Disclaimer: We all know how these work, I acknowledge that J.K. Rowlings, Warner Bros. and Scholastic own Harry Potter and all other characters and settings from cannon, and I get to write whatever I please and even add in characters of my own as long as I don't get any money. The no money sucks but there you go, at least I don't get lawyers knocking on my door.

Sirius' Savior

Chapter 19 What's Life Without a Few Bumps

Beth didn't expect the reaction she got from her security detail, although she admitted she should have.

Roy's voice went totally cold. "Winry check her for imperious. Radar contact..."

"Hold it!" Beth shouted. "Gees he said any security force worth it's salt would do this at the mention of his name. I didn't believe him. And no Winry you don't need to check me for imperious. Sirius is innocent, no matter what that kangaroo court in the U.K. says. I asked him to come with me and meet Mother and Dad and he told me openly he was a wanted man in a third of the world and why. I tell myself he's overreacting, and then this happens."

"Miss O'Neill the man you named is a dangerous wizard. He betrayed his best friend and kidnapped a small child such a man would have no compunctions about lying to you to get you to go to bed with him. How exactly did you meet him?" Roy firmly stated.

"I met Harry, the said small child first, and it isn't kidnapping if you're the guardian assigned by the deceased parents is it? I met Harry walking on the beach my second morning in Palau. I had breakfast with Harry and Sirius that morning and I went for a hike with them that afternoon. We enjoyed each others company so we started having meals together and going on outings. I wasn't even aware they were even wizards for a week and a half. I only found out because Harry apparated to the beach before a shark munched his surfboard. Sirius did exactly two pieces of magic around me one he transfigured his clothes so they would be more appropriate two he shrank my gown so it would fit in my suitcase but you already knew that because you went through my luggage. The entirety of my vacation was spent in their company at a muggle resort and at the moment I'm wishing I had stayed with them rather than coming back here to be harassed by a bunch of idiots."

While Beth had been ranting at Roy, Winry did the check for imperious. It was negative. She shook her head no after making eye contact with Roy.

Beth had felt the spell but decided not to throw a fit about it because they would do it anyway. It was required to protect her and her family. "While I am fully aware he could be a formidable enemy, Sirius is not guilty of what he was accused of. When he told me about James and Lily I could feel his anguish. He loved them and he loves Harry. And He loves me, damn it!" Beth felt as if she was ready to burst into tears. She paced the room for a moment, "I need to walk. I want to go for a walk."

Riza sensed Beth was trying to calm herself. "Okay, do you mind if we keep this walk to the grounds?"

"No that's fine."

"Radar how about you walk Beth up for her shoes and a jacket." He did as suggested. As soon as they left Riza spoke again. "Things aren't adding up. Back off Roy, way off. George back me up."

"Hawkeye is right Roy. That little scene in the breakfast room, funny as it was, gave us a ton of answers about her. That scene was about control, she was giving notice to her parents she wasn't theirs to control any longer. She controlled what happened in that room from the time she entered it. Good choice or bad she is firmly in Sirius Black's corner, I don't know why. What little I know about about Sirius Black doesn't match with what we just heard. Our job is to protect Beth O'Neill, to do that we have to stay close to her, we can't do that if she bolts on us again. You push and we'll have nothing but trouble. Hawkeye you, Rachel, and Winry are women see how much you can get her say about her time in Palau. Get as much information as possible about Sirius Black. Walter, after you sleep since you were on watch last night, call the ICW office in New York and get everything they have on Sirius Black."

"Right it's times like this when I wish computers and fax machines worked for us magicals. I'll get them to express courier them."

"Roy, my advice for you is hang back give her space we all saw how Rodney treated her. Your reaction to Black may have put you in a similar place in her mind. We'll have to see how flexible she is. A lot of times people who come late to their independence, respond very poorly to anyone perceived as a threat to that independence, which sadly in this case means you and unfortunately by extension us."

"Fine." Roy all but snarled. "I'm just not looking forward to being the one to tell the President that the boyfriend is worse than a beach bum, he's an actual wanted criminal. Maybe I should keep it to myself a few days." Roy trusted George's take on the situation. George like each member of his hand selected team, had a specialty. He waved the rest of the team away to walk the grounds with Beth or in Walter's case to go off shift, and stayed in the conference room to think.

