LAST TIME:

"Expecto Patronum."

A stag bounded forth from Harry's wand, making Daphne gasp. It trotted nearer to her and spoke in Harry's voice. "Like this, we can communicate with the Patronus charm. Quite useful."

"I am yet to even master it," Daphne muttered.

"Seriously? Half of our year knew how to do it by our fifth year."

Daphne gave him a stink eye. "You mean the ones you benevolently taught, excluding Slytherins, whom you thought to be Death Eaters in training by default based on your views of Draco Malfoy and his two Gorillas."

"I assure you that if you had come to me, I wouldn't have said no to teaching you or any Slytherins as long as they assured me that they wouldn't join Voldemort."

"And your friend, Weasley?"

"I would've convi—" Harry stopped short as De Luca forcibly grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the door.

"What?"

"We are wasting time. We can discuss this all anytime but not today, Potter. You need to get your medications followed by some other stuff including an agent manual."

"You have an agent manual?"

"No more questions, Potter! Come on!"


Ch.4 Missions and Agents

The idle chatter of Agents drifted through the dining hall as they chatted while having their lunch. The cool metal of the table brushed against Harry's skin as he chewed his delicious steak.

"—absolutely moronic!" Mr. Singh's angry exclamation brought Harry back to concentrate on the conversation happening at his table.

"Really though, who digs out the street and leaves it as it is for weeks, obscuring the traffic? That too a busy road?" Faizal snorted.

"India's muggle government apparently. Idiots, the lot of them." Mr. Singh huffed, as he spooned his dal-rice from his lunch box before eating.

Harry had found it odd that Mr. Singh brought a lunch box when the mess had free food. But he hadn't voiced it, allowing the older man to do as he pleased. Besides, the food that he sometimes brought in the lunch box was mouth-watering, if a bit too spicy.

"What do you think, Harry?" Natalie asked, trying to include him in the conversation for the third time in a row.

'Can't a man dine in peace?'

"Muggles are slower than us when it comes to construction. I saw Hogwarts being rebuilt in days after the—" Harry trailed off, remembering glimpses of the past.

Fred's dead body, the ghost of his last laugh still on his face as he lay still, never to wake again. Remus and Tonks' corpses, covered in white sheets lying next to each other in the ruined ante-chamber. Lavender Brown, whose body had been torn apart and face rendered unrecognizable. Colin Creevy who had only come because he believed in the Boy-who-lived.

All dead. Because Voldemort wanted him.

"Battle of Hogwarts," Daphne said smoothly, giving Harry a look. "The castle was badly damaged. They repaired it in less than a month to its former glory."

Harry took a deep breath before nodding at his teammates. "It was largely because of the help of numerous wizards who came in to help with the repairs. Almost every wizard and witch in Britain is, after all, an alumni of Hogwarts. And the repairing charm is a pretty simple spell."

"Still, an impressive feat, considering how enchanted Hogwarts was. To restore the magic and enchantments is phenomenal." Agent Crystal said.

"Some enchantments were re-enacted by the castle itself. For instance, the moving staircases were back, moments after we cast the repairing charms on them." Daphne reminisced, her fork moving through the air as she spoke.

"So did the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office," Harry reminded, as he eyed his almost empty plate.

"Headmistress office," Daphne corrected absent-mindedly.

'For me, it will always be Dumbledore's. It feels wrong to call it someone else's office.'

"What of the wards though?" De Luca asked, his voice brimming with curiosity. "Hogwarts was said to have the most powerful wards in Britain. The Death Eaters destroyed those. Did you all—"

"The goblins did," Harry grimaced, remembering the stink-eyed looks directed at him from the creatures until the Ministry had paid them for the damages and the dragon alongside his public apology for breaking into the bank.

After that, they didn't bother him much, even if he was kept under intense scrutiny whenever he visited the bank.

'Bloody buggers, those goblins.'

"Of course. One of the best warders in the world," De Luca said with a nod. "Their teams are elite."

"I am not sure about that. Our teammate here did break into Gringotts itself." Faizal said with a wide grin. "Caused quite a stir here. Three kids breaking into Gringotts and escaping on a dragon of all things. Should've been an experience."

Harry gave a weak snort at that.

"It would be fun to do it," Natalie grinned, making everyone look at her. "What? Robbing the most secure bank! That is something we should do for a training exercise. Cause if we can do it—"

"We can break into any place in the world!" De Luca completed, his eyes lighting up.

'That is a bad idea. I only stole a cup and a dragon for which the ministry paid tens of thousands of galleons from the Death Eater vaults they had seized. It was a moronically huge loss to post-war recovery efforts, as Skeeter eloquently put it.'

