Last time Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny heard the story behind the rough relationship between Jill and Andrew, as well as Andrew's personal history. It turned out that the two Meta-Humans really liked each other, but their personal differences kept each other at each other's throats. Rebecca had the answer in the form of hypnotic suggestion that made Jill and Andrew relieve their personal anxieties in a manner that wouldn't leave them constantly at odds. John then brought in some Butterbeer for our heroes, but then the unthinkable happened. 'Nuff said, on with the show!
Chapter 10: Deep Revelations
Before Ginny could answer, her face paled and she dropped her Butterbeer, the bottle shattered on the floor. She clutched at her stomach, her face contorting in pain.
"I don't feel so good," she gasped as she stumbled, nearly losing her balance. She clutched at the table, barely able to stay upright.
"Ginny!!" exclaimed both Harry and Ron.
"I really don't feel so good," said Ginny as her grip on the table loosened and she collapsed to the floor.
"What's happening?!" Gillian exclaimed.
"I'll tell you what's happening," said Max in an angry tone as he sniffed at the shattered remains of the Butterbeer bottle Ginny drank from, "she's been poisoned."
"Poisoned?" a shocked Hermione asked.
"Poisoned!" confirmed Jill as she sniffed the broken bottle, "cyanide poison, I know that stench anywhere!"
"Here!!" Ron said as he roughly shoved something into Harry's hand, something that tuned out to be a beazor. Without even thinking about where Ron got it, Harry shoved the beazor down Ginny's throat. Within seconds Ginny's complexion returned to normal and she was able to sit upright.
"What happened?" Ginny asked in a exhausted tone, "and what's that horrible taste in my mouth?"
"It's either the poison or the antidote," said Ron, "either one."
"How'd you know what to do?" Hermione asked as she, Ron and Harry helped Ginny stand up. She was a little unsteady, but she got back onto her two feet, "and where did you get a beazor?"
"I've always had one in my pocket for a few years now," said Ron, "I'm not so thick to forget what happened in Slughorn's office, so I've had a beazor close at, just in case."
"Well I for one am glad you've managed to think ahead for once," said Ginny.
"As am I, mate," said Harry. He then looked at Ginny, "Are you sure you're alright?"
"I guess so," said Ginny, "I feel really tired, like I haven't slept in days, but other than that I'm alright."
"Well just to be safe," said Hermione, "we should have a Healer take a look at you."
"Isn't Ernie Macmillian in the city tonight?" Harry asked.
"That's right," said Hermione, "he's a Healer now, and he and several others from St. Mungos came to the party at the AMA." Hermione then winced at the mention of St. Mungos, but Ron had other things to worry about.
"But how did you get poisoned?" Ron asked Ginny, "how did the poison get here?"
"I don't know," said Ginny.
"Find out," Max said to Gillian, Jeff and Daniel in a commanding tone, "I've got a rotten feeling that Shannon is behind this."
"You may be right, boss," said Jeff. He, Daniel and Gillian left.
"Someone's going to pay for this," said Max in a determined tone, "I promise. Nobody tries to poison a friend on my watch."
"You can start with this," said John as he pointed to the broken poisoned bottle.
"The others are bringing in the forensics expert," said Max, "Virgil happens to be a big fan of CSI, and the new show, CSI: Miami."
"In the meantime," said Aaron, "I'd like to run a few tests on you, Ginny, just to be sure."
"Umm…" said Ginny, not wanting to put herself under the care of a muggle doctor.
"It'll be alright," said Aaron, "we at The Bureau have some of the most advanced medial examining equipment in the world, you won't feel a thing."
"I'll be with you the whole time," said Harry. For some reason, he felt that Aaron was just the sort of person that can be trusted. But still, he didn't want to leave Ginny alone with anyone.
"Alright," said Ginny, she then adopted a sly grin, "but don't get any funny ideas about playing doctor with me. Not heer anyway."
"Of course," said Harry as he also smiled eagerly.
