Chapter 3. Unknowingly Reunited
A/N- Hey everyone im back with another chapter. Im happy that ive been able to spit them out as quickly as I have been but im sorry to say that the two and three day updates are going to be pushed back a bit. I am hoping that I will be able to give you one a week minimum but with my schedule starting to get busier I will write whenever I get a chance. Thanks for all the reviews and hopefully ill be getting more soon. If you actually ready the A/Ns then when ever you finish this chapter go and send me a review im always looking for feedback. Hope you like the chapter.
Harry awoke with a start after the post owl nipped him ear in order to wake him up. Rubbing his eyes he looked at the bird contemplating on whether or not it would be humane to lock it in the oven and turn it on. The cheeky bird seemed to be able to tell what he was thinking and let out a call that seemed to close to a laugh for Harry. " I guess you bloody well want paid dont you?"
He pulled a sickle off of the lamp table and tossed it to the bird who dove to catch it. Watching it fly out the window, Harry got up grabbed a towel. After a quick shower he sat down for his breakfast, and one of his stronger hangover potions. He made his way over to the table and let his face drop to the wooden surface as he waved his finger around making everything that he needed come toward him. A bottle of hangover potion that he had himself and two headache relief potions zoomed out of his potions lab and over to the table as eggs cracked themselves into a pan. Two knifes were cutting up ham and cheese that went on top of the eggs and two oranges started squeezing themselves. Five minutes later and potions drank Harry finally looked up at his clock which read 3:47 on the face. He felt much better but not even hangover potion can fully relieve the aftereffects of that much magical alcohol. Instead of being trampled by a herd of hippogriffs and pissed on by a ashwinder, it seemed like he had taken a troll's club to the side of the head.
Throwing on his work clothes he made sure to grab his mask that he usually left at home. Since he was going to have to show the newbie around he would have to have something to conceal his face. The others would as well, until she was 100% approved for the position. The others to wear masks that they were given but him being second in command got to choose a mask to wear and he personally liked his. It was a purple masquerade mask, with a golden plating around one of the eyes and on the edges, the eyes were only a little larger than slits and really didn't give much vision but that hardly mattered because the entire inside of the mask was charmed so that to him it didn't look like there was anything on his face. It reminded him of a one way mirror except his mask could be changed to see people's auras, through invisibility cloaks, disillusions, walls, and pretty much anything else that they could think of. The only visual object that could have rivaled his mask was Mad-Eye's eye but then he died before Harry could find out how the old auror made it. Placing it on his he activated the aura sight charm, and stepped into the fire yelling his destination and leaving the now empty flat.
Walking gracefully out of the floo he didn't stop a beat until he was in the elevator and making his way down to the DoM. Once the elevator opened he looked around scanning everyone's magical reading and storing it to memory. If there was ever a time for someone to get into the DoM unnoticed then it would be today when no one could show their faces. Making his way to Croaker's Office he couldn't help but feel on edge with everyone in masks. He knew that it was required but for obvious reasons he didn't like masks unless he was the one who was wearing them. Closing the door he turned to face the man.
" Croaker, do you have any of the scotch that I gave you for your birthday? I could really use it to cool my nerves, you know how much I hate being around everyone in these damn masks." He stated.
Gaining a cough Harry noticed that Croaker wasn't alone but who he could only guess was the Hit Wizard, well in this case witch, was sitting on the other side of the room with a book in her hand. She to was wearing a mask for whatever reason. She had long black hair that fell from behind it but Harry could tell that it was a dye. " It's wonderful for you to join us at the early time of," He started before looking at his watch, " Four in the afternoon."
" Be glad that the post owl had a letter to bring me or god knows when I would have been up. Told you not to be expecting me anytimes early. I drank enough to kill a small unicorn last night, my extra strength hangover potion, and two headache relief potions only knocked it down about halfway." He said as he found the scotch and poured himself a shot. Downing it in a quick gulp he looked toward the Hit Witch who was also wearing a mask. " So I guess that you are the lackie that im being forced to babysit for the evening?"
