Chapter 31 - Rowlan
Anya sat at the park bench, absentmindedly breaking the slice of bread in her hands. The ducks in front of her quacked impatiently and she obliged, throwing the bread bit by bit to the ducks. Quacks soon turned into soft splashing and Anya stared blankly at the ducks, she never enjoyed feeding animals - one of the reasons she never took Care for Magical Creatures - but she found the bitter nostalgia soothing.
The soft crunching of shoes on leaves reached Anya's ears and soon enough, someone took the empty seat next to her. Anya cast a glanced and nodded in greeting, the girl was getting better at blending in with Muggles.
"I remember begging my mom for pet ducks when I was younger," Astoria declared as she looked at the feasting ducks fondly. "You're spoiling them."
"They're already spoiled," Anya shrugged, knowing she was not the first and definitely not the last to give the ducks a free meal.
"This is a new place to meet," Astoria looked at the park around her. "It's relaxing. I didn't think Muggles would enjoy this place just as much as wizards and witches, I had thought them to be all engrossed in their machines."
"So what do you have for me?" Astoria asked, looking expectantly at Anya.
Anya simply reached into her jacket and took out a newspaper cutting, passing it to Astoria. The younger girl took it with question and began reading.
Daily Prophet
Largest bust on Black Mark thus far
The picture showed two British Aurors standing in front of a river barge, looking proudly at the camera.
"Isaac Stanning and Andrew Rowlan," Astoria read aloud. "I've seen this before, why? Did the shipment hold something valuable for your side?"
Anya shook her head. "No, but that's not the point."
"Then what is?" Astoria asked. "The Aurors?"
Anya nodded.
"What's so problematic about that? If the Aurors intercepted the other side and the Black Mark is just a facade, then there's no issue?"
"The Aurors were tipped off," Anya stated bluntly, she could already see the gears turning Astoria's head.
"Someone used the Aurors to do their dirty work," Astoria concluded. "But Aurors are unlikely to respond to random tip offs, not without several backup teams. These two here went in without backup."
Astoria scanned the words on the article again, scrunching her eyebrows.
"That means they were personally connected to the people who gave the tip off," Astoria said confidently. "Hmm... are they well connected? Or is someone possibly trying to earn favours from the Aurors?"
"Bets are on the second one," Anya cracked a grin. "You figured it out fast."
"If I was the one behind this, I would - what's the Muggle term - try to hit as many birds I can with a stone," Astoria smiled, proud at her deduction. "This seemed like the logical thing to do, give them some glory, a promotion or two and then make them indebted to you. And to top it off, you've stymied an opponent's move and gave the public the impression that the criminal show the Russians put up was something real."
Anya shook her head in disbelief, still grinning, the girl was very sharp. She scattered the rest of the bread and stood up, Astoria followed suit and they were soon walking down the park.
"And how does this relate to me?" Astoria asked.
"You mentioned that your father is going to the Ministry tomorrow, the DMLE if I'm not mistaken."
"Yes," Astoria nodded, her eyes sparkling. "What do you need?"
"I don't expect much," said Anya. "But ask to tag along with him and keep your ears and eyes open. If you're lucky, maybe you'll pick something up."
"I can do that," Astoria nodded.
XXXXX
I can do that.
Simple words, easy to say. Astoria grimaced, the truth was that it was indeed easy to follow the request, getting anything substantial from it was another matter. Astoria scowled, she was not planning on doing anything less than excellent. This was the first task Anya had given her ever since she inadvertently opened a can of worms, she was definitely not planning on giving anything less than perfection. Anya might just cut her off from this game the Russians were playing.
Astoria shuddered at the thought, she had memories of her great-grandfather, they were few but fond. He was an Auror who had been part of the ICW expeditionary force that fought against Russia, Astoria had heard many stories of how excellent a duelist he was and how powerful a wizard he had been. All Astoria saw was an old man bound to a wheelchair - her grandfather had recommended goblin-made prosthetics but the older man was too stubborn - and struggling when casting the simplest of spells. He had lost all his limbs in a battle, relying solely on whatever wandless magic he could muster, if any consolation it was still an impressive feat.
Old Isander Greengrass never said what the battle was like. He was a sole survivor and would fall into a surly silence every time someone had the audacity to ask what happened.
