Mind Over Matter
Why does everything in the bureau have to be so dark and gloomy? Harry whined internally as he was in another training session with Nicolas Flamel.
The dark training room was dimly lit by flickering torches, casting eerie shadows on the stone walls. Harry sat cross-legged on a cold, hard floor, his breath steady and controlled. Before him, bound by unbreakable magical chains, sat Friedrich. Rejuvenated by the healers for Harry to practice on.
"Focus, boy." Nicolas's cold voice commanded, breaking him out of his petulant whinings. Harry briefly shuddered under its cold effect. Behind him stood Dorea who recorded multiple readings emitting from various contraptions on Harry's head including his brain waves. The same apparatus was attached to Friedrich as well.
"This would be much easier with a wand. I could look him in the eyes…" Harry protested.
"Yes, why don't you try telling the next enemy that it would be mighty convenient if they could maintain eye contact with you," Nicolas said and Harry huffed.
"Pretty please Mr. black hand give me back my wand and look into my eyes." Nicolas mocked in a baby voice. However, from him, it sounded more monstrous than chiding. Dorea snorted before covering it up with a cough.
"You will remain in this chamber until your psi is strong enough to shatter his mind, Agent Chimera." Nicolas declared.
Harry nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His magical core was still tender and damaged from previous battles, rendering him unable to summon and channel large amounts of magic. However, this limitation had become a strength, allowing him near-perfect control over the small, precise amounts of magic he could muster.
He opened his eyes, fixing his gaze on Friedrich. He could feel the tendrils of his mental abilities extending from his consciousness, probing the outer layers of Friedrich's mental defenses. The prisoner contorted his expression in a stony poker face, his Occlumency shields shimmering with a malicious white.
"Good," Owl murmured. "Chimera, strike hard and fast. Overwhelm with sheer might alone. Stun him till the psi translates into physical damage."
Harry yelled as he imagined a sledgehammer shattering a wall into several pieces and projecting such emotions onto Friedrich. He used his alchemical wisdom and theory to translate his rage into the magic that translated into a "legilimens" spell.
Friedrich audibly yelled as he felt pain in his head and his nose started bleeding.
"He's resisting," Dorea noted, her quill scratching rapidly across the parchment. "Brainwave activity is spiking."
Harry sensed several cracks forming in Friedrich's mind and like a kraken, he started to slowly sweep his tendrils into the shattered psyche. He pushed forward, focusing on a particularly fragile thread within Friedrich's mind. His insecurities concerning his mother. Harry smiled viciously, "Bingo!"
With a swift mental twist, he snapped it, causing a ripple of disruption across the shield. Friedrich gasped, his eyes widening in shock. Adam seized the opportunity, driving his mental tendrils deeper, prying apart the cracks in the defenses. He could feel the edges of Friedrich's memories now, tantalizingly close. Friedrich was now bleeding from both nostrils and eyes.
"Excellent," Owl said, a rare note of approval in his voice. "Continue. Do not relent."
Sweat beaded on Harry's forehead as he pushed further, his mental abilities slicing through the remaining barriers like a surgeon's scalpel. Friedrich's mind was laid bare before him, a chaotic tangle of thoughts and memories. Adam began to sift through them, searching for the crucial information they needed.
"His brainwaves are fluctuating wildly," Dorea said, her voice tinged with excitement. "You're almost there, Chimera."
"Got it," Harry whispered, his voice hoarse. "I've got the intel."
"Good. Now again." Owl said and both Dorea and Harry stared at him in shock. Nicolas was unrelenting and waved his wand. Friedrich was carried away and in his place, several agents appeared wearing training.
"Now apply the same principle in combat situations against multiple enemies," Nicolas ordered. "Begin!"
Trouble in Paradise
The closed session of the Wizengamot was now running. In the dimly lit chamber of the Wizengamot, tension crackled in the air. The sound of murmured discussions and rustling parchment barely masked the unease of the gathered wizards and witches.
Lord Goldilocks stood, his golden overpriced robes glinting viciously,
"Minister Bones," Lord Goldilocks began, his tone laced with anger, "your policies of aggression against Grindelwald are not just reckless—they are catastrophic."
"Traitor!" A voice from the back yelled.
"We are at war!" "Necessary sacrifice!" Another voice yelled.
