"I really don't want to go." Said Leanne.
"Hey, you'll see me in the summer." Said James. "You can show me all those California girls you talk about." He grinned while Leanne narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're a bad influence James Potter." She said, "I'd never have done any of those things if you hadn't of been there." She didn't mean it; the small smile on her lips was the giveaway.
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that." Said James. "I'll see you soon and write to you as well." Dante squawked from the corner.
"I don't think he's up to transatlantic flights." Said Leanne. James laughed softly. Leanne kissed him and walked out to the house elf waiting for her.
"Home please." She said. With a wave the blue light she disappeared. James looked down and then out at the garages. He felt his hand being held. He saw Daisy's hand inside his own.
"Well done Master James." Said Daisy. "Your parents would be proud." James nodded and sighed.
"Problem? Master James?" asked Daisy.
"Nothing." Said James. "Just sad there not here."
"Don't worry Master James." Said Daisy. "Where ever I'm sure there alright."
The sound of traffic surrounded his ears. The blinding lights of the houses made him see for miles into the bay. Even Alec had to concede, Galveston was beautiful by night. The wind wiped around him, and he looked at his watch. It wasn't the time he was looking at, but the date.
27th March.
"You ok sweetheart?" asked Katherine.
"Yeah," said Alec, "I kinda wished that we could have at least written to James today."
"I know." Said Katherine through the ear piece. "But he should be fine. Word through the grapevine is that he's been seen with Leanne Rambona." Alec frowned as he adjusted his arm pads.
"Humph, really?" said Alec.
"Alec." Said Katherine. "She's nothing like her father, in fact, I think she takes after her mother."
"I don't think Jenny would really approve of what's happened."
"That's in the past Alec. Move on." Said Katherine. Alec shook his head.
"I think together they cause more trouble than James and Sirius." Said Alec, "Like that's even possible." He could tell Katherine was smirking.
"You really are unbelievable, you know that."
"That's why you married me." Said Alec. "That and my roguish good looks."
"…are you ready?" Alec got to his feet. He walked to the edge of the building and looked at the building opposite.
"As I'll ever be."
The Marauders Proudly Present Alec Potter In: The Marauders Year One
Chapter Twenty Four
Street Eye View
Written By Chambers10
Alec was looking at Galveston shipping. There was defiantly something off with this place, it was that sixth sense that told him so. If he was going to find something that connected Murdoch to Burns then it was here. He'd been watching it for a few days, and yesterday they received a freighter from Hong Kong. The only one this week from the supposed new trading routes.
Alec wanted to have a closer look round the freighter and question the captain and crew on what exactly they were transporting and for who.
The captain was nowhere to be seen, but his first mate was working in the office sorting out the transfer of cargo. He was working in an office just over from the building that Alec was on.
"This prototype better work." Said Alec.
"Stop being a baby dear." Said Katherine.
"Aren't you concerned that your husband is flying a prototype glider coat across a city?"
"James would relish the chance." Said Katherine.
"We should have just brought the collapsible brooms."
"Alec, H would have been heart broken." Said Katherine, "He worked very hard on it."
"I know, but it was your bloody idea."
"Lie to me and say you're not even slightly excited." Said Katherine. Alec smirked and stood up and checked his watch. He then pulled out a pair of binoculars and checked one of the offices one last time. Seven stories, no lifts and plenty of blind spots. His eyes scanned the floors till he came to one with a light on. For nearly midnight, it was unusual.
"Magnify." Said Alec. The binoculars zoomed in. Alec could see someone at his desk, but he looked British, and…what was that under his desk? After a head came into view, he quickly moved on.
He looked further up the building. He stopped at a couple of windows till he found someone near the top of the scraper. He looked stressed, the heartbeat monitor on the binoculars picked it up.
It was well over average. He ran his hands through his hair stressed and went back to his work.
"Target insight." Said Alec.
"Where about?" said Katherine.
"Three buildings across." Said Alec, he counted the floors up in his head. "Sixth floor."
"Ok…that should be now uploaded to your specs." Said Katherine. "Good luck sweetheart."
"Enough of the chit-chat." Alec sighed, Stanford Parks was now on the line. "Potter, I want this done by the book."
"Don't fret Parks." Said Alec, "I'll get what we need from him."