Just then Jeff, Daniel and Gillian came in with Virgil. "Who got poisoned?" Virgil asked.
"I did," said Ginny, "and it's because of that," she pointed at the broken bottle.
"It was definitely cyanide," said Jill, "both Max and I have the gene."
"I know that you both have the gene that allows people to smell cyanide," said Virgil, "my question is how the poison got here?"
"That's what I want to know as well," said John, "I had both cases checked for anything foul when I bought them. That's something you learn to do when you're an Auror. Alastair Moody was right; constant vigilance."
"He was right," said Harry. He then remembered something odd, "John, why did you hesitate before handing me that bottle? I would have drunk from it if I hadn't handed it to Ginny."
"You think the poison was meant for you?" Ginny asked.
"It may just have been," said Harry, "John, tell me exactly what you were thinking at the time."
"I'm not sure," said a confused John, "when I opened the second case and reached for a bottle, I had this sudden urge to give you that specific bottle. The urge passed once you had the bottle, and I didn't even noticed that you gave it to Ginny."
"There's a way to know what happened," said Rebecca. She pulled out from her pocket a blue crystal, which she passed over the remains of the poisoned bottle, "yes," she said as the crystal flashed bright blue, "the bottle has been spelled, most likely to place on whomever touches it a compulsion to give the bottle to Harry, and if Harry happened to be the one to touch it first, he would be compelled to drink it outright.
"John, I suspect whoever packed this case intended for you to give the poisoned Butterbeer to Harry. The spell ended once John handed the bottle to Harry. I guess that's all that whoever is responsible cared about."
"But how did the poison get there in the first place?" Virgil asked. He looked at the shattered bottle and with a pair of long tweezers picked up the label, which somehow was still in one piece, "this looks like an imitation label."
He compared the label to one on an intact bottle, "yes, there are subtle differences. The one with the poison has a fake label."
"The case wasn't tampered with when I bought it this morning," said John, "and I had it locked in my office all day. Wait, after the battle at the warehouse, when I reported what happened to Linda Keith, I left my office door unlocked for about three minutes."
"That's more than enough time to replace one bottle with the poisoned one," said Rebecca, "That was less than half an hour ago. Whoever did this could still be in the AMA Headquarters."
"Heaven pity that poor soul when I catch him," said John through gritted teeth. With that he Dissappariated out.
"That's kinda freaky to watch," said Daniel.
"I don't think it's wise to have The Bureau open like that," said Jeff, "where any wizard can pop in and out."
"Maybe w-we should d-do something about it," said Gillian.
"I'll get to work on an anti-teleportation device in the morning," said Virgil.
"Or rather an anti-Apparating charm," said Hermione, "like the one for Hogwarts."
"Maybe," said Virgil, "we'll figure it out later. Right now we need to focus on catching the bastard who did this."
"So what now?" Ginny asked.
"First thing's first," said Aaron, "I need to find out that you really are alright. As far as you're concerned, you're my patient, and as soon as this Dr. Macmillian arrives, his patient as well."
"That's what I'm afraid of," said Ginny.
********
She had nothing to worry about. A short time later Ernie Macmillian arrived at The Bureau. Naturally he was overwhelmed by the BPRD complex, but once he heard the full story of what happened, he immediately became all business, which is an improvement considering how much of an arrogant idiot he was back at Hogwarts.
Both Erine and Aaron examined Ginny for any signs of lingering poison and any other dark magic effects and non-magic effects. The two medical men compared their findings, while Harry and Ginny anxiously sat in Aaron's office; a modest sized room on the administration level.
Harry passed the time admiring the multiple doctorates that decorated one side of Aaron's office, while Ginny looked at the still pictures on the other wall, displaying various scenes of Aaron being with several people, whom she assumed were past patients.
Finally the two medicine men came into the office. Aaron sat at his desk, while Ernie Macmillian leaned against the wall.
"Well," said Ernie Macmillian, "we've completed our analyses."
