Conjecture

by King Andro

Harry ferrets out a huge conspiracy that was responsible for war with the Dark Lord and comes up against his best friend as a consequence.

2. 2

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/FONT] [FONT=quot]"Rennervate," Ron incantated, and watched as his estranged friend opened his eyes./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"You've a lot of explaining to do," he said as Harry blinked a few times./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Is the room supposed to spin like this?" he asked from his position on the floor./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]The place was a mess, scorch marks and holes adorning the walls. Several priceless paintings have been ruined by randomly cast spells, causing more damage than Ron, or even the entire department he worked for could afford to pay. Luckily, Harry had spared him the headache of a law suit by killing the owner./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Yeah, but it passes a lot quicker if you manage to get up on your feet," Ron said, sitting on the same armchair his friend had occupied several moments before. Harry's eyes raked over him, spotting his wand in Ron's hands as he got up shakily./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]He then started laughing hysterically./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"What?" Ron asked. "What are you laughing at?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"It seems I've taken more Killing Curses than stunners in my life," Harry said as he stopped laughing. "Merlin, that's sad."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself," Ron said, and it wasn't in consolation./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Harry sighed./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"You still trust me. That's good. That's good," he said as he slowly wobbled to an armchair, pushed the bits of plaster and the ruined painting off the seat and plopped himself down./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"My question is: what made you trust me?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"We were best friends once. I decided to let you have the benefit of the doubt."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"That's it?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"What do you expect me to say? That I found reason in your ramblings?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Oh, for God's sake Ron," Harry snapped, before a dizziness washed over him. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back and closed his eyes, letting the wariness wash over him. "Think for a minute. Ashworth's a spy-"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Maybe. Maybe not."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Let's say he isn't. He walks in here with you, finds that I've killed Lionel Fowl after brutally torturing him. He thinks that I've killed more than half his team mates, just as you thought, and then finds me holding a wand to your head. And then he fires a stunner? Let's get real, Ron. Someone obviously wants me for questioning."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"He's a rookie. Maybe he's afraid to kill."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Harry heard the unspoken 'unlike you', but let it slide./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Okay, Ron. I'll let you decide if he's a spy, a badge for hire or not," Harry said, getting up from the chair and digging into the inner pocket of his robe. From within, he pulled out a small box, the size of a pack of cigarettes./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"My wand, please," he said, extending an empty palm towards Ron. Ron hesitated for a minute, casting a quick look at the cloud-eyed Ashworth who was still looking up at the ceiling. After the second passed, he handed the wand to Harry, hoping he wasn't making a mistake./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]As soon as Harry had his wand back, he tossed the wooden box on the floor and waived his wand over it. Ron watching as the box expanded to a large crate. A chill went up in the air and white steam puffed out of the wooden box as Harry opened the crate./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Oh, Merlin!" Ron exclaimed as he saw Harry dragging a frozen corpse from the inside of the crate. "Harry, what the bloody hell?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Relax Ron. I didn't kill him. Just... borrowed him, I guess," Harry responded, slowly easing the corpse down on the ground as to not break any frozen limbs. It was only then that Ron realized that the corpse was dressed in exactly the same clothes as Harry was. A long black duster was entangled at his feet, a pair of black shoes covering them, with black pants and a black sweater covering his legs and torso. The corpse even had a wand in its rigid blue fingers./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Wha-"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"This is killer, Ron. Officially of course," he said with a forced, rigid smile Ron remembered fairly well from their school years. "You've already obliviated Ashworth, I see, so I'm going to modify his memory. Make him remember that you fired a killing curse at me first."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"But... why?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"So I can walk out of here clean," Harry said, waving his wand over the corpse. A blast of heat assaulted the room before the air settled to its previous temperature./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"What was that for?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Warming charm. It's supposed to heat up the liver, besides the obvious unfreezing effect, of course. Look," Harry said, walking to Ashworth's slumped form and waiving his wand over him as well, "there's no time. Your men will wake up soon."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Ron recognised the spell Harry was casting on Ashworth the moment it ended. Memory modification./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Ashworth had orders from the Old Men to bring me in alive. They want to know why I was killing them off and who else knew. I cannot let that happen. So, If I'm not brought in, they'll draw the conclusion that I've either escaped, or that I'm dead. Giving them a body will helpfully stall them for a bit."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"So that's what the corpse is for. I get it. But Harry, what if-"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"What if I'm wrong? If I was, I'd be dead by now."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]He waived his wand and Ron's own wand jumped through the window and sailed at him. Ron caught it in mid air, holstering it immediately./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Listen carefully," Harry said as he turned to face him. "Here's how you confirm Ashworth's a spy. Tonight, he's going to ask you and your mates here to have a pint with him. You know, as a celebration for his first mission. He'll take you to a pub called..."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"The White Rose," Ron said, standing in the wet sidewalk, his neck craned up to read the neon sign that glowed above the entrance of the muggle pub./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Tha's a bi' effemina'e. Oi, Ashworth, you sure you're no' a poof?" Collins asked with a grin as they walked towards it. "Coz it sure sounds to me like it's one o' them poof pubs."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"It's to do with the War of the Roses. In fact, connecting roses with homosexuals speaks more about your unstable heterosexuality than mine," was Ashworth's eloquent reply./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Oooo," the men jeered as Ron opened the door and let them all in./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Righ'. Well, we'll see 'ow you 'old ye drink. Tha's 'ow we'll know if there's a man under that womanly face o' yours," Collins replied as he shut the door behind them./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]The place wasn't big. Several tables and chairs made of what was probably steel were scattered around the floor with matching chairs around them. On the opposite wall of the door was the bar, with dozens of bottles lining shelves on the wall behind it. A mirror hung behind them, giving the men a glimpse between the bottles of the cute blonde's bare back./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"'Ello luv. What's a girl like you doin' in a place like this?" asked one of them, a tall black man, as he leaned against the bar. The blonde just smiled./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"What can I getcha, sir?" she asked./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Lay off it, Greene. Just get us the beer," said Ron as he sat himself on the table nearest to the bar, his chair facing the entrance. The men immediately joined him, each taking a chair on the same table. Ashworth, a sour look on his face, dragged a chair from another table and sat himself silently./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Six pints, coming up," said Greene, placing them on the table and drawing up a chair from one of the tables./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Take it easy, alright? It was your first mission. You get better with experience," said McDowell, but Ashworth just shot him a dark look./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"The Icebreaker?" Ron asked quietly, looking at Collins. The latter nodded, garnering the attention of all the men at the table and the barmaid behind them./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Gen'lemen, a joke," said Collins, before leaning back and taking a long drink from his tankard. "Why did Dick Jonson go' kicked off the force?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]All the men around the table snickered, bar Ashworth, whose brow furrowed in thought./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Cuz 'e was ge'in' too cocky."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]The barmaid grinned as the men burst into laughter, Ashworth included. More pints were ordered and more jokes and stories were told./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Are you boys in the S.A.S or something?" the barmaid asked./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Something." Greene said coyly. "Why? You fancy a little danger in your life?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Greene, stop hitting on the barmaid. You're married, for God's sake," slurred Ron./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"You've had too much to drink," Greene said, raising his left hand up. "Divorced, remember?"/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Ron sagged in his seat as the rest of the men laughed at him./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Why did you two break it off?" asked the barmaid, leaning over the bar./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Have you ever seen an overinflated cow?" Greened asked./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"No," the barmaid said, wondering where that was going./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Well then, you haven't seen my ex wife."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]The men burst in another fit of laughter as the barmaid tsked, shook her head and went back to cleaning the bar./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]It was Ron who saw it first, seeing as he was seated with a clear view of the door. A tall dark man entered the pub, dressed in black robes. If that wasn't bad enough, he pulled a wand from one of his pockets before the door had the chance to swing shut again./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Contact!" yelled Ron. /FONT]

