LAST TIME
"That's why no one made a big fuss about it," Harry frowned. "De Luca brushed me off. Even Mage didn't say a word about Rookwood knowing about us."
"It is not common but every now and then someone will know about us. Know that we are W.A.N.D.— a spy agency." Valkyrie shrugged. "Rookwood worked for the British Department of Mysteries. It is plausible that he heard about us. But they never know the details. The details are where the game is."
"What about our location?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Does that count as a detail?"
"There is no way he knows where we are," Valkyrie snorted. "Only Mage knows our exact location and can apparate in and out at will. We are not on any map, not even our own."
"But Rookwood is in Morocco," Harry pointed out. "Coincidence? Or a connection?"
Valkyrie frowned.
"Well, it is your case," she said after a moment. "Try not to fail. As much as I would like you on my team, I don't want to do it by dismantling this one. I will win you fair and square."
Valkyrie turned on her heel, and walked out of the door.
"I cannot figure her out," Harry sighed. "How can she be all hostile one moment and friendly the next, I will never know."
Daphne said nothing, quietly unfurling the scroll.
"Harry, the cargo that MACUSA caught," Daphne said. "We now know where it was from."
Harry's eyes widened.
They now had a lead.
Ch.8 By the Sea
A strong breeze tugged at his robes, blowing his hair into his face. The saltwater stung his skin as he stared down the ships in the distance. White foam rose around the sides of the vessels, dark waves crashing against the wood.
"There are too many ships," Daphne muttered. "It will take ages to find any clues here." She grimaced. "If they exist anymore, that is."
"I don't think the smaller ones should have much," Harry squinted at the ships in the distance. "There are three big ships. Maybe four."
"Wait," Daphne fished a monocle from a small purse. Closing one eye, she peered through the other, using her hand to turn a small dial on it.
"Four," Daphne confirmed. "Four ships. And there are these massive metal boxes being loaded onto the last one by some sort of muggle machinery."
"Cranes, probably," Harry hummed. "We need to check what's inside those containers."
"There seem to be thousands of them though," Daphne handed the monocle to Harry. "Even more on the land. Those things should topple the way they're being stacked."
Harry pressed the monocle to his eyes, and looked in the direction where Daphne was pointing.
"Those containers should have muggle things," Harry turned his gaze toward the last ship in the distance. "I hope they do. Because if those containers are filled with magic guns, we are screwed."
"This dock is used to transport salt and grains out of here," Daphne narrowed her eyes. "Officially, at least. The muggle police found a crate of guns in one of the containers. And then, the MACUSA got involved. What we have is third-hand evidence at best. And since muggles were involved—"
"There could've easily been more guns," Harry grimaced. "Let's at least inspect the ship. A preliminary sweep as we were told. Try to see if you can get a peek inside those containers."
"There are thousands of those things," Daphne's eyebrows drew into a deep vee. "We cannot check every container."
"Right," Harry frowned. "Maybe interrogate someone. Or—"
Harry felt unease well up in his stomach.
"Or?" Daphne raised an eyebrow.
"Legilimency," Harry said. "It will be fast and virtually undetectable for the muggles. And if they resist? Well, bingo, we have our wizard."
"I know Occlumency," Daphne brushed strands of hair out of her face. "But only in theory. Clear your mind. Redirect your thoughts. Keep strange urges to think about something out of the ordinary in check. But I have no idea how Legilimency even works."
"I don't even know the theory." Snape's sneering form flashed in front of his eyes. "Can anyone on the team do it?"
"Nat— Fern might," Daphne said. "But I cannot be sure."
"Ask her," Harry said. "And give the report. First, we should check the ship being loaded. And we have to finish checking the ship before it leaves."
Daphne nodded and tapped her wand to her watch. A moment later, Harry felt his own watch vibrate, the word 'Khione' flashing on the screen.
"This is Khione," Daphne pressed a finger against her earpiece. "Felix and I have arrived at our location. Four big ships and multiple small ones. There are also thousands of containers, both on the ship and the docks— yes, cargo ships, that's correct. We plan on doing a preliminary search of the ship first, followed by the docks."