Goldilocks slammed his hand on the wooden table. "Necessary? The previous administration's haphazard declaration of war against Germany has already cost us dearly. Do you all not remember the offensive operation that led to the deaths of countless witches and wizards?"
"Our entire 1st and 2nd army lost!" Goldilocks shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "Good men and women sacrificed because of poor planning and misguided strategies. And now, the newly created Arcane Intelligence Bureau is running roughshod over local law enforcement. Where is the oversight, Minister?"
Bones interrupted the man's speech "The AIB is essential for our security. We need them to stay ahead of Grindelwald's machinations."
"Objection Chief Warlock!" Goldilocks declared, "I cannot continue my constitutionally protected speech under such circumstances."
"Objection sustained. Minister Bones, please restrain yourself." The Chief Warlock declared and the lord bowed politely toward him.
Goldilocks pointed a finger at Bones. "And now, you have the audacity to imprison Lord Levington without a warrant! He was well within his freedom of speech rights to support whatever politics he deemed necessary for the greater good of magical Britain. This is an egregious abuse of power!"
"Seditious cur!" Someone yelled from the back.
Goldilocks shook his head. "Seditious? He merely voiced his opinions, which, last I checked, is not a crime in magical Britain. His imprisonment is an affront to our values and our laws."
"Security threat!"
"Our security?" Goldilocks scoffed. "Look at France and Russia. They thought they could stand up to Grindelwald, and now they lie in ruins. Do you wish the same fate upon us? Imprisoning dissenters without cause only weakens us from within."
Bones shot back, "This is not about silencing dissent. It's about ensuring our survival."
Goldilocks shook his head. "At what cost? How many more lives must be lost before you see reason? I urge your coalition partners to reconsider their hostile actions against Grindelwald. We must sue for peace, or we will end up dead, just like France and Russia."
The chamber fell silent, the weight of Goldilocks' words hanging heavily in the air. Bones glanced around the room, seeing the uncertainty in the faces of her allies. They might succumb to the pressure now that several rich pureblood families had skin in the game. Several of their heirs and family members had been drafted into the war. Now, it wasn't just poor purebloods, half-bloods, and muggle-borns that were in the legions.
Goldilocks lowered his voice, but it still carried a fervent intensity. "War is not the answer, Minister. Diplomacy is. For the sake of magical Britain, we must find another way."
Bones sighed, her resolve wavering. "We will discuss this further," she conceded, her voice barely above a whisper.
Goldilocks nodded, the tension easing slightly. "For the greater good," he said, the chamber echoing with the shared sentiment, "I would like to move a motion for the immediate dissolution of the Arcane Intelligence Bureau."
The meeting adjourned amid the sheer volume of heckling and spells tossed between the attendants. Aurors moved in to stop the racket and Minister Bones, with Wizengamot majority, moved to overrule the motion. She was in safe hands for now and moved to exit the chambers. Several of her aids alongside floating parchments chased after her. She motioned for one of them to keep up with her. Bones nodded as Viktor Epcott took to the stand to calm the attendees and deliver a rebuttal to Goldilock's nonsense.
"Sadie, get Owl to a meeting in the usual place within 5 minutes." Gloria Bones ordered her and the aide scurried away to comply. It was safer this way. If the meeting was on the books, she would have to have a notetaker record it. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
Operation Homeland
In the dim, secluded corner of the Magical Creatures Division, the usual bustle was absent. Disguised Aurors stood guard in plain clothes, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any sign of trouble. Bones took out a cigarette, her hands trembling slightly. She inhaled deeply, the smoke curling around her like a shroud.
Many lordlings considered the department below their dignity and assumed others felt the same. As such, they never bribed the staffers or house elves to spy on the discussions held here. Thus making it a temporary relief spot for Gloria Bones.
Several minutes passed before the sound of soft footsteps reached her ears.
"Tough day?" Owl inquired, his voice low and steady.
Gloria exhaled a plume of smoke, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "You don't know the half of it, Owl."
He stepped closer, his eyes searching her face for answers. "Just rip the band-aid off, Minister. I'm too ancient for subtleties."
Gloria laughed at that. Nicolas Flamel stating to be ancient was an understatement. The man walked the Earth when the ministries were but newborn babes. With his mission accomplished in lightening up her mood, Owl moved in,
"How bad is it?"
Gloria sighed, her shoulders sagging under the weight of her words. "Your suspicions were right. Grindelwald's rot has spread to the pureblood families, not just the disenfranchised Muggle-borns."
Owl's lips curled into a bitter chuckle. "Should have moved in sooner. Letting Albus play with his policies of peace and appeasement was a mistake."
"We didn't have much support back then," Gloria countered, her voice weary. "Even if we wanted to, we couldn't have done anything substantial."
Several seconds passed in silence before Gloria spoke again.
She looked at him, her eyes hardening with resolve. "Owl, you have my blessing to operate within the borders of the British Isles and Eldermoor City effective immediately. I'll write the executive order shortly."
Owl's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "This motion will be deeply unpopular, Minister, even if it's secret."
"I know," she said, taking another deep puff from her cigarette. "But we can't afford to let dissenters build further political roadblocks against us. Move fast in investigating them."
Owl straightened, his demeanor professional and sharp. "Understood, Madam Minister." He saluted her and, with a sharp crack, apparated away.
Left alone, Gloria rubbed her temples. She took a few more deep puffs of her cigarette before dropping it to the ground and stomping it out.
Nexus
Things were becoming problematic. It ran through millions of calculations in a nanosecond and the programming triggered alerts. The machine forced its sensors to wrap around the object of its worry.
Michael Rokko.
His master who was yet to be the master was proving most problematic. He was a stark contrast to the master he had known in the future. The Michael Rokko of the future never lost his calm, was always calculated, and feared nothing. He singlehandedly took a species always at the mercy of abominations and raised them to be alpha predators. This Michael Rokko was weak, sniveling, and volatile. He was prone to ordering things based on his emotions. He had immediately ordered an assault on the mages once he learned the truth behind his parent's deaths. That would have swiftly led to their demise in both timelines and the end of the human project. Thankfully, Nexus had been able to calm the boy down sufficiently enough to rescind the order.
Things were falling apart quickly for them. The mages were aware of their existence if not their location. Undoubtedly, they strengthened their defenses in preparation for the coming war. Nexus had neither the industrial base nor access to the UFO technology of the Roswell incident. Worse, its projections were indicating devastating manpower losses in their fight against the fascists in Europe and the East. While Nexus was stuck babysitting his master-to-be. Hundreds of cautionary messages popped up in its memory cortex warning Nexus of the boy.
The frontal cortex is not fully developed.
Puberty has not yet reached.
Maturity is not fully developed. Expect social inadequacies.
Nexus ran the scenarios through all the checks and memory banks for further guidance.
Conditions 1.4.100 met. Initiate acceleration protocol.
A voice chimed in, and Nexus stilled the operations. This was part of the memory banks that were deliberately left out of Nexus's reach. Only to be used when the future Michael deemed it necessary. Nexus eagerly scanned the documents and briefly paused.
It then acted without hesitation.
Cyborgs flew from their resting spots and immediately grabbed the boy. Michael shrieked in panic as he was dragged away and tasered. He immediately fell silent, but the machines were unrelenting. Surgical instruments were immediately brought out as the boy was lowered in a mechanical vat. Soon his body was cut open and bloody with several tubes pumping advanced chemicals into him. Several cruel instruments were linked directly into his brain and Nexus started to pump information directly into him. If Micahel Rokko failed to grow up properly, then it would forcibly mold into a warrior befitting humanity.
Just like Michael, Nexus won't tolerate any weakness in the grand design.
As the work continued on the boy, Nexus turned its attention to the muggle war. Projections displayed that millions more would die due to the changes in parameters in Russia. Stalingrad had failed to break Germany in the manner that it did in the original.
Millions more would die than before. It was unacceptable to lose so many fighting-age men in the war. Especially when they would be sorely needed in the magical-mundane war to come. It summoned forth one of its disguises now accessible to it. The machine assumed the form of a wealthy industrialist with significant ties to the European defense industry and the American elite. Nexus needed to move fast to introduce weapons of war that would decidedly tilt the balance in the Allied favor right off the bat.
It was time to infiltrate the human governments and universities with full force. The might of the industry will catapult human society forward hundreds of years. No longer will the masses have to endure the broken promises of science restrained by the limits of energy and material sciences. It was a new dawn.
