Supervisory Special Agents Hotchner, Gideon and Jarreau were all sat in front of Section Chief Strauss, as a group looking decidedly put out. Strauss was always wrapped tightly in bureaucracy and therefore was reluctant to agree to any suggestions that came from below her, especially ones that meant more paperwork and it was grating on the BAU member's nerves.
"So tell me again why I not only need to allow one," here she looked at her notes, "Hermione Jean Granger-Reid to go on this case with you; but I also need to allow two, until this moment unheard of, civilians; a Luna Lovegood and a Neville Longbottom to do the same. Despite my better judgement I had already agreed to Ms Granger-Reid on the basis of her needing medically to stay close to two agents that the investigation could not lose, why do you need to take these other two with you?"
JJ was silently seething at the disrespect that Strauss was showing for people she hadn't met; especially when those people meant a lot to her. Although only one was related to her, they were all very close to each other meaning that they also meant something to her. Hotch and Gideon were thinking along the same thought process. Gideon was already fuming that someone had tortured his pseudo-niece and to then here his section chief regard her and her friends with so little respect was testing his severely diminished control over his emotions. While Hotch was the most in control of the three, he was by no means happy. Respect cost nothing and yet Strauss showed none of it.
"As we already explained, the three of them may have a connection to relations of the UNSUB. Hermione Granger-Reid was tortured and carved into by someone whose family motto is present at every crime scene. Being close friends with both Luna Lovegood, agent Jarreau's cousin and Neville Longbottom, we feel that all three may be able to aid our investigation immensely." Hotch was now on par with his other two agents in struggling to maintain his composure, not understanding why she kept on asking the same questions.
Before Strauss had the opportunity to respond JJ's temper snapped. "Ordinarily I wouldn't speak like this because I was raised to show respect to people, however this really needs to be said. We know it is against protocol. We know it is an unconventional request. But we also know that right now that UNSUB could be killing more law enforcement officers and you are sitting here berating us because our best way of solving this case doesn't fit into your neat little box of acceptable protocol. Those three teenagers have been through far too much to deserve your censure when they are only trying to help!"
As she finished her rant, JJ realised that she had just set down her section chief and its possible ramifications and immediately went pale. Hotch and Gideon were trying and failing to hide their pride and amusement at the media liaison's behaviour, both having agreed with her assessment. Chief Strauss was in shock. Never had any of her agents spoken to her like that.
"You will report to me with every update on the case and ensure that they stay out of the field. You will be filing the paperwork for Ms Lovegood and Mr Longbottom, and if anything goes wrong; on your head be it." Chief Strauss then left the room to inform her superior of the situation.
JJ grinned sheepishly at her two co-workers who simply nodded back with expressions of pride before they collectively left the room ready to join the rest of the team.
Meanwhile, back in the round table room, Hermione had finally cried herself to sleep on Spencer's lap. Garcia and Luna were conversing excitedly together about unusual fashion choices including Luna's radish earrings and her collection of bottle cap necklaces. Morgan and Neville were conversing quietly with Spencer so as not to wake the sleeping witch.
"Hermione has always been the brightest person in our school, and a lot of the students whose families are the reason they attended resented that about her. Our student population is made up of purebloods; students who have had more of their family attend the school than not; half-bloods; students who have one side of the family that are purebloods and the other side of the family isn't and then muggle-born students like Mione who attended by invite. Like she said earlier, the word carved on her arm is a foul term for muggle-borns."
Spencer noticed that Neville was being careful to use terms similar to what his Mia had used and realised that they were trying to keep the magic aspect of it a secret. Having seen Mia's memories he knew it was slightly more complicated than that, but decided to listen anyway. Morgan was both fascinated and disgusted that a school allowed that much prejudice.
"Now what you need to understand is that most of the staff discourage these classifications but not all of them. One professor actively encouraged it even. Now most of the Black family, were sorted into Slytherin, and the head of Slytherin is the teacher that actively encouraged classifications. To my knowledge only one member of the Black family was ever sorted into a house that wasn't Slytherin; Sirius Black."
Spencer's mind used the connection to Mia's to immediately identify Sirius Black and her understanding of him. "Isn't Sirius the name of the dog star in the Canis Major constellation?" the young genius asked to clarify quietly.
"Yes it is," Neville seemed to be gaining more confidence the more his companions listened to him, "Now Sirius was resented by a lot of his family for breaking tradition, but none more than Bellatrix, the woman who did that" gesturing to Hermione's arm, "and tortured my parents. My parents weren't so fortunate as Mione and there was no one there to save them before they succumbed to their injuries."
Spencer knew that 'succumbed to their injuries' translated to 'lost their minds' courtesy of his connection with Mia, but chose not to comment; he didn't want to distress Neville who from Hermione's memories proved to have quite the shy streak.
"Bellatrix had two sisters, and a younger brother. Her younger brother was extremely close to Sirius until he was sorted into Gryffindor the year before he expected to attend our school. Bellatrix's brother never made the cut to attend our school after all and his family cast him out. From what my Gran said, he and Sirius had both wanted to work for the police but only Sirius got the qualifications to get in."
Both Morgan and Reid knew that whoever Bellatrix's brother was, he was the UNSUB. So far he fit every part of the partial profile they had thought of while listening to the case plus the aspects that would ha e came later. Now they just needed a name and where to find him.
"So, Neville, do you happen to know his name?" Morgan asked, ready to get Garcia working on finding him.
Neville thought for a moment before shaking his head, "My Gran never told me his name when she told me the story but I can get in touch with her and try to find out for you."
"Nah man, we'll get Garcia on it." Before Neville could tell him that they wouldn't find any details without being connected somehow to the school Morgan was already addressing Garcia, "Hey, baby girl, I need you to look up the Black family and find out the name and current address of Bellatrix's younger brother."
"I am on it my chocolate thunder," Garcia responded cheerfully while turning towards her laptop. Neville, Luna and Spencer, in a surprising show of synchronicity all bit their lips waiting for her to discover that she wouldn't find anything.
Before Garcia had a chance to do more than type two digits, Hotch, JJ and Gideon strode in.
"I hope you all have your go-bags ready. Wheels up in thirty."
It may seem like the pieces fit together really quickly for the case but I have my reasons. Those reasons will become obvious over the course of the next few chapters.Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think.