As Daphne reported, Harry took the opportunity to inspect the ships closely through the monocle. Dozens of men were on and around the last ship as huge containers were lifted from the dock and loaded onto the ship.
And the number of containers near the ship seemed far less than the number already loaded.
'The loading is almost finished, it seems,' Harry zoomed in toward the containers on the dock. 'But nothing seems suspicious here at first glance. Let's hope this one is clean.'
Harry removed the monocle and turned to Daphne, who was still talking to HQ.
"No one?" Daphne sighed. "Alright, alright. For now, we will just sweep the ships and the dock. See if we can find anything here. If not, we will need a team of people to search through these."
Daphne stomped her foot on the ground, a frustrated yell rumbling in her throat
"I am guessing no one knows Legilimency on the team?" Harry asked.
"They don't," Daphne blew a strand of hair away. "Fern only knows it enough to read emotions and stuff but she cannot sift through actual thoughts. Niffler said that we could get a couple of people specially for it if we really need it."
"And?" Harry raised his eyebrows.
"Hippogriff told us to wait," Daphne huffed. "We have to conduct only a preliminary search anyway. If we discover anything substantial and then require Legilimency, he'll authorize it. In his words, we aren't that desperate yet."
"That's a bummer," Harry cracked the knuckles in his fingers. "Okay, let's split up and sweep the ship first, invisibly. If you have anything, just call me on the comms. I'll do the same"
"Right," Daphne pulled the hood of her cloak up and vanished from sight.
Harry breathed in deeply, remembering the feel of his invisibility cloak. The skin above his heart tingled and a cold feeling washed over him.
'The magic of the hallows,' Harry held up his palm in front of his eyes but saw nothing. 'As useful as ever.'
"Good luck, Felix," Daphne's voice sounded to his left.
The grains of sand swirled a few feet away from him before falling down back.
'She apparated away,' Harry pictured the ship he had seen in the distance and twisted on his spot.
The wind howled through his ears as he appeared on the deck of the ship. The ship swayed beneath his feet over the waves of the ocean.
Harry stalked forward to a nearby container, avoiding a man who had been walking down the deck.
'The containers are chained shut,' Harry ran his hand on the slightly rusted, fading golden lock. 'If I open it, someone might come to inspect. Only if I had something like Mad-Eye.'
Harry removed a small round bead from his pocket and pressed it into his ear.
"Agent Felix to W.A.N.D," he glanced around, pressing his back to the container. "Is anyone there?"
"Yes, Felix?" Mr. Singh's voice blared into his ear. "What's happening?"
"Softly," Harry winced. "I need something to see through containers and walls. Something like Mad-Eye Moody's magical eye."
"Things like that need special permission," He replied. "But we do have special equipment for that purpose. Give me ten— wait, Khione is calling again."
A beep rang through his ear, giving way to the sounds of the turf crashing in the distance.
Harry watched an orange container being lowered onto the ship and placed on top of another. A pair of men secured the box and the crane's arm went back.
"Felix?" Mr. Singh's voice rang through his ear. "Leave the containers for now and scour the ships and port for any other clues for now. This is just a preliminary search. If we get anything, an alpha sweep will be arranged with a lot more people and special equipment"
"Right," Harry sighed. "We will look for clues."
"Good luck, Potter," Mr. Singh said. "And remember, this is a scouting mission so don't engage unless necessary."
"Alright," Harry pushed his wand back into his sleeve. "Tell me if there are any updates there. Leave it on the watch."
"I will," a beep sounded in his ear. Harry glanced around before stalking forward, toward the place where containers were being loaded.
'Let's see what's happening,' Harry slipped amongst the workers. 'And if there are wizards here.'
Harry watched as the crane groaned, lowering another box onto the ship.
"Is that the last one, Chuck?" A gruff voice sounded to Harry's right.
"I think so," a younger voice replied. "I'll still check!"
The boy, barely looking of age, leaped off the ship and disappeared amongst the containers on the dock. The man to Harry's right huffed, cursing under his breath.
Harry glanced at the huge stack of containers tied down on the ship.
'There has to be thousands of these containers here,' Harry pushed his wand into his palm.
Harry quietly waved his wand toward the containers and white vapors drifted from his wand, forming vapory numbers.
