Disclaimer I don't own Harry Potter. All rights to the characters and universe the story belongs in belong to JK Rowling

Chapter 10 - Working with Aurors

'Sit down you three.' Said Robards. Harry, O'Manda and Trott had just entered his office.

'Right before the meeting about where we go from the attack on Friday, I wanted to talk to you. You three worked together well during the attack, so as long as there are no objections you will be working together.' They all smiled. Harry was glad of this. He knew he could work with the two Aurors easily.

'This means that you two will have to train him whilst you are working on cases. I trust you to come up with your own schedule.'

'Yeah we'll be fine.' Said Trott.

Robards nodded his head 'Very well then after the meeting, Potter you will need to get new robes from Diagon Alley and get yourself settled at a desk.' He then picked up some case files. 'Pick one of these to work on, I expect you to start on the case today.'

O'Manda just picked up the top one. 'This'll do.' The four of them left and headed straight for the meeting room. They took their seats and Robards started the meeting.

'Alright settle down. After the attack on Friday we need to set out a plan to catch these people. Dawlish your heading up the investigation what do you know so far?' What the hell is Robards playing at. Dawlish isn't going to look at this right.

'Well I've taken the time to go over the witness reports. Each of the people there had been threatened with their family being attacked by a werewolf unless they paid a ransom. They had been threatened before You-Know-Who fell.

'They seem to think that whoever threatened them were wearing Death Eater masks.' He sneered at Harry at that point. 'It seems like they have been given until the full moon after next to pay up so just over a couple of months. I don't know why they have given them so long but I still think we should stake out Hogsmeade for the next two weeks.' The full moon was on Saturday. Well at least he's not being completely thick.

'In the meantime, I believe we are best looking into the same leads we already have on known Death Eaters. I'll need help with the stakeout from all of you. However, finding the Death Eaters will be a case that I, Kellerhan, Owens and Timbrook will lead on and pull people in as we need it.'

Harry didn't agree that the old leads were a good place to start, however, not knowing what they are he wasn't in a position speak out about it.

'Did you find anything from any of the ones we caught?' Asked O'Manda.

'Not yet' replied Dawish. 'We are beginning the interviews today.'

'When do the re-enforcements arrive sir?' Asked the Auror called Timbrook suddenly.

'The foreign Aurors will be arriving later on this week.'

'Good, we're too short staffed to run an operation like this properly.'

Robards' face turned grave 'I know, this is only a temporary solution until we can bolster our ranks. We still need more recruits.'

'Aren't there any of Dumbledores old followers that would join us?' she asked hopefully.

'I don't think so I'll speak to the minister to see if he knows anyone.' Harry couldn't help thinking that there weren't many left.

'Come on he had an army didn't he? Surely some of those would still want to fight.' No bloody way. Harry was dumbstruck. Surely she doesn't know about the DA.

'Well there was the Order of the Phoenix.' Said Robards cautiously.

'No this was called Dumbledore's Army. I think it started during Fudge's last year as minister.' Argued Timbrook.

Harry knew that what the DA had been through had been printed in the profit but he was sure the name hadn't been in the article. It was just described as a band of students he was sure of it. 'Ah yes I remember that' said Dawlish turning his eyes on Harry 'I think we best ask the boy wonder over there.'

All eyes turned to him and Harry shifted uncomfortably 'Come on Potter spit it out.'

'The DA wasn't really an army. It's a band of students who got together to teach themselves defence in secret.'

'Why in secret?' asked Trott

'Umbridge was defence against the darks arts teacher that year and she was trying to stop us learning how to protect ourselves. All she taught was theory and the book was pretty poor. She started taking over the school and shutdown a lot of the clubs that students were running, unless they got permission to continue or start up.

'Suffice to say that we didn't get on. Fudge didn't believe that Voldemort was back and Umbridge was doing everything to discredit me so no one else would believe me. I think that Fudge didn't want us to learn defence because he thought Dumbledore was after his job and was raising an army to take over the ministry.'

'Sounds about right.' Muttered Robards.

'So, who taught them?' Asked Timbrook.

'I did.' Sighed Harry. She raised her eyes at him.

'Well that was years ago and I believe Umbridge put a stop to it right Potter?' asked Dawlish in a bored voice.

'Yes, however, last year they started up again. Did you all read the article about the war and how we defeated Voldemort in the profit?' They all nodded 'Well the band of students who kept trying to save others from the Carrow's were the DA.'

