Disclaimer: All characters, names, settings etc belong to their respective copyright holders, only much of the convoluted plot, Night Wolf and a few other things are of my own creation (but inspired from many things under copyright, which aren't mine).

Chapter 40

Birmingham leaned back in his chair and looked back up at the dull grey which constituted the ceiling.

They had been on route for approaching a week…which still left a week to go to their destination.

Birmingham looked back to the pile of work on his desk, on Earth he could have had other things to do to keep him distracted and this work would get done…in between other things.

Here he didn't have anything else to do, thus he'd been avoiding it, walking around the ship, sitting, looking into the secondary oxygen generation systems, going over the final power and timing calculations for the port key with the other Sorcerers that he'd recruited to accompany him on this voyage.

Birmingham looked over the proposals, suggestions and thoughts that he'd collected from the various departments before he'd left, and even the summaries from UNIT in Geneva.

It was part of his role as Second in Command at Night Wolf to consider this…not just their activities on Earth but those in the greater and wider space.

One thing was clear; they were going to run out of personnel in the near future.

There was too much culture shock involved in training and moving a 'professional' or even mildly published scientist, doctor or professional and taking them away from their lives or off to another planet / moon or other to study.

Short of going public they were going to need to do something drastic.

Birmingham considered that thought, the idea of going public with what they knew had been floated many times from right back in the 1960s with the Intrusion Countermeasures Group in preparing the military for 'extraneous intervention of foreign forces'.

Not that it was seriously considered, even during the 'alien invasion season' of the 1970s where Earth seemed to have been targeted the idea of informing the public was never seriously considered.

Now it was a case of security, they couldn't announce to the world that the United Kingdom, Australia and some parts of the United Nations knew not only that aliens had visited Earth more than once, but that they had space ships which made the American's space efforts look like a go kart down the end of the street.

That was the Brigadier's summary of the case that UNIT had brought forward in any case.

Birmingham tapped his pen on his note pad before reaching over and plugging in his hand held computer so he could access his Night Wolf database of information he'd brought with him for the journey.

The Brigadier wanted ideas…for everyone, not an easy task.

--//

Jones looked out around the Inferno site, they'd been monitoring the site since they'd removed the Order members.

A few hours ago the UNIT clean up crew had completed their work, all the bodies had been bagged, tagged and moved out to Night Wolf for classification. The other bodies and other flesh that had been ripped away from the various engagements throughout the night had also been bagged separately and would be fully analysed.

All the shell casings, fragmented missile remains and wands that had been left by the dead had equally been removed from the site.

They'd finished the job with a was with a solved concocted by the Sorcery department cleaning away any trace of the a battle, the blood, gore and explosive residue all removed.

It now looked like any other military training ground; there were the various signs of explosive damage, some bullet holes and an odd smell of burnt charcoal. Which Jones reflected was probably the result of the clean up crew's efforts to remove most of the wand user's influence, although they had informed him and General Lethbridge Stewart that there would be a degree of background which would remain present for a time.

Jones adjusted his vest as he looked around with the binoculars once more, only his team remained, he'd convinced the Brigadier to allow him personally to monitor the site.

His argument was slightly a personal one, he was curious of the wand user's recon methods, especially following what would be considered a defeat on their part the first thing he would do is do some covert reconnaissance.

That said Jones wasn't making it easy, all the jammers were turned up to full and supplemented via the mains power, so there was no chance of any of the wand users apparating in on them, but as Harry had demonstrated in moving them all to the site they didn't necessarily need to appear as they did.

"Activity at front entrance."

Jones swung the binoculars around to look at the front entrance; a black London taxi pulled into the driveway of the site and stopped.

Two men removed themselves from the back of the taxi Jones instantly recognised one of them as Alastor Moody, the second Jones recognised from earlier the previous year…Kingsley Shaklebolt.

The driver was the last to remove herself from the taxi, she had short brown hair, and was another person Jones recognised, Hermione Granger.

"Go to stealth, maintain a visual with them. Jones out." Jones muttered into the radio boom near his mouth as he reached onto his vest and crushed the two pads, there was the what was now almost familiar smell and he and his team shimmered away from sight both from the regular eye sight and from a certain magical eye.

Jones swapped his radio frequency for a moment to the monitor by the gate and watched through his binoculars.

"…Grange you're staying here…"

"Moody if it hadn't been for me you would have probably been smeared across half of England waiting for the ministry to de-splinch you…again." Hermione Grange berated to man who stared at the younger woman.

"I could have found a…"
"I want to know what happened to Harry as much as anyone."

"Harry Potter can look after himself Granger I want to know about those muggles."

