Dead Ends & Realizations
"Alright team, we've received an update from Nikos on the twins' investigation," Teddy said as he looked around the dining room table in the Woods' country house where his team, plus Richards and Witt, was sitting. Iris was puttering around in the kitchen while Oliver said he was going over plays in the library, though they all suspected they were listening in. Granted, no matter where Iris was in the house, she'd likely pick up what they were talking about.
Ever since that previous meeting where Witt and Richards had come clean, they had taken to holding bogus meetings at the office while meeting in secret at the Woods. They were no closer to figuring out the leak, hence the extra precautions.
"Why from Nikos?" Toby asked.
"Just covering up the trail and make it harder for the reports to be intercepted," Teddy said, leaning back in his chair.
"Where are they?" Richards asked.
"Currently in Greece. They believe that Magnus is there and are currently zeroing in on the location of his safe house but are also looking into some of the cells there. They've found two already, but so far none have led to the exact location of Magnus," he said with a sigh.
"Have they found anything from these cells that is useful?" Chris asked.
"Just that they are still researching the Prostatis. Trying to find the island. But no luck. The Prostatis have been very good at covering their tracks," Teddy said looking around the table. "Anything on Hardwick?"
"Well, the pin was actually just a pin," Chris said. "We had it check over about a dozen times and found nothing. No enchantments, spells or curses. So, passed it on to James."
"Was that such a good idea?" Richards asked.
"Did he even remember having it to begin with?" Witt asked. Chris, Toby and the various cousins all laughed.
"You obviously don't know James," Dominique said, crossing her arms in front of her. "He'd likely forget his head if it wasn't attached."
"And I checked - the whole team was given them before the ball to wear. He had it when he went in and it fell off," Chris said. "Hardwick just has horrid timing."
"Or brilliant timing, depending on how you look at it," Dominique grumbled, obviously still a bit sour that it had ruined her proposal.
"Anything besides the pin debacle?" Teddy asked, looking around the table.
"So far we've yet to catch him meeting with anyone," Witt said. "Which means he is either really good at covering his tracks or he isn't involved."
"But I don't see how he couldn't be," Dominique said. "Daisy said she saw him meeting with someone and the face was obscured. Meaning he is meeting with someone that he doesn't want others to find out about."
"That's high-level charm work. Not something I would expect Hardwick to use from what I've seen of him," Richards said. "But it doesn't necessarily mean he's involved with the Network. Maybe he's meeting a boyfriend and doesn't want anyone to know." Dominique snorted.
"I doubt that's what he's doing," she said.
"Everyone knows that Iris, Jamie and Daisy are Legilimens now," Chris said, getting the conversation back on track. "So, whoever it is could be hiding themselves from that."
"Daisy saw the same thing at a party before they all came out with it," Molly said. "Whoever it is, they may have known before."
"Or they were taking countermeasures from the get-go. If this is the Network, everything we've learned so far shows they are adept at working under the radar," Tori said. "I mean, ministries around the world are still investigating moles and it's been months since we've learned of their existence."
"But again - how does Hardwick play into this other than the connection through his grandparents?" Chris asked reasonably.
"Magnus inherited his role through his grandmother, perhaps it was the same for Hardwick," Teddy offered.
"We've already considered that. His grandfather is still alive. But he spends his time sitting on various boards of companies and charitable organizations," Richards said. "That was another dead end."
Dominique groaned and slammed her hand on the table.
"They've got to be connected. I can just feel it. Why can't we find anything?" she nearly shouted. "It's infuriating! We've been following him for weeks, looking into his meetings and family - Merlin, even his banking! What the bloody hell are we missing? I refuse to believe that Hardwick is that good at hiding things. He's involved and Magnus is the one doing all the hiding or telling him what to do."
The room was silent as they all thought over everything they knew about the Network and Hardwick.
"The Network has been rather quiet," Teddy said uneasily. "They must be planning something."
"Of course, they're planning something. Just need to figure out what," Dominique snapped. That's what we've been trying to do this whole bloody time."
"They've spent god knows how long systematically inserting operatives into all the magical ministries around the world," Richards said. "They tried to take Daisy and Iris Wood and failed. In the process Magnus admitted that their goal is to bring back Grindelwald and others in order to achieve their goal. I think it's safe to assume that they are planning to take Daisy again. And a mass-scale overthrow of the world wizarding government."
"But how and when?" Molly asked.
"That's the hard part," Richards said. "All I can think to do is keep the Woods under strong guard and keep trying to find the moles so we can hamper their efforts."
"And hope the twins find the main hideout so we can cut off the head and stop everything," Witt added.
"They do seem to be making progress. They've been all over Europe searching for the Magnus and they seem to be rather confident he's in Greece," Teddy said. "Aleka found letters they tried to burn that were from Athens."
"So, we just sit here and wait?" Dominique asked, still frustrated.
"No. We keep watch. We keep looking into Hardwick. We keep pushing the members we have in custody," Teddy said. "We keep searching for another angle that we might have missed."
"We've already gotten everything we can from whoever is in custody," Dominique said. "And I'm fairly sure that whoever is the leak has already informed the Network, so any information we get we can assume is no good."
"I agree. The people in custody are no good to us anymore," Tori added. "We need another angle. Maybe if we keep watching Hardwick, he'll make a mistake."
"After the ball, if he didn't suspect we were watching him, he knows now. He won't slip up," Teddy said dejectedly.
The conversation continued on, with everyone suggesting ideas that were quickly turned down for being unfeasible or more dead ends. The entire time, Chris sat silent, locked in his own thoughts. He went through everything. The leak. The attack in June on the ministry. Hardwick. The operatives being found in ministries all over the world.
He found his thoughts going back to that night at the ministry. Magnus proudly proclaiming that they were seeking to create a world where they didn't have to hide magic. He suddenly sat up, his eyes widening.
"Fuck," he said, a bit louder than expected. Everyone looked at him.
"What?" Teddy asked.
"What if we've been missing an entire side to this?" Chris asked.
"How do you mean?" Molly asked, frowning.
"That night at the ministry, Magnus said that he was fulfilling his grandmother's dream of a world where our kind didn't need to hide our magic. Going through the veil, that's not the ultimate goal. We've been so focused on that, we've forgotten the end goal," he said. "I can't believe we didn't see this before…"
"We've already been rounding up everyone in the ministries," Richards said.
"We forgot about muggle governments," Chris said.
"Christ, they can't be that big," Witt said with a short laugh. "They have to take over the wizarding governments first and then move on to the no-mags."
"No… everything we've learned so far has shown us that the Network is much bigger than we suspected," Chris said. "It's within possibility that they could be planning something simultaneous… or they could be planning to go after the muggles first."
"Magnus said that even if we stopped him that night, if we took him in or he was killed, it wouldn't stop anything," Dominique added, her eyes going wide. "Chris is right… we should have been looking there all along. Even if we find them and their base, who's to say that we stop anything? We've known all along..." Teddy's face started going white.
"Merlin… they may have already taken over half of them by now and we haven't even been looking," he said. "How could we have missed this?"
"The better question is what do we do now?" Molly said. "We don't have time to dwell on that screw-up."
"We need to alert every wizarding government around the world to start taking measures to protect their no-mag governments," Richards said. "And hope we're not too late."
"What if we alert the mole?" Toby asked.
"Doesn't matter. We just need to do whatever we can to stop any attack on muggles that could be coming," Teddy said. "But I suppose there are ways we can start to quietly inform them…"
"God, I need to tell Petunia," Iris said from the doorway. Everyone turned to look at her, forgetting that she and Oliver were just in the other room.
"We don't know that anything's happening yet," Teddy said, hoping to reassure her.
"But this is a big enough threat that we need to do something. Now," Harry said, walking into the room from the living room, Hermione on his heels. "Frankly, we should have been here from the beginning of the meeting."
"I… I didn't think we would come to this sort of conclusion," Teddy said. "How did you-"
"Iris contacted us as soon as she heard Chris' idea," Hermione added. "That whole connection thing definitely comes in handy communication-wise."
"Right, so we need to start informing the wizarding governments," Harry said. "Start the security protocols we set up at the forum to protect the muggle governments." The team nodded as Teddy looked around at everyone, sighing heavily.
"We all know what we need to do. Best get to work on the details," he said.
Dominique walked into Paul's apartment a few hours later, completely exhausted and yet unable to relax, knowing all the work that lie ahead. She just kept berating herself for not thinking about the muggle governments sooner. Didn't help that no one had thought of it.
