In the weeks that followed the joint press conference held by Harry and Dawlish, the growing fracture between the two men became more and more apparent within the Auror department. It was no secret that Dawlish was immensely displeased with Harry's actions at the Briar's Thorn or the fact that Dawlish had Harry removed from the investigation entirely after that. A few people within the department who already didn't like Harry started criticizing him for his 'fame-seeking behaviour.'

Thankfully, some others, like Elwyn and Tonks, stood up for Harry's actions. They thought that he had acted heroically and had stopped a bad situation from getting worse by intervening when none of the assigned Aurors had. It wasn't uncommon to overhear the younger recruits debating it when they thought they couldn't be overheard. It was quite the topic of interest—as almost anything involving Harry was—but that was just the start of the fracture.

Although they had worked well together on the joint press conference, Dawlish didn't forget the row he and Harry had in Kingsley's office. At first, it was just a snide comment here and there. Then, Harry was 'accidentally' left out of important departmental meetings. By the time Harry started getting assigned the most undesirable cases by Dawlish, he had had enough. Rita had yet to find any reason for why Dawlish was intimidating Amos Diggory, so Harry was forced to consider other means to deal with him.

At first, Harry had considered confronting the man directly, but he was sure that that was exactly what Dawlish wanted from him. He'd surely spin it as Harry acting as a diva and expecting special treatment within the department. Even though a few of the other Senior Aurors commented on the poor treatment Harry was receiving, there wasn't universal support to back up any official complaints he could make. So, Harry was left with the less direct route.

It was times like this that he was especially thankful for the connections he made when he ran Dumbledore's Army. So many of the men and women who partook in his extra-curricular classes were now working at the Ministry and they were always eager to help him if he ever asked for a favour.

So, when he had asked Susan Bones to have lunch with him on one of his days off, he already knew that she'd be on her side. Whether she could get him what he wanted or not though was another question entirely.

"I hear Dawlish has been giving you all of the shit work," Susan commented jovially as she popped down into the seat across from Harry. They were back in Diagon Alley at Le Bistrognome; Eloise had been happy to play host to Harry again, especially with him sitting on the patio out front of the bistro where curious passersby could see the famed hero.

"It's been pretty terrible," Harry grimaced as he took a sip of his water. "Afternoon patrol duty around Diagon Alley, early morning shifts watching the Ministry entrance for any 'emergency cases,' and he even took me off of the rotation for supervising the office."

Susan snorted and leaned back in her chair. "And you wondered why I left the Auror department to work as a Hit Wizard instead."

"I always knew why," Harry replied, cracking a small smile, "I was just pissed that my best Auror left. After you, I could only rely on Tonks for any of the important jobs."

Susan smiled at that. "I think you were just sad that we couldn't have any more of our undercover date nights."

"That too," Harry conceded with a laugh. "I do so miss sharing a basket of chips in those dingy pubs in Knockturn Alley while we waited for our target to show."

"We could still do that you know," Susan pointed out.

"Hey, my vigilante days are done," Harry said, raising his hands up. "I'm on the straight and narrow now."

"Uh huh," Susan raised a cheeky eyebrow at him. "So, the straight and narrow involves bringing a civilian with you on a job to a club that has a known Death Eater lurking about?"

Harry shrugged. "Maybe it wasn't my best idea, but I technically wasn't supposed to be the one subduing Yaxley; that was the on-duty Aurors's job. Besides, you know as well as I do that Parvati can handle a wand better than half of the recruits we get in the office."

"I heard she handled your wand pretty good that night," Susan winked at him.

It was a testament to how long he'd known Susan that he didn't choke on his water at her comment. "You're too bawdy for your own good, you know that, right?"

"I know," Susan grinned. "I just wanted to see your reaction. A bunch of us girls got together last weekend and she told us all about your exciting night out, and she gave us quite a few details about how the night ended off."

"And?" Harry prompted her. "Did I get a passing grade?"

"With honours, I'd say," Susan laughed. "You should know, a few of the other girls have their eyes on you now—more than they did before at any rate."

"And does that apply to you too?" Harry asked cheekily, turning the tables back onto her. "Interested in another go?"