'Twelve thousand containers,' Harry fanned away the vapors. 'Checking these will take a lifetime.'
Harry glanced toward the dock. The boy who had gone to check on the boxes, was walking back toward the ship, his gaze straight ahead toward the sea.
"Oi, Chuck!" The man next to Harry yelled. "Any more boxes?"
The boy slowly turned to face them. His eyes were blank, staring into nothingness.
"One more box. It is that way." The boy's hand slowly rose to point at the docks where the containers were.
A single container, blue in color, lay near the crane.
Harry felt a weight drop in his stomach. 'There was nothing there a moment ago.'
He looked back at the boy who was still pointing at the container, his eyes staring blankly.
'Imperius curse. Shit.'
"Daphne," Harry pressed his earpiece into his ear. "Khione. Khione."
"Yeah, I am here," Daphne replied a moment later. "What's happening?"
"A person is under the imperious," Harry breathed. "And a new container is being loaded in. Our target is on the docks."
"Go and try to find them," Daphne replied. "I will set up the anti-apparition bubble around here. We need whoever it is for interrogation. Let's move!"
Harry twisted on his spot appearing on the docks, next to the container that a few men were tying to the crane. His wand slipped into his hand.
'Where are you?' Harry slowly moved around the area, looking for a shimmer of a disillusionment charm. 'Maybe they are under an invisibility cloak. I should look for footprints.'
The container next to him creaked rising up in the air.
'We can't let the container get away either,' The container rose to the height of his waist. 'But this person is more important.'
Harry moved his wand in a circle and a small red dot appeared on the side of the box. A moment later, his wand vibrated, spinning in the direction of the box.
'Now it is tagged.' A smirk tugged at Harry's lips. 'We will find it as long as it doesn't go too far.'
Harry turned back to look around the place.
'Where are you? Show yourself.' Harry spun his wand in his hand before pausing. 'I have to wait for the anti-apparition bubble to come up before I do a revealing charm. Or they'll run.'
"Khione?" Harry murmured. "How long for the anti-apparition bubble?"
"Just a minute," Daphne replied. "I have set up the four stones around the place. I am charging them up."
Harry looked at the container, which had already risen in the air, halfway toward the ship.
'Let's hope this person sticks around till the container is lowered on the ship,' Harry kept his eyes on the ground, looking for footprints. 'And Daphne hurries up.'
Harry felt the hair on his arms prickle.
"The wards are up," Daphne's voice rang in his ear and Harry spun his wand between his fingers.
A blue shimmer spread from his wand, covering the muggles on the dock, highlighting their outlines in a brilliant blue color.
"Bob, you're glowing!" A nearby man exclaimed.
In the distance, Harry saw the silhouette of an invisible figure appear.
'There!' Harry rushed forward toward the figure who twisted around futilely on the spot.
'I need to catch them before the shimmer fades.'
A stunner arced from his wand toward the blue outline but the figure dove out of the way.
As the person rolled on the ground the space within the blue outline rippled. Colors swirled, bathed in the blue shimmer of Harry's detection spell.
'That was a hell of a disillusionment charm,' Harry held his spells as the features of the person became clear.
Long, brunette hair fluttered in the wind behind a dark, brown mask covering half of her face. The other half that showed, bore a nasty scar from her cheek to her jaw. Her dark eyes scanned her surroundings, slipping past Harry.
"Come… out," she croaked in a pained, rough voice. "Fight… me… fairly."
'And lose the advantage I have?' Harry aimed his wand at the woman. 'I think not.'
A crimson beam of magic hurled from Harry's wand as the woman turned to look to her right. She spun around, batting the spell away with the tip of her wand. The wand glowed in a brilliant shade of orange and a trio of fiery beams curved toward Harry.
A silver veil rose from Harry's wand, swallowing the woman's spell.
The woman's face twisted into a grin, her wand spinning into action. Two purple curses hammered into the silver shield, making it shimmer.
'She is well-trained,' Harry poured magic into the shield, strengthening it. 'Likely an Auror or a Hit-Witch.'
Another curse hammered into the shield and fire flared around it.
