Harry was kissing Tonks and she was moving around on top of him touching everywhere she could reach with her small, warm hands. Her fingers slid all over his chest and into his hair. Her hands tugged at his raven colored hair and pushed his lips against hers more forcefully.
She was rubbing her tight, barely clothed body up and down his. Harry loved every second Tonks rubbed him. He felt her breasts move around on his bare chest and her nipples strain against the thin fabric of the shirt she wore. The shirt had bunched up right beneath her breasts and it was threatening to move higher yet.
Harry's hands were running across her rear and up her sides. He wanted to tear her underwear off so he could feel more of her. He was getting very excited and felt himself nearing a pleasurable point. He heard Tonks squeal a little and she pressed herself down as hard as she could. Harry felt himself getting even closer.
Harry awoke at that moment breathing harder than normal. He had his arms wrapped around the still sleeping form of Tonks who was lying right in front of him. He gave his left hand a squeeze and felt a soft but firm breast in his grasp. Harry found his other arm wrapped around the front of Tonks holding her protectively against his chest.
He knew his dream had excited certain areas, but he didn't know what damage had been. He breathed deeply trying to calm down. He smelled Tonks hair in the process and found it had a faint flower smell that he couldn't place. He relaxed and tried to sense if he would have to explain something when she woke up.
Much to his surprise and thanks, nothing seemed wrong with any part of his body that he could feel. The only thing he could feel quite well was Tonks comfortable rear and back pressed into him. He practiced his Occlumency to control any additional reactions he could have thinking about such things.
He avoided thinking about their kissing the night before because that would only lead to more embarrassing moments. If she brought it up, Harry was fine with that. Otherwise, he was going to keep his mouth shut on the subject.
As he laid there lost in his thoughts, Tonks slept on unaware of Harry's near disaster concerning her. She was still making that soft rattling sound and Harry couldn't help but smile. It was a calming and endearing sound and he loved it. Harry thought she felt better against him this morning than last morning. Something just felt 'right' about it.
Having no idea what time it was, Harry decided to enjoy his time holding Tonks and think about what magic he should practice today. He had no idea what she had planned, but it would probably end up being a quick visit with some friends and he would have the rest of the day to practice wandless magic.
He ran through the spells he already knew and tested his ability to bring up the proper feeling to cause his magic to happen. One thing he learned the day before was that the more he played with his magic, in reference to using it wandlessly, the better he was with it. He could pull it up faster and use it quicker than when he started.
He also thought of what spells he wanted to practice today. He knew he should work on some shield spells and the basic offensive spells too. When she woke up, he would ask Tonks if offensive spells could be detected if cast wandlessly. He also remembered the spell book he was reading that had listed some really nasty spells. He wanted to know some of them should he find Bellatrix or Wormtail in the near future.
'Hopefully Tonks was right and she can work out a way for me to practice magic with my wand. I don't want to learn those kinds of spells wandlessly starting out. I could end up casting them on myself and where would I be then? St. Mungo's that is where I would be if I lived long enough to get there and how would I explain everything.'
His thoughts continued as he recited spell after spell to himself. He worked on bringing the 'feeling' up and pushing it down again. He was so preoccupied that he never noticed Tonks wake up.
Tonks felt a surge of magic appear and then disappear quickly. She had never felt something like that before. The only way she could describe it was that it was like swimming in magic. She opened her eyes and felt the sensation wash over her again and again. She saw a slight shimmer in the air that seemed to be coming from behind her. The only thing that could cause this type of magical display was Harry.
She watched the air shimmer for a few minutes. She didn't know if Harry knew what was going on or not, but it was impressive to watch all the same. The shimmering stopped and she heard Harry mumbling words under his breath. She made out a few of them and they seemed to be spells. The few she heard clearly were rather nasty curses that she hadn't expected Harry to know.
Rolling over slowly Tonks faced Harry causing him to pause in his efforts. "Whatcha doing, Harry?"
"I was practicing my wandless magic, and then I was reciting spells that I had read about the other day. I do have a question for you. Can the Ministry detect offensive spells if they are cast wandlessly? I wanted to practice some offensive spells today after we get back from our visit."
"I honestly think you are going to be surprised by our visit, Harry. I also doubt you are going to want to practice magic when we return."
"What do you have planned, Tonks?"
"Ask me no questions, and I will tell you no lies, Harry. Just go with the flow today, OK? You may have a few challenges to overcome, but do what you always do."
"And just what is that, Tonks?"
"Win, Harry. You always win or at least get out of what ever you got into. Just keep doing that and everything will be fine." Seeing his unhappy face she added, "If you do well, I might be convinced to kiss you again."
Harry thought over the situation and the offer from Tonks. He liked the kissing, his dream this morning was evidence enough of that, but was she only kidding him. He didn't think he could take the embarrassment if she was just having on eon him.
"I accept your offer, Tonks. What are the terms?"
Tonks stared at him realizing she would have to hold up her end of the deal if he succeeded. "You make it through the day without getting seriously hurt and I will kiss you before bed tonight. Deal?" Tonks held out her hand which was right in front of Harry's chest.
"Is there a chance for me to get hurt on this visit? Where the hell are we going?"
"I assure you that nothing really dangerous will happen. You have worse days here judging by yesterday. I promise you won't be spending any time with Madam Pomfrey."
Taking her hand and shaking it firmly, Harry said," That isn't much of a promise, but I accept your offer, Tonks."
"Great, now you should get ready. We need to leave in…" Tonks pulled her wand from under the pillow and said, "Time." In front of her appeared a clock showing it was six thirty in the morning.
"We have half an hour to get there, Harry. You had best get moving so I can as well. I will nick us some food while you are showering."
Harry grabbed his clothes and left his room. He knew that Vernon would up in twenty minutes and he would be mad if Harry was anywhere near him. 'Not that I really care, but I shouldn't be starting fights with the man. In and out of the loo so Tonks can do the same.'
Harry returned to his room to find Tonks finishing her toast and jam. She motioned to the remaining pieces of toast and walked past him to the loo. Harry sat down and ate his food. He swallowed the last of his food and opened the loose floorboard to retrieve what little money he had left after a year at school. While replacing the board to conceal the hiding place, Harry heard a banging on a door from the hallway. Hearing his uncle yell, Harry gathered his cloak and wand before leaving the room.
"Open this bloody door, you worthless bastard. You think you can make me late do you?"
"I am not in there, Vernon. I would stop yelling, too, since the neighbors can probably hear every word you say."
"Watch yourself, Potter. If you aren't in here, then who is?"
"Tonks is in there and I suggest you leave her be."
"Your floozy can't use our water. That costs money!"
Harry drew his wand and stepped towards Vernon. "You do not listen, do you? I warned you to treat her with respect." Harry was beyond mad. He wanted to make his uncle understand that everyone should be treated with respect. "You will apologize to her when she comes out or I will make you apologize. Do you understand me?"
"Think you got what it takes to make me do something, Boy? She ain't here to back you up."
"I know I can make you do things, Uncle. The question is if I want to do it or not. Personally, I would be happy to never see you again, but I don't think that is in the plans right now. Hopefully it will be soon though. Nevertheless, you will apologize to Tonks for your comment."
"And if I don't, Boy." Vernon was making his stand and if he won this time Harry knew he would never get another chance.
Putting on the most serious expression he could and calling his magic up to enhance his look, Harry spoke directly to Vernon.
"I will shatter every bone in your arms and legs. I will leave you to heal the muggle way too. There is a curse to do that, you know?"
Harry watched as Vernon shrunk a little. He also seemed to lose his confidence and started looking for a way to escape. Harry knew that he had to keep his edge while he had it.
"I see you understand what I said. Now, Tonks should be out of there in a minute and I expect you to apologize as soon as you see her. I won't hesitate to curse you if I need to."
Vernon stilled as sounds came from the bathroom. The sound of movement and humming could be heard. He looked at Harry as saw his nephew was serious. The causal way Harry had told him what was going to happen if he didn't apologize scared him more than the actual threat. His nephew had gotten frightening over the last year. The boy wasn't easy to intimidate anymore. He was downright menacing now and Vernon didn't like it at all.
The door opening and a soggy headed Tonks stopping short of running into Vernon brought the scene to a head. She looked at Vernon and could see the telltale signs of rage. She saw Harry standing in the hallway with his wand drawn looking every bit the man he would become.
"Did I miss something, Harry?" Tonks didn't know what she had missed. She knew someone was pounding on the door and yelling, but her father did that when she was growing up so she learned to ignore all distractions when she was showering.
"Do you have something to say, Uncle?" Harry prompted never removing his piercing gaze from his uncle.
"I," Vernon paused reassessing the situation and the possible risks. Harry inclined his head a little, but never wavered in his posture. "I would like to apologize for my words while you were in the bathroom." Vernon forced himself to say. Harry raised head a little more indicating that he wasn't finished. "And for the other times as well. There is that good enough?" The last was directed at Harry.
"Yes, it is. You will not get another chance to apologize, uncle Vernon." Harry said.
Vernon waited for Tonks to leave the bathroom and walk over to Harry before he entered and closed the door sharply locking it as well. Tonks turned to see Harry visibly restraining himself from using his magic.
"Thank you, Harry. You are my hero." Tonks leaned up and planted a kiss on Harry's mouth before returning to his room to gather the remaining things she had left there.
Harry was trying to calm down after almost cursing his uncle. He was feeling a little in over his head concerning things at Privet Drive. He had never stood up to his uncle like he had been doing in the last few days. He had never felt like he had to stand up for himself. Everything came down to his absolute need to take control of his life.