"As does the Ministry…that's why I'm here…Officially, remember Moody…Officially."

"Then why bring Granger?"

"Yes, talk about me as though I'm not here…" Jones watched Hermione Grange walk up to the fence and look through to the site.

"There doesn't look like there's much damage…" She said curiously.

"Alohamora…!" Moody growled at the lock, Jones smiled to himself as the locked gate didn't open.

"That's very…interesting…we must be in some sort of natural…or unnatural…" The black man was cut off by Moody.

"We're not Kingsley, we were perfectly able to use our wands here before the muggles…" Moody trailed off for a moment.

"The muggles Moody? Everyone in the Order that was here has been cagey about what happened." Jones heard Hermione snort at the comment.

"Ms Granger?" Kingsley asked regarding Granger curiously, not Jones noted with the annoyed almost contempt that Moody did.

"Moody's just annoyed that he was bested by someone." Granger said walked away from the gate with he wand in her hand. Jones watched one tracking her, he couldn't hear her as well as she walked further away from where he'd placed the radio monitors. But it sounded like 'Lumos', he watched her as she took careful and deliberately paced strides away from the gate until she was by the adjoining (private) road and her wand lit up. Jones noted that she was standing outside of the jammers.

Granger turned and walked back towards the two men, who were still bickering.

"…why didn't the minister come himself if he was so…"

"Moody there are other interests for the Ministry, not just your paranoid fantasies about the muggles…"

"You've gone soft Kingsley…beating the Ministry's drum…"

Jones raised an eyebrow and watched Granger who had paused listening to the two older men argue and shook her head and walked over to the the taxi opening the boot and rummaging around in the back before remove the jack with a satisfied smile.

Walking with confidence back to the road side she placed the jack down on the ground.

A wave of concentration passed across her face as she concentrated on jack with her wand, Jones watched as she appeared to be muttered something before tensing and a jet of magic shot out of her wand and the car jack shimmered and changed transfigured into what looked like a set of bolt cutters.

"Well, well, well…" Jones muttered to himself, this was the most interesting thing that had happened thus far with regard the three people before him.

Jones watched as Hermione Grange walked back towards the gate, following the exact same path she used out and walked straight through the two arguing men and brought the cutters to bare.

"There…now are you two going to continue arguing or are we going in…honestly it's like being at school…" Granger said aloud as she chucked the bolt cutters to one side and walked in and then stopped as though thinking or regarding the area.

"Well Ms Granger…come on…" Alastor Moody harrumphed as he hobbled past.

Jones watched as Granger stood looking around the main drive up as Kingsley and Moody continued up, each occasionally withdrew their wand and scowled at it.

Granger was looking at the ground kicking it before moving to the edge of the drive way and began following the two men, though walking in the drain on the side of the road.

"This doesn't appear to be the correct location Moody…there aren't any signs of this 'battle' that I've heard reports of." Kingsley said as he glanced around.

"Tricky Kingsley…very tricky…Granger what do you think?"

"It is…interesting, who ever they were did a good job of it. Remember how much…" Granger paused pulling a face.
"Entrails Ms Granger…blood…signs of a battle…troll blood isn't the easiest to get rid of…" Moody started.

"I've got robes not even house elves can get the blood out of." Kingsley said looking around his…quite useless wand Jones thought to himself still out and at the ready.

"We should split up and work our way around the site, there might be something we can use to track Potter or anyone else that was here." Kingsley suggested. Jones raised an eyebrow and wondered which where he learnt 'classic mistakes to make in potentially hostile situation' training.

"Let's split up…" Jones muttered to himself shaking his head.

Jones followed Hermione Granger curious at what she would do, alone and away from the others.

She walked along dragging her feet for a moment before looking around.

"I'm pretty sure you're watching us…and even if you're not you're monitoring…I knew Harry had help…but this is…" She paused looking around. "What ever Harry's done…it's obviously not finished…otherwise he'd be here instead of me playing driver and 'Ms Muggle knowledge'." She said with some annoyance. "Just let him know….he owes me that explanation he promised…in fact probably more than one…" She looked around once more and shook her head to herself before walking back to the central point from which they first split off from, then she stopped turning again back towards where Harry had trapped Voldemort the previous night.

"…Just…make sure…make sure he comes back…" She said softly, he voice being lost slightly in the wind that rustled through the Inferno site.

"Targets moving the holding area."

"Confirmed, continuing close in observation maintain observation."

