Author's note- This is my first try at a multi-chapter HP fanfic. Let's see what happens.
"No Place to Hide"
Chapter one- in wine there is truth
Alastor Moody laughed at himself. There he was, a grown wizard standing in the rain while he waited for the traffic signal to change. He'd been inside all day with his head buried deep in parchment work. He left the ministry in a hurry and never noticed the weather. Somehow the rain seemed like a perfect ending to his day. Either the gods were drowning him slowly, or they were washing away his cares of the day.
The traffic light changed before Alastor could decide which it was. He carefully looked both ways before he crossed the boulevard.
The last seven days had been another horrible week. He'd stayed late to review the staffing schedule for the three day weekend. More wizards would be out for the holiday so he wanted more Aurors on the streets to protect them. He also wanted shorter shifts so the Aurors could have some time away from work. They needed the away time.
He felt it in his bones. The Aurors were losing a gorilla war of terror and attrition. Though the Minister of Magic denied it at least once a week, any wizard with half a brain could see what was happening. Public figures were attacked. First generation wizards were murdered in their homes at night. Neutral families were forced to pay protection money to Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Alastor's Aurors were fighting a war with their wands tied behind their backs.
The ministry wasn't doing enough to stop it. He knew this was a rough job when he took it three decades ago. Everyone expected the usual scrapes and breaks. This was different. A few days ago, another of his young Aurors had been murdered on the job by the Death Eaters. Her attackers had transfigured her after she died. She'd been a fine witch.
Give her a few more years and she could have become a great Auror. He'd helped train her, and now she was only a memory. She was more than her death, but it was a lot to bear. Alastor Moody wiped the rain from his face, finited the glamor he wore in public, and cast a warming charm.
There wasn't a posted time to meet after work on Friday so he couldn't be late no matter when he arrived. The loft above the tavern was a private meeting room that ministry employees used at odd times. Sometimes it was an Auror's bar. Today, they used it to remind themselves that life went on. Alastor was short of breath after working his way up the stairs with one and a half legs. He ordered a pint and listened to the conversations around him. The room was already full.
"We've tried that," one of the young goblins hissed. An Unspeakable was arguing with a middle-aged goblin about how to find and track the Death Eaters. At least the goblin looked middle-aged. It was hard to tell.
Alastor turned his attention back to his ale. Whatever Saul Croaker's Unspeakables had been doing to find the Death Eaters, it wasn't enough. A chair opened up and Alastor sat down to drink.
Speaking of the demon, Saul Croaker sat down across from him and pushed a full mug across the table. Alastor would drink with him, but he didn't want to talk to the director of magical research.
"I'm doing what I can," Croaker said when the conversation around them died down enough that he could be heard without shouting in full voice.
Moody nodded as he drank. He was losing good wizards and witches and 'doing what you can' wasn't bloody enough. He was tired of going to spouses and parents and explaining that their loved ones weren't coming home because the ministry was 'doing what they could.'
Alastor finished his mug and picked up the peace offering from the Director of Magical Research. "Since you're doing all you can, you can go with me to Singh's funeral service tomorrow. I'm sure her family will appreciate it."
The DMR, the Unspeakable of Unspeakables, had the decency to wince at the veiled accusation. Maybe the Unspeakables would come up with some better spells if they attended a few more funerals in person. Alastor stared at him until the man agreed to go and pay his respects.
"Look, Alastor, we have a research group meeting. Maybe you'll see something we've missed. We're trying a number of ideas to track the Death Eaters as they gather for an attack."
Alastor took almost a full minute to look around them before he replied. "The dragon's didn't work?" he asked.
"Oh, they worked. We simply don't have enough dragon wranglers who are Parselmouths to talk to them. We're trying a rune translator that works between human and dragon. Relying on that translator is a lot to ask when you're doing a raid on a pureblood's manor with your wands out. The government would fall if we got it wrong."
Alastor snorted and took another sip.