"You better." Said Alec, "I've already told you who's on my case."
"Yeah, well, if we stop making this about you for one minute then we'll be fine." Said Alec.
"Well is there somewhere else you'd rather be Potter?"
"At home celebrating my son's birthday." Said Alec, "I'll see you when it's done." Alec cut the line to Parks. Alec walked to the back of the building he was on. He connected the arms to coat so it made a cape. He pulled the goggles over his eyes and the heads up display came up. The building came in sight and the room he needed to go in was highlighted in orange. Alec took a deep breath and readied himself.
"I hope I know what I'm doing." He muttered.
"I was thinking the same thing." Said Katherine.
"You just do your bit." Said Alec. He ran across the roof, gathering speed and he jumped of the roof edge. He was streamlined as he hurtled towards the ground. The wind flew through his hair as the street below him came closer and closer.
"You better work!" Alec opened his arms and the coat went ridged. Alec swooped upwards, the wind catching in the cape and pushing him upwards. He looked towards the building; the orange highlight wasn't too far away.
"Is it working?"
"Like a dream." Said Alec swerving slightly.
"I'm going dark, speak to you soon." Said Alec. He swerved again to his left, with the orange highlight now just below him. Alec readied himself, he soared a little higher before going streamlined again. He soared towards the window and disabled the coats glider so he shot towards the window.
Alec put his hands and knees up and shattered the window, the man at the desk turned round as Alec landed on his desk. Alec threw a shard at the light in the room, plunging it into darkness, the only thing lighting the room was the lights from outside.
He grabbed him and threw him across the room so he banged into the wall opposite. That was one of the benefits of wizarding physiology, superior strength. He started to babble as Alec walked over to him, picked him up and with his wand sticking him to the wall.
"Stick around." Said Alec as he walked over to the table and started to sift through the pile of paper work. It was transport information for some of the illegal ingredients. It was going to all parts of the country as well. Animals to illegal zoos, potions ingredients to underground alchemists, and burner to suspected terrorists.
"Kath, are you getting this?"
"Every word." Said Katherine, Alec could tell from her voice that she was concentrating on the information going through to her.
"This looks quite big." Said Katherine. "Burner wands, illegal potion ingredients, animals. This operation is huge, why would Burns want this?
"To me it looks like there's something else going on here." Said Alec.
"Do tell."
"You know how I said we hadn't seen Burns and Murdoch together."
"Yeah."
"Well maybe, it's because there now the same person." Said Alec. "I'm going to question this guy." He said turning round to face him struggling. Alec took off the goggles and placed them on the table.
He walked toward the man who was hanging by the spike that Alec had placed in his suit jacket.
"Right…" Alec rummaged into the man's pocket and pulled out a driver's license. "Mr Kang." Said Alec removing the dumb charm he'd placed on him. Kang breathed in the air, panting and gasping for the precious oxygen.
"OK, who are you, what do you do?"
He started speaking mandarin. Alec sighed irritably before casting a translation charm wordlessly.
"Ok, I'll ask you again. Who are you?" said Alec.
"I'm just a first mate!" he said quickly. "I was only asked to sort out transportation by Mr Jenkins."
"The captain I presume."
Kang nodded furiously. "He said that if I do this, then I have job here for life. I have wife and children to feed, and sick mother in the hospital, I needed the job, I knew it was wrong but there was nothing else I could do."
Alec nodded and looked around the office before his eyes fell back onto the desperate man on his knees before him.
"…ok, if you tell me what I want to know, no one has to know about this, understand?" Kang nodded enthusiastically.
"Thank you, Thank you!"
"Don't thank me yet." Said Alec. "Ok, when did this all start?"
"A year ago." He said. "Some guy called Burns bought us out, then wanted us to start shipping this weird stuff across the America."
"Like what?" asked Alec.
"Stupid things like Boomslang skin, panda blood, dragon spleen, and werewolf venom."
"Highly illegal potion ingredients." Said Katherine.
"Anything else?"
"These weird arse animals." Kang said. "Huge spiders, these things called hippogriffs and these small fairy things."
"Very Illegal animals." Said Alec. "Was there anyone else with this Burns guy, like a…assistant?"
Kang nodded.
"Have you ever met this guy?" asked Alec. Kang nodded again. Alec pulled out the picture of Murdoch and showed it to him.