"Yes, we—"

Suddenly Daphne squealed, drawing the team's attention to her, and making her blush.

"T-that's V-Valkyrie!" She stuttered, looking wide-eyed at the door across from Harry.

Harry turned and nearly did a double-take as he saw the woman who had just entered the mess hall, wearing a dark purple cloak alongside the rest of her team. Her dark-violet eyes roved around the hall while playing with a strand of her jet-black curly hair.

She looked awfully a lot like Bellatrix Lestrange.

She even had her predatorily-graceful walk, as she strode through the hall to take a plate to eat lunch, ignoring the whispers that flitted across the hall.

A part of Harry had felt extremely relieved when the agents in the institute had not given him more than a second glance as he had passed. Here, his fame seemed to be limited to miraculously surviving a killing curse as a baby, unlike in Britain, where people worshiped the very ground he walked on.

"What's so special 'bout that bitch?" Natalie murmured, making Daphne's head snap toward her.

'She is looking at Nat like she just offended her mother. Wonder who this Valkyrie is.'

"She is the best field operative in WAND!" Daphne exclaimed. "And the only runic-battle mage in the world!"

"There is nothing like a runic battle mage," Natalie scoffed. "There is nothing like a Battle-mage either."

"Valkyrie can use runes in battle! How many people in the world can do that?" Daphne said heatedly.

Natalie snorted.

"Anyone can, with prior preparations. How do you think most of our equipment works, Princess?"

'I wonder what problem Natalie has with this Valkyrie figure.'

Daphne glared at Natalie, trying to carve a hole in her head with her eyes.

"She draws runes during a fight and uses them," She hissed. "How many can do that?"

'That's a complete waste of time and effort. Why draw runes and alert the enemy of what your next move is? Spells are better.'

"An idiotic thing to do. If your opponent knows runes, what good will it do to alert them of your next spell?" Natalie sneered, mirroring Harry's line of thought.

"But, but—"

"I am sorry, were you talking about me, Fern?" A smooth, dangerous voice called from behind Harry and his head snapped toward the source, the elder wand leaped into his hand.

Valkyrie stood right behind De Luca, with her hands on his shoulders looking vaguely amused.

The others at the table, even the ones sitting opposite Harry had jumped while De Luca seemed to be frozen in his place.

'I didn't even hear her approach. Neither did they see her for that matter, it seems. And they should've seen her walking to us.'

Harry's eyes seeked Daphne, who seemed to be hyperventilating as she stood in Valkyrie's presence.

'She is fangirling Valkyrie worse than Ginny and Colin did to me combined. Wonder what's her deal.'

Valkyrie seemed to ignore the blonde, choosing to stare at Natalie. "What were you saying about me, Fern?"

Harry raised an eyebrow and glanced around as Valkyrie's voice seemed to reverberate. But no one seemed to be paying heed to their table.

'A powerful notice-me-not charm. And a silencing ward.' Harry determined as he eyed Valkyrie. 'Some special type of silencing ward which keeps the sound inside rather than canceling it as it goes out.'

"I was telling her that nothing like a runic battle mage exists," Natalie scoffed.

Valkyrie tilted her head before nodding. "It doesn't. But what were you saying about me, dear girl?"

The tinge of acid in her voice was unmistakable.

"Your method is stupid," Natalie said, ignoring the dangerous tone Valkyrie was using.

"Oh, and who are you to determine that?"

Valkyrie's voice was barely a whisper and yet, goosebumps erupted along Harry's arms. He could smell the faint whiff of woodsmoke in the air.

"I damn well know how you do those things," Natalie hissed. "Blood magic, rituals, the darkest of arts."

Harry frowned mentally. 'I didn't expect this coming from our resident Dark Arts expert.'

"Yes to the first two, no to the last," Valkyrie drawled, unbothered by Natalie's words. "I wouldn't expect an idiot to understand though."

Valkyrie's eyes roved across the table, ignoring Natalie, who looked as if she was about to draw her wand before landing on Harry.

Harry tried not to notice the heartbroken look on Daphne's face when she was ignored by Valkyrie as he stared the woman right in the eye.

A part of him was deeply unsettled by the deep violet eyes that glinted eerily, making him grasp his wand tighter for a moment.

"You look new here. You must be Cadros's replacement," she said, examining him with a knowing gleam in her eye. "I don't think we've been introduced. But you do look familiar."

'She knows exactly who I am. The question is, is she just being polite or does she want something from me?'

"I am Agatha. Agatha Guerrero," She continued as a friendly smile spread over her face. "Better known as Agent Valkyrie, leader of team one."

Harry's eyes trailed over her face for a moment before he holstered his wand and stood up.

