Chapter 13: Conspirators Unveiled

"Well, then, Hermione, we have a few questions for you," Harry intoned firmly, sternly, and tongue-in-cheek.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I gathered." She set out the tea cups at her own kitchen table. The children were in bed, and Ron pulled up a chair himself, plopping a plate of chocolate biscuits down in front of their guests. Hermione poured out, and the four doctored their own cups.

"So, the muggleborn are trying to take over the world, are they?" Hermione asked flippantly, trying to disguise her very real concern.

Harry saw right through her. "Apparently so. We've uncovered several key players globally, but they meet in London, so we've got some jurisdiction to handle the problem here in Britain."

Hermione nodded. "Where in London?"

James leaned forward. "You tell us, as apparently, you're the Secret Keeper for their Secret Keeper."

"What?" Hermione set her cup down. "I'm not …"

"According to a conspirator we've got detained at the MOM, you were made the Secret Keeper for a Fidelius performed to hide the secret of who is the Secret Keeper of the original secret location," Harry explained. "We need to know who the original Secret Keeper is, which should, hopefully, take us one step closer to their London meeting place."

Hermione sat back in thought, biting her lip. "I don't recall any sort of formal process whereby I was selected as a Secret Keeper, though."

James smiled at her. "How about an informal one? Perhaps a discussion with colleagues, over how one might conceal a Secret Keeper?"

Hermione thought back. "Well, there was a conversation once. It was a group of us at work, really, having tea, talking about Fidelius charms. I've been fascinated with how that charm actually worked, and I was wondering about security for the Secret Keeper. The biggest flaw, of course, is that the Secret Keeper must be absolutely trustworthy. The betrayal of your parents, Harry, was what made me think of it."

Harry nodded. "Pettigrew was a traitor, and he paid for it eventually."

"And I said," Hermione spoke slowly, trying to recall the conversation. "An added layer of security would be if you had a Secret Keeper for the Secret Keeper."

"Did you actually cast the charm?" Harry asked.

"Well, it was a bit of a lark, really," she said. "Millie said she had a group of friends who liked to meet in London, and that only she could tell where they met, and would I mind being her Secret Keeper-just for that secret? She said she wanted to see how many layers of security she could add, just as an experiment."

"Millie, who?" Harry asked intently.

"Montiface, in Muggle Affairs."

James looked at Harry. "Isn't she the one who wanted my blood today?"

Harry looked back grimly. "In fact, she was."

Hermione looked stricken. "But, it was just a bit of fun."

"Oh, I think not," Harry's eyes narrowed. "We have a muggleborn in the Muggle Affairs office with access to the blood of non-magical partners and a clear, directed need to take it. She used purist language, Hermione, to try and convince me she needed James' blood."

"That's what set you off," Ron nodded.

"Oh, yes. That, and she seemed clueless about what that blood could be used for, which is unconscionable," Harry said firmly. "She's in this up to her eyeballs, and for some reason, wants control of the non-magicals cataloged through her office."

Hermione firmed her lips, which had begun to tremble. "Over the last few years, I'd get an occasional laughing call or a friendly note asking me for the name of the Secret Keeper for Millie's circle of friends' location in London. I'd give it out. I thought it was a joke. I thought …"

Ron covered her hand with his. "You thought you were included." Harry and Ron looked at each other. The three of them had been nearly inseparable while growing up, but both were well aware that Hermione had missed out on being part of a circle of girlfriends, one that would laugh with her for a bit of fun.

The lack made her a target for a circle who wanted her help.

Harry took her other hand. "Hermione, I'm sorry. I know you only wanted to help out a friend, and I know you were motivated by my story-your best friend's story. But you've been duped. Who else is a part of this circle of ladies you talked to?"

Hermione cleared her throat, and blinked back tears that were threatening. "Well, it's Millie, and Sally-Ann Perks, and Justine Hall. Those are the girls. And the ones who've asked for the secret included Justin Finch-Fletchley. I'll have a think and see if I can remember anyone else. I know I destroyed the correspondence as I answered it. It didn't seem important at the time." She fell silent for a moment, then smiled a bit. "But Harry, you know I never forget anything I read."

Harry smiled back. "So you know who wrote the notes, don't you?"

Her smile turned feral. "I do."

Harry squeezed her hand and pulled out his tablet. "Write them down for me?"

"Absolutely."

IMBM

Biscuits crunched, list saved, hugs exchanged, the four made their way out to the back garden, with Ron and Hermione to see James and Harry off.

"Mate, you know you're welcome by any time," Ron reminded him. "Mum thinks you're practically a stranger, even though she's working over time on the bonding party."

Harry smacked his own forehead. "We've got to go see Molly."

"Bit late now, but I imagine she'll be up, agonizing over colour schemes or something," Ron acknowledged, then looked toward the west, where his parents' home lay at a distance. "See? Lights on in the windows. Pop over. She'll smother you with a hug, I daresay."

James tucked Harry in close to his side. "We could use some smothering. And I'm curious, myself."

Ron nodded. "Party's scheduled for Sunday, as a first go-round. If something comes up, of course, we've got an alternate date planned."

"Sunday should be good," Harry said, looking at his tablet one-handed. "We're scheduled off unless the planet blows up or something."

James rolled his eyes. "Let's not tempt fate, darling."

Harry peered up at him, green eyes glowing through sooty lashes that batted playfully. "Of course not, dear."

Hermione threw herself at Harry again for a hug, and he caught her quickly. "If I think of anything else, Harry, I'll text you."

Harry squeezed her tight. "I know you will. Thanks, Hermione." He pulled back and looked at her seriously. "You know I love you, right? That's not going to change."

She blinked back tears again. "I love you right back."

