My beta-readers, fredfred and InquisitorCOC, deserve a huge thank you. They helped a lot, despite the trying times we're currently going through.

Chapter 60: The New Career

The Burrow, Ottery St Catchpole, Devon, Britain, Wizarding World, February 12th, 2006

If not for the, well, colourful robes and, in Mr Weasley's case, mismatched trousers and vest, it would have looked like a Weasley family gathering. And the magic, of course. Can't forget the magic, Ron thought as he saw Mrs Weasley float the dishes off of, and a giant cake on to, the table.

"Here you go! That should be enough cake for everyone."

"Thank you, Molly," Hermione said with a beaming smile.

"Thanks, Mum!"

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley."

"Call me Molly, Ron." She beamed at him. "Fred! Have some patience! Guests are served first!"

"I was about to serve them!" the scolded wizard protested. "And I'm George!"

"No, I'm George!"

"Children…" Arthur sighed. "Behave."

For once, the twins shut up, and shortly afterwards, the chocolate cake split into well-sized slices that floated over to the plates on the table. A bowl of whipped cream was passed around, and Ron took two spoonfuls for his portion before taking a bite.

"Just like Mum's," he whispered, smiling.

"Indeed," Hermione agreed. "The best cake I've ever eaten."

"Thank you, Hermione." Mrs Weasley - Molly, he reminded himself for about the tenth time - smiled at them.

"Thank you, Mother," wizarding Percy said. "Your cooking remains as excellent as ever."

Wizarding Fred - or so Ron thought - started parroting Percy, but another glare from Molly shut him down. "Behave!"

Ron had to hide a smile - that had sounded like Austin Powers.

"But we are behaving! Misbehaving!" wizarding George replied.

"Exactly!"

"Boys…" Once more, Arthur stepped in, and the twins shut up. For the time being. But after everyone had finished their cake, and most of their tea, he spoke up again: "Hermione, you said you had something important to discuss."

"Without Ron?" Wizarding George asked. "Our Ron, I mean. Although two Ron's would be one too many."

"But what about Harry? He's pretty much a Weasley. Married into the family and everything," his brother went on.

"After Mum gave adopting him a good try for years."

"Boys…"

"They already know what this is about," Hermione said as she stood.

"Oi! Unfair!"

"Boys."

"And Charlie and Bill are not in the country," Hermione continued, ignoring the twins' banter. Then she cast a series of spells - privacy charms, Ron guessed. "All of you are aware of where I spent the last seven years."

"Yes! In some dark basement in Scotland!"

"We were there!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't make me silence you. Anyway, we've dealt with the problems - the most urgent ones - in the other world. The portal is reasonably safe now. That means we can now start focusing on other tasks."

"Like abolishing Azkaban!" wizarding Fred exclaimed.

"We're working on that, actually." Hermione's smile grew a little tight. "But sooner or later, we'll attempt to open a portal to completely different worlds."

"Oh! Another set of Weasleys? Can you imagine, three - six - versions of us?"

"We can, and it's a horrible prospect," Ron told them.

They laughed at that, of course. And Molly looked like she didn't know if she should laugh as well, or be annoyed at not being able to scold Ron since he was a guest in their home.

Hermione, of course, had no qualms about glaring at him. Ron beamed at her. Trying to be overly serious only made the twins try harder. Which she should know from her own experience. She cleared her throat. "Yes, that is a possibility, but we'll be aiming for more diverse worlds."

Once she found out how, of course. And whether or not such worlds existed.

"As you can imagine, this will be a rather large project. The other world's Mr Dumbledore is financing part of it, at least." How large that part would end up being would depend on how much money they could make. "But we'll need the help of trusted wizards and witches who can keep a secret and don't shy away from potential danger."

"We're in!" wizarding Fred announced at once.

"We're already familiar with the set-up, and exploring new worlds sounds far more exciting than selling pranks to children," his brother added.

"Or their stupid parents," wizarding Fred went on. "So, when do we start?"

"What about your shop?" Molly blurted. "Are you going to abandon it?"

"Good question, Mum," wizarding Fred said. "I didn't know you cared!"

