(A/N: Thank you for all the kind reviews and welcoming me back. :)
Chapter 2
[Tue, Jul 2]
The next morning Harry was up and ready to go downstairs about ten minutes before eight. Not sure where to go or how things worked, he left his room to try and find the dining room and found Neville waiting for him outside. "Good morning, Neville."
"Morning, Harry. I thought you might like a guide, though I guess you could have called Stolli," he said a bit shyly.
"I'd think you'd do better as you'll talk to me," Harry said with a grin. "Lead on."
"This way." Neville led them down the stairs. "If you're not sure what to do, follow my lead."
"Thanks Nev, I really appreciate it." Harry continued to look around. "This is a really grand place. I wonder what my parents' home was like."
Neville stopped in his tracks. "From what little I know I'd think it'd be similar as the Potters are an older family like mine. Honestly, I'm not sure what Potter Manor is like. Maybe Gran would know."
Harry nodded as they entered into the formal dining room. It was obviously that based on the long table that could probably seat twenty, maybe more. However, there were presently only three chairs at one end.
"Gran likes to eat in here," Neville told him and stood behind a chair on one side. "You should take the other side; Gran always takes the end. We don't sit until she does."
"Thanks." Harry continued to look around and wonder.
A few minutes later, Lady Longbottom entered, smiling slightly. "It's good to see you're both on time." Neville helped her with her seat as Harry watched, then both boys sat. Stolli popped in levitating plates of food. The woman gestured to Harry, "As it's your first time, please start us off, Mr Potter."
"Yes ma'am, though you're welcome to call me Harry," he told her as he reached for the plate of bacon, took a few pieces, and then passed the plate to the woman.
"Thank you, Harry. Is there anything you need to do today before my brother steals you away tomorrow?" she asked.
"Not that I can think of, other than maybe to go to Gringotts to get some money in case I need to buy something, like lunch," he replied.
"Pish posh," she replied airily.
Harry saw Neville struggle to contain a grin, making him think that was a saying that amused his friend frequently. "Ma'am?"
"No need to worry about lunch, Stolli can make you something to take with you," she replied.
"Ma'am, I appreciate your, uh, generosity, but since I'll be stay here long term, perhaps I can-"
"Mr Potter," she objected and cut him off with a superior look, "there is no need for you to do anything in return. Did I not say you should have been here long ago and would have been if Frank or Alice had been here?"
Harry saw Neville take a little more interest in his breakfast and he understood that Neville's parents' condition was still a sore spot for him. "You did," he agreed slowly, "but I wasn't certain how we might work this out long term."
"We will 'work it out', as you say, as we are now. I might ask you to run the very rare errand for me when you go into the Ministry, or ask you to take something to my brother, but there are no expectations for you to reciprocate. I trust we won't need to repeat this…difference of opinions?" She gave him a pointed look.
"No ma'am, I understand," Harry replied, understanding that really was the only answer he could give.
"Gran normally gets what she wants," Neville added quietly, drawing a glance from his grandmother and then a nod.
"Lady Longbottom, can you tell me anything about my family? I don't know if we even have a family house like this," asked Harry.
"I can explain some, but the best way to know more is to find your family book - some call them Grimoires. I obviously wouldn't know where you'll find yours, assuming it still exists. There is a good chance it does as it is usually highly prized," she explained. "Were I you, I'd investigate your family vault in Gringotts."
"Did my family have a house like this?" he asked while wondering "family vault?" and making a mental note to ask next time he was at the bank.
"At one time they did as I visited it a few times. However," she gave him a sad look, "it was destroyed when your grandparents were killed. It was why your parents were not living there when they were attacked."
"Oh," Harry said quietly, mimicking his friend's attitude from a few minutes ago. "I guess I'll have to find time to visit Gringotts to ask them about the family vault and hope there's something there."
"I believe your birthday is the day after Neville's?" she asked. At his nod, she said, "You'll have to wait until then as you must be sixteen to enter, or that's usually the case unless your parents instituted specific rules otherwise. You won't be able to remove anything until you're seventeen, but that extra year of access is supposed to be for you to start learning the family business by accessing any important paperwork that is stored there.
"Traditionally, your father would take you and you'd select a few papers together for you to take and study for a time before returning them back for another set. Since once of your parents isn't available, I suppose you'll have to read them in the vault and take notes for now. While I am your legal guardian now, even I'm not allowed in the Potter family vault."
"Thank you for telling me," Harry told her, considering how he might handle it in a month when he had access. He still needed to retrieve some money soon though, so a trip was still in order. He'd ask Neville's uncle about how to get a disguise to go as he didn't want the Order to find him just yet.
"You're quite welcome," Augusta Longbottom told him. "I can tell you at least a little more about your grandparents, but I didn't know your parents all that well beyond some comments that Alice told me, such as your mother was extremely intelligent though on the shy side. She also had a sharp temper, which I was also told was needed at times to keep your father in line as he was a mischief-maker."
That made Harry smile. "I've heard that about my father, but thank you for telling me about my mother. No one really has before."
"Hmm, I shall look to see if I can find anything here that might be helpful to you," she told him. "I see you've finished breakfast as has Neville. He can show you around. Lunch is at noon, tea is at four in the parlor if you're available, and dinner is at seven. The three main meals are always here."
"Thank you, ma'am." Harry rose a fraction after Neville, and pushed his chair in before leaving with his friend as the woman reached for a poached egg.
When they were alone, Harry looked at his friend. "That went well."
Neville snorted lightly and then chuckled. "She was on her best behavior. Hopefully you don't ever do anything that causes her to explain to you why what you just did was idiotic. Not pleasant, mate."