Jones moved down the steep slope towards the three people walking towards where he and the others had sorted through the Order from the Death Eaters. It was in that room that Jones had left (with the Brigadier's approval) a…not so much a trap as a test; Night Wolf had throughout the past few years encountered various groups of wand users and they hadn't been completely sure if the Order or some of the Death Eaters would return to do some recon, Jones therefore had left a 'surprise' in the room for them.

"It's a room Moody, and this is where you said the muggles…captured you?"

"That's what I said Kingsley, now shut up about it…Granger what do you think?"

Jones watched through from a distance at the group within the room, the test was a simple though effective one, Shrodger's cat.

"What's this?" Jones raised an eyebrow as he heard the box's lid being opened.

"Moody…Ms Granger…I think you'd better come over here…"

"What is it Kingsley I think my wand is working…"

Jones nodded to himself the jammers did work within the building but in certain areas they were deliberately low power, it was all about intelligence gathering on the wand users during times of extreme stress, even if the current threat was eliminated they still would need information to base their manoeuvres on both the military and psychological.

"Oh shit."

"Language Granger, it's just some lights with some clay…" Moody's voice rang out.

"What is it Ms Granger?"

"C4…"

"What in Merlin's name is 4C Granger?"

"C4…It's a m…a plastic explosive muggles use in…demolition." Hermione Granger stated carefully, Jones noted as she started to say 'military', Harry was right about her being a smart person.

"Defuse it…Granger if our wands work in here I can trace the muggles that stopped Voldemort…"

"The ministry also wants to know how Voldemort was eliminated Moody, not just you."

"Defuse it…yeah…no Moody…I worked with Harry on one of his projects…I know how much…power this…and I'm going to run…"

Jones watched as Hermione Granger pelted out of the room running back to where she had come from and ran back towards the front entrance, taking care to again run along the gutter.

Jones moved back to his vantage point, climbing carefully back up so he could watch from a distance, there was an explosive, enough to blow out the already shattered windows with some flame, however there wasn't a great deal of C4, Alastor Moody had been correct in that regard most of it was clay.

Jones adjusted his binoculars towards Hermione Granger who was looking at her watch and glancing back towards the drive way, a minute later Kingsley approached at a swift walk with a hobbling Moody in tow.

Jones pulled out his own time and looked at it.

00:00:59:42, and counting.

"You seem agitated Ms Granger."

"Stating the obvious Kingsley."

"You've picked up Potter's habbits Granger."

"What's that Moody."

"Mr Potter's spry wit."

"You can go Ms Granger…Moody and I can return when we're ready…"

"What about the Taxi driver?"

"I oblivated him of this day, he'll be in that…bar for the rest of the day." Moody said offhandedly, Jones made a note of it and the number plate of the taxi, they'd get UNIT in London to check the man out to make sure of no permanent psychological damage.

"Fine…40 seconds."

Jones watched as Hermione Granger slid herself into the driver's seat and started the engine and drove off in a rush.

"40 seconds what was she talking about?"

"I think Ms Granger was speaking of the timer…Moody are you alright?"

"Just the movement Kingsley…I don't like this…muggles getting the upper hand."

"Think they're dark wizards too? Maybe…"

"Maybe what…?"

"Nothing."

Jones watched as the building exploded and the two men leap back.

"Now can we go back in and investigate properly without Granger dogging us…"

"Moody…I am returning to the Ministry…as you should to the Order…this was meant to be a proper investigation…not one of your paranoid trips."

"It's safe Kingsley, you're afraid of this…we can portkey out if there's any extreme danger…"

"Standby to activate secondary explosives on my mark."

"Confirmed."

"Confirmed."

"Sir."

"Sir."

Jones observed as Moody hobbled back in.

"Activate in sequence."

A second series of explosions went off, there were mainly for show, but illustrated to the two men that there was visible and tangible evidence of a danger.

--//

The Prime Minister looked another piece of paper work from the UN this afternoon, when the intercom announced itself with a beep.

He hadn't been expecting anyone, which was the reason why he was in his office reading, with the General carrying forth on his promise 3 days ago the Voldemort problem had been dealt with…there were stll small pockets being cleared away, which part of the reason he was here, signing requests for prisoners to be tried and imprisoned offshore by the UN, technically speaking they weren't British citizens…however he knew General Lethbridge Stewart would see that they were tried…rather than executed, the Prime Minister wondered after reading some of the reports that had passed his desk whether he would be as restrained as to see them have a trial after the citizens under his government had been killed…raped and tortured and whatever else these wand wizards did.

"Yes Leanne?"

"I have a Minister here…he says he is expected."

Expected meant anything but.

"Who is he?"