Molly gasped, but wizarding George quickly placated her. "He's joking. But we do have staff, and making the items isn't as time-consuming or difficult as inventing them. We shouldn't lose much business if we slow down a little."

"Exactly!" his brother agreed.

"It's not about the money! It's dangerous!" Molly retorted.

"So's experimenting with potions, and we've done that since third year." Wizarding Fred shrugged.

Ron winced - that wasn't a good argument. He could see Molly winding herself up for a truly impressive outburst - she had the same expression Mum had when they had told her about Pettigrew.

But Arthur spoke up: "Sons, Molly's right - this isn't the same as experimenting with spells or potions."

"We've also fought in the war," wizarding Fred blurted out in return, but then drew a sharp breath, his eyes glancing at Molly as if he was surprised at his own words.

With cause, Ron realised - everyone had fallen silent.

"It's not the same!" Molly protested. "This isn't… this is going out and looking for danger!"

"Molly, we're not looking for danger - we're looking for new worlds. New discoveries," Hermione said. "And we'll be careful. Cautious. We won't just enter a new world at random."

"We won't?" Wizarding Fred gasped theatrically. "That was half the draw!"

But his twin brother elbowed him. "We're not stupid. We won't just jump through a portal. But this is big. Probably the biggest thing in centuries. And we want in."

Wizarding Fred nodded. "Yes. Making prank items is entertaining, but…" He shrugged. "It's not…"

Wizarding George took over. "People's lives aren't going to change because of a clever prank. This, though…" He grinned. "This could change everything."

"And we really want to meet our counterparts!" wizarding Fred added with a wide grin. "Not to mention the pay will be great."

Ron suppressed a sigh. Of course, Dumbledore and Grindelwald would have tried to recruit them while they guarded the portal.

Hermione must have realised the same thing. "About that. We're working on acquiring funds and finances. While I wouldn't say that I distrust Mr Dumbledore, I wouldn't feel very safe if he had complete control over this project."

"Trust, but verify," Ron said.

"Ah!" Wizarding George nodded. "You want us on your side, in case there's a conflict between you and Dumbledore."

"Honestly? Yes." Hermione sighed. "It's as Ron said: I'd like to have some assurances."

"Something to keep the old man honest," Ron added. "He's been honest with us so far, but so far we haven't had a difference of opinion, either."

"And he's working with their world's Grindelwald," Arthur added. "Granted, a muggle Grindelwald who wasn't the leader our Grindelwald was, but…"

Everyone nodded. Ron was relieved to see that the wizarding Weasleys weren't as trusting towards Dumbledore as his own family. Of course, his parents owed a lot to Dumbledore.

"Oh, so we're going to be spies as well?" Wizarding Fred sounded far too eager for Ron's taste.

"No. No spying - you wouldn't be able to fool him." Hermione frowned at the twins. "He's been a spymaster for decades; he'd see straight through you. Just be honest and upfront with him."

"You'd be a deterrent," Ron added.

"And our family as well, I take it," Arthur commented, almost casually, but the glint in his eyes - the wizard wasn't amused, to say the least. "Since we would certainly react, should something happen to our children."

Hermione winced but nodded. "I hate to ask this of you, but I - we - need people we can trust on our side. Honest people who will do what's right, not what's easy, if things go wrong. Dumbledore isn't evil, but he's been a spy for all his life, and he's used to working with spies. He won't baulk at recruiting people with, well, flexible morals, because that's what he has been doing for decades." She took a deep breath. "And I don't trust such people. The temptation a world without wizards and witches offers is just too great to trust them. We need people who won't be corrupted."

Ron nodded. The Lunas showed that. They meant well, but… what if they had more sinister goals?

"Hey! We're already corrupted!" wizarding Fred protested. "We're proud to have been corrupted as early as our first year!"

Wizarding Percy spoke up for the first time since the discussion had started. "Be serious," he told the twins before turning to Hermione and Ron. "It would also be a matter of national security. If Dumbledore hires an untrustworthy wizard, and they should gain control over the portal, that would endanger Wizarding Britain."

