Initiating the Adela Tomato
I paused outside of the thick mahogany door leading to Ms. Granger's office, staring with unblinking eyes at the simple golden plaque embedded in the wood, the clean letters reading "HERMIONE GRANGER-WEASLEY" and in slightly smaller letters "MANAGING PARTNER."
One second passed...then two...
I could hear muffled murmurs coming from inside the room. By the sound of it, there were at least six people in there. Gah. The voices were hushed but urgent, and occasionally one voice would rise in frustration before quickly followed by a chorus of shh's.
Okay, I could do this. Setting my jaw and raising my fist, I moved to knock on the wooden door.
Just as I was about to knock, however, someone said urgently, "Someone's at the door." I moved to step back hurriedly, but before I could the door swung open, and I gazed into the startled (and very familiar) emerald green eyes staring back at me.
Merlin.
Albus Severus Potter stared at me, his brief expression of surprise rapidly melting back into an expression of cool indifference. I hadn't seen him in four years and eight months, and he had definitely changed in the almost half a decade that had passed. He still had the bright green eyes, unruly raven black hair, and high cheekbones that I knew all too well...but his face was thinner, his jaw line sharper, and his mouth was set in a firm line - gone was the softness of a teenage boy living in his father's shadow. And yet...I could see slight shadows under his eyes, and there was no trace of a smile - nothing but weary resolve.
I swallowed thickly, unable to tear my eyes from his; suddenly I was no longer an inexperienced Associate floundering her way through cases. No, I was back in Hogwarts, a Sixth Year struggling to save her friends from the crazed rampage of a goblin lusting for revenge. The events of my Sixth Year that I had tried so hard to repress came flooding mercilessly into Numberita, and I found myself unable to move, to breathe, to think, left powerless in the clutches of memories that shouldn'tcouldn't be brought up again-
Flash. The cheers of the Quidditch match fading to stunned silence as people realised that there was a man murdering his son in the fields below-
Flash. I was sinking to my knees, cradling Seth's head and vowing tearfully to never eat bacon again if he would just live -
Flash. Ragnuk's rasping voice, sinuous and twisting its poisoned barbs deep into Numberita, followed quickly by the searing sparks of hex after hex-
Flash. A man, his face twisted into a morbid parody of a wolf's muzzle, leaping, his lips curled into a vicious snarl - fingers curled into jagged claws, flashing in the moonlight -
Flash. The sterilized light of the hospital room, struggling to hold back tears, to walk don't run out of the room, leaving the green eyed boy behind -
The green eyed boy who was standing right in front of me.
I broke free from the memories with a slight gasp, my chest heaving in and out as I struggled to maintain my composure. Al eyed me wordlessly before tilting his head slightly so that his cheek faced the contents of the room (which I still couldn't see - the prat was blocking the door with his body) and said coolly, his eyes never leaving mine, "Sir, it's a civilian - early twenties, female, appears to be listening in. Would you like me to remove her?"
I blinked, an indignant scowl appearing on my face as righteous annoyance overpowered any hesitation I had felt at seeing Al. Remove me? I HAD BEEN INVITED HERE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Obviously, the almost five years of in field action had not changed Al's status as a complete and utter prat.
"Oh, honestly, Al - why do you insist on calling me 'sir'? I told you I didn't like that!" came a familiar voice from somewhere inside the room. Harry Potter? Why was the Head of the Auror Department here? Usually they only sent in the Aurors for cases...I frowned, my eyes narrowing a bit as I contemplated the situation; this situation must be more serious than I thought.
A sudden thought hit Numberita - had they found Ragnuk? My eyes widened and my heart beat quickened; that would explain why they had summoned me - a witch with no professional combat magic training or connection with any case that I could think of, unless Daisy had somehow up and murdered Vince or something like that and even then that was more the work of Magical Law Enforcement - to the meeting. I was one of the few people who had seen - and spoken with - Ragnuk before he had escaped.
"It's just Adela, Harry. I asked her here because I thought she deserved to know," came Hermione's voice.
