Chapter 9 : Sensitive spying

Being part of the good guys means living your life the right way and protecting all those who're close to your heart whenever they're threatened. On the other hand, being in the camp of the bad guys implies being selfish and doing whatever you want for your own interests no matter if someone's hurt in the process.

Suffice to say that Akira wasn't used to find herself on the bad side. But when she encountered Voldemort during the Christmas holidays, the latter had been so convincing that she would join his ranks without really thinking about the consequences, even if it would harm Dumbledore and many other innocents for sure.

The trip from London to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express at the end of the holidays didn't have the same taste than when she was a carefree student. And going back to the school that she was about to betray wasn't very pleasant either. But she had to ignore this awful feeling as she had a mission to accomplish, namely spying around the castle to inform Voldemort about all the measures that Dumbledore was taking against him. Akira promised the Dark Lord that she would do it if he brought Tatsuno and Matsuo back to life, and the job should better be well done because Voldemort wasn't the type of person to go easy on people who were wasting his time.

During her fourth year, Akira had already unwittingly gathered information that could be useful to Voldemort, such as the invisible shield put around the school or the constant presence of Aurors in the castle and at Hogsmeade. But it wasn't enough since Rookwood - who was working at the Ministry and was surely visiting Hogsmeade on a regular basis as he was her contact point in this village - must have already transmitted this data to Voldemort.

Akira had to pursue her investigation while keeping a low profile, which meant behaving like a standard student and putting an end to her rebellious stage. She must blend in with the crowd but it wouldn't be done in one day after the fuss that she did since she put a foot in the school for her fourth year. Even Arcturus, who was normally very naive, was now constantly thinking that she was going to play a trick on him to escape and leave him alone like she did for the Christmas holidays. And she wasn't able to convince him that she would stay still.

"I promise I won't do it again. Can we have a normal lunch now ?" Akira said to him angrily while ignoring the best she could his stare that was focused on her on this first day back to school.

"Tell that to the former Arcturus. He disappeared during the holidays that he had to spend alone at the castle. All alone." Arcturus complained as he looked grumpy. "I don't even know how you managed to sneak away like that, especially since you didn't get the authorization to leave the school to go I don't know where. Anyway, it's over. From today, I'll keep an eye on you. Even both of them to be sure that you don't put yourself into trouble. I had two weeks to develop a system that would help me keeping your track wherever you go and I'm looking forward to see if it works."

"What is it ?" Akira asked incredulously while finally looking up from her plate to report her attention on Arcturus.

"I won't tell you or you'll find a way to get rid of it." The latter advised her while crossing his arms. "All I have to tell you is that I still have your Christmas gift to give you. Well, if you want it."

"A gift ?" Akira repeated with surprise as she had spent such strange Christmas holidays at the Ministry that she had completely forgotten about the celebrations taking place during it.

"It's nothing much. Just a Wit-Sharpening potion that I brew since I had a lot of time to kill. I told myself that it would help you to remember more easily the course material that you missed at the beginning of the school year and that with this potion, you would pass your final exams to go in fifth year with me." Arcturus explained while losing all animosity that he got towards her.

"That's nice of you." Akira told him while being ashamed to have nothing to give him in return. "And what about the system that you've developed to track me down ?"

"It's also a potion. This one permits to..." Arcturus began before suddenly interrupting himself. "Hey ! I'm clumsy but not stupid. I won't tell you anything about it. Never !"

"Great." Akira grumbled to herself as it would be difficult to investigate discreetly on Voldemort's behalf with him always around.

"Now that this subject is definitively closed, do you want to get your gift ? We still have a few minutes before Charms class. We can go collect it before I lose it somewhere. Let's go !" Arcturus exclaimed enthusiastically while jumping up as if it was Christmas day again for him.

To Akira, go get this potion was just a waste of time as satisfying Voldemort's thirst for information about Hogwarts was her only priority. However, she did some effort to look happy while receiving the gift to not hurt Arcturus feelings or make him wonder if something was wrong with her. Which was the case as deep inside herself, she was completely empty.

The following days, Akira went to her classes like a robot, didn't take advantage of the remaining snow until it was completely melted and was forcibly dragged by Arcturus from one corner of the castle to the other otherwise she would have spent her time sitting in the dark corner of a room to overthink. Indeed, she was concerned about the upcoming Hogsmeade trip which was taking place on the third week of February. It was in an eternity as classes had only just started but she knew better than anyone that stressful deadlines passed faster than anything else.

It was even worse as Akira had to collect sensitive information by obligation, not of her own free will. Indeed, to avenge Matsuo and Tatsuno death, she would have done anything. But being forced to betray Dumbledore for the most evil wizard that existed in this world, even if it was to bring back the twins to life, wasn't very encouraging. However, she gave her word and she wanted to see Matsuo and Tatsuno again more than anything else. So she found a way to get the information requested by Voldemort during a particularly soporific History of Magic lesson. And her plan was perfect as it implied that she wouldn't break the rules or have to escape from Arcturus supervision during hours to succeed.

Indeed, it was a clone that was going to take the risks for Akira. She could hide one near Dumbledore's office so that it could hear everything confidential that the latter said. She just had to figure out where to put it so it could listen clearly - behind the closed door or a closed window weren't an option - and how to manage its disappearance after a certain time. The main thing being always that it didn't get caught by anyone.

With all these constraints, there weren't a lot of choices for hideouts. Just finding one would be enough, and Akira got the perfect idea while staring blankly at the fireplace in the Gryffindor Common Room which was radiating soft heat on the students doing their homework. Because there was a fireplace in Dumbledore's office. And who says fireplace says chimney. Her clone would simply have to go down the flue to hear everything without being spotted. And if it was spotted, it could discreetly disappear without a trace.

It was ideal, so Akira decided to give it a try the same night she came up with this ploy. She waited until all the girls in her dormitory fell asleep, then she discreetly got out of her bed to head towards a window which she opened wide. She then produced a shadow clone – a basic clone wouldn't be able to give her back the information that it gathered - before focusing her attention on her roommates to make sure that the noise she was making hadn't woken them up. Since this wasn't the case, she turned towards her clone to give it some instructions in a low voice.

"You find the chimney that leads to Dumbledore's office and you don't move from there. Understood ?" Akira insisted in a whisper.

"Of course. I remind you that you're the one who summoned me, so I know already everything about your plan." The clone replied while rolling its eyes.

It then jumped with agility through the open window without waiting Akira's order to do so. The latter poked her head outside - which froze her to the bone as the January cold was still present - to see where it was going before bumping the top of her head violently against the window frame when someone sat up in bed to speak to her.

"Close this window immediately before freezing us to death !" Sandra Nielson complained before lying down to go back to sleep.

The latter didn't really remember her altercation with Akira before the Christmas holidays, and it was better that way. Sandra snuggled under her blanket to avoid the cold air while Akira obeyed by closing the window before the entire dormitory turned into a frozen area. Then she herself went to bed because a long day of classes was awaiting her. But she was unable to fall asleep despite being really tired. Indeed, with her clone wandering around the castle in the bitter cold, she got lot of worries. Would it find the right chimney ? Wouldn't it disappear too quickly ? Or was it going to recover some juicy information before the Hogsmeade trip ?

Lot of questions that couldn't be answered yet as the clone was only gone for a few minutes. However, when it disappeared in the early morning, Akira suddenly knew that it had found the right chimney and had heard Dumbledore discussing with people, namely with the paintings of the former Hogwarts Headmasters and Headmistresses that were hung in his office. Interacting with deceased people was an interesting fact to learn about Dumbledore's habits but since he only talked about crochet with his predecessors, it was of no use for Akira. However, she didn't lose hope. From now on, she would send a clone back to his office straight away, to not miss a bit of what the Headmaster could or couldn't say.

Just constantly splitting up was very exhausting, both mentally and physically. Akira now knew what it was feeling like to be in two places at the same time, and her entire mind was focused on the clone that had a task of the utmost importance to complete. So listening in class and chit-chat with Arcturus were thrown out of the window.

Fortunately, the clone knew how to sort important information from the ones which weren't, thus causing only the interesting ones to appear in Akira's brain after its disappearance. It was still a bit strange to get suddenly her head full of unrelated information from what she was currently doing – imagine walking in the hallway while thinking about the next Quidditch match that everybody was talking about and then, out of the blue, focusing exclusively on what the Minister of Magic said to Dumbledore – but Akira got used to it with time. And most of the discussion that the Headmaster had with his paintings or the Minister consisted only in exchanging trivialities. Even when Voldemort was mentioned, Dumbledore simply told his opinion about the events without saying more than what was already written in the Daily Prophet. It was quite boring.

On the other hand, when certain Aurors were paying a visit to Dumbledore, the banalities turned into news that weren't in the newspapers. And it was exactly what Akira needed, something new and confidential. She even learnt a thing that would fascinate Voldemort two weeks before her meeting with Rookwood in Hogsmeade.

The creation of an entity called the Order of the Phoenix.

Akira got little information about this mysterious group after missing most of the discussion about it, especially since this project was planned since a long time by Dumbledore and his most loyal supporters. But she didn't need to learn more. Knowing that it was an organization that would be able to stop Voldemort while working in complete secrecy was enough. Even the Minister of Magic was unaware of what was going on, and the potential members of this new order were handpicked carefully.

Akira didn't get everyone's name – she forgot or never heard of many of them - but Moody and Tolfius were on the list. She knew it because they were both more present than ever at Hogwarts, with the dark events that were taking place in the world thanks to Voldemort. They wanted to prepare the best way possible the offensive against their enemy, which implied getting the Order of the Phoenix quickly set up. However, little did they know that all their visits to Dumbledore would cause their downfall thanks to the spy in the chimney. Moody almost found out once or twice due to his magic eye that managed to spot Akira's clone hideout. But the latter would disappear in a hurry before Moody stuck his head into the flue to check.

Akira was spying on the two people who had mentored her during the two weeks of Christmas holidays. She was betraying them to help Voldemort. She couldn't help but feel sick about her behaviour. Her job would have been much easier if the Dark Lord wasn't targeting them but just strangers, although her journey as a doctor taught her that all lives matter, not just those of friends or family. And there she was, about to reveal all Dumbledore and his followers' secrets to their worst enemy who wouldn't hesitate to kill them as soon as he had the chance.

"Matsuo and Tatsuno didn't deserve to die either, and yet they were unfairly killed on a mission instead of any other ninja. So if wizards from the good side have to be eliminated for the twins to come back, it's just a balance of things." She told herself over and over in her head to convince herself that she had the right to betray Dumbledore and all the people around him.

It made her guilt temporarily disappear, but it came back quickly and it was even getting worse when the Hogsmeade trip date was almost there. Akira was torn between staying loyal to Voldemort or returning in the camp of Dumbledore. And Arcturus cheerfulness wasn't really helping to make a choice as he was excited to spend this Saturday in the open air, wading through the remains of melted snow.

"Shall we go to Honeydukes ? I've a stock of candy to replenish. Or at the Three Broomsticks Inn ? I also have a stock of butterbeer to replenish as well." He suggested while rubbing his hands together either in excitement or to warm them up as they were wandering in front of the crowded shops.

"Just go to one or the other. I'll meet you there in five minutes." Akira advised him while trying to spot the Hog's Head Inn over the heads of the bystanders.

"No, you forget that I'm sticking with you from now on. Literally." Arcturus added while grabbing her arm so she couldn't leave.

"Okay." Akira replied while thinking on a way to fulfill her mission for Voldemort despite this setback. "You mentioned that you wanted to do a stock of butterbeer ? What if we go to the Hog's Head Inn to buy some which are cheaper there ?"

"I was talking about buying a beer or two depending on the money that I've in my pocket and for my personal consumption at Hogwarts. Therefore, I prefer to supply myself with drinks which haven't expired yet, or which haven't been lying around in a dusty and moldy place." Arcturus pointed out as the cleanliness of the bottles - which was hiding the expiry date in the process – was more than doubtful.

"You weren't so picky when you were selling these dirty butterbeers to the students for the events that were taking place at school. And what about this stock ? It seems to me that it's been a long time since you resell any butterbeer, and we've a Quidditch match coming up soon." Akira insisted.