George Takei's specialty happened to be Psychology. He was a certified mind healer with degrees from both magical and muggle establishments. A half-blood he had been raised in the muggle world at the insistence of his 1st generation Japanese father. He had learned aikido, kendo and fencing in addition to being a superior magical duelist.

Walter Koenig was another half blood he specialized in warding; putting them up or taking them down he was the best. He was strongest in terms of magical endurance but he wasn't fast. He was a full fledged potions master and a useful man to have on the team. The team teased him and called him "iron man" because he trained for muggle triathlons in his spare time.

Riza "Hawkeye" Pierce was another half blood. Nicknamed Hawkeye because of her sharpshooter skills and training from her World champion marksman father and because of her eye for details. Riza had served with the U.S. Navy in Naval Intelligence for seven years before getting out and applying to the Wizarding Investigative Service to become a hit wizard. She was a perennial student after meeting George she started to work on a psychology degree. Magically she never met a Charm she didn't like.

Walter O'Shaunessy was a muggleborn. He was the weakest wizard on the team, His strength was he knew muggle mechanics and technology. He was unusual because unlike most wizards that touched a computer or other higher tech type equipment and shorted it, he usually managed not to short it out. Excelling at Runes and alchemy, he dreamed of finding a long term solution to the tech problem but he had been stymied in the research and development department by jealous co-workers. The team had nicknamed him "Radar" after Walter "Radar"O'Riley on M*A*S*H* because being mildly precognitive he anticipated their demands just like the character on the show. He kept a computer at home in his muggle apartment and usually did at least a few hours of work there using the resources it provided.

Winry Rockbell was the teams healer. She was also a champion duelist, she gave new meaning to the phrase don't piss off your healer because she knows the best way to take you apart. Roy had laughed when he found out she was able to pick locks and pockets. He suspected it had to do with her pre-magic school history as a runaway, but didn't ask as he feared her reaction. The muggleborn healer had a short fuse about some things.

Rachel Luttrell was an enigma. On the surface she was gentle and kind. But the twenty-seven year old muggleborn had a will of iron. She was a transfiguration mistress and could work through an arithmancy equation faster than anyone else he knew. He also knew she held black belts in six disciplines of martial arts. She had advocated certain advanced trainings with the Muggle FBI and secret service that they incorporated into their group training. How she knew about them was anyone's guess.

Roy himself was half blood. His wizard father had his mom as a mistress for two years before Roy came along as such acknowledged him privately as his son paid for his clothes, schooling and so on. He did it on the condition that Roy never force him to acknowledge him publicly. Roy had graduated top of his class, and had joined WIS as soon as he qualified. What he hadn't realized when he joined was just how bigoted his boss was. Roy got the rude awakening at his one year review when he had voiced his dream of taking over for the Director when the man retired. Director Chambers told him that he had as much likely hood of making the presidential detail as he did of ever becoming Director. That he'd hired Roy to fill his mandatory half blood hire requirement then he stuck him in a seemingly dead end job. Roy had gotten the last laugh about that though. Stubbornly refusing to quit because of his boss' attitude, six years later when President Stevens was elected he had looked at his security detail and insisted he needed at least one half blood, as the highest tenure half blood, Roy made the President's detail much to the Director's chagrin.

Roy genuinely liked President Stevens. Roy had first met him as a trainee with the WIS. President Stevens had been vice president then so Roy had been surprised when his first day on the detail the President had greeted him by name. Over the next couple years Roy had met and taken to socializing with Winry, and then George, finally Riza had joined them. Riza had made him aware of the plight of most of the requisite hire half blood and muggleborn hires with WIS and encouraged Roy's dream of changing WIS. After that Roy had made it a point to get to know all the muggleborn and half blood hires. He worked with them on developing trainings that combined the best of both worlds and since the trainings were voluntary and the people that lead them were volunteers Director Chambers couldn't stop them. He'd tried; not hard after all it was the useless half bloods and the even more useless muggleborns, let them do their useless trainings. Roy had been pleased to observe in his time on duty with the President that Chambers' attitude was the exception not the rule in most of the government.

Roy had been delighted when the President had been elected for a second six year term. Of course when the Presidents daughter ran away a month ago, he had shook his head. He had met the girl a few times he had observed she had always seemed so biddable and pleasant, not his type he preferred spitfires, so he'd been as surprised as most other people when she ran away instead of going on the prescribed trip.