Harry chuckled now. "Hopefully not. So now what?"
"I'll show you around," Neville said.
— — —
They had taken their time in the morning going around the house and now it was just after lunch when Neville led him back outside. "Last stop."
"All right," Harry said as he followed along, walking slowly so he could continue to take everything in.
Neville took him to a large green house, the same size as those at Hogwarts, though Neville only had one while Hogwarts had six.
"Wow, I'm duly impressed."
"Gran says I take after my mum here, that she was good at this too," Neville said quietly as they walked around the warm building covered with windows, most open at this time of year.
Harry looked around and came to a decision as he spied a couple of empty crates. He gestured at them and Neville took the hint and walked over. Each boy grabbed one and took a seat. Harry bent forward, elbows on his knees and looking down.
"Nev, can you keep a secret, or several really?"
"Sure, Harry," Neville said as he leaned forward too.
"I'm not sure that I…" Harry stopped. "Did you know that you can leave Hogwarts after your OWLs?"
Neville looked very surprised. "Yeah and a few do, but not many. Why, are you going to?"
"Maybe," Harry said with a nod, "I'm thinking very seriously about it."
"That's going to set some people on their ears," his friend said with a chuckle.
"Probably so," Harry agreed with a grin as he thought about it. "Listen, you deserve to know that the prophecy we went after, well…"
"It broke," Neville said when Harry paused.
"It did, but since Dumbledore heard it first, he knew it and shared with me." Harry looked up at his friend. "The person to kill the Dark Lord was born at the end of July, so it could have been you or me but it's me since I was marked." He pointed at his forehead. "I have to kill a Dark Wizard."
Neville's mouth moved a few times before a hoarse, "Crap, it could have been…" He paused before he shook his head, "Sucks to be you," was said very seriously. "I'd wondered why Uncle Algie was willing to train you. He's shown me a few things over the years, but I wouldn't say he's trained me. I know what his position is, but he doesn't really talk about his work."
"Interesting."
Neville shook his head. "I got the interrogation of a lifetime when I got home; had to give him a memory of the event too." Now he smiled, "He was as pleased as Gran was and that's saying something."
"If you want to learn things, let me know; I'll share," Harry offered.
"At least for the summer."
"Yeah," Harry agreed, "at least for the summer…Christmas hols too if you want."
"Sounds good. I'll also help you in any way I can, mate."
"Neville, you can't tell them; you'll have to act like you don't know where I am or that I'm with your uncle," Harry told him.
"Ron and Hermione you mean?" At Harry's nod, Neville said, "Shouldn't be too hard; there's no reason for them to think you're staying here and I just have to act dumb. Again, not hard."
"You're not dumb," Harry said a little forcefully.
Neville shrugged and then grinned, "Acting like it isn't hard though."
"I guess not," Harry said to avoid an argument though he wanted to protest more. "I don't need to play Quidditch, but can we fly here and not get into trouble?" He was glad McGonagall had given him his Firebolt back before he'd left school; he was extremely thankful Umbridge hadn't damaged it.
"Sure, the wards here will make you look like a bird to anyone on the other side, or so my uncle says. It's not something that interests me," Neville told him.
"Maybe you should try it again. Perhaps you'll like it more now that you're older and there are no Slytherins around," Harry told him teasingly.
Neville grinned at him. "Maybe I'll try once, but I doubt it'll make any difference. Come on, let me show you some of the rare plants I have."
They slid the crates back under the nearby table and started walking again. Harry was glad he'd had this talk with his friend. He felt they were a little closer now.
[Wed, Jul 3]
Harry had been up since a little after six, had a private breakfast served by the house-elf, and now he was waiting.
A few minutes before seven, Algernon Croaker walked in through the front door with a gray cloak over his arm in addition to the one around his shoulders otherwise looking as he had the other evening. "Ah, good you're up and ready. Lunch?" he pointed at the small bag in Harry's hand.
"Yes, sir."
"Probably don't need it as I'd planned to buy you lunch today; but bring it anyway, you might want a snack. Also, put this on." Croaker handed him the extra gray cloak.
As Harry put it on, he noticed something hard in the collar area where he'd normally fasten it.
"That's right, fasten it," Croaker encouraged him then pointed at the collar. "Now feel here. There are multiple bumps on a ring that is built in on the right side. You can press on each bump like a button and they will give you a different look; pick whatever combination you want. You need to select something now, but you can change it later. On the left side, there's a single bump; that button will turn the disguise on and off." He conjured a hand mirror and held it front of Harry.
Harry turned it on, then found four bumps and started pressing. His hair was changed along with his forehead going slightly shorter - his scar also disappeared. Another changed his eyes to gray, hid his glasses, and his nose shortened. Looking in the mirror, he looked like a completely different person. "Maybe this?"
"That's fine. You can experiment in your personal bathroom, but you can't change that and go to work with a different look. You can only change to a new disguise when we have a team meeting, which are every Monday afternoon. I'll introduce you around today, but appearing in a different form can get you hexed." Croaker sighed. "We've recently stepped up security."
"Sorry," Harry offered lamely.
"No, lad, not your fault and your escapade helped to point out we should have done this long ago or Rookwood would have never been able to open the way for you last June. I'll take the blame on that," the man stated. "Let's go to the fireplace and use the Floo Network for today."
Croaker helped him to the Ministry and then proceeded through the atrium towards the elevators. "That cloak with that gray look will let you skip the security checkpoint, just like Aurors do," he said quietly before they did just that with the security guard giving them a close look but not stopping them.