"Is this the guy?" he asked. Kang nodded again.
"One eye, very bad tempered." Said Kang. "Wanted this sort of shit going around the world." Alec nodded.
"Got the connection." Said Alec. "They are in league with each other. The first mate puts him there."
"I'll tell Parks." Said Katherine.
"Ok, Kang, one last thing, have you seen this guy since?"
"That one time, the only time." he said. "After that, it was just Burns."
"And when was the last time you saw him?"
"September." He said,
"Said he was taking care of an old score." Alec frowned.
"I don't suppose he told you where he was settling this old score did he?"
Kang shook his head. Alec nodded and looked up at the ceiling.
"Ok, you can go." Said Alec, "But I'm going to have a look round your ship." Kang scampered out of the room.
"That was actually tactful." Said Katherine. "What now?"
"Get the enforcers to raid this place." Said Alec. "I'm going to have a chat with the captain, he can tell me more about this Burns and Murdoch connection."
"Yes honey." Said Katherine. "Though it was weird what he said about seeing Murdoch only once."
"And Burns hasn't been seen since September." Said Alec. "Somethings not quite right. I'm going to pay This Jenkins a visit." Said Alec. "Don't wait up." Katherine sighed.
"Hospital, not the morgue." She said.
"I understand." Said Alec. "But if he was in bed with Murdoch then Burns should have known." Said Alec. "Now, let's see where this Jenkins is hiding.
Alec jumped out of the window and landed. He walked down to the harbour where the ships were ported. There were lots of shadows. If Murdoch was watching, then these were perfect for hiding. Alec made his way towards the freighter. He walked up the wooden bridge onto the deck and looked around. Most the freights had been taken off already, probably the animals and people. Alec walked towards the first freight and pulled out his pistol and shot the lock off. He heaved the doors open and lit up his wand and peered inside. Burner wands, a lot of them.
"Well, looks like a goldmine." Said Alec. "I would say there was over a million galleons worth in this container."
"That's a lot of money. Does the Institute know about this?" asked Katherine.
"I would say no." said Alec. "Galveston has a record of clamping down on illegal activities."
"Do they?" asked Katherine.
"The Island lost investment after World War Two when it was a major port. Sailors would spend their time drinking and gambling ." Explained Alec as he walked to another container. "With that Increasing enforcement of gambling laws and the growth of Las Vegas, as a competitive centre of gambling and entertainment put pressure on the gaming industry on the island." Alec forced open another container and saw potion ingredients in jars lined up as far as the eye could see.
"Then, as if by magic, in 1957 Will Wilson and the Texas Rangers began a massive campaign of raids which disrupted gambling and prostitution." Said Alec as he examined a jar of snapping turtle backs.
"Weird."
"What is?"
"Murdoch went missing in 1957." Said Alec. He picked up another jar, this time of fairy wings.
"I'm checking the cabin, finding out where Captain Jenkins is spending tonight. Alec walked up to the cabin and went inside. It was very dirty and paperwork was strewn everywhere. H
Alec ruffled through the papers on the desk and saw a business card one of the tables.
"The Laughing Dragon on 4th." Said Alec as he pulled his goggles on again. He climbed out of the bridge and up to the top of the ship.
Alec jumped the wind whistling through his hair again as he activated the coats glider ability and soared upwards over the city. He did have to admit, he loved his job. The street names came up on his goggles as he soared.
"Got it." said Kath "Should be uploaded to you…now." The orange marker came up on his screen.
"He's really at some club." said Katherine.
"Yeah." Said Alec, "Men at sea and all that. But he doesn't know what he's dealing with. Time for him to get his rude awakening."
Alec turned to the right till he was above the orange tracer. He gently glided down onto the top of the club. He disconnected the arms and walked towards a skylight that was lit up from the lighting inside.
Alec kneeled and looked into the club. With people dancing and walking around the club. It was nearly impossible to get an I.D on Jenkins.
"Why do people go to places like this?" asked Alec.
"Maybe you could ask him while you talk to him." Just as she finished he saw him. Jenkins was sitting on a couch beneath the skylight with two girls on his arms. His tie was undone, and his shirt unbuttoned as he leered at his prey. Alec surveyed the room and looked out for the body guards that were dotted around the place. Mainly in booths disguised as party goers. Alec slipped some wingdings into his hand and looked at the table he was sat by.