"Harry Potter. Pleased to be your acquaintance, Miss Agatha," Harry said as he stood up and shook her hand.

He was acutely aware of the fact that he barely came up to the woman's nose, having to look up to meet her gaze.

"I half-expected you to kiss my knuckles," She said, her violet eyes glittering. "You know, as the British do."

Harry's lips curled but before he could do anything, Natalie snorted loudly.

"You're no Lady, Guerrero."

"And you know a lot about being a lady, don't you, Natsy?" Valkyrie replied, turning her head to look at Natalie who visibly bristled at the word.

Valkyrie seemed satisfied at the reaction as she turned back to Harry, her smile turning to a smirk.

"Tell you what, Harry. Leave this rag-tag team of people and join something better. My team. W.A.N.D's most elite. Your potential will be better utilized there, instead of here. We will have a position open soon. Ol' Ares is retiring in two months." She offered before jabbing her thumb at Natalie. "As a bonus, you won't have to deal with her."

"And what do you mean by that, Valkyrie?" De Luca said, his tone strained, as he rose from his seat beside Harry.

Harry noted that De Luca was making a visible effort to not go for his wand.

'He's afraid to draw his wand on her.' Harry realized as his jaw twitched. 'She's probably the bully here. Like Dawlish tried to be.'

Valkyrie just scoffed at De Luca's face. "Everyone knows it, De Luca. You do, better than anyone. After Paxton's death and Cadros' injury a month later, your team is a shadow of what it used to be."

Instead of retorting, De Luca sharply looked away from Valkyrie's gaze.

Her gaze seemed to soften.

"The team's most capable and senior members are no longer here with you," Valkyrie continued with an imploring look. "I am not saying that your team's weak, De Luca. I know what you have. An international duelist—"

Daphne ducked her head, blushing furiously as Valkyrie gestured to her. And it didn't go unnoticed as Valkyrie's lips quivered into a smirk.

"Who might be a bit inexperienced, but she is more than decent with a wand. You are one of the foremost ward specialists in Europe. Sher's expertise in creatures is only second to perhaps Scamander himself. The specialists you have for the back end were both top of their class. And, despite being an insufferable bitch, even Fern's passable as a good agent."

Natalie scowled deeply at her for the statement.

"And now, you have perhaps the most famous man in Europe in your team who is known to pull impossible feats out of his arse, including surviving a killing curse. Twice."

"Miss Valkyrie," Harry intervened as the topic was diverted back to him. "While I am flattered by your words, I will have you know that I don't do stuff like autographs and photos. I am not very taken by the fame I have, which came at a great personal cost."

Valkyrie's eyes narrowed and the metal table seemed to shake as her eyes glowed eerily.

"Potter, I will have you know that I am not a arse-licker you might think I am. I am not one of your fans and take nothing into the legend of you." She hissed, slightly tilting her head. "You might be a wonder boy for Britain, but what I value you for is the skills that you graciously showed as an Auror for the British Ministry. And I only take the best into my team."

"Well, then I am grateful for that," Harry replied calmly, trying to appear unbothered by her eerie purple eyes which bore into his. "And quite humbled by the fact that you think I should fight alongside you for my skills and not my fame. But I will have to respectfully decline. I am good where I am, madam. Thank you for the offer, though."

The last part was well practiced by now for Harry. He had gotten those kinds of offers in the past from all sorts of places. Private contractors, the Department of Mysteries, and whatnot.

"Very well, Potter. But my offer is open for a month. If you change your mind, please inform me at your earliest convenience. My team consists of the best of the best."

"Does it now?" Natalie grouched.

"I shall give you time to ponder on this," Valkyrie said, ignoring Natalie. "If you want to join us, you know where to find me."

'I actually don't.'

"I expect your affirmation by the end of this month. Have a good day, Mr. Potter," she said before turning around and going back to where her team sat.

"You said no to Valkyrie!?" Daphne said incredulously.

"Fuck that. You called her a fangirl. I thought you were dead." Faizal breathed.

"Relax, mate. I have dealt with worse before," Harry said, as he retook his seat and picked up his cutlery. "I am used to all of this. Offers. Bullies. Everything. Don't worry."

"She's a stuck-up uppity bitch," Natalie growled. "But a stubborn and powerful uppity bitch. She holds influence here. If she wants you in her team, you go in her team. If someone refuses, she challenges them to a duel."

Harry raised an eyebrow as he cut the steak.

'The best W.A.N.D. has against me and the Elder Wand. That certainly won't be boring.' He mused.

"Well, we shall see," Harry sniffed before turning to Natalie. "What's your problem with her though?"

"Too many to name. We go back a long time— even before I joined W.A.N.D. She is a powerful witch, Harry. And skilled. You have to be careful if she challenges you to a duel. There is a reason that she is as famous as she is."