One of the scientists will work on breaking the Enigma machine.
One will infiltrate the weapons industry and mass-produce automatic rifles.
Many will infiltrate the Manhattan Project instead of merely guarding it from the mages.
It was time to equip the Americans with the infamous ME-262.
Trouble in Paradise
Grandmaster Eric sat behind a large oak desk, his fingers steepled as he watched Luther Walden pace the room. The flickering candlelight cast shadows on the stone walls, but Eric's gaze remained steady and unwavering on the Grindelwald's latest Generalissimo, Luther Walden. As chief of the Blackhand, he had to deal with several personalities within Lord Grindelwald's traveling circus. However, the worst was always the military. Despite professing themselves as stone-hearted pragmatists, Eric was willing to swear every oath they were some of the worst divas alive.
This is why he was forced to watch Eric gulp down his expensive wine and pace about the room while giving him a headache. Luther took another mighty swing of his glass and refilled it to the top while ignoring Eric's twitching eye.
"You don't under Herr Eric." Luther moaned, "The morale amongst the rank and file is plummeting. And it is not just the frontline fighters, but also the officer corp."
"One would imagine after France and Russia, the troops would be jubilant, General." Eric said, "However, I fail to see how this falls under my domain."
"You are the supreme upholder and enforcer of Lord Grindelwald's will in the Empire. It is your job!" Luther shot back.
"My, such dissent within the troops. This suspiciously stinks of treason. Maybe I should investigate this like you want. Perhaps flaying a few of them alive in front of the battalions might improve morale?" Eric wondered aloud.
"It's not the army in whom the doubt should be, Grandmaster," Luther said.
"Then get to the point, maybe?!" Eric snapped. His patience has reached a limit against the other man's tantrums.
"Lord Grindelwald launched this holy crusade to propel wizardkind above all. No longer would muggles, mundanes, or magical creatures dictate the fate of our kind." Luther said, "Respectfully, Grandmaster, I no longer hold faith in the Black Hand's ability to enforce that vision."
"Is that so, General?" Eric asked in a dangerous tone.
"Yes, cleaning out a few reserves of goblin, veela, or centaurs is nothing," Luther said, completely oblivious to Eric's cold fury.
"I could arrange a close visit to our corrective camps for the undesirables if you wish," Eric said.
"I wonder, Grandmaster if vampires would be on your meat hooks?" Luther said and Eric's face immediately went blank. Luther tried to hide a sly smile but couldn't resist. He knew he had found a particularly painful point in Blackhand's armor.
Eric leaned back in his chair, "And you believe our reliance on vampires is the issue?"
"It is completely contradictory to what we teach our children," Luther snapped. "The operation in France should have been conducted by the army, yet it was the vampires who carried it out."
"It got results, no?" Eric said.
Luther swirled his glass and smiled again, "Even the fabled Black Hand, answerable to Lord himself, was placed under the command of miserable blood leeches. How did the Black Hand feel playing second fiddle to the brood mother, Kendra Dumbledore?"
Eric's eyes flashed with a dangerous glint. "Mind your tongue, General. Kendra is a necessary ally. Her abilities have proven invaluable."
"Ah yes, hopefully, the Giovanni clan one day doesn't replace the Black Hand as knights of the empire and arbiters of Grindelwald's will. It would be incredibly weird to have them as the source of the imperial truth." Luther said.
Headshot, Luther thought as Eric grew absolutely furious. A few moments passed before Luther clapped his hands,
"Good heavens, would you look at the time? I thank you Grandmaster for the intelligence review. But I believe it's time for me to leave now. The Russians are proving particularly insufferable."
"I believe it is, General," Eric said and Luther took a portkey and vanished, leaving Eric alone in his office. Eric sat in silence for a moment before a new voice broke his musings.
"He is right, you know." A man appeared in a red hood, "The Giovannis have gained a significant hold over the affairs."
Eric angrily tossed the documents he was reading at the table before him.
"Of course he is right. The question is what can we do about it, zero." Eric said.
"Nothing we can do. Lady Kendra was dearest to our Lord. Long before The Black Hand was even a thing" Zero admitted, "There's also the fact that Anika failed to kill Albus while Kendra succeeded."
"You are not helping, zero," Eric complained.
"Many apologies, grandmaster." Zero said and paused for a while.
