[A/N]: Hello again! First I wanted to start off by saying thank you to those who have followed or reviewed! I'm incredibly happy that there are people out there that are enjoying this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. This chapter focuses more on our trio and establishing the relationship between them, as well as bringing their abilities to light. I tried to reflect their skills on the show in their wizarding abilities, so I hope that you can find the connection, haha.

In terms of plot, I'd like to say that the main arc will begin around chapter 4-5. These first few chapters are really meant for me to be able to flesh out the characters a bit more and the dynamic of the team.

With that said, I hope you like this next chapter! Please leave feedback if you can; I really appreciate it! - BB

All spelling/grammatical errors are mine.

Chapter Two

The Start of the Trio

The silence was deafening at first. No one seemed willing to want to start any type of conversation. Gibbs did say to introduce himself, but for some reason, under the stares of both Kate and DiNozzo, he couldn't seem to utter a sound.

"So," DiNozzo started. "Your name's McGee?"

He stuttered, "I – uh, yes. I'm Tim McGee, the new –."

The other man interrupted, "Auror in training. All right. The name's Tony DiNozzo and over there is my partner…" He trailed off so that the woman could present herself. She seemed to be examining a form when she looked up from her work with a small smile.

"Kate Todd," she finished.

Tim's eyes widened slightly. He didn't know how he didn't make the connection sooner. "Caitlin Todd? You mean…?"

"That's right, Probie," Tony confirmed with a grin while Tim frowned at his new nickname. "Katie was the last person to be accepted as an Auror. Well, with the exception of you… Probie."

Tim was about to open his mouth to speak, when a blast of blue flew passed his face. The shot was quickly reflected by Tony and flew up into the dark abyss of that he had deemed as the ceiling. "Aw, come on. Don't be like that, Katie."

To his left, Kate had risen from her desk and had her wand out and pointed at her partner. "Don't call me Katie," she growled and glared at Tony. "I'm not afraid to use the Incarcerous jinx on you."

"Ooh," Tony raised a brow teasingly. "Gonna tie me up again, Kate? I didn't know you were into that."

"You're a pig."

One retort lead to another, and Tim quickly found himself on the sidelines, leaving him to watch the argument. While the two bickered, Tim took the chance to briefly evaluate the Aurors. When he had seen Gibbs he hadn't known what to expect as for the other people on the MCRT, but he was fairly surprised to find that both Kate and Tony were relatively young. In fact, they looked to be only a few years older than he was.

Kate was a pretty brunette with hazel eyes and a slightly petite form. Her bangs were swept to the side and framed her face nicely while the rest of her wavy locks fell over her shoulders. He noted her professional attire, which consisted of a blazer and skirt. And judging by what he had just witnessed, she was obviously the more mature one of the pair.

On the other hand, Tony seemed like the typical jokester of the group. He wore the same type of clothing, a bit formal with his dress shirt and slacks. However, everything else about the man screamed casual. He had his feet on his desk and his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his swivel chair with a smirk playing upon his features.

And though Tim had learned not to make assumptions about people he had just met, he was well aware of one thing: the arguing was going to be a daily occurrence with these two.

He interrupted them after a few seconds, "So, uh – what's going on with John Huggan…? Am I allowed to know?"

Both Kate and Tony exchanged a look before Tony sat up and instead of answering his question, he cleared his throat, "Well, before we get into the case, let's get to know each other a bit more. What exactly are you planning to bring to this team, Probie?"

He blinked, "Sorry?"

"What is it that you specialize in, Tim?" Kate rephrased Tony's words and added a friendly smile, probably trying to ease his nerves. "For example, Tony and Gibbs are more adapted to dueling or offensive spells. Gibbs was a Hit Wizard before all of this, Tony's a spell inventor, etcetera, etcetera."

Tim blurted out curiously before he could stop himself, "What about you?" Ever since he had started attending school for sorcery, he loved learning new things about the wizarding world. He didn't have many wizard friends and his family didn't like it when he used magic around them, so he spent a lot of time tucked away in the muggle community.

"It's okay to wonder, McGee," Kate encouraged, as if reading his mind. "I grew up in that world, too."

He was left gaping at the woman and heat rushed to his cheeks. Had he said that out loud? "How—?"

"Kate's a Legilimen, Probie," Tony explained, obviously amused by his bafflement. "So if there's something you don't want leaked, either keep it locked up real tight or don't make eye contact with her. She's the best the A.O.'s got when it comes to defensive spells. Show him your Patronus, Kate!"

The brunette expressed flatly, "It's not a circus act, Tony."

"Come on! I doubt the kid's ever seen a corporeal one before."

"I'm not going to conjure it for no reason!"

Tony waved his hand dismissively, "Just send a message to Abby or something."

During this time, all Tim could do was stare in wonder at the duo. Hit Wizards, Legilimens, Occlumens – they were all people that Tim had only ever heard and read about. The fact that he was going to be working with such skilled witches and wizards made him a bit self-conscious.

Don't think like that, Tim, he reprimanded himself mentally.

This was his job now and even though he was still inexperienced, he hoped that one day, with enough time, he could be as proud and confident about what he did for a living as Tony and Kate were. He wanted to be a part of this team and feel the same sense of camaraderie that had the other two Aurors at ease.

And the only way he was going to do that was if he opened up a bit more and pushed himself to be more confident.

"Miss Todd," Tim tried, "I would love to see a corporeal Patronus – uh, if you don't mind."

After a few moments of silence, both she and Tony then burst into laughter. He blinked innocently, wondering what he had said to bring upon their amusement.

Kate chuckled, "It's just Kate, McGee. I feel old if you call me 'Miss'. Don't even say anything, Tony," she shot a glare at DiNozzo, who was clearly ready to comment on her age. "And I suppose I could pass along a message to the lab… Abby would be happy to finally meet you; she's been really hyper ever since Gibbs told her he was hiring a new Auror."

Tim wasn't even able to ask who 'Abby' was before Kate closed her eyes and he heard her whisper under her breath, "Expecto Patronum."

A rush of wind passed through the office as silver wisps floated off of the tip of Kate's wand at a rapid pace, pooling on the ground until they began to come together to form a shape. The lights in the room suddenly dimmed and a subtle darkness filled the office. A soft glow emanated from the core of the figure, steadily growing stronger and brighter with each passing second. The smoke gathered together, wrapping itself around the light until he could make out the head of a beautiful horse. The remaining fog fell away at the animal's feet and Tim was startled when the Patronus let out a whine and shook its mane, impatiently trotting in place on slender, lean legs. Then, it turned to Kate for a brief moment before it went rushing off with another cry, jumping above Tim's head and disappearing as it ran straight into the wall.

An echo of the Patronus reverberated through the office and faded slowly while the lights began to regain luminosity. Tim was left staring wide-eyed at the spot where the horse had vanished.

Back when he had been in school, he knew a few of the teachers were able to conjure corporeal Patronouses, but to see one up close and powerful… It was just one of the many new experiences that he would witness while working as an Auror.

Tim had been so lost in thought that he hadn't sensed Tony move up behind him. "Pretty cool, huh, Probie? Mine are always intangible. Apparently Gibbs has got one, but no one's ever really seen it," the older Auror said while he clapped a hand over Tim's shoulder.

"That was pretty amazing, Kate," the younger Auror smiled, still feeling the lingering excitement flowing through his veins.

"Thank you, McGee. But from what I've read, you're pretty good yourself. Says here that you scored a seven out-of ten on your Aurors' Course Exam for the Patronus Charm," Kate told him while she held a manila folder in her hands. It was only when he took another glance at it that he realized that the whole time he had been there, she hadn't been looking at a file on the Huggans. She had been reading his.

"What? That's higher than mine…!" Tony muttered and moved over to her desk to peek at what she had been studying.

"Y-You had my file the whole time?" Tim asked, not sure how to feel about his teammates going through his information.

Kate gave him a sheepish look, "Sorry, Tim. We wanted to see if you would volunteer the information first, but…"

"We got a bit side-tracked," Tony finished and flashed him a smile. "Don't worry, Probie. It's not like we're prying through your personal files; those are confidential. These are the filtered ones that Gibbs gives us whenever he thinks about bringing someone onto the team – kinda like a second opinion. I got to see Kate's when she joined."

"Plus, you've got nothing to be embarrassed about. You're very skilled, Tim," Kate noted while her eyes still laid upon a revised form of his application.

"Really…?" He couldn't help but grin at the warm praise.

"Yep. Skilled enough to catch Gibbs' attention, and that's all that matters." She winked back at him.

Pride and gratification filled his insides at his new discovery. He wanted to tell her that no, that was not all that mattered. Tony and Kate had seconded Gibbs' opinion to hire him as an Auror. They had both just admitted to him that they accepted him as a co-worker and thought he was advanced enough to be a part of their team, albeit in a round-about way.

Tim couldn't be happier.

He refocused his thoughts when Kate asked, "I only have one question, though. It says you specialize in 'tracking', but what exactly is 'magical sensory'?" Both Tony and Kate looked at him expectantly and Tim was a bit surprised.

He would have thought that his sensory talent would have been what sold him for the job, but the two Aurors didn't seem to have a clue as to what it was. Then again, his mother had told him a long time ago that it was a rare skill, one that someone had to be born with. Even so, the thought that he had managed to impress his new co-workers without his trump card had left him feeling pleased with himself.

He cleared his throat, "Ah – it's an ability that some people have when they have a seer in their family… My great-great-grandmother had been one. It kind of gives me a sixth sense – one that lets me detect and trace a witch or wizard's magic signature."

Tony had his arms folded, looking slightly skeptical, "How does that work?"

Tim explained patiently, "Everyone's magic is different, so once I've identified someone's magic, I can track where they are. The only exception is if they've got a ward or charm around them to hide their mark. For example, if I were outside this building, I wouldn't be able to sense anyone in here since the Congress has tons of wards and protective spells around it. However, since I'm inside, I can sense that there are over six thousand ambiguous magic users in Woolworth and three identified ones."

Kate seemed impressed as she nodded her head in interest at this new information. "Wow. So, who do the three ID'd signatures belong to?"

"You, me, and Tony," Tim answered confidently. "There are probably others – Gibbs, the receptionist downstairs, the wizard who tested me for this job, but magic signatures are a bit like a footprint. It fades or gets overlapped by different people over time. The sooner the magic was cast, the stronger the signature is."

"So… You're a bit like a bloodhound?" Tony joked cheekily while Tim frowned, not particularly fond of the fact that he was being compared to a dog.

He was about to make a quip back, but he stopped when he sensed someone moving towards them. It was an ambiguous magic user, so it could have been anyone. Part of him wanted to think that it was just Gibbs coming back from his coffee run, but there was something… different about this person. The stranger was approaching with a rapid pace and when he finally dared to turn around, he was met with the beady gaze of a magpie wearing a mini studded collar. Its wings were flapping furiously, creating a blur of blue, white, and black.

Frightened by the sudden appearance of the bird, he took several steps back, bumping into the front of Kate's desk. Tim was about to prompt the other two as to what the hell a magpie was doing in their office, when Tony moved towards it.

"Hey, Abs. Why are you in animal form?" He leaned over to greet the winged creature, who was now perched on Kate's desk lamp.

Tim watched as the bird flew off its landing and morphed into a woman in midair. She straightened herself out, running a few pale fingers through her black pigtails. She brushed off her ACDC baseball tee and pulled her plaid skirt further down over her fishnet covered legs before twirling around to face them. She looked to be about his age and he briefly noted that she wore the same collar around her neck that the magpie had on.

The woman, who he could only assume was 'Abby', sighed and pouted, jutting out her bottom lip which was covered in black lipstick, "Aww, I wanted to see if I could scare the newbie. Way to ruin it, Tony."

"Sorry to break it to you, Abs, but I don't think you can sneak up on this one," DiNozzo chuckled.