"What's to stop just anyone from getting one of these cloaks?" asked Harry.
"Good question," Croaker murmured approvingly. "By activating the facial disguise, that cloak is now tuned to you. Anyone else who tries to put it on will not like what happens. Hmm, be sure to tell your 'friend' at home to not do that. I'd hate to have his grandmother be upset with me because it'd be hard to replace him."
"You mean it would…" Harry couldn't finish the sentence as the implication fully hit him.
"Yes," Croaker said as he pushed the button for the elevator. "No talking for a bit."
Others joined them who talked and ignored the pair in the cloaks that slowly shimmered various shades of gray; he and Croaker didn't talk. They were the last off the elevators and so the only ones to exit on the tenth floor.
Harry watched in amazement as Croaker took them through the circular spinning room without any hesitation and without a word. He only saw one other person, who looked at him closely, but Croaker nodded and they were left alone until they entered an office that said "Director" on the door.
"Take a seat and please don't touch anything. There are some things in here that if disturbed in the wrong way could also make this your last day here." Croaker closed the door as he left.
Mysterious, Harry thought with a grin. Don't touch wasn't the same as don't look so he did that. There was a bookshelf with books stacked haphazardly, parchment and paper on the desk but stacked neatly. Another bookshelf had things on it that he couldn't identify and he decided those things were definitely to be left alone. Turning, he saw a picture of an old wizard on the wall watching him. "Hello," but the portrait didn't answer him other than with a scandalized look for daring to talk to him.
By the time he'd finished looking around, the door opened and Croaker returned with a woman, also wearing a gray cloak. She had dark brown hair and was attractive enough for someone who looked to be about the age his mother should be. He had no idea if that was her real look now that he knew what these cloaks could do. She closed the door but never took her eyes off of him.
Croaker took a seat behind his desk; the woman stood at the end of the desk; Harry took a seat across from Croaker as the man pulled a folder out of a drawer.
"It's not too hard to work here once you get past convincing me you should be here," Croaker said as he put a single sheet of parchment in front of Harry. "This is our standard employment contract with one addition. You should read it carefully, but the summary is you have to keep what you research secret and if you don't bad things can happen. Generally that means you're sacked and we normally wipe your memory of all the work you've done here.
"The contract requires a witness beyond me. This is Betty, she's the Assistant Director as well as our resident Healer, who will want to do a scan to make sure you're not bringing in anything that would be dangerous to us - again, standard procedure. Read." Croaker leaned back in his chair.
Harry glanced at Betty, who was still looking at him as if she needed to figure him out. He did his best to ignore her, and Croaker, and read the document carefully. A few minutes later he put it on the desk in front of him. "Define research," Harry asked. "Is that just special projects or everything that I learn here?"
Croaker smile. "Excellent question, I like that you caught that. The answer is you must keep secret anything you learn on your special projects here, or anything not readily findable by the general public. If you read a standard book on Spells that any Hogwarts student might read, or any book you could order out of the book stores in Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley, share all you want. All the other stuff, it's best if you follow the rule: What happens in the department stays in the department." His smile grew as if in response to some internal joke that made no sense to Harry, though he could understand the meaning well enough.
"Identities?" asked Harry.
"You'll get to pick one. I really am Algernon Croaker, Director of the Department of Mysteries, known to those who matter, such as the Minister for Magic and the Director of Magical Law Enforcement, the Wizengamot, and a few others. Betty, like the others and yourself if you sign, is a pseudonym. Whether she looks like that or something else is for her to decide if she tells you or not. I can tell you that there are only two of us who will know your real name and we're both in this room. I do because I'm the manager; Betty will for medical purposes, though she will do her best to keep you disguised if she needs help to treat you."
Harry looked back at the contract and looked at the last paragraph again. It was as the man had told him when the job was offered. He had to stay working here until five years after the Dark Wizard known as Voldemort was verified dead, or he was physically unable to work here for medical reasons, or until his death, whichever came first. Fortunately, it also stated that the department would continuously work towards the destruction of Voldemort, so he shouldn't be stuck here forever.
"What are the working hours and conditions?" he asked, wanting to make sure he wasn't about to become a slave.
"It's not bad," Croaker said with a smile. "You get your own desk. We ask for at least 36 hours a week though you can work more if you want; you get ten paid holidays and three weeks of personal holiday time per year to start. It goes up some if you stay here long enough. If you get sick from something you caught here or injured from work, you have unlimited time off until you recover, though you have to be checked twice a week. You also get free medical help from Betty or someone she designates if she's not here."
Harry looked at Betty who nodded and in a voice a little deeper than Hermione's said, "That is correct."
"Because of your age, I'll put you down as a part-time employee at 20 hours per week, but give you overtime pay for the last 16 hours - that's to protect me in case of a payroll audit. That also allows you a more limited schedule should the need arises over the next two years. I'll change you to full time officially when you turn eighteen.
"The pay is not the best, you could do much better at some shops, but we have better time off benefits plus it's the Ministry so you take what you can get. You won't starve on the pay here if you're smart about it and don't waste it, though I believe your family was fairly well off so you will have nothing to worry about. You're rarely pressured to produce work on a timeline, you just have to keep showing progress to me or give up the project to start on something else if you hit a deadend. The work is very interesting though and…" Croaker leaned forward and smiled broadly, "you won't have to worry about reporters. We're not very tolerant of them snooping around here. If you find something special so we do release it, you're welcome to stay hidden while I make the presentation."
The anonymity was a big plus to Harry and he could tell Croaker knew it.
"Do I have to go through the atrium to get here?"
"Not once you're one of us."