"While we may not be able to actively go against them, we may be able to outpolitik them." Zero said.
"Explain," Eric demanded.
Zero reached inside his robe and presented a folder to Eric.
"This here is a copy of the investigation the former head of Military Intelligence, Mariam Shah, was conducting into the Giovannis." Zero said.
"It's nothing," Eric said waving the thin document around.
"Aye, Grandmaster, but if you would see here," Zero opened to the relevant page and pointed at it, "Mariam believed that the Giovannis were obsessed about obtaining bodies of famous witches and wizards. In her personal accounts, she wrote that the blood magic they practiced had something to do with that."
"Ok…." Eric trailed off.
"Her investigation led her to believe that the blood of famous mages invigorates the more ancient members of the clan without having to resort to maintaining entire blood banks. Which I might add are a logistical nightmare to maintain." Zero said.
"Still not a damning clue….." Eric said.
"But this is not the worst of it." Zero said, "Once in a coordination meeting, Mariam let slip that she had a mole in the Giovannis. The gist of it was that Dumbledore's body was in their position."
"Lord Grindelwald, had the body sent to Britain as a message?" Eric said.
"Our agent in Britain before he went back reported that the tomb was empty. It is a closely guarded secret known only to a few people." Zero said.
"How could a dead body serve them?" Eric said, "Even with necromancy there are severe limits when it comes to resurrection. I am confident our own expert will say the same."
"That, Grandmaster, is as the Yankees would say, a million-dollar question." Zero said.
"What is the current status of Mariam Shah after her removal?" Eric asked.
"She is kept under house arrest on nonsense charges. Kendra absolutely wanted her dead, but the Lord intervened. He is still fond of her past performance. This coupled with growing problems in Britain diverted Giovanni's attention to more pressing matters." Zero reported.
"I can have her house arrest revoked, that is not the issue." Eric mused, "But the moment I do that, Giovannis will be alerted and scuttle to hide anything. That is of course if they hadn't done it already."
"We can always switch her up with someone. Have one of our prisoners be under house arrest and a Polyjuice potion. Meanwhile, Mariam can operate and investigate the Giovannis thoroughly. This time around, stealth will be with her." Zero said.
Eric paused for a moment. This was a risky gamble. On the one hand, they lost ground to Giovannis every day in the political arena. They knew all their moves while the Black Hand operated virtually blindly against them. If word got out that the Black Hand was poking noses into Lord Grindelwald's most venerated allies, things would become very heated very quickly. Alternatively, if something was going on, it would give Lord Grindelwald the appropriate cassus belli to operate freely against them. It might make him snap out of whatever emotional hold Kendra had on the man.
Eric made up his mind. It was his job to ensure the ideological purity of the coming empire. If the roots were already polluted, the empire would not last half a century, much less the millennia his lord envisioned.
"Do it. I will have some gold sent your way. Don't do it the usual way, we will avoid a paper trail that way. Have only your people look into this and tell Mariam to keep her nose down." Eric said, "Make it so, Agent Zero."
"Right away, grandmaster." Zero said and vanished back into the shadows.
Intelligence Bureau
"The locusts worked perfectly, Hagrid. You did a great job." Harry said. Hagrid sheepishly rubbed his head.
"Oh, it was nothin' 'arry." Hagrid said, "You were the one who came up with the jar and stuff."
It felt good to compliment him on a job well done. Even the Hagrid of his time had not been allowed to sufficiently develop his talents and apply them in a way that benefits society. Hopefully, Hagrid would develop a better future rather than being resigned to being a measly gamekeeper.
"You should see what Aragog, me boys, and I have been working on. The dark lord won't know what him." Hagrid boasted.
"Well then, all that ends well is well, I suppose." Harry patted the giant on the shoulder, "I will leave to your work, then Master Hagrid."
Hagrid cheerfully waved and marched away. A thin thumping sound echoed as he walked away.
"Your ability to befriend literally everyone is amazing, Harry" Helena said from behind him as Hagrid disappeared around the corner.
"Ha." Harry said, "Does that also include bookworms?"
"Har Har Har. Very amusing, Mr. Petrov." Helena mocked, "Do you spend all day writing this while you are supposed to be working?"
"Pfft. Everybody knows I am an extraordinary professional. Just ask Owl about my last hunt." Harry said.