"And it's only a matter of time before Max and the others find out who the guilty party is," said Aaron, "until then, we're happy to report that all traces of the poison have been eradicated from your body, with no lingering ill effects of any kind. Ginny, you're going to be alright."
"Thank goodness," said Harry as he hugged Ginny, and she hugged back.
"Remind me to thank Ron in the best way possible," said Ginny.
"I'm sure he'd love a new broomstick," said Harry, "or at the very least, tickets to the next Chudley Cannons game."
"Don't know why he still bothers with them," said Ginny, "but I'll see what I can do. Slughorn isn't the only one with connections you know."
"There's something else…" said Aaron in a more somber tone.
"What?" Harry asked. He had a feeling that he and Ginny were about to be on the receiving end of bad news.
"When Aaron used his scanning equipment," said Ernie in an equally somber tone, "he discovered something bad. Not life threatening, I can assure you, but it's not pleasant. I checked his results with mine, they're the same."
"We found some internal scarring," said Aaron to Ginny, "within your reproductive organs. Some sort of injury within the past five years has resulted in serious damage to your uterus. I'm sorry to say it, but this scarring has made it virtually impossible for you to have children."
"I'm sorry, what?" Harry asked, the full meaning of Aarons' words not registering with him yet, "what's this about internal scarring? What injury?"
"Oh no," said Ginny in a grave, distant tone, as if a buried memory had just unearth itself, "I almost forgot, it happened so suddenly, and then I forgot about it when I heard that Fred…and Remus and Tonks…"
"What are you talking about?" Harry asked in a concerned tone.
"It was during the Battle of Hogwarts," said Ginny, "while you, Ron and Hermione were looking for Ravenclaw's Diadem in The Room of Requirement. A Death Eater curse missed me, but it damaged the staircase I was on. I didn't fall far, but I hit the floor on my side pretty hard. I didn't feel hurt, I must have been so high on adrenaline at the time. I just got back up and kept fighting.
"When Voldemort called the truce and everyone began to calm down, that's when I realized that I was hurt. Madam Pomfrey said I had two broken ribs, a bruised kidney and some mild internal bleeding. She healed me, but was a little concerned about the internal bleeding. But there were so many other casualties to deal with, there wasn't time. I told her that I'd see her later.
"With all the excitement of what happened that night, I had forgotten about it. I was a little sore for a few days after the battle, but I didn't think that it was anything serious. But now…"
"Now you know," said Aaron.
"If Madam Pomfrey had had more time to heal you," said Ernie, "she would have realized exactly where you were bleeding from and taken more serious action. I'm sorry to say it, but since so much time has passed, not even magic will be able to fully remove the scars."
"And a mortal operation is out of the question," said Aaron, "not even the best reconstructive surgery can remove scarring like this."
"We weren't even trying to have children," said Harry in a distant tone, "I mean, we were both surprised a few months ago, but then we found out that that was a false pregnancy. But now…"
"We could always adopt," said Ginny in a mildly hopeful tone, yet it sounded like her heart wasn't with her words, "and I once heard Dad say something about surrogate mothers. But…"
"It wouldn't be the same," said Harry.
"Oh come on!" said Ernie in an annoyed tone, "I can believe you two are giving up like this!"
"Well what else are we supposed to you, you pompous bastard!!?" snapped Ginny, "Aaron said that I can't have children of my own."
"You think I really care what Aaron said?" Ernie asked, "I know you two, Harry, Ginny, and I know that something like this shouldn't break your spirits. As god as my witness, I'll do whatever I can to make it so you two can have children."
"I know you'll try," said Harry, "but, what Aaron said…"
"I may have spoken too soon," said Aaron in a tone that said he was thinking about something big. He stood up and began pacing, "there may be a way to remove the scarring without hurting Ginny. It's a long shot, and we won't even be able to do it for several years…but it might just work."