"Yes," Hermione agreed. "I'm sure Dumbledore will attempt to play all his wizards and witches against each other, to keep any one of them from controlling him and his partner, but that's not a perfect solution. All it takes is one mistake."

"Or the mercenary wizards deciding that they can get more money working together without the muggles." Wizarding Percy nodded. "I still think that we should inform Kingsley. The support of the Minister would be invaluable."

"I disagree," Arthur said. "Kingsley is a good man, but his successor? Or the Wizengamot?" He shook his head. "It's too dangerous."

"Which means we'll have to step in!" wizarding Fred announced with a wide grin. "We should call it the 'Weasleys' Wizarding Worldgate'!"

"No, we won't," Hermione said firmly, but she was smiling.

Greenwich, London, Britain, Wizarding World, February 12th, 2006

"...and Fred and George will move to the portal base as soon as they finish reorganising their business," Hermione said.

Her mother nodded. "Does that mean you'll live there as well?"

Mrs Granger didn't frown or sound angry, but Hermione flinched a little anyway, or so it seemed to Ron. "For the foreseeable future. Once we find a deserted world, we're planning to move the main base there, for safety reasons."

"So that if you dig too deep, you won't release a Balrog on our world?" Mr Granger, too, seemed to approve.

"Dad! I'm not a dwarf," Hermione protested. "But, yes, that's the idea."

"Just don't build a self-destruct device," her father told her. "That never ends well."

"That's a risk we need to take," she retorted. "The safety provided by an off-world - or extra-dimensional - base would be significantly reduced if a potential invader could easily seize the entire base."

"And what if an invader uses it against you?"

"If they can use the self-destruct device, then they'd have already critically penetrated base security anyway," Ron cut in, which earned him a glance from Hermione, who seemed to be torn between annoyance at him butting in and gratitude for supporting her.

Gratitude won out. "Exactly. In any case, it's better to lose a base than a planet - or your families." Hermione blinked, then winced. "Sorry."

An awkward silence followed that lasted for about fifteen seconds before Ron cleared his throat and changed the subject somewhat. "We'll be recruiting a few more trusted wizards and witches. Mainly the eldest and second-eldest Weasley son and their families. Or family, in this case."

"Bill and Charlie," Hermione explained. "Which will bring Bill's wife, Fleur."

"They haven't accepted yet," he cautioned her. As far as he knew, they hadn't even been told yet.

But she shrugged. "I'm sure at least Bill will join up quickly. He's the type to explore and likes adventure. Charlie… he loves dragons above everything else, so unless we find a world full of dragons, we might not see him."

"Except for family gatherings," Ron said. "Mum and Dad want to meet their counterparts." Everyone wanted to.

"As do the twins, I suppose," Hermione added. "That should be interesting."

Both her parents smiled - they knew the twins, then. Ron grinned, though he felt more cynical than amused. "They can't be worse than the Lunas, I think."

"Don't jinx it!"

"The Lunas? Luna Lovegood?" Mrs Granger asked.

"Yes. Her and her counterpart," Hermione replied.

"What have they done?"

Hermione sighed and started to detail the Lunas' plans. The Grangers were amused but also concerned. "Are they planning to release magical species as well?" Mrs Granger asked. "Or to restore the ancient woodlands, for example?"

"They should know better than that," Ron replied. "Knowing what invasive species do to the native species should keep them from doing something foolish." At least he hoped so - he knew his Luna much better than he knew her counterpart, despite the time they had spent together on missions.

"Well, at least that's not a concern here," Mr Granger said.

"Not before we discover a world with unknown flora and fauna," Ron agreed.

Every Granger present frowned at him in response.

Later, while Ron was taking a walk with Hermione, they passed her old address from her time in his world. He stopped and looked up at what would have been her flat. "Do you know who's living here?"

She shook her head. "No. And I don't think I want to know. I never lived here - my flat's in the other world."

His world. "You're not even a little curious?"

"No. Maybe a little. But it would feel weird."

"Weirder than working with your dimensional counterpart?"

"Touché." She snorted. "Who knows - I might meet one of my own counterparts myself."