"Today is the first time I heard her name and I've been here for a week," Harry snorted. "And as I said, I have dealt with worse than a stuck up lady."

"Guerro is not to be underestimated, Harry. She is— the best." Mr. Singh said, as if it pained him to admit it. "People in the past underestimated her and fell to her wand. She may not look much— but she is the most skilled and powerful witch I have ever come across. And she has a habit of getting what she needs for her team."

"She doesn't need Harry," Natalie scoffed.

"Doesn't she? She loves only the best in her team. She won't settle for anything less, Nat. You know that. Valkyrie wants him and I am afraid she will get him by hook or crook if she doesn't find someone better to replace Ares. Harry, you need to be careful."

Harry raised an eyebrow but said nothing, choosing to finish his last bite of steak.

'It seems I would need to be careful of this Valkyrie figure.'

Things were certainly turning out to be interesting.


Cold wind blew against his face as Harry's heart thumped rhythmically in his ears. Below him was nothing but wilderness, shrouded in the darkness only visible in the glow of the moonlight above.

A pair of enchanted goggles covered his eyes, as his robes flapped in the wind.

The most prominent vision he could see were the green hazy figures on brooms that flew around him. His teammates.

They were of course invisible to the naked eye. No W.A.N.D. agent would ever endanger the Statute of Secrecy by flying on a broom while visible, even while flying above wilderness in one of the most uninhabited parts of Germany. The only reason that Harry could detect them by seeing the forms in a green haze was the enchanted goggles he wore, which allowed him to detect concealments and disguises.

"—Hell of a first mission, fellas. Cadros riding a dragon's face and jamming a dagger in its eye is going to be etched in my memory forever." Faizal's voice sounded over the comms, making Harry give a half-hearted chuckle.

"Cadros was one brave woman," De Luca chuckled. "Of course, words like reckless could also be associated with her."

Harry laughed openly with the team, as he flew through the air atop a Firebolt.

'Cadros seems like a Gryffindor person. Only a Gryffindor would poke a dragon in the eye.'

With that thought, his gaze turned back to the sky in front of him.

A part of him etched to go faster. To push the Firebolt to its limits. To feel the rush in his ears.

But he had to stay with the team.

When Harry had first seen the broom, it had made his heart ache, as he was reminded of his own Firebolt, gifted to him by Sirius. All that remained of the original broom was a half-damaged broomstick, far too broken to fly safely.

He had been given the exact same model by the W.A.N.D. team— with certain enhancements. Combat enhancements.

Where once the stylish etching of the word Firebolt and its model number had been, was a series of runes that unleashed deadly traps on any enemy, be it from the front or back.

Faizal had decreed it to be the magical variant of the cars in Bond films when Harry had been first handed the broom.

And Harry had found the description rather apt.

While the broom in his hand wasn't the fastest on the market as it once had been, it was still something Quidditch professionals used. And it was as good as Harry remembered it to be from his own time as the Gryffindor seeker.

Memories of Quidditch swirled past his eyes.

The thrill of the game. The danger. The thumping adrenaline. The team spirit. And the sweet smell of victory.

"Potter, try not to go too fast, will you," Daphne's snarky voice sounded, snapping Harry out, as he slowed his broom appropriately, noticing he had left his team a few meters behind.

Harry made a note to remember that not everyone on the team had Firebolts. Only Natalie and he did.

When he had asked about the difference a week ago, De Luca had simply told him that not everyone was as good as a flier as he was. Most were mediocre at best when compared to wizards and witches who played Quidditch in any semblance of a professional manner, including school teams.

Natalie, though, wasn't a Quidditch player. But she had played a sport called Quodpot, which was similar to Quidditch, or so she had assured him.

In Harry's opinion, it was a mix of Gobstones and muggle football played on brooms.

Cheap Quidditch, as Ron called it.

But Natalie too had the same broom as Harry did. The others though had a simple Comet 300, which went at half the Firebolt's speed. But it did have a couple of additional features as compared to the broom Harry had been provided to compensate for the speed.

'But a comet can never be a Firebolt. Firebolts are in a league of their own.'

"Try to stay along, Harry. Don't get too excited." Natalie shouted, her voice sounding twice in Harry's ears, once through the comms and once over the roar of the wind.

"I might be more nervous than excited," Harry muttered into the comms, as he watched the blurry, greenish form of Natalie fly next to him. "How far are we from the destination?"

"Only about two kilometers from the approximate location," De Luca answered over the comms. "Give or take."

"From the point our sources reported the target to be hiding, you're exactly two and one-third kilometers out," Crystal supplied over the comms. "You all might want to turn a little to your left. Just a slight tilt."

