Disclaimer: I wish I was the one who owns Harry Potter; but Rowling beat me to it. At least I own some of the characters and the plot itself (Sigh).
A/N: In this chapter you will see- … Why should I spoil the fun, check it yourself; and don't forget that the contest for discovering (Who Is The Mole?) is still on. As usual I thank my dedicated reviewers, especially Gu61. And I want to thank you all because the hit list reached 4000 … Yippee. I wish that the reviews would reach the same milestone. Anyway, enough of the chit-chat and on with the chapter …
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Interception
Dan and Emma were watching some sort of movie when Hermione stepped into the apartment wearing a sad look; she mumbled her greeting and went straight to her bedroom. Her parents exchanged a worried look before Dan spoke.
"Something bad has happened; I can feel it" he said looking seriously at his wife.
"During the last five days she was in sheer rage and never wanted to speak her mind, but now she seems utterly broken" she said in a worried tone
"I think you should speak with her now; suppressing emotions will not do her any good; let hear steam off some of it"
"I doubt I can do anything; but it won't hurt to try" Emma said before standing up, and waling toward her daughter's room.
When she reached the room, she heard a muffled sobbing sound and her worries doubled; she hesitantly opened the door and she was greeted with the shocking image of her daughter lying on the bad, face down, and crying. The whole scene tore Emma's heart apart; she never saw her daughter in such vulnerable state; she knew her as a strong-willed woman who never let her emotions surface, but seeing her in this weak picture was too much for her to take.
"Hermione, what is it? Why are you crying?" Emma said hugging her daughter gently; Hermione hugged her back and her crying increased.
"W-Why did h-he do that to me? W-What have I ever done to him? I-I was beginning to trust h-him and he reward me w-with that?" Hermione said between sobs, and her mother comforted her.
"Shh, shh ; it's alright; don't talk, just cry and release what's inside you" she hugged her for full ten minutes until her cry subsided, and was replaced by silent sobs.
"Now, tell me what's troubling you" Emma asked her calmly, and Hermione began to speak uninterrupted; she told her mother about the second assassination attempt that was carried out by Harry himself and his snide remarks then; she told her about Lydia's death and her miraculous survival; she then mentioned their catching of Harry inside the perimeter of the police station not forgetting to mention the odd items they have confiscated from him; she told her then about his queer escape; finally, she mentioned her recent encounter with him at the door of her apartment; and his polite persuasion, and his furious departure.
Emma listened to every word her daughter said; she was stunned and couldn't make something out of it because it seems to be so … controversial. First he saves her, and then he tries to kill her. Now, he addressed her politely after his snide remarks five days ago. If she didn't know it is real life she would've thought that it was the story of doctor Gickle and Mr. Hyde; his acts are totally opposing each other.
"Hermione, I- … It is truly horrible; I never thought that Harry could be an assassin" she said in a shock; Hermione smiled dimly and replied "That makes us two; I know how you feel mum, same as I did that night" then sadness hovered over her face again "I-I thought he was different from the other, I felt it; and he seemed so intent in finding what he wants; he even helped me with information I never even dreamed of., the exact location of the criminals; but then, in that ominous night, he told me that all that help he gave to me was only to catch me off-guard ……… Why? Why should I always suffer? Why can't I find someone I can trust?"
Hermione began to sob again, and her mother sat clueless beside her. She then hugged her gently and began to speak soothingly "Hermione, I'm really sorry for you; but I should urge you not to stand helpless. Life taught me that happiness always comes after suffering"
"But when?" Hermione exclaimed in mix of frustration and sob "When? I have suffered for long, and no hint of happiness has appeared yet"
"Happiness does not come to the lazy; you have to work on it yourself to gain it" her mother looked at her with a significant look "Which means that you have to carry on with you search of that Potter"
"But where should I start from? He left no trace when he escaped"
"He left more than one thing … Have you forgot his weaponry?" Emma replied calmly; and a glint of hope shined in Hermione's eyes.
"Yes mum; I can't think of life without your help"
"Just don't make a habit of it; you are a big girl yourself, and you can take care of yourself without the aid of an old woman like me" Emma and Hermione laughed together, before the former continued her statement "Now, I think you are tired because of all what happened; why don't you sleep a bit? I'll knock you up early in the morning"
"I think I will; thanks mum" Hermione kissed her mother on the cheek before going for the loo; Emma exited the bedroom and returned to the living room only to find her husband in a state of nervousness. When he saw her, he got up and asked her firmly.
"So" he said "Care to share?"
Emma stood silent for a second before replying "What I care for right now is that you should reconsider your judgment of people"
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"Hola"
"It's me" Our mystery caller answered with his usual remark; and waited for a minute before he heard the usual voice of his contact.
"Speak" the firm voice said as usual, and the caller swallowed hard before replying.
"It's that Potter; he mysteriously escaped from custody"
"WHAT?" the firm voice said madly "How can that be? And when did it happen?"
"Five days ago" the caller whispered hoarsely, ad he could hear the voice from the other side raging with madness
"FIVE DAYS?" the voice said enraged "Five days and you didn't care to tell me any earlier"
"I would've done that if you didn't keep me in the dark during the whole situation now taste your own medicine" the caller gained a little confidence because of his last statement; but it has evaporated quickly when the voice answered back with more confidence.
"Taste my own medicine, you say; how about I let you taste something else, like the punishment for treason, for instance"
The caller's heart fell to his feet, and he replied with a quivering voice "I'm a valuable contact, and you don't have any clue against me; you can't do this"
"Oh, you think so? Money can buy anyone, you know; and it was the reason you agreed on 'helping' with this matter after all" the voice said sarcastically "And don't talk about the lack of evidence, if you are thick enough by thinking that I wouldn't be recording our phone calls then it will be your problem" the voice added, and the called was about to faint.
"You wouldn't dare …" the caller retorted weakly, and the voice interrupted "Oh really! Just think of the reaction of your colleagues when they find that one of their own is an insider; and for whom? For Muerte, no less" the voice laughed darkly before adding "It's a situation I don't envy you on; but it will be pleasurable to witness nonetheless"
The caller felt the world spin, and he know that he was cornered; so he spoke in defeat "What do you want"
The voice got firm again when replying "I want you to aid Granger in her hunt for Potter; this muggle is so thick that she thought that she is chasing the right person; it will create a great diversion for our grand plan"
"Then?" the caller said as he felt that it was not everything.
"Nothing else; just help her until she fulfils our needs; then watch her when we get dispose of her … and her team"
The voice hanged up; and the caller stood there thinking about the pit he threw himself into it willingly; and wished if he could turn back the time …
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Three days have passed since the encounter between Harry and Hermione; and with Harry's forced hiding he felt like he was going to explode. He busied himself with remote intelligence, business reviews, and his brand new endurance training; Tatsuya originated a new series of training techniques that could up his skill and endurance to skyrocketing limits, they include the aura meditation for magical endurance, heavy weight push-ups and hanging stomach exercise for physical endurance, and a new sword fight style. Of course, he has lost his sword for the muggle police so he cannot practice the new style; but he couldn't stop thinking of what his sensei would say if he knew about the sword misplacement.
'He would skin me alive?' Harry thought as he finished his push-up number two hundred, and Dick chose this moment to barge into Harry's office.
"Sir, I found it … Oh my God" Dick's jaw dropped when he saw the large rock on the back of his superior.
"Dick! Haven't I told you that I don't like to be interrupted during training?" Harry stated in annoyance as he levitated the rock off his back and conjured it off "Now, what brings you here? I hope it is good news"
"Definitely sir; I got the solution for that magnetic field; my mom sent these papers" he handed a bundle of papers he was holding to Harry "Which contains the exact operation method of the EMPA"
"Brilliant; but have you considered the option of magic incorporation?"