"Sooner or later, you're bound to find another parallel world."

"That's not certain. The possibilities are endless, after all," she said.

"Unless the universes that are the easiest to reach are the ones that are the most similar. Or something." That was possible, wasn't it?

"We don't have enough data to draw such a conclusion. I wasn't picking a universe at random, after all, but using my connection to find my home universe. Now, when looking for a universe at random, anything could happen."

He nodded. "That might be a little dangerous until you find an empty world."

"A little. I've got two universes to compare, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a similar universe, which should keep the risk at an acceptable level. And the more data we get, the easier it is to make predictions."

"But the risk remains."

"Some risk, yes. But it's worth it. Could you just ignore the possibility of travelling to other dimensions simply because it might be dangerous?" She cocked her head a little as she looked at him.

He chuckled, a little ruefully, and shook his head. "No, I couldn't."

Smiling, she hooked her arm into his, and they continued their walk.

"Are you going to ask your parents to move to the portal base?" he asked a few minutes later.

She sighed but didn't reply right away. After a moment, she said: "What would they do there? They can't work there, and, for the foreseeable future, we'll be based in the other world, where Gabriel and Ellen live." She sighed again. "No friends, no family other than me, no work…"

Well, they would have her. "They'd be safe there, though."

"That's true. But they've been safe for years here," she replied.

He nodded. "But that was when the wizards thought you had died. They were useless as leverage," he told her. She frowned at him, and he shrugged. "I'm just pointing out the obvious."

"I know. But I might as well ask them to hide, isolated, under the Fidelius Charm!" She shook her head. "Depending on me whenever they want to go outside? Travel? Meet friends and family? That wouldn't be much of a life."

Nor would it be much of a life for her. He nodded. "And it would give Dumbledore and Grindelwald more potential leverage."

She narrowed her eyes at him, then shook her head. "That's Moody talking. Dumbledore would never be as crude as to try to kidnap my parents to exert influence on me."

"Grindelwald might, though," Ron countered.

"I think he'd follow Dumbledore's lead in this."

Ron didn't agree, but it was all theoretical. "Dumbledore is no saint."

"I'm aware of that. And also that he'd probably use my parents in his plans anyway. Just with more finesse."

"And a possibly overly complicated plan." Ron snorted. "He is the type to be too clever for his own good."

"So far, his plans have worked out," Hermione retorted.

"Those we know of, at least."

She narrowed her eyes at him again. "I am aware that he's a spymaster and pursuing his own agenda - undoubtedly focused on amassing more money and power for himself, and finding a way to further extend his life."

"That's quite the motivation. And what will he do if he finds a method you won't tolerate?"

She raised her chin. "Then we'll have to stop him."

"He'll expect that."

"I know."

He snorted. "I'm looking forward to working on a project marked by such exceptional trust between its primary participant and backer."

"It's not as if we have a choice," she replied. "I have no doubt that Dumbledore has taken precautions in case we decide to move against him."

"Yes." Even if Rosengarten was a wild card, Dumbledore had had ample opportunities to construct a situation where mutual destruction was assured. Ron's parents still trusted him, for one thing. "But it's worth it."

She chuckled. "To visit other worlds?"

"And explore them." And the situation made Ron feel more useful, too. He was trained to deal with similar problems, after all. Moody had seen to that.

Hermione nodded with a smile. "Exactly. Imagine the possibilities."

Well, Ron had been doing that since he had been able to read.

"So, do you have an idea for dealing with the Dementors?" he asked on the way back to her parents' home - dinner would be ready soon.

"Nothing concrete, yet." She frowned, though not at him. "There's no known method of killing them - although I doubt that many methods were actually tested thoroughly, if at all. It's very difficult to concentrate next to a Dementor, which impedes spell-casting."

"What about explosives?"

"That has been tested. The Blasting Curse is one of the few spells that can be cast effectively from far away, and using it didn't kill the Dementors."

It was his turn to frown. "Perhaps the explosion wasn't powerful enough."

"That is a possibility. Few blasting curses can equal a large bomb, after all. But I don't think it's that easy. Someone's bound to have tried something similar," she replied.