"Copy that," Natalie half-sang, taking the lead.

Miss Hadid, or Crystal as the team called her, was taking the point on the team alongside Mr. Singh today, monitoring everyone from the Headquarters. It was what she usually did. Most of the time, Faizal was with her instead of Mr. Singh but today he was needed in the field to help secure the O-63 artifact that the target had.

In normal terms, it meant that their target possessed an object with destructive capabilities, made from a combination of both muggle technology and magic.

The object in question right now, as the sources had reported, was a machine gun with the capability to shoot spells instead of bullets. A single spell of the caster's choosing, at the rate of a hundred and fifty to two hundred spells a minute, or so reports said.

The user, a German wizard, had unleashed the deadly effects of the gun on a busy market road in muggle Germany, killing over a hundred muggles until the Hit-wizard Squadron arrived. The resulting encounter, while having saved the lives of a few muggles, was not pretty, to say the least.

Out of the squadron of twenty-five hit-wizards who had responded, backups included, only eight had returned alive, that too in a critical condition. Even if they made it through their injuries, none of the eight wizards and witches would ever be capable of returning to the field.

But that was not the end of it.

A few days later, the same man had attempted to break into the Gringotts branch of Germany to take control of the finances of the country from the goblins. Had it not been for Gringotts' extensive security, he might've even succeeded.

Even if the man had been thwarted, lives had been lost that day, both wizard and goblin. And that was not considering the extensive damages Gringotts itself had suffered.

As of that moment, the German Ministry, Gringotts, and even the muggle government of Germany were baying for the man's blood.

Needless to say, it was time for W.A.N.D. to step in and consequently, Harry's very first real mission for the agency.

Contrary to what his teammates believed, he was not nervous. His case of nerves had died long ago and by now, he was accustomed to the line of work for the British Ministry. This was just the same but at an international scale.

That didn't mean that he wasn't worried though.

The man in himself was barely someone who posed a threat. Despite his past history as a crook, he was nothing but a lowlife who had lived off pickpocketing unsuspecting wizards or selling contraband. He was a mediocre wizard at best when it came to combat.

But what concerned Harry was the weapon he had. It was dangerous and destructive.

The onslaught from the machine guns, as highlighted by the reports they had received, was relentless. And, the man had a tendency to rely on blasting curses or similar spells which, in Harry's professional opinion, was a huge problem.

No shield, regardless of its caster or its reliability, could possibly withstand a continuous assault of blasting curses for more than a few seconds, being fired at the rate the gun did. Even a physical barrier won't do much good against blasting curses.

Thus, if the target open fired, the only option they would have would be to apparate out of the way or die trying.

"Alright, folks. You're almost at your destination." Mr. Singh said over the comms. "Keep an eye for detection wards or such. He shouldn't be far."

Harry squinted at the ground below but could see nothing but treetops. In the distance, the lights from a muggle town could be seen.

'He's at the edge of civilization. Far enough for anyone to stumble on him and yet, near enough to people and resources.'

"Should we be worried about detection wards so high up?" Natalie asked as she drifted at a slow pace alongside the team.

"On the ground, Fern," De Luca said, using Natalie's codename. "And from this moment forth, we stick to codenames. This man is deranged and dangerous. Felix, Khione. You both are our combat specialists. Be quick and if possible, quick enough to put the man down before he touches the damn gun."

Harry nodded. It was the wisest course of action. To put the man down before he could open fire and cause problems.

"Means we have to kill him if necessary," Daphne muttered.

De Luca had been clear on the fact that they were permitted to use spells like the Unforgivables on missions without being worried about repercussions. All missions that WAND undertook were high profile, and usually, something that an Auror force couldn't handle. Thus any restrictions on the team would likely lead to death.

Death of the target was not a concern they had to bear unless the target was explicitly needed alive.

And this man had already proven to be dangerous enough to qualify for a dead or alive manhunt through Germany. Currently, between the government, German Lords, and Gringotts, the bounty on this man's head was about a hundred-and-seventy-five thousand galleons.

To top it, Gringotts had declared an additional reward of twenty-thousand galleons if the man was given to them alive.

Not that it would happen. Unless someone in the German ministry wanted to pocket an easy twenty grand.

'If that's the case, the goblins are probably going to get their pound of flesh if we capture this man alive.'

But the cold fact remained. The man needed to be killed or at the very least, subdued before he could open fire on the team and kill a member if not all of them.

"Got him!" Faizal exclaimed over the comms as he hoovered next to De Luca. "My magic detectors have picked the magic on the ground. Follow me."

Faizal turned his broom sharply and descended, making Harry follow alongside the team.

They followed him to the ground as he landed softly, the enchanted boots avoiding any noise.

As Harry dismounted his broom, and immediately looked around.

All he could see were trees and wilderness. Yet, the hairs on his neck stood up as he looked in the northwest direction. A sensation he was familiar with.

"That direction," he whispered. "Wards."

Through the green hazes, Harry could see the rest of the team nod.

"Niffler?"

"Wards. Ten feet in the direction Felix pointed." Faizal said, as he walked forward slowly. "Let's see what we have— Caterwauling. Alert ward. Basic shields. An obscuring and hiding ward. That explains why we cannot see a heat signature or any sight of his hideout. Animal repelling. Muggle repelling— and the usual other ones. Nothing really impressive."

"You sure?" De Luca asked warily.

"You're the expert, Hippogriff. According to my devices though, they are nothing but a simple set of wards."

"I will deal with those. Make your entry as quiet as possible. I will disable the concealing enchantment without triggering the alarm ward." De Luca said as he walked forward toward the wards. "Khione. Felix. Prepare a plan of attack as soon as the hiding enchantment is removed."

Harry watched as De Luca drew his wand, appearing nothing as a faint green line to Harry's vision, and walked nearer.

"Felix?" Daphne asked, crossing her arms. "We need to discuss what to do if the man begins shooting."

"The man cannot fire his gun and shield at the same time. If we attack from two different directions, it will be an easy job" Harry said thoughtfully. "Me and Niffler. You and Hippogriff. Fern should be on hold if things go further south."

"We could probably just use the Imperius. Have him surrender and prevent things from going south." Daphne suggested.

"That is a good Plan B. Can't risk having the man fight the curse off as our initial plan," Harry murmured.

"And if both fail?" She asked after a moment of consideration.

"Plan C is Fern bringing out her big guns as we apparate out of the way."

"Those spells need prior prep, Potter," Natalie whispered furiously into her comms. "And I am not risking those in a forest of all places."

"Alright," Harry grumbled as he watched the greenish figure of De Luca wave his wand through the air in elaborate movements. "We need a fallback plan which doesn't involve aborting."

"I might've brought my sniper," Faizal's voice sounded.

"Might or have, Niffler?" Natalie growled irritably.

"He has the rifle," Mr. Singh replied over the comms. "I personally handed it to him as you all left."

"Good. Plan C. Niffler blows the man's head off. The teams will be Fern and me. You and Hippogriff." Daphne said. "Try not to die, Felix. It will be a shame to lose you so soon."

Harry snorted lightly. "It will take more than a gun-wielding maniac to kill me. I have survived worse."

"Felix," Natalie called. "See."

Harry looked in the direction her hand was pointed in, only to see De Luca waving his wand as the space in front of him seemed to be shifting.

With a tap of his finger, the green hazy forms of his team vanished, as he switched his goggles to night vision.

Despite the darkness, he could now see his surroundings in vivid clarity. The whole place in front of his eyes seemed to be shifting as a clearing appeared out of nowhere, the trees shifting out of the way.

"There you have it, team. The hiding place of the target." De Luca said.

A small cabin stood in the center of a clearing, its wooden walls looking weathered and worn from years of exposure to nature. The cabin seemed to blend seamlessly with its surroundings, as if it had always been there, a natural part of the landscape.

It had been cleverly built for certain.

"I can see his figure with thermal imaging," Niffler spoke slowly. "And the gun or that's what I assume. It could also be a pet though as it is coming up in thermal imagery."

"Considering it's a gun, how close is it to the target?" Crystal asked over the comms.

"Right next to him. Target is undoubtedly sleeping." Faizal replied.

"How much time till you're done with the wards, Hippogriff?"

"The Alert ward and anti-apparition has been taken down," He replied, his voice strained before he let out a sharp gasp. "—And so is the caterwauling now."

"You okay, Hippogriff?" Daphne asked just as Harry switched back to the concealment-revealing vision.

"There was a chance that the caterwauling would've been set off by canceling it," He huffed. "Don't worry. I am good enough at this stuff though. Clever enchanting though."

"How much more time?" Crystal reiterated.

"I can take them down with a single spell. But it will wake the target up. This is delicate work, Crystal. To take down protective shields without firing curses to break them is tough."

"Very well," Daphne muttered. "Niffler, Fern, let us scour the surroundings and get a view of the whole clearing. We will drop Niffler to a vantage spot on the way."

"Copy that," Niffler said, as he slung his backpack off his shoulders before removing what Harry assumed was his sniper rifle through his green, hazy vision.

Harry knew it wasn't like the ones muggles carried. It was a W.A.N.D. special equipment, only catered to specific people during missions.