"Of course, sir; and I've run these patterns into a simulator, and it showed that magic has indeed been incorporated; but it was only for directing the magnetic waves not to alter it"
"Good catch" Harry said in sheer excitement "When can you remove this annoying field, then?"
Dick's face twisted in sorrow before answering "Unfortunately, I need to study the strength of the field first before trying to remove it; or else something bad might happen"
"Not another delay!" Harry exclaimed in frustration "What do you need now?"
"Nothing fancy, sir; just placing these sensors" he pulled out a small device and a sheet of paper out of his pocket, and handed them to Harry "The sensors will estimate the exact strength and charge of the field before emitting the counterwave; we need ten of them to be placed into these places" he unfolded the paper which shows the magnetic field along with some dots "These dots represent the weak points of the field, we need to place a sensor in each point; some of the are outside the precinct and some of them in"
"I will take care of the outdoor sensors; Ron and Sofia will take care of the rest"
Dick felt shock at the statement "But sir; you are wanted by the muggles. Why don't you send Vlad"
"No" Harry replied firmly "I will do it myself, it is my weaponry that is at stake after all"
"Roger sir; just give me some time to examine the devices thoroughly"
"How much time do you need?" Harry asked
"Thirty minutes, give or take"
"Well then, during that time I will drop by the hospital and meet Ginny"
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Ginny picked up her coat and handbag before closing her locker after finishing the night shift "Okay then …" she addressed her friend Alicia "See you tomorrow"
"OK, girlfriend" Alicia replied "Take care of prince charming for me"
Ginny rolled her eyes and muttered "Whatever …", then walkout out of the main doors. She tightened the coat around her body as a cold breeze blown up; she took only two steps before hearing someone calling her.
"Psst; Ginny" she turned around only to find Harry waving at her discretely from the alley entrance "Come here" he said to her and went deep into the alley; she hesitated in following him but then made up her mind and went into the alley with her hand tightened around her concealed wand; finally when she came near him and saw him up close, she was astonished by the tired look on his face.
"Harry, are you alright? What is happening? And what is all that rubbish about you murdering Lydia?"
"I'm fine, and I know that what you are hearing is all rubbish, but you cannot convince the muggle that it is so without exposing the magic involved"
"Why? What has happened?" Ginny asked in concern; and Harry sighed deeply before answering "I got framed by the death eaters"
"What! How?" she exclaimed in anxiety.
"It seems that it was either a metamorphmagus, or they have put their hands on some bits of me … and used a polyjuice potion"
"Polyjuice potion! Harry … Have you been careless lately?"
"No, but you can't expect me to walk around the magical alleys without anyone bumping into me. Anyway, I didn't come here to discuss this matter; I only wanted check upon you and to inform you that I will place additional ward to the hospital because the death eaters are getting bolder in their attacks" he completed his statement, and she could feel his body tense with anger.
"Whatever you say Harry; you are the head of the Order after all, and you know what is best for the situation down here" she said calmly, and then hugged him "Just don't let their acts affect your rational judgment"
He hugged her back and said with a trembled voice "I know, it's just that I-I hate it when they are targeting defenseless innocents; I can't help but to get angry"
She broke the hug and looked him in the eyes intently "It is because they are cowards, Harry; and cowards are always attacking those who are beneath them, and avoiding their equals and those who are stronger"
"I know; and that's why they have to be stopped; for the sake of the people, they need to be stopped immediately" he sighed deeply again, and looked at Ginny with a smile "I know that you are off now and you need to rest for some time, so don't let me stand in your way; I will place the wards and go on with some other business"
"Okay, if you need anything don't hesitate to call; I will be at the McLadens; I live there now so I can keep a close eye on Pierce and Sherry"
"Good thing" he nodded at her, and she waved goodbye before heading back to the street. She walked toward the bus stop as she always does when she want to visit her muggle friends; and she quickly became quite fond of their way of travel. It took her thirty minutes to reach the residential area and ten minutes of walking until she came to the McLadens'; when she reached the door she pulled out the keys from her handbag; since the funeral, Pierce's physical condition was constantly improving, but his emotional breakdown was healing slowly; he isolated himself from everybody, friends and colleagues, and if it wasn't for Ginny and Hermione's check up on the house he might starve to death.
"I'm home" she said as she entered, only to be greeted with the crawling Sherry who crawled out of her play room.
"Hello, little cutie" she picked her up and gave her a gentle hug "Let's go to your daddy, shall we?" she walked to Pierce's room and knocked the door gently.
"Whoever out there, don't enter?" Pierce shouted from behind the door in a dark tone that became a habit of his for the last three days. Ginny was expecting that, of course; but she didn't expecting it to last that long; she opened the door to the bed room and stepped in cautiously; it was dim inside but she can still make out the silhouette of Pierce setting on the bed. She reached out for the lights, and the whole room was bright.
"I told you not to enter" Pierce said with dark tone and a vacant stare. Ginny put down Sherry on the floor and walked slowly over to Pierce. She sat beside him and patted him on the back.
"Pierce … Please don't do that to your self" she pleaded weakly, and his body tensed "Do what! Destroy myself! If you didn't notice I am already ruined; my wife is dead, my family ties dissipated … I'm all ruined"
Ginny bit her lower lip to prevent herself from tearing "Pierce, please … Have you forgotten your vow in front of Lydia's coffin?" his breathing stopped when she reminded him of his vow; he looked at her questionably, and she lowered her stare "I will take Sherry for a stroll in the park; if you are feeling yourself all set then join us"
She picked up the giggling Sherry and walked out of the room felling Pierce's gaze upon her back; she didn't mind it and addressed Sherry gently "Now, let's dress you for an outing; let me check your nappy first"
She took her time changing Sherry's diapers and dressing her properly; and when she finished, she looked at the little beauty that was looking at her innocently "Alright lovely; time for our stroll … Upsy daisy" she picked up the little girl and put her on her shoulder facing back; then she felt her trying to reach something at her back, so she turned backwards only to be startled by the standing Pierce who was leaning comfortably at the door frame.
"Good Lord; Pierce … You startled me, when did you arrive here?"
He shrugged his shoulders and answered "A couple of minutes ago … You know, I never knew that you are good with the babies; Sherry has already developed a liking on you"
"Well, I took care of some here and there" she answered vaguely; ten tried to divert the conversation "So, what brings you here? Have you thought about what I've just told you?"
"Yes" he retorted quickly "And I realized how dishonest and self-centered I am; I never been a man to my word and I've totally been a washout; and I didn't affect myself only, but I also dragged all my friends along with me. Ginny, I'm sorry; do you accept my apology"
Ginny smiled at him "Of course, how can I not?"; he felt his heart lighten and his mood brighten "So" he said in his old cheerful way "Where are we going again?"
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"Bloody tiring" Harry mumbled and wiped his sweat as he finished erecting the last ward around the hospital "But now I can be more comfortable; that God that I can erect it from this remote alley, or many unwanted encountered would take place"
He pulled his coat collar up and dissapparated from the site to the apparition point near the HQ. He paced quickly toward the HQ itself. As soon as he entered through the main door, he jogged toward the intelligence hall and pushed the door open
"Sir" Dick exclaimed in excitement "Everything is ready"
"Good, now hand it to me" Harry extended his hand demanding, and dick handed him a small bag "This bag contains the devices, the operation manual, and the map for the planting locations; every device has been rigged with a timed disconjure spell that will be automatically activated after it finishes its function. I took my time adjusting the power and the duration of the counter-wave using newly developed bio-chipsets; I also added a concealment charm for every device"
Harry raised an eyebrow in amazement "I see that you didn't spare any expenses in utilizing the new funds"
Dick smiled but didn't replied; and Harry continued seriously "I will be on my way now; contact Ron and Sofia and tell them to meet me at the alley behind the police station immediately"
"Roger sir" Dick saluted his superior, and Harry stepped out of the HQ and quickly disapparated from the site. He appeared at the back alley and saw Ron and Sofia already waiting for him.