He stood up and pointed his wand at the sky light and thought he would make it disappear. But when he thought about it, it would be more badass to shatter the window. He stepped on the window and looked down. He jumped up he shattered the glass he landed on the table.
"What the?"
"Who the fuck is that?"
"Hell if I should know?"
"We should waste him."
"Wait, let's see what he does."
Alec rose up from the table slowly. The music had stopped and the lighting returned to normal, showing of the dark red decor of the room. Alec stood to his full height and looked down at Jenkins. His face half in the shadows but his eyes still very clear.
"Captain Gareth Jenkins." He said, he looked at the girls and narrowed his eyes at them. They both gingerly gathered there stuff and scarpered.
"Word is your into shipping some pretty dangerous cargo." He said leaning closer.
"We need to talk."
Through his prefiriel vision he could see someone taking a gun out of his jacket. Alec quickly through a wingding at him. It whistled through the air and struck the gunman's wrist he cried out, firing off some stray shots which hit the lighting and caused pandemonium. There where screams as people began to run for the exits.
But with one person getting his gun out, everyone else started to as well. Alec had to jump off the table to avoid the bullets. He looked up to see two body guards coming towards him. One threw a punch. Alec caught his wrist and placed a hand on the guys elbow. Using his momentum he flung him over his shoulder. The body guard flew through the air and smashed onto a table further away.
The other pulled his gun out. Alec turned and forced the gun upwards, he then knocked it out of the guy's hands. He caught it and shot the guys foot. He screamed in pain and fell onto the floor.
Alec turned to face Jenkins who had now left the table. Alec sighed irritably and looked around the club. Jenkins was with a group of his sailors who pointed out Alec to them.
"Don't let him get me!" he yelled.
"It's ok sir." Said one cracking his knuckles. "You're good." Alec smirked.
"No." said Alec walking towards them. "You're anything but good."
"Get him." One pulled out his gun and pointed it at Alec. He fired it Alec span out of the way, the gun fire continued as Alec forward rolled. He pulled out a bolas from his coat mid roll. As he got out he threw it, it span it mid-air and hit the person shooting.
It tied him up and he fell to the floor.
"Don't just stand there!" he yelled, "Waste him!" Four of them ran towards him. One threw a punch that Alec dodged. He punched him in the stomach and kicked him away. As another threw on he caught and placed it in the way of someone else's punch that shattered his elbow. Alec kicked him to the floor. Alec was then kicked in his stomach and fell to the floor. He tried to kick Alec again; Alec caught it and let out a low grunt.
With a crunch he dislocated the guy's ankle, he screamed out as Alec pushed him away. Two of them came over towards Alec.
Alec now had to fight off both of them. He had to use a series of blocks and kicks. He blocked one while kicking the other one away. He then elbowed the back one as the second one came towards him. He dodged, grabbed him and threw him into the guy Alec had elbowed.
Alec looked around at the bodies around him. No sign of Jenkins. Alec slipped the goggles on and turned them to thermal. A quick scan reviled that Jenkins was cowering in a back room. Alec smirked and walked towards the wall and got just beneath Jenkins and punched through the wall. He grabbed Jenkins and pulled him through the wall. Alec slipped the goggles off again and walked towards Jenkins.
"Hey, you can't do this!" he said as Alec got closer. "I got rights!"
"Sure you do." Said Alec, "But, to get those 'rights'." Jenkins face went white as Alec picked him up and slammed him against a wall.
"You have to tell me what I want to know." Said Alec. "I talked to your first mate mister Kang. He told me about your cargo, but I need some more info from you. Quite frankly shooting someone who only wants a chat isn't very polite."
Jenkins breathed deeply and looked away.
"Ok, ok, I'll tell you want you want to know." He said.
"Good. First thing." Alec let him go and showed him to the booth he was sitting at before. Jenkins brushed himself down and sat while Alec summoned a chair and sat opposite him. Alec reached into his coat inside pocket. He pulled out the picture of Murdoch and threw it in front of him.
"This man, do you know him?" asked Alec.
"Yeah, he was with that Burns guy when he welcomed us to port." Jenkins said.
"As part of the new route." Jenkins nodded.