Each bullet was enchanted to alter its course slightly in order to hit the target if needed and penetrate through normal shields and body armor.

And only Faizal knew how to use it as far as his team was concerned.

Harry watched as the three left, treading carefully around the wards, leaving him with De Luca.

"So, Felix," De Luca called, jabbing his wand at the space in front of him, making a ripple of magic over the wards. "You're not nervous, are you?"

"Not really. This is not something I have not done before. This is just a single person with a special gun. I usually faced a small party of Death Eaters down in the Isles."

"You're going to make a fine agent," De Luca said as Harry watched him move his wand in complicated motions over the wards. "What have you thought of Valkyrie's offer?"

Harry heard someone cough over the comms but no one said a thing.

"I— I haven't given it any thought, sir. Why do you ask?"

"There are precious few who would say no to Valkyrie. Even fewer who could match her in combat. I need to know whether I need to find a new combat specialist for my team. Your deadline approaches. In a fortnight, she will challenge you to combat if you say no."

"And what difference will it make if I win or lose?"

Silence reigned over the place for a moment until De Luca cleared his throat. "Right. You're new to WAND. See, Felix. The WAND teams are supposed to work together in order to protect the world against threats. If one refuses to aid, a challenge may be issued in order to get what's needed. This— let us say custom, was introduced so a single team won't hog resources to itself. A little stupid, but it is as it is."

It was a pained admission.

"And Valkyrie is using it to hog the resources for herself?" Harry questioned.

"Not quite," De Luca muttered. "She takes what she thinks is the best for her team. If anyone goes and genuinely asks her for help, she will give it. She will put her heart into helping however she can. But— well, if she really wants something for her team, she will take it. Her loyalty to WAND and her team is unquestionable. She's too caring for her team."

"And she wants me. If I say no, she will challenge me to a duel. If I lose, I have to go with her."

"Well, the whole team will be challenged for you," De Luca corrected. "But it will be you who would have to fight her, being our combat specialist."

Harry's jaw twitched. "We will see. How far along are you with the wards?"

"A couple of minutes," De Luca replied.

"Felix," Daphne called over the comms. "There is no back entrance to the house."

"It is a cabin. How do you expect a back entrance?" Harry scowled.

"Yes. But there is a window to the left of the house. I might be able to take the shot, judging from the angle the man's sleeping. But it might not be a clean shot."

"We cannot risk it then," De Luca stated over the comms.

"So we charge in?" Daphne clarified.

"Yes."

"Daphne, stay by the window. If the man moves, you will have a clear shot, right?" Harry said, twirling his wand in his hand.

"I will."

"Good. So, if the man moves before I can subdue him, you hit him from the window."

"Roger that."

"De Luca? How much—"

"Three— two— one— and the wards are down!" De Luca said as Harry felt a ripple of magic on his skin.

"Check again to be sure, Hippogriff," Mr. Singh said over the comms. "We don't want to miss anything, do we?"

"Of course. Team, stay ready to move in on my command." De Luca said as he waved his wand again. "Clean. Move in!"

At the word, Harry found himself moving stealthily toward the door, the Elder wand clutched firmly in his hand.

De Luca too moved, falling a few steps behind Harry, ready to fight if needed.

"I am in position," Daphne said as Harry inched toward the door of the cabin. "I do not have a clear shot but the target is asleep."

"The 0-63?" De Luca breathed.

"Right by the target's arm," Natalie replied.

"Can you summon it? Or—"

"Any magic on the 0-63 is unadvisable," Faizal said urgently. "In the past, such objects have proved to be volatile to foreign magic. We might end up blowing the clearing."

"Felix, if he moves, I can take him out," Daphne said as Faizal's statement lingered in the air.

"I don't intend to let him move. I will try and take him out before he can react. Is he still asleep?"

"Positive," Natalie said. "Snoring."

"And alone?"

"Yep," Faizal said, as the sound of the gun loading could be heard.

"You all seem to be in position," Crystal said over the comms. "As a final plan, Felix blows in the door and takes the target out before the target can react. If not, Khione takes the shot from behind. Niffler is stationed for the final fallback. Once the target is subdued, the portkeys are with you all and the holding cell is ready. Felix, on your signal."

"Okay," Harry breathed, calming himself. "Though I am not blowing the door. I will go subtle."

He raised his wand and silenced the hinges of the door. With a flick of his wand, he tapped the lock, and the door clicked open.

Harry paused for a moment, listening for any sounds that might indicate that he had been detected.

All he could hear was the chirping of insects in the forest and his breathing.

Licking his dry lips, Harry pushed the door open, his eyes scanning the room before it landed on the target.

The man was lying on a makeshift bed, snoring softly. A gun-like object was right next to his arm, a red ruby glowing eerily at its center.

