
Muerte exploded with laughter "And you said you are special with your so-called magia"
Flint didn't lost his coolness and said "Well … These difficulties are in the form of aurors and especially the 'Death trackers', our counterparts"
"You are just making excuses now, gringo. A bullet in the head is what they worth" Muerte bellowed.
"If you insist, why don't you try it? Your best man against mine; survival of the fittest" Flint stated
"Now you're talking Holmes. Fernandez, you will fight" a 6'6" giant came into the room and stand flexing his muscles.
Flint smiled slyly and said "Nott" and a middle-sized man hooded came out of darkness which made Muerte flinch.
"Where the fuck did he came from?" Muerte spitted
"Oh, he was there all the time; meet my right-hand and second in power, Nott"
"This half half-macho doesn't scare me"
"Oh, I guarantee that you will change your, in this life or another" Flint said smiling, then walked to Nott and whispered "Toy with him a little before you place our signature"
They both took their stances; Fernandez pulled a Desert Eagle while Nott drew his wand.
"What!" Muerte said laughing loudly not missing the smile on his right-hand man face "Has he gone loco; fighting a gun with a stick"
"Oh, it's not a regular stick Muerte" Flint stated "It's his magic wand"
"Magia shmagia, I will see this myself …BEGIN" and Fernandez fired first.
Nott merely flicked his wand and a shield has erected and stopped the bullet; both gang-machos never saw the shield, but the bullet hit an invisible wall and drop soundly. Fernandez got angry and fired more bullets, but it was in vain as the bullets dropped before reaching Nott.
"Idiota, fight him with your fists" Muerte bellowed at his henchman, who took the cue, tightened his grip and charged like a raging bull.
Nott never moved, he jus pulled up his wand and shouted "Explodia" and a reddish purple curse erupted and flied toward the henchman causing his body above the waist to explode and, and segments of flesh and bone spread around the body.
Muerte stood speechless for a minute before muttering "I-I never saw anything like that in my life, he's just exploded"
"The power of magic at its best" Flint said smiling; and Muerte began to laugh like a maniac.
"Senior Muerte, have you gone loco" Flint said slyly quoting Muerte's previous statement on Nott.
"I will be a loco indeed if I crossed swords with you partner; or should I say wands" Muerte stated while laughing.
"What ever suits you partner" Flint said with a smile.
Muerte directed Flint out of the room saying "Come, Holmes. Let's celebrate the renewal of our alliance; my whole fortune is at your disposal"
"I have to talk with Nott for a minute, excuse me" Flint said while walking toward Nott.
"I will wait for you in the dining room then" and Muerte exited the room.
"Fool, if he only knew what we will do with his so-called fortune. Nott, remove the magical signature from this idiot's remains and ignite it, I want you to talk the matters at hand and remove the magical signature from the body that idiot left it; you may begin when you are ready, and I do not tolerate failure" Flint instructed Nott, who never expressed any emotions, but nodded with agreement and said "And if I encountered any difficulties?"
Flint narrowed his eyes and replied "Eradicate it immediately"
A/N: Phew, that was the longest chapter I ever written in my life, but it worth it and I had fun writing it, some words arein Japanese and Latina, I will translate it here:
1- Japanese:
San: Sir (Formal address in Japanese)
Arigato: Thank you (Also; Arigato gosimus; formally)
Baka: Stupid (In Japanese; Harry no baka means 'Stupid Harry')
Sensei: Master (The one who trains students in self-defense; also Sama means master but it actually means lord and addressed for Japanese noblemen)
Katana: Sword
2- Latino:
Senior: sir (Formal address in Latino).
Hombre: man, human.
Holmes: buddy (Same as amigo).
Tono-prueba: Fool-proof (Tono Fool; Preuba Proof)
Gringo: Foreigner (Derogatory)
Idiota: Idiot.
Macho: Masculine.
Loco: Crazy
Magia: Magic (Well, that was an easy one)
I will take my time for chapter 7, for it will contain hints of some major turning points.
Read and Review pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease …