[A/N]: Hello! I'm very sorry that this chapter is a week late. For some reason this part was very difficult to write. However, I was able to watch some NCIS and get my muse back very quickly. I intended for this chapter to go on longer, but with the content, it just seemed like it was becoming a monster chapter, so sorry if this seems a bit short. I already have part of the other chapter written, so that should be done fairly quick.

A quick thank you to all of the new followers and those who reviewed! Your words inspired me to work through my writers block.

Also, another thing: I'll be honest, I haven't watched passed early season three of the show. Most of the character information I get for the characters is from the NCIS wiki or I take liberties. Anywho, I hope you enjoy this chapter! - BB

All spelling/grammatical errors are mine.

Chapter Three

Pride and Polyjuice

Tim could see how being part of a four-man team would have some perks. Two pair of partners, three people to watch his back, four minds to solve a crime, and so on. If he were to make a list, the benefits would surely outweigh the drawbacks.

However, while being crammed into a small elevator, all he could think about were the disadvantages of having three other people to share air within the confined space. The jerky movements of the box didn't help the situation, either. Luckily, a magical elevator moves quicker than a normal one, so the ride wasn't too long.

Once they had reached their stop and the female voice recited, "West Wing, 5-A, Medical Ward," the group, except for Gibbs, all but stumbled out of the double doors. The three hastily recovered and followed after their boss.

"They really need to pass that Apparition Act," Tony muttered to him and Kate.

"And risk someone Apparating into the Department of Mysteries or something along those lines?" Kate asked rhetorically, then added, "Not worth it. Especially not after what happened in '96."

Tim was slightly lost. "What happened in '96?"

"Back during the years when the U.K. was having problems with that bald guy, some of his goonies Apparated into the Ministry of Magic to steal some prophecies from the Department of Mysteries. Since then, the Magical Congress has been real strict on who they allow in and out of Woolworth," Tony explained. "You probably passed security on your way in. They've got M.S. recognition to screen people."

So that's why this place is so thoroughly warded, Tim thought. When he sensed the area for magic from the outside, the Woolworth building was impenetrable, as if covered by a giant dome. "Has anyone ever been able to get in and… you know…?"

Tony smirked and finished his sentence for him, "Wreak havoc? Nope. Security's air tight, Probie. Think Kate, but times a hundred. That's how many guards they've got patrolling through here around the clock."

The four reached the end of the long hall and Gibbs pressed the tip of his wand against the door, causing it to slide open with a heavy thud. They walked inside the white, brightly lit room and Tim was surprised to find how homey the medical ward appeared to be. Well – as homey as a morgue could possibly be.

The room itself was huge – split off into two sections. One part of the ward was the obvious: exam tables and chrome autopsy slabs, accompanied by a large curtained area off to the side, which he could only assume, was where any living patients resided. The other half was a comfy lounge with a white rug on the ground, a small counter that had a coffee machine and a mini fridge sitting atop it, and in the corner, a vibrant, L-shaped, orange couch stood out above all the rest.

"What's that…?" Tim asked Tony as the passed the florescent piece of furniture.

"We call it the 'Orange Couch of Destiny'," he said in a hushed tone. "Abby thought of it while she waited for Gibbs and I to finish getting out stitches put in a while back."

"What happened?"

Tony pointed at his side, "Let's just say Kate hadn't joined the team yet and our defensive skills in the field were a bit… Lacking. Abby was real dramatic about it – acted as if it were a life or death situation. She thought the acronym was clever."

Tim thought for a moment, but then hesitantly spelled out, "… OCD?"

"She also thought that sticking a mandrake leaf in her mouth for a month was a good idea," Tony shrugged. "Must be a goth thing…"

Tim decided it was better to leave the topic alone.

Although, he didn't really have a choice, because it was then that an unfamiliar voice spoke out, bouncing off the sterile walls, "Ah, Jethro! I assume you've come for Mister Huggan's signature?" A short man with round spectacles and graying brown hair turned around to face them with a small smile. It would have been a nice gesture, too, if it weren't for the fact that he had someone's long intestines floating around next to his head.

Tim swallowed the bile that rose in his throat.

"Pretty messy down here, Duck. What are you doing?" Gibbs inquired, raising a brow at the hovering organ.

"Come now, Jethro; you know that this is the most effective way to examine one's insides for magic residue," the older man answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Tim noted the British accent that was carried along with his words.

"But why the intestine, Ducky?" Kate asked, seemingly not minding that there was a body part drifting towards her in midair. She subtly took one step towards Tony to avoid being in its path of orbit.

'Ducky' looked towards her, "I'm terribly sorry. I did not mean to ignore you, Caitlin, Anthony, and… Ah!" Tim was given a large grin, "You must be the new Auror that Jethro hired. Timothy, is it?"

After being put on the spot, Tim straightened his posture, "Yes, sir – I'm Tim McGee, Auror in training." He mentally applauded himself for becoming better at presenting himself. But even though the Ducky's gaze was one of curiosity, much like Tony and Kate's had been, Tim found that the doctor's expression was understanding. In fact, his eyes were anything but judgmental – they were welcoming.

"Nice to meet you, my boy! I'm Doctor Donald Mallard, but my associates affectionately refer to me as 'Ducky'. I'm the medical examiner and on call doctor for the Auror's Office," he introduced. "Jethro has told me all about your tracking skills and I find them quite fascinating. You know, I once knew a man named Timothy that said he could sense magic with his big toe. Granted, the man was always surrounded by people who used magic, as he was a Squib in a half-blood family –."

"Duck!" Gibbs shouted loud enough to get the M.E.'s attention.

Ducky looked towards the silver-haired man expectantly.

"The sig?" Gibbs prompted.

"Right. As I was saying, Caitlin, the reason I was examining the intestine was because that was where the trace of magic signature was the strongest. However!" Ducky took out his wand and whispered a few words until the flying organ began to change from a fleshy pink color to a dark purple tone. Towards the end of the entrails, Tim spotted a speckled blast mark that was painted in blue. "As you can see, this blast was the start of where the body began to shut down. Since our poor dear was struck with an Unforgivable Curse, one would need a strong motive to enact this powerful of a spell."

"Which doesn't match John Huggan's profile…" Kate added.

Ducky agreed, "Precisely. There is something odd about this one, Jethro. I am sure of it."

"Kate, what are the chances of Huggan being capable of using a UC?" Gibbs rounded on the female Auror and Tim could tell he was in deep thought, inserting all the variables into an equation that would link everything together.

"Considering it was his wife – and sister that he killed? Around thirty percent," she answered.

Tony interjected, "Same chances of Kate getting laid tonight—oompf!" The brunette glared daggers at him after elbowing him in the ribs. "But she's right, Boss. Despite their strange situation, they were a happy couple. No incident reports about them, no signs of trouble in the relationship at all."

Tim watched the group go back and forth on information they had and trying to connect it back to the case, but he could tell they were struggling. He tried to analyze what little intel he had recently gained from the conversations so far, but he came to the same conclusion as everyone else.

Gibbs growled, "It doesn't make sense. How could someone like that be capable of producing an U.C.? Why would a man that's happily married kill his wife?" Tim watched his boss pace restlessly around the autopsy room while Kate and Tony seemed just as stumped. "We need to bring Huggan in if we're going to get anything else from this. Something's hiding from us."

Tim's head snapped up at his words. "Boss, what if – what if it wasn't Jennifer Huggan that he killed?" The younger Auror asked suddenly.

"What do you mean, McGee? She's laying right here," now Gibbs just sounded frustrated. But then, Tim saw the moment when realization hit him. "Someone fed her Polyjuice Potion. Duck, what did you say the estimated time of death was?"

"About twelve hours," Ducky offered.

Kate chimed in with a look of comprehension upon her features as well, "That's why she looks like Jennifer Huggan now –."

"Because the potion had already worn off by the time we got to her," Tony finished.

"And magic doesn't die with its caster." Gibbs didn't waste another moment and sprang into action, heading towards the exit, "Ducky, give McGee the sig, we're heading out. You three meet me at the back of the building once you've got it. I'm going to talk to –."

At that moment, Abby decided to enter the room with her head bouncing excitedly as she bounded towards Gibbs. "Gibbs, Gibbs! Guess what I found in Jennifer Huggan's stomach contents! It's –."

"Polyjuice Potion; we know, Abs. See if you can extract anything from the remaining potion. This means that there's someone else involved in this – someone smart enough to be able to perfectly calculate the time when that potion would have expired," Gibbs left the room, leaving the only noise to be the audible sliding of the ward's door being shut.

Abby turned to them with a small frown on her face, "I hate it when he does that." She walked over to the orange couch and plopped down on it with a huff.

"Sorry, Abs," Kate spoke sincerely. "We're in a bit of a rush."

"Timothy," Ducky beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. Tim hurried over to the doctor's side. "Now, I assume you've never gotten a signature from a dead body, so listen closely. Point your wand towards where you see the blast mark and say Tractonum."

Tim nodded in understanding and pulled his wand from his coat pocket. This was one of his first tests on the team. This was something that only he could do, and he couldn't afford to mess it up. He licked his lips, slightly nervous, but with a firm resolve, he pushed the feeling away and mimicked, "Tractonum." A silver strand of magic flowed towards the tip of his wand and his hands tingled. "I know where he is!"

Kate and Tony had been staring at him apprehensively throughout the extracting process, but now they wore relieved expressions. The trio exited the medical ward with Abby and Ducky's calls of, "Good luck!" following after them.

Kate gave him a warm smile while they rushed to the elevator, "Good job, Tim. Now you get to help put this guy away on your first day."

"And he didn't even have to do any of the grunt work!" Tony added.

Gibbs had been exactly where he said he'd be: waiting for them at the back of the Woolworth building. There were a few other wizards there, taking brooms out from the large shed towards the far right of the lot. Tim saw that Gibbs had been watching the workers before his sharp and expectant eyes turned in their direction.

Tim repeated without being prompted, "I know where he is. He's hiding in a building off 9th street. I think it's an abandoned warehouse."

The Auror just stared at him for a few seconds and then nodded in approval. Tim's insides warmed just a bit at the brief display of praise, "Good. I hate flying. McGee, since you're still a trainee, whenever we are on the field, you're with me; Tony, you take Kate."

"In what way, Boss?" Tony asked and Gibbs smacked him on the back of his head in response. "Sorry, Boss." He recoiled and moved closer to Kate, who simply rolled her eyes at her partner's innuendo as she grabbed his hand.

Tim hadn't even realized that Gibbs had put a hand on his shoulder until the man had begun to count down. "One, two, three—."

And then the world morphed and shifted into darkness.

In less than a second later, Tim felt his feet touch the ground. He regained his balance and took a few deep breaths, still not completely used to the lurching sensations that Apparating usually brought upon its users. He duly noted Gibbs standing next to him, waiting. Another moment passed and with a loud crack, Tony and Kate appeared out of a tangle of blurred, bright lights. Gibbs ordered immediately, "Kate, put up a ward around this entire perimeter. If he's heard us, we don't want him Apparating away."

She pointed her wand towards the sky and he heard her mutter the words, "Repello Inimicum." A stream of white flew into the air and he saw a haze gloss over an invisible wall and ripple down until it hit the dirt a few yards away from them.

"McGee, can you pinpoint Huggan's location?"

Tim closed his eyes briefly and allowed his mind to paint an image of the warehouse. A blue aura was moving around in the right corner of his mental blueprint. But then, he saw another figure; a dark shadow was lingering in an area deeper in the building. "He's on the right hand side, second floor. Boss, there's someone else in there with him. It's an Unsub."

"Kate and I will head for the Unsub, Boss," Tony suggested with a twirl of his wand.

Gibbs agreed, "Be careful. We know that Huggan is capable of a U.C., there's a high chance that his buddy is, too. McGee and I will head in first, watch our backs from the other guy."

"Do you want me to put a Patronus on you?" Kate asked.

"No, a Patronus won't help with a U.C. Plus, it takes a lot out of you, and we need you at the top of your game if we're gonna catch these bastards." The Senior Auror nodded towards Tim, "Let's head in, McGee. Just remember three things as we go: Rule #1: never use a U.C. against anyone, not even a perp. Focus on stunning and disarming. Rule #14: clear the room before anything else. And Rule #8: never go anywhere without backup."

"What rules are those from, Boss?" Tim inquired, honestly curious of their source.

Gibbs was creeping towards the warehouse entrance when he turned to him and replied, "Gibbs' Rules."

"Of course…" Tim murmured as he pressed his body against the wall of the structure. His heart was beating rapidly in his chest. Calm down, Tim, you can do this, he encouraged himself.

However, the building suddenly shook and the ground pulsated, which did nothing to help his frantic heart. Tim's eyes met with Gibbs and he looked back at the other two Aurors that had their wands ready cautiously. Time seemed to stop for a moment when the four of them all exchanged wide eyed glances. It was hardly a second later when his boss called out to the other two Aurors, "Alright. Looks like we can't count on the element of surprise. Group up!" Tony and Kate jogged over to the side of the building to join them when Gibbs started explaining, "Kate, you cover our flank, DiNozzo, you and I are the offensive front, and McGee, you just make sure these assholes don't sneak up on us. Got it?"