'She doesn't know where I am,' Harry observed the woman as the grin slid off her face. 'She is judging my position due to the shield'
A jagged beam of yellow light slammed into the silver veil with a gong, making it tremble. Harry took a deep breath, pouring magic through the Elder wand. The silver shield turned nearly opaque, the woman's form barely visible through the silvery surface.
A curse from the woman ricocheted off Harry's shield while he slipped out from behind. Taking swift steps, he moved 'round the woman, and took aim at her back.
"Come… out," the woman croaked, firing another curse at the now-shimmering silver shield.
The curse burst against the silver shimmer, making it tremble. The woman growled and fired a purple-yellow beam at it. The curse blasted into the shield, shattering it like fragments of a mirror. The next spell soared through the broken silver fragments, into the horizon, over the waves of the sea.
'Let's see how you defend against this,' Harry's lips twisted into a smile as another curse soared harmlessly into the water. 'Expelliarmus. Stupefy.'
The woman dove to the ground, the spells missing her back by a hair's breadth.
'How did she do that?' Harry twisted his wand, shooting a pair of stunners at the woman.
She rolled onto her back avoiding the stunners and jabbed her wand toward the ground. A wall of dirt rose, and Harry's next spells sparked harmlessly against it. A moment later, the wall broke into pieces of mud, each piece shaping into a spike. The dirt on the spikes darkened, taking a bright gray color, glinting in the light of the setting sun.
'Shit,' Harry flicked his wand, erecting a bright purple shield as the steel spikes shot toward him.
The spikes crumbled against the purple shield, turning back to dirt. Before he could do anything more, a jagged yellow beam shattered the shield with a ringing bang.
"Cle…ver," the woman croaked. Her wand spun between her fingers in a familiar motion, a blue shimmer washing around the dock. The shimmer passed under Harry's feet, not doing anything.
The woman looked around wildly, her wand growing an angry shade of red.
'No detection spell is going to find me under this cloak,' Harry aimed his wand toward her feet. 'But now, you go down.'
Harry twisted his wand and the ground under the woman's feet turned to chains, wrapping around her legs. She stumbled, falling to the ground face-first. As more chains sprung from the ground, she twisted around to get on her back. With a wave of her wand, three chains burst into dust, while two wrapped firmly around her torso.
Harry growled, pouring more magic into the ground, and more chains began to form, replacing the ones the woman had destroyed.
'She is too good,' Harry shot a stunner at her but the woman moved her hips to the side, avoiding the stunner while blasting the chain around her ankles to dust. 'And such precision and quick thinking doesn't come from training. It comes from experience.'
More chains leaped from the ground only to vanish into nothingness. Another spell blasted the chains around her torso to dust, as a pair wrapped around her legs and neck.
Harry tugged on the chain around her neck with magic before shooting a barrage of spells at the woman.
In response, she ripped the chain around her neck and transfigured it into a round metal shield. Harry's spells burst into sparks against it, leaving black pockmarks. The shield turned, its metal edge gleaming against the light of the setting sun.
Harry threw himself to the ground and the shield embedded itself in a container behind him, sending the container skidding.
'Fuck,' Harry rolled to his feet.
A yellow spell sliced through the air a few feet away, ripping another gash in the steel of the container.
"Come… out," the woman croaked, slowly getting to her feet. Mud clung to her hair and robes as she held her wand aloft.
Harry shot a silent body-bind hex toward her, the spell moving invisibly. The woman swatted it away, returning fire with a blasting curse that Harry narrowly avoided.
"Age…nt of… WAND," she croaked. "I… know it… is you."
'I need to do something.' Harry observed the woman as her eyes kept moving around the field. 'Attacking her from behind doesn't work. Nor can I break out the more dangerous spells because I need to capture her. Alive.'
The woman narrowed her eyes and a slight golden fog billowed out of her wand, spreading around.
'It's useless. No detection spell will ever work on my cloak.'
The woman's black eyes glinted as her lips twisted into a grin.
"Got… you," she croaked, her wand swishing as she shot an acidic green curse several meters to Harry's right.
A shield sprung up and the curse sizzled on its edges, dissolving the shield into acidic vapors.
'Daphne,' Harry felt dread well up in his chest. 'She's here. And she can be detected unlike me.'
A trio of crimson beams soared toward the woman from behind the container but she swatted them away.
