Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling. This version of Aleister Crowley, along with 1,083,092,867 others, was created by Kamachi Kazuma.

Between the Lines: The Deputy and The Thieves

In her office at Hogwarts, Deputy Headmistress Minerva McGonagall stared at the several letters that were inking themselves. Between the preparations for the upcoming Triwizard Tournament and having to supervise the incoming crop of First Years, she was feeling quite under the weather.

No, it was the Tetrawizard Tournament now, she reminded herself. One additional school, an expansion of the event to get more of the student bodies involved instead of just the champions, and a name change to distance itself from the death toll in the past–-there had been a lot to do.

But there was also another thing that was bothering her, and it was the reason why she was supervising the self-inking letters now.

It was the year that Harry Potter was supposed to return to Hogwarts.

Two years ago Harry Potter had suddenly disappeared from his only remaining blood relatives, the Dursleys. Albus Dumbledore had returned with an ashen expression, and mentioned that the powerful protections that he had placed on the home and Harry had been broken.

And the Dursleys themselves, too, had been unrepentant.

She remembered what she had said, all those years ago. That they were the worst kind of Muggles.

She hated that she had been proven correct.

And when Dumbledore had said that the other enchantments had told him that Harry was still alive, and not suffering harm, she had overruled his decision to find the boy and place him back with the Dursleys.

More specifically, she had shouted at him, raged with all the anger of a lioness defending her cubs, until he had seen sense.

And they had opted to wait and see.

Well, the time of waiting was almost over.

Finally, the letters moved to the 'P's, and, with a hitch in her breath, she spotted it.

Harry Potter

Room 257

St. Ursula's Refuge for Children

She took it from the table, and went to get her travelling cloak.

There were some things that you had to see to yourself.

Slightly more than one year ago

"Stiyl." Kanzaki said. The boy, driving with the help of a fresh dose of Ageing Potion, looked in the rearview mirror, where Sally Perks' head was resting on her lap.

"What is it?" The magician's voice was heavy. He, too, knew that what they were doing was wrong, even as they carried out their duty.

Necessarius, the church of necessary evil.

"Nobody monitored us for this mission, right?"

"That is indeed the case." Stiyl said.

"I want you to lie."

"What?"

"You heard me." Kanzaki sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. "Tell them we needed to create a fire as a distraction. Leave out all mention of Harry...of the other boy."

"I see." Stiyl sighed. If he didn't need to keep both hands on the wheel, he would no doubt have been lighting up a cigarette about now. "But aren't we supposed to report-"

"Stiyl. Please." Kanzaki pleaded, her eyes downcast. "You know what they'll might do to him, if they found out-"

"I'm not that cruel, Kaori." The magician exhaled. He remembered the fearsome expression on the boy's face, hatred and despair both as he stared him down, an arm out with the girl behind him, and tried to imagine what the he might have felt.

Kanzaki Kaori...well, she was a friend, a old friend to him, a bond from being two of the few youths in Necessarius. He thought about how he might feel if she died, and imagined that emotion tenfold.

He shuddered, and the car jerked a little bit for a moment.

"Are you all right?" Kanzaki asked.

"Not at all, no." Stiyl replied. "I can't help but feel we have committed more than one terrible sin today."

"All for the greater good," Kanzaki said bitterly. Be the salvation of those who cannot be saved. And what did we just do? Rob a child of his best friend, in order to save a nebulous number of people in the future.

There was silence in the car for a time, until they reached their destination.

As Stiyl turned off the engine, he spoke again. "Go on ahead. I need a smoke."

"I'll stay with you-" Kanzaki automatically said.

"Don't be dumb. The Sleeping Charm on the girl is going to wear off soon." Stiyl said. "And I hate to say this, but I do need time alone."

"About what I said-"

"I swear on our friendship that I will..." the magician looked around warily at the parking lot of St George's Cathedral, "...do what you asked. Now get to it. And make sure the girl's treated well."

"You know I'll do that." Kanzaki looked at Sally's sleeping form. She thought about slinging her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes, but instead gathered her in her arms, a cradle carry.

We see dimly in the Present what is small and what is great,
Slow of faith how weak an arm may turn the iron helm of fate,
But the soul is still oracular; amid the market's din,
List the ominous stern whisper from the Delphic cave within—
"They enslave their children's children who make compromise with sin."

—James Russell Lowell, "The Present Crisis"

Yes, it is a timeskip.

The next proper chapter will be posted...soon.

Review please!