'Who was running them while you weren't there?' asked Robards intrigued.

'Ginny Weasley, Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom.'

'Longbottom? Frank and Alice's son?'

'Yeah.'

Robards stroked his beard slightly 'Do you think any of them would be up for joining? I don't just mean those three though any of the members?'

Harry shrugged 'I can ask I think the majority will be going back to Hogwarts this year. Some of the DA were younger than me and many of the ones that were the same age or older were on the run for a lot of last year.'

'Ask Potter, without putting any pressure on. Right then let's get back to work everyone.'

The rest of the mourning passed quickly Harry went to get his new Auror robes fitted and returned to do a quick workout session with his two partners. They had explained to him that one hour a day was to be set aside for a physical training session, unless they were on a mission.

He had just finished his lunch at his desk and was thinking about getting a couple of pictures to decorate when Trott popped her head around his cubicle.

'Hey Harry, you all done with lunch?'

'Yeah.' said Harry nodding.

'Good, me and Dave would like to start your training.' As they were going to be working closely together the three of them had decided to dispense with formalities unless they were out in the field.

Harry got up and followed her down the hall and into the gym they had been in earlier. 'Right then.' said O'Manda once they had entered. 'Harry, I think we need to get a good grasp of what you can do before we can teach you.'

So that's how they started. They put him through his paces testing both practical and theoretical knowledge. It wasn't until they got to more advanced spells that he started to struggle. A little annoyed he couldn't perform everything that was asked of him his mood started to turn sour.

O'Manda smiled at his frustration 'I wouldn't worry Harry the advanced magic you struggled with is only usually taught to trainees once they are ready for their Auror test. We'll work with you so that you can start detecting wards and defend yourself against advanced dark magic like fiendfyre.'

Trott put a soothing hand on his arm 'Don't worry Harry. You're as ready for this as any of us when we started. You can't know everything.'

They returned to O'Manda's desk and started going through the case file. Harry was surprised at the subject. 'Do think we should show this to Dawlish?' He asked.

'No Robards obviously wants us to follow this up on our own. I take it you agree that this is linked to the attack on Hogsmeade?' asked Trott.

'Yeah, it has to be.' answered O'Manda.

'Where do we start?' Asked Harry.

'I think we should visit the family and try to find out what they can tell us.' Said O'Manda

'I agree, we'll visit them in the morning.' confirmed Trott and with that they left the office for the day.

When they visited the family it turns out all they had received was a note in a similar fashion to the Ministry memos. All the note told them was the amount they wanted for a ransom, where to leave the money and what would happen if they didn't pay.

This time though the ransom had to be paid in a week's time, so they were discussing what they were going to do.

'We need to stake out the pickup point and the home.' Stated O'Manda.

'If we stop them, how are we going to stop them from going after them again?' Asked Harry worriedly. 'Can we ward the house?'

'Yes, we could but defensive enchantments like that are best done on your own home.' replied O'Manda

'All we can do is our best.' Said Trott.

A week later Harry and Trott were hiding in the bushes under disillusion charms waiting for someone to pick up the ransom. O'Manda was watching the house on his own. The drop off point was a small clearing in a densely wooded area.

The hour was getting on for two o'clock in the morning and Harry was beginning to feel that something had gone wrong. That was when he heard the rustling of a cloak and the area was suddenly covered with a strange mist.

A lone figure glided into the middle of the clearing. He was excruciatingly pale and his eyes were a deep red. If it wasn't for the blood red hair, long nails and (in particular) his sharp nose Harry would have sworn it was Voldemort. Then he remembered someone who he had met at Slughorn's Christmas party. Merlin he's a vampire.

The vampire sniffed the air keenly and then spoke in an Eastern European accent 'You may as well come out you know. I can smell your blood, it von't take me long to hunt you. Come out and I vill make your death quick.'

He started stalking the clearing smelling the air again. Harry shifted his weight slight and twig snapped under his foot. The vampire looked directly at him and smiled in a cruel cold way before launching himself.

He moved with such speed Harry didn't get chance to respond, in an instant the vampire was on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Harry tried to push him but to no avail, the Vampire had considerable strength despite his slender build.

'Relashio' cried Trott before the vampire could locate his neck. The vampire flew backwards and landed on his back. He raised himself back to his feet without using his arms, as if he was floating.