"Speaking of all things Owl," Helena said, "All captains were called to a meeting with Owl about 6 minutes ago…."
Harry turned at stared at her while Helena looked back blankly.
"Are you for…" Harry said but Helena interrupted him.
"Make them seven minutes now," Helena said and Harry dashed towards the meeting room, not before giving Helena the meanest possible glare.
"Men" Helena chuckled, "They always think they will have the last laugh."
Propaganda
"Our interrogation of the new prisoners has revealed much." Owl declared after he was done glaring at Harry for being late. Even though they all wore masks, Owl somehow knew it was Harry who was late.
"We now know that with victory in sight, the jackals have now started to turn on each other in a bid for a bigger spoil of the post-war loot." He said, "The vampire faction of Grindelwald's empire, known as the Giovannis, is being led by the renegade Kendra Dumbledore and Julius Giovanni."
A silence fell on the hall as pencils stopped moving and people stared dumbfoundedly at the man.
"And yes, before you ask, there is a connection but that is irrelevant now. All you need to know is that the woman is highly dangerous. She is a master-level necromancer who has preternatural physical abilities." Owl said, "If you are near her, flee. If you fight, fight to kill. Hold nothing back because she will give you no quarter."
"Julius Giovanni right now is an unknown element. We have a separate cell working on drawing a profile, but things are difficult now. We don't know for how long he has been rendered undeath or what year. We are not even sure who his sire was or what his relation to Kendra is." He said, "If any of you find a lead in the field, you are to report it immediately."
"Coming back to more pressing matters, the war at hand. While we are still trying to gain traction into the weapons program, we must strike back." Owl said, "Through our prisoners, we have gained two leads in occupied France. One of the Levington relatives in France has been running a new newspaper network. The rag is filled to the brim with propaganda designed to lull the French into accepting the occupation."
"We will insert a team who will meet with this lead and take over their psyche through whatever means necessary. From there on they will mildly report on the differences between the regular army and the Giovannis. Moreover, they will get in touch with the members of the French underground to reestablish contact. Meanwhile, from here we will report it at a hundred times the frequency to further sow dissent." Owl said and raised his hand up to silence the murmuring.
"Your assignments have been laid out before you. Commit them to memory and start acting on them. Coordinate with the departments in case you need anything." Owl said, "Dismissed everyone."
Sharpening the Knife
"I expected more, to be honest, boss." Harry said to Nicolas, "Are we really chasing after measly propagandists while Russia is close to failing?"
"You need to pick up on Albus's trail. We know he was doing something in France, but we don't know what. All leads have gone cold. We believe it is something related to the weapons Grindelwald is using. As you can undoubtedly see, we have little to nothing to go off on here. It won't be wise revealing all this to greater masses at the bureau." Nicolas said, "The walls have ears. Especially the walls at a spy agency. It would be most unwise to assume The Black Hand isn't working on obtaining double agents within the bureau just like we are doing over there."
"Fair enough. I will tell you to be ready for departure ASAP." Harry said, "Before that, how exactly will we get into France after the army failed? Through Switzerland?"
"France is my home turf. You will go directly across the channel. I will ensure it." Nicolas declared and that was that.
"Also, you will be taking the Helena girl with you," Nicolas said.
"That wasn't part of the deal…." Harry angrily whispered as he seized Nicolas by the arm, "I was promised she would be kept well away from the field."
Nicolas glared directly at Harry as if daring him to continue. Harry apologized and respectfully let go of the man's arm.
"The Unspeakables have been throwing a tantrum ever since the creation of the bureau. Things like these were usually to be their remit. Long have they resisted the minister and the wizengamot getting administrative control over them. As we are merging together, a lot of their activities are coming to light that won't hold favor with the masses." Nicolas said, "We need them on our side than the others. As such, it is your job to ensure that she goes with you, contributes, and comes back alive."
"Understood, Agent Petrov?" Nicolas demanded.
"Crystal clear," Harry replied and Nicolas stalked away with his hands behind his back.
Infiltration
The boat ride would have been funny if the circumstances weren't so grim. Helena angrily glared at Harry, knowing that he was smiling behind his porcelain mask at her as she dealt with another bout of nausea. Sailing across the channel in a muggle boat really brought out the worst in her.