"Alright then - let her in, Al." Harry again.
I couldn't help but look smug at that - see, I did belong here. Al raised a single dark eyebrow at my preening, and suddenly I could see a glimpse of the sixteen-year-old boy I'd known so well underneath the clinically professional exterior.
I settled for the only mature response there was for such disregard of my obviously esteemed status (oh, sod off) and stuck out my tongue. I was rewarded with a subtle roll of his eyes - looked like he was as addicted to rolling his eyes as he was five years ago - before I pushed past him and entered the room.
Five pairs of very curious eyes all snapped onto me, each one eying me with varying degrees of suspicion and interest. Harry Potter leaned against the windowsill at the opposite end of Hermione's spacious and well-lit office, three Aurors robed in simple office attire - to blend in, Numberita deduced - flanking him, each one positioned at the various entry points to the office. Those three were a bit frightening; I gulped under their sharp gazes, glancing down at my feet to avoid their eyes.
Eep. I wasn't good under public scrutiny. I felt my cheeks begin to flush the angry, mottled red I deemed the "Adela Tomato." Brilliant
One of the three - a pretty blonde with sharp, regal features and icy blue eyes - stepped forward, her wand rising rapidly to point directly at my throat.
"No, Vane. That won't be necessary. She's here under Hermione's command, after all," Harry said easily, turning his head slightly to examine the framed photographs lining the oak bookshelf beside him. He pushed his slightly-askew wire-rimmed glasses back into place and, still peering at the photographs, exclaimed, "Hey! I didn't know you still had this photo! Merlin, Al and Rose look so young here! Look, there's that bloody ferret you always brought around with you - it always used to chew my socks, the blasted thing-"
I shot a surreptitious glance at Al; Merlin, his dad - the Chosen One, the one who had killed Voldemort, the oh-great-and-powerful head of the Aurors - was adorable. With a capital 'A.' It was obvious that he was the very picture of a doting father. Although I had talked to him (very) briefly whenever I visited the Burrow for Christmas dinner or whenever he was visiting Rose's family at the same time I was, I still didn't know him very well. Al winced, the tips of his ears flushing pink, and he scowled fiercely at me when he caught me looking. I blinked and looked away quickly, trying (and failing) to whistle innocently. Note to self: learn how to whistle.
"Dad," he hissed, looking like he wanted to crawl up in a hole and hide forever. Hey! I recognized that look! Seth always wore that one whenever I bellowed out my affectionate feelings in public places. I didn't know why he did that, really. It wasn't like it was embarrassing or anything. Sheesh.
"Mm?" Harry Potter asked, still fixated with the pictures.
"The case," Al said pointedly. Mr. Potter blinked before setting down the picture frame, his green eyes - Merlin, he and Al really did look alike - narrowing as his face darkened. I swallowed; suddenly Numberita could see how Harry Potter had become the Head of the Auror Department - all traces of the delightfully affectionate father were vanished, leaving only grim efficiency in its place.
"Right. Greyback's broken out of Azkaban," he said, his voice full of bitter anger. I stifled a gasp; Greyback had escaped?
Oh no. Oh no no nono - Numberita was paralyzed, unable to think of anything but blood and wolf and teeth and little one and oh dear bloody Merlin he was going to come after me -
Something small impacted sharply against the back of my neck, snapping Numberita from her panic. Catching the object automatically (thank you, Beater reflexes), I frowned when I saw that it was the delicate silver cap of an ink well. Numberita quickly calculated the direction from which it had came using the approximate velocity with which it had hit my neck to the direction at which it had fallen, leading me directly to the impassive face of...
Albus Potter. Of course.
He didn't look at me, instead standing stoically by the door, the very image of an attentive Auror on duty. Hmph. Well, he had helped me - Numberita could grudgingly give him that.
I turned my attention back to Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger was looking at me with a slightly concerned expression, and I shook my head at her, smiling weakly to show that I was okay. She frowned and said, "Listen, Adela, I thought you deserved to know what was going on. I've been in situations where no one would tell me or Harry or any of us anything because they thought we were too young or needed to be protected, and I wouldn't want to wish that frustration of not knowing anything on anyone. We know that he has a...well, frankly, an obsession with you. In Azkaban he repeatedly rambled about a 'little one,' which from testimonies we gather is you. I tell this not to scare you but to let you know what is out there."
Somehow, the brisk way in which she spoke made it a bit better - if she had looked terrified or worried I think I would have started going into full out panic mode right then and there (hey, I never pretended to be a Gryffindor).
I nodded slowly, the movement jerky and uncontrolled. Thankfully, although my physical state was a bit paralyzed at the moment, Numberita was still fully functional. I forced Numberita to think of the problem in purely clinical terms, stubbornly pushing fear and personal memories away in order to focus on the facts on hand.
Greyback wasn't the most intelligent of people, and Azkaban was the most secure prison the Wizarding World had to offer. One needed months - no, years - of careful planning in order to even attempt to break out of the iron chokehold the Ministry had on it. Although the Dementors were no longer employed to guard the prisoners, several other nasty creatures did; I'd even heard that the Ministry had dragons there. Considering that it was an isolated escape and not a mass break out, Numberita could assume that it hadn't been a blatantly violent endeavour; in other words, no huge explosions or breaking down of cell doors. A single escape meant that the biggest advantage would be surprise and stealth; the whole operation would depend on delaying the discovery of the absence.
So, basically, Greyback had to have had help. Numberita tried to picture the hulking werewolf stealthily sneaking his way out of the prison and failed; honestly, the brute was more likely to bellow and kill as many people as he could.
Unfortunately, the only person Numberita could think of as a possible mastermind behind the escape was one crazed goblin.
Sigh.
"Okay...how did he escape?" I asked slowly, desperately hoping that the answer would be "oh, the guards just decided to take a break or something lol so Greyback was able to walk out on his own no sign of help whatsoever weee lol omgzz."
...Okay, so maybe that answer was unlikely to ever come out of Harry Potter's mouth. But, hey, a girl can dream!
...
I didn't want to have to face the alternative.
"There was a small tunnel dug underneath the cell. Whoever dug it was small and powerful enough to break through the magical barriers encasing the prison. No sign of escape through the tunnel; whoever dug it-"
"Joined Greyback and guided him through the escape," I finished, my heart sinking.
Mr. Potter nodded, his mouth set firmly in a grim line. "The magical traces left on the tunnel matched those found on the medallions," he continued.
Brilliant. Just plain bloody brilliant.
Ragnuk had finally decided to make his move. The question was - were we ready for it?
Another thought hit Numberita, one that had been nagging at the corner of my mind for the last five years and seven months.
"Erm, sir," I trailed off; I wasn't completely sure what to call the saviour of the Wizarding World.
"Harry," Harry Potter corrected.
Right. Merlin, this was weird.
"Er...Harry...I still don't understand how Ragnuk broke through the barriers; the most powerful wizards of our time combined their magic to form those barriers - how did one goblin break it? And then there's the whole issue of him being able to Apparate within Hogwarts's boundaries...and Greyback's transformation into a wolf without the full moon. I'm sure Ragnuk's behind both Greyback's escape and his odd control over his shiftings; but how? The only magic powerful enough to accomplish that would be the Elder Wand, but that's impossible! It was destroyed in the battle."
The Elder Wand had been destroyed sometime during the Battle of Hogwarts, and no one knew what had happened to the remains. So, there went the only explanation Numberita could come up with for Ragnuk's considerable power; sure, goblins were considerably more gifted than wizards at magic - after all, they could complete feats on their own that wizards could only do with the help of wands - but without that wand, even Ragnuk wouldn't be able to break down Azkaban's barrier - even if it was only a small opening in the barrier - or Apparate within Hogwarts.
I paused; why were Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter looking away?
With a sharp glance first at Harry and then the three Aurors on guard in succession followed by a slight nod of approval from Harry's direction, Ms. Granger took a deep breath before meeting my eyes.