Harry considered what else he needed to know and could think of only one other thing. He looked at Betty. "Knowing what you know now and if you could go back to when you started, would you still work here?"
The woman quirked one side of her mouth. "I'd do it 364 days a year. Everyone has a bad day sometimes."
Harry sighed and nodded. Croaker smiled again and placed an ugly black quill in front of him. "A Blood Quill?"
"It's what makes it a binding magical contract. You know of those?" Croaker was surprised.
Harry showed the scarring on the back of his hand.
"From a Blood Quill?" Betty asked also surprised. "I can get rid of the scars."
"A gift from Dolores Umbridge," Harry answered as he signed his name to the contract, "and I'll take you up on that."
"Hmm, we might could do something about her, but it probably doesn't matter. Her days are numbered here if I read the signs correctly," Croaker said as he snatched the contract away and filed it.
Harry had the impression it was to prevent Betty from reading it, but his imagination was probably making that up.
"Excellent, now that you're official, I get to give you a tour before I give you some books to read. However, before all that," Croaker looked to the woman and grinned, "Betty gets to have her way with you."
"Stop it, Algie!" she snapped. "If what you hinted at is true, that's exactly the wrong thing to say and his blush confirms it."
She looked at Harry. "I'm sorry, but you'll need to deactivate your disguise and put down your wand and anything else magical you have on you so there is no interference with my scan. We're doing the scan in this room so no one else will know who you are and I promise I won't tell anyone else."
Harry looked at Croaker, who nodded, so he unclasped the cloak at his neck and heard the woman gasp as he took it off and laid it and his wand in the chair.
"When you said I'd recognize him, I didn't think…" Betty was staring at her supervisor. "You can't hire him, he's not old enough. Algernon!" She was upset by the end.
"He has passed enough OWLs that he doesn't have to go to Hogwarts, I've checked." Croaker looked back at her, not flinching. "As to his age, you know that not all the normal laws apply to us and as long as he's willing, I'm willing. Don't get your knickers in a twist, Betty," which caused her to huff. "At least half of his research for the next year is going to consist of him learning what he's missing at school, at least in the important subjects. He'll be NEWT level by next May - if not before - at least if I can help it as I'll be doing much of his training."
Betty did not look happy, but she didn't argue further either. "We will be talking about this more later." Croaker sighed but held out his hand towards Harry. She took the hint and started scanning Harry.
Harry had wondered about being hired at his age, but hadn't really thought too much about it. He decided that he didn't care in the end as long as this helped him to defeat Voldemort. When Betty started to frown, he started to become concerned.
She eventually stopped her scan and said in a brisk tone, "I need a quill and something to write on."
Croaker didn't argue and grabbed the writing utensils off the table behind him and handed them over.
When she finished writing her notes, she said, "I find nothing I'm worried about in regards to disease. He's behind on his inoculations, but those are easily fixed. There are other potions I want to give him to help him, but they can wait. I can also," she turned to Harry now, "fix your eyes so you don't need glasses if you want me to."
"You can?" Harry asked in surprise. "Yes!"
"The materials are about a thousand Galleons; my time is free. Still want to do it?" she asked.
"Yes," Harry said without hesitation. Money wasn't an issue for him in general, and he was getting paid now.
"I'll get the ingredients soon and should be ready by next Friday. You'll want the weekend to recover. There is another issue though." Betty turned to Croaker. "I'm going to need Dupree or Freddie; I'm not sure how you plan to hide his identity for this work."
Croaker nodded. "I was afraid of that. Do you know what's in his scar?"
Harry gasped, but didn't know what to say.
"I can't tell other than it is magic that's not his. I can also say there is a protective layer of magic around it, containing it, and I think destroying it slowly. The problem is, I don't know how long it will take to do its work since it's already had fifteen years. Maybe it needs a few more, or maybe it's fifty more." She shrugged. "Nevertheless, it's my recommendation we remove it and the sooner the better."
"Side-effects?" Croaker asked.
"Hard to say," she answered and looked at Harry to smile gently. "You'll lose you scar for sure, so fewer people will have that as a reason to stare at you. There's also a good possibility you'll gain a small boast in magical power as your body has had to fight that thing off. I'd guess a ten percent increase, perhaps not even that much, but I'm almost certain you'll gain something."
Harry nodded, again surprised to the point of not sure what to say. Losing his scar was an easy decision to make as it would prevent some of the stares he disliked so much. A small part of him wondered if not having a scar when everyone "knew" he had one would create more stares for a bit, but he couldn't figure out how to answer that one.
Croaker finally said, looking at Harry, "It is rare for us to remove memories of work done here, but to protect identities is one known exception and I'll consider it as well as ask. Who would you suggest?"
"Dupree has a better touch on the small things and he's probably well enough for this."
Croaker nodded before telling Harry, "Dupree was injured last Friday and has been out, but he's mostly recovered now." He looked back to Betty. "I'll ask him. Tomorrow?"
"That'll be fine," Betty nodded. "Do you know Occlumency, Harry?"
Harry looked down as he thought about Sirius. A part of him thought Sirius might still be alive if he'd only tried harder to learn and therefore hadn't been lured to the Ministry; but a larger part wasn't so sure of that as he wasn't fully convinced Snape had been trying his best to teach him. "Snape tried but we didn't get very far."
"Snape, as in Severus Snape?" Betty asked aghast. At Harry's nod, she shook her head and her next words sounded much like McGonagall. "I should think not based on the stories I've heard of him. I'm very thankful I had Slughorn for a Potions teacher. We shall start teaching that, or rather I will." She gave Croaker an expectant look.