"God, have I been that slow!" Harry said in amazement.
"Actually, Dick contacted us before you even got to the headquarters, sir" Sofia said calmly; and Harry looked intrigued "Remind me to recommend you all for the next promotion"
Sofia smiled but didn't comment; and Harry continued "Now, let's get to work; I can't wait to get my weapons back"
Ron and Sofia exchanged a worried look, before Ron spoke "Harry … I have to tell you something; it is not good though …"; Harry looked at his best mate with concern, before the latter spoke up again "Hermione took off with your sword and wand"
"WHAT!" Harry yelled in fury; and shook Ron violently "Where the bloody did she go! And why didn't you stop her!"
Ron hardly freed himself from Harry's grasp and replied "I don't know; she said that she was in a hurry; and don't think that I didn't try to stop her, even Sofia here tried … But it was all in vain; and when we checked up for your weaponry in the evidence vault it was been taken by her"
If Harry's eyes were shooting daggers, both aurors would be cut in shred by now; he suppressed his rage in difficulty and spoke up again "No matter; at least it will give us more time to plant the devices properly …" and he pulled the operating manual "And to draw the scheme of the surveillance in the basement level"
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Sherry laughed excitedly as she shoveled the sand from the sandbox into her pink bucket; and Pierce smiled from his seat at his daughter's happiness "It's a long lost smile; how I missed it …" Ginny said as she walked toward him and handed him a cup of coffee.
"I'm just happy to see my daughter in the sun again; I was truly an idiot to dwell into endless grief" he closed his eyes, and she felt his buried grief trying to get out again "I know that grief will not bring my Lydia back again, and I now that I pulled you down into this senseless issue … I'm sorry"
"Oh, don't be; it is your right to feel sad; it was your wife after all, and you will be coldhearted if didn't; just don't let the grief control your life"
Pierce smiled at her "You speak like you have experienced the same issue" and he mentally cursed himself when he saw a sad look on her face.
"I did" she said weakly "I lost a brother and almost lost my father during an assassination attempt; I also lost my childhood friend for the death eaters … I-I just hate it; every time they appear I lose someone I care for …"
He saw the tears forming in her eyes, and he hugged her gently; she took the cue and began to cry in his chest "Why do the innocents always die?"; she kept crying for ten minutes, and Pierce hugged her more fiercely 'God, I never knew she suffered that much; my loss looks small beside hers'; her crying was now reduced to sobs; and her jasmine scent reached his nose and intoxicated him.
Finally, Ginny pulled herself away from him, and muttered weakly "I'm … I'm sorry; I just broke down a little bit"
"No need to be …" he looked at her straight in the eyes, and felt like he was drowning into them; he leaned slowly at her, and she did the same. Before any of them make another move Sherry's giggles brought them back to reality.
"Sorry …" muttered Pierce as he leaned back at the chair cursing himself silently 'What are you trying to do! You have just lost your wife, and she was broken down! I never knew that you are that low to take advantage of a collapsed lady'
"Pierce! Look!" Ginny's voice pulled him back to reality, and he looked at her in curiosity "Look!" she said again pointing at a direction; he looked at that direction and his eyes widened.
Sherry was in a near grassy area, but the most important thing is that she was standing … Yes, standing; a little shaky but nonetheless standing; she took her first unsteady step, and his heart glowed with happiness.
"Yes, darling; another one for your daddy" Ginny stood up extending her arms to urge Sherry for more steps; and the little girl completed a set of five steps before falling into the open arms of Ginny in a fit of laughter "That's my little sweetheart"
Pierce felt like life has smiled upon him again and looked in gratefulness at Ginny, who was holding his little girl; without her, he would've missed the first steps of his only daughter; which he would not trade for anything in the world. Then an idea hit him suddenly; and it was mad as hell.
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Hermione passed the front gates of Yoshiro's house; she tightened her hand on the plastic bag before ringing the doorbell and she heard a shuffling until a young Japanese woman opened the door "Yes" she asked cautiously.
"I'm Hermione Granger; Yoshiro told me that his grandfather returned yesterday, so I came to see him"
The woman's face brightened "Ah, yes; Akira told me that you will come; please … come in"; she guided her through the entry hall into the living room.
"Please, have a seat" the young woman ushered her toward a near seat before picking up a teapot and pouring her some green tea "I am Sanae Yoshiro by the way; I'm Akira's wife"
"Pleased to meet you, Sanae" Hermione greeted back "Is Yoshiro's grandfather here?"
"Last time I checked up he was asleep, but let me check again; please, make yourself at home" Sanae said as she walked out of the room
Hermione leaned back at the sofa scanning the room 'Modern American style; not bad' she sipped some tea 'Green tea; nice change. It has been a long time since I had a cup of English tea, though; when was that last time …' her heart stung as she remembered 'With Harry Potter'; she was pulled out of her thoughts when Sanae stepped in again "He's awake now; let me guide you to him"
They walked through the back garden and she saw a Japanese-style pool house at the end of the garden "He insisted that Akira change the design of the pool house to match the Japanese style; he cannot tolerate an American style room"
"I see" Hermione said absentmindedly; she was too immersed in her thoughts of the theories about the sword. When they reached the pool house Sanae ushered her toward the house "You can enter as he is expecting you; just don't forget to take off your shoes before entering, it's a Japanese tradition to do so; and I reckon you know your way back to the house. We can have a little chat over tea"
"Thank you, but I don't want to trouble you more than that; I will be on my way after I finish my business here" Hermione said sincerely.
"Whatever suites you, miss Granger-san" Sanae nodded politely before heading back to the house, leaving Hermione all alone in front of the Pool house door. She stood still for a minute before making up her mind and she knocked on the door.
"Come in" a firm voice came from inside; and Hermione slid the door slowly revealing the inside of the room. It was truly designed as a Japanese house, and for a second she thought herself in Japan. In the middle of the room, there was an aged Japanese man sitting on the ground with a teapot on a low oriental table in front of him.
"You must be detective Granger; welcome" the elder man said in a firm yet friendly tone.
"I presume that you are Yoshiro's grandfather" she said as she eyed the elder Japanese man.
"Yes, I am Genzo Yoshiro; the elder of Yoshiro family, and a historian too. Akira told me that you have obtained a Japanese katana that interested him"
"Yes; but first can you tell me anything about the Japanese swords" she said as she clutched the plastic bag tightly.
Genzo didn't change his setting stance as he picked up a cup pouring some green tea into it before handing it to Hermione "Well, Japanese swords are not one type; some are used for offense and some are used for defense; some are suitable for strong worriors, and the others are suitable swift attack; even the swords of the same type are different in size and shape …" he poured himself some tea before looking back at Hermione firmly "If you need me to help you, miss Granger, I need to have a look at the sword first"
She looked at him for a second before making up her mind "Very well …"
The cup fell off Genzo's hand as she unveiled the sword "Where did you get that?" he asks her in hoarse voice
"From a criminal" she answers casually; and he shook his head firmly "Impossible, no criminal can wield this sword … may I?" she handed him the sword, and he unsheathed it skillfully; his eyes caught a glimpse of the Japanese characters carved on the blade "It is indeed the phoenix sword; then the hero of the two worlds has appeared at last"
Hermione looked at him in utter confusion "Care to explain? Because I'm feeling a bit lost"; took a minute admiring the sword's craftsmanship before sheathing again and looking back at Hermione.