Astoria shook her head, if that was what happened when her great-grandfather went to Russia, she could only imagine what would happen if Russia came to them instead. She was not going to leave her family in harm's way. Telling her father was an idea, but he would simply keep out of harm's way and forbade her from doing anything. Sometimes, the Greengrass neutrality was not an option.
She turned her focus back to the chattering all around the hallway, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was always busy, even more now that the Black Mark was a present threat. Tightening her grip on her father's hand, she followed her father into the main office.
"What's wrong Tori?" Cyrus Greengrass asked in concern. "Not that I'm complaining but you were quite eager to come along."
"Just the unfamiliar sights," Astoria muttered.
"You were never this shy," Cyrus said shrewdly.
"Come on dad, everyone here is an Auror," Astoria explained, knowing very well he would buy that explanation.
Cyrus gave a short chuckle. "I do remember being exceedingly scared of Aurors myself when I was young."
Yes, you told us that two years ago during mom's birthday.
"I supposed you got it from me then," Cyrus shrugged. "But relax Tori, you only have to be scared of them if you did something wrong."
"Alright."
Great, now I feel like Daphne, pulling strings around.
They came to a stop in front of an office, Astoria looked at the plaque on the door and her heart skipped a beat.
Cpt Andrew F. Rowlan, Second Auror Battalion, Bicorn Wing 2IC
One of the two people of interest Anya had pegged. Astoria tried to still her pounding heart, knowing the following hours to come would be very important.
"Captain Andrew Rowlan," Astoria read the plaque aloud. "The one from the Daily Prophet?"
"The very same," Cyrus noted.
Astoria faced her father and frowned.
"It's nothing special," Cyrus answered her unspoken question. "You do know our family supplies healing potions to some sectors of the DMLE. Among the Aurors, sometimes it's up to each wing commander or second-in-charge to decide on the equipment of their men."
A business deal, Astoria could already feel the inevitable headache.
"But aren't these things centralised by... I don't know, the Head Auror or the Head of the DMLE?" Astoria asked.
"Important equipment are," Cyrus nodded. "But Madam Bones allows the Auror Corps a degree of autonomy when it comes to secondary equipment, an autonomy Rufus Scrimgeour passed to each Auror Wing."
Astoria nodded, taking a deep breath as Cyrus knocked on the door smartly before opening it. They stepped into a small room where a wizard was hunched over his table, scribbling lines on a scroll of parchment. He glanced at the two Greengrasses before picking up a small note.
"Mr Greengrass," the wizard grunted, clearly an assistant of sorts. "Captain Rowlan will be here shortly, just wait out here."
Cyrus nodded, leaning against the wall patiently. Astoria spied the door that probably led to Rowlan's office, deciding to try her luck.
"My feet hurt," she muttered quietly, giving a bored look at the door. She had just pushed back the day her father would treat her as an adult by years. But if she got any good information from this, it was all worth it.
"Excuse me mister," Cyrus asked the assistant. "Is it possible for us to wait inside his office? My daughter is tired, forgive her."
The assistant looked at Astoria and she met his gaze with a slight pout before turning away with a small sigh.
"I would conjure a chair for you, miss, but there isn't any room here," the assistant explained. "But... fine, Captain Rowlan is new here and I don't really know his style... but I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Just wait inside, I'll call for him."
The man bought the act, hook, line and sinker. Astoria smiled on the inside, following her father into the actual office. She was greeted with a spacious room, with many boards hanging from the walls and a desk full of parchment cluttered in some particular order.
Cyrus, ever the loving father, pulled out a chair for her which she gave him a grateful smile for. Making sure her father was absorbed in his own patient waiting, Astoria keenly observed the room, trying her best to pick out every minute detail. Once Rowlan came in, she would not have the luxury to inspect every inch of the office
First of all, she came to the conclusion that Andrew Rowlan was not an organised man. His desk was a mess and there was a spare wand lying about, probably a backup wand but it still spoke volumes.
Second of all, there were too many items on his desk and on the boards. The Daily Prophet said he had just been promoted and the assistant said that he was newly posted here, there was no reason for the boards to be chock full of parchment and paper. Astoria squinted slightly, the pictures were stationary. Muggle newspapers, that was unusual. Rowlan was a Half-blood but was there really any reason to have Muggle newspaper clippings?
