Partners and Schemers

Chapter 32. Partners and Schemers

"Trench coat?" His mum asked with a raised eyebrow.

He had a black coat over white button-up shirt and blue jeans. The coat was long, unclasped, and reached down to his knees. This made his attire less casual and a little more formal, or so he liked to think. He couldn't wear three-piece suits to work every day, after all. From what he had seen after observing aurors, they all preferred crisp wizarding robes. And he was not wearing a robe ever again. He had graduated from Hogwarts already; the days where he was forced to wear robes were behind him.

"Yes. Hope it makes me look a little more auror-y."

"Perhaps."

"If I had time, I'd have wanted to know what this 'perhaps' meant." He placed his hands on her shoulders and leant down for a kiss. "But I don't want to be late."

She smiled in the kiss, prying his mouth open to deepen it, pressing into him as he gave her shapely behind a squeeze, making it harder for him to leave.

Still, with some effort, he managed to end the smooch before it led to other time-consuming activities.

"I'm off." He stepped back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Take care, darling."

Now that he was officially an auror, he could directly floo to the Ministry instead of walking the entire way and using the telephone booth. And that's what he did. He stepped into the fireplace and used the floo powder.

Navigating through the atrium and using the lift, he reached the DMLE floor and made his way to Miss Tonks' office, ignoring the curious stares directed at him. He wasn't sure if they were looking at him because he was a new auror or because he was James Potter's son. Maybe a bit of both.

He rapped his knuckles on the door.

"Come in."

He twisted the knob and entered.

It seemed he was the last person from their team to arrive. Because in front of Miss Tonks sat another girl. A familiar one. A beautiful one, if he was being honest.

Greengrass had bloomed into an elegant woman. Her sharp, aristocratic face had only grown more pleasing over time. And her lips were curved up in a small, polite smile. Garbed in form-fitting pastel blue robes, she was truly angelic—if you didn't know her true self, that is. Because underneath that pretty face lay a cold and cruel being.

The blonde looked shocked to see him here, her blue eyes wide and brimming with disbelief.

"Good morning, Miss Tonks." He sank down in the chair beside Greengrass', not sparing her another glance or a greeting.

Their pink-haired senior shot him an eye roll "I can feel the tension between you two. You're not kids anymore. So resolve your childish issues if you want to work under me. You're partners now. Act like it."

"We don't have any issues." He shrugged in response, turning his head towards Greengrass. "Do we?"

She shook her head, having gotten over her surprise. "We don't."

"Fine, then. You can grow some camaraderie while doing paperwork. I need these done by the evening." She gestured towards the three towering piles.

"I think you just want to shove all your work on us." He protested dryly, not really thrilled about it. He did not become an auror to suffer paperwork. He wanted action, to make some difference, to use his immense powers.

"Yep." She leant back in her chair, smirking, propping her legs over the desk. "I finally have adorable juniors; why wouldn't I use them?"

"I'm flattered," he wasn't, "but perhaps you can give us some field jobs. Something serious, you know."

"Shut up, Evans." Greengrass sighed, carefully pulling a paper pile towards her. "We'll do whatever we are asked to."

Before he could argue, Miss Tonks spoke up. "Look, Harry, you two are already getting special privileges by skipping the training programme. I can't just send you on missions on your first day. All I can spare is this paperwork. If something interesting comes up, I'll send you two. But until then, do whatever I tell you."

"Alright," he acquiesced, following Greengrass' example and dragging a pile in his direction. Grabbing the paper from the top, he gave it a brief look, his eyebrows furrowing when he couldn't make head or tail of it. "Uhm, how do I do this?"

She swung her legs down from the desk and stood up. "Watch Daphne. I already taught her how to do it."

With that said, she went out, leaving them alone in the office.

…

"Is she not even going to help us?" He bit back an annoyed groan. This was not why he wanted to become an auror.

Greengrass scooted her chair towards his and placed a form on the desk. "Don't complain. We are lucky to work under the strongest auror. We'll get to do some field jobs soon enough. Here, I'll show you how to fill out or correct these reports."

Vanilla. He caught a whiff as she moved closer. The very same perfume that Tracey used to wear when they were in Hogwarts.

A tide of nostalgia washed over him, dunking him into warm, happy memories and making him smile inadvertently.

Suddenly, he wanted to know everything about Tracey. He wanted to know what she was doing. He wanted to know if she was happy. He wanted to know if she had a boyfriend yet. Maybe not the last bit. Even though he was over her, that knowledge would still hurt him. Only slightly. Maybe.