"I told you I'm a historian, Miss Granger; Japanese historians' job includes taking records of recent and old history, common folklores … and prophecies" he picked up his fallen cup and poured some tea "I loved my job, because it lets me encounter many interesting subjects; and some of these subjects may contain a bit of truth" he pointed up at the sword and continued "Like this sword"
"I still don't understand the relation" Hermione said with more confusion handing him her cup; and he poured her some tea before continuing "One day I was at the temple library reading some ancient scrolls; and I happen to stumble upon one which contains such intriguing information" he looked at her with a significant look "It was talking about a certain prophecy commonly known as 'The End Of The World' …"
"Not that hogwash again" Hermione said in irritation "If it's just another silly talk, I will …"
"My thoughts was just as you then …" he interrupted her firmly "But now you brought me the proof that the information I got was not 'silly'; it is this sword" he held the sword in front of her face.
"Didn't you take notice that you haven't told me anything about the sword yet? I'm beginning to suspect that you have anything to tell at all" she said in rudely, and he shot her a glare "I will come to this point if you didn't have the habit of interrupting me. Now, what I was saying is that when I found that scroll, I didn't gave it much of a thought; but due to that lack of any other interesting information I returned to it and read it thoroughly; and what it was containing was truly troubling" he said it in a tone that attracted Hermione's full attention "What does it say?" she said in interest
"Its words were written in Japanese poetry style, but I will translate it and simplify it for you. It says that the gates of hell will open, and evil will rule the earth for a decade burning and slaughtering and enslaving; no force on earth will match the armies of evil and their dark lord …" Hermione felt her heart grip at the grim picture "But then, when all is about to be lost, a hero will emerge; the wielder of the Phoenix Katana; the savior of the two worlds"
"Two worlds! What two worlds!" Hermione questioned in confusion; but Genzo answered with a shrug "I don't know; I'm only telling you what that scroll contained. Although I have given it a thought but didn't come up with any answer"
"You said that our world will descend to darkness…" Hermione said thinking "So it can be count as the one world; but the other world … Can it be the world this evil came through it?"
"May be …" Genzo said casually "But what is most importantly, is that this sword cannot be wielded by other than its original owner; who is no other that the Savior"
"But I told you it was found in the possession of a criminal …" she said stubbornly.
"And I am telling you that this sword is the Savior's sword" he picked up the sword firmly "But that doesn't mean it cannot be stolen … Or maybe that criminal isn't a criminal at all"
"Oh please" Hermione snapped "He killed an innocent and tried to kill me, and you say he isn't …" she stopped herself from completing the sentence and tried to calm herself down "I'm sorry, it's just that this subject is getting on my nerve. Can we talk about something else please?"
"As you wish; but I thought you wanted to know about the sword"
"Yes, so speak up about the sword please; I'm done with this argument. Can you tell me the origin of the sword so we can track down the true owner?"
Genzo looked at her for a second before picking up the sword and unsheathe it; he took his time studying its carvings "This crafting style is Okinawa style; and original too" he looked at her significantly "I told you that the swords are divided into types; attack, defense, strong and swift …"
"Yes" she replied confusingly
He leaned forward "This sword matches all types …"
"How come?" she asks interestingly; and he handed her the sword "You see this; these carvings are the fingerprint of the sword; each katana has its own fingerprint, much like the humans; and these fingerprints determine the main use of the katana"
She looked at him, then examined the sword "And this sword's fingerprint …"
"Matches all, as I said" he leaned forward again and pointed at several points "Look here, here, and here; this rippling is mainly used in offensive swords to ensure clean slicing; but the length of the sword shows that it can be used in defense; Offensive swords are much shorter that the defensive ones. Also, take note of the weight of the sword; it is light; very light for a normal Japanese sword, yet it is unbreakable"
"And why is that?"
"Because the steel used in forging the sword is a mixture of Japanese and European steel; which is truly remarkable" he took a sip from his cup "This Katana is suitable for a hero indeed …"
"As much as I like to praise your punctilious description; this information doesn't get me anywhere" Hermione said as her stubbornness returned "I still don't know much about the owner"
"On the contrary, it has told me much" Genzo retorted "From the style of the sword, you can know the character of the wielder; he is agile and strong, as the blade says; and he is experienced in many offensive and defensive styles. If I was you, I would look for a middle aged man; because it will take time for a person to learn such techniques; unless he has been training intensively since young age"
"I see; so our objective is simply a cocktail" Hermione said in a scornfully; and Gnezo shot her another glare.
"I would be more polite when I talk about a warrior like that; not many Japanese swordsmen have ever achieved such feat, and the only ones who ever achieved it were old"
Hermione felt ashamed at her attitude even though she couldn't take in the whole concept "Sorry; I shouldn't have ridiculed your knowledge"
Genzo's expressions soften as he replied "No problem; just learn not to think less of other people's cultures. And in the mean time I advise you to look for the owner of the sword and win him to your side; I wouldn't dare of crossing swords with him if I was you"
"I will keep that in mind" Hermione retorted quickly "Thank you for everything, Mr. Yoshiro; I will be on my way"; she thanked the elder man and walked out of the pool house toward the main. Upon her departure she bumped into Sanae, who was on her way to check upon them.
"Leaving so Soon?" Sanae asked with a smile.
"Yes; I got what I wanted, so no need to bother you anymore" retorted hermoine quickly.
"There was no bother" Sanae replied "In fact I hoped if we can have a cup of tea together"
"I'm afraid I can't; I have to run the data in the police station; may be other time"
"Okay then; say hi to Akira for me"
"Alright" Hermione shook hand with the young woman and walked out of the house.
-----------------------------------
"Alright, all set" said Harry as he finished setting the last sensor outside the police precinct; he got up and double checked his work before sighing in relieve "Time to check what the others did"; he pressed the call button on the invisible headphone, and a hologram of Ron appeared in front of him.
"Y-s Har-y?" Ron said as the static interrupted his call.
"What's happening, why are you breaking?"
"I d-n't kn-w, m-st be t-e ef-ect of th- ma-na-tic fie-d" Ron said as the static worsened.
Harry sighed in frustration "Like it is not enough. Anyway, I was just checking on your progress, but it looks like you have to brief me at the headquarters"
"Wh-t ev-r y-u s-y -arry …" and the call ended.
"Damn, one problem after another; how typical …" Harry said in anger as he checked the sensor for the last time; and suddenly, his sixth sense shot up, and he turned around quickly …
"Freeze!" but not quickly enough as an FBI agent was pointing his gun at him.
"So, one of Johnson's henchmen has sneaked up on me, remarkable" Harry sneered at the agent not minding the gun pointed at him.
"Shut up Potter; you have no right to say anything" the agent yelled in anger.
"Oh really! What about your usual saying 'You have the right to remain silent', is it history now?" Harry stood confidently as he sneered at the agent.
"Just shut up …" the agent yelled at him, and then pressed the side of his headphone "This is Agent Wilson, come in" and he heard only static "This is Agent Wilson; anybody respond"; still no answer "Damn, where is everybody"; then suddenly, a loud screech came out of the headphone "Mother …" and forcibly removed the faulty headphone and got distracted for a second, Which was enough for Harry to take control …
"Sorry chap" he said as he leapt beside the dumbfounded agent "Nothing personal" he punched him squarely in the stomach causing him to lean in pain, then pushed his open palm into his chest "Just business … Offendo" the agent flew five meters before colliding with the wall and fainting; Harry then checked up the agent's vitals before calling on Ron.
