Author's Note: Thank you for all the have read and reviewed!
Tully McGonagall glanced back toward Seamus and Minerva who stood speechless. He felt a tug on his arm as he allowed himself to be led down the corridor following Commissioner Urquart.
He couldn't shake the thought that Deputy Commissioner Thomas had been murdered. And now Tully would be stepping into his shoes - the shoes of a man who had likely been murdered because of the very role Tully was now filling.
"Sir, sir?" A voice was calling before finally saying loudly, "Sir!"
Tully snapped out of this thoughts and turned to a face a young man that was desperately trying to get his attention. Tully recognised him as Rahim Dar, the executive assistant to late Commissioner Thomas.
"Sir, we're heading to an emergency meeting of the Security Cabinet," Dar said as Tully was whisked quickly down to Security Cabinet chamber on the lowest level of the Ministry. Tully was aware of the room but he'd never been near it as access was heavily restricted.
Dar was speaking quickly. Tully was having a hard time focusing. They passed two Aurors stationed outside a stairway that led down to the last corridor.
"Your wand, sir," Dar explained as he pointed to large, floating orb. It was the specuglobum. Tully had never seen it in person, but he had heard of it and knew of it's unique history.
Each member of the Security Cabinet was required to input their wand for entrance into the chamber.
It was a bright blue, glowing and floating orb that would hold the wand until the meeting's conclusion. It permitted entrance and provided security during the meeting to ensure no wands were present. It had been created in 1803 after the attempted assination of Minister Artemisia Lufkin by a political rival.
Tully pulled his wand from his holster and placed slowly guided it to the glowing orb. As soon as it made contact, the orb "gripped" his wand and slowly pulled it into the orb. Tully couldn't recall the last time he had turned over his wand aside from trips to Azkaban. As an Auror, his wand an extension of himself.
Dar handed Tully a thick folder of parchments.
"These are the briefing papers on the active organised crime profiles that are unaccounted for," Dar said flipping through the first three pages.
Tully saw a series of names and faces. Most were recognisable. They ranged from relatively low level enforcers to some high profile criminal assassins that were notorious for managing to keep their whereabouts unknown.
"These are four MUSSR nationals that we've been tracking," Dar explained as he pointed to the next page. "Last night they disappeared."
"What do you mean by disappeared? Left the country?" Tully asked. There had been some chatter in the Auror office about the Magical Union of Soviet Socialist Republics espionage. The last thing he needed was four suspected MUSSR agents dropping off the grid.
"Disappeared. We don't know where they are," Dar stated. "They were able to shake the Aurors that had been tracking them during a shift change."
"McGonagall," said a booming voice that Tully recognised as Gerald Adler.
Adler was the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Adler was a large man with a bushy moustache. He had a reputation for being narky with his staff. Aurors rarely lasted long on his protection detail.
"I hear your boys lost Potemkin and his crew last night," Adler said as he placed his wand into the specuglobum.
Commissioner Urquart motioned for Tully to head into the room. He took a deep breath and stepped inside as the weight of his new role washed over him.
Upstairs in the Auror offices, Moody was pacing back and forth. Minerva had been called into a meeting with Emmeline Vance and Rufus Scrimgeour. Moody understood why. Vance and Scrimgeour were the Major Case Unit. They would likely be taking the lead into the investigation surrounding Deputy Commissioner Thomas's untimely demise.
Moody suspected they were briefing Minerva. With Tully's appointment she was the only Auror left in the Investigative Unit.
For the last thirty minutes Alastor had paced the small length of Minerva and Tully's office waiting for her to return.
Alastor's heart skipped a beat when he heard the door open. His back was to the door.
"What's the word?" he asked. He stopped pacing and turned to see his partner at the door.
"I just heard," Amelia said as she came into the office. "And that McGonagall's been appointed acting Deputy Commissioner."
Amelia took off her purple cloak and laid it across the back of the wooden chair that sat behind Tully's empty desk.
"Where's Minerva?" Amelia asked as she glanced around the office.
"Vance and Scrimengeour snagged her," Moody said as he leaned back onto Minerva's unoccopied desk.
A moment of silence passed between the two partners. A small clock on the wall marked the seconds that passed with a small tick as the second hand traveled across the face.
"What's next?" Amelia asked.
Moody shared her feeling of uncertainty. The Pinelli investigation had strayed so much from the original mission and they were no closer to discovering who was the new head of the Pinelli family. Deputy Commissioner Thomas would not have been an easy person to take out. He was a skilled duelist and had spent a career as an accomplished Hit Wizard. He wouldn't have gone down without a fight. Moody was concerned there may be a connection to their secret operation to bring down the Pinelli family.
"I don't know Bonesy," Moody said as he ruffled his hair.
Down the corridor, Minerva was sitting in the Major Crimes office with Emmeline Vance and Rufus Scrimgeour. She was using her wand to examine a picture of graffiti that was found with Deputy Commissioner Thomas's body.
It was a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth and was the same graffiti that had been found near the body of Noreen Watts.
"We'd heard you'd seen this before," Vance said. "If there's something you can tell us-"
"Do you know if Thomas had any kind of relationship with Noreen Watts?" Minerva said as she studied the mark.
"That bird that got picked off from Education?" Scrimgeour asked.
