Of Plans

Magnus sat at the table, waiting for Tobias to come in with the latest reports. He had some of his best minds working on the extraction plan for Daisy Wood. And he was determined that they would not fail this time.

"So sorry. I was waiting on that last owl to come in," Tobias said as he rushed into the room and place a pile of parchments in front of Magnus. He looked up at the man and then reached for the papers.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"The Woods are currently on the island and therefore untraceable," Tobias said. "But they will return to London in about a week and a half."

"Good, perhaps by then she will know more about her powers. I want her at full strength," Magnus said, looking through the papers.

"But… won't it be more difficult then?" Tobias asked. Magnus fixed him in a withering glare.

"We must have her at full strength so that she can bring the others back," he said flatly. "How are things with the ministry?"

"Our source says they are being bogged down by interviews. They apparently have brought in every member of the British groups, along with the ones they've detained. It's taking time to get through them all," he said.

"They found anything useful?" Magnus asked.

"So far, no. Just the one Parisian group," he said. "No more than that. Seems your precautions have worked." Magnus nodded slowly.

"Of course they have," he stated. "What news on the Prostatis?" Tobias shifted slightly on his feet.

"Well… the Greek groups haven't been able to find anymore than what's been released publicly. Granted that's a lot more than what we had to begin with," he said. Magnus glanced up at him. "We can't find the island and so far the only Prostatis currently off the island is Christos Aliefantis. The nephew of Nikos, the professor. He was there at the ministry that night." Magnus sat back in his chair.

"I remember. He turned into a hydra," he said. "Impressive magic. Perhaps we should attempt to grab him. Bring him in for some questioning…"

"We can start on an extraction plan, but it will be difficult, sir. His workplace and residence are highly warded - they've implemented Prostatis magic and we cannot seem to find a way around it," Tobias said.

"Then pick him up off the street," Magnus said boredly.

"He's hardly ever on the street, choosing instead to orb everywhere directly," Tobias replied. Magnus took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Then I suppose the best we can do for now is to start on a plan and keep an eye on these Prostatis," he said. Tobias nodded.

"Yes, sir. I'll go speak with the teams right away," he said before leaving the room. Magnus sighed and reached for another paper, this one showing the Woods all seated at the countryhouse. They had apparently agreed to a sit-down interview with The Prophet. Oliver looked as though he had been glaring daggers at the reporter while Iris smiled brightly with the three boys - or men, rather - beaming next to her. Daisy on the other end kept shooting glares in the reporter's direction as well, but then turning back to the camera to smile slightly.

The Truth Behind the Woods

Browsing through the article, it was all the information they had been trying to get their hands on - details of their gifts and when they started showing. How they were connected to the upcoming danger and how Iris' had been connected to the Second Wizarding War. Remus and Alan were not gifted, it would seem. There was no mention of Daisy going through the veil, which Magnus had been expecting. No doubt trying to keep it under wraps in the hopes that he and his Network hadn't found out. He smiled slightly, basking in the knowledge that they were one step ahead than what the Woods and their family thought.

The end of the article touched upon the Woods' quidditch careers, with Remus and Alan transferring to Puddlemere while Daisy would stay on the Arrows. The opening of the season was coming up in about two months with a number of friendlies scattered about before then. He shook his head, unable to understand the draw to the sport as he looked over a few photos of the Woods in action. He settled on a photo of Daisy triumphantly holding up the snitch at the finals.

"Soon enough, Daisy Wood. Soon enough."


"Well, it seems we are all here," Nikos said brightly as he looked around the room. Christos had joined them for the meeting while Hermione's head was visible from the large fireplace. All the elders were there as well.

"How are things going?" Hermione asked.

"The Woods are coming along rather well," Nikos said. "Jamie can now manipulate the emotions of about 10 people at once and Iris has created a shield large enough to protect at least half a town. I've no doubt they will be able to accomplish more by the time we return."

"And Daisy?" Christos asked. Nikos sighed.

"She can still only go to the veil in her dreams. We have been trying to get her there outside that, but it is not working," he said.

"But… she has found Athanasia," Lena said.

"Who?" Hermione asked, appearing to be looking down at something. No doubt a mound of notes she had prepared for the meeting.

"The last of our kind to have this gift," Felix explained. "Daisy has been meeting with her in her dreams."

"She has told us to look for a book - her journal. I've no doubt that once we find it, it will reveal everything Daisy needs to know to master her gift," Nikos said. "But in the meantime, speaking with her has been useful. We have learned one limit to Daisy's power - she cannot bring someone back if there is no body for the soul to return to." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief.

"So she can't bring back Voldemort or Grindelwald. That is a relief," she said. "Should we make this public? Perhaps it would help throw off the Network?"

"No," Lena said. "I do not think we should divulge Daisy's power just yet. She needs to master it before we let the world know what she can do."

"But… the Network, they're looking for one of you who can bring back the dead," Hermione said.

"Our borders are protected. They will not find us," Calantha said, glancing over at Christos. "And Christos is strong. They will not take him or Nikos when they return to the world. Or any of us that may leave the island."

"I believe they will find it hard to snatch someone who can become any living creature in the world," Christos said with a grin. Hermione nodded.

"Very well, then," she said.

"How is the investigation?" Nikos asked.

"Slow. As if we didn't have enough work with all the questionings. Our team is having issues working with some of the others. Specifically, MACUSA," she said with a sigh. The elders looked at each other a moment, likely conferring silently, before they looked back to the fire.

"We shall send some of our best trackers," Timotheos said. "They will help you. Perhaps it will move things along."

"Not sure how well Teddy'll take that. More people to manage," Hermione commented before catching herself. "I mean… no disrespect… oh bother…"

"It is fine, Hermione," Calantha said with a smile. "I believe he will find them easier to work with than these Americans." Christos grinned, already seeing who would be coming. "We will send them in the next few days."

"If they are anything like Christos, I think he'll probably like them tremendously more than the Americans," Hermione commented. Nikos chuckled.

"They will be helpful, of that I can assure you," he replied.

"Well, if that's it, I should go inform Harry and the others," Hermione said.

"That is all," Lena said.

Hermione disappeared from the fireplace as Christos stood.

"I will go to Oliver's and start making preparations for the new Prostatis," he said, grinning. He then disappeared. Nikos sighed and looked at the elders.

"She is still struggling," Lena said, frowning slightly. "More than you said."

"She is frustrated with herself," Nikos admitted. "And she won't say it, but she still holds fear for the veil."

"Perhaps it would help if she were to speak with others," Calantha said gently. "Her family?" Nikos nodded slowly.

"Perhaps that could help. I will suggest it when I see her next," he said, standing. "But first we must find this journal."

"Good luck," Felix said.


Dominique looked up from her desk into Teddy's office where she could see Richards smirking at him while Teddy was attempting to keep a calm exterior. They had blown off a lot of steam - and even more firewhisky - the other night and he seemed better when they returned to work. But it seemed all that resolve was about to fly out the window.

"Explosion in three, two, one…" Tori muttered from next to her, causing Dominique to laugh softly. Sure enough, Teddy's face went red as he took a deep breath.

"Here it comes," Dominique replied as she sat back in her chair. But just before Teddy could say anything, the door to the department flew open and Hermione walked in. Immediately, everyone was on their feet, muttering "Good morning," to the Minister.

"Where's Teddy?" she asked, looking over at Dominique and Molly.

"In there with Richards," Dominique replied. Hermione sighed and walked over, pulling the office door open.

"Out here, now," she said, interrupting Teddy's rant. Teddy stopped and blinked as Richards began following Hermione out. She walked over to Pace's office and knocked on the door before sticking her head in. "I need everyone on the floor." She then walked to the center of the department, calmly waiting as everyone filed in. Harry had slipped into the department and was now leaning against the wall, smiling slightly. Hermione took a deep breath and looked around the room, meeting the eyes of the various teams within the British ministry as well as the few international teams that were now set up shop there.

"I have an announcement to make," she said, her voice full of authority. "I have been speaking with the Prostatis. They will be sending a few trackers to help aid in our search for the Network." Whispering immediately broke out as Hermione locked eyes with Harry, who just shrugged. "They will arrive a couple days from now and will be working with Teddy's team." She looked over at the auror, whose eyes widened. "I expect everyone to welcome them and work diligently with them. Who knows, perhaps there are a few things we can learn."

"But, Minister… we already have several international teams helping with this. Are you sure we need more?" Richards asked. Hermione leveled a glare at him, causing the man to shrink back slightly. Dominique and Molly couldn't help but smile slightly.

"Seeing as none of you have yet to find anything substantial about the whereabouts of Magnus Hansen Orphington, then yes. I do believe we need their help," she said coldly.

"I apologize, Minister. I didn't mean to offend," he said. "I will need to inform Madam President of this."

"No need. Harry and I have already spoken with her," Hermione said lightly. "She agrees that we are in need of their help."

"But are you sure we can trust them?" Richards asked. Hermione glared at him again.

"For thousands of years the Prostatis have stepped in to protect the world. They did so without seeking glory and solely because it was the right thing to do. I see no reason why we shouldn't trust them. What's more, I am the Minister for Magic, Mr. Richards. I make the decisions here and you follow my orders. While you're here, you would do well to remember that," she said. Dominique snorted quietly, fighting hard to contain her laughter as Richards' face went pale. Tori elbowed her but was struggling to contain her own laughter.

"That is all. Any questions can be directed towards your team leaders. Reports have already been sent to them and the head of department," Hermione said. "Get to work." She then strode out of the office with Harry shooting a grin towards his nieces before following her out.

As soon as she left, the office broke out in frenzied murmurs as Teddy walked over to the group of desks, slightly stunned.

"If I hadn't said it before, I love your aunt. She's so badass," Tori said to Dominique, grinning.

"She is a bit of spitfire," Dominique replied.

"Dare say all the women in your family are," Toby added.

"Well she had to be in order to be named Minister of Magic," Molly said, sitting down.

"All those reforms she did… She really is someone to look up to," Tori said. They all looked at Teddy.

"Well… I guess we'll need to bring in a few more desks," he said finally.

"Where do you think they'll be staying?" Molly asked.

"With Uncle Oliver and Aunt Iris probably. They're the only ones with space. Unless Harry and Ginny put them up at Grimmauld Place," Teddy replied.

"Figured Christos would try to squeeze them into the Woods' flat," Dominique said.

"They can apparate anywhere they like, so suppose it doesn't really matter where they stay," Teddy added.

"What sort of gifts do you suppose they'll have?" Dominique asked.

"What do you mean?" Tori asked, looking over at her.

"Well, most of them have some sort of special gift," Toby said. "Christos can turn into any animal."

"Oh, right. And Jamie can control emotions," Dominique said. Tori nodded slowly.

"Right… I remember reading about that. Iris can do massive shields. What can Daisy do again?" she asked.

"We don't know," Molly said quickly. "She hasn't shown one yet." Tori nodded.

"What was it like seeing Christos in action? I read in the report he turned into a hydra," she said, grinning. Dominique looked over at Chris.

"It was brilliant," she said. "Like nothing I've ever seen."

"Though it got a bit cramped. He was massive," Chris said.

"Rollins!" Richards barked as he walked up to the desks, causing Tori to jump slightly. "Meeting. Now." Tori huffed and rolled her eyes as she stood.

"See you guys later," she grumbled as she followed him over to one of the meeting rooms. She sat down and waited as the rest of the MACUSA team filed in and then Richards did the necessary charms to provide some privacy.

"I'm sure you all know what this is about," Richards said, looking around the group. "More Prostatis are coming. While the Minister may trust them, I do not." Tori fought off rolling her eyes, instead choosing to fix Richards in a cold stare with her arms crossed in front of her. She glanced over at Violet and Martins, finding both of them with similar looks of annoyance on their faces.

"I don't think we should be wasting our time on the Prostatis," Martins said. "They are only coming to help." Richards shot him a glare.

"You are my team and you will do what I tell you to do," he said menacingly.

"What would the President say?" Tori ventured to ask, earning her a glare.

"You will keep an eye on them and report back to me everything that you find. Dismissed," he said. The group stood and started filing out of the room. Richards grabbed Tori's arm as she passed, pulling her close to him. "And you will keep watching the Woods."

"I told you - I'm not spying on them for you. Get Witt to do it," she spat, yanking her arm from his grip and continuing over to the desks. Dominique, Molly and Toby were all still having an animated conversation about the Prostatis while Chris was calmly watching her, a curious look on his face.

"What was that about?" he asked softly, leaning towards her as he watched Richards storm out of the department.

"Just Richards being a dick. Like usual," she muttered.

"Is it getting out of hand?" he asked. "Anything we can help with?" Tori flashed him a weak smile.

"Like I said, nothing I can't handle on my own," she replied. "I'm used to it." Chris nodded shortly.

"Let us know if there's anything we can do," he said.

"I will."


Finally, we get a glimpse into what is going on with the Network. I know it was a long time coming, but had to work some things out.

Guest - It's fun having Remus and Alan mess with people. There's a fun chapter coming up with that... And Dom will. Ultimately, she loves Paul. So they'll have a happy ending.

AleenaBean - It was a little tough coming up with that. I felt he needed something, but I didn't want it to be something drastic since he was only dead for a few minutes. And it does come into play a bit later on.

As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!