"Creep. Don't sniff me," Greengrass muttered, looking thoroughly repulsed, her nose scrunched up as she craned away from him.

His face coloured up, and he was quick to defend himself. "It's not that. I was just surprised by your perfume. Tracey used to wear the same one in Hogwarts."

"Don't even think about her. Stay away from her. All she needs is me," she retorted, anger flashing across her face.

Harry couldn't help but snort, amazed by her sisterly concern and possessiveness. "Easy. I've no plans to swoop in and take Tracey away from her little sister. Though try not to sound so possessive. Unlike me, others will get the wrong idea."

"I do not want to hear that from you of all people."

He chuckled and raised his hands placatingly. "I guess you're right. But Susan and I aren't really related, you know. So don't sound too judgemental."

"I don't care if you sleep with your sister, mother, or grandmother. Just stay away from Tracey." Her tone was icy and threatening, her wand already in her grasp.

A part of him was irritated by her making this a bigger issue than it actually was, but all he could do was nod stiffly. "I'm over Tracey. And while I would love to have her back as my best friend, I know it's not possible. Alright. I will stay away from her like you want. Now, are you going to tell me how to fill out this report or not?"

She stared at him for a second before grabbing the pen and teaching him how to do it. And as the time passed, as the minutes turned into hours, the uncomfortable silence turned into a cosy one. They did not talk again, busy with their work, but the hostility between them somehow almost disappeared. Almost.

"There are a hundred more." He thought out loud, staring at the last pile while still working on the first one.

Daphne didn't look too excited either. "We will divide it in 50-50."

"Obviously. You'd be delusional to assume I'd be a gentleman and take all of it," he said, casting an envious glance at her pile.

It was way smaller than his. She was nearly done, clearly faster than him.

She rolled her eyes, tucking a blonde curl behind her ear. "Obviously. You'd be delusional to assume I'd ever think you're a gentleman."

"Was that humour? Didn't think you had it in you." He cracked up, sliding off his chair and getting on his feet, popping his stiff back.

Daphne watched him with narrowed eyes as he slumped into the better chair—Miss Tonks' spinning chair. "That's an insult, isn't it? What do you think I am? A robot?"

"A bloodthirsty, icy monster hiding in the cloak of a beautiful girl. Inhuman, but trying to appear human." He smiled, swivelling in the chair, amused by her highly offended expression.

"That's definitely an insult."

"I'm sorry. I just assumed you were like that when we were in school."

"And now?"

"Maybe it was my bias and the desire to keep Tracey all to myself that made me paint you in such light. I think you were alright even then." He stopped spinning the chair and looked at her apologetically. "Though I couldn't forgive you for bullying Tracey, whatever your twisted reasons might be. And that's why I made you a lot worse in my mind than you actually were."

Daphne squirmed in her seat and looked away. "I'm different now. I would never hurt Tracey for any reason. I regret not helping her when I should have."

"Good. You've grown a lot, I guess. It will be a pleasure working with you, Daphne." He extended his hand from across the desk.

She hesitated before taking his offered hand. "Likewise, Harry."

~xXxXx~

They took a break in the afternoon.

Instead of going to the cafeteria, where all other ministry workers would gather for lunch, they decided to eat in the office.

After the break, they resumed their boring work.

It was five in the afternoon when they were finally done.

"I'm quitting if I have to do this again." Harry dropped his chin over his elbows on the desk.

Daphne didn't say anything, but she must've felt the same. She leant back in her chair and closed her tired eyes. "At least the salary is good."

"Aren't you from a loaded family?" He sat upright, yawning. "Why work?"

The blonde made a face. "Aren't you Minister's son? Why work?"

"Ah, I get it. Independence and pride."

"Precisely."

"So, is there any other reason you pursued being an auror than a good salary?" He propped the side of his head over the elbow, staring at her.

She pulled in her knees and tucked her legs underneath, giving his question some serious thought. "I just wanted to use my magic, to be honest. I'm good at combat, so being an auror seemed like the best job. I mean, Tracey did beg me to become a professional duellist, but mere competitions wouldn't satisfy me. I want real fights."

"The same thing happened to me, actually," he said, amused by how similar their circumstances were. "Susan, my friends, and almost everyone told me to become a duellist. Because it's safer, apparently. But that's neither a stable job nor something that will challenge me. Not to toot my own horn, but I've got immense power, and I need to use it to its full potential."

Daphne gave an eager nod, her azure eyes sparkling. "I understand. What is the meaning of all the hard work if you can't ever use your power?"

"Exactly."

Quietness ensued, bringing a lull to their conversation.