"She was an informant and a witness in the original case against Salvador Pinelli," Minerva said in a low voice.
With a flick of her wand, Emmeline Vance deftly levitated a piece of parchment off her desk for Minerva to view.
I warned you to stop. This waste of magical blood is on your hands. I implore you to stop or five more will die.
"What do you know about this?" Vance asked as Minerva eyed the note.
"Not sure," Minerva said. "There was a similar note left regarding Watts. The Pinelli family has no history of ties to blood purists."
"But we don't know who's running the Pinelli family now," Scrimgeour stated.
Minerva knew he was right. They had no clue who was running the show. But she wasn't at liberty to expose what Dumbledore had shared with her.
"The Investigation unit will check into any potential connection between Watts and Thomas. Can I take this?" Minerva asked holding up the note.
Vance and Scrimgeour agreed and Minerva left with the ominous note in hand.
Minerva had been headed back to her office with the note in hand when she ran into Rahim Dar.
"Deputy McGonagall would like to see you in his office, ma'am," Dar said as he approached Minerva.
She nodded and followed him downstairs to where the senior departmental offices were located. The Deputy Commissioner's office was located toward the back of the office corridor. Minerva noticed a number of flower arrangements and condolence cards filled what she assumed was Dar's office.
"I'm sorry about your loss," Minerva said awkwardly to Dar.
"Deputy Commissioner Thomas left big shoes to fill," Dar said. "I hope your partner is up to the job."
Dar knocked twice on an old wooden door that led into Tully's new office.
Minerva swept into the room to find Tully deep in thought as he absorbed the contents of the parchment in his hands.
"I can't recall the last time I saw you reading a report so thoroughly," Minerva said as she approached his desk.
He looked more worn that Minerva could recall. The gray forming at his temples were more visible and Minerva wasn't sure if it was the stress or the better lighting this office afforded.
"Black," Tully said as he looked up and removed his reading glasses.
"Sir," Minerva said instinctively. She realised he was her superior now. They were no longer partners and the previously sociable relationship they shared with Bones and Moody would be only a thing of memory.
"I asked you here because I don't know how long this appointment will last," Tully said. "And you need a partner."
"I'm fine at the moment," Minerva said quickly. "I'll be assisting Major Crimes in an investigative capacity. I can handle it until you-"
"I will not be returning, Minerva," Tully said bluntly as he shifted the stack of parchment on his desk. He picked up a small squash ball that he kept on his desk and began rolling it between his hands.
For a brief moment, a look of suprise flashed across her face. She had assumed his role had been temporary. So had he.
"Although I'm only serving as acting Deputy Commissioner for the time being, I will be moving permanently to a desk job once a replacement is appointment," Tully explained uneasily.
"Understood, sir," Minerva replied professionally.
"I'm assigning Theseus Scamander as your partner," Tully explained.
"Thank you, sir," Minerva said as she nodded stiffly to Tully.
He tried to read her face. He sincerly hoped she didn't misunderstand the assignment. Scamander was one of the department's finest and most experienced Aurors. Tully also knew Scamander had staunch pro-muggle views and would be a good asset at identifying and understanding the threat of blood purists. But he feared she may see this appointment as a distrust of her leadership. It was unprecedented move to appoint Scamander back in the field. For the last decade, Scamander had been semi-retired.
"Black, this assignment is not because-," Tully started to say but was cut off by Minerva.
"I understand, sir. Thank you. I look forward to working with Auror Scamander," Minerva responded.
"Minerva-" Tully tried say.
"Will that be all, sir?" Minerva asked. "I need to get over to the lab. They're running a test to see what substance was used to create the symbol we've found at both crime scenes."
Tully nodded.
"Congratulations on your new role," she said as she turned and left.
Tully flashed a brief smile. As soon as the door was closed he threw the squash ball against the wall in anger.
He did not want to be behind a desk.
It was nearly 10:00 in the morning before Tully was disturbed again.
"Hem hem," came a familar voice as Dolores entered his office. Per usual, she was dressed impeccably.
"Good morning, darling," Tully said as she came in to greet him. "I got your note. I know your new position is very important but are you ready to go?"
"I'm sorry, Dolores but I'm very busy today," Tully said. He had a working luncheon scheduled with Ministery Urquart to get up to speed in his new role.
"We're going to be late," Dolores insisted as she grabbed his cloak.
"I'm sorry but I'm not going to be able to go to lunch today," Tully said apologetically. They usually spent Saturdays in Diagon Alley taking a stroll. Dolores would shop and then Tully would take her for lunch.
"I'm not talking about our Saturday lunch," Dolores said with a sickeningly sweet voice that indicated her patience with Tully had grown thin.
"The Greengrass estate!" Tully realised aloud.
Given recent events, he'd completely forgotten about the appointment scheduled at the Greengrass estate.
Tully took his cloak from her outstreched arm. He grabbed his green homburg hat and they were off.
The Greengrass estate had been everything Dolores had wanted in a home. It was big and stately and came with air of prestige that Dolores desperately wanted.
"It suits your new role," Dolores had said trying to convince Tully that he needed a home befitting of his new position in the Ministry.
She'd told him that if he was going to run for Minister he would need to have home like the Greengrass estate.