"What will work?" Harry asked, his spirits beginning to rise, but cautiously, as if afraid of getting crushed again.
"Tell me," said Aaron, "what do you know about nanotechnology?"
"Umm…" said Harry, "…not much."
"Don't look at me," said Ginny.
"Nanotechnology, or just nanotech," said Aaron, "involves manipulating mater at a microscopic level. Me and a few other Krelboyns are working on perfecting nanotech to the point where we can construct very, very, very small robots. I assume you know what robots are."
"Yeah," said Harry and Ginny, while Ernie nodded in agreement
"Well, these robots, once we've gotten them small enough, sophisticated and articulate enough," said Aaron, "they'll be able to enter the body of a patient and cure him or her of just about whatever ails them. One of the original concepts was to build a robot, or nanobot, small enough to go inside the body of a cancer patient and destroy tumor cells without harming healthy tissue.
"In theory it makes perfect sense, but at this point we're still working on the design of the nanobots, and we also have to create a means of making them that small. But once they're built, it would be easy enough to change their programming so they can remove scar tissue and even replace the damaged cells with healthy ones.
"Like I said, we're nowhere near ready to make these nanobots, but once they are ready, I'm sure it can be arranged for Ginny to be their first patient."
"You really think these nanobots can help me?" Ginny asked.
"I know they can help you," said Aaron in a confident tone, "in theory they're just for what you need. The real question should be how long you're willing to wait for them. At the rate we're going, which is pretty fast considering everything else that's happening in the world, I'd say we'd be able to mass-produce the nanobots and have them ready for clinical use by the end of the decade, Autumn of 2009 at the earliest."
"Seven years," said Harry. Considering that wizards can live nearly twice as long as Muggles, Dumbledore lived to be 150, that didn't seem that long. But was he and Ginny prepared to wait that long?
"There's more," said Aaron, "once we've got the design perfected and have a series of working prototypes, the nanobots then will have to through a barrage of tests to make sure they'll work properly, otherwise we won't be able to get them near the public. It'll be at least another eight years before the nanobots could be FDA approved."
"There may be a way to speed things up," said Ernie, "with a little magic of course. If I can look at the designs for the nanobots, as well as the designs for the method of making them, I may be able to reduce the time needed to get them ready."
"And I may be able to push the FDA approval through," said Aaron, "my family has connections all over the place. If I can have just one successful demonstration, a perfect test that everyone that matters can see, then they're sure to keep the rest of the process to a minimum."
"You're willing to do all this for us?" Harry asked.
"We're friends now," said Aaron, "and Ginny is my patient, and I'm always willing to help my friends, especially if one of them is a patient of mine. But the choice is yours. I wouldn't be able to call myself a doctor if I did this without your blessing."
Harry could tell that Ginny was seriously thinking about this. Already he knew that she didn't like the idea of an unknown number of tiny machines going inside her body, who wouldn't be disturbed by that?
"What do you think?" Ginny asked Harry.
"If you're willing to try," said Harry, "then I am."
"And I'll try if you want to," said Ginny. She looked at Aaron, and then to Ernie, "we'll try."
"Smashing!" said Ernie, "we'll get started immediately."
It was then that Max came into the room, "we know who did it."
********
A short time later found Harry, Ginny, Max, John and Travis in Virgil's office, which was much larger than Aaron's and had nearly twice the diplomas.
"Rebecca is coming in with a viewing crystal," said John, "we wanted to be sure of what exactly happened, but here's what we know; while I was talking with Linda earlier, someone did go into my office and switch the bottles. That someone, a coworker whom I wish to remain anonymous, was under the Imperius Curse when he did it. We found a security crystal that recorded someone in a storage room at The AMA, putting the whammy on my coworker."
"But who did it?" Ginny asked, "who tried to kill Harry and nearly killed me instead?"
"You'll have to see it to believe it," said John.
Just then Rebecca came in, with Ron and Hermione right behind her.
"Just tell us, Rebecca," said Ron, "I want to know who nearly killed my sister!"