Both Tim and Tony answered with a sharp, "Yes, Boss!" while Kate replied, "Got it, Gibbs." The MCRT began to form their positions with Tony and Gibbs leading in the front and Tim and Kate standing behind them.

"And finally, always remember to follow Rule #15," Gibbs reminded in a quieter voice as they all slowly made their way into the warehouse.

"Um, Boss?" Tim whispered. "What rule is that?"

"Always work as a team."

After that, they were all silent, focused on stalking through the seemingly abandoned area. A cold chill ran up his spine as they crept deeper into the shadows of the building, their only source of light coming from the open panels on the dome-like roof. Their footsteps softly echoed against the concrete floors and bounced off of solid, aging walls. Out of the corner of his eye, Tim could see the stacks and piles of discarded boxes and packaging units, all covered in a heavy layer of dust and dirt. He swallowed a gulp of thick saliva and wiped his sweaty hands on his slacks.

A few seconds later and without warning, another blast went off from above them and everyone instinctively ducked. Dust peppered them from the ceiling and the metal walls holding the place together began to whine with an awful creaking noise.

"McGee, where are they now?" Gibbs demanded.

Tim could feel the adrenaline that coursed through his veins and he was able to answer instantly now that his reflexes and senses were on overdrive. "The Unsub is right above us, but… Huggan is headed towards us right now!"

"Crucio!"

When Tim turned, he saw a surge of red approaching at an alarming rate, aimed straight at him. And for a moment, he was frozen. His arms and legs refused to move, his head refused to turn, and his eyes couldn't tear away from the sight of the Cruciatus Curse getting ready to hit him. But in that same split second, a hoard of wooden crates obscured his vision and blew up just a few feet away from him. An arm yanked him away just as streams of blue began to fly through the air.

"McGee, what are you doing?" It took him longer than it should have for him to realize that he was staring into the concerned gaze of Kate Todd and he quickly took in her appearance. She had a few minor cuts and scrapes on her face and she was rather frazzled, but other than that, she seemed fine. He probably didn't look much better.

Finally, Tim shook himself out of his stupor, "I—I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just stop like that. I –."

She shook her head, "Don't worry about that now. Look, I'm not going to sugarcoat it for you, Tim; it's always like this in the field. If we're not the ones doing the shooting, then there's a high chance that the other side is. There's a chance that any one of us won't make it out alive, but we've all accepted that because it's part of our job. And I need to know right now if I need to take you back to Headquarters, or if you know what you've signed up for. Can you do this?"

Was he ready for this?

He had been on the field before. He worked in the Muggle Relations Office for a bit before switching over into working with computers. It had been a tough and demanding job, and at the time, that hadn't been what he wanted for himself. Or that's what he told himself when he turned in his resignation, when truthfully, working in the MRO had been incredibly fun. It was spontaneous and odd and it added something new to his day whenever he went to work. But there had always been this feeling that had been holding him back from enjoying it all.

And now they had returned.

His insecurities, his flaws, his lack of self-confidence – they were all getting in the way – trying to keep him from what he was really capable of. But he didn't want to hide behind his excuses anymore. He was tired of being scared.

Sure, there was the question of if he would actually make a fine Auror at all. And yes, being an Auror and tracking down dark magic users was a dangerous job, but he loved it. Tim liked the rush he felt when he was able to help progress the investigation, he liked being a part of something bigger than himself, and most importantly, he liked that he already felt like he had a place on the team.

This wasn't just something he could walk away from. Not after he had already gotten a taste of this life.

"I can do it," Tim concluded, then repeated, with a confident tone and hardened resolve. "I can do this."

Woolworth - Where the Magical Congress resides, according to the new Magical Beasts and Where to Find Them movie.

Mandrake Leaf - There is a long and tedious process to become an animagus, and part of this process includes holding a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month.

Tractonum - A spell I created. The root "tract" literally means "to extract" or "to take/get" in Latin.

U.C. - Unforgivable Curse.

Polyjuice Potion - A potion that changes a person's appearance and has to be made specifically with the intended person's DNA in the brew (hair/fur). Takes about a month to complete.

Repello Inimicum - A defensive spell that creates a strong barrier around an area.

Gibbs' Rules - Only Rule #15 is an actual one of his rules. I had to tweak them a bit to apply more to this world.

Unsub - Actually stands for Unknown Subject, but here it will mean anyone that McGee has not identified.

Cruciatus Curse - One of the three Unforgivable Curses. Inflicts intense, excruciating pain on the victim. However, it is known that it does not do any physical harm to the receiver, there are occasions when the spell affects a person mentally (depending on the circumstances).