Susan blushed lightly and brushed a strand of her red hair away from her face. "After our time in Venice? I don't think my poor heart could take another exciting week like that."

"Too bad, you always were so much more agreeable after we fucked," Harry joked.

"Uh huh," Susan rolled her eyes, but the smile was still on her lips. "Does this have anything to do with why you asked me to have lunch with you?"

"It does," Harry nodded. While there weren't many people he felt comfortable enough talking about Dawlish's failings as the Head Auror, Susan was one of the few that he knew would understand his position. After all, she'd left the department in no small part due to Dawlish's poor management style. "You've heard it yourself just how bad Dawlish has been treating me after the altercation at the Briar's Thorn."

"I have," Susan nodded. From the glimmer of knowledge in her eyes, Harry could tell that her mind was already starting to connect the dots before he'd even explained himself.

"Well, it's been weeks now and he's been going beyond just giving me the shit work," Harry explained. "He keeps me out of important meetings that I need to attend as a Senior Auror, and he's be limiting my involvement with the other departments."

Susan raised her eyebrows at that. "If he's keeping you out of meetings like that, surely you could file a formal complaint."

"He's being careful about it," Harry shrugged. "Memos getting to my desk late, last-minute time changes, wrong locations; all simple things that can be excused as simple clerical errors. For all his faults, he knows the rules of the department as well as any Auror, and he knows how to bend them to get what he wants."

"If you're being stonewalled like this, then why don't you-" Susan's words trailed off. "Oh."

"Exactly," Harry nodded, seeing that she fully understood why he was here. "I want to talk to your Aunt Amelia. Kingsley is playing the peacemaker in the Ministry, so he isn't willing to directly intervene in the Auror Office. That leaves his undersecretaries, who are more than likely going to follow that same policy, and the head of the entire Department of Magical Law Enforcement: Amelia Bones."

Susan bit her lower lip, quickly processing everything. "I'm not sure what you're expecting to have happen here, Harry. Although Aunt Amelia is technically Dawlish's boss since the Auror Department is a part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she doesn't have the power to countermand his decisions without the support of the Minister."

"I know she doesn't," Harry assured her. He had thought this plan through well before approaching Susan with it; he knew the limitations of what he was asking. "But she can choose to assign tasks to me that could supersede the ones Dawlish is assigning."

"If she did that, it could cause a lot of trouble for her," Susan argued.

"Dawlish would kick up a fuss," Harry admitted. "But we both know that it would be worth it if we could arrest a few of the remaining Death Eaters. There's one in particular I think we both know deserves to be off of the streets."

Susan sucked in a deep breath. "Harry, if you know anything about-"

"Just rumours, but reliable ones," Harry quickly told Susan, cutting her off. "I wouldn't hold this information over either of your heads, not after what happened back in our sixth year. I'll tell you what I know regardless of whether or not Amelia will meet with me."

Susan looked panicked and exhilarated at the same time, the exact response that Harry expected from her. He knew what he was offering her here meant a lot to her personally. After all, all of the Death Eaters who had attacked Amelia Bones's home back in the summer before their sixth year were either dead or imprisoned. All except for one.

"I'll talk to her about it," Susan said, staring right into Harry's eyes. "If this information is worthwhile, I'll see if I can get you put on the case."

Harry smiled at her. "Thanks, Susan."

"Don't mention it," Susan replied, though her thoughts were clearly elsewhere at the moment.

They feel into a mutual silence as their meals arrived and they began to eat. Harry knew that he was making a big gamble here; his information was rough, third-hand knowledge, but it was the best source of info they'd had in months on this fugitive. If it panned out, not only would one of Voldemort's former strongest lieutenants be taken down, but it'd also be a great personal relief for Susan, Amelia, and the entire Bones family who had to deal with the horror of having their ancestral home attacked at the start of the war. Harry knew perfectly well just how deep scars like that could run and how hard it was to move past fear and terror. This could give them all the chance to find peace with the situation that happened years ago.

And, it could be the first step into gaining a powerful ally on his side when it came time to supplanting Dawlish.