From where she was, she could not discern the contents of the newspapers but she knew better than to move over to try. She looked at another board, and saw a map of Britain. Many pins were stuck on various locations throughout Britain, strings connecting certain pins and hastily scribbled notes were attached everywhere.
The map was beside the board of Muggle newspapers, they were surely connected, but for whatever reason Astoria could not figure out. However, she got the general idea, Rowlan was interested in Muggles for certain motives.
What motives? If only she had read up more on Muggle Studies. It didn't matter, what she had was the memory of this. Pensives were extraordinarily rare but if Anya could find one, then there would not be much problems.
The door swung open and she masked her surprise, adopting a mask of petulant boredom. A wizard in khaki robes stepped in, surveying the room with a frown etched onto his face. He looked at Astoria who kept her mask up perfectly, then he looked at Cyrus.
"Mr Greengrass," he gave a curt nod, his frown deepening.
"Mr Rowlan," Cyrus nodded, noticing the other man's frown. "Is there a problem?"
"My office is supposed to be private."
"Something you should raise to your assistant then," Cyrus countered easily.
"I will be," Rowlan grunted, moving to his desk and indicating the empty seat in front. "Come, take a seat here. Your daughter?"
"I thought it was time for her to start understanding how the real world works."
"Very well," Rowlan acquiesced.
"Sir, your wand," Astoria pointed to the stray wand lying in the corner.
"Don't mind it, miss," Rowlan grunted. "It's already broken, just a spare, I've been meaning to get a replacement."
They began their talks and Astoria tuned their voices out, focusing on her surroundings. Glancing at Rowlan's desk for a minute, she struck out her first conclusion. He was organised, just in that spontaneous, messy sort of way. His documents though cluttered had some form of arrangement to it.
Her eyes roved over the various documents, filtering out unimportant details. Then, she spotted paper, not parchment or those wizarding paper that had a different look, this was Muggle. Rowlan was interested in Muggles, this was the correct direction to go.
Most of the paper was covered, but it looked like a letter. Astoria could make out the name of the sender.
Richard Long.
XXXXX
"To start all of this, we begin at Richard Long," Aleks handed the three of them a folder.
Dimitri took the initiative, flipping it open.
"That's the name that Crow pulled out, right?" Jen asked, giving Anya a look.
"Minor tip off," Aleks nodded. "But it was a good starting point."
Anya read the document, Richard Long was a Muggle but more importantly, he handled information in the British Home Office. If anyone got to him, they would have a goldmine of information on the Muggle British.
"I'll put it simply, he was under an Imperius Curse," said Aleks. "We had operatives do a sweep, there were another ten Muggles who were under the Imperius Curse throughout the British Muggle government, all having met with Richard Long."
Dimitri let out a low whistle. Contacts and information, whoever it was planned on spreading his roots deep. Anya grimaced, the Wizarding government of a country was supposed to safeguard its Muggle counterpart from external magical threats. After all, you only needed one opportunistic wizard to get greedy and a little carefree with Imperius Curses or Confundus Charms, be it to withdraw millions from banks or blackmail a politician for favours.
"Aren't the British Aurors supposed to catch these things?" Jen asked.
"That would fall under the purview of the British Second Auror Battalion, Bicorn Wing," Aleks replied.
"Andrew Rowlan?" Anya asked, sounding more like a statement if anything.
"That's what Grey and Nathaniel think," Aleks said. "On top of that, we don't know how many more are under the Imperius Curse. Rowlan is essentially acting as a virus, forcing us to conduct a wide sweep for any more Muggle officials he placed under the Imperius Curse."
"And..." Dimitri cued.
"Grey wants him dead."
"No capture and interrogation?" Jen asked, frowning in confusion.
"Grey says he already knows what's going on," Aleks explained. "He wants to cut the problem at the root and send a message to whoever it is behind this."
"So, another assassination order?" Anya asked.
Aleks nodded, passing another folder to her. She accepted it without question and opened it, proceeding to read its contents.
"Wish we were given the sweeping task," Dimitri grumbled.
"Don't complain, cyka," Aleks snapped. "Nathaniel doesn't want to waste your time in with a sweeping task, Anya has school."