But Tully was on half paying attention. He wasn't concerned with her political ambitions. He wanted to be on the case looking for the Deputy Commissioner Thomas's murderer. He was kicking himself that he hadn't thought of analysing the substance used to create the symbol graffiti found at the scene near the body.
Blood cults were notorious for symbolism. It would only make sense that there would be some kind of ritualistic importance to the substance used in the graffiti. And that substance may lead them to the killer or killers.
"Darling, the gardens would be perfect for entertaining," Dolores said with a greedy eagerness that unsettled Tully.
They'd left the home without making a final decision. Dolores desperately wanted to the purcahse the house but Tully was skeptical. The home was huge and Dolores had no desire for a big family. Tully did not enjoy the society events.
He wanted a home in the country to relax away from London.
He did not want to bring London into his home.
Once they had returned to the Ministry, Dolores had left him at his office and bid farewell with a short, huffy goodbye. She was feeling dejected that he'd not wanted to purchase the home on the spot.
He'd appeased her by promising to look at another large home in Ashford next weekend. It wasn't exactly what she'd wanted to hear, but it was enough to keep her from storming off. His engagement was intact and he counted that as a victory.
Six days had gone by since the murder of Deputy Commissioner Thomas.
Tully shifted uncomfortably as he tugged at the collar of his dress uniform. Dress uniforms were only pulled out for very special occassions. Those occassions tended to be funerals and that was a large part of what made Tully so uncomfortable.
Tully had attended plenty of these services over the years for Ministry officials but this was the first time he'd been one of the brass sitting in the middle of the ceremony behind the body. The Ministry often turned these memorials into political functions rather than services for the memory of the dearly departed.
Large funerals like this were held down in the courtrooms. Tully was beginning to feel the heat of the hundreds of bodies stuffed into the circular room.
As he listened to Minister Wilhelmina Tuft prattle on with talking points from her reelection bid, Tully's eyes scanned the crowd. He spotted Bonesy and Moody with their bright red hair in the sea of black. They were seated in the back. As he scanned further he could see his partner, Minerva.
Not your partner anymore. He corrected himself.
He knew the last week must have been very difficult for her. She had not returned to her flat since Riddle's appearance. Truth be told, he didn't know where she'd been staying. He knew it wasn't with Bonesey or Potter and that had him worried.
But at the very least, she seemed to be doing well at the office.
According to Moody, Minerva and Theseus were getting along splendily. It had been a relief for Tully. He'd had a feeling that putting two brilliant minds like Minerva and Theseus together would be good for the investigation and it appeared to be paying off.
Minerva's theory about the substance used to create the marks was a rare ink that wasn't available to the public anymore. It had been banned by the Ministry in 1846. It was made soley in Bamberg with Lindworm blood. Tully was familiar with it as it had been used exclusively by Count Franz Karl Louis von Schwarzenberg, none other than Gellert Grindelwald's right-hand man during the war.
The ink was infamous because it carried poisons well. It had the uncanny ability to maintain even the deadliest of poisons without degrading the quality of the poision over time. Tully had a hunch that a rare magical good like this had probably passed through Borgin and Burke's and it was exactly what they needed to tie Riddle back to this.
Theseus Scamander was working with Potter's office to set up a sting operation to inquire about purchasing some of the ink.
Tully was pulled from his thoughts by a small tap on the shoulder from Commissioner Urquart.
The Minister had finished speaking and people were beginning to file out of the room. Tully hoped he could slip away before he got caught having to hobnob with any of the brass.
He was nearly to the door when Victor Dar appeared out of nowhere with Dolores and Basil Karasu who was head of the Minister's personal gaurd.
"Good afternoon, McGonagall," Karasu said as he extended his hand.
"Excuse me one moment, Mr Karasu," Tully said as he pulled Dar aside.
"I want you to come back in about three minutes and tell me there is an urgent matter I must attend to," Tully whispered.
Dar nodded in understanding.
"Thank you, sir," Dar said aloud. "I'll post the owl straightaway."
Tully nodded and returned to Karasu and Dolores.
"What was that about, darling?" Dolores asked.
"A house near Sandgate," Tully lied.
After several minutes of polite chatter, Tully was relieved to see Victor return to the room.
"Sir, you're needed in your office," Dar said on cue.
"Ah!" Tully said with mock disappointment. "It was lovely to chat with you Mr Kasaru."
He gave Dolores a quick peck on the cheek along with a flash of his smile and bid her farewell.
"What about our date night?" Dolores protested.
"I will try my best to get there but I don't know how long this will take," Tully said sympathetically.
"And the house near Sandgate?" Dolores said as her eyes buldged with excitment.
"I'll tell you all about it later, darling," Tully covered with a wink.
Tully and Dar exited the courtroom and stepped onto a vacant elevator.
"Thank you, Dar," Tully said as they rode up.
"Of course, sir," Dar replied.
"Could I ask another favour?" Tully said in earnest.
"Certainly," Dar responded as he looked at his boss.
"Can you please see if there are any properties recently listed near Sandgate?" Tully asked.
Many of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement employees had made their way down to the Department of Drink pub. It was customary after these large functions for the party to carry on through the afternoon and into the evening. Moody, Bones, and Black had chosen a booth in the back.
The pub was crowded and Alastor Moody didn't usually like to be in a place so full. It made him nervous when he couldn't see the door.