He nodded. "I'll give you a half-hour a day; then Legilimency after that so he can know when someone is lying to him.
"Oh, I forgot about a new identity. Let's see, we have a Liam and … hmm, I think 'M' is free," said Croaker. "What name would you like? Maybe something classic like Milton? I've always like Malcolm. You can do something of a last name like Miller. Some people like more exotic names, so a French Marceau or maybe a German Manfred…"
"How about Mike," Harry suggested, "it's easy."
"It's also boring, but I know some people like not standing out." Croaker said knowingly.
"I'm heading to my infirmary," Betty stated. "Bring him by on the tour and I'll give him his inoculation potions. I'll wait until after his scar is removed for his nutrient potions. You," she pushed the piece of parchment she'd written on earlier into their supervisor's hand, "will take care of this or I will make some people disappear."
Croaker looked at the parchment and frowned. "I've mostly taken care of it already." At her glower, he added, "Don't worry, I'll see that it's fully taken care of."
Harry was sure that was about him, but wasn't sure if he should ask or not since he was so new, so he didn't.
"Well, Harry, time for the tour I promised you and I'll show you to your very own desk," he said with a smile. "Don't forget, you're now Mike. Oh, I'm Algernon here."
Betty left and went to the right, Croaker led him to the right also, though he entered the next door while Betty continued on. "Here we have a standard training room. The walls are protected from most spells and explosions. I expect you'll be spending a lot of time in one of these; we have three."
"There are various workrooms dedicated to long-running experiments. I believe you've seen some of these already," Croaker said with a teasingly chuckle while Harry tried not to look too embarrassed.
"Fortunately, your group missed the library." Croaker led him into a room with a lot of bookshelves. "You can check them out to take to your desk; you may not take them out of the department." There were also several desks, one of which had a middle-aged man at it. "This is Liam; Liam, a new recruit who you can call Mike."
They looked at each other and nodded.
"Over here," Croaker continued, "is something that a friend of yours would probably kill for. As in a Muggle library, this card catalog cabinet contains information on every book in here. You can ask it for a specific title, books by a single author, or books that contain keywords that are known to it, and it will tell you what books match and where to find them.
"All of that is possible because when we get new books, someone will create a very magical card for it with all the information." Croaker picked up a blank form to show off before putting it back. "Over here is the bookshelf of unorganized books. There is a requirement for every person in the department to add one book a week - which normally takes about an hour to skim it and fill out the form. However, since you need to expand your knowledge and understand what's in here, I'm going to give you the assignment to do three books a week. That's also useful since we just received a new set of books so we have more to categorize than normal.
"Lastly, all of these books are intermediate or advanced; don't expect to find the beginner books you found when you went to Hogwarts years ago."
Harry nodded and understood the last part had been said because Liam was in the room.
After several more rooms, including the Prophecy Room that had been restored, they came to a very familiar looking door that filled Harry with dread as it brought up memories that were a little too fresh and uncomfortable. "Through this door is the room containing the Veil of Death." Croaker stopped with his hand on the door and looked at him for a moment. "But you've see that before, so let me show you where the infirmary is."
Harry was grateful for the reprieve.
A moment later, Croaker led him into typical looking infirmary, though small with only four beds close together. It did have a good-sized potions brewing area though.
Betty was waiting on them along with three phials of potions in a small rack. "These will help prevent a few ailments that affect magicals. Drink up." She held out the first.
Harry shrugged and took the phial, downing it and then the rest as quick as he could. "Yours don't taste any better."
Betty laughed lightly. "It's because I use the same ingredients." She paused for a moment then looked at Croaker. "If you can fit me in, I'd like another hour a week to work on Potions with him. I know Snape didn't teach everything he should have."
"It'll have to wait until at least January," Croaker said. "I want to get him through all of sixth year material for Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense and preferably seventh year too before we branch out to the support classes. Well, after we deal with Apparation; we really have to take care of that first."
Croaker looked at him. "Mike, I'm sorry for all the work I'm about to demand of you, but you really do need to complete everything that everyone else here will expect you to know as soon as possible. Betty," he gave her a quick glance, "was correct that I hurried this along, but you are an opportunity I couldn't pass up. Also, you need help for a certain task that we really are the best people to help you."
"Seriously?" Betty gasped.
"I'm only telling you as you're next up if something happens to me. For once," Croaker told her, "the Daily Prophet has something correct about him. While I do respect Albus Dumbledore for many things, Dumbledore has dropped the Quaffle when it comes to training him," Croaker nodded at Harry. "I also think that maybe a research project or two may help out, though I'm not sure exactly what yet."
Betty nodded tightly, not happy but not arguing either. Looking at Harry, "Be sure you bring in your money tomorrow, you'll need to reimburse the purchases I'm going to be making soon."
"I need to go to Gringotts anyway," Harry told her.
"You do and you need to do some shopping too or the guardian of where you're staying will have my head. In fact, I'm surprised she didn't say something last night about what you're wearing." Croaker's look demanded an answer.
"She didn't," Harry replied.
"She was being nice then." Croaker looked at his watch. "Time for the team meeting and where we introduce you to everyone and you find your desk."
All three left the infirmary and headed for yet another room. Harry wasn't completely sure he could find everything from the tour, but he thought he could find the most important things, including the water closet they'd passed earlier.
They entered a fairly large room that had a lot of little areas in it. Each looked to have a desk and two tables, making a large "U" shape. Each area also had at least two cabinets plus a chair. Most of the areas had a person who was looking at them carefully.