Then the opportunity for himself and the rest of the half bloods and muggleborns had happened. He had been with the President and about to go off duty a week ago when they heard Rodney Pedersen speaking in a very derogatory way about his wayward charge with one of the other guards of the President's detail. The Presidents jaw had tightened and Roy suddenly could feel magical currents whipping around the man. It had been all he could do not to pull his wand in self defense. Then as suddenly as it started it stopped. Stepping into the room the President spoke "Rodney you'll be pleased to hear that "that useless squib" is no longer your problem. You and Dickson may go and tell Chambers he needs to find you something else to do outside the castle that goes for the rest of Beth's detail as well. Oh and Rodney you will keep yourself available so you can introduce Beth to her new security team." A minute later after the disgraced hit wizards left, The President turned to Roy and said, "Roy I want you to be the lead for Beth's new detail it needs to be people that a very comfortable in muggle surroundings, I found out last week her team has caused problems for her at work. I realize that being on my detail has a certain prestige but I've read your file and know you eventually want to be Director of WIS, being in charge of a detail is a step that direction. Are you willing?"

"Of course sir."

"Excellent. Now perhaps you can recommend a few people to replace yourself, Dickson, Mahler, and Ferguson." naming the worst of the pureblood bigots on his personal detail. Roy had pulled the best and the brightest that he knew would work well with the rest for the President's detail, there were two muggleborn, a half blood, and the one pureblood that had participated in the trainings he had organized. He then stocked his detail with the best of what was left.

Roy shook himself from his reflections and made a list of questions he needed answers to. He was hoping that he could work with Beth but with a potential threat like this his job took the lead.

Unbeknownst to Roy, while getting her shoes and coat Beth had called Sirius.

"I told my new detail and they freaked. You warned me but I thought..."

"It's all right Beth. We knew this would happen or at least I did. Maybe we can use this in our favor... I want you to recount every detail you possibly can. They'll doubtlessly find enough there that they can find some leads to more information and the sentence from England will make less and less sense. Is this a good time to call or could we go a little earlier I know Harry will want a chance to say hi but he's already in bed."

"A little earlier is fine the number to the castle is area code 410-555-1234 my suite is extension twenty-three. You know how to do an international call right?"

"0010081 then your number to call from Indonesia to the U.S.. Beth your team is likely to be harsh as they get information from you. Don't take it personally, they assume I am a threat. Either to you or to your father, they will be focused on trying to determine the level of threat I pose. It is their job, and they deal with life and death decisions so make it easy for them okay. What's life without a few bumps in the road? That's all this is you know, a few bumps. So how do you like the new detail?"

"They're nicer than my old one."

"Well that's good."

"What are you doing?"

"In general or at the moment?"

"Either."

"I'm packing. Harry and I go home tomorrow morning. In general I'm finishing the refinements on the cell phones for wizards. I'll send you a present in about a month."

"Sounds wonderful, I should probably go. I'm making my detail go for a walk. If they hate it, I'll know they're like my last detail, out of shape wizards. Miss you, I didn't think a week was long enough to get used to sleeping in your arms but I noticed last night."

"I know the feeling love, why do you think I put off my packing until tonight. Talk to you tomorrow." Sirius hung up.

A half an hour later Beth calmly walked into the conference room with all the team that was on duty. She carried all the photos from her trip.

"Better now Miss O"O'Neill?"Roy asked.

"Much." Beth actually was very pleased with her detail. She had set a fast pace for her walk and they had not only kept up but Rachel had asked her about her training with Harry after confessing to some martial arts training of her own. Rachel had promised to give Beth more lessons and she looked forward to surprising Harry when they next met. "Alright what do you want to know?" for the next five and a half hours the question and answer session went on. They had paused to allow lunch but they kept coming up with questions to extract every nuance of information from Beth. At 6:oo p.m. When her watch alarm went off, it startled her team into momentary quietness.

"I'm sorry everyone. I have a dinner at the White House to attend. I need to go get ready. I'm sure I've given you plenty of information to start."

"I need to get ready as well." Riza said.

Walter who had come in at four followed both women out.