The boys from Bob Ogden's department were crowded around two tables near the entrance and Moody had a bad feeling these guys were just one pint away from a brawl with the hit wizards a table over.
Hamish Barclay was a big wizard and he was known for starting fights. And Moody could tell from six tables back that Barlcay was pissed.
"Take note of who's not here," Amelia said.
Moody knew she was right. It was was very crowded but there were certainly some notable absences.
"He's not coming back," Minerva said in a very unlike Minerva fashion.
Moody and Bones exchanged a brief smirk.
"I meant Scamander," Amelia explained.
"I miss him too, Black," Moody said relieved she was finally talking about McGonagall. She had avoided questions all week but Bones and Moody had sensed she missed him.
"Well, we were going to lose him one way or another," Minerva said with a small smile. "Whether it be to Dolores or a promotion."
"You alright?" Amelia asked from across the table.
Back at the Ministry, Tully had one last stop to make for the evening before heading off to meet Dolores.
He had to stop himself from opening the door to his old office. This was no longer his space and he couldn't just go barging in on an Auror's office unnanounced.
He knocked and was greated by a call to enter.
He found Theseus Scamander at his old desk. He noticed that very little about the office had changed. Notably, his personal effects were gone but his autographed Caerphilly Catapults poster remained.
"I didn't realise you were a fan," Tully said as he motioned to the poster above the desk.
"I'm not," Scamander confessed as he pulled up a chair for McGonagall. "But your partner said it comes with the office."
Tully laughed.
"Well I'm afraid she's had a laugh at your expense then," Tully said he explained Minerva was an ardent Magpies supporter.
Tully waved his wand to pull the poster from the wall but was surprised when it wouldn't move.
"And now it appears she's having a laugh at both of us," Scamander said with a smile.
Tully tried again but poster wouldn't budge.
"It's stuck to the wall," Scamander said. "It's no use."
Tully sat down in the chair that had been conjured for him and resigned himself to the possibility that perhaps he really upset Minerva more than he realised.
"How's your new role?" Scamander asked as he pulled off his reading glasses.
"It's not really my forte," Tully admitted.
"I certainly share that feeling," Scamander said.
Tully was aware Scamander had been semi-retired for some time but had always suspected the man didn't enjoy it. Scamander was a keen auror and his transition to a desk job had been a natural progression. Scamander was a force to be reckoned with and his analysis had proven useful in catching some of the wizarding world's most dangerous men - including Grindelwald.
Scamander shared with Tully that the shift to a desk role offered new opportunities to put his skills to use.
"This is the report you asked me write up on that ink," Scamander said as he passed a file to Tully.
Glancing at the file, Tully noticed a note that read 'Black and I believe this office is bugged.'
"Thank you, Theseus," Tully said as he looked up from the report and nodded. It explained why Minerva had shared her information verbally with him one morning in passing while they were alone outside of his office.
"They joined the crowd," Scamander explained.
"I'm not keen on pubs." Scamander quickly added sensing Tully's concern that perhaps Scamander had been left out.
Tully thanked Theseus for the report and headed back to his office. He would need to dispose of the note before he could join Dolores.
He was part of the way back to his office when he heard a noise coming from the Major Case Office shared by Vance and Scrimengeour.
Normally, Friday evenings were already a slow night at the office. But the memorial service earlier meant that the office was even more devoid of life than usual.
Hugging the wall tightly, Tully carefully approached the door to the dark office. Someone inside was using a Lumos charm as Tully could see the glow through the textured glass on the window of the door.
Tully contemplated his options. He could open the door and try to ambush whoever was behind the door. But there was no telling how many people were in the room.
He could wait for them emerge but he might lose them down corridor.
Straining against the wall Tully tried to slow his breathing to listen carefully. His fingers gripped his wand and he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his eardrums.
Silently he sent out two Patronuses to the two people he knew were still in the Department. It was a trick he had learned from Minerva. She'd developed it during the war and after about a year of practice, Tully had also been able to replicate the feat.
He just hoped that these Patronuses would reach Theseus Scamander and Victor Dar in time.
Tully moved his hand silently toward the brass knob on the door. He was able to turn it when the door swung open. Pressing himself against the wall, Tully waited to see who would emerge from the office.
There was one cloaked figure. It was tall and thin. Without hesitation, it raised an arm and pointed it toward the office.
"Incendio," the figure said in low voice as a stream of flame burst from the wand.
"Stupefy," Tully said as he emerged from behind the door.
His spell was deflected as the cloaked figure raised his wand defensively and wordlessly cast a shield charm.
Tully aimed a marking curse at the offender but it was also rebuffed.
Tully could smell the fire in the office was beginning to grow. Black smoke rolled out of the door as the figure began to back down the corridor.
"Halt by order of the Ministry of Magic," Theseus Scamander shouted as he emerged behind Tully.
But the cloaked figure refused to comply.
"Avada Kedavra," it said as Tully and Theseus parted against opposite walls as the green light came streaming toward them.
In a moment's flash, Tully and Theseus launched a barrage of stunners and defensive spells toward the cloaked figure.
The magic crackled in the air as the red and green jets of the spells whizzed down the corridor. Whoever the cloak figure was knew some pretty advanced dark magic. The smoke from the office was beginning to cloud the air it was growing difficult to see.
"Stupefy!" Tully heard Victor Dar shout from the opposite end of the corridor.