She had nearly forgotten she told Paul that she would stay at his that night and nearly took the floo to her and Molly's apartment before Molly mentioned Paul.
"Ah, finally. You were gone later than I expected. Want me to heat up supper?" Paul asked, walking out from the kitchen and smiling. One look at Dominique's face had the grin sliding off his face. "What happened?"
Dominique walked over and collapsed on the sofa.
"Oh, just that we've realized that the Network may not just be going after the Woods or wizarding governments. We've gone this whole time not thinking once about muggle governments," she said, starting to rub her temples.
"What? You've discovered that they are going to do something with muggles?" Paul asked, quickly sitting next to her. "What is it?"
"We haven't found anything definitive. But really, we should have been looking into this possibility the whole time," she said. "He even bloody told us from the beginning. We just didn't think about it until now."
"What do you mean?" he asked, frowning.
"That night, I asked him why he was doing this and he said that their goal was to create a world where we didn't have to hide. Should have figured that would mean something with muggles. But we were so focused on the Woods and protecting them and protecting the wizarding governments that we didn't think of the possibility they'd go after muggle governments first or at the same time," she said tiredly.
"So… you knew all along?" Paul asked softly.
"Not really… but we should of," Dominique replied.
"So… my mum… she could be in danger?" Paul asked. Dominique looked over at him, her eyes going wide. She had completely forgotten that his mother worked for the British muggle government.
"We don't know that for sure. We started all the protocols. Harry, Hermione and Teddy are still working on securing the British government. There's a chance the Network hasn't gotten that far," she said, sitting up and taking his hands. "We won't let it get that far." He looked over at her and nodded slowly.
"Still… after two wars, you'd think securing the muggle government would be one of the first things you lot did," he said, not meeting her eyes.
"Look at me, Paul," Dominique said. He looked over, meeting her eyes. "We won't let anything happen. This won't be like last time. We're going to stop them before it gets to muggles."
"You sure about that?" he asked a bit harshly.
"I promise," Dominique said. He nodded.
"Guess I have to take your word for it," he said, looking away. Dominique sighed and looked down at their hands, the diamond ring glittering on her left ring finger.
"This won't last forever," she said quietly.
"Certainly hope so… you won't even discuss wedding plans until it's over," he said. Dominique frowned.
"I've told you, with everything going on, I just don't have time to even think about it. It doesn't mean I don't want to marry you, Paul. I wouldn't have yes if I didn't want it," she said. "I won't make you wait forever."
Paul sighed and smiled slightly, shaking his head.
"Sorry, yea, I know," he said. "Really, with the second half coming up, I won't have time either. Suppose with still being on break, I've got more time on my hands to think."
"How was practice?" Dominique asked, hoping to change the subject.
"The usual. Blanks mouthed off. Campbell hit him with a bludger. We all laughed. Pix is on point - thankfully. Kingfisher is proving he's a good beater coach. We'll be ready to beat the Falcons in a month at the opener," he said.
"Merlin knows I'm ready to see that smug grin of Hardwick's knocked off his face," Dominique said.
"You and half the League," Paul said. "I don't even think half his team likes him."
"Be careful in the match," Dominique said suddenly, her concerns about the seeker returning to her mind. Paul laughed and then leaned over and kissed her cheek.
"You've got nothing to worry about, Dom. I hardly ever get near him on the pitch. Now, he should be worrying about Pix," he said, standing up and walking towards the kitchen. "She's out for blood."
"I'm serious," Dom called out. "He's up to something." Paul reappeared, a glass of whisky in one hand and a glass of wine in the other.
"There's nothing to worry about. Pixie's already proven she can handle him. And we won by a large margin during the first half. This is nothing we haven't done before."
"I know," Dominique said, taking the glass from him. "But still… I get a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach when I think about him."
"Probably because he's a loathsome creature," Paul said.
"There's something more than that," Dominique said.
"Come on, Dom. You don't really think that he or the Network would try something at a match, do you? The security has been even tighter than usual. There's no way," Paul said.
"I know… just… still be careful," she said, frowning. "Wouldn't like for anything to happen to my fiancé." Paul smiled and pecked her on the lips.
"You should say that more often," he replied. "The fiancé bit." Dominique found herself smiling and rolling her eyes slightly.
"Merlin, how are you going to be after we're married? Then it'll be 'my husband'," she said.
"I like that too," he said. Dominique continued laughing.
"You're impossible."
Martins rapped on the door, cautiously looking around the hallway. He didn't think it was particularly smart to be meeting at Hardwick's flat - especially considering after the ball, the aurors were even more interested in him. He had seen Teddy's team take turns following him though wondered where the reports were going. He had yet to see any of them.
He had taken precautions. No one would recognize him - he had taken some polyjuice potion to appear like one of the neighbors. But still, it was best to expect the unexpected. That was the whole reason why he had taken to making sure he was concealed in Hardwick's memories lest any of the Woods get close enough to read his mind.
"Good, you're here," Hardwick said, smiling slightly as he opened the door. He stepped aside and let the auror in.
"We shouldn't be meeting here," he said, looking around. "They are following you, you know."
"Yea, yea. But they haven't found anything yet. I made sure they wouldn't," Hardwick said with a short laugh as he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, reaching for a glass of amber liquid. "Did you see the looks on all their faces at the ball? Priceless. And all for a pin. Merlin, I hadn't even planned that one. They're all just paranoid."
"For good reason, they know about the Network," Martins said.
"So? The plan will work," Hardwick said.
"You're getting cocky, Hardwick," Martins said, frowning. He remained standing, crossing his arms in front of him. "Don't forget the goal. It's nearly time and we can't screw up because you're getting too full of yourself."
The smile slowly faded off Hardwick's face as he stared coldly at Martins.
"Don't forget who came up with this plan," he said.
"I know you came up with it, but after that little stunt at the ball, I'm beginning to wonder if you can pull off your part in this," Martins said.
"I haven't lost sight of the goal," Hardwick said.
"Are you sure? I'm beginning to wonder if your feud with Wood is getting in the way. This isn't about her. Daisy Wood is just a means to an end," Martins said. Hardwick jumped up and stalked closer to Martins.
"Yea, I know. But when this is done, I get Wood," he growled.
"What makes you think Magnus will let you have her? He's got plans," Martins said. "We all know what she can do. He'll want to use that. Keep it for our side and keep her from going back for hers."
"Eventually everyone outlives their use," Hardwick said.
"Not Daisy Wood. She's a means to an end, but she's an important means to an end," Martins said. "This whole plan hinges on her. She won't be destroyed. Magnus won't let you or anyone touch her."
Hardwick stared at him for a moment and then turned and walked back to the sofa, sitting down.
"Fine, so let's go over everything again," he said, scowling at Martins. The older man moved to sit in an armchair, coolly studying the quidditch player.
"We have a few weeks left," he said. "You and I will take care of the wards beforehand. Prepare the way."
"And then… I snatch her," Hardwick said. Martins nodded.
"And then safely deliver her to Magnus. Understood?" the auror replied.
"Understood."
Got most of this finished - just got half of the final chapter and epilogue to write - but forgot to post as I've been distracted by stupid Merlin fanfic that will never get posted (can't help it - I work on other fanfics when I get stuck or need a break... all of them rubbish for the most part, haha!). Anywho, shit's about to hit the fan. It's pretty much non-stop from here until the end, so get ready. I ended up completely restructuring the end after I had a good chunk written because it felt rushed, forced and didn't flow well together. I'm much happier with how it goes now. Ended up adding another chapter and then taking out another, so roughly the same length as planned. I'm a bit hung up on the last chapter because I wasn't feeling it when I wrote it and it still needs a bit more refining. Hoping to finish it up soon.
AleenaBean - Father of the Bride is going to be a short - maybe 10-15 chapters tops. I only have about 4-5 chapters finished with bits and pieces after those first few chapters. So I need to sit down and plan out the remaining chapters before I finish writing it. But hoping that I'll be able to start posting shortly after this one finishes. I won't say that there will be no more shorts or oneshots - mostly because I don't really know. But I can say that there will probably be a break after FoB and this will most likely be the last full-length story just because I don't have the time or inspiration to continue. And I feel like this is a good place to stop before things get too drawn out, repetitive and boring. Personally, I feel like Life & Times was the strongest one and I probably should have gone with a different plot line and ended after Playing with Fire, but here we are. I have enjoyed writing every book, but each one following Playing with Fire got a bit harder to plan and finish, which is a good sign it's about time to stop, haha! And poor Dom! I tried to address that a bit in this chapter.
As always, thanks for reading, following and reviewing!