Each person looked to be in their 30's or 40's, but then again so did he - Croaker was the only exception and looked to be about McGonagall's age. If his quick count was correct, there were nine others for thirteen total (including himself) and five were women, assuming the cloak couldn't change that look too.
"Sorry for the extra meeting this week," Croaker said, not raising his voice as everyone had already quieted down. "We have a new member that I've convinced to work here for at least the next few years, hopefully longer though. This is Mike. We're still working out his schedule and what he'll be working on. If I'm lucky and can convince him, he'll join the Action Team in a year or so."
While everyone had been neutral so far, Harry watched a few perk up at the last statement, making him wonder what the Action Team was.
"All the standard rules apply, maybe he'll answer questions about himself, maybe he won't, but we don't press anyone on their real identity." Croaker looked briefly at Harry who realized he was telling him that worked both ways.
"Mike, there's an open desk back there in the corner. It's yours. If you need something, ask around and someone will show you where the quills, ink, parchment, and such is kept. They can also show you how the desk works. Get yourself settled in and I'll be back for you in a bit.
"Dupree, I need a word in my office please…"
"Boss, I just got back…" a swarthy, short, and stocky man started to complain.
"Save it," Croaker retorted, "I'm not sending you back out anytime soon, but I have a private matter to discuss." He turned and left with Dupree following, as did Betty.
Not sure what else to do, Harry headed to the back of the room. It took a moment, but Harry realized this would give him quite a bit of privacy and wondered if Croaker had done that on purpose.
The desk in front of his had a woman at it and the desk in the other corner was Liam, each were looking at him as everyone else was. His desk on the back right was empty except for a single box on it.
The woman stopped him as he drew near to her. "Kathleen," she said in a higher pitched voice and held out her hand, "welcome aboard."
Harry shook it. "Mike, good to meet you."
Liam stepped forward and shook Harry's hand this time before turning immediately and returning to his desk in the other corner.
Kathleen shook her head and said, "Follow me and I'll show you where the office supplies are. What are your skills? I'm sort of a generalist, though I'm partial to studying old magic."
They walked back to the front of the room and she pointed to a pair of cabinets. "Grab whatever you need from here. An elf keeps it stocked for us." She looked at him, studying him.
It took a short moment before he realized she was waiting for his answer. "I'm not really sure why he hired me, but he said something about getting things done that required a little more power."
She smiled and turned to a non-descript man who would have been easy to forget. "You hear that, Inigo, Mike might be your replacement. Maybe Croaker is going to let you retire," she laughed.
Inigo glared at her. "I'll retire when I'm good and ready." He looked at Harry. "My name is Inigo Montoya-"
"And if you killed his father, prepare to die!" Kathleen cackled, earning another glare from the man.
"She has no sense of humor," the man complained in a deadpan.
Harry couldn't help but smile. He didn't understand the joke but he enjoyed the comradery nevertheless. Opening the cabinet, he grabbed a few supplies: quill, ink, parchments, and a notebook. He decided some Spell-O-Tape might be useful too and grabbed it before heading back to his desk.
Kathleen returned to his side and showed him how his storage cabinets worked and the drawers, which were much longer than they should be. The chair was also very, very comfortable.
Not sure what else to do, he opened the box that was there. Inside, he found a number of books with a note on top which he read.
These are for you to study. The top 2 are disguised on the outside so you can study them with no one else noticing what you're reading. There is a privacy charm on your desk which I'd suggest you activate when you're reading them. Activating the charm is not unusual. Croaker
Looking out, he saw that two desks now looked a little harder to see, slightly blurry, making him guess that was the charm. He'd ask Kathleen later as she'd seemed helpful.
Pulling the books out, he saw a number of topics, including some on Runes, which he decided was a hint he needed to learn them. The top two he opened up and saw they were the "Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6", and the same for "Grade 7". He placed the non-descript books on his desk to look at first then put the others on a small shelf behind him for later.
He heard someone come into the room and looked up to see Betty motioning him to come so he did. She led him out and into the infirmary where Croaker and Dupree were waiting. Betty put up a "Do Not Disturb" sign outside her door and then closed it and locked it.
Croaker looked at him. "Dupree has agreed to help you and is willing to have his memory of your identity erased, as long as he can keep the knowledge of anything interesting that happens here. I have agreed to create a write up of interesting events and magic while working on an Auror who was cursed in the line of duty and will give that to him afterwards. Is that acceptable to you?"
This was moving very quickly, but Harry wasn't going to complain. His scar had given him more trouble lately, not to mention every time he'd been in Voldemort's presence, and he was very willing to get rid of it. "It is."
"I'd rather start now than tomorrow if you're wondering," Betty said taking charge. "Cloak off and all magical items on the chair."
Harry looked at Dupree, the only one who didn't know who he was, and deactivated his cloak.
The Curse Breaker looked at Harry then at Croaker. "You signed up Harry Potter?! What the hell?"
"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Croaker said with a slight grin. "Still seems like a good idea, in fact."
"But…"
"He has a way of getting things done," Croaker explained, "and you don't want to go against him. Betty measured earlier; he has the highest magical index of all of us."
Harry blinked at that.
Croaker looked at Harry and smirked. "We measure all kinds of things down here."
"I didn't know that was possible," Harry said as he laid his wand down.
"We can teach you do it on anyone, but until the person starts to mature which is usually around sixteen or seventeen, it doesn't really mean much," Betty told him. "On the bed, head at this end," she pointed. "You're close enough to maturity we can start to get an accurate reading, but it'll be more accurate in a couple of years."
"Does magic grow over time?" Harry had to ask.
"Very little after about twenty, not enough to matter," she explained. "Dupree, I want your opinion on his scar."
Dupree grunted. "This is certainly fulfilling a fantasy, too bad I won't remember it."
Harry scowled at him.
"Kid," Dupree paused with his wand over Harry's head, "a lot of people have wondered about your curse scar and I get to try to figure it out. Please be as still as possible and if you feel anything unusual, please tell us. Scratch that, if you feel anything at all tell me."
Mostly mollified, Harry said, "Right," and closed his eyes.
Soon he felt something on his forehead, sort of like when Madam Pomfrey worked some of her spells; he didn't say anything and just laid there.
A few minutes later, all of the feelings stopped and he heard Croaker ask, "Well?" Harry opened his eyes and watched the conversation.
"Very interesting." Dupree took a seat on the bed behind him. "Looks like there are three bits of magic in play here."
"I concur," Betty said. "His, one sympathetic with his, and one completely foreign."
"Yes," Dupree agreed thoughtfully. "Kathleen might have a better answer, but I think she'd agree the sympathetic magic is from his mother or possibly something combined from both of his parents, but ultimately magic powered by his mother's sacrifice - if the stories about what happened that night are to be believed."
"You don't believe the common story?" Harry had to asked, curious if it matched his own opinion.
Dupree shrugged. "It's probably true, but there were only two people alive at the end. You were fifteen months old and I don't expect you to know. The other person has never given an interview," he ended with a short chuckle.
"And my scar from a curse that never leaves a mark?" Harry asked, glad the man's story matched his so far.
"Ah, that's easier to answer in some ways, especially since I looked it up years ago." He smiled at the surprised looks from the other three. "I tracked it down to Sumerian Runes, of all things - something only few know about and why it's never been commented on publically. It's actually the rune of protection." Dupree looked at Croaker. "Was Lily Potter ever an unspeakable?"
"No," Croaker answered. "She was approached but turned us down."
Dupree shook his head. "That makes me wonder where she found that then because the books on Sumerian Magic are hard to find.
"Anyway, she applied that rune, probably did a small ritual and painted the rune on with her own blood, it wouldn't have taken very long either. I suspect the end result is an interaction between that and a Killing Curse turned her rune mark into a scar.
"That means, the sympathetic magic is his mothers and the foreign magic is something left from the Killing Curse."
"So why does it hurt when I'm near him?" Harry asked, worried a little about the answer.
Dupree shrugged. "Hard to say, but the easiest explanation is that the magic in you recognizes its owner and becomes more active. Ever have other interactions with it, maybe visions?"
"Yes." Harry swallowed hard.
"The foreign magic is still active and reaching out then," said Dupree with another shrug.
"Could it be more than a fragment of magic, like a fragment of something else more personal?" Croaker asked.
Dupree looked at him and then suddenly raised his eyebrows suddenly. "I don't think so, but I can check. Lie very still, Harry."
Harry left his eyes open this time and watched the spell come at him, making it very hard not to flinch and move.
After a moment, Dupree straightened. "No, not a soul fragment exactly, but I could see how it could be mistaken for one."
"What do you mean, not exactly?" Croaker pressed.
"Well, with the right ritual, a true soul fragment could be used to animate a body, which is a good proof that our current Dark Wizard has made Soul Jars since he was presumed dead once. But this thing," Dupree waved lazily towards Harry's scar, "doesn't have enough there to do that. It's like it tried to be but failed. There's enough of a fragment to cause Potter issues, but not enough to animate a body if transferred to one.
"There are two possible explanations. One, it wasn't intentional, which would mean that the Dark Wizard's soul is unstable, so it broke off own its own when the Killing Curse rebounded on said Dark Wizard but didn't stay with the wraith but entered Harry. Two, it was intentional, but his soul has already been fractured so many times there isn't enough left for him to make an effective Soul Jar. I suppose," Dupree grinned, "there is a hybrid possibility where he tried to create another Soul Jar but that backfired and kill him, so that's number three."
"How can we know?" Croaker asked.
"Find a real Soul Jar and analyze it, if there are any more. It's hard enough to make one, but multiples are harder still. Also, there is a debilitating affect, but that could also explain many of his unusual actions. He doesn't seem mentally stable and he's definitely lost all sense of right and wrong. Then again, he's always seemed that way."
"I think," Harry said slowly, "that there must be more than one and he made his first one when he was sixteen, that's why it seems like he's always been this way."
"How do you know that?" Croaker and Dupree almost shouted together while Betty looked horrified.
"I can't be sure, but he had a diary that possessed a friend of mine for nearly a year and then tried to kill her so he could take her body. It ended when I destroyed the object," Harry explained.
"A true Soul Jar is very hard to destroy," Dupree countered.
"I used basilisk venom," Harry answered.
"Aye, that would do it. When?" Dupree pressed.
"My second year, so three years ago."
"He didn't get a body until a year ago, correct?" Croaker asked now.
"Yes, he said he'd traveled further down the road to immortality than anyone else and took some of my blood to do it."
"Oh?" Croaker smiled. "How advantageous for us, but that's a topic for later. The point is that you destroyed a Soul Jar while he didn't have a body yet he still came back; therefore, he had at least two, or perhaps six. Further, this thing in Harry's scar is not enough to be a true Soul Jar. So that points to the larger six, plus himself of course."
"Enlightening," Dupree said thoughtfully as he looked at Harry. "I'd like to make a request. I will keep to my end of the agreement if you require it, but I'd request to be able to retain all of this knowledge which would include who you are. The usefulness and possibilities are enormous. I will give you an Unbreakable Vow that I will not divulge your identity until released in exchange."
That surprised and frightened Harry a little. He looked at Croaker who also looked thoughtful. "I can see advantages; Dupree could be useful in your quest. Nevertheless, we have a task to do first before that must be decided." He looked at the other two adults.
"Quite right," Dupree agreed. "Now that I know what I'm dealing with, I need to go get a device. Don't worry, I won't say a thing to anyone. Betty, I suggest you put him to sleep and then strap him down so he can't move; it would be safest." He left.
"Ready?" Betty asked.
"Might as well; I want this out," Harry told them just before a spell hit him.
— — —
When Harry woke, he blinked slowly and saw Betty leaning over him. "How do you feel?"
"Tired and yet a little strange," said Harry, knowing this was the time for complete honesty.
"Do you want your glasses?" she asked and held them out.
Harry took them but blinked again and looked around without putting them on. "I can see fine without them. How?"
"A fortuitous side-effect, I'd wondered if that would happen," Betty said with a pleased look. "I don't have to make the potion to fix your eyes now. I also fixed your hand while you were out."
Harry held his hand up and the scars from Umbridge were gone, replaced with pink skin that hurt a little to be moved.
"Be careful with that for the next week," Betty told him, "and keep it out of the sun as much as possible too." She handed him a hand mirror.
Looking in the mirror, he saw a face he wasn't expecting. There was no lightning bolt scar on his forehead and no glasses. "I, uh, thanks, thank you very much."
"Our pleasure and there was another very good side-effect," Croaker looked very pleased. "You should be careful with your magic and practice carefully, but your magical potential went up about seven percent. That doesn't mean all of your spells will be more powerfully immediately, but that can happen and will happen if you're in a stressful situation where you cast without thinking."
"I understand," he promised, thinking he'd use tomorrow to try some spells to see. "Did anything unusual happen when you pulled Voldemort's magic out?"
"It was stubborn and took a little longer than expected," Dupree answered casually, "but nothing I couldn't handle. It also gives me something interesting to study." He held up a block of wood that just fit into the palm of his hand and was marked with a big "V" on it.
The Curse Breaker leaned forward with some eagerness now. "So, what are your thoughts on changing the deal?"
Harry considered it for a minute more and they let him. At the top of his thoughts was that these people had helped him more in a single day than Dumbledore had over the years. There was also the fact that Croaker had helped him leave the Dursleys.
"If we can word it so that not only my name is secret but anything that could lead back to me, I think that can work."
Dupree smiled and pulled out a piece of parchment. "I wrote this up while waiting on you to wake with that sort of thing in mind."
Harry read it and was pleased to see that it met his requirements and also hid the knowledge that this even came from another Unspeakable. It was all covered.
Croaker offered to be the bonder of the spell and it was soon done.
"Thank you … Mike," Dupree said before he walked out carrying his block of wood with some very unusual magic in it.
"Here's the lunch you brought," Croaker told him handing him the bag that had been left on his desk. "It's well past that time. After you eat that, why don't you rest here and I'll help you home after I take care of a few things."
"I thought we were going to Diagon Alley?" he asked.
"We can, but we should make it quick. I don't think you'll feel like doing much shopping." Croaker smiled. "It's been a good day. The world's a little better and we've learned new and useful things. It really doesn't get much better." He left humming softly.
Betty was shaking her head. She grabbed a slim box and handed it to him. "Take one of these with every evening meal for the next week. They'll correct a few problems you have from," she paused and seemed to bite back a comment, "your childhood. I also suggest that if you buy any clothes, make them at least one size too big and don't get more than two at this time. In a few weeks, you can go shopping again as the potions will have completed their work by then. Also, don't be surprised if you feel a little sore, as if you've done too much exercise.
"Here's some water for your lunch," she pointed to a glass on counter. "I suggest a nap until Algernon returns." With that said, she left the room.
Harry ate both sandwiches Stolli the house-elf had created for him while looking at himself in the mirror, memorizing his new look. Afterwards, he did as suggested and took a nap.
Croaker woke him up, the clock showing it was almost two hours later. "Put on your cloak to get back into disguise and we can go."
The director took him by a room on the way out. "Touch this spot." Harry did and Croaker did a spell. "Now you can Apparate into this room, once you learn. Let's continue on."
Harry followed him into the room and the man Side-Along Apparated him to Diagon Alley. In a private spot, Croaker had Harry deactivate his cloak to become Harry Potter again while Croaker changed his look. He also showed Harry how to make the cloak change to other solid colors so he didn't look like an Unspeakable. Harry turned it a dark blue.
"I won't appear to accompany you, but I'll always be nearby if you need help," the man told Harry after he'd Apparated Harry to the shopping area.
Harry did as he'd been told, purchasing only two new sets of clothes and making them bigger than he needed. He also picked up some more money from the bank. Croaker had him back to Longbottom Manor shortly before dinner wearing a set his new clothes.
Augusta Longbottom looked at him and smiled. "You look better, Harry - more like someone of your station should. Dinner will in half an hour. Are you staying for dinner, Algie?" she asked her brother.
"Thank you for the offer, but I'll be going," he answered and looked at Harry. "I'll return at seven in the morning. You need to learn to Apparate so you can travel on your own. Tell Neville he can join us. Good evening."
Harry was still tired but thought he could make it through dinner. He planned to head to bed shortly after dinner. He had a feeling tomorrow would be a long day.
(A/N: It seems to me that Dumbledore was very arrogant and/or egotistical to think he knew everything needed about Horocruxes and didn't involve others. If he didn't knew who he could trust, there was at least Bill Weasley who must have run into Horocruxes in Egypt, or so I'd think.)