There was a thud.
It appears his Patronus had made it back to his office and he hoped reinforcements were on the way.
The flames were licking the office door and wall of the corridor now as the men choked on the thick black smoke.
The acrid taste of burning parcment sat on his tongue as Tully cast a quick burst of water to wet the walls around the office.
A fresh volley of spells came barrelling down toward the two men and Tully hoped Dar was only stunned and not dead.
I have no desire to waste magical blood. Tully heard Riddle say inside his mind.
"Stop this or five more will die," the cloaked figure said.
"Riddle!" Tully shouted as whirlwind began to swirl before his eyes.
The black smoke swirled in toward the epicentre as it surrounded the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure disappeared into a cloud of dark smoke as Tully and Theseus were thrown backward by an invisble force.
Tully knew he would be sore in a few hours. The sound of footsteps racing toward them brought him back to his sense. He needed to find Dar.
"I've got this," Theseus said as the stream of water from his wand fought against the growing flames.
Tully pulled himself to his feet and made his way through the smoke until he stumbled upon Victor Dar.
To his relief, Dar was breathing. Tully saw the wizard's chest rise and fall.
Within moments shouting and alarms had filled the air as Tully helped a witch from the records office elevate Dar onto a stretcher for transportation to St. Mungo's.
Surveying the damage, Tully noticed there must have been some kind of accelerant used.
"This is pretty extensive," Tully commented as he ran his hand along the charred wall.
"You called out Riddle," Theseus said, "as in Tom Riddle?"
"Aye," Tully replied. "I'm sure it was him."
Eyeing the crowd that had gathered, Tully leaned in close before asking Theseus to keep that a secret for the time being.
The older wizard nodded in understanding.
Tully stayed at the site to supervise Dar's transport to St. Mungo's and the arrival of the a forensics unit.
He'd been assured that Dar was in no serious danger and would likely be released in the morning. Tully dispatched an owl to Commissioner Urquart and Dar's family to notify them. Lastly, he'd snagged a young department assitant clerk and sent them off with an apology gift to make his excuses to Dolores.
He knew he'd have to invest time making it up to her over the weekend.
"I said I wasn't big on pubs but you look like you could use a drink," Theseus said as he approached Tully.
Theseus had given his report to the the forensics unit and could tell Tully needed a break.
With their cloaks in hand, the two men set off from the Ministry.
Upon their arrival, Tully directed Theseus to the booth in the back where he knew his old team would likely be sitting.
Moody, Bones, and Black were in a heated debate over the recent aquisition of new Polish seeker.
"I'm telling you, Mulready is making a huge mistake trading this Wronksi kid back to Poland," Black said adamently. "Well our friend Charlotte said that at their fall training Wronski dived as a diversion. He pulled out of a nose dive less than thirty feet from the ground."
Charlotte Dawes was a friend of both Minerva and Amelia. She was a writer for The Pitch which was the world's foremost Quidditch magazine. She had early access to training camps and was quick to spot up-and-coming talent.
According to Charlotte, this Jacob Wronksi was a force to be reckoned with on the field.
"They're calling it the Wronski Feint," Minerva said with a grin.
"Now that's just cheating!" Amelia said. She had strong feelings against the use of deceptive tactics in Quidditch.
"It's brilliant!" Black countered.
"I swear you were misorted into Gryffindor," Amelia said with her character deadpan delivery.
"Sometimes I've wondered that myself," Tully said altering the group to his presence.
A pregnant pause followed. Moody was the first to recover.
"Good to see you," Moody said enthusiastically as he motioned for the two to slide in to the booth.
"Has something happened?" Bones asked noting the smell of smoke and disheveled appearance of the two wizards.
"There was an incident," Tully said. "But I can't talk about it here."
"Was there a fire?" Minerva said as she took in his appearance. Her animagus nose detecting the smoke on his suit.
"It's not safe to discuss here," Theseus replied.
"Understood," Moody said with a small nod.
"What you're really saying is it's not safe because you don't know who is responsible," Minerva said darkly. "And you don't know who's responsible because they got away."
Tully didn't have to answer. They all knew it was the truth.
"At the very least this means I can avoid looking at properties tomorrow," Tully said with a smile.
Theseus was quick to change the subject. He had a knack for knowing when Auror's needed a break.
The five spent the next hour arguing about the latest Cleansweep. Alastor had purchased one recently and was very keen on the new broom. He felt they had a good balance of speed and and maneuverability. Theseus and Tully were concerned about their reputation for getting choppy and difficult to handle at high altitudes. A wizard in Devonshire had been thrown from his broom during a family game of Quidditch resulting a particularly nasty injury.
Amelia was a staunch Comet supporter and hand no desire to ride or own a Cleansweep. It was a common point of argument between Bones and Moody.
"Bonesy, the Comet sacrifices speed and you know that!" Moody said before finishing his pint.
All in all, it had been a good night. Theseus had been the first leave and Minerva was saying her goodbyes. She had expertly put off questions about where she was staying. Tully didn't like her whereabouts being unkown with Riddle on the loose.
"Minerva," Tully said quietly to the table, "before you go you should know the incident involved Riddle."
She nodded silently in understanding. Moody and Bones shared a silent look between the pair.
"Thank you," Minerva said with a small smile before bidding her friends goodnight.