They were not used to it yet, so bouts of awkward silence were expected. None of the two ever imagined that they'd enjoy talking to one another, after all.

It was pleasantly surprising.

"Tracey is interning at St. Mungo's. She wants to be a healer." Daphne broke the silence, giving him something that he wanted. A morsel of information on his estranged best friend.

Harry didn't try to conceal his fond smile. "Good for her. It suits her."

"It does. Although her reasoning is quite moronic. She wants to be the one to patch me up if I ever get wounded. That's the only reason she is training to become a healer." Daphne said that, but her cheeks were warm and her smile was bright.

"At least try to hide how happy you are. Stop making me jealous." He half-joked.

She just shrugged. "That's what you get for not choosing her. And I hope you didn't choose Bones just because she has large udders."

"I didn't choose anyone." He sighed, pushing off the desk and laying his head on the chair's backrest. "Susan is not my girlfriend. Never was. We just have an unconventional relationship. She knows I do not belong to her. That I can sleep around as much as I want. She knows I'll never marry her. And she is fine with it. Tracey wouldn't have been accepting like that in her place.

"That's why I didn't ask her out when she was giving me blatant signals. She wanted a serious relationship, and I didn't want that. I never want that. I'd rather have her as my best friend for all my life than a wife. Because believe me, I've seen fucked-up marriages, and I don't want us to be one of them. Not that it helped; we drifted apart anyway."

"To me, it sounds like you want all the fun and none of the responsibilities." Daphne frowned, unsympathetic and logical.

"Maybe." He exhaled, unable to tell her the main reason. That being his mum. He could never have a simple relationship with anyone. Because, in the end, he would have to return home and sleep with his own mother. Not something he disliked, but definitely a big hurdle for a normal romantic relationship.

"I hate when people complicate simple things."

"Me too, Daphne, me too," he replied, ignoring her eye roll.

Just at that moment, the door opened behind them, and their boss strolled in while humming a jaunty tune.

Sporting a leather jacket, paired with a tank top and skinny jeans, she challenged the preconceived notion of what someone with the title 'strongest auror' should look like.

"Wotcher, hatchlings." She plopped down in her seat across them, turning a blind eye to their displeased scowls. "I see you've finished my—I mean your work. Good, very good. I'm impressed."

"By our penmanship?" He arched his single eyebrow.

"Spot on! Your penmanship is bloody brilliant." She grinned, waving her wand and shrinking all the reports so they could fit in her drawer.

He gave an exasperated sigh. "Thank you, Miss Tonks. Do you have more work or should we go home?"

"Actually, something interesting did come up. We've got a report that foreigners are living in the old Diagon Alley back in London. I want you to go there and see what's going on. If they are simply bunking, then let them be. But if you feel anything illegal is taking place, then return and inform me. We, experienced aurors, will take care of it. While we have left the Isles, all the lands under the muggle-repelling wards are still under our care. It will mar our image if those places are used for criminal purposes." She instructed, for once all serious and professional.

"Alright." Harry got up, suppressing his excitement.

A field job, finally.

"We will not let you down, Madam Tonks." Daphne nodded gravely, rising to her feet too.

"Don't get all fired up. You just have to observe them or, at worst, interrogate them. There won't be any spell exchanges. Be right back after you are done; don't engage in any combat. I repeat, don't instigate a fight."

"Of course." Harry flapped his trench coat, straightening it. "We won't take any stupid actions."

~xXxXx~

There was only one place in Avalon from which people could use a portkey to leave the country. It was a chamber located in the ministry, intentionally excluded from the effects of anti-portkey and anti-apparition wards. And while citizens were given freedom to come and go as they pleased, they were required to reveal where they were going and when they were returning.

It was a security measure.

Harry and Daphne were not exempt from this procedure either.

They jotted down the necessary information in the registry before using the portkey provided by Miss Tonks.

"Ready?" She asked as they held the rusty dagger between them.

He nodded.

She tapped her wand.

Instantly, a phantom hook sank into his navel and sucked him into oblivion. Or so it felt.

The next moment, he landed on solid ground. In London. Even though he had gotten used to these modes of transport, he still stumbled. Just a little. He didn't think he would ever not stumble.

He hated portkeys.

"Where are we?" Daphne asked, shrinking and pocketing the two-way portkey, looking around the shadowy passageway.

Harry beckoned her to follow him. He knew where they were.

As they got out of the passage nestled between two buildings, he found a dilapidated shack across the road, which previously worked as the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Oh, this is where we are." She came to stand beside him, smiling and nodding at the passersby.

"It's been a couple of years since Leaky Cauldron saw any customers." He commented softly, feeling a twinge of nostalgia.