"Lasers?"

"They're not especially vulnerable to light or heat. Sunlight doesn't hurt them. That's been tested extensively."

Ron felt a little stupid, trying to think of magical ways to hurt such monsters when he was a muggle, but it wasn't as if he had anything better to do. And he'd always liked brainstorming problems in roleplaying games. "What weaknesses do they have?"

"Well, they cannot stand being in the presence of a Patronus. And they also supposedly cannot stand warmer climates, either - which would explain their cold aura. They cannot pass through walls, nor can they fly, even though they move by gliding over the ground. Most spells are said to be unable to affect them, especially those charms and curses that affect the mind. And using Legilimency on a Dementor resulted in insanity in the wizard who attempted it."

Hmmm. That was a pretty long list already. Far from comprehensive, though. "Can they walk or glide over water?" They lived on an island, didn't they?

Hermione shook her head. "No, they can't. That's why they are confined to Azkaban. When they attacked us at the Black Lake, they went around the lake."

"What happens if they are pushed into water?"

She wrinkled her nose. "That's a good question. It should be tested - I don't think anyone's ever tried it. Or if they did, we don't know if they were successful." She started to grin. "I think my idea for dealing with Azkaban needs a little refining."

CI5 Headquarters, Westminster, London, February 15th, 2006

"Feels sort of nostalgic, doesn't it?" Ron asked as he stepped out of the car in front of CI5's headquarters.

Harry made a non-commital noise as he closed the car door, then locked the Bentley with a click of the remote. "It's been a while."

Ron was about to comment some more when he saw the door open ahead of them. He tensed, and his hand went under his jacket. Then he relaxed. It was just Dawlish.

The other police officer's eyes widened upon seeing them, but his surprise quickly gave way to a deep frown. "Potter. Weasley."

"Dawlish." Ron barely nodded at the man. Harry didn't even bother.

Dawlish pressed his lips together in return, then sneered. "A Bentley? Your girlfriend or your godfather loaning you the car, Potter?"

Ron almost sighed as he saw Harry tense in response. His friend really should have gotten used to this.

"Jealous, Dawlish?" Harry scoffed. "Because you don't have a girlfriend or a decent car?"

The other man clenched his teeth together. "Some of us work for a living, Potter."

"Like me," Ron added with a smile."And we're here for work." Only technically, of course.

"You're still suspended."

"We were on leave. Now we're back," Harry told him. "And you're in our way."

Ah, Ron's friend hadn't lost his touch - Ron expected to hear the sound of Dawlish cracking a tooth or three, the way the man's jaws were working.

But Dawlish stepped to the side. "Things changed while you were hiding. Don't expect a red carpet - or special treatment." With another sneer, he watched them enter.

"Dawlish kept his position," Ron commented as they made their way through the lobby towards the unfamiliar officer manning the desk there.

"Might've been demoted."

Ron nodded. He hadn't bothered keeping track of what was happening at their old - technically still current - office.

"Harry Potter and Ron Weasley," Harry announced. "We've got an appointment with the boss."

The woman blinked. "You mean the Chief Superintendent?" Before either of them could reply, she went on: "I'll need to see both of your IDs, sir."

Things had changed, Ron realised as he pulled out his ID. Granted, that was to be expected after the murders of Scrimgeour and Bones.

The woman looked at their IDs, then at them, and nodded. She didn't comment, though - she just checked the schedule. "Yes, you're expected. It's on the fifth floor, office number…"

"We know the way," Harry interrupted her with a nod.

"Got yelled at by Bones often enough," Ron added, flashing a smile at the woman before he followed Harry to the lift. "She's new," he said in a low voice as they waited for the cabin to arrive.

"I know," Harry replied. "Still, she should've known who we are."

"Oh? You like being famous now?" Ron snorted.

"We're here for an appointment with the boss. And we're fairly well known in CI5. She should've been aware of who we are, even if only after checking up on us."

"Maybe she did, and didn't want to appear to be friendly with the local pariahs?" Ron wasn't entirely serious, but it was possible.

The lift arrived before Harry could reply, and the doors opened to reveal Moody, leaning against the cabin's wall. "Potter. Weasley."