"I told you you'll have to wait until Harry sees it first," said Rebecca. She set the crystal down on Virgil's desk, "oh, Harry, you're here, good. This is going to grind your gears when you see it, for real."
She activated the viewing crystal with her wand, showing the anonymous AMA employee entering a storage room. He was looking for a stack of blank forms, when a witch came into the room, closed the door and pointed her wand at the employee. He went rigid as the witch gave him instructions, then turned around to leave.
Harry blinked in surprise when he saw the face of the witch, but it seemed impossible.
Rebecca sensed Harry's surprise. She directed the crystal to replay the scene, then froze the image so it showed the face of the perpetrator; a witch wearing pink robes and had the facial features of a amphibian.
"Umbridge," said Harry in a distant tone that hid seething rage.
"What's old Toad Face doing here?!" Ron asked in an angry tone.
"What do you think she's doing?!" Ginny asked, "She's trying to kill my husband, that's what!"
"Do we know where she is?" Hermione asked.
"She Dissappariated shortly after making sure the poisoned bottle was in my office," said John, "we're working on tracing where she went to."
"Our Trackers can find her soon enough," said Travis. He then looked at Harry and Ginny, "this Umbridge is going to pay for what she did, I promise."
"What exactly did you do to this Umbridge that makes her want to kill you so much?" Jill asked as she and Andrew came into the room.
"You want the long story or the short one?" Harry asked.
"We' there's not much we can do until the Trackers find her," said Jill, "so the long version."
Harry then related everything that happened during his 5th year at Hogwarts, then what happened when he, Ron and Hermione broke into The Ministry to retrieve Slytherin's locket.
"What a bitch!" said Andrew as he and Jill tapped their fingertips to their palms to relieve their stress.
"It's all true," said Harry as he held up his hand that still bore the marks 'I Must Not Tell Lies.' Time had faded the scars, but they were still there.
"Goodness!" said Rebecca, "I had heard the effects of those black quills, but to actually see the results of writing with your own blood, it's revolting what she did to you," by now her voice had a distant tone to it and her eyes were slightly glazed over.
"To be the voice of truth when those in authority made you look like a liar, to be forced to mutilate yourself, such suffering…it's awful! It's horrible!!"
"Rebecca!" said a concerned Hermione as he grabbed her shoulders, "Rebecca!"
Her eyes cleared, "What happened?"
"I know what happened," said Katina in a shocked and amazed tone, "Rebecca, you have an ability."
"She's a Meta-Human?" Jill asked.
"That's impossible," said Andrew, "magic users can't be Meta-Humans."
"Maybe so," said Virgil, who had been in the room all the time, "but maybe not. Rebecca, have you always had these empathic flashed, where you remember past events?"
"I guess so," said Rebecca in a confused tone, her face also confused, but the hint of fear was just underneath the surface, "sometimes when I come to a place where a traumatic event occurred, where an incredibly strong emotion was experienced, I feel what those emotions were."
"She's an Empath alright," said Katina.
"What? No!" said Rebecca in an insulted tone, "no, I'm not a Meta-Human. I'm a witch, end of discussion."
"Before we go any further," said Hermione in her determined tone, "I just want to say that I know what you're thinking, Virgil Blake, and I can guess your thoughts as well, Katina Jones. Rebecca isn't one of you, and you can't force her to be one of you. I refuse to allow you to turn her into a weapon."
"Wait, back up a bit," said Andrew, "nobody said anything about turning people into weapons."
"Well that's what you do here at The Bureau," said Hermione.
"I think we need to take this discussion to a more comfortable atmosphere," said Virgil, "the recreation area, yes, that'll help."
A few minutes later found Harry and the others in a large room filled with various recreation activities; Ping-Pong, pool tables and other such games, as well as several large televisions sets equipped with videogame consoles. Jeff and Daniel were already in the room when the argument resumed.