Harry used the recovery time well. 'Incendio' with a wave of his wand a circle of flames erupted around the vampire. Trott sent a stunning spell at him which missed as he transformed into a bat and flew away.

'We need to warn O'Manda. Now!' She told him.

Harry didn't hesitate in sending his Patronus to their colleague as they ran to the apparation point.

'How did he know where I was when I was under a disillusion charm?' panted Harry as they ran. He was not yet as fit as the other two and he was slightly winded from the attack.

'They have keener senses than us, as soon as you made a noise you were done.'

'Thanks for saving my neck.'

'Any time Potter.'

They reached the apparation point and entered the house immediately on arriving. The door had been blown open. O'Manda lay in the hallway with a small pool of blood around him. They didn't stop to tend to him though as a scream ripped from upstairs.

Harry thundered up the stairs with Trott perusing right behind him and leapt over the stunned body of Mr Junta. That was when the wall to his right exploded, despite his shield charm, the impact still blew him against the wall. Somehow, he stayed on his feet. Trott's surprised yelp indicated she wasn't so lucky. The blast had caused her to fall some way back down the stairs.

Harry looked up to see two masked and robed wizards with their wands raised at him, behind them were Mrs Junta and her young son Greg. Harry didn't wait for anyone else to act, moving to his right he dodged the incoming curses and then returned a stunning spell of his own.

They managed to block it, but Harry didn't let up pointing his wand as some the debris, he whipped his arm around and launched it at them. Caught of guard the two intruders stumbled whilst defending themselves. Returning to the landing, Trott sent her own stunning spell at one of the men which was blocked by the other.

He didn't react fast enough to Harry's disarming spell though, his wand flew through the air before he was then hit with a body bind by Trott. By this time, the other man had gained his composure and blasted the ceiling apart above the two Aurors. They dived out the way giving him all the time he needed.

He removed the apparation barrier that had been roughly thrown up by O'Manda earlier, grabbed his colleague and apparated away.

'Shit.' swore Trott. 'Go and check on O'Manda Potter I'll deal with the Junta's.'

Harry went to go back down the stairs when his blood went cold. The vampire had finally arrived and was looking at the stricken form of O'Manda. Luckily the sight of the blood on the floor seemed to have him mesmerised as he stood in the doorway.

Harry pointed his wand at the tall figure and his cloak was instantly in flames. He gave a shout of surprise and when he went to pull the cloak off and over his head Harry shrunk it so that it trapped his arms. Before Harry could incarcerate him, he transformed again and managed to escape leaving the flaming cloak behind.

Dousing the flames Harry quickly made his way down to O'Manda, he checked his pulse which was thankfully there, the blood was coming from a wound in his side not from his head. I need to get him to St Mungo's.

'Trott!' he called.

'Yeah?'

'I'm going to apparate O'Manda to St Mungos. There's a nasty cut on his side and he's still out. I'm guessing he banged his head when he fell I don't think he's stunned.'

'OK, I think the Junta's are all OK. You get going I'll see you there.'

It wasn't fifteen minutes after he arrived that Trott turned up with two Hot Chocolates. 'Thanks Leanne.' He said with a tired smile as she passed him a cup. 'He'll be fine they reckon he'll be able to leave tomorrow as long as he's not concussed when he wakes up.'

'That's good.'

'Is there any family we need to tell?'

'I've informed Robards, he'll get in touch with the right people first thing. I heard a commotion after you went to head downstairs what happened?'

'The Vampire turned up again. He must have been the one they were threatening Greg with.'

'We've got to find out more about these people.'

'What's Dawlish's lot found out so far?'

'Not a lot I don't think. They got nothing out of Greyback or any of the others. He wants us to start pulling night shifts though staking out Hogsmeade. The smaller jobs are going to the foreign Aurors.'

'What smaller jobs like this?' She nodded 'It's all one bloody big job if you ask me.'

'Yeah I know, don't worry we'll keep on looking. Did you ask McGonagall about the memories?'

'Yeah she didn't know. She's told me I can take a look through his archive.'

'You should take her up on that. See if you can go early next week.'

'OK. What shifts are we pulling for Dawlish then?'

'We're working Monday day and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Night. We then report on a Friday. You look surprised.'

'I thought he'd stick us with the weekend shift.' Admitted Harry.

Trott laughed 'He would but weekend shifts go to those who volunteer for them before being handed out to everyone else. So, Dawlish can't land you with that unless the weekend workers are already on a different case.'