MISSION REPORT n°543210

His pen was scratching the paper furiously and tiny ink splatters speckled the parchment held in place on the table by the lantern. Behind the ornate glass, the candle smoked more than it gave light.

... confirmed the death of Bercelak MacFusty, leader of the insurgents, after his fall into the sea. The body was found on Wednesday, April the 10th on the shores of Loch Indaal.

The rain was hammering the stiff fabric of the tent and, despite the burning brazier, humidity rose from the ground, cold and unpleasant, seeping into his boots, his shirt and his trousers.

... arresting all rebels (51 people in all - names are listed in Annex 4). We found out that they were subjected to a form of hypnosis similar to the effects of the Imperium. We are currently waiting for the arrival of the Dark Arts expert to establish a more accurate diagnosis...

He looked up Annex 4 in the paperwork piled next to him and accidentally knocked off his coffee cup. Stifling a curse, he dabbed the brown liquid thickened by badly filtered coffee grounds before it'd spread on his report.

... once broken their link with the Anghenfil. The captured Hebridean Black and its female that got away were set free close to Sanaigmore Coast and their monitoring entrusted to Gudmund Gwyliwr, Obliviators Office of Portnahaven, Islay Island, following the signing of the treaty. The specialist sent by the Ministry of Magic, Charlie Weasley, certified it was safe now that they were back to their natural state...

He stopped to massage his temples, pinching the bridge of his nose with a wince. The migraine was persisting despite the horrible potion he had swallowed instead of breakfast - his stomach was too knotted to accept any solid food anyway.

... sorely hurt. The fur dragon nicknamed "Toothless" - He barred the name of the plush toy. People who had not hesitated to send a child to war did not have the right to know it - is to be considered definitively gone, dead as a result of their injuries. Therefore, Hermione Jean Granger, Head of the Departement for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, has lifted up any suspicion of hybridity about Albus Severus Potter and revoked notices from previously (see report in Annex 7)...

He dipped the metal tip of the quill in the ink bottle, not realizing he was drowning it. He felt like there was sand in his cornea. His headache was beating louder under his skull and his shoulder, which was far from fully recovered, was throbbing in dull pain waves along his arm.

... transports should be restored today, Friday, April the 12th , which will allow healers sent by St. Mungo's to care for the wounded whom could not be treated by the muggle doctor of Glenegedale (see the reasons given for this breach of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in Annex 9). The underage wizards and the heavily injured Aurors will be then evacuated by train to London. Mailing Service having resumed last Tuesday, an owl will inform the families of their time of arrival...

The scroll was blurring and he blinked to clear his sight. He muttered another curse as he realized the lines were spinning and some words were half written on the table. He would have to start all over again... He took off his glasses and rubbed his aching eye sockets.

- "Harry?"

He turned his head.

- "You look horrible", sighed Hermione, coming in the tent and removing the hood of her wet raincoat. She picked up his glasses and put them on his nose. "You should rest. Lizzie didn't send you off to write your report, but to make sure you'd rest a little. You've barely slept for the past four days, Harry."

She shook her head sadly.

- "And you should eat something, too - even if it's hard."

The man avoided her worried gaze. He looked haggard, emaciated cheeks devoured by anxiety and a shaggy black beard. A shiver ran down his right arm and the woman suspected that the icy humidity was awakening the pain from the shoulder he had dislocated during the final battle.

- "Oh, Harry..."

He groaned.

- "I'm fine, Hermione. If I don't get over the paperwork now, I'll have to do it later. And when we go back home, my family will need me."

She nodded silently, put a gentle hand on her friend's unhurt shoulder.

- "How are they?" Harry asked almost in a whisper.

Hermione breathed in deeply.

- "Busy", she said simply. "The Aurors have spread the word. The children won't get a single moment to think about what happened."

- "But they'll have to face it at some point, though..." the man muttered darkly. "We must all learn to live with it..."

His fingers had unconsciously intertwined on his lap and his knuckles were turning white. Hermione crouched in front of him and wrapped his hands in hers.

- "Everything will be alright. It's for Albus that it's the most difficult and he's being really courageous."

Harry's lips twitched, sneering miserably.

- "I'm afraid he'll break down later... when we'll believe to have overcome this..."

Burning tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes.

- "He didn't say anything, but ... he was sobbing ... Hermione... He was sobbing so much in my arms when he realized..." he stammered. "And I could say nothing ... do nothing ... just hold him tight... it's all my fault... I should never have let him come here..."

The woman got up and hugged him, without a word, stifling the words that hurt so much. He did not struggle, instead grabbed the sleeves of the raincoat and leaned against her, spluttering and breathing in hitches, tears streaming down his face, hiding away from the world like a child.

"Cry, Harry. Cry with all your heart. Cry now, because later they will need you to be strong. Cry, because you never let yourself to. All these years, Harry... you stood up and held on because of your rage, to protect the world - your family – the peace… But you're allowed to cry... even a hero ... even a father has the right to cry…"

In the hospital, Lizzie had drawn the curtains and cast a spell to build a cocoon of warmth around the bed. She thought Albus was sleeping. Sheltered from the cold humidity, the sound of the rain and the voices outside, the teenager had opened his eyes. His arms were flat on the sheet and he was staring at the translucent halo forming on the roof of the tent above him.

He was calm.

He had made his decision.

TBC

Next chapter: King's Cross Station

(This will be the last chapter before the closing one).