The goth shrugged, "I would've worked something out." She sat down on Kate's desk and swung her legs back and forth. "You must be Timmy McGee. I'm Abby Scuito, magical forensics specialist, animagus, and potion extraordinaire."

"Actually, it's just 'Tim'…" he corrected lightly. The last time he had been called 'Timmy' was when he was twelve. He had been ready to move passed the subject, more intrigued by her animagus status, but she cut him off.

"Hm, well Ducky told me your name was 'Timothy', so I'm calling you 'Timmy', Timmy," Abby pressed her lips together and crossed her arms in a 'that's, that', sort of way.

He took in a deep breath, knowing to quit while he was ahead, faced the lab specialist, "It's nice to meet you, Abby." He held out a hand to her so they could shake on it.

Instead of accepting his hand, her frown changed into a bright smile and she threw her arms over his shoulders, "Aw, you're a sweet guy, McGee. Welcome to the team!"

"Uh…" He struggled as Abby's arms crushed his neck. Tim looked over to Tony and Kate for help, but Tony just raised his hands as to not get involved and Kate gave him a sympathetic look and ducked her head as if to say, 'that's just how she is, sorry.'

Abby pulled back but stayed close enough to drape an arm around his shoulders, "But still, it would've been funnier if you let me scare you."

"Sorry," Tim started, a bit amused. "Tony's right, though. It's kind of impossible to sneak up on me—."

"You sure about that, McGee?"

All four of them jumped as Gibbs entered the office with a steaming fresh cup of coffee in his hand. Tony hurried back to his desk while Abby untangled herself from his form. Kate's head dropped back down to her work and the heat burning his face made Tim feel like he had just been caught making out with Gibbs' daughter.

"Don't you have evidence to process?" The older man inquired pointedly at the black-haired woman.

Abby nodded, "Jennifer Huggan's clothes and the debris piece you got from the scene are being scrubbed for magic residue right now, but it really would be better if I had John Huggan's wand—."

"Just find me something, Abs. Ducky's got his M.S. on the body, but unless we have some other evidence, he'll be hard to prosecute since he's related to the victim," Gibbs stated. Abby gave a small wave to them all before shifting back into a magpie and flying from the room. "McGee, put your stuff down. You three are with me; we're going down to Ducky's to get that sig and head out. I want that bastard in custody today."

Without another word, Gibbs turned on his heel and strode back out of the office with Kate and Tony hot on his heels. Tim rushed over to the desk that the man had pointed at, right next to Tony's. He almost didn't notice the metal stand resting on top of it reading Timothy F. McGee. And all of a sudden, the events of that morning came and punched him in the gut. The dream-like and never-ending state of awe he had been in ever since he met Leroy Gibbs had faded and plopped him down into reality.

He was an actual Auror.

Tim reached out to run his fingers along the engraving until a sharp voice pierced the air.

"You comin', McGee?"

"Sorry, sir! I mean – Boss!" He apologized, dumped his bag by his desk, and ran over to join his new team.

Incarcerous - A spell that conjures thick rope or thin cord to bind the person the caster is pointing his/her wand at.

Hit Wizard - The wizarding equivalent of the US Army Special Forces.

Spell Inventor - A witch or wixard who has a vast understanding of magic to be able to create their own spells. This is can be a very dangerous art if not practiced correctly.

Legilimen/Occlumen - One who practices Legilimency/Occlumency. While Legilimen can navigate through someone's mind and interpret their findings, Occlumen practice the art of repelling this force and are able to create a barrier around their mind. Legilimens are also known as 'mind readers' in the muggle world.

A.O. - Auror's Office.

Corporeal/Incorporeal Patronus - A corporeal Patronus is the final, and very advance, form of a Patronus where the spell takes the form of a spirit guardian. Those who can create the complete form of a Patronus are considered very skilled, as it is a very difficult charm to master.

Magical Sensory - Yet another liberty of mine. It is the made up ability to be able to 'sense' someone's magic. Tim uses it to track down other witches/wizards.

Magical Signature (M.S.) - Every witch or wizard leaves behind a magical trace or magical signature that is embedded in their magic/spells.