Tully, Bones, and Moody stayed at the pub for another hour chatting amongst themselves. Truth be told, Moody and Bones did most of the chatting while Tully was focused on the incident from earlier. It was going to be difficult to prove it had been Riddle - especially given that he was getting protection from the Lestrange family.
"See he's not even paying attention to us," Moody said.
"Alastor, please," Bones said.
"Dolores is here," Moody said to try and scare Tully into paying attention to him.
There was no response. Tully was stirring his tumbler in his hand as he watched the whiskey swirl around it.
"So, as I was saying we could catch the match after your sparring class," Moody explained.
"The match is at noon. I don't have time to get lunch and then make the match," Amelia said exasperated.
"I'll bring you a bacon butty," Moody offered. He'd managed to score two tickets to the match between the Wimbourne Wasps and Puddlemere United and he'd been begging Bones to go with him for the last two days.
"Look, I'm sorry whatever date you had lined up backed out but I can't be your backup every time that happens," Amelia said apologetically.
"I didn't have a date," Moody said honestly. "You're the only one I've asked."
Amelia's face flushed. She wasn't sure what to say in response.
"Oi! You McGonagall?" A young woman said and Tully snapped out of his thoughts. It was evident she had been trying to get his attention.
On the table was a formal letter sealed from the Ministry. Tully recognised the seal of Commissioner Urquart. It could only be removed with a special codeword spell shared between the two wizards and it allowed them to communicate securely.
"Urquart sent me," she explained. "Will you be sending a response, sir?"
Tully took out his wand and quietly opened the letter. It was nothing more than a short note with instructions for the team to report to the office immediately.
"No, thank you," Tully said and the woman dismissed herself.
Bidding a hasty farewell to the pair, Tully explained he needed to return to the Ministry. With a sense of urgency he made his way back to the Ministry.
"So about the game tomorrow-" Moody started to say but was stopped by a wave of Amelia's hand.
"Alright. I'll go," Amelia said with a small smile.
When Tully arrived at the Ministry he found that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was a flurry of activity. As he passed the Administrative desks on the way to Commissioner Urquart's office he noticed that there was a team of workers burning the midnight oil.
"McGonagall," Urquart said as he waved him into his office.
Inside the office Yaxley and Potter were already seated. As soon as Tully entered, Urquart magically sealed the office.
"The incident earlier was a deliberate attempt to undermine our investigation," Urquart said as he paced behind his desk.
The Commissioner went on to explain that he'd selectively moved all of the remaining evidence to a secret, secured location. He explained that Major Crimes had a plan to infiltrate the annual Malfoy family annual Halloween Gala. Urquart walked the three through the plan to have Black and Yaxley infiltrate the event and attempt to gather evidence on the suspected muggle trafficking.
"I have to say I'm highly opposed to this," Potter interjected. "This is very dangerous."
"I would agree," McGonagall added. "They need backup."
"We don't have anyone else we can trust," Urquart explained. "And we don't want them to get suspicious."
"I received an invitation," Tully offered. "I usually decline, but it wouldn't be unheard of for me attend. Mrs Malfoy is my cousin."
Drusilla Malfoy (nee McGonagall) was Tully's first cousin on his father's side. Tully and Drusilla saw each other for formal occassions and got along well enough. Their father's had quarelled over the family estate and thus the two had never been particulary close.
"I'd certainly feel much better about this knowning there would be some backup," Potter said as he explained his agreement with McGonagall.
"And your fiancee won't mind?" Urquart said.
He knew enough about Dolores Umbridge to know she was an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with in the Ministry. She'd proven herself an ample member of the Minister's Administrative staff. He also knew she had reputation for being a social climber and controlling of McGonagall.
"She'll be so busy gabbing she won't miss me," Tully assured the team.
"While this is all very nice it doesn't explain the urgency of this meeting," Yaxley said.
Commissioner Urquart went on to explain that he had concerns about cracks in security within the taskforce. There would be taskforce meeting Monday afternoon. At that meeting, Commissioner Urquart would announce that the taskforce was going to move in a new direction. The focus was going to shift to Niccolo Pinelli, the brother of Salvador Pinelli .
"I thought we had ruled out Niccolo weeks ago?" Tully asked.
"We did." Urquart explained. "But he's going to be a distraction while you three determine where the cracks are. Until we have a better grasp about what's at hand I don't want to risk any more lives."
"Is this because of the warnings?" Yaxley asked.
Urquart nodded. He stopped pacing and sat slowly behind his desk. Taking off his glasses he rubbed his eyes before leaning back in his chair. The man looked worn.
"Officially, we've abandoned the idea of the Malfoy Gala," he stated. "And Monday I'll share some information that Gerald Adler's team dug up on Pinelli. He's definately still in Italy but he's got enough business connections here that we think we can keep the team busy."
"What about Riddle, Sir?" Tully questioned.
There was a pause.
"Riddle's retained Remy Lestrange as an advocate. Potter's working to get the no-contact order rescinded but for the time being we need to stay clear of Riddle," Urquart replied.
Urquart knew it wasn't the answer Tully wanted to hear. But he also knew that Remy Lestrange was a very powerful advocate and if Lestrange was involved then it meant Riddle had friends in high places.
