Chapter Seven: L.A.'s Turn
The group filed back in to the courtroom, right before it started. They went through the opening and it went smoothly until the techie's turns.
"Mr. Beale, would you kindly explain what you do for the L.A. division of NCIS?" Sherri asked.
"I'm a technology operator. I work with computer's to help with investigations." Eric answered.
"How do you help with investigations?" Was the follow up question.
"I find information, through reviewing security footage, going through records, and such, as well as brief, or inform, the teams about what they will be working on." He answered.
"How long have you been working for NCIS?" Sherri asked.
"For about seven years." Eric answered.
"You're job is pretty high risk, right? You are charged with apprehending terrorist threats, correct?"
"Objection, relevancy, your honor." Mandy said.
"I'm am trying to prove the fact that Mr. Beale is an expert. This goes to explain how well he does his job. This question is the first to help prove that Mr. Beale's boss wouldn't hire anybody incapable of the job, your honor." Sherri said.
"Overruled, but be careful. This line of questioning could easily become frivolous." The judge said.
"I will, your honor." She said.
"Yes, on both accounts." Eric said.
"So how did you get hired?" Was the question.
"I got caught hacking through important government files." Eric said, a sheepish grin on his face.
"That is illegal correct?" Sherri said.
"Objection, your honor. Mr. Beale has a right to avoid incriminating himself." Mandy said.
"Actually, it's in the past. I don't mind answering the question." Eric stated.
"Overruled." Castrall said.
"Yes, I was sentenced to either some lengthy jail time or I could redesign the security system as well as do one hundred and fifty hours of community service. I chose the second option. It was through both my redesigning of the firewall and my hacking of the previous one that I was brought to the attention of my boss, Henrietta." Eric explained.
"I have no more questions." Sherri said.
"I accept Mr. Beale's expertise." Mandy said, gritting her teeth.
"I call Ms. Nell Jones to the stand." Sherri said. They swore her in. It was very much like when Sherri was proving Harry's expertise, down to the questioning that Mandy objected her to, only lacking the school year questions. Once that was done the judge recessed the hearing until tomorrow morning.
"So Harry, I want to hear this deflection story of yours?" Tony asked, curious to learn of a time where Harry wasn't so skilled in talking his way out of trouble, as the group made their way out of the building and into their cars.
"It's really rather straight forward. Quirrell came running into the Great Hall screaming about a troll being in the dungeon. Cue mass panic and screaming. Fortunately Dumbledore, managed to assert order into the whole thing. As Ron and I were going towards our dorms, we realized that Hermione didn't know about the troll. We, being the young Gryffindors that we were, decided to inform her of the danger lurking about the dungeons. As we were about to reach the bathroom she had hidden in, we encountered the troll. It went into a room and we locked it in. As we were congratulating ourselves on our genius, we heard Hermione scream. We had locked the troll into the bathroom. We rushed in and confronted the troll. I grabbed onto it and managed to jam my wand into its nose. It grabbed me and was trying to club me over the head. Is it over or under when you're hanging upside down, I wonder? Anyhow, Ron cast a levitation spell on the troll's club and ended the spell, once he saw that I wasn't in danger of getting hit anymore. The club fell and knocked the troll out. The teachers rushed in and demanded an explanation for this. Hermione gave them one; one where she went looking for the troll and we were her knights in cotton and polyester. Looking back on it now, we probably could have told the majority of the truth and gotten more points. Leave out the fact that it was Ron that insulted her and just paint it as the fact that we knew she didn't know and we went to tell her and then we would have all rushed to the dorms with no one the wiser." Harry said.
"Seriously? You guys knocked out a troll with a levitation spell? What year was that for you?" Nell asked.
"Our first year. If you want to blame any event for my self-sacrificing tendency that would be it. We got rewarded for putting ourselves into danger and coming out relatively unscathed." Harry said. Nell fell silent at this.
"So is knocking out a troll a big deal?" Callen asked, not really knowing which way he waned Harry to answer.
"Yes, it is a big deal. Not many first years can knock out a fully grown mountain troll." Harry answered.
"What I'm want to know is how you consider that fairly straight forward?" Sam asked.
"Well, I guess it's a little complicated but nowhere near the amount of explaining I would need to do if I were to tell you about say the events leading up to and in the graveyard." Harry explained, "You all have a good idea of what a troll is and I can just tell the story. Where as with the graveyard, I'd have to explain ancient charms, which I really don't know all that much about, portkeys, and wand cores, another subject I'm not to clear on." This left the group in a silence that lasted the entire way to the Burrow. The muggle members realizing just how little they knew of the world that their friends and colleagues grew up in, and in all likelihood missed. Those thoughts were put aside for the moment when they entered and they had dinner and went to sleep. The mood change wasn't missed by any one.