"Moody," Ron replied in the same flat tone.

"Here to pat us down?" Harry asked.

"The scanners in the doors have been enhanced," the man told them.

"And you trust them?" Ron raised his eyebrows as he stepped inside.

"I tested them. Extensively."

"Ah."

The door closed behind them, and Moody reached over to press the button for the fifth floor. "So, here to quit?"

"We quit months ago," Harry replied. "We're just here to update the paperwork."

Moody scoffed. "About time." Then he cocked his head and glared at them. "How did you hide your weapons?"

"What makes you think we're armed?" Harry shot back with the sort of innocent smile that had never worked on any authority figure Ron could remember.

It didn't work on Moody, either. He snorted. "I trained you. You're not stupid enough to think you're safe here - or in London - just because Putin's busy with a traitor now. And you're too damn smug, Potter."

Ron snorted in return. "Trade secret, Moody," he said.

Moody shook his head. "New gear from Phoenix Gruppe?"

Ron inclined his head. Technically true - if Hermione shrinking their weapons counted.

Moody snorted again. "So you're going mercenary."

"Bodyguard," Harry corrected him as they reached the fifth floor.

"Tell that to someone who doesn't know Dumbledore," Moody grunted, but nodded as they left, while remaining in the lift himself. "Good luck," he muttered, just before the doors closed again.

A new, middle-aged secretary greeted them. Her smile was polite. Very polite. She must have heard of them, then, and nothing good, probably. Ron almost chuckled, but they weren't here to make more enemies. Not deliberately, at least. "Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. We've got an appointment with Chief Superintendent Spikings," he said instead, flashing a smile at her.

"Ah, yes. Please have a seat; he'll be ready for you in a moment." She nodded towards the cheap plastic chairs lined up by the wall across from her desk and went back to typing before they could reply.

She had definitely heard of them. "I guess Dawlish talked about us," Ron muttered as he took a seat.

Harry snorted. "Or Moody."

Ron chuckled. "Oh, yes." What Moody considered praise would likely not be well-received by many others, and he didn't know how Spikings saw things. Ron knew that the man had led a special investigations unit for the Met and that he had been called out of retirement to 'sort out' CI5, but not much else.

Well, it didn't matter. They were here to quit, not to get their jobs back. He chuckled again - not having to worry about the new boss felt quite liberating, actually.

The secretary frowned at him, but the intercom on her desk buzzed before she could scold him. "The Chief Superintendent will see you now," she said.

"Thank you," Ron nodded at her with a bright smile as he got up.

Chief Superintendent Gordon Spikings was wearing a pinstripe suit, sported a thick moustache and was already glaring at them as they entered. That wasn't a good sign.

"Sir," Ron greeted him, followed by Harry a moment later.

"Harry Potter. Ronald Weasley." The old man stared at them for a moment. "Take a seat," he snapped, more an order than an invitation.

They sat down anyway. The office hadn't changed, Ron noticed. It was almost like it had been when Bones occupied it - just without her personal touches. Spikings hadn't brought any of his own, other than a picture on his desk, but Ron could only see the back of it. Probably a family picture.

"You've been at the centre of this whole mess since it started," the man began. "Some say you're responsible for it in the first place."

Probably Dawlish, Ron thought.

"Whoever said that is lying," Harry retorted. "We did our jobs, nothing else."

Spikings snorted in return, then patted a familiar-looking stack of files. "I've read your files. You're troublemakers. Cowboys." He stressed the last word as if it had a special meaning.

Ron cocked his head. "We were cleared after every investigation following a shooting."

The man's glare intensified. "I know how such things are handled."

Ron was sure the man had handled some of those things himself.

Harry shrugged.

"You're remarkably unconcerned about your future employment," Spikings went on. "Then again, you've been working for Mr Dumbledore for the last few months, haven't you?"

"Actually, we've been protecting Dr Granger, who, in turn, was working for Mr Dumbledore at a special research site," Ron pointed out. He managed not to smile as he did so.

Spikings scoffed at that. "You were suspended. Still are, actually." The man could do sarcasm better than Bones.