"He's obviously an associate for whoever is controlling the Pinelli family," Tully argued. "And probably a high ranking associate if they're defending him like this."
"Stay away from Riddle. That's an order," Urquart said plainly.
Tully reluctantly agreed to Urquart's order despite the feeling of unease that was nagging in his stomach.
On their way out of the office, Yaxley caught both Tully and Potter by their sleeves.
"She's safe," he said quietly.
"Oh you can't mean-" Tully said with a look of concern as realisation dawned on him.
"Ack, man!" Yaxley replied dismissively. "Give us some credit."
Tully had to admit that Yaxley was right. He needed to give Black more credit than he had.
"Options were pretty limited," Yaxley went on. "Your fiancee would have an conniption," he added as he looked at Tully. "Bonesy already shares her flat with two roommates. And we all no you're mother isn't a fan of having Black around."
"Quite right," Potter said. "Mummy certainly doesn't approve of Miss Black."
"At the very least it's good for cover story," Yaxley said in a whisper.
"Thanks for letting us know," Tully said.
13 October 1951
Nine days earlier the taskforce had met and received their new assignments. Urquart had announced that the investigation into the Malfoy family had concluded with no evidence linking Abraxas Malfoy as the new head of the Pinelli family.
With the investigation focused on Niccolo Pinelli, the team was finding most of their time spent tracking contraband imports, money laundering through a small front in Knockturn Alley, and gambling. While these activities were all illegal, they were small potatoes compared to Salvador Pinelli's activities.
Tully was convinced the extent of Niccolo's footprint was mild compared to the criminal mastermind of his brother Salvador.
At the moment, Tully was sharing a cuppa with Moody in his office.
The fiery-haired Auror had shown up at his door with hot tea, biscuits, and his latest report on Niccolo Pinelli's prostitution ring in Lambeth.
"Ring is generous," Moody stated bluntly. "It's three tarts running a rub and tug in a little shop. I staked it out through Saturday and I doubt they brought in more than 200 galleons the entire week."
"Then why the cuppa?" Tully asked.
Moody got up and looked around the room. He cast a quick, silent spell before clearing his throat.
"I wanted to talk to you about a personal matter," Moody said before closing the door.
"If this is about you and Bones-" Tully started but was quickly waved off.
"No," Moody scoffed. "You're wasting your time with Niccolo Pinelli."
"Perhaps," Tully said. "But we've got some significant evidence that he's looking to expand his-"
"Don't bother. I know it's a distraction," Moody replied with a grin. "I think I know where our Mr Riddle's real residence is located."
"I'm not hearing this," Tully said aloud.
"And I can tie Abraxas Malfoy to it," Moody went on. "You see, a couple year's back Malfoy was running around with Gina Fletcher. Now, they didn't want Mr Fletcher finding out about it so he bought this little flat off Carnaby Street-"
Tully rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration.
"Alastor, please," Tully warned.
"Riddle's been in and out of that flat every day the past week and last night Evan Rosier and Remy Lestrange-" Moody continued without any regard for Tully's request to stop.
"Enough!" Tully said loudly.
Alastor stopped talking.
"You don't know when to turn it off," Tully said angrily. "You could get yourself hurt. You could jeopardise the entire investigation."
Tully knew his tone much more forceful than he'd intended but he wanted Moody to understand just how worrisome his actions were.
"You could put everyone on the taskforce at risk. You've seen the notes. More deaths will come. Minerva nearly died. They killed Noreen Watts!" Tully said he felt his face flush with rage. "And now I'm stuck behind this bloody desk in the very seat of the man that was likely assassinated because of his role in this taskforce. Merlin's beard man, do you understand?"
"I'm sorry," Moody replied softly after a moment. "I just thought that if I could-"
"If you go near Riddle again without my authorisation you will find yourself reassigned to patrol," Tully explained.
He meant every word of it. Tully knew how much Alastor prided himself on becoming an Auror. A demotion to patrol would be a major blow to his personel happiness. Tully regreted his angry tone but his fear of winding up like Thomas had been bottled up for too long.
"I'm truly sorry, Sir," Moody said solemnly as he excused himself from the room.
With less than two weeks to go before Halloween Gala, Dolores was preoccupied with planning. She was determined to make a good impression on the Malfoys and was thrilled at the opportunity to attend a formal event on Tully's arm. For his part, Tully was less-than-thrilled at her instance he wear traditional formal wizarding dress robes.
Tully truly despised the traditional clothing of pureblood circles. In his opinion, a double breasted suit was far more fashionable and practical than the high-collared, bulky robes worn by many of the pureblood wizards that would be attending.
So Tully was spending his Saturday morning with Dolores being fitted for a new set of dress robes for the occassion.
"You know I have a new checked suit that would look great on you," said Matthias Malkin as he measured Tully's inside leg.
"Really?" Tully said eagerly.
Tully wasn't a vain man, but he enjoyed a good suit and had quite a collection. He'd picked up an appreciation for a good muggle suit from his boss, Elphinstone Urquart. Tully admired Urquart as a boss and he supposed it had rubbed off on his personal style as well.
"Don't embarass me," Dolores said with a small smile. "This is big night for me, darling."
Malkin had been outfitting the Auror for the last thirty years. He understood Tully's style well and knew the man's disdain for traditional wizarding wear. The tailor was shocked when McGonagall had arrived in desperate need for a new dress robe on short notice. The blonde had promised he'd pay handsomely and Malkin was more than happy to oblige.