"Okay, first of all," said Virgil, "we really don't know for sure if Rebecca is even a Meta-Human. This could be a unique quality specific to her magic."
"You don't believe that, Virgil," said Katina, "I sense the same thing that I've sensed in every Scanner and other Meta-Human that has psychic abilities. Rebecca is one of us."
"No!" shouted Rebecca, "no! I'm not a Meta-Human!"
"What's the problem with being a Meta-Human?" Ron asked.
"Are you really that thick?" Ginny asked.
"If Rebecca is a Meta-Human," said Harry as he realized what was going on, "then she'll have to stay at The Bureau."
"Either that or they'll erase her memories," said Hermione, her eyes blazing with angry determination, "That's what you do here to Meta-Humans; either you're a weapon or you get your mind wiped clean."
"Well of course we're weapons," said Katina in a matter of fact tone, "what else would we be?"
"It's not like there's anything else for us out there in the world," said Jeff, "not for people like us."
"We've accepted that people, normal people," said Daniel, "mortals, muggles, whatever you call them, they are stupid. They are afraid of what they don't understand, nor do they want to understand. As long as people are unwilling to accept what they don't understand, they'll never accept Meta-Humans."
"Which is why we have to remain secret," said Katina, "and it's very hard to get a job when you're the kind of person that's not supposed to exist publicly."
"But still," said Hermione, her convictions that something wrong is happening still strong, " you're being degraded into something less than human. You shouldn't be treated like this. You deserve, at least, a chance at a normal life."
"We do get a chance," said Jeff, "but it means giving up our abilities."
"Aaron's father, Dr. Thaddeus Spartan," said Daniel, "another brilliant mind, he discovered a compound that can inhibit the abilities of a Meta-Human. Said Meta-Human would need to keep taking the drug for the rest of his or her life in order to stay 'normal.' And of curse, if they choose to do so, they'd have to have their memories altered before they're given the drug, and circumstances would have to be arranged so he or she would keep taking the drug without knowing that it's there."
"It's very complicated," said Katina, "but there is a system set up for Meta-Humans who choose to give up their ability. But I would never choose that."
"Neither would I," said Jeff, "I can absorb energy, and Katina is one of the strongest Scanners in The Bureau, if not the world."
"I'm not that strong," said Katina in a modest tone.
"You are strong," said Daniel, "way stronger than Shannon. I'll bet that if it came down to the two of you, you'd beat her in a heartbeat."
"None of that matters," said Hermione.
"She's right," said Virgil, "we're not even sure that Rebecca is a Meta-Human."
"I know what I sensed," said Katina, she looked at Rebecca, "you have a gift, Rebecca Covington, a gift that wizards can't help you with. But we can. Here at The Bureau, we can help you bring out your full potential."
"I don't want to bring out my full potential!" shouted Rebecca as she drew her wand, "and don't even think about touching my memories! I won't let you take me away from my people! I won't join you…you…you mutants!"
Harry heard Andrew, Jill, Virgil, Katina, Daniel and Jeff gasp loudly, then all of them became very angry.
"I'd watch your language around here," said Jill in a menacing tone, her fingers tapping her palm, "if you knew what was good for you."
"What's wrong with saying mu-" said Ron, but he never got to finish.
"Don't say that word!" snapped Andrew as his fingers tapped his palm, "it's demeaning and degrading."
"It's like with you wizards," said Virgil, "like calling a Muggleborn a mudblood."
"It's worse," said Katina as she glared at Rebecca, "it's like calling an African American the 'N' word."
"It's the one thing that's guarantied to grind a Meta-Human's gears," said Daniel.
"So again," said Jill to Rebecca, "watch your language."
"I don't care about that," said Rebecca, she really sounded upset now, "I won't join you! I won't let you take me away from my people. I won't let you take me away from John!"
"Oh," said Ron, "is she…?"
"I guess so," said Hermione.
"She's in love with John," said Ginny to Harry.
"She is," said Harry.
Harry watched Virgil take several calming breaths before speaking, "let's not make this any worse than it already is. Katina, right now I don't give a flying fck what you sensed in Rebecca. Until Aaron and I can confirm it, Rebecca isn't a Meta-Human. And yes, I know what she called us, but I don't care."
"Don't care about what?" Patricia asked as she and Warren came into the room.
"Katina believes that Rebecca is one of us," said Daniel.
"She is!" said Katina, "I know it!"
"Stop saying that!!" exclaimed Rebecca as she angrily aimed her wand at Katina, "I'm not one of you! And if you don't back off, I'll…I'll…"
"Are you threatening me?!" Katina asked in a menacing tone.
"Damn right I am!" said Rebecca, "I won't let you or anyone else destroy who I am!"
By now Harry had had enough. He was going to cast the voice enhancing spell, so as to make himself heard, but Patricia beat him to the punch, so to speak.
"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!!" Patricia shouted nearly loud enough to burst Harry's eardrums.
"Nobody is destroying anyone's identity," said Patricia in a normal tone, "Rebecca, we're not going to take you away from your people, no matter what ability you have. We won't force you to join us, that's not what we do here."
"But she's one of us," said Katina in a whining tone.
"What did I just tell you!?" said Patricia as she raised her voice, then spoke again in a normal volume, "now, Rebecca, we're not going to erase your memories either. The Bureau and The AMA are working together for the greater good now," she gave Rebecca a reassuring smile, "you're an intelligent woman, do you honestly think we'd jeopardize this new partnership all for someone who may not even be a Meta-Human?"
Harry could tell that Katina wanted to voice her opinion, her face was twisted with anxiety over being silent, but she held her silence none the less.
"You're right," said Rebecca, "I'm sorry I acted the way I did, I guess I kind of freaked out there."
"We're sorry for the way we acted," said Jeff, while Daniel, Virgil, Jill and Andrew nodded in agreement.
"And I'm sorry for using the 'M' word," said Rebecca.
"Wait," said Patricia, "you used the 'M' word?"
"That's right!" said Katina, "she called me a Mu…"
"Don't say it!" snapped Patricia, "I don't care about that."
"But she…" protested Katina.
"I don't want to hear it!!" snapped Patricia, "let it go, Katina Jones. I'm giving you a direct order! Let it go!"
"We've got bigger fish to fry," said Warren, "Shannon is still out there."
Harry could tell that Katina was fighting herself to remain calm and not let her anger lose. Eventually she relented, "very well," she said in a polite tone, "I will let the matter go, until Shannon is dealt with."
She then glared at Rebecca, "deny it all you want, but you're one of us. Once we've dealt with Shannon we will finish this discussion, one way or another." With that she left the room.
"Great Hippogriffs!" said Ginny.
"I thought a bloody war was about to start," said Ron.
"It may just yet," said Patricia, "Katina is one of the most stubborn people I know. The fact that she's an incredibly powerful Scanner makes her more stubborn. She's not going to let this go any time soon."
She looked at Rebecca, "we're going to get though this, I promise. Katina may be stubborn, but we know how to control her."
"If she wants to take you," said Jill, "She'll have to go through me first."
"And me," said Andrew.
"And me," said Virgil, "I've got a few surprises that can stop her if she get's out of hand."
Just then Max came into the room, "who made Katina mad?"
"It's a long story," said Andrew, "What's the word, Max?"
"I'll tell you the word," said Max in an eager tone, "we've found Umbridge, that's the word!"
"Then what the bloody hell are we still doing here?" Ron asked, "let's go!"
"Ginny," said Harry, "I…"
"Before you say anything else, Harry," said Ginny, "and you to, Ron, I'm going with you. I want to be there when you catch the bitch who tried to kill me."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," said Harry.
The end of chapter 10. Next chapter, our heroes find and confront old Toad Face and deal with her once and for all. Reviews will be rewarded with cake and pie. See you next time!