"This information cannot leave this room," she began.
I nodded, Numberita already racing in anticipation of what she would say - had they somehow found the Elder Wand remains? Had it not been destroyed?
"The Elder Wand was never destroyed during the Battle. That was a lie we spread to ensure that no one would ever go looking for it again. Harry put it in a safe location after repairing his own wand, but we have reasons to believe that the goblin may have infiltrated the place and retrieved the Elder Wand. Ron is leading a team of Aurors to that location as we speak to confirm the wand's presence, but I am nearly a hundred percent certain that the goblin has the Elder Wand," she said solemnly.
Great. That explained how he'd seemed to possess such unnatural powers - I shivered; what else could he do with that wand?
Seeing my fear, Harry said gently, "Don't worry - we're posting an Auror to watch over you until Ragnuk and Greyback are contained. Don't feel as if you need to change your routine; in fact, don't - it will only raise suspicion and unwanted attention. You will be perfectly safe. We will track them down if it is the last thing that I do." His last words were fierce, his eyes turning piercing once more as he clenched his wand with whitened fingers. I was suddenly glad that I wasn't on the receiving end of his anger; I didn't envy Ragnuk or Greyback.
"Vane," Harry said. The blonde woman turned sharply from her post by the window, looking expectantly at her boss.
"Yes?" she asked.
"This is Eve Vane, Adela. She'll be one of the two Aurors assigned to you. She will switch out with Al here and will be guarding you from a distance."
Three things happened after Harry Potter said those fateful words-
One. Vane threw me a rather disgusted look before sniffing and turning away pointedly. Fantastic. Just what I needed - an Auror who hated me.
Two. Al let out a yell in protest. Great to know that being near me is that much of a punishment. Thank you, Al Potter, for lowering my self esteem.
Three. I also let out a yell in protest. What? I hardly wanted - or needed; I had a wand and a Beater's bat, two weapons which I could use quite proficiently, if I did say so myself! - guards, let alone two Aurors who hated me.
"Dad!" Al protested, all his stiffness forgotten in his annoyance. Harry lifted a hand, shaking his head sharply.
"Al. You've been in the field for three years now. I couldn't be prouder of you...but do not let your pride get in the way of your work," he warned.
Al scowled before nodding, shooting me an icy glare - hey! I hadn't asked to be guarded.
Which reminded me -
"Mr. Po-erm, Harry, with all due respect...I hardly need or want guards. I handled Greyback and Ragnuk perfectly well five years ago, and I can do that again now if need be. I refuse to live a life in which I constantly have to look over my shoulder and require the assistance of two highly trained Aurors who are better off, and I suggest this with the highest respect for your opinions, sir, somewhere else where they are actually needed - like the retrieval of Greyback and Ragnuk," I said.
His mouth settled into a firm frown, and a rather stubborn glint shone from his green eyes.
"Your opinion is appreciated, Adela, but I won't be changing my mind."
No. Nononono - don't say it please don't -
"My son and Ms. Vane will be guarding you starting tomorrow."
Bloody hell.
Author Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D I was overwhelmed with the response to the first chapter! Thank you so so much for that - it really made my day :)
As a side note - I will be following book canon and not the movieverse (where Harry broke the Elder wand).
Well, Ragnuk's appeared again. Oof. And so the action (or at least the angst xD ) begins! ;o
Oh, and with the bacon thing a couple of you guys were asking about (I would too! Adela and bacon are practically synonymous by this point) – some discerning readers might have caught that in OQaS there was one little detail in the chapter "Counting Sethogriffs" where Adela promised to never eat bacon again if Seth lived (this was after the Ragnuk cursed Seth while controlling Xavier). She's been keeping to that promise, but it's been difficult xD
She still drinks as much pumpkin juice/consumes as much brownies as ever though x]
As always, please review! All reviewers will be given a teaser of the next chapter c;
IMPORTANT: I HAVE CHANGED MY PEN NAME FROM 'ELIENE' TO 'QUILLSTRIKE'