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[FONT=quot]The laughter stopped and spells flew, but Ron was already in the air. Soaring over the bar, he pulled out his wand and tackled the barmaid down to the floor as he landed on her./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"I hope you're right, Harry," he whispered to himself as he put a hand over the blonde's mouth. Just in time too, seeing as she was taking a deep breath and was about to scream. She immediately tried to free herself, kicking and bucking beneath him. Four of her long purple painted fingernails raked across his skin, her middle finger managing to open up the cut he received earlier in the night./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Shit," he hissed out, just barely managing to snuff the rising urge to strangle her. /FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Imperio," he said instead, and with a flick of his wand, the blonde's eyes immediately clouded. /FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]He felt her struggle against the spell her physical efforts dwindling as her mental ones increased, and he couldn't stop himself from being impressed that a muggle barmaid put up such a resistance./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]But in the end, it was inevitable. He felt the tendrils on her mind tighten even as she writing and the lame squirms under him were losing power. A spell flew over their heads and broke the mirror behind the bar, making glass shards from it and the bottles in front of it rain down like snow, glinting in a rainbow of colours as they reflected the lights of all the spells cast on the other side of the bar./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]One shard landed near her left eye, and she blinked./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]That was all the spell needed. One lapse of concentration and the resistance she was putting up was gone./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Stay quiet and drink this," Ron said, digging in his pocket and pulling a small vial of swirling black liquid. She obeyed instantly, chugging the potion in one go, as if it was a shot of tequila. He took the empty vial from her limp hands and stashed it back in his pocket./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Another spell flew above them, this time much lower, punching a hole through the bar./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]More glass rained from above, accompanied by sawdust this time. It stuck to his sweaty face, and made his eyes tear up. With a quick charm he cast without even thinking about it, his face was clean again./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ron stood up on one knee and cast a look through the hole. He could see the man in black robes tossing spells left and right in a casual manner as his team took cover behind the overturned metal tables. Greene was holding his left hand, his face screwed up in agony. Taking a closer look, he noticed that his wand hand was as black as wooden coal./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Unbidden, the image of Dumbedore at the feast came to him, his hand as black as Greene's before he snapped out of it and focused on the task at hand./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]Casting a look down at the barmaid, he saw the colour drain from her face, even as that subtle glint of life left her eyes. He felt the connection of the Imperious Spell break, and he knew she was dead./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Now, the mysterious man in black," Ron muttered, casting another look at the man in the middle of the pub through the hole in the bar. Sneaking the tip of his wand through the jagged hole, he took a deep breath./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"On three," he yelled, and saw through the hole as his team got into firing positions, finally organising their efforts into bringing the bastard down./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"One, Stupefy."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]It was a clever little thing they had going on in their unit, casting on two when the opponent could hear them clearly./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Several more calls of the same spell rang through the room. The man was caught off guard and managed to deflect three of them, but three spells slammed into his chest and lifted him off the ground. He flew several feet backwards before toppling to the ground in a heap, headfirst. There was a loud crunching sound, and Ron cursed inwardly./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Collins?" he called from behind the bar./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"OK."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Greene?"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]There was a groan./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"I'll live."/FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Ashworth?"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"I'm fine,"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"McDowell?"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"OK"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Griffith?"/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]There was silence./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Griffith?" Ron asked again./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Griffith is down sir. He's bleeding from the head," answered McDowell./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ron stood up from behind the bar and jumped over it./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Try some healing spells," Ron said. But McDowell was already casting several spells, and none of them looked to be working./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Well, shit. Collins, take this bastard to the Ministry and have Joanne have look at him. Tell her that come morning, I want to know everything there is to know about him," Ron said angrily, resisting the urge to kick the corpse of the dead wizard. "In fact, I want you to stay there and make sure she does her job. I don't care how many pepper up potions it'll take. Make sure it's done."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Collins looked at his friend's face, concern evident in his black eyes./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Don't just stand there, man. Go!" Ron urged him./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"On it," Collins said, crossing the room and grabbing the attacker's ankle before Disapparating./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"McDowell, take Greene and Griffith to St. Mungo's. There's nothing we can do here. Ashworth, you and I will stay here and clean up this mess."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]McDowell dragged Greene to Griffith, who was now convulsing with pain, and immediately Disapparated./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Don't just stand there. Get to work," Ron barked, and Ashworth snapped out of his daze. Immediately they started waiving their wands, repairing the dented and melted tables, the punctured bar and the broken bottles and mirror. The scorch marks on the walls disappeared, and soon the place looked just like it did when they walked in./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Except for the steadily chilling body behind the bar./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Sirens approached from the distance./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ron took a seat at one the bar and leaned fowrard while Ashworth walked around the bar and crouched, checking the blonde's pulse./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"She's dead, mate," Ron said quietly. "The bastard must've gotten her through the bar."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ashworth stood up and nodded, his face looking green./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Look," Ron said with a sigh. "Go home, get some rest. I'll handle it from here."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ashworth nodded and disapparated immediately./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Ron sighed in the silence. Life just seemed to always take a turn for the worst./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Stretching over the bar, he took the one bottle off the wall that had the luck not to be blown to pieces. Emptying some of the clear liquid into a shot glass, he threw it back so quickly he barely had the chance to taste it./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]The sirens grew louder and louder./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]He looked down at his watch. A quarter to one./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]Just then, the sirens stopped abruptly. Instead of the police walking inside the pub with their guns and badges and whatnot raised and pointed at him, another dark clad wizard entered./FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]A digital beep sounded behind him as the door thumped back into its frame./FONT]

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[FONT=quot]"Hello Ron."/FONT]

[FONT=quot] /FONT]

[FONT=quot]"Hi Harry."/FONT]

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