Dimitri hid his laughter with a snort. "Anya has school. That sounds stupid."
"So is there any information on how to track him down aside from infiltrating the Ministry?" Jen asked.
"He has several heavily warded addresses to his name as well," Anya muttered. "Between the three of us, we don't really have the resource to track all of them, we need good information."
"You would know Crow," Aleks raised an eyebrow in challenge. "You are the one with the contacts in this case."
Anya counted the days in her head before saying. "Four days, that's the time we have."
"Do your best," said Aleks, standing up to leave the room. "Grey also says he expects full OWLs from you."
"Crooked old man," Anya muttered.
"Do you have any contacts for this?" Jen asked her, viewing the folder.
"Give me a day and I'll let you know."
XXXXX
"Time check."
"One more minute."
Deft hands reached to fasten any loose straps. Anya tugged her knapsack, feeling its reassuring weight and gave Dimitri and Jen a nod. Patiently, they waited the seconds away.
"Three. Two. One. Mark."
The coins they were holding on glowed blue before they disappeared. They landed on top of the National Westminster Tower, just north of Diagon Alley, equipment already in hand. With the possible level of security in place, both distance and high ground was needed to assess the situation undetected. The magical district of London from the outside eye was concealed with various spells, but getting a grasp of the Muggle surrounding was still quintessential.
Jen was immediately casting wards and concealment spells around them. Dimitri laid prone, humming a soft lullaby as he peered through his omnioculars. Anya had a pair of omnioculars in her hands as well, surveying the entrances to Diagon Alley and the possible vantage points.
Three surveillance teams in vantage points around Diagon Alley, three teams of three men. Russian MLE and Spooks usually operated in threes, British did pairs. Wards weaved around the area like a tight mesh, some were native while others additional protection cast by Russian operatives.
Anya fiddled the pencil in her hand as she jotted and circled out various lines and points of interest on her map. A thorough inspection of her markings before she passed it to Dimitri who had compiled some observations of his own.
"Front door?" Dimitri quipped, comparing the maps.
Jen and Anya nodded in response.
Sometimes the easiest path was the most open one. A few glamour charms and the three of them entered the Leaky Cauldron, slipping through with the crowd. The drab jackets they wore concealed their vests underneath and their heavier equipment were stowed in their bags. They took their time, waiting for the short queue of the rush hour to pass through the brick wall.
Her eyes scanned the wards that the hostile Spooks have laid out around Diagon Alley and softly whispered the gathered information to her partners. Jen took the lead in identifying the ward before giving Dimitri instructions. They drew their wand surreptitiously and began drawing small circles with their wand, muttering incantations under their breath.
Out of habit, Anya closed her left eye, allowing magic to fill her vision. The thick cords of magic that had formed a mesh around the entrance to Diagon Alley began to loosen and unravel gradually, a knot undone each time Jen swished his wand. Dimitri shifted into position and jabbed his wand firmly at the wards and the unknotted cords were pulled away with a sudden jerk. Anya could see the strain on the cords, but the line of magic held firm.
"Are we good?" Jen asked.
"Yes," Anya nodded. "No tears on the wards, we're in clean."
They slipped into the crowds in Diagon Alley, blending in among the youths on their shopping trip before the start of school - except that in the case of Anya, it was genuinely her shopping trip.
"You can ignore the newts' eyes," Jen muttered, placing a jar of pickled fluxweed in her basket. "Not fresh and something that your school stores should provide. Also, you better hurry or Dim is going to do something stupid."
"In that case, you should have been the one securing our post," Anya replied lazily, placing the basket on the counter and counting out the sickles in her pouch.
"He's the Charms Specialist here," Jen deflected. "I'm not about to give him an opportunity to skive off."
"And he's better at making places cosier," said Anya as she packed her purchase into her knapsack.
"Yes, that."
With the last of her Fifth Year items bought, they headed through various winding alleyways. Stopping at one of the alleyways, they vaulted over a short walk before proceeding to climb the four-storey buildings that were packed around them. Ledges and pipes became their footholds and grips as they ascended to the third floor.
A few twists of Jen's wand granted them access to the wards Dimitri had been raising. A wave of Anya's wand opened a nearby window. Leaping from the ledge she was on, she caught hold of the windowsill and leveraged herself up with the grip she had.