"He says he's a Foreign Minister…Scrimgeour"

The Prime Minister nodded, he had wondered if Scrimgeour would decide to pay him a visit…

"Show him in…then call the UNIT special line, tell General Lethbridge Stewart who I'm seeing, follow that by a silent evacuation."

"Yes…Prime Minister…should I move the September Orange to the 19th?"

The Prime Minister raised an eyebrow at this out of no where comment and then thought…SO19.

"Have SO19 keep the anyone back…UNIT knows what they're handling with. Tell UNIT to wait on my panic signal before they come in."

"Prime Minister."

A moment later Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour walked into the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland's Downing Street office.

"Minister Scrimgeour what an unexpected visit only the most rude and the most prominent dignitaries burst in unannounced."

"And which am I Prime Minister?"

"Tea?"

"No thank you."

"Very well. I'll just pour myself one then." The Prime Minister rose to the table, his movements watched by the two men in mismatched suits who made no effort to conceal the fact that their wands were trained on the political leader of the United Kingdom as he made himself a cup of tea.

5 minutes had passed before he retook his seat at his desk opposite the Minister, 2 minutes later 2 UNIT jeeps arrived and filed into the building led by Brigadier Winfred Bambera who began securing the building and checking the…jamming devices within Downing Street.

Outside the SOG was moving out securing the wider area and checking for the usual problems.

"I was informed that the portrait that has been used for the past 50 years was some how removed Prime Minister."

"These are trying times Minister Scrimgeour, security you must understand is paramount with the many kinds of security threats out there, not just Voldemort…but who ever else could have infiltrated your security."

"The fireplace was secure, only accessible from my private offices…it would have taken a trained floo technician, one from my Ministry to de-authorize…how did you do it Minister, a Muggle such as yourself?"

"Muggle? Minister…I thought this was a new age within the Ministry for Magic…beyond such crude terms as Muggle."

"How did you disable the floo…it is…important…Prime Minister that we are able to access you at all times…in case of a threat on you."

"You and your ministry obviously performed an excellent duty at protecting myself and the British citizens when there were vast fires ripping through London…or when British citizens were being raped and murdered in their homes."

The Prime Minister stared as Rufus Scrimgeour simply raised an eyebrow "Touché. That however wasn't what I came about…I have reports that Voldemort has been…eliminated…and…"

"Good riddance." The Prime Minister stated.

Scrimgeour, however continued. "That some muggles assisted in destroying him in…" Scrimgeour turned back to one of his…security who removed a scroll of paper and an envelope of photos.

The scroll showed a map, which really could have been anywhere, all it showed was a drawing of a road and a site which wasn't even fully sketched out, it reminded him of an old ocean map where the edges of countries hadn't been fully explored and where just left at guesses.

The photos were more reveling, they showed a site that he remembered from his early times in Politics, the Stahlman Inferno Project, now a UNIT military training site, sold to them by the MOD some years back. The photo showed a gate with several out of date radiation signs and even a Biohazard sign, along with a non-descript vehicle which definitely wasn't military…but looked as if it could be…something to discuss with General Lethbridge Stewart…but it looked as though it was a ruse for the photographer.

"It's a site that was used by a scientist some years ago Scrimgeour, nothing more, it's un-usable land."

"We know it's more than that…two…Ministry professionals surveyed the site."

"And? Minister Scrimgeour if Voldemort has been rid of, why are you here speaking to me?"

"I want to know how some simple muggle could rid us of Voldemort…I want know now!"

The Prime Minister raised and eyebrow and took a sip of his tea.

"Minister Scrimgeour, if we did indeed 'rid you of Voldemort' then you should be thanking us…or you shouldn't be here at all and be treating this in the way many politicians would."

"I will know Prime Minister, I want to know how and where Voldemort is…you and which ever wizard you're working with can't possibly hold him. I am sorry it's come to this Prime Minister…" Scrimgeour said not meaning a word of it.

The Prime Minister watched impassively as Minister Scrimgeour stood up drawing a wand and hoped that UNIT did their work and the jammers were working.

"Legilimens…" Scrimgeour said quietly….and nothing happened.

"Latin, my education minister tells me that everyone should be learning it. Vestri vicis est sursum Minister I'm afraid." The Prime Minister pushed the panic button and not a moment later UNIT troops stormed through the doors to his officer quickly disarming the three men before him and silently took him away.

"Prime Minister, Brigadier Winifred Bambera." She saluted.

"Thank you for your timely arrival Brigadier."

"Sir…General Lethbridge Stewart request I ask you on what we should do with your…guests…"

"You've been briefed…?"

"Sir?"