"Ron, answer me"
"-arry; wh-t is –t, ma-e?" Ron said as the static shredded his sentence.
"I got an FBI agent down; I don't know where the bloody hell he came from; but he tried to arrest me and I resisted. Give him a fresh memory before calling for help"
"Ok-y, H-rry"
"I'm returning to headquarters now … Over and out" Harry said and glanced at the unconscious agent "Sorry, fellow; I know you are doing your job; but I need to do mine too" then he disapparated. Unfortunately, Hermione was near the police station at that time; and she took this very alley to reach the basement level quickly. She accidentally stumbled upon the broken body of the FBI agent, so she ran toward him.
"You there; are you okay?" she called him but he didn't answer; so she slapped him lightly on the face "Wake up!"
"Wha- … Ouch, I can't move" the agent woke up in pain; and Hermione looked at him suspiciously.
"What are you doing here?" she asked him suspiciously; and he looked disoriented as he glanced at her.
"Where is here?" he asked back; but then it hit him "Yes, I remember … I was patrolling the entrance area, and heard a commotion coming from inside the alley, so I checked it up; and It was true; there was somebo-ouch …" a pain yell cut his statement; but Hermione who was hyper didn't let him be.
"Who? Who was it?" she urged him to resume, and he did "It was Potter …"
Hermione's eyes widened at the revelation "Potter!" she exclaimed "He came near the precinct; how bold" her eyebrows knitted "he is either foolish, or …" she tightened her grip around the plastic bag as the other option came to her.
"What? I don't understand … ouch" the agent said in pain as he fighting against a faint.
"Don't be …" she muttered before raising her voice "So ... Why didn't you detain him or at least call reinforcements?"
"I tried to call; but the headphone didn't work and screeched into my ear causing me to be distracted for a second, then …" he stopped talking and a confused look hovered over his face.
"What!" Hermione yelled in frustration "Don't stop now; tell me what happened"
"I don't remember" he said in confusion "I felt a sharp pain and then fell unconscious"
"Nothing! Can't you remember anything at all!" she urged him hoping for a slip of tongue from Harry.
"I do remember one thing …" the agent said as he squeezed his mind "Before I fall unconscious, I heard him yell one word … Offendo"
"Offendo!" Hermione looked at him in confusion "What does it mean?"; and he shared her the same confusion "I don't know. Now if you please I will faint …", and his head fell back.
"FBI … How tough" she muttered sarcastically while standing up "Wait here, I will bring you some help, tough guy"
"No need, we are here already …" she heard the voice of Ron and she turned around and saw him standing by the L-bend with the investigator Laura by his side; and he was wearing an irritable look on his face "Hermione, what are you doing here"
Hermione looked angry at him "You must praise me for being here at the moment, not to scold me; Potter was here for some reason and attacked this agent before fleeing somehow …"
"I know …" Ron interrupted her "We have received the agent's call; why do you think we are here, then?" then he remembered something "By the way; I think the entrance in the other side"
"I know; but I want to enter via the maintenance door" she said it coldly; and Ron looked at her scolding "Hermione; we are not allowed to exit via this door"
She exhaled in frustration as she replied "I know; but I want to return the evidence to the vault without Johnson's boys breathing down my neck. How do think I got it out of the station in the first place?"
Ron stood speechless looking at her with accusing eyes; and she rolled her eyes and continued "Look, Ron. I know that ignoring the rules is not good; but if I kept following the rules Johnson sets, than there would not be any progress in the case" then she gave him a significant look "And if I didn't smuggle out these, then I would not need to come into this alley, and I wouldn't have discovered him lying in here"
"Whatever …" Ron said indifferently "And what progress are you talking about"
"That … We will talk about in the office and AFTER I arrange my thoughts about it; I will tell you only one thing, he said he heard Potter shout 'Offendo' before falling unconscious" Hermione retorted, and then headed straight to the back entrance before the perplexed Ron can ask any further questions; she returned the evidence to the vault and went straight to her office. The first she did when she sat down is pouring down all her thoughts onto paper.
Information:
1- The sword found in Potter's possession is called the Phoenix sword.
2- It has been made in Okinawa, Japan.
3- It can be used for both offense and defense.
4- The true wielder of this sword (Who is yet to be known) is the savior of the world.
5- The wooden stick is still a mystery and its owner is unknown.
6- The phoenix carvings on the stick indicate that the two objects are related; so the owner of them is probably the same one.
7- Harry Potter has been sighted near the precinct, yet his intentions are still unknown.
8- The agent heard potter yell 'Offendo' before falling unconscious.
To Do List:
1- Search for the original owner of the sword.
2- Run a thorough examination on the wooden stick to unveil its true purpose.
3- Arrest Potter on sight (Warrant Obtained).
4- Discover Potter's reason for appearing near the precinct.
5- Look for the meaning of 'Offendo'.
She pushed the note aside as she finished writing, and turned on her computer "Let's begin with the easiest …"
--------------------------------------------
"Bloody hell, Ron; can you do something right for once?" Harry pounded his desk in anger as he yelled at his best mate.
"I didn't waste time wondering, if that what you mean" Ron retorted with equal anger "She simply entered the alley at the same minute you left the scene; and she told me that she took this detour to reach the evidence vault and return her 'borrowed' evidence; in other words, your wand and sword"
Harry looked in silent irritation at his friend and second in command before speaking "It's my fault then; is that what you are implying? I assume that he never said anything important"
"Wrong again" Ron said indifferently "He told her that you yelled 'Offendo' before he fell down; which I don't know what the bloody hell it means; care to tell me?"; Harry's jaw tensed as he heard the statement; and he fell back to his seat thinking deeply.
"I asked a question, didn't I?" Ron's voice pulled Harry back to reality; and he reassumed his angry expressions "None of your business"; Ron got angry at Harry's way of addressing him "I see that your anger got the best of you, Harry, which is not a good thing; call me if you cooled down. I brought you the scheme of the surveillance cameras in the basement floor as you requested"
Harry watched as Ron threw the map on the desk before walking out of the office in anger, and then went into deep thought. He never encountered a person that got him into such difficulties since the days of Voldemort, but this muggle detective has proved to be so witted and stubborn; but he has to forgive her though, because he knows that she has been 'misdirected'. Nevertheless, he needs to regain her trust somehow; the main problem is that he has been framed deeply to the point of no return, and only a miracle will restore the relations to its former strength.
He shook his head irritably "First I need to clear my mind and wait until the time is up for weapon collection, and only training will do so" he said as he glanced at the horizontal pole; so he jumped up and hanged himself upside down by his legs, and began stretching …
-------------------------------
"Two hours, and no bloody thing" Hermione muttered in frustration as she shut her computer down "So much for an easy task"; she pulled the surveillance photo of Harry, the only photo they found; and placed it in front of her "What are you doing now, Potter; tell me so I can stop you and put you out of your misery"; she looked deeply into his emerald green eyes; those eyes that showed warmth and caring, those deceitful eyes; how much she liked them, and how much she hates them now.
"I somewhat liked you, you know that?" she spoke to the picture "And you threw that in my face; I will not feel any comfort until I see you behind the bar"; she kept staring at the photo for some time, then the phone ringing startled her; she picked up the speaker and yelled "Bloody yes"
"Detective Granger … This is Yoshiro from the lab" the quivering voice of the lab specialist came out of the speaker.