"I put a stop to this business since last year, after I got a detention for it and I don't want to clean again the school kitchens for a few Sickles of pocket money. And also, since I put an end to this activity, I've the impression that the owner of the Hog's Head Inn hates me. It's just a guess because I've never really seen him since then, but if I was him and the only person who was allowing me to get rid of my stock of unsold butterbeers failed me, I would have a grudge against him." Arcturus said uneasily.

"Don't say stupid things. Go see him and make up for it by explaining that you stopped the business against your will because it put you in trouble." Akira suggested while taking advantage of Arcturus holding her arm to drag him towards the shabby inn.

"Do you think he'll believe me ? He doesn't seem to be the type of person who would accept these kinds of excuses, even if they're true." The latter replied while following her.

But Akira completely ignored his reluctance. She pulled him to the Hog's Head Inn and pushed him inside. Once their eyes got used to the dark room filled with dust, they scanned the surroundings to find the bartender and for Akira, Rookwood. The first one - who was terrifying Arcturus to no end - was simply staying behind his counter which he was cleaning with the same dirty cloth that he used normally to wipe the glasses. He hadn't noticed them yet but it was only a matter of seconds as Arcturus was taking a deep breath to find the courage to go talk to him.

"The bartender won't do anything to you in front of all these people." Akira reassured him while rolling her eyes. "Go tell him what exactly happened and he'll forgive you."

"You're not coming with me ?" Arcturus asked her in a small voice.

"It's your business so it's up to you to figure it out. I'll stay in the room if you need me." She replied with exasperation as she finally spotted Rookwood that she was supposed to meet.

Akira then pushed Arcturus to force him to take a step and the latter began to move unsteadily towards the counter. She waited until he reached it and when the bartender finally turned his attention to him, she got the possibility to head towards the table where Rookwood was sitting. The latter had placed himself far away from the other customers, in a corner even darker than the rest of the room. But despite the fact that no one could see or hear them, Akira didn't dare to say anything to him when she reached his level. Instead, she took a torn piece of parchment from her pocket on which she had written down all the information that she collected for Voldemort and she handed it to him.

Rookwood – who had always been cold towards her – snatched the paper from her hand while staring at her grimly, then he read it briefly before a grin appeared on his face as he was standing up from his chair.

"Continue like this until the next trip to Hogsmeade. And this time, come in the Hog's Head Inn first thing in the morning because I won't wait for you during the whole day." He complained menacingly before shoving her to leave the establishment.

A bit shaken by this encounter of a few seconds and by the fact that she had transmitted highly sensitive information to the villains' camp, Akira joined Arcturus while trying to pull herself together. But her state of anxiety didn't go unnoticed by the bartender who interrupted his discussion with Arcturus to address her.

"What did you give him ?" He asked her out of nowhere which surprised Akira but also Arcturus who began to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Nothing at all." The latter hurriedly replied to stop being at the center of attention.

"Give what to whom ?" Arcturus wondered while turning around to scrutinize the decrepit customers who were occupying the room.

The bartender took advantage of the fact that he was busy looking for a stranger to signale her with a gesture of his hand to come closer. Akira obeyed and leaned slightly on the counter to listen to what he had to tell her.

"You've probably noticed that no one here is very recommendable. So if I can give you some advice, don't get too close to anyone." He warned her in a low voice.

"Especially not you. You're not really recommendable either." Akira dared to say while glaring at him hatefully as he was compromising her mission.

With that, she grabbed Arcturus by his coat and dragged him outside while the latter was completely confused.

"What was he talking about ? What did you do when I was talking to him ?" He asked Akira once they reached the street where she let go of him.

"Don't listen to what he says. He's completely crazy. Now, let's leave this sordid place." Akira added while stuffing her hands in her pockets before striding up the street with Arcturus on her heels.

Hello dear readers,

The plan is in motion. Akira gave to Voldemort the first pieces of information that he needed to anticipate Dumbledore's actions against him. That can't mean anything good. Like when Draco Malfoy was acting as a Death Eater inside of Hogwarts during his sixth year, being forced to do evil stuff even though he was reluctant which was torturing him deeply.

Akira crossed the line in this chapter by joining the people that she was fighting until the last year. But it didn't mean that she couldn't get herself together and stop spying for the wrong camp. But will she ? We'll see that in the next chapter at the end of the month.