"Put it on my account and ship it to the office," Tully said under his breath to Malkin as he eyed the checked suit in the window.
Malkin gave a small nod in understanding.
"What was that?" Dolores said as she perused the selection of ladies' gloves at the other end of the shop.
"I was saying this isn't really my color," Tully lied.
"Nonsense," Dolores replied. "You look very professional. Quite fetching."
Dolores had chosen a black and silver robe. Tully felt that the style was very severe and intimidating. The tight-fighting robe had an uncomfortable high color and he felt like a fool. It was the type of robe someone like Abraxas Malfoy wore.
"I told Celia Rosier that we'd meet her and the Flints for a drink before heading to the party," Dolores said as moved from the gloves onto scarves.
Tully didn't much care for Flints. He was a blockhead and she had married him strictly to secure a wealthy pureblood marriage.
"We'll be meeting them at 8:00 sharp at the Billywig and Bowtruckle," Dolores explained.
Dolores had been fixated on visiting the restaurant ever since the Minister of Magic had cited it as her new favourite in a profile piece for Witch Weekly magazine.
"Marshall Flint works in the Goblin Liaison office. You should find a way to work Niall Nott's new bill into the conversation," Dolores suggested.
"I don't think Marshall Flint and I see eye to eye on that particular bill. Besides, I'd rather not discuss politics over dinner, darling," Tully said.
"How does that feel in the arm?" Malkin asked as he stepped back to examine his work.
"Do you think these sleeves are too long?" Tully said as he held his arms out in front of him to examine the cuffs. They seemed too long and bulky compared to the tight fit he accustomed to on his suits.
"Well then perhaps we stick to other topics," Dolores replied with a smile. "I don't want you to say anything that may cause the Flints to think less of us."
An hour later, Tully was seated across from Dolores at small table inside the Bat Wing Bistro. He poked at his salad but really didn't have much of an appetite. Something had been bothering him since their conversation at Mr Malkin's.
"Stop poking your food, darling," Dolores said with tight smile. "Eat it or cover it up."
Tully sighed and set the fork down on his plate.
"Why are you so keen to have me talk about Nott's bill with the Flints?" Tully asked.
"Darling, you know that he works in the Goblin Liaison office," Dolores said as she heaped a spoonful of sugar into her tea.
"Have you read the bill?" Tully questioned as his eyes narrowed.
Dolores took a dainty sip of her tea and set the saucer down before clearing her throat.
"Of course I've read it," she said with a small grin. "The Administration helped Nott write it. I did provided the language on rescinding the Goblin Order of 1893."
Tully had suspected as much.
"We never should have allowed them buy property," Dolores went on as she heaved another spoonful of sugar into her tea. "Can't you see they control all the money. And the press is in their pocket!"
"Dolores-" Tully tried to interject but was cut off.
"And we need to assure the Flints that we're the right kind of people," she finished with a smile.
Tully was unsettled by the glint of her teeth. He threw the white cloth napkin over his salad. He'd completely gone off it now.
"Well spit it out," Dolores prompted him sensing his disapproval.
"To be frank darling, I don't care for the bill. I really don't care for Niall Nott's politics," Tully said in a frustrated tone. "And furthermore, I don't care for his kind of people."
A silence fell between the pair. Tully closed his eyes for a brief moment and took in the sounds of the bistro- the soft clink of the china, the indecipherable sounds of the conversations at the other tables, and the chime above the door. He wanted to focus on anything other than the conversation at hand.
They'd danced around this conversation for the duration of their relationship.
"If you were to mention Nott's bill favourably it might quell some of the rumours that have circulated," Dolores said quietly as she eyed side to side to ensure none of the other patrons had heard her comment.
Tully scoffed.
"Idle chat from the birds in your department isn't worth giving any-" Tully was once again cut off by Dolores.
"Hardly," Dolores said harshly. "The way you dress and some of the people you associate with has certainly raised some eyebrows. It's no secret you supported It makes some wonder that if it came down to it would choose them over your own kind."
Her brown eyes bulged as she leaned in closer.
"Things are changing at the Ministry, dearest," she said darkly. "And when the time comes you don't want anyone to make an assumption you're on the wrong side."
"I don't like you talking like this," Tully replied. "You know perfectly well I don't support the politics of blood purist-"
"Oh please," Dolores snapped, "this is hardly about blood purity. It's a matter of public safety. Besides, you know perfectly well the kind of violence muggles are capable of."
"When did the target switch from goblins to muggles?" Tully thought aloud.
"They're all the same," Dolores said as she straightened her back. "And our very way of life is under threat. Every job for a goblin is one fewer job available to a wizard. Next thing you know it will be muggle votes on the Wizengamot."
Tully turned his head away for a moment before standing up.
"Excuse me," Tully said as he pulled his cloak over his shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Dolores asked as her eyes began to bulge.
"I'm not going to listen to this," Tully said as he laid six galleons on the table to pay for the meal.
Tully made his way to the door and tipped his hat to the group of witches that were entering the restaurant.
Tully knew Dolores would be very angry with him, but in that moment he didn't care. He stepped onto Diagon Alley with a small smile and headed back to his flat.