"That's why we're here," Harry said. "We've come to quit."

Ron nodded. There was no need to drag this out.

Spikings wasn't at all surprised. "Joining Dumbledore's private Secret Service, are you?"

"We're going to be private detectives," Ron told him. "And private security."

"Mercenaries, then," Spikings replied. "You wouldn't have travelled to Berlin recently, would you?"

That must be a wild guess. Ron did his best to look puzzled.

Harry shook his head. "No, why? We've been stuck in Scotland."

Spikings's eyes narrowed even more. He didn't push further, though. "And I expect you will be granted the right to carry firearms in your new business."

Ron shrugged. "Well, they're sort of necessary in our business. As our files demonstrate." He nodded at the stack of paper.

The old man shook his head. "As expected. But I'm warning you: If you cross the line in my jurisdiction, Dumbledore won't be able to protect you. I'll bring you in. It isn't the Cold War any more. Dumbledore isn't running things in MI6 any more, either. And there's only so much that bribes can do."

"I don't think there'll be any trouble," Harry said. But he was smiling a little too much.

Once more, the old man scoffed. "It's too bad you're quitting, actually. I think you would be perfect for investigating the sudden rash of stolen animals. Setting cowboys to track down animals seems oddly fitting."

Harry's smile widened, and Ron wanted to sigh. "Might I suggest Dawlish instead?" his friend asked. "He's perfect for talking to all those rich people missing their exotic pets."

"I would think you would be better suited, Mr Potter, as you might know many of them through your godfather."

"We don't exactly move in those circles, sir," Harry shot back.

For the first time, the man's lips twisted into the hint of a smile. "See Mrs Edgecombe about the necessary forms for your departure."

"Thank you," Ron said.

Harry grunted something as they got up.

"Dawlish must have spent a week bad-mouthing us non-stop," Ron said as they entered the lift again.

"I don't know," his friend disagreed. "I think the Chief Superintendent would have seen through such a transparent move. But our files are sort of… suggestive."

"That's CI5 for you," Ron replied. Moody had told them that the unit had been formed to use unorthodox tactics. Granted, the old man had usually said that after a run-in with Bones, who had been a very by-the-book officer.

"Yeah." Harry shrugged. "I also thought Spikings wasn't really talking about us. Or not just about us. 'Cowboys' - why would he call us that?"

"Because we used our guns more than all the officers in other units combined?" Ron asked.

Harry snorted in return. "Good point. Not that it matters."

"No, I guess it doesn't."

They reached the ground floor. Time to leave CI5.

"Ron! Harry! Tell me it's not true! Tell me there's been a mistake!"

Or not. "Hi, Colin," Ron said as Harry grunted something Colin might mistake for a greeting. "What's a mistake?"

"You've been listed in the system as quitting the service!" the younger man blurted out.

"Why do you know this?" Harry asked, eyes narrowing. "We only just filled out the forms."

"And how did you know we're here?"

"I've got a program that flags every mention of you in our system," Colin replied. "But that's not important. You're quitting? Why? You're our best officer. Best officers."

"Thank you," Ron drawled as sarcastically as he could. Not that Colin would notice.

Harry sighed. "Well…"

"Wait! Did Spikings tell you to quit or you'd be fired?" Colin gasped. "That's not fair! He just wants to kick everyone out and replace them with his own people! They've already replaced most of the brass!"

"Actually…"

"You can't let them do this, Harry! You need to fight them! I'm sure there's some dirt on Spikings that you can dig up and use to force him to reinstate you! We need you!" Colin took a step towards Harry, who took a step back.

"We're not going to blackmail a Chief Superintendent," Harry told Colin.

"But…"

"Spikings isn't the type to bow to pressure," Ron added. At least he thought so. "And he's retired, so he doesn't have anything to lose."

"But…"

"Look, Colin." Harry sighed. "We've been planning to quit for some time."

"But why?" Colin whined.

"We don't fit in any more," Ron said.

"That's not true! You're veterans! We need you!"

"Colin!" It was Ron's turn to sigh. "We've, ah, moved past CI5. We're about to go private."