"Sorry Yoshiro; I'm not in the mood right now"
"But detective; I think we found a match in the handwritings"
Hermione never answered but paced quickly to the elevator and to the lab "Yes Yoshiro; what have you found"
Yoshiro looked at her in astonishment "You came so quickly. Anyway, I think there is a good match between two statements in the business letter and the file" he pointed at a sentence in the business letter "Look here" then pointed at a sentence in the file "And here, and observe the curves of the letters; much similar"
Hermione looked at both sentences, and noticed that the matching sentence in the file contains the words 'Perform Shock and Awe tactic' in it; and she remembered it was the same sentence Harry told her when he handed her the folder "Yes" she said "It s a match"
Yoshiro nodded "That's right. And by the way, I've read the folder, and I think that it has not been written by a thug, but a master tactician maybe; although the style is more like CIA's"
The statement hit Hermione in the mind 'Of course; that explains the lack of information about him; he must be working undercover for the CIA, or maybe the MI5. But that doesn't explain his murder attempt'
"Detective Granger" Yoshiro said cautiously pulling her out of her thoughts "I think your cellphone is ringing"
She pulled out her phone and pressed the accept button "Yes"
"Hey girl; it's me" a familiar voice came out of the phone; and Hermione beamed with happiness "Pierce! How are you doing?"
"Very fine; thanks to a red haired angel called Ginny; by the way how is your investigation doing?"
"Not good" he said irritably "Every path I take is a dead end; but hey, we found a match in the handwritings"
"Cool; and I have a couple of good news; the first is that I hooked up with the police system and prepared the sting for our bouncer"
"Really, very good indeed; and the other news?"
Pierce's got exited as he spoke up "Sherry took her first steps …"
"What? That's really brilliant Pierce; I wish I was there to see it"
"Don't worry; wait for five days then I will come and bring her with me"
"You don't need to come, Pierce; you still haven't healed completely" Hermione said in concern.
"I have healed fully Hermione" Pierce said firmly "And I got bored of sitting with nothing to do"
"Whatever you say, Pierce; just don't stress yourself"
"You know me Herms … Ciao" Pierce hanged up, and Hermione looked at the phone absently.
"Well, I think I have nothing to do for now; home, wait for me"
-----------------------------------
Harry appeared at the dark corner of the evidence vault; the ward and the magnetic field finally came down and they could apparate to in and out of the precinct again. He stood silently for a minute trying to hear anything, but he heard nothing.
"Good … Now to action"; he waited until the surveillance camera turned left before pushing her wandlessly so it will permanently face upward; he then walked slowly toward the locker where his weapons are; he wandlessly unlocked the locker and sighed in relief when he saw his sword and wand in place "Finally, I got tired of wandless magic"; he pulled out a miniature wooden sword off his pocket and pointed his wand at it muttering "Engorgio"; and the sword enlarged he placed in the locker and closed it not forgetting to clean all fingerprints "Next step, headquarters"
He apparated back at the rally point and paced to the headquarters only to find Ron waiting for him.
"So, have you got it?" Ron asked anxiously, and Harry felt awkward because of the impoliteness he showed when talking to him earlier.
"Ron, can we talk at my office please?" Harry asked before walking toward the aforementioned room followed by confused Ron.
"What Harry?" Ron asked as they entered the office and Harry stood for a second before speaking "Ron, look; I am sorry at my attitude before; I just too angry to think and …"
Ron interrupted him calmly "Harry, please, do not apologize; I know about the whole situation; and I know that losing your weapons has caused you much irritation"
Harry felt gratitude toward his best mate "I will never forget your kindness, Ron"
"Oh, Harry" Ron said "What are friends for? I just want one thing" Harry looked at him in confusion "What is the spell you used to knock out the agent; Sofia checked the spell patterns, and it is not like anything we saw"
Harry thought for a second then answered "Well; what I'm going to say must not go beyond this room" Ron attention increased at the warning "Remember when I told you about my voyage to Japan; during that time I discovered a way to use magic in had-to-hand combat; and by the aid of sensei I developed a new type of magic spells, and I called it 'Close Quarter Magic'" Ron eyes widened at the revelation "Some of these spells are used via the sword, like the elemental spells; and some of them are used by bare hands or the whole body; and the spell I used today is of the latter category; it is called 'Offendo', the knockout spell; look at this"
Harry conjured a training manikin out of thin air "Watch closely … Offendo" the manikin flew backwards and shattered as it hit the wall; and Ron looked flabbergasted at the remains of it; then he looked at Harry "Harry, this is bloody brilliant"
"I know" Harry said smiling "And the best thing is that our enemy doesn't know about it; I can train you if you want"
"Really!" Ron said in excitement "I would be very grateful. What should I do?"
Harry looked at him from up to down "First you need to maintain a lightweight; in other words, stop eating a family meal"
Ron pouted "That I cannot do; I think I will stick with normal magic"
Harry laughed at his best friend "Whatever suites you; just remember that the offer is still open"
---------------------------------
Five days have passed with nothing significant except of Johnson's fury over the attack on his agent he vowed to hunt down Potter and bring him swift justice; and in his rage he authorized 'shoot-on-sight' for all his units. Hermione, on the other hand, was sitting in her office reviewing her notes on the Potter case when the door opened.
"Hiya, Miss Holmes" Pierce stepped into the office holding the wobbling Sherry in his hand.
"Hello; welcome back. Hello there, little angel" Hermione picked up the laughing child and gave her a kiss on the cheek "Pierce, you shouldn't have brought her here; she will get bored and tired"
"Nah, she is having so much fun pissing of the feds; she bit three of them so far"
Hermione laughed at the image and retorted "Like father like daughter, I must say"
"You said it" he said laughing, then assuming a serious face "So, how is the progress; I assume you never sat down idly?"
"You said it yourself; and the progress is very good so far, by comparing the signature at the end of the business letter with some of the checks that has been forwarded to the company; we found out the bank account of Harry Potter"
"Cool" Pierce eyes gleamed "I hope you asked for permission to freeze the son of a bitch account"
Hermione pouted "I asked, but the bank refused to do so; they said that his accounts are too much valuable for their business"
"You mean his account" Pierce corrected; and she shook her head "Not a single account; I found out that he has at least seventy accounts worldwide with no less that a billion dollar in each account"
"Seventy accounts" Pierce said with widened eyes "And a billion each; means …"
"Seventy billion at least" Hermione cut him; and they both fell silent with only Sherry's soft coos sounding, before Pierce spoke up "That means he got more than a mere funding source; he got a funding avalanche"
Hermione nodded at him "The problem is, we need to find him fast before he do anything harmful again" then she remembered something "Yes, let me show you what we have confiscated from Potter. Let's go to the evidence locker, shall we?" the group went to the evidence locker and Hermione walked to the evidence desk.
"Hello Walter; everything is okay today?" she greeted the overweighed officer.
"Yes, detective; who is that with you … Pierce; long time no see, man"
"Same here; I hope you don't mind that I brought my daughter in here; she won't tamper with any evidence, I swear" Pierce stated jokily; and Walter's body shook with laughter "No need to worry, Pierce; I just hope that the little princess won't catch cold in the freezing vault"
"Don't worry; she is strong like her dad" Pierce waved his hand and went after Hermione; she walked until she reached the intended locker and opened it.
"Let's see; you will love it so- … WHAT THE BLOODY! WALTER WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING OUT! NAPPING!"
"What is it, detective?" Walter can jogging with concerned face; and Hermione bellowed at him "THE SWORD HAS BEEN REPLACED; ARE YOU BLIND NOT TO CHECK THE EVIDENCE BEFORE ACCEPTING IT!"