With a quick flick of the Elder wand, he sent two stunners flying toward the sleeping man. The spells hit their mark, and the man's body went stiff, the snores ceasing.

"Target is down," Harry said quietly. "Stunned."

"Confirm it," Crystal said. "Is he down?"

With a twitch of his wand, Harry sent a stinging hex on the man's face but the man stayed unmoving.

"Affirmative," Harry confirmed.

"Excellent job, Felix! Niffler, move in and secure the 0–63 to bring it to HQ for further analysis." Crystal said over the comms. "Fern and Hippogriff, search the house. Felix and Khione, secure the prisoner in chains. Sedate him as well."

Harry nodded as he canceled his invisibility, allowing his body to shimmer back into existence.

He saw Daphne and Natalie's green hazy forms appear through the door, before the green haze over Daphne faded, followed shortly by De Luca and Natalie.

"Good job, Felix," Natalie said, patting his back. "Silencing the hinges was a good move."

Daphne on the other hand moved towards the target, her fist raised as her WAND signet ring glinted in the moonlight.

With a quick movement, she stabbed the ring on the man's neck, allowing him to be sedated with the tranquilizer pin.

"Well, that was lackluster," Daphne commented after a moment.

"Not every mission has actions, Khione," Natalie chuckled. "Some missions just are."

'It is always better when missions are lackluster rather than lethal,' Harry grimaced, just as Faizal's green, hazy form appeared through the doorway.

"Move aside, people. Time to secure the 0–63." Faizal muttered, making his way to the downed man.

"Fern, with me. Felix, Khione. Secure the man and take him to the cells. He will be interrogated after he wakes. Portkey out by the cell portkey."

With a nod, Harry watched Faizal pick the gun up carefully with his gloved hands as Fern and Hippogriff began to search the house.

Daphne walked forward with a disc a moment later and placed it on the man's chest.

'Petrificus Totalus.'

The man's body snapped together, rigid like a log of wood just before Daphne tapped the disc, allowing silvery-bronze chains, etched with runes to wrap around the man.

"Felix," Daphne said, taking out a pen from her robes. "Hold the man, will you?"

Harry grasped the man's shirt in one hand and Daphne's shoulder in the other.

"Hold tight," Daphne said as she tapped her wand on the pen. "Activate cell sequence. Prisoner secured."

The pen glowed and Harry felt a tug behind his naval just before the three of them vanished from the small cabin in the German woods, their mission accomplished.


AND… DONE! I hope you all liked the chapter!

I am sorry it took so long to update. My muse for the fic had vanished for the past few months, rendering me unable to write anything. But it is back now!

So here, Harry went on his first mission. Don't worry, this isn't the main plot. It was just a mission. His first mission as an Agent of WAND. There will be more chapters ahead.

Plus here is an interesting character, isn't there? Valkyrie?

I have plans for her. After all, every story needs its 'bad hero', doesn't it?

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BillBrink: Okay, so it was not a 'real-situation' but rather a simulation for training agents that Harry faced. None of them were real and only meant as a test for Harry.

Plums: That… makes no sense. He is not joining an Assassin crew. They are not going to eliminate political opponents. Harry is joining what will be the magical equivalent of, say, the Interpol or CIA or MI6. Also, almost all Death Eaters have been captured by the British ministry, as said in the first chapter. That's why Harry quitted the Auror force. They is no chance of them being Death Eaters from my or the story's perspective.

Boomshanka: There is a famous saying, 'What's in the name?'. Plus, Yash means success and not glory… or it might mean both. Smh.

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That's all! Thank you for your reviews!

On a completely unrelated note, thank you all for bringing the Euros–pound mishap to my attention. I've corrected it.

A huge thank you to Mughil for betaing this chapter!

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Do join my server, House of HP66, to interact with me directly, and see the pictures of the characters there, so you all can get an idea of how they look. I will also post descriptions and stuff for reference.

Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]

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As of this moment, I have six main stories. They are:

1. The Rise of the Last Potter: My Novel length Harry Potter fic which is already 300k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly.

2. The Legend of the Son of Poseidon: A Novel Length Percy Jackson fic which is already 250k+ words long and it is a work in progress. Updated Regularly

3. Loved Ones Skipping Stones and Ice-cream: A fluffy Haphne one-shot. It is completed obviously.

4. SECRETS: Another romantic one-shot I published recently. Complete as well.

5. Agent Potter: The Wizard of W.A.N.D. - My spy!Harry fanfic which I implore you all to read!

6. Guardian of the Soul: Infinity Saga – My newest fic. An HP–MCU crossover. Novel length, in progress.

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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!

HPfanfictioner66