'Direct spells are not going to work,' Harry moved a few steps to his left, away from Daphne. 'And Daphne won't hold out against her for long. But we could overwhelm her together.'
Spells curved from the woman's wand toward Daphne's position, only for them to crash against a bronze shield.
'An attack from two sides ought to do the trick' Harry twirled his wand.
A flock of birds shot toward the woman, razor-sharp beaks glinting. Abruptly halting her barrage of spells, the woman turned her wand to the flock of birds. A burst of fire burnt the birds, their ashes falling to the ground just as a pale yellow spell struck her in the chest.
The woman flew back several feet, rolling in the dirt. A pained expression crossed on her face.
"Now," Harry whispered, his wand turning a crimson blur. Stunners and disarmers arced toward the woman and Daphne followed his suit.
The woman's eyes widened and she jabbed her wand upward. A bright golden dome formed around her and Harry and Daphne's spells burst against it in a shower of crimson-gold sparks.
'That's the mage shield.' Harry watched the woman wave her wand over her chest. 'Who the hell is this woman?'
"Break the shield," Daphne's voice rang through his ear as a purple curse slammed into it only to be reduced to a shower of purple sparks.
Harry pointed his wand at the golden dome, pulling on his magic. The elder wand thrummed in his hand, its tip glowing a faint blue.
'Fulminis Maxima,' a brilliant flash of light cracked across the field, hammering into the woman's shield. Blue tendrils of electricity arced their way across the golden dome.
The shield shimmered, looking like a faint reflection of the golden sunset behind them as the lightning stopped.
Harry swayed on his feet, ozone stinging his nose while blue spots danced in his vision.
The woman glared at them from behind the shield and raised her wand to the sky. Angry orange-red flames burst out of her wand, ripping through the remains of her shield.
The flames coalesced and writhed, forming a giant serpent above the woman's head.
Harry felt his heart drop into his stomach. 'Shit. That's Fiendfyre.'
The serpent lunged in Daphne's direction, only for multiple containers to fly in front of her.
"Run, Khione," Harry coughed as the woman scrambled to her feet.
The fangs of the serpent bit into the wall of containers, melting through the metal like a hot knife through butter.
"We need to put that fire out!" Daphne shrieked through the comms.
The fiery serpent swallowed another container, reducing the metal to vapor.
Harry turned to the woman, firing a blasting curse at her face. She twisted away, a smirk curling on her face. She ran toward the water, waving her wand over her shoulder.
The serpent turned in Harry's direction, its body slithering against the metal containers.
"She is escaping in the water!" Harry yelled, funneling magic through his wand.
The body of the fiery serpent melted through another container, its body growing with the moment.
'I can't die here,' Harry fueled his intent through his wand. 'I want to put out those flames.'
The woman stopped dead in her tracks, backing away from the sea as the water churned.
'That's it,' Harry felt the water come under his control.
The serpent neared, the heat of the Fiendfyre searing over Harry's hands and face. With a yell, Harry yanked his wand.
Hundreds of gallons of water rose from the sea, shooting forward. The woman slashed her wand, the water curving around her, rising to meet the Fiendfyre. Harry waved his wand like a lasso, keeping his grip on the water as it swirled and met the cursed flames.
Steam burst, curling into humongous white spirals. The air grew heavy with humidity turning hazy with steam.
The serpent screeched, keeping its head away from the water. Steam billowed out of its body as the serpent thrashed against the water. Harry let out a grunt, wrestling the flames. The water rose to his command and enveloped the serpent's head.
A moment later, the ball of water burst into steam, the fire nowhere to be seen.
Harry swayed on his feet, his hand dropping to his side. His muscles ached and bile clawed its way up his chest.
"Felix! Potter! Potter!" Daphne's voice rang through his head. "Respond, damnit!"
"Here," Harry let out a ragged cough. "The target. I can't see the target."
"She escaped into the water, I think," Daphne said. "The anti-apparition bubble didn't extend to the sea. And she knew it. Where the hell are you?"
Harry let his invisibility go as he fell to his knees.
"Found you!" Daphne ran toward him, her face red and glistening with sweat. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Harry breathed. "Just, a bit—" Harry waved his fingers in circles next to his head. "It was probably the heat."