"B-But you were that last one who checked it; I swear; no body came after you" he jogged back toward his desk to make sure "Yes; you were the last"
"Then how?" Hermione retorted "I returned the same sword?"
"Hermione, relax; what's done is done"
"But …" she tried to argue; but dropped it and looked defeated "Let's go back" they returned back to their office leaving poor Walter to call for the investigator to check the vault. They reached the third floor only to face Johnson.
"Look who's here … And I was wondering where the stench was coming from"
"I told you to take a bath; but you don't listen to me" Pierce sneered smartly; and Hermione barely held her laughter as she saw the angry expressions on Johnson's face
"Very funny, McLaden; I see that you haven't lost your joker character after all; and what are you doing with that little brat you're holding?"
"This little brat is my baby if you didn't know; and I like to show off with my high quality offspring, so why don't you do the same; you are not a eunuch, are you?" Pierce questioned jeeringly; and Johnson walked ou in anger. The group then went into their office and Hermione sat on her desk with pierce in front of her.
"Now tell me" he said "What was that all about?"
She took a deep breath and spoke "That sword was in the possession of Potter when we caught him at the entrance of the station along with a wooden stick; the sword was an oriental one with the words 'Godric Gryffindor' and 'Phoenix Sword' engraved on its blade in English and Japanese respectively. I asked a specialist about the sword and he told me some information regarding it; I wrote it down here if you want to read it" she pushed the note to him "The most important thing is that when I returned, I found a fallen FBI agent deep in the alley behind the station; he told me that he was attacked by Potter and he heard him yelling 'Offendo' before falling unconscious"
"Offendo?" Pierce questioned in confusion; and she answered "It means 'shock' or 'knockout' in latin. Most importantly I just found out that the agented acquired multiple fractures, broken ribs, and a concussion from the attack; and he was not a lightweight …"
Pierce's eyes widened; before a troubled look hovered over his face "It looks like that Potter is not an easy target"
"I know; and he seems to know our move; which means that he got an insider among us" Hermione said in troubled voice; and Pierce stared at her with the same troubling look.
"What are we gonna do now?" he asked in concern, and Hermione replied "I think that the best thing we should do is to return to our homes and call it a day; after all we don't have anything to do" Pierce nodded in approval, and they both got to the police parking lot. They went into separate ways; and Hermione got into her car and assumed the driver seat.
"Hermione" she heard a familiar voice calling her from behind; she looked in the mirror only to find Harry looked at her with a firm look; she tried to reach her gun, but she felt an object pressed against the base of her neck.
"Don't move" Harry said warningly; and she froze. Then she dropped her hand beside her and muttered in anger "Okay; you won; kill me now"
Harry didn't change his stance as he spoke "I you know me better; you would not have said that. I am working with you, Hermione; not against you"
"From what I see; you can't be true. So, what brings you here if you are not going to kill me?"
"I'm here to tell you two things" he said casually "One, there is a snitch at your station …"
"We already know" Hermione interrupted "We know that you have a snitch among us be we still haven't exposed him"
"He is not working for me, Hermione; he is working for Flint" Harry said firmly "And I am trying to expose him myself because he was the one who helped in framing me"
She rolled her eyes and retorted "Whatever; but if you tried to hurt any more innocents, I swear that you will find yourself in hell in no time"
Harry didn't mind her threat as he continued "The second thing, is that we found how Flint is using the EMPA"
"The what!" Hermione asked in confusion; and he explained "An Electro-Magnetic Pulse Amplifier; it is a machine they use to knock out the power out of a city block; Flint is using it to disturb the wireless communications; I think you noticed that"
"Yes" she replied absentmindedly "The walky-talky was not functioning will; but I thought it I was just a malfunction"
"Well; it was not. I have one last advice for you, constant vigilance; Flint will try to attack you again just to hurt me; farewell"
"Wait, what does tha-" she turned around to talk to him; but he has left already; she literally jumped out of her car to catch him up; but there was no trace for him …
-------------------------------------------
Harry entered the headquarters and found Vlad and Dick in a deep argument "Hey; what is it?"
"We found Rookwood, sir" Vald said firmly, and Harry's eyes gleamed "Where did you find him?" he asked.
"In an abandoned ranch in the outskirts; there are three teams surrounding him already, and an anti-apparition ward is being erected by them; we are waiting for you signal to attack, sir"
"With all due respect sir; I think that we should wait until the death eaters try to capture him before attacking him openly"
"They will not capture him Dick" Harry retorted "They will kill him on sight in order to prevent us from gaining any Intel; but you are both right"
The aurors looked at him in confusion "How, sir?"
"We will spread a rumor of his whereabouts in Brimstone Alley; and the death eaters will take the bait and try to attack him; and when they do so, we move into action"
"That is a very clever plan, sir; I'm sure it will work" Dick stated.
"I hope so; in the mean time I want you to hack into the police system; Hermione and Pierce are at home right now; so you can check for information as you want"
"Very well sir" Dick said "By the way, sir; Fawkes has brought this …" he handed a parchment to Harry, who scanned it quickly and then smiled "Never mind it; carry on"
"Roger, sir" Dick saluted him and went straight to the intelligence hall. Harry then looked art Vlad and said "You will come with me Vlad to supervise the blockade of the ranch …
-----------------------------------------
Hermione kept turning in her bed as she couldn't sleep; she checked the clock and found out that it was still 6:00 pm; she trid to have a nap but Harry's words kept coming to her mind; she changed her clothes and went out of the apartment for some air. Then, an idea came to her; so she called Pierce.
"Yes" his sleepy voice came out of the speaker.
"Pierce you lazy bum; are you still asleep until now?" she scolded him
He yawned again before answering "When an infant is jumping over you while napping, how can you get much sleep?"
She giggled a little then assumed a serious voice "I want you to come to the precinct now"
"Now?" he asked in astonishment"
"Now" she answered firmly before hanging up; half an hour minutes later, she was at her office with Pierce in front of her.
"Now tell me, what is it?" Pierce asked firmly; and she ushered him casually to his computer "check the status of the hacking; or whatever you call it"
He did as she said, and found out that a hacking has occurred few hours before; he looked at her in amazement and asked her "How did you know?"
She shrugged her shoulders and answered "I just ad a hunch; I encountered Potter hours ago on my way out of the precinct; I couldn't detain him though, because he was fully armed. I thought that if the hacker was working for Potter, then he already knows that we are not here, and will try to hack in a bit early"
"Good catch, Miss Holmes" he said as he snapped his fingers "Now watch the Wizard in action"
He logged into the computer and opened a series of hacking programs; he then accessed the internet and the programs began to work "Now it's looking for the hacker's IP; short for internet protocol"
"Don't bother explaining; just do it" Hermione interrupted; and he pouted at her "You are no fun; okay then" his fingers worked their way on the keyboard; and he yelled in victory "I'm in; now what you want; I got only fifteen seconds"
"Try this folder" she pointed at a folder named 'Profiles'; and he opened it "Damn; I must've ripped a hidden alarm; this computer is too protected; time limit is down to five seconds"
"Quick, grab anything" Hermione urged him; and he picked up the very first file with the name leader after the download is completed he signed off.
Pierce sighed in relief "That was close; I don't think we will ever enter that computer again, or else we will be captured"
"I agree; now let's check that file" she said and he done so; when he opened the file their eyes widened in shock as the picture of Harry Potter appeared with full information about him.
Name: Harry James Potter.
Alias: The-Boy-Who-Lived; The-Savior.