At Privet Drive, the Dursleys controlled his life. They had abused him for ten years before he got a break. Then they continued the abuse during the summers. At school, Harry's life was controlled by Dumbledore, McGonagall, and any other teacher who decided to get involved. Not a single person had ever asked Harry what he wanted done in reference to his life.
That lack of choice or say led to Harry living a miserable life with his 'relatives' and his life being in constant danger at school. The more he thought about everything, the less sense things made. 'How could everything that has happened to me at Hogwarts happen in the first place? If the place was that dangerous, no sane parent would let their child go there. It just defies logic. Ha, then again so does magic I guess. Maybe all magical people are a little touched in the head to begin with. Have I ever met one that wasn't a little bit cracked? Hermione comes to mind.'
Harry kept evaluating what he had done in the past and how he was handling things currently. The only conclusion he could come up with was that something had to change or he would be dead in months. Worse yet, someone else could end up dead because of him and he couldn't take that again. Too many had died for him and he was making the conscious decision to stop that trend.
The kiss from Tonks broke his pattern of self-assessment. He watched her walk into his room and could see her gathering her outer cloak as well as her invisibility cloak. She scanned the room once to check for any left items before grabbing her wand off the bed.
She walked up to Harry, slightly tripping on a floor board that was slightly raised, and smiled at Harry as she righted herself as if it was a common occurrence. He figured it was common for her and smiled back before asking her what the plans were.
"Well, we leave this cheery place as fast as we can and get outside where I can make a portkey to get us to the Ministry. Now, I will put a Glamour Charm on you in case you are found out when we get there. Mind, it will only last a short time though. We have to enter the building properly or all sorts of hell will come down on us. If things go well, we can come in the back door from that point on."
"We are going to the Ministry? Why would I want to go there again? They are likely to arrest me the second they see me. I did destroy a few rooms in the Department of Mysteries you know. There has to be a law against that. If not, I am sure Fudge made one so he could get me thrown into Azkaban."
"Calm down, Harry. I can tell you for certain that they will not arrest you when we enter the Ministry. I can also tell you that the Unspeakables are not looking to arrest you either for what happened in their department. A few may want to have a chat with you, but they are good people. Don't worry."
"Right. Last time someone told me not to worry…You don't want to know, Tonks."
"Come on, Mr. Happy. Let's get your positive personality to our meeting. I only ask that you trust me on this one, Harry. Please, trust that I am doing what I think is best for you." Seeing Harry about to object, she spoke before he could. "I am doing the best I can because you asked me for my help whether you remember it or not. This isn't just good intentions either. You will have to work at what I am offering you. The amount of help you get out of this depends on you as much as it does anyone else. If you fail, it is on your own head. Doesn't that sound like a better arrangement than your past ones?"
"Yes, it does. I would thank you now, but I am not sure what is going to happen so I will hold off for a bit if that is okay with you."
"Fine, Harry. I know that you can't afford to give away your trust, but I hope that I can earn it."
Tonks led the way to the street and pulled a small wooden box from her cloak. She tapped it once and it glowed blue for a second before returning to normal. She smiled at Harry and motioned him to put on his cloak. She followed his movements putting on her own cloak. They held the fronts open so they could still see each other. Harry watched as she held the box out for him to touch. When he had a tight grip on the box, she tapped it with her wand, and Harry felt the pull of a portkey on his navel.
They landed in the empty atrium of the Ministry. Harry started to fall over, but Tonks grabbed him by the arm firmly and stopped his movement. She quietly told him to follow her and say nothing. Harry watched her pull off her cloak and stride towards the security desk. The desk was manned by one lone guard who looked as scared as he was young.
Tonks flashed her auror badge and a saucy smile before continuing to walk to the lift. She hesitated as a small light glowed on the guard desk alerting him to Harry passing through the checkpoint. Fortunately, the guard had followed Tonks movements and wasn't paying any attention to the light which was slowly dimming.
Tonks pressed the call button and waited for the lift. The lift arrived a moment later and she entered it pressing the button for level nine. She felt Harry nudge her side so she knew he was with her. She waved at the guard as the gates closed and the lift descended to level nine.
When the bell dinged, Tonks walked off the lift and a few paces down the hallway. She paused and said that Harry could remove the cloak. When the cloak was removed from Harry, she could see he was jumping to conclusions. His aura was visible again and he was looking rather dangerous.
"Now, Harry, before you burn me to a crisp, hear me out." Harry said nothing, but his wand hadn't moved from its down position either. "Here is the real story about me, Harry. I am an auror. While I was in the program, another group came to see me. They knew about my metamorph abilities and they were interested in recruiting me. Being who I am, I kind of liked the idea of having a secret life. Matches my many faces wouldn't you agree?
"I can look like other people to a certain degree and that is dead useful for an Unspeakable. I have been with them since my third year in auror academy. You will learn about how we are structured and where I fit into the organization. I am telling you so you don't think this was a setup to get you to resolve your issues about Sirius. I miss him too. You will get over his death in time and at your own pace. I asked them if they could help you because you asked me for help. This is the meet-and-greet as they like to call it.
"I can tell you that you will be evaluated and tested on various things; magic, reflexes, instincts, and overall performance. It won't be easy, but this is a great opportunity to learn what you need to survive and win. You told me you wanted to win and that you had to. This is your chance to do it. I told you that this will be in your hands. If you fail, it isn't because Albus made a bad decision on your behalf.
"If you hate me, tell me now and I can escort you out of the Ministry and back to Privet Drive. If you want to show them what you got, let's go show them. Personally, I know that you can do this. I wouldn't have brought this up to them if I doubted you."
She waited for Harry to say something. He had been quiet the whole time she had talked. He hadn't even moved. Before, she was afraid he was going to fly out of control when she first saw him standing there. Now, she was worried that he would simply turn around and leave. The minutes passed and she noticed he was getting ready to say something.
"You did this because I asked you to help me?" Tonks nodded. "You set this up to help me." She nodded again. "You are offering me the chance to help myself stay alive and maybe win this war?" She nodded again with more emphasis. "Did my fame help me get this chance or is this going to be on my abilities alone?"
"I assure you, Harry, nothing down here is offered because of who or what you are. Every one of us earns the right to stay here. You are here because I mentioned you would be a good candidate. You will remain here because you are a good candidate. If you don't make it, I don't care. You are still a hero to me. Not to mention that you are a wonderful kisser but that won't help you with the tests." Tonks was playing around trying to soften his mood
"Cheeky minx. What kind of tests?"
"I am not sure. They differ for each person based on their skills and where we need people. You will learn about the teams later today I think. Now, shall we go in or are you going to leave?"
Harry contemplated the whole situation. He had a perfect chance to learn things that Hogwarts would never teach him and he doubted that he would stand a chance against Voldemort with Hogwarts-taught spells. With little choice but to accept the offer, Harry took a step towards Tonks.
"Excellent, Harry. I am so happy. Now if you will follow me, I will take you to our meeting." She walked down the hall to about the midpoint and turned to her left. She tapped the wall about shoulder high twice and proceeded to make a box with her tapping while saying something in Latin. There was a click and the wall began to recede revealing a doorway.
Harry watched as a full doorway appeared in the wall and Tonks entered the portal. He followed her closely and found himself in a dimly lit room with a desk and a chair in the middle of it. Behind the desk were two doors. Both doors had brass name plates one reading "Research" the other door reading "Other". Harry laughed at the "Other" door but it reinforced his recent belief that all magical people were crazy.
Tonks walked to the "Other" door and knocked twice. She waited for the door to open, which it did, and she called Harry to follow her in. Harry walked through the door and saw another hallway leading away in a straight line. There were numbered doors on either side of the hallway. A dark red runner ran the length of the hallway and Tonks found herself tripping every half dozen steps or so.
She stopped in front of door number nine and said that this was the meeting room. She knocked once and entered immediately. Harry followed her once again and saw a dark wood table in the center of the room. It had old-looking chairs around it and a spot light, from above, lit the surface. A pitcher of water and a few glasses sat in the middle of the illuminated table.
Harry scanned the room and counted the chairs. There were thirteen of them and he could tell at least two people were already seated at the table. He walked up next to Tonks and stood ready for whatever was going to happen. Tonks took a seat directly across from one of the people and motioned Harry to take the seat next to her. He sat down but he held his wand under the table ready to defend himself.
The man across from Tonks leaned forward so the light revealed his face. It was a soft, caring, slightly aged face of an average looking man. His hair was light brown with a dusting of grey and he had an average build. He folded his hands together and wore a small smile. "Good morning, Chamel. I see that you have brought your hopeful."
"Good morning, Marcus," Tonks replied. "I hope you like what you see."
"I will be the judge of that, Chamel," said the still hidden person who was obviously a man by his voice. "This better not be a waste of my time. I have other potentials just waiting to fill the open slots."
"Calm yourself, Horace," Marcus said. "I am sure that Chamel wouldn't waste our time. Am I right?"
"Yes, Marcus, I think you will be happy with what Harry can do." Tonks smiled simply and waited for the men to say something else.
Harry watched everything and wondered why Tonks was called Chamel. He looked at the man he could see and tried to figure out if he was a threat, and the hidden man was most definitely a threat right now. Marcus spoke to directly to Harry for the first time.
"Harry James Potter currently of Number Four Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. Formerly of an unknown address in Godric's Hollow and formerly of Potter Estate near Godric's Hollow. Son of James and Lily Potter. Born July 31, 1980. Sorted into Gryffindor House. Youngest seeker in a century. Saviour of the Philosopher's Stone. Parseltongue. Defeater of a Basilisk. Winner of the Special Award for Services to the School. Familiar in the use of a Time Turner. Highly skilled in the use of the Patronus Charm. Champion of the Tri-Wizard Tournament only there were four of you. You can defeat the Imperius Curse and maybe the Killing Curse. Leader of Dumbledore's Army. You have dueled with Voldemort and lived. You have dueled with Bellatrix Lestrange and lived. You have broken into this very department leading others. You have shown some aptitude for advanced magic. Anything I am missing?"
Harry sat silently as the information was processed. 'What the hell is Potter Estate?' They knew an awful lot about him and Harry wasn't sure that was a good thing. He felt a probing feeling in his head and allowed the person in only to thrust them out as forcefully as he could. The hidden man rocked back in his chair.
"Better add slightly skilled in Occlumency to that list. You have any other tricks, Potter?" Asked Horace.
"Maybe a few things," Harry answered. He stared down the hidden man seeing him as the greatest threat to his safety and well-being.
"Excellent place to start from, Chamel," said Marcus. "I accept him as a candidate. What do you say Horace?"
"I will answer that after I have had a chance to test him. Have to make sure he isn't all name and paper before I go giving him my stamp of approval."
"That is the most positive I have ever heard you say about a possible member, Horace. I do think you are getting soft in your old age." Marcus seemed to be the one tasked with keeping things running smoothly.
"Stuff it, you. I am not old nor am I soft," Horace rebutted.
"Yes, well, all things being the same, I am Marcus." Harry nodded at the greeting not saying anything since they knew him pretty well already. "I am in charge of the Department of Mysteries. I oversee everything that involves this department. I am the go between for the two branches. This is Horace, my colleague. He is a bit rough around the edges, but he means well. He handles the training and mission assignments for the Operations side on things. I will let you explain the rest to Harry, Chamel."
"Thanks, Marcus," Tonks said. "Now, Harry, Marcus runs the entire department. There are two parts, the Operations side, which I belong to, and the Research side which Croaker runs. The research side is the public face of the Department. People know they exist and that is fine. Every member of the Research side researches magic. I know it sounds lame but that is what they do. People know who they are, sometimes, and that is fine in most cases. The Research side gets involved with all sorts of things both inside the Ministry itself and with other Ministries around the world. Marcus manages some of that, but leaves Croaker to most of it.
"Marcus spends most of his time managing the Operations side of the Department. We are the really secret side of the Department. We handle the missions that need done and can't be discovered by others. No member of the Operations side is known by name to anyone who isn't an Unspeakable on the Operations side, but a few people internal to the Ministry know of us in general terms. The Minister being one of those people." Tonks ignored Harry's scoff. "The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot is another such person. Yes, Albus knows we exist, but not who we are.
"The Operations side handles the dangerous research missions that the Research side shouldn't handle. We also settle matters that are of a sensitive nature. If you know about the muggle MI-5, we are their magical equivalent only a touch more secret. We handle beasts like Basilisks, wild Sphinx, or other really dangerous animals. The Research side isn't trained or equipped to handle things like that so we keep them alive by taking the missions.
"Within our side, we have Marcus our head, Horace our trainer and commander of sorts. There are six teams of three that operate on our side. I am a member of team three. We only have two people since we lost a member this year. He got a little big in the head and he lost it on a mission. The other teams are fully staffed. I know the research team is down a member since Bode was killed."
"I should have recognized the Devil's Snare when I was in his hospital room. Sorry, about that." Harry spoke for the first time since Tonks began her explanation.
"It happens, Harry, don't worry about it," Marcus said. "Have you ever seen Devil's Snare before?"
"Yes, I have, my first year. I fell into a large nest of it."
"Interesting, I didn't know Hogwarts left that kind of stuff lying around for the students to get into. All the same, you are here now and probably wondering what we have planned."
"Thought did cross my mind once or twice, sir." Harry was trying to stay respectful.
"I am Marcus, not sir. We go by our first names or our cover names. You will get one as time goes on. Only your teammates, Horace, and I will know your real names. Our operatives are required have their faces concealed at all times while working. You can choose to tell your team who you are if you want, but many don't. The operatives are part-timers meaning that they all have jobs somewhere else in our community. Do you understand how we work?"
"Yes, it makes sense," Harry replied. "Where do I fit in then? I am still in school so how can I help?"
"You can't help," Horace interjected. "You know nothing and are of little use to anyone."
"But, it is Horace's job to teach you to be able to help us and he loves his job, don't you Horace?" Marcus said in a friendly way cutting off the sharp criticism.
"Sod off you git," was the reply. "I work my arse off trying to teach these fools not to get themselves or others killed while working. I don't know what to do about you, Potter. A little young and scrawny if you ask me."
"All things that can be remedied, Horace," Marcus said. "I expect great things from you, Harry."
"You and everyone else," Harry said under his breath quietly and for the first time Horace moved on his own and came into the light. He was an older man with a fair share of wrinkles. He had mostly grey hair with a few black ones scattered about his head. He had a solid build and was rough looking but a lot better than Moody.
"I have excellent ears, Potter," he said showing something other than contempt. "I do want a chance to see what you can do. Maybe you aren't all that you are cracked up to be in the papers."
"I wouldn't believe anything written about me in the papers, Horace. I could count the number of accurate things on one hand." Harry thought that this man was a lot like his uncle with a little of Moody thrown in to add a certain level of craziness.
"Is that so, Potter," Horace smiled for the first time since the meeting began and Harry felt more than saw the eagerness he was displaying. "I will be ready when you are, Marcus. Send him my way when you get done with all your paper pushing." Horace stood and left the room silently.
"He is such a friendly person don't you think, Harry?" Marcus said with a wide smile. "Don't worry; he will warm up to you in time."
"Umm, yeah, I will believe that when I see it," Harry said doubtfully.
"Yes, well, on to the boring stuff," Marcus pulled a folder from the seat of a chair that was next to him. "We have a few things to settle before you can leave and start playing around with Horace. I have a secrecy letter here that you need to read and sign. I have a few other things for you to read over and I must cast a spell that we use to protect our department. If you will be so kind as to read this." Marcus slid the folder to Harry.
Looking at Tonks for confirmation and getting it, Harry opened the folder and started reading the top form.
"I, the undersigned, do here by swear a wizard's oath to keep my orders, missions, leaders, and teams secret from all unauthorized people. I will keep my secrets until my death or am ordered to reveal such secrets…"
Harry read the whole document and took the offered quill, which was a familiar black. "A blood quill. Must I sign this with a blood quill?"
"When have you ever seen a blood quill?" Marcus asked. "They are highly restricted in their use and illegal for most people to possess."
"Last year, Dolores Umbridge had me using it during detentions. I still have the faint scars on my hand from using it."
"What?" Yelled Tonks. "Why that miserable hag."
"Most interesting," Marcus said calmly while watching Tonks cycle through different 'angry' hair colors. "She could get a written reprimand for this. Maybe even a demotion since Fudge isn't really in a position to save anyone lately. I never liked that woman. Thoughts for another time. Yes, Harry you must use the quill. It will make the contract magically binding."
"Fine," Harry said succinctly. He signed his name with a flourish and ignored the scratching pain on his hand. He never broke eye contact with Marcus during the process. Harry handed the form to Marcus and he took the sheet quickly.
"I think you have that stare down, Harry. I know I can see why a few people are intimidated by you. Now, if we can finish the forms. The next one is a release form absolving the department of any liability should you get hurt or die."
"Imagine that," Harry was beginning to see how things worked in the Ministry. Paper them to death if you can. "Does Hogwarts have one of these? I only ask considering all the times I have been hurt while at school."
"Of course they do," Marcus said. "Most likely your guardians signed it when you went for your first year."
"Not likely," Harry said swiftly. "If the sheet promised injuries, then they would have signed. Otherwise, I doubt there is one signed by anybody I know."
"Someone had to sign it for you to attend Hogwarts," Marcus looked puzzled. "You can look into that when you go on your first mission. Everyone loves their first mission, don't they, Chamel?"
"The first is a lot of fun, Marcus. I still remember mine. Good times." Tonks got a little reminiscent.
"Why do they call you Chamel?" Harry asked.
"It is short for chameleon, Harry. Horace spent a few weeks trying to think up one that would fit. Chamel fit and that has been it since. I kind of like it too. It is a fun name just like me." Tonks was starting to bounce in her seat.
"Whatever makes you happy, Tonks," Harry shook his head a few times but was stopped when she smacked him playfully.
"Interesting," Marcus said more to himself than anyone else. "Now if we can continue with the boring stuff you can get onto the fun stuff."
Harry signed the release form and the salary sheet which said that Harry would be paid a lump sum for his training, 200 galleons, plus all his supplies and equipment. He would receive a sum based on the type of missions from that point forward. When they got to the Next of Kin form, Harry paused.
"I have no next of kin."
"Well, then you can name a person or persons who you would like to handle your affairs. If you have a will, then we can just put that down," Marcus was being pretty flexible about everything.
"Let's do that then," Harry didn't know what else to do so he took the only route we could. 'I will take care of that when I have to deal with Sirius's will.'
Harry came to the last form and he noticed that there was a certain shimmer to the parchment. Reading the top, Harry saw that there were quite a few magical words on the paper. He looked up and found Marcus was standing for the first time. The man was about five foot ten and seemed at ease on his feet. When he drew his wand, Harry reacted the only way he knew to react when someone pulled a wand, he drew his own wand.
He leapt out of his chair sending it crashing to the floor and swung his wand on target, Marcus, and took up a defensive position. "What is going on here? What is with the wand?"
Marcus stopped his motions and calmly pointed his wand downwards and away from Harry. "My apologies, Harry. I should have explained the process before drawing my wand on you. As unusual as it sounds, I rarely have people coming onboard who have had to fight for their lives before. It is even rarer that they have had to fight like you have. That is a mistake that I won't make again."
Harry stared Marcus down trying to figure out if he was being truthful or if he was being setup. So far Harry knew he had been pretty easy going about everything. He didn't make a fuss when he signed any of the forms. He looked to Tonks who had an expectant look on her face.
"This is normal, Harry," Tonks said. "Marcus is okay, I trust him. I should have warned you too. Remember, I know what happens when you get startled. I can clearly remember you knocking me down yesterday and what happened after that." She was being cheeky again and in front of her boss too.
"Is this a favorite thing of yours, Tonks?" Harry asked fighting the blush that he knew was starting to appear. "Okay, I am sorry about my reaction, but having so many people after you tends to make you a little jumpy."
"I completely understand, Harry" Marcus said with a smile. "I am impressed by your reflexes. I will need to make a bet with Horace before you start your training. I think I have an edge this time. Now, back to things at hand. You have to sign that form before we go any further today. There is another place to sign if you pass your entrance tests. I must cast a spell on you when you sign it both times."
"What kind of spell?" Harry wasn't taking any chances on this. 'I will be informed the whole time or I will leave. I am done trusting others to do what is best for me.'
"The spell is a form of the Fidelius Charm. We adapted it to protect our information, identities, and secrets from others. Legilimency can not be used to extract this information because it is protected by the spell. You can not tell others who aren't covered by the same spell for the same reasons. It is another failsafe that only the Operations side goes through. As you sign the form, I will cast the spell and you will feel a slight presence in your mind. This is normal and it will pass in a few seconds. It is not unlike the real Fidelius Charm but we are not hiding a place or thing with it."
"Okay, let's get this over with." Harry took up the quill again and signed the form and heard Marcus murmuring as he wrote his name in spiky letters. When he finished, Harry felt the presence as he was told. The feeling remained for a few seconds then it faded until Harry couldn't tell where it had gone. He handed Marcus the folder and his signed form.
"Wonderful, now let's get you to Horace. I am sure he has had more than enough time to prepare. Follow me and feel free to talk amongst yourselves until Horace calls on you to start."
They left room number nine and continued down the hallway. Tonks continued tripping on the runner so Harry had positioned himself to catch her should she actually fall instead of stumble. The area of hallway they were walking in had no doors for long distance on the right side. Harry saw one single door up ahead and then more blank wall for a good distance again.
"Before you ask, Harry, this is the training room," Tonks said while stumbling enough she had to reach out a hand to Harry to steady herself. "This is the room you will hate at first and then come to love later. I know that I hated it for a few days."
"Is this where I will be tested?" Harry asked.
"Yep," Tonks replied. "Do your best with everything that is thrown at you. Do not hold anything back for any reason, okay? Consider everything to be a real situation and treat every opponent as you would a Death Eater."
"Alright, I think," Harry wasn't sure what to expect.
Marcus mumbled a password and opened the lone door. He entered and walked farther into the room. Tonks and Harry followed. Harry's first impression was disbelief. The room was wider than the wall space outside led you to believe and it extended nearly eighty feet. The ceiling was at least forty feet high and it was shrouded in darkness in some areas. The room was at least one hundred and fifty feet deep. The volume of the room was immense and Harry could feel a charge to the air in the room. He could feel the air move too. Harry stood near the door and simply looked around for a few minutes.
"Amazing room isn't it, Harry" Tonks said with some awe to her voice. "I love coming in here. It feels alive doesn't it? You can feel the magic, but that shouldn't be anything new to you."
"It feels alive," Horace snapped trying to keep his voice as overwhelming as he could, "because it kind of is. The walls are a metallic grey for a reason. The whole room is covered in the skin from Ukrainian Ironbellies. Our research team managed to figure out a way to keep the skin alive, in a fashion, so it could heal itself from spell damage. This, Potter, is our training room. This magnificent room is completely sealed from external detection so you being a minor and all is not an issue.
"Operations team members are the best trained operatives in the Ministry. My job is to test you and to ensure that you can put our training to use should the need arise. I had one person who knew every spell ever written. He was a master at casting those spells too. He had one flaw that cost him his life and the lives of his team members. He couldn't use those spells against an enemy when the shite was hitting the fan. He got confused and he died. If you are anything like him, I will kill you myself so you won't do the same to every else. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Harry said simply giving his full attention to Horace. Harry noticed Tonks and Marcus exiting through a door to the right side of the room adjacent to the entrance.
"Glad you can hear me, Potter," Horace replied forcefully. "Here are the rules for your testing and all training moving forward should you pass. Everything goes. All spells are fair game. You can use anything, everything, and even shite you make up. There is only one spell that is not reversible and that is the Killing Curse. You can not use the Killing Curse while you are facing live opponents when in this room. If you kill someone using another spell, so be it. Shite happens, you move on. I have only lost two people while running this room and both times they failed themselves. They died because of their own failures not because of the actions of others. Do you understand those rules?"
"Yes," Harry wasn't sure what was going to happen, but this whole thing was looking more real and serious as he went.
"Your first test, Potter," Horace stated. "If I throw a decapitation curse at you, what will you do?"
"I will try to stun you."
"Wrong," Horace stepped forward and tried to look even more menacing. "Schoolboy ideals, how grand. No, Potter, you fire an equally dangerous spell back at me. Do you know of any that would come close?"
"I haven't used it, but the Bone-Exploding Curse could be one."
"Excellent, you got it right on the second try. Too bad you are missing your head at this point and we only have a few seconds to repair the damage. You have to think fast on your feet, Potter, or people will get killed. Give me another spell you could use not one you know about."
"The Cruciatus Curse."
"You sure you could handle that one? It is mighty dangerous to play around with. Have you ever cast that spell?" Horace saw the hesitation in Harry. "Just like the spells, no words leave this room either. We are all under secrecy oaths and we govern ourselves. The Ministry kind of stops at the hidden door out front if you couldn't tell."
"Yes, I have used it once."
"Well, knock me over with a feather. The boy wonder isn't all goody-goody after all. And just who felt the sting of your first Cruciatus Curse?"
"Bellatrix Lestrange."
Horace held his comment and watched as Harry's face turned a little darker. He looked over Harry's shoulder and smiled slightly. "How surprising. Maybe you aren't that worthless after all, Potter. You would be the first other than that raving lunatic calling himself a Dark Lord to have accomplished such a feat. Maybe I won't go easy on you today. Maybe you can take the real test instead of the kid's version. Interested?"
"Ready as I'll ever be." Harry stared him down. He was getting mad and he didn't even want to try to use Occlumency to calm down. The man was pissing him off and Harry wanted to prove that he was good enough to learn what ever they had to offer.
"Fine, the test begins now. No Killing Curses, yell out yield when you have had enough, I will stop when you lose consciousness otherwise."
With a tap of his wand, Horace disappeared and the room shifted into that of a forest. Harry looked all around and saw old trees where nothing had been before. He stepped to his left side and touched a tree. It felt real. The bark was rough and the ground was uneven beneath his feet. He smelled the fresh air and grass and felt the dampness of the forest around him. 'Must be like the Room of Requirement.' Harry figured that standing in one place was not the best choice so he began to move to his left checking for a structure or a clearing.
Harry walked for a few minutes before he had that feeling of someone attacking him. Harry spun and held his wand in the direction of the feeling. A silver ribbon of magic came flying at him from a tree where his wand was pointed. Harry reacted by ducking and sending a Reductor Curse to the same area. The silver ribbon flew over his head and struck a tree that was about a foot thick. The tree groaned from the impact. Where the spell had hit the tree the wood separated and the top slammed into the earth with a deep thud.
Harry moved behind the cover of some trees and small bushes. A burst of fire ignited the shrubs and Harry cast the Flame Freezing spell on himself and jumped into the fire. He saw movement to his right so he fired the Blasting Curse in that direction and moved out of the fire. Harry heard a loud splintering of wood sound come from the poor tree that had been hit by his spell.
He retreated for a few minutes and found a dip in the earth where he had more cover from his attacker. He moved up and down the depression until he had that feeling again. He turned to the general direction and starting firing off Stunners and Impediment Jinxes. A twisting red jet of light shot from the area Harry had been firing his spells. The spell nearly hit Harry, but he had rolled to the ground before he was struck. 'Bloody hell, he wasn't kidding. That was the Cruciatus Curse.'
Harry knew he was outclassed when it came to the number of spells he knew. He thought he might have an advantage when it came to mobility, but he knew he couldn't match spell for spell against Horace. Harry scanned the area for movement and saw nothing. He needed a way to even the odds and thought of a smoke spell. He cast the spell which caused smoke to billow from his wand. He waved it around and soon found himself obscured by the cloud of smoke. He felt that feeling again and fired the Cutting Curse it that direction. He heard something tear and heard a grunt from someone.
Harry knew he had to press any advantage he made for himself and began firing Reductor Curses in a small angle from the last place he had heard Horace. Trees were being destroyed from the sounds of things. Crashes and creaks followed by the splintering sounds of wood being pulverized. Harry began to move sideways from his last position and saw a yellow streamer fly right where he had been standing.
Harry moved further away and wished he had learned the Disillusionment Charm last year. That was the only way Horace could have remained unseen. As Harry thought, he remembered what Horace had said in the meeting room. "I have excellent ears, Potter." 'Idiot,' Harry thought to himself. He wandlessly cast the Silencing Charm on his feet and continued his retreat.