Harry had been to Amelia Bones's office a few times before. There were the quarterly meetings she had with all of the Senior Aurors and the few other times she called Harry in to congratulate him after a particularly important mission. She was a staple in the Ministry, someone who had been around since before the war and had stood up against the forces of evil. She truly was one of the few Ministry workers that Harry genuinely respected for her dedication to stopping Voldemort.

Amelia was a serious and stern woman. Her square jaw and short gray hair created an imposing silhouette, and that magical monocle over her left eye was able to see through countless deceptive spells. All of it added to her intimidating personality, which Harry was the sole recipient of right now.

Amelia was staring at Harry from across her desk, her fingers interlaced in front of her face as she examined him. It had been like this for several minutes now after Susan, who was sitting in the chair beside Harry, had explained the situation to Amelia.

Finally, Amelia cleared her throat. "How long have you had this information about the possible location of Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Truthfully, he had it for nearly a month now, just after his fight with Dawlish in the Minister's office. One of his regular informants had come to him with urgent information, and, while Harry trusted the woman who had given him the information, this was serious enough that he needed some of the information vetted. He'd asked Tonks and Rita for their help by having them pose undercover in a quiet alley deep in Knockturn Alley. After a couple of weeks, Rita had heard a snippet of a conversation that confirmed the informant's information.

Bellatrix Lestrange was back in Britain.

During the final battle at Hogwarts, Bellatrix had fled the school after everyone saw Voldemort die in combat against Harry. She'd left the country and subsequently traveled all across the globe, seeking a place to lay low. The last trail the Americans had on her had gone cold nearly two years ago now, so it was incredibly surprising to hear that she was back in Britain.

"A couple of weeks," Harry lied. "Just long enough to vet what came in from my informant."

"Explain," Amelia prompted. "What information did they give you exactly?"

"Not much," Harry admitted. "Just that Bellatrix Lestrange was back in Britain and that she'd visited a few families that had followed Voldemort. I couldn't find a reason for it yet, but, presumably, she's either seeking shelter or allies."

Amelia paused, deep in thought. Harry glanced at Susan out of the corner of his eye hoping to gauge her response to how the meeting was going so far, but she was looking just as serious as Amelia was.

Eventually, Amelia's piercing gaze returned back to Harry. "Why didn't you go to Dawlish with this information? As the Head Auror and your direct supervisor, he should be your first point of contact for such things."

Ah, and thus they finally arrived at the tipping point. Harry knew that what he was about to say was a gamble, albeit a calculated one. He had been willing to be a little bit more upfront with Susan about his issues with Dawlish given her own history with the man, but Harry wasn't too familiar with Amelia's ties to Dawlish. However, if she truly was the woman he thought she was, Harry was certain that she'd find his incompetence just as repugnant as he did.

"Dawlish is retaliating against me over the Briar's Thorn incident," Harry explained. Amelia didn't seem too surprised at that, her expression remained perfectly even. "He's been sidelining me from important jobs and meetings and he's shown no sign of stopping. Given how dangerous Bellatrix is, and how ineffective some of the Aurors he favours are, I didn't trust that he'd be up to the task of taking down Bellatrix."

"That's not your decision to make," Amelia snapped sharply.

Time to make the push. "You know as well as I do that he's a terrible Head Auror," Harry argued, leaning forward in his seat. "He pawns off his work onto his subordinates, plays favourites, and has a terrible leadership style, as your niece can attest to. I'm giving this information to you because I know that you won't squander the opportunity we have."

Amelia sniffed, her eyes searching Harry's face. She hadn't thrown him out yet after he explicitly disrespected Dawlish, which was a good sign. "And you think that you're the best one to handle this case?" Amelia asked Harry.

Of course he did; he was Harry Potter after all. He had arrested or killed more Death Eaters than any other Auror in the Ministry today. His record as an Auror was near impeccable, other than his occasionally unorthodox tactics that made some question him, and he knew that he'd be able to handle Bellatrix in a duel; few other Aurors could claim to have the same confidence in their skills, and most of them would be lying anyway.