Nationality: English.
Martial Status: Single.
Physical Description: Unruly hair, strong jaw, emerald-green piercing eyes, athlete body, 6'0", 145 lbs.
Occupation: Auror.
Rank: Senior Auror; First Class.
Current Assignment: Commander of US 1st Battalion.
Talents: DADA expert; wandless offensive; wandless defensive; hand-to-hand combat specialist.
Reflex Pattern: 0.25 out of 1 second.
"Good Lord; I think we stumbled upon a treasure; didn't we Hermione? Hermione?" he called twice; but Hermione didn't answer; her eyes was fixed on the 'Alias' category; and she remembered something.
FLASHBACK
"I thought it was just folklore; so that why he didn't tell me his name" she said as if she was speaking with herself, and then turned to Ron "Do you know the name of the boy.
"No" he lied "But I can tell you that he is better known as … The-Boy-Who-Lived"
END OF FLASHBACK
"It's him …" she muttered absentmindedly; and Pierce looked at her in confusion "What?"
"It's him; he is the orphaned boy" Hermione said; and began to retell the story Harry told her; in the end Pierce went into deep thought before speaking again.
"I think you are right; but something is not adding up; if he was the orphan whose parents got killed, then why would he kill the innocents?"
Hermione thought deeply, but got out with nothing in return "I don't know" she looked back at the screen "Look at the reflex pattern; does any human have such pattern; it is unbelievable; I personally haven't seen him in such speed even when he was supposedly saving me"
"Yeah" Pierce retorted "But then again; he must have a lot under his sleeve"; they both sat down reviewing the profile again and again; until they got tired.
"I think we won't get anything out of it; why don't we call it a day and return tomorrow and run a full search" Pierce suggested; and Hermione nodded "Okay"
-------------------------------------
"So … Potter got you by surprise you say" Flint asked coldly staring at the quivering death eater.
"Yes, Master; as if he was already waiting for us there; one was killed and three were captured; I barely escaped" the death eater answered; and Flint looked at him with burning eyes.
"You better have never returned, failure … Avada Kedavra infiniti" a series of green rays of light shot out of his wand and hit the death eater squarely in the chest; his limp body hanged for a second before dropping like a ragged doll.
"Nott …" Flint called coldly; and the murky death eater appeared out of thin air "Yes Master"
"Potter is making fun of us; this is not tolerated; and we are about to launch the second phase of the EMPA" Flint stated distantly; and his right-hand bowed and asked "Your orders, master"
"Kill his muggle friends; kill them slowly and painfully; take as many men as you want"
"Aye, my lord" and Nott disapparated in a second.
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Harry entered the HQ while laughing at a joke told by Vlad; and they were interrupted by the panting Dick "Sir" he said between gasps "Auror Weasley went to the McLadens sir; the alarm ward has been tripped. I tried to catch him but he was gone …"
Harry looked seriously at Vlad "Vlad, Rally the team leaders; the events are speeding up and I think that Flint is attacking our muggle friends now; our operation has angered him so much" the he looked distantly "And I feel that our mission is coming to a closure … Now go"
"Yes, sir" Vlad saluted him, and walked out of the HQ; then Harry turned to Dick addressing him "Dick; call Sofia and let her be ready here, at the headquarters; I think we will need her medic skill sooner or later. I will go and catch up on Ron"
"Yes, sir" Dick saluted his commander; who stepped out of the HQ in a hurry.
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"I'm home …" Pierce unlocked the door; he stepped in searching for Ginny and Sherry; but he found nobody "Weird; maybe they gone on a walk"
"McLaden …" a voice came out of the dim corner and startled Pierce; then Ron appeared from the corner, and Pierce sighed in relief "God; Wes, don't sneak up on me; where is Ginny and Sherry"
"I don't know; you can tell me, McLaden" Ron said coldly.
Pierce looked at him confusingly "Why are you so cold? And what's with the formal addressing?"
"Because I discovered that you are so low; I never thought that you would work against your friends. Tell me, how much do you earn from being such a dirty snitch?"
"Ron, what are you talking about?" Pierce said in utter confusion "I am not a snitch. My wife got killed by one, for God's sake"
Ron pulled out his wand at the same time Ginny got out of the next room "Ron! What are you doing?"
"You got nothing to do with it … Go inside" Ron snapped at her; and Pierce got angry "Now, Weasley; stop ill-treating my guests. Even if she is your sister, she is still my guest"
"Shut up!" Ron pushed him wandlessly against the wall; Ginny screamed and Pierce groaned in pain "I should've known" Pierce said in pain "You are one of them"
"Took you that long to figure it out" Ron sneered; and Ginny looked at him in disbelief "You are not Ron" she said "No, you are not him"
"Shut up woman!" he pointed his wand at her, but before he does anything a voice yelled "Expelliarmus"
Ron's wand flew out of his hand; he looked at the one who disarmed him; and his face paled "You …"
"Yes me …" Ron said "Or to be precise, the real me. Ginny, get inside" Ginny nodded and went inside; the imposter tried to move; but the real Ron pointed his wand at him warningly "Don't you dare"
At that time, Pierce regained his composure; and looked up at the new comer, and his jaw dropped "B-But, how?"
"It is me Pierce; this one is an imposter who was sent to kill you; much like they did to Harry" he pointed at the imposter
"Don't listen to him, Pierce; I'm the real one" the imposter said in a desperate move to regain his footing; and Pierce was lost between them; then something hit him "Only the true Ron knows my favorite prank"
The imposter paled again; and Ron's eyes gleamed as he looked at Pierce "Chili-Sandwich prank"
"Correct" Pierce said "Then you are my Wes" he slapped him on the back in joy; but that move was bad because it distracted him from the imposter; who took the cue and summoned back his wand and yelled "Impedimenta" and the spell hit Pierce in the chest sending him back.
Ron summoned a portego shield and yelled at Ginny who was in the room "GINNY! … RUN! … SAVE SHERRY!"
Ginny heard him; and picked up the sleeping Sherry; and at the same time a death eater appeared and shot a killing curse at her which she barely dodged; she then disapparated form the room; and apparated near the hospital. She ran toward the entrance and tried to enter; but a saddened force repelled her and she fell down; and Sherry began to cry "No; this is no time for a failing ward" she tried again; and same thing happened. By that time the death eater appeared behind her and shot another curse; and she dodged it again and began to run deep into the alley. After ran for a while she came to a dead-end; she stopped at her tracks panting and pulled out her wand while holding Sherry at the same time; and the death eater appeared at the end of the alley.
"You are mine now … Avad-Aaaaa" the death eater shrieked in pain as a tip of a sword appeared from the middle of his chest; and Harry's disillusionment charm went off.
"YOU are mine now …" Harry said as he pushed the death eater off his blade and sheathed it back. Then he turned to Ginny and said in concerned tone "Ginny, are you alright"
"Y-Yes, Harry; thank you for asking. I tried to enter the hospital but the ward kept pushing me; I think it is failing"
"Failing?" Harry thought for a second; then he felt a sharp pain overcome him and they heard the fallen death eater chuckling "You are too naïve; the plan is now complete; the muggle will die" then he died.
"No, Hermione" Harry said, then looked at Ginny "Ginny, I want you to return to the McLadens' Ron must've finished the death eater there; I have to run and save Hermione before it's too late"
"Okay; be careful, Harry" Ginny said before disapparating; and Harry followed …
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A/N: Pheww; another chapter has finished, and the end is drawing near; I now, that it's another cliffhanger, but I can't help it; I like the style; next chapter will be late a bit because my job is getting heavier and nastier.
Read & Review Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease