Ride-Along Chapter Two, Dirty work
Trainee Auror Harry Potter goes on another Ride-along with Hit-Wizards, to learn more about what regular magical law enforcement entails.
-=0=-
Harry stood by the Hit-Wizards office, waiting. He'd put the armour on, and noticed the name badge now said "POTTER"
The same old, fat hit wizard in blue robes covered in black armour came out with a clipboard,
"Potter, you're with Meadows and Purcell again. You know the drill" Harry nodded and waited some more.
Purcell and Meadows turned up a few minutes later, finishing coffees. "Potter" said Purcell.
"We're on Diagon patrol for a couple of hours, then off to Appleby."
Purcell Meadows and Potter apparated into Diagon Alley, to the Aurors only spot and started patrolling. What few people they met eyed the three person team, and slipped to the opposite side of the alley and hurried past, their hands in view.
They got to the entrance to Knockturn Alley and Purcell spoke up "You go in their with your lot. We've got better things to do"
Harry sighed.
They got to the end of Diagon Alley and looped along Easy Street, taking Low Road to High Road and back to Diagon Alley.
"Now that was good. Nice quiet loop" said Meadows. "Grab on, we're going to Appleby, but you know about Appleby right?"
"The Arrows come from there" replied Harry
"They your team?" asked Purcell
"Nah Tutshill" said Harry.
Meadows sighed "Another fucking quidditch fan. Appleby is a mixed village. Part muggle, so we have to blend in a bit"
Purcell handed Harry a necklace "This glamours you to look like a muggle policeman"
"I could probably transfigure my clothes" said Harry.
"Trust me, we use the necklace, we blend in" said Purcell, putting a necklace on and his clothes turned into a police uniform that Harry had only ever seen on old movies.
Harry looked at Purcell's tall domed hat and blue uniform and put his necklace on. From what he could see, he looked like an old fashioned policeman too. Purcell now had a dark wooden truncheon hanging from his belt. He saw Harry string at it "Illusory. If you stun someone it look like you hit them in the stomach"
"Not the head" asked Harry.
"Merlin no, we're not trying to kill them" said Meadows, who looked silly now too.
"Hang on Potter" said Purcell and they apparated to Appleby.
Appleby, in the early night was a sleepy little place like Godrics Hollow, small cottages, lots of trees and only a few streets. Appleby lay in a slight depression, a sealed road forking where most of the houses were,
"Come on, up here, to the stile there" said Meadows and they strolled along up one road away from the fork.
"This must be pretty quiet, Appleby" said Harry.
"Mostly, yeah" said Meadows "We're here to remind people about the statute more than anything else"
The climbed the stile and walked the track along the side of the low hill, behind the village, a second row of smaller houses with occasional paths opening off the track into backyards with gardens and small sheds.
The track ended in a stile, back onto the sealed road. They proceeded down the road to the fork and Purcell said "Now we cross the M44, and go between that pair of yew trees"
They waited for a gap in traffic and walked quickly across the two lane divided road, and Harry asked Meadows "Why here?"
"You'll see" said Purcell.
Harry stepped between the two yew trees and instead of the boring meadow he had seen while approaching, suddenly he was looking onto a large mown meadow with park benches and small stands. A group of children was playing quidditch on the far side of the meadow. Floating lights gave the whole park light like early twilight.
"A magical park?" asked Harry.
"Neat isn't it" said Meadows, and they walked around the edge of the park, making sure to pass close to every large group of people.
Purcell spoke up "Biggest problem in Appleby is people sneaking muggles in here"
As they passed the quidditch players, there was a small group of figures watching the flyers. Harry thought some of the watchers, at least one of them looked vaguely familiar. The blonde, must be someone from Hogwarts he vaguely knew.
The loop finished, Purcell took the lead "Now off to the Appleby Arms. Again, normally a nice quiet pub, mostly statute problems"
As they left Purcell held Harry back "You've lost your night adaption. Wait till you can see clearly before trying to cross the road. We had one of the local kids run down a few years ago."
"Why does everyone come out here at night?" asked Harry.
"For something to do. It's better than listening to the wireless, and the muggles can't see so you can be yourself." said Purcell
Meadows snorted "It's also the local snogging spot" he explained.
Harry and Meadows followed Purcell across the road into the old pub. It was much brighter than the dusk outside.
...
The nice quiet pub was not so quiet.
Over by the dartboard, two groups were throwing punches at each other.
"Darts game gone bad" said the bartender to Purcell.
Purcell spoke to Harry "All right Potter, go tell them to stop."
Harry drew his wand and walked toward the fighting group.
"Fuck it's a Auror" said someone.
"It's Harry fucking Potter!" yelled someone else
"Shit" yelled someone, and they jumped out a window to lie groaning on the ground outside.
Harry stunned the two that were still punching.
The two grous stood, hands in the air.
Purcell and Meadows came and took names. The two stunned ones were fined a galleon on the spot.
The whole group would be seeing the low court for disorderly behaviour.
Purcell and Meadows told the two teams straight up that if they didn't show, then the Hit Wizards would be coming with court arrest warrants.
They left the pub twenty minutes later, the window 'reparo'ed.
"They stopped when I confronted them" said Harry, feeling successful.
"Oh course they did, an Auror with backup… and Harry Potter… everyone knows you, Potter. Of course they stooped, some of them pissed themselves."
They apparated back to Diagon Alley for another patrol.
When they got a quarter of the way down the alley, there were two wizards taking boxes from the stationers and piling them in the street.
"Robbery in progress, Scrivenshafts." said Purcell into his badge.
"Halt or be stunned" yelled Meadows.
Harry pointed his wand at the burgulars.
The two burglars dropped the boxes they were holding and started running.
Meadows fired a stunner and missed in the dark.
The left hand burglar turned and fired a curse. Harry shielded it, and the two burglars started shielding and firing cutting curses. Purcell was shielding and casting binding jinxes, when a cutting curse shot out of the store and hit Harry on his armour. It bit int his shoulder like a hot blade. He turned and fired a banisher into the doorway, Purcell following it with something yellow.
Harry looked back left and Meadows was doing okay, but the two were a bit fast, so Harry fired a heavy knockback jinx, and one of them tumbled. Harry felt they were doing all right, when a cutting curse hit him in the back armour. He turned and found another dark clothed wizard firing cutters. Purcell had taken a cutter through his armour.
Harry fired a cutter back and they shielded. He winced, his shoulder really hurt, and fired another stunner into the doorway, to have to duck when the wizard in the shop yelled "defodio" and the gouging curse barely missed a ducking Harry. Harry snapped back a percutio and there was a sickly gurgle. Harry turned in time to see the three remaining robbers all open up with defodios. Harry hit the two down the way with a bombarda, and turned to find out what the back curser was up to. Purcell had hit him with a cutter and a full-body bind.
Harry headed toward the two he'd bombarda'd. One was still casting, but he saw Harry coming toward him, wand out, and cried "Potter!" and dropped his wand.
Harry angrily banished him into a building.
-==0==-
Harry sits in St Mungos, his armour ripped up, his arm in a sling.
"Good work Potter" said Purcell, getting the cuts in his back covered in slimy green gunk.
"We knew we could rely on you. Not like you're going to get frightened off when they start hexing to kill. And once they saw your badge… priceless… a killer like you, right handy to Hit-Wizards like us."
-==0==-
Harry lay in his bed, unable to sleep. His shoulder hurt, true but what was keeping him awake was the way Purcell had casually said 'A killer like you'
"I'm a good man" Harry said to himself, screwing up his hands. 'There was a war, I did what I had to do.'
-==0==-
Ron noticed his lack of sleep the next morning.
The training captain looked at Harry's sling "Rough night with the boys in blue eh Potter, well you're off on paperwork with them at nine."
Harry sat with Purcell and Meadows as they filled out the incident report.
After hours of forms, Meadows said "Now we've got to interview the ones we arrested, and get details from the morgue on the ones that aren't arrested."
"Well, the only Christmas presents that lot are getting are flowers" said Meadows.
Harry an Purcell side-alonged into the morgue offices with Meadows appearing with a crack next to them.
The morgue was being stormed by angry witches and wizards. There was fence like a castle gate holding them out.
Harry drew his wand.
"Oh it's always like this" said Purcell "Our boy, he's never done nuffink' they say, and it's some bastard that took out three of us to knock down"
Harry was shocked by the callousness of Purcell, who had been so careful with the domestic the other day, who'd given Harry advice…. Who'd… told harry he was a killer, and not to live with a Griffindor. Because Hit Wizards hated domestics. Hated domestics from deullers worse.
Harry's chest got tight and he leaned against the wall.
"You all right Potter?" asked Meadows, shooting Purcell a dirty look.
"Just need a moment" said Harry, trying to get his chest to work.
"Look, the morgue's a tough spot on your second day" said Purcell. "It's horrible, we all know that"
...
Harry reported back to Auror training school and the secretary sent him to Captain Smith.
"A few deaths, a mountain of paperwork, a domestic, some bar brawls. Once you're acclimatised, you'll go on Knocturn Patrols." said Smith
"But they don't patrol Knocturn Alley" said Harry to Captain Smith.
"But we do" said Smith. "Maybe a bit louder than the boys in blue, but we have to keep the undesirable element under control"
Harry had nightmares that night, seeing the burglars he'd killed dying over and over. He woke up, covered in sweat, shaking like he'd been crucioed.
Harry gingerly knocked on the door of the Auror Office healer.
"I've been having nightmares" said Harry.
"And what happened?"
Harry explained about the robbery, the way the robbers switched to dangerous spells, and the way he saw the two men he'd killed faces over and over again.
"Well, this is to be expected in trainees. You're not a monster, an experienced fighter, yes, but you're not the sort of person who kills people on purpose are you? Apart from your work, obviously"
Harry kept hearing "on purpose" over and over again, and seeing Glenda smashing through the wall. Then Glenda suddenly had Ginny's face in Harry's imagination.
Harry sat down, his chest tight.
"Trainee Potter are you all right?"
"My chest, it's tight" panted Harry, spots before his eyes.
The Healer gave Harry a calming draft and asked Harry "So, Trainee Potter, were these the first people you'd killed?"
"Obviously not" said Harry.
"Well, apart from you-know-who?"
"Dunno" said Harry.
"Ahem" said the healer.
"Eleven" said Harry.
"You've killed eleven in the war, goodness" said the Healer. "You really were in the thick of it"
"I was eleven" said Harry "A possessed teacher" he said, looking at the floor.
The healer took a quill and wrote a K on a parchment on their desk, and circled it.
Harry didn't look up at the sound of scratching.
After the potion had calmed Harry right down, the Healer explained that stress leave was normal for Hit-Wizards after deaths, and that Harry had nothing to worry about.
Harry exhaled and explained that "Oh, it's just I keep imagining myself back in the domestic we attended two days ago"
"Oh did anyone die?" asked the healer
"No, but they both needed treatment" said Harry.
The healer made a note at the bottom of the file "Needs to get his head in the game"
-==0==-
It was after six at night when Harry got back to the Aurors school and changed out of his robes again.
Harry explained to Ron, who'd been waiting for him that he was upset about the deaths.
"Don't worry Harry, we're the goodies, we catch the baddies, and if we can't catch them, well they're bad" said Ron. "we're not going around AKing people like the death eaters"
"I thought we just caught dark wizards" said Harry angrily.
"We can't always catch them. I mean, you got two the other night" said Ron.
"They were burglars Ron, they shouldn't have used bone-crushers, or defodio, but they weren't dark wizards" said Harry.
"Using those on Aurors is what makes them dark wizards" said Ron.
"We've both used them ourselves" said Harry.
"But we were fighting to defeat you-know-who" said Ron. "That makes it different"
-==0==-
Harry went home, ate the supper Kreacher had made him and went to bed, and found sleep elusive.
'What am I doing' Harry asked himself. A little voice in his head almost said 'not what you expected is it boy' and Harry sighed.
Harry stumbled down to the kitchen where Kreacher was making something in a pot.
"Kreacher, can you do something to help me sleep?" asked Harry.
Kreacher looked at Harry "Can Kreacher use his magic?" croaked the old elf.
"Of course" said Harry.
"And master doesn't care how" asked Kreacher.
"No Kreacher. I just don't want to be awake." said Harry.
Kreacher smiled, and drew back his fist and made a punching motion. 'Whack'. Harry fell backwards onto the floor, a large bruise forming on his forehead.
"Halfblood master not awake yes" said Kreacher.
-==0==-
Harry woke up cold and stiff on the kitchen floor.
Someone; almost certainly Kreacher had thrown a rug from one of the chairs over Harry.
Harry stood up, wincing and rubbing his aching head.
...
There was, according to the bathroom mirror a large fist shaped bruise on Harry's forehead.
"Kreacher!" harry called and the old elf appeared with a pop.
"Kreacher, never do that again" said Harry.
"Are you sure master, you did want to not be awake" said Kreacher maliciously.
"Fuck you Kreacher." said Harry.
"Filthy Halfblood master" said Kreacher and vanished.
-==0==-
Harry sat around Grimmauld place all week, ate Kreachers cooking and waited for Sunday.
The nightmares kept him awake, but at least there was good variety. He even had old Goyle burning to death come back.
Sunday He flooed mid-morning to the Burrow for Sunday Lunch. And Ginny. Ginny would be back from the team dorms at Holyhead.
Ginny looking very fit, stood up stiffly and limped over and hugged Harry, who winced.
"Still a bit sore from a burglary on Wednesday" said Harry.
Ron spoke up "Harry had to kill a couple of dark wizards, he's on stress leave"
Ginny let Harry go "You're still a trainee, what were you thinking!" she yelled.
Harry's chest started to tighten up and he just couldn't breathe. Couldn't breathe
Harry was manhandled onto the couch where Ron held Harry mostly upright, and Ginny fumed "What the hell are you lot doing. He's a trainee. He was never this bad, not Even after the bloody war. He has to quit. This is not happening"
Harry's vision started to constrict, black filling the edges.
Harry woke up on the couch at the Burrow, staring at the ceiling.
"He's awake" said Ron.
Ginny gingerly helped Harry get off the couch and come for a walk outside. They pointed at laughed at the garden gnomes, and walked vaguely towards the apple orchard.
Harry felt a bit better. The sky was very blue between the clouds.
"Harry" said Ginny.
Harry stopped walking and looked at Ginny
"Are you all right?" she asked him seriously.
"I'm fine" said Harry "I went to see the Auror school healer, and he gave me a calming draft, told me to take seven days stress leave… per death" he said glumly.
Ginny bit her lip "Harry, what did you see?"
"It was all so stupid." said Harry, feeling angry "They didn't need to fight, but they kept hexing each other, and then she went through the wall."
"Garry, what are you talking about" said Ginny, fearfully.
"We had to go to a domestic" said Harry. Ginny shook her head.
"Domestic incident. A couple were hexing each other"
"Aurors do domestics?" said Ginny incredulously.
"Ride along with Hit-Wizards. We do a week or so to learn how regular law enforcement works" said Harry.
"This wasn't even Auror work." said Ginny stiffly "You're a mess from bloody Hit Wizard work?" she said angrily.
"Then there was a bar fight… and I had to stop everyone… and they all panicked because Harry Potter...they thought I was going to kill them"
"I'd bloody kill them if they messed with you Harry" said Ginny angrily. Harry tensed.
"Then we had to go to a robbery, and the robbers, they started using lethal spells. I killed two. They could have just surrendered, they'd only get six months, maybe a year. Now they're dead"
"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Ginny angrily.
"What?" asked Harry
"You're being all soft and weepy. You're tough" said Ginny.
"They were just idiots. IT wasn't a war, they were just stupid. Then the next day, their mums and dads wanted the bodies. And it happens all the bloody time." said Harry.
"I don't know if I want to do this. The Hit Wizards are really dirty on Aurors too"
"Don't be such a pussy" said Ginny.
"They call us door kickers." said Harry "Because we go looking for one dark wizard and kick every door in. They call me a killer"
"Well you are, there was a war" said Ginny bluntly.
"But I killed two wizards this week and it wasn't bloody war. They were stealing parchment and quills from Scrivenshafts for gods sake."
"Quills?" said Ginny. "You killed people over quills, are you mental!" she yelled then she crossed her arms.
"You shouldn't' have killed them. You're Harry Potter. Harry Potter does not kill people for stealing quills!"
"I've been trying to tell you; this is not me" said Harry angrily.
"You're being an arse" said Ginny. "Stun them, don't go berserk and kill everyone!"
"I had to they were using defodio" said Harry, his chest felt tight and his head stated to buzz.
Ginny shouted "You're Harry Potter, you can expellarmus Voldemort to death, you can stun a bloody quill thief!"
"I think I want to quit" said Harry, having difficulty breathing.
"Don't be stupid. You've always wanted to be an Auror." said Ginny. "You can't quit!"
He suddenly saw in his minds eye, Glenda/Ginny, lying smashed into the wall.
Harry's couldn't breathe and his vision started to constrict. As he lost consciousness, he heard a woman screaming.