" If you're asking if i'm the person applying of the open unspeakable position then yes thats me." she said in a cheeky tone that matched his own.
Downing another shot he replied. " There is no "open" position. If we want you then we go looking for you, this isnt a normal job where you just get fired and we look for a replacement. We are always as full as we want to be and never dont have enough, we just think that you could be an asset."
Closing the book she looked up at him. " And who exactly is we?"
" In your case, Croaker is "we". Since you won't be working in my department then I dont care if you're here or not. I personally think that since you'll most likely be in Attack Squadron then someone from there should have to show you around but I guess im being punished for breaking their toys."
" Yes you are!" Croaker said stepping in. " Do you know how long it is going to take them to fix those training dummies? A week, a freaking week!"
" Wait why do you just assume that im going to be in this "Attack Squadron or whatever it is?" She asked.
Harry scoffed at her question. " Your a Hit Witch, in other words, you have to be a damn good duelist. That's were most of the Unspeakable's more advanced duelist go. They make you better and get that whole, look at me and how much of a badass I am, ego smacked right out of you."
" So why pick that type of attitude with me if that the department i'll most likely end up end?" she asked which a hit of mirth on her face.
" I sorry I dont follow." he said, looking at Croaker who was just sitting there chuckling at the antics before him.
" Well you said that the most advanced duelist in the Unspeakables go there. Well since that's not you're department and you think that I will end up there, that means you hold my dueling skills above your own." she finished triumphantly until he started laughing like a maniac. What really had her confused was the fact that Croaker was also chuckling at her statement.
" What did I tell you Croaker? She has the 'Im better than everyone else' syndrome bad." He laughed. " Listen girly, I didn't say all, I said most of the best duelist end up there. No one in that department hs been able to take more than two of their master level training dummies, and thats after training. Im having to walk you around today because they are busy fixing the FOUR that I demolished yesterday for fun." He said pouring more into the glass he set the bottle down and walked over to her before continuing. " Do you know how I became second in command after only four days of being here?"
Looking up at the man with a little smirk she replied. " I would love for you to tell me."
" I beat everyone else. Its that simple really, if you want to get higher up in the ranks then you start challenging people to the dueling platform. That's my advice to you, but don't take it lightly. Most of the Unspeakables here can easily take a Hit wizard one on one, so you have to be something special for them to have brought you here."
" Fine then, I challenge you!" She almost yelled.
Harry finished the glass and set it down. " No you dont. If you want my position then you might as well duel Croaker, he's number one and you have a better chance of beating him than you do me."
" I take offence to that!" Croaker stated sheepishly.
" It doesn't make it any less true. Plus girly you're not even in yet so you can't challenge me."
She looked shocked. " So you can tell me no if you dont want to duel me?"
" Normally no I cant, but like I said your not an Unspeakable. Then there is the fact that I have no interest in dueling one Hit Witch who is no match for me. You want to duel me then gain my attention, until then you can have my spot as number two. In other words its not worth my time dueling you."
Croaker stood up and motioned towards the door. " You two love birds can finish this when you're showing her around."
Harry gave him a look and walked out of the door hardly giving her anytime to follow. " You know you have no idea how good I am and yet you still wont even give me a chance."
" That's right. I dont have to know how good you are, I just know how good you aren't and that's up to par with me." He said bluntly as they entered the Time Department.
She looked around at all of the different things that were going one around her. In the corner there was somone who was shaving gold into sand and placing it in time turner capsules and far off she could see some people disappearing and reappearing holding something or another. As they walked out she replied. " How could you possibly know that. You dont know anything about me."
" I know that for the simple reason that no one is up to par with me. The number of people on this little island country that have to potential to hold me back for any given amount of time are about the same as the number of fingers I have on one hand and none of them would be able to defeat me. Then again ive never had to duel them full out either so thats giving them the benefit of the doubt. The number of people in the world that are on par with me probably isn't that much higher. Id say im probably in the top ten percent of witches and wizards out there, maybe the top five percent on my best days." He told her in all seriousness.