Ron cleared his throat. "And I love the Chudley Cannons." The other three laughed. "And my work is done." Satisfied that he'd saved the moment from being too sentimental, Ron kissed his wife's cheek and wandered into the house.

Hermione kissed Harry's cheek. "Go see Molly."

"Yes, ma'am." Harry winked at her, drew James' arm a bit more tightly around his waist, and turned on his heel.

They popped back into existence just on the doorstep of the Burrow, and Harry knocked softly. "Molly-mum? Are you up?"

Molly opened the door, her smile wide and bright. "Harry, dear!" She did, indeed, smother him in one of her patented hugs, then turned her attention to James. "And James, as well." She hugged him, too. "Come in, come in!"

Arthur looked up from his spot by the fireplace, where he was reading a book and eating a bowl of crisps. "Good evening, boys. What brings you by?"

"Well, I hear (and this might be a rumour, mind) that our bonding party is on Sunday, and that you've got all the details," Harry joked.

"We do, indeed!" Molly said cheerfully. "Want to see?"

"Love to," James said with a cheery grin of his own.

They spent a pleasant half-hour going over all the party plans while eating apple-plum cake, and Harry and James were more than pleased with Molly's work.

"This will be splendid," Harry said, finally. "And barring a major emergency at work, we're set for Sunday."

"Good, good." Molly hugged them both again. "I'm so glad you came by."

"Us, too," Harry said, beaming as he returned her hug. James murmured his own goodbyes as he returned a hug, and the pair wandered back out in the Burrow's lush back garden.

James looked around. "This will look a treat all decked out."

Harry laced his fingers through James'. "It does."

They walked to the ward boundaries, joined hands swinging between them, letting the quiet of the garden and the stars overhead soothe away the stress of the mission.

There would be a reckoning tomorrow, Harry knew. They'd have to brief M, and make a plan to break up the council and put a stop to their plans. Knowing the key players now would make that process easier, but the real issue?

Planning wasn't illegal.

Executing some of their plans would be.

"Conspiracy, Q," James said quietly. "We can get them for conspiracy."

"I'll have to check in with the ICW. There's got to be something we can use to legally detain these people before any of these plots take effect," Q replied, and looked up. He gazed into the night sky for a moment, and huffed to himself. "Mars is bright tonight."

"The planet of war," James commented, then looked at his bondmate. "We'll figure this out, darling."

"I know, dear. I know." He stepped into James' space, put his arms around him, then twisted.

IMBM

M looked over the assembled data. They had solid evidence that a conspiracy by magicals to take over the non-magical world not only existed, but was actively engaged in executing a plan to do so. They had the names of the conspirators, though not the location of their meeting place, and they had evidence of multiple small plots to corner and control specific parts of the non-magical population.

"This is precisely the kind of threat that we eliminate through this office," M observed. He turned to look at Kingsley Shacklebolt, who was spending his morning at MI6, going through the same data.

Kingsley looked horrified. "Moving against the muggleborn will set our society back significantly."

M shook his head. "It doesn't look like the entire muggleborn population is a part of it. Just a key few in specific positions."

"But how will it look to the outsider?" Kingsley wondered aloud. "We're only just starting to change purist policies and politics. This is a powderkeg."

"And one that you'll have to deal with, I imagine," M said dryly, "as such a conspiracy cannot be allowed to continue. We'll need to eliminate the key players."

If possible, Kingsley looked even more horrified. "Kill them?"

M raised an eyebrow. "That's what a double-oh is for, Shacklebolt. To eliminate threats to national security that can't be contained by other means." He stood and walked over to the large plasma screen in his office that displayed security images, from CCTV cameras, of the players listed by Hermione Granger-Weasley. "At minimum, we need to question these people. If that's too obvious a move by the magical government, then we, as the non-magical government, need to make it. We'll take responsibility. It's our world we're protecting, after all."

Kingsley blew out a breath. "Magicals will have a very difficult time with your interference."

"Not if they don't know about it," M said calmly. "We'll give magicals something else to distract them while we, MI6, move in on the conspirators."

"What could possibly distract them?"

M smiled pleasantly. "Harry Potter's bonding party."

IMBM

Q would be much more annoyed if he didn't understand precisely why the publicity was necessary.

"So, to be clear: you're going to plan an operation that apprehends the key conspirators in their spaces around the world, using non-magical agents, to coincide with our bonding party. The goal to distract the magicals from noticing that several of their muggle-born number are disappearing."

M nodded. "Shacklebolt's not precisely pleased, but it seems like the best idea to allow the non-magical world to defend itself against the conspirators. And to keep the entire operation classified from the magicals, to avoid negating much of the good that has been done in recent years to curb blood purists."

"It's logical," Q admitted, and looked at James. "But I don't know how you intend to take magicals into custody. They're wiley."

"I thought, perhaps, you might have some ideas on the subject," M said.

Q thought. "Maybe one or two." He tapped James' platinum bracelet. "Seduction. And dampeners."

"Double-oh Six is still in Texas, and reports that the apparent leader there is amenable to his romantic intentions," James pointed out. "Best to leave him in place."

"Wonder how a seduction of Miss Mildred Monitiface might go?" Q mused aloud. "We could try to schmooze the secret location out of her."

"If we want to use your bonding party as a distraction, Q, that leaves us little time for seduction," James pointed out. "Especially a focused seduction."

"Secret Keepers cannot be forced to reveal a secret; they can only give it of their own free will…" Q trailed off. "Oh, now that's an idea."

M raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hermione could take Justin Finch-Fletchley up on his offer to meet with like-minded individuals. Mildred would have to give her the location where they meet. Better yet, she could just talk to good ol' Millie about meeting with her friends." Q thought it through. "She's probably the best placed to get that secret without needing to resort to something elaborate."

"Bring her in, then, Q."

"Yes, sir."