She raised her wand as she perched herself on the window, checking the place. It was an abandoned room, filled with dusty furniture. However, the sleeping bags and assorted snacks that were laid on the floor were fresh, as were the myriad of runes that adorned the peeling walls. On the reclining chair in front of her sat Dimitri, spreading his arms wide open in a dramatic gesture.
"Welcome to my humble abode."
"Ass," Anya mumbled before raising her wand hand in a thumbs up gesture and entering the room. Jen entered behind her before giving a cursory glance at the runes on the walls.
"How are the runes?" Dimitri asked.
"Good," Jen nodded, drawing his own wand. "You can take a break, I'll reinforce the wards."
Anya dropped her knapsack, sorting aside her newly bought school items to pull out her Dragunov. Peeking through a curtained window, she gauged the angle before aiming her wand low.
"Defodio."
The spell bit into the brick wall, gouging out a small hole. Anya lay down prone and looked through the hole she had made, it lined up with the entrance of Hyslop's Quality Wands. Satisfied, Anya cast a standard set of concealment spells on the loophole before setting her rifle down. It was now a waiting game.
Hyslop's Quality Wands?
Trust me. That's the one.
Isn't Ollivander's the go-to here in Britain?
Anya glanced at her watch, it was still early. Settling herself down, she kept an eye on the entrance of the shop. Dimitri and Jen will rest, she always took the first watch.
Like I said Anya, Ollivander's sells wands that are custom and personal. And those are expensive and take time to find a perfect match. Backup wands used by Ministry personnel don't have that luxury. They are good, yes, but not personal.
Day turned into night and Anya laid in her sleeping bag, eating the meals that Dimitri had acquired. Jen had taken over the watch, peering through the same loophole with a pair of omnioculars. Dimitri had lit a cigarette out of boredom, smoking away the time. Anya frowned at the cigarette, it was a potential opening in their cover with its distinctive scent. At least Dimitri did not begin casting spells out of boredom, constantly flaring magical signatures was a bigger threat.
And Hyslop's Quality Wands?
They are one of the two wand makers that produce standard backup wands for the DMLE.
Why wouldn't he go to the other one? Or a third party wand maker for that matter. Why wouldn't he let them deliver the wand to him? What makes you think he hasn't gotten his replacement yet?
The second day went by like the first day, uneventful. The three of them were unconcerned, they had waited longer than this before. Patience was key, Anya knew this the most, her speciality demanded it.
Why wouldn't he go to any other ones? Because Hyslop's makes wands that are famous for their compatibility with long incantation spells.
Rowlan favours long incantation spells?
Of the various academic books in his office, half of them are related to it. Hyslop's don't do wand delivery and I know he hasn't gotten a replacement yet because he doesn't have the time to.
Why's that?
He works overtime and ends up sleeping in office, he wouldn't even be stepping out from the Ministry in the two days since I visited.
Elaborate.
There was a huge stack of paperwork waiting for him, added with the fact that he's newly posted into his position as a 2IC and thus has many things to familiarise. There was a kettle and jar of coffee within his arms reach and there was a pillow stowed in one of his open cabinets. I've heard from my father that it's not uncommon for Auror to sleep in.
The third day had gone by. They had watched the tide of wizards and witches in the streets rise and fall. They had made a record of who had entered and exited the wand shop that catered to the DMLE. They had read through all the books Nathaniel had assigned to them as reading material. Still, Rowlan had not shown himself.
Anya could feel the impatience seeping into Dimitri. It was expected, the brown haired teen was more used to actively doing something, even in their reconnaissance tasks there was something to observe despite simply lying down. Jen was still fine, he only had to glance at Anya's unperturbed visage to carry on his task without complaint. He trusted her every move and if the team's designated marksman was not budging, neither would he.
Fourth day showed itself and it was the end of their window. At least for Anya it was, the fourth day was the first of September. She had a train to catch. Her Hogwarts trunk was already stowed in a car Aleks had graciously parked near King's Cross. Jen and Dimitri could get the job done, but the lack of a sniper that could tag their target from halfway across Diagon Alley was a huge detriment.