Harry had considered being meek, playing down his abilities, but he knew that he'd never get away with that with Susan here. She knew him too well, and if he didn't sell himself genuinely, she might warn her aunt that something was off.

"Yes, I do," Harry answered confidently. "I know that I could put up a good fight against Bellatrix if it came down to it, and I've spent plenty of time tracking down Death Eaters in the years after the war to know how they think."

"Bellatrix isn't like any other Death Eater," Amelia cautioned him.

"No, she's not," Harry conceded. "She's insane and powerful. That's why this operation needs to be handled by someone competent enough to deal with her. If she had been in Yaxley's place back at the Briar's Thorn, I'm sure that half of the club would have been dead before anyone could have stopped her. That's what you would get if Dawlish led this case: a bloodbath. I want to take down Bellatrix before it gets to that point."

Amelia steepled her fingers together and frowned. "You've made a lot of waves in your short career here at the Ministry. I've heard just as many good things as I have bad." Harry opened his mouth to speak but Amelia's look made him close it back up. "You're more than a competent wizard, but you seem to take after your mentor, Albus Dumbledore, in your unorthodox approaches. However, I cannot deny that you've been largely successful in dealing with the remaining Death Eaters through these methods."

Silence returned as Amelia contemplated what exactly she was going to say next. Harry stayed still, trying to maintain his air of professionalism in spite of the niggling of fear he felt inside of himself. This was the first person outside of his inner circle of friends who he had told what he truly thought about Dawlish. Based on his words today, it wouldn't be a stretch for Amelia to assume that Harry would prefer it if Dawlish was gone from the Ministry entirely. Knowing this, he'd have to act carefully in the future, but he had needed to do something. He was being stonewalled by Dawlish, so he couldn't simply leave things as they were.

A change was brewing in the Ministry, one of Harry's own making. Amelia could hamper his efforts if she refused him today, but he would keep fighting to see his goals met. Mopping up the remaining Death Eaters was just the start. Dealing with the dark families who harbored dangerous artefacts and incompetent Ministry officials who were hampering forward progress were both great threats to British society too. Changes had to be made to prevent another Voldemort, and Harry would be damned if he just lied down and didn't make them happen.

"Susan," Amelia suddenly spoke up, turning her attention over to her niece.

Susan sat up straight in her chair. "Yes?"

"I'm assigning this investigation to you," Amelia stated. "You will be in charge of ascertaining the whereabouts of Bellatrix Lestrange and who she has been in contact with. If you encounter the target, you will subdue and arrest her unless lethal force is necessary."

Susan nodded her head. "Is this to be a Hit Wizard assignment?" She asked.

"No," Amelia gave the slightest shake of her head. "This will be an inter-departmental job between the Auror Department and the Hit Wizard Department. Senior Auror Harry Potter will be assigned to you until the job is done."

Even in this professional setting, Susan couldn't help but subtly smirk at Harry. "Excellent."

"Thank you, Director," Harry said to Amelia, feeling a wave of relief wash over him.

If anything, Amelia's gaze grew even more stern as she returned her focus to him. "Susan speaks highly of your skills, and that matters more to me than any report I get from Dawlish," she said, gesturing down to a closed scroll on her desk.

A blaze of fury shot through Harry in an instant. So, Dawlish had already been reaching out to others to tarnish their perception of Harry. How many others had he spoken to already? The faster he was out of his office, the better off Harry would be. But, now was not the time for fury. He had gotten what he wanted, so he simply forced down his anger and frustration and focused on the task at hand.

Amelia stood up from behind her desk, leading to Harry and Susan doing the same. "You two have a month to find her. If nothing actionable is ready by then, I'll be calling in more assistance from both of your departments. Until then, this job will remain classified under my purview. The Minister will be informed as well, but it will just be kept between us until the month is up or you are ready to move on Bellatrix to prevent any leaks."

"We won't let you down," Harry said, holding out his hand.

Amelia shook his hand. "Find her, Potter, before she can harm any more of our people. Merlin knows enough of us have died at her hands."

A/N: Hey, thanks for reading! If you are interested in reading more or supporting me, check out at p atreon .com(slash) ashox