The Prime Minister nodded. "Need to know Brigadier…need to know…" The Prime Minister thought for a moment he couldn't quite hand them over to UNIT…not unless he wanted to cause a major diplomatic situation, even if he was the only one in the Government who 'officially' knew about them.

"Keep them under heavy guard…and remove their wan…their weapons…I need to have a conversation with the man with the beard."

"Prime Minister are you sure that's…wise?"

"Politics never is Brigadier."

--//

Harry Pearce stood watching the footage that had been forwarded to his department by internal security at Thames House.

It had been the second time he'd watched the compilation tracking the three…intruder's movements.

He had realised immediately why it had been forwarded to him, he had the most contact with UNIT for 'terrorism' discussions, more contact than others.

Then there was Tom and Zoe's contact with UNIT during the Buckingham hostage situation.

Harry hit a button on the phone.

"Tom get Zoe and come in here."

A moment later they both walked in, Harry walked over to the blinds closing them completely.

"This footage was forwarded to me earlier today because it seemed to fall under UNIT's description and our involvement."

"What is it Harry?" Zoe asked crossing her arms slightly.

"Watch." Harry aimed a remote at the large screen, the image showed the exterior of Thames House, three people; two men and a woman who appeared to be wearing cloaks similar to a judge walked towards Thames House, pausing outside, they each withdrew a long thing device which from the grainy CCTV appeared to be a stick.

They pointed at themselves and seemed to shimmer and change just as the image flared for a moment.

The image flicked to one inside of Thames House at the main reception.

Four more smaller images appeared alongside the main image displaying varying camera angles from the array of cameras within the main reception.

"are we going to do this…sir?"

"…the Minister wants answers, concentrate on names and places…we'll Imperio if we have to."

"…but sir…the war's…"

"Scrimgeour wants to know where Potter and Voldemort are…and how the muggles defeated him understand Proudfoot? The war is at an end when the Minister says it is."

"Yes Williamson sir…"

Tom raised an eyebrow.

"Is this legit Harry."

"Yes…after UNIT's involvement with a Minister of the same name this week with the Prime Minister I believe so."

They watched as the three men walked up to the desk, the taller man who had a long pony tail tied tight against his back marched up.

"Do you have an appointment within this building sir?"

"Yes…Legillmens." The man said pointing the stick at the woman at reception who didn't appear to look up from her computer.

"And what time was your appointment with Legillmens sir?"

The men were staring not at her but at the stick.

"Proudfoot…you try."

"Legillmens, Legillmens!" The man said forcefully, nothing happened.

"We should leave sir." The woman said glancing around cautiously.

"One more…Imperio!."

Nothing happened, though no one within the room expected anything to happen, least of all Harry who knew what had been installed throughout Thames House, the devices provided by Lethbridge Stewart that concerned 'extra security'.

"Let's go, Proudfoot, Tonks."

Then the three appeared to…push something that wouldn't come.

Then they ran, out of the building and into the street where…they were there and then…they weren't.

"What do you think Tom, Zoe?"

"The words are odd…" Zoe started.

"You mean the words that they used when they were…"

"Not just that Tom…they were very structured…the inflection wasn't…" Zoe paused. "It was like they'd learnt to speak from a play from maybe 100 or so years ago, like those badly trained Syrians."

Harry just nodded.

"The words…it was Latin…a corruption…" Tom grabbed a pad of paper from Harry's desk and wrote the two words down.

Legillmens

Imperio

Then he showed it to Zoe.

"I thought you were the expert?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Impero is – command…" Tom trailed off.

"The second one means telepath…or reader of the mind…I studied the Thascalus Procedure at one point…he wrote an essay on the theory." Zoe said at the stares.

"What do you want us to do Harry?"

"Get all the footage, then find out if any other agencies have been visited by these…people."

They nodded before leaving.

Harry grabbed the phone dialing a secure and untraceable number which would patch him through to General Lethbridge Stewart for an explanation.

--//

There it is chapter 40.

"Vestri vicis est sursum" is Latin for 'Your time is up."

This chapter dealt mainly with the aftermath of the battle in a different style to the previous, the Ministry is pretty much in an information blackout, as they didn't have anything to do with Voldemort's 'death' they're seeking out all other sources of information (all of which have closed their doors to wand users).

Moody might seem a little snarky towards Hermione, but it's his paranoia coming forth (and with that some xenophobia towards muggles) as he was affectively 'bested' by Jones and his team.

At this point both Birmingham (aboard the ACSC Flinders) and Harry (in the Shadow Blaze) are both on-route to the star system, the Flinders left earlier but is slower than the Shadow Blaze.