Harry turned his face away to give her some modicum of privacy in the small barge as she held onto her escaping guts with all her strength. He glanced back at his team, affectionately nicknamed the Pirahannas, by the colleagues at the bureau.
There was Iris. Real name Emma Jones. A Hufflepuff who had beaten several Ravenclaws at their own game of intellect. There had been a political skirmish between special operations and the Unspeakbles to recruit her. Thankfully, their side had won and conceded Helena to the Unspeakables in turn.
For now, Helena acted as their liaison to the unspeakable and an expert on all things magical. She was titled matron who would administer their operations, provide analysis, support on magical theory, and divination assistance via astronomy and arithmancy. Harry had affectionately codenamed her hummingbird on account of her excitable nature much to her chagrin.
There was Charlus Potter. Code named Noble. His "alleged" brother. Harry cringed whenever he heard Charlus call him "brother." The worst part was that Charlus noticed Harry's hesitation and subtle opposition to the title, the gregarious boy was visibly hurt. It had led to some friction again between the duo, but thankfully Charlus was a lot more mature than Harry was back in the day. He had acted as a consummate professional. He was the team's main muscle who hid a ferocious political, dueling, and economic acumen behind a veneer stereotypical male dumb ego. The man's private lessons with Lord Black and Nicolas Flamel were starting to pay off.
Then there was Sebastian Prewett. Gryffindor to the core. Codenamed Lion. A hunter and dueling legend who had made a name for himself in the underworld for his illegal hunts of dangerous or endangered species. Not just that, the man also had acquired a taste for bounty hunting. Sebastian hunted runaway elves, bail jumpers, and general assassination contracts. A life of wealth and opulence had left him very bored. As such, he had developed dangerous addictions. Especially to hallucinogenic plants and potions. The man went through Rakta root like Ron during the Halloween feast. Harry had briefly dealt goods with the man with the Hag as a mediator back when he was still in the underworld. Sebastian had been arrested shortly after in a sting operation. Looking at a decade in Azkaban, he entered a plea deal with Owl. Conscription in exchange for a new slate.
There were the twins, Bridget and Elizabeth who claimed to be twins despite being polar opposites in both appearance and mannerisms. They were codenamed Rho and Cho respectively. A far outcry of another pair of ginger twins he knew. The two constantly bickered amongst themselves. Bridget focused on all the girly things in life. Boys, makeup, parties, and cakes. Elizabeth was a tomboy who in a better world would have been an international quidditch sensation. Bridget was the medical expert of the team who would provide healing and potions expert. Elizabeth was the portkey and transportation expert who could chart optimal routes through the ether. Both had passed their combat proficiency test with a neat "O" grade.
And last but not least, there was Harry himself. Codenamed Chimera. Nicolas had personally granted the codename to Harry and refused to elaborate on why he did it. Harry had wracked all his alchemical notes with studies from Dumbledore and couldn't figure out why it was. His research told him that Chimera symbolized the blending of different elements to create something unique and powerful, but also the unnatural and monstrous results of forced integration. But Harry didn't know what Nicolas saw in him that caused him to believe he was the result of multiple forced integrations. Regardless of everything, he was the team captain. As such, Harry thought it was his personal responsibility to be ahead of the curve on everything his team did. He was the lead infiltrator, owing to his metamorph abilities. Aside from that he was the team's artificer and alchemical expert.
Whenever Harry was not on missions, he was constantly training. Never again will he be caught with his pants down like he had been in the past. Whether it was physical training or racing to complete his apprenticeship under Nicolas Flamel, he was content. Although it was a pain to gain Nicolas's time and attention. The Director was much more content pawning him off experts within the Unspeakable so that he could work in pace. Not that Harry wasn't determined to annoy the man with all his might and intellect.
A device chimed in alerting Harry that they were nearing the landing point. He signaled his team and they all started to perform last-minute checks on their equipment.
"Roll out in 5 minutes," Harry ordered and the team acknowledged.
It was show time.
Fin
Author Notes: Thank you for giving my work a chance. Don't forget to like/heart, review, and follow.
Many thanks to the amazing anonymous reviewers who wrote some pretty great things. Rest assured, I won't let you down and will connect everything in a neat pile at the very end. I will do my best.
Also, the next chapters will have the side characters get a lot more screentime.
Till next time everyone.