"Oh! So the rumours are true! You're going to work for the Secret Service!"

"No, we aren't," Harry snapped. "We're gonna be private investigators. Detectives and bodyguards."

"But… you were hired by Albus Dumbledore, weren't you? 'C', the boss of MI6! He led the Secret Service during the Cold War! He's a legend!"

Ron glanced at Harry. It looked like they had finally found someone Colin liked almost as much as Harry.

"We might do some work for him," Harry admitted. "But we're not going to become secret agents or anything. We're going to be bodyguards."

"Harry'll be busy guarding Ginny," Ron said.

"Oh… right." As usual, Colin deflated when Ginny was mentioned. Or rather, her relationship with Harry.

"And Ron'll be guarding Hermione," Harry added.

"Dr Granger?" Colin perked up again. "Did you solve her case?"

"That's classified," Ron told him.

"Oh. The attack in Scotland! Of course - that was the last attempt by Russian oligarchs to silence her before she remembered who had kidnapped her! And the purge in Russia is Putin getting rid of them before they can implicate him!"

"Have you been visiting conspiracy sites again?" Ron asked.

"Only those that Luna recommends."

Ron ignored Harry's amused glance. "It's classified."

"That means yes!"

"No, it means that it's classified," Ron repeated himself.

Colin gasped again. "Oh! Say… do you need a lab technician in your new office?" He was looking at them - at Harry - with bright eyes and an expression so full of hope, Ron almost felt bad for shooting him down. Almost. Ginny would kill Colin after a week, tops. Or she'd kill Ron. So he told Colin: "Sorry, but we're focusing on bodyguarding to start with - and cheating spouses. We won't need a forensics lab."

"Oh… but I can do surveillance as well!"

Yes, Ginny would definitely kill him. Or Harry would do it.

"Sorry, Colin, but we're starting small. Just the two of us. And we'll be, well… guarding our girlfriends to begin with," Harry said with a fake smile.

"Oh. I guess you don't need a lab technician, then."

"Sorry." Ron nodded, patted the bloke on the shoulder, and left the building.

Harry all but ran after him.

"I'm not going to miss CI5, actually," his friend told him when they reached the Bentley. "It wouldn't be the same, anyway."

"With Spikings? Probably not." Ron replied. "He's used to running things his way, I think." And with CI5 disgraced by the murders of Scrimgeour and Bones as well as Yaxleys's betrayal, Spikings would get his way. That was how things worked.

"Yes. And I don't want to work our way up for a year or two until we can do things our way again," Harry agreed. "Let's go."

Greenwich, London, Britain, Wizarding World, February 15th, 2006

"...and then we left. He looked like a kicked puppy," Ron finished his account as he sat at the Granger's dinner table.

"Like a kicked stalker, you mean," Harry said. "He had written a program that hacked the CI5 systems so he would be notified as soon as I appeared in the system."

"That sounds like the Colin I knew," Hermione said with a faint smile. "In his first year, he followed Harry around with a camera and tried to take pictures of him whenever he could."

"That's our Colin!" Ron grinned as Harry groaned.

"At least he's still alive," Hermione said, her smile vanishing.

This time, Ron did feel bad about brushing off Colin. Somewhat.

"'Gas Explosion'," Harry said, spitting the words out.

"'Whole family died in fire'," Ron added, dropping the newspaper on the table in their tent.

"We told them to move," she said through clenched teeth. "Why didn't they leave their home and go into hiding?" The Creeveys should have known better than that. Two students - one of whom didn't even have his O.W.L.s yet - stood no chance against the Death Eaters. Even if they had trained with the Boy-Who-Lived.

She bit her lip. She couldn't say that - Harry would blame himself. And they couldn't have that. Their lack of success at finding the last Horcrux was already bad enough. They didn't need Harry growing even moodier. She sighed. "Their parents probably didn't want to move, and they didn't manage to convince them in time."

"And they stayed as well, until it was too late," Ron added. "I hope they at least got a few of the bastards. We trained them well enough, didn't we?"

She closed her eyes. She didn't need to see Harry to know that he was flinching.