Someone nudged his shoulder as they sat down and Alastor turned to give them what for. It was too early in the evening for the drunks to be stumbling about.
Tonks looked down and grinned at him as she dropped her bag on the table and sat down. He was surprised to see her since she worked third shift last night. "Aren't you here a little early, lass," he asked.
"Looks like I'm a little late since you lot started without me." She made a face at him and waved a waiter over.
Tonks placed her order before she turned back to them. "I'm just pulling your wooden leg. Schmit messaged me after he got a floo call from his wife."
Right. Schmit's wife was having their first baby. Tonks was a fill-in for Schmit's slot in the schedule. The young Aurors had taken care of each other without being asked and without bothering him. By Merlin he loved these kids.
Alastor reached for his mug so he wouldn't say something sentimental. Was he that deep in his cups already?
They all turned at the sound of a loud 'pop' behind them. Alastor heard a couple shields go up as well. By the time he looked down there were a dozen wands pointed at a house elf holding a shopping bag. The elf's eyes grew wide as she slowly lifted the shopping bag to hide her face.
"Flopsy, what are you doing here?" Tonks asked. She didn't yell, but it seemed that way since the room was suddenly quiet.
Alastor didn't recognize the elf, but Tonks obviously did. Of course you'd call an elf with unusually long ears Flopsy. What else could you do?
Alastor put his wand away after he vanished the spilled ale from the table. He waved to the waiter to buy another round for himself and Croaker. Tonks was going on duty so she was drinking tea.
"Missy Tonks lefts her lunch at Mistress Andromeda's." The elf hesitated as he lifted the cloth shopping bag up for Tonks to grab.
"Thank you, my friend. I don't know what we'd do without you." Tonks took her lunch sack and set it next to her bag on the table. "Say 'hi' to mum for me."
The elf disappeared with another "pop", and the group went back to irrigating their wounds with alcohol. The ache didn't go away, but for a while it became easier to bear as their pains were divided and shared.
Tonks turned back to Moody and Croaker, but Moody teased her before she could sit down and say anything.
"Tonks, be careful as you apparate tonight. You'd lose your ass if it wasn't attached."
The pink haired witch nodded behind her cup. "Flopsy has been chasing after me since I was in nappies. We got this. We're tight." Tonks said with a mischievous grin.
Well far be it from him to come between a witch and her elf, Alastor thought.
Alastor looked at his fresh mug and then at the director of magical research. "The elves can find us anywhere. Why can't you find the bloody Death Eaters the same way?"
The chief Unspeakable had been drinking but he jumped on the questions without taking a breath. "If you think the potion is so damn weak then you wade right in and drink it up. I'll bring the goblins and the elves with me. I'm serious. You bring the food and drink. Your place at 7 this Sunday. If we come up with a dozen good ideas, then maybe one or two of them might work out for us."
Alastor answered right back, "If you come up with a single good idea then I'll buy you a bottle, else, you owe my Aurors a round." Saul was getting older, but his pride would drive him harder than any harsh language. That was saying something given Mad-eye Moody's well known eloquence when he swore.
They clinked their glasses, but Alastor did it by reflex simply so Saul wouldn't hit him in the chest with his mug of ale. Croaker still managed to spill some of his drink on Alastor's shirt.
Saul wasn't usually a sloppy drunk. Maybe he was having a tough week like the rest of them.
It was getting late. Merlin's limp wand, it was Friday night and he'd better get home to tell his elf they had company coming after dark on Sunday. With goblins and elves among the dinner guests, his elf would hide his magic eye if he surprised her with that. There would be no place for him to hide.
Alastor paid his tab. As he walked to the floo, he made a note to ask Saul how many guests he should expect. It was about time they started tracking the Death Eaters one way or another.
HPHPHP
Author's note- People will carry amazing burdens if you give them a little hope and praise. I also wanted to write a chapter about Alastor Moody without saying "constant vigilance" even once.
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