" Well it must hurt your ego I know someone who could wipe the floor with you. If you're top five percent then he is number one." She said as a matter of a factually.
Harry actually laughed at that. " Looks like someone has a hard-on for someone back at the Hit-Wizard headquarters. Would you mind telling me where that is by the way, Croaker wont let me near the place, seems to think that i'll pick a fight with a few of them."
Even with the mask on he could tell that her face was burning with a large blush. " Why I never! I dont have a whatever you call it for anyone thank you very much. It's the truth, he's been through things that you couldn't even imagine dealing with, you're not half the wizard he is. Besides he's not even a Hit Wizard."
" Im sure that im not. Hey how about this, send your little lover boy down and then if he is up to standards I will personally bring him into the Unspeakables no questions asked. To make it even better, if he wins then I will give him the key's to my office and ill move down to the Unspeakable department in charge of all the mysterious items that no one deals with anymore." He said turning and stopping her in her tracks. " What do you say, if he's half as good as you're claiming he is then he will be a nice challenge. Haven't had one of those in a while Is it a deal?"
" Ill have to ask him but I dont see why he would say no. Neville is always looking for a good fight and if you are half as good as you're claiming to be then you should be a good warm up for him." she said and Harry just stared at her.
" Wait, wait, wait, you mean Longbottom? You know Neville Longbottom? The leader of that Rogue vigilante group everyone is trying to find out about? You have got to be shitting me love. You cant get a blokes hopes up like that and then pull that card."
To say she was shocked was a vast understatement. No one was supposed to know who the leader was, or any of the members names for that matter. How this man knew was vital information, it could cause them to lose everything that they had worked for. " How the hell do you know about Neville and the Organization." She hissed pointing her wand at his throat. What worried her the most was the feriel grin on his face.
" You can say that me and Neville go way back. Hell he learned everything that he knows from me, im glad to see that he isn't slacking off. Now kindly remove your wand from neck before I removed your head." He said and nodded to the left. Looking over she saw that his wand was floating mid air besides her with a spell loaded at the tip. " I will fire before you even think of the spell to use so choose very carefully your next move here."
Knowing that he was right she lowered her wand in defeat and as soon as she did, a stinging charm hit her in the side of head. Yelping she grabbed the side of her head and stared daggers at him." Like I said, you might be good but you aren't on my level. And you really should learn how to call a bluff. If you are who they're letting into the Organization now a days then I have to say that im disappointed that I gave him the idea."
" Bloody Hell, you can go bugger yourself. Why do you insist on being an arse to people, you know no one will want to be around you while you act this way." She huffed.
" Did it occur to you that was the whole point? I dont want your approval, I dont need you to like me. There are a small handful who deserve my kindness and some uppity, newbie, Unspeakable wanna be isn't one of them. Since you hold Neville as such a high regard that must mean he's better than you. Neville is damn good, maybe up to Croaker's level, maybe, but he cant stand a full one on one against me. So remember that next time you decide to pass on a challenge to someone else you know who your dealing with.. And if you ever try to threaten me, it will be a lot worse than a stinging charm on the end of that wand." He said as he started walking back towards the entrance.
" Where the hell are you going?" She called after him.
Without looking back he answered. " Im going to find a drink. Youre attacking me ended our little tour prematurely. Should have kept your cool a little longer. I hope that you have fun on you explorations."
" Do I even get the name of the person who has been a total arse to me all day?" She yelled.
" Around here they call me Unspeakable Umbra." was the last thing that he said before he was lost from her sight.
She stood there for a moment in a slightly confused about the person that she had just met. Usually she could get a good reading on a person fairly quickly but he was a complete mystery. He seemed like a total arse on one hand but then from what she was lead to believe he was on fairly good terms with Croaker. Plus if he was the one who gave birth to the Organization then that meant that he had to care about people at some level. Another thing that had her confused was that he thought so little of the other Unspeakables but was one himself. That brought up the other point that he never said what department he did belong to in the first place. It was going to take a while to figure this guy out but if there was one thing that Hermione Granger loved it was a challenge.