Roy was focused completely on his notes and merely waved his hand. There was a lot of information in everything Beth had told them. He was surprised at how easily she had shared details she had told them at the beginning she was going to pretend they were friends and she was telling about her vacation. He didn't object because it seemed to make it easier for her. He wondered about the mysterious condition Harry had it had first sounded like a heart condition but that wouldn't necessitate living as a muggle. The later comment it was a spell made more sense but still left enormous amounts of information out. Sirius Black's injuries were another oddity. There might be a line of inquiry there. He reached over so he could review the information provided by the ICW and found even more discrepancies. He wrote a memorandum to the British Wizarding Consulate asking for information about Black because of information that had come his way through unnamed sources he was trying to access the risk to his principles. And one to the Indonesian Wizarding Consulate as well inquiring about details of the attack that occurred at the end of July, such communications were common for security squads. He exited the conference room in time to see Radar in a tux, Riza in a charcoal gray taffeta evening gown with a velvet jacket and Beth in the green dress she had brought back from Palau and a floor length chocolate brown velvet cloak enter the foyer to join the President and the first lady of magic.

Beth's mother was the first to speak. "You look marvelous Beth, I don't remember that dress."

"You wouldn't Mother I got it on my vacation."

"You look like a princess, baby. I hope I won't have to hex anyone tonight."

"Daddy... I'm thirty two. Don't call me baby. Thank you for the compliment, and if anyone gets ideas Riza and Radar will discourage them if I don't do it first." The family left security in tow.

As Beth went to bed that night she smiled. The dinner had been lovely, she had been able to introduce her boss to her new security, and she had received many compliments. She had noticed as she wore her dress that Sirius must have fixed the bodice of her dress when he shrank it it was a slightly closer fit now. The dress, the compliments, and her new attitude had her feeling very cheerful. She couldn't wait for Sirius and Harry's call in the morning, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

One week later Roy's life felt more in control Beth had proven to be very sweet and willing to cooperate as long as she was given information and choices. She had even decided to undergo training so she was both helping in her defense and making it easier for her team to defend her. She had been very forthcoming with information regarding her time with Black.

If only his investigations were making as much sense. The ICW information had the British report of Black's crimes and wanted status and death eater ties. Then back in July he was listed as presenter at the Congress conference seminars for aurors teaching about muggle police techniques that could help aurors. Then at the end of July he was involved in defending the Indonesian President almost at the cost of his life from a group that was known for having the same ideals as the death eaters. It absolutely didn't make sense. He had managed to get a hold of the trial of Sirius Black transcripts and he felt sick, the only two solid facts presented were Black was this Potter fellow's best friend and Harry Potter had been taken from England by Black everything else was hearsay and conjecture. Had the man been wanted for all these years for something he wasn't guilty of? If so why, who stood to gain? Roy had decided that he would talk with Indra Budiono the Indonesian Secretary of Security and try to get some answers, so he sat in his office in the castle waiting for the message to tell him when to call. Suddenly Morrie, the president's house elf, popped into the room. Roy got a sinking feeling. "Yes Morrie?"

"Mr President is wanting you NOW. Mr. Mustang sir."

"On my way." Roy got up. He had a feeling the president had heard about the overseas phone calls his daughter was receiving every morning. He moved towards the door.

Radar called him, "Roy."

Roy stopped and half turned, Radar was holding out the thick folder he had complied on Black. In it was everything they knew and everything he suspected. "Thanks." Roy went to the President's office.

The President's office was chillingly cold and swirled with magical currents. Roy gulped but entered. "Close the door behind you." Roy did. "My daughter her first day back called Palau and again the next day after she woke up. As her chief of security you should already know this?"

"Yes, sir."

"She has been receiving phone calls daily. Are they from the same person?"

"I believe so sir."

"Is it that beach bum she met on vacation?"

Roy hesitated awhile, technically he was the man she had met on vacation however he was not a bum. But giving the name might be worse. "Sir, it is the man she met on vacation."

"Mustang what sort of security detail officer..."

"Here's the file sir everything I have found out and compiled on him."

"A file this thick can't be good. What is his name?"

Roy hesitated again. Taking a deep breath "Sirius Black sir."

The room went still. The President had heard the name before although it had been years. Suddenly across the room the beverage bottles that were used to serve drinks to guests exploded, and the furniture rattled. "NO MORE PHONE CALLS IS THAT CLEAR!"

"Yes sir, but sir you should read the file."

"I don't want my daughter associating with a criminal! Get out of my office before I sack you."

Mustang fled.