"It went fine for a few months." He said, "But then…"
"Then what?" asked Alec.
"We were shipping these weird animals." Said Jenkins. "Like, hybrid animals. These things would escape sometimes and kill my crew, I wanted out."
"What did Burns say?"
"It may sound weird." Said Jenkins, "But I think he wanted out to. It seemed this guy." He tapped the picture with Murdoch.
"He was more insistent on it." said Jenkins. "Said that we now had a contract. That we couldn't go back on him."
"And this Burns just let him?" asked Alec.
"I thought he was the one in charge." Said Jenkins. "He pulled out this stick thing and killed my first mate of nearly thirty years. Said I was next I didn't comply."
"Did you see him again?"
"A couple of times." He said. "Mainly to make sure we were keeping our end. Or if there was an important piece on the cargo."
"Did you know what they were?" asked Alec.
"Hell if I know." Said Jenkins, "You bloody magic people are weird beyond reason, I want nothing to do with you people anymore."
"I'll be the last." Said Alec. "What about him, when was the last time you saw Murdoch?"
"Who?" Alec tapped the picture again.
"Oh, right, not for a while, last year."
"I need something more specific." Said Alec. Jenkins thought back in his head, pulling various faces as he did.
"February." Said Jenkins. "Good rittens if you ask me. I thought that Burns would be more lenient somehow."
"He wasn't."
"Probably turned out to be just as bad, if not worse." Said Jenkins. "But I don't understand, he was an oil mogul and then went into shipping. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was forced into it."
"Maybe your right." Said Alec. "Go back to your ship, some of my people will take the cargo from you and you go back to Honk Kong."
"With pleasure." Said Jenkins getting to his feet.
"Just one last thing before you go." Said Alec. "When was the last time you saw Burns?"
"Not since September. Said he was going to see an old friend and settle a score." Said Jenkins. Alec nodded.
"Ok, thanks." He pulled out his wand, fired out a rope and retracted it so he almost flew out of the club.
"What's the thinking now?" asked Katherine,
"Now…" Alec looked back at the skylight.
"I think Murdoch's killed Burns." said Alec. "In fact, I'd say Burns had been in his pocket from the start.
"But Burns is still doing press." Said Katherine. "How could he be dead?"
"Someone's imitating him using Polyjuice potion." Said Alec. "They have the ingredients to do so."
"So what do we do?"
"Draw him out." Said Alec. "They haven't seen Burns since September, and Murdoch for even longer. We need to find out who's imitating him."
Hogwarts grounds.
"Are you absolutely sure it was him." The voice on the other end of the phone seemed to confirm it. The place they were in was a dark and muddy cabin, there were two men in the room. One was pacing by the window on the phone, while another sat at the table in the middle of the room.
Murdoch looked up, his eye still hadn't healed, it was now a scar that went from his hair line to his cheek bone and had fused his eye shut. He seemed to be untroubled by the news, rasping his fingers on the mouldy table. "Ok, fine, we'll have a word with him. Be prepared to step up your plans if need be."
Murdoch chuckled. He made a fist and then relaxed it.
"Ok, speak to you soon." The man got off the phone.
"Sir, there's been a problem."
"Alec Potter." He said in a thick Scottish accent.
"Yes sir. He was seen talking to both Jenkins and the first mate tonight, he's probably found out that where here."
"No, no he hasn't, not yet." Said Murdoch getting up from his seat. "If he had he would be chopping this wood down to find me. But he'll find out soon."
"Sir." The other man said laughing slightly. "We want to him to find us?"
"Yes." said Murdoch. "But first he'll go looking for Burns, he'll have a nasty shock when he finds out though."
"So what do we do?" the man asked. "In less than twenty four hours we can be in Hong Kong."
"No, all we need is his son." Said Alec. "That will get his attention."
"Is it really wise to do that though." The other man said. "What will he do when he finds out."
"Hopefully, cross a line he hasn't in decades." Said Murdoch.
"What do we do about Jenkins and the others?"
"Kill them, before any more ministry officials decide to start to do more digging." Said Murdoch.
"Right, I'll start that now." He said walking away. Murdoch looked back at the table, a very old copy of the daily prophet.
Tragedy as young Potter girl killed!
There was a picture of the young Potter family, with a red circle round a young James Potter, written next to him was 'The Key'