"Right," Daphne sat on the ground next to him. "The team is on their way here along with an obliviator squad. We can confiscate the container for starters. See what's in it."
Harry looked up to see the ship still at the dock, the container hanging in mid-air, suspended from the crane.
Taking a deep breath, Harry shook his head. "Any idea who she was? The woman?"
"None," Daphne winced, clutching her left forearm.
"Are you injured?" Harry asked.
"Bone-breaker," Daphne muttered. "She was too good. I was playing defense and she still got through. Hitting her with the bludgeoner felt good."
Harry gave her a nod as pops rang out in the distance, and a bunch of figures appeared.
"The team's here," Harry squinted through the fog, making out the form of Mr. Singh's blood-red turban in the distance.
Red sparks burst from Harry's wand, shining in the air above him. "FERN! Khione's injured!"
A cool breeze blew through the area, clearing away the fog.
Natalie hurried toward them, a kit already in her hands. She paused for a moment to look at the melted wall of containers before continuing toward them.
"Who unleashed Fiendfyre here?" She muttered, running her wand against Daphne's arm.
"It was a witch. We don't know who she was." Harry replied while Daphne let out a shriek, her bone popping back in place.
"Felix, what happened?" De Luca asked, arriving with the rest of the team.
Crystal knelt next to Daphne while Mr. Singh patted Harry's arm.
"A lot," Harry raised his hand to point at the container. "First, we should secure that container hanging on the crane. And deal with the muggles."
"Niffler and Crystal!" De Luca snapped his fingers. "The container first. Go, go!"
Faizal gave them a nod and the two of them walked away swiftly toward the crane.
"Sher, the obliviator squad is arriving in two minutes," De Luca checked his watch. "And if a local auror force comes, keep them away. This is an exclusive W.A.N.D. investigation site now! No one goes in or out without my permission."
"I will make sure of it," Mr. Singh drew himself up. "Take care, you two."
As Mr. Singh walked away; De Luca turned to Harry.
"Felix, take Khione with you to the HeadQuarters," De Luca glanced over at Daphne. "Med-bay first and then to my office where I need you both to give the memories of what happened here along with a detailed report. This might be bigger than we thought."
AND… DONE! Hope you all liked the chapter.
So… I know you're wondering who the hell is this woman? A witch skilled enough to hold her own against someone like Harry and Daphne? Someone who can sense spells coming from behind and even fight a completely invisible opponent.
Well, all I can say is stay tuned!
A huge thanks to Mughil,Nanu and Enigma for betaing this chapter.
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Mark Andrew: I wasn't planning that but that's a great idea. Maybe somewhere in the sequel I would do it. I am honestly tempted to follow this idea and would have, had I not already paved the path ahead for the fic in my mind.
NebularScreen: Honestly? I am a person who adores cliffhangers. I like leaving my chapters at a high.
HowlnMadHowie: I honestly love the Kingsmen series. It is one of my absolute favorite spy movies. Though, this isn't a spin-off to it by any measure. Yes, I included several call-outs to the movie alongside several others in the first few chapters as a gig but that's about it.
PrinceSusanoo: Valkyrie is much older than Harry is. She is more of his mother's age. Give or take a few years. And Harry has a little connection to her.
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Thank you for your reviews and especially naming yourself even as guests. I appreciate it.
Please try out my other stories. They're all on my profile and I hope you all will enjoy those too. If you're exclusively into Harry Potter, I strongly recommend Agent Potter: Wizard of W.A.N.D. It is my Spy!Harry fic.
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I have also created a discord server with the help of my two very good friends. I really hope to see you all there and have fun with you all. There, you can communicate with me, ask me questions regarding my fics, look at the character images, get sneak peeks, give your own theories, and even... wait, why should I tell you everything here? Come over and check it all out yourself!
Discord Server Invite Link: discord . gg / 4qfP3fxdQ4 [Remove the spaces please]
I would love it if you guys came to my server and interacted with me there. If you have some of your own theory or wish to see something in this fic as the journey progresses, you can tell it to me on the discord server!
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Stay Happy! Stay Safe! Keep Smiling! Keep Reading!
HPfanfictioner66