Most of Anya's items were kept back in her knapsack, only the Dragunov stayed. Her eyes flickered towards her wristwatch, the Hogwarts Express was departing in two hours. Finally, a person in khaki robes showed up in Anya's crosshairs, she let out a small and slow sigh. It always had to be the eleventh hour. Shifting her aim slightly, she let her training and instincts take over.
"Jen, Dimitri. Eyes on khaki."
CLASSIFIED 01M/01R/01F
This document can only be read by personnel with Level 01M, 01R or 01F clearance or above. Personnel without proper authorisation caught possessing or viewing this document or a copy of this document will face an Azkaban sentence of at least 30 years in addition to a Memory Charm being performed.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
DEPARTMENT OF MYSTERIES
FIELD OPERATIONS MANUAL W4-1
OPERATION DETAILS REGARDING THE BRITISH NATIONAL WARD GRID
DATE: 01 JANUARY 1975
CONTENTS
Overview
Chapter 1: Structure of National Ward Grid
Chapter 2: Components and Management of National Ward Grid
Chapter 3: Defense Operations of National Ward Grid
Chapter 4: Energy Operations of National Ward Grid
Chapter 5: Sensory Operations of National Ward Grid
Chapter 6: Transportation Operations of National Ward Grid
Chapter 7: Malfunctions, Corrective Actions and Safety
Annex A
Annex B
OVERVIEW
1. The National Ward Grid is the most essential key infrastructure of a Wizarding state. Contrary to popular belief, the National Ward Grid is not simply defensive in its purpose. Its features compasses a majority of all magical functions required for the day to day operation of a Wizarding state. These can be categorised under the following:
Defense
Energy
Sensory
Transportation
2. With this in mind, an Unspeakable should be knowledgeable in the details of the National Ward Grid in order to fulfill their duties.
3. Although the secrecy of the presence of the National Ward Grid is considered Public Class █ due to Clause 5 of the ICW Nurmengard Convention, it should still be handled as Public Class █ as part of ███████████.
4. Naturally, all details recorded in this manual are considered Public Class █. Standard operating procedures for interactions with other departments regarding the National Ward Grid can be found in Field Operations Manual W5-1.
CHAPTER 1
STRUCTURE OF NATIONAL WARD GRID
Section 1: Description
1. The National Ward Grid is built from several matrixes of key rune stones placed in strategic locations throughout Britain. Natural ley lines of Britain are channelled by the rune stones in various layers of overlapping wards. The wards can be connected to ward control systems for various functions as mentioned in W4-1-O-1.
Section 2: Protection
1. Every rune stone installation receives a Level █ Concealment and Defense (CAD) from the Department of Mysteries with additional designated Auror Corps support from 2nd Auror Battalion Bicorn Wing.
2. Majority of the ley lines do not require CAD as no major disruption can be performed with the absence of a rune stone, ward control system or ley source.
3. Ley lines that require CAD are listed as the following:
River Conwy (RV-W-3-MS) Ley Line
Yorkshire-5 (YS-5) Ley Line
Grampian Mountains-2 (MT-S-2-2) Ley Line
Level █ CAD are deployed for the mentioned sites.
4. Ley sources receive a Level █ CAD with the exception of the following sites due to their inaccessible nature or self sufficient protection:
Avalon
Azkaban
Hogwarts
3. The National Ward Grid is separated into four different groups due to differences in the interactions and nature of ley line groups. The National Ward Grid is separated into the following:
English Ward Grid
Welsh Ward Grid
Scottish Ward Grid
Northern Irish Ward Grid
Section 18. Bohm Magic Level 2A Redirection Rune Node
General
1. The Redirection Rune Node will change the direction of Bohm Magic emitted from Class-5 ley sources without affecting the nature of emitted magic
Identification:
2. RN-R205-B (Field Operations)
3. WSC-R-32-7354-004 (Research Operations)
Magical Properties
4. Flow Stress Point: ████ ä
5. Directional Stress Point: ████ ⁰
6. Disruption Index: ████
7. Diffusion Index: ██████
Runic Properties
8. Node Structure: cylindrical, marble
9: Node Dimension: 2000 MM H x 180 MM DIA
10. Rune Structure: Pyramidal
11. Rune Language: Elder Futhark, Futhorc
12. Rune Description: Interdependent twin core scripts with 4 secondary scripts and 3 situational component scripts (Refer to Annex B for full details)