They made their way into the empty shack and spilled out into the courtyard. He remembered the pattern needed to bypass the wall and tapped his wand against it.

The brick wall parted open, revealing the scene that used to awe everyone.

But now that all the shops were closed, there was absolute silence, stealing all the sense of wonder and merriment. It had become a ghost town after everyone abandoned it and relocated to Avalon.

Still, there must be illegal occupants here if Miss Tonks' info was true.

They strolled through the alley, both careful and nostalgic. Under the crimson light of the setting sun, the quiet, haphazard buildings looked chaotically dreamy. Something straight out of storybooks. It was strange experiencing this Diagon Alley when all he had known was a loud, bustling one. The very walls gave off an air of melancholy, as if asking why everyone left.

It was kind of depressing.

"Why are these still standing? The ministry should've demolished them," he asked no one in particular. It was more of a rhetorical question, because he could guess the reason.

Yet Daphne answered. "These buildings hold emotional value for our community. The ministry tried to get everyone's signatures to acquire the necessary rights to destroy all the magical spots and houses sprinkled throughout Britain. But people were stubborn; they didn't want their previous homes and alleys to be destroyed. That's why the ministry simply left these under muggle-repelling charms instead of razing them to the ground."

"Hmm, even if the ministry did make all our monuments disappear, these lands would still remain. And the muggles would be stupefied and suspicious if such patches of land appeared out of nowhere. So the ministry would have to keep these places hidden under wards due to the treaty with the ICW, where they agreed to follow the Statue of Secrecy."

She nodded as they went deeper, towards Knockturn Alley. "And it wouldn't make much difference if these buildings stayed standing or not. So the ministry reluctantly decided not to tear down these sites."

They didn't say anything after that, staring and appreciating the old Diagon Alley.

The sounds of their footsteps and his rustling coat were the only noise around them.

Until they weren't.

As they ventured into Knockturn Alley, they found the foreign settlers.

There were easily dozens of them, and most were men, milling around the shops and the winding pathway.

Harry and Daphne shared a curious look, continuing their stroll, ignoring the dark, panicked whispers.

"Are they speaking French?" He kept walking, counting their numbers. There were at least thirty people.

Daphne replied in a murmur, "Yes."

"It just had to be the French. I think we should already kill them for setting foot here." He couldn't help but quip, his eyes darting around, plans forming and getting discarded at a rapid rate.

She shot him a deadpan look. "Very funny."

"Ugh, I don't even know their gibberish. How will we communicate?"

"I'm fluent in French." She elbowed him in the side, apparently not appreciating his humour.

"You are a Frenchie?" He stopped short, unfazed by how the foreigners surrounded them on both sides of the road.

She pressed her lips in a thin line. "I have some French ancestry in my mother's line, yes."

"Ha, I knew there must've been a reason I disliked you." He snorted, undaunted by her stern glare.

"If you're done being a comedian, let's head back. There's definitely something illegal going on here. Look towards that house, the one that is guarded by a pair of guards."

He glanced at where she was subtly pointing with her eyes.

It was a big shop, some distance away. With a quick use of Magiscape, he realised that the room was filled with captured women and children.

Human trafficking. Or, more accurately, muggle trafficking.

"If we wanted to head back, we shouldn't have simply strolled into trouble." He smiled as a portly man approached them.

"Who are you?" He asked.

Daphne took the lead and stepped forward. "We are from the British Ministry. We are here to check that nothing unlawful is happening."

The man let out a forced chuckle. "Nothing unlawful is taking place, madam. After we heard the British went away to their new country, we decided to check out these abandoned places. We were surprised by what we found. We are basically homeless in our country, so we moved here."

"How long have you been living here?"

"Three months."

"I see. We have got orders to check your abodes. If you're telling the truth, we'll allow you to continue living here," Daphne stated her terms.

The man scratched his blotchy beard and squared his shoulders in a stubborn gesture. "I'm afraid we can't allow that, madam. We can't let you violate our privacy. And Brita—I mean, Avalon has no jurisdiction in these lands anymore, does it?"

"What is he babbling about?" Harry tapped Daphne's shoulder to get her attention, feeling ignored and annoyed that he couldn't understand what they were saying.

She turned towards him. "He is telling us that we don't have any jurisdiction over these lands and that we cannot search these buildings to confirm our doubts."

Harry blinked and shifted his attention to him. "Tell him I'm going to kick his fat arse all the way to France."

"What is he saying?"

"He is saying you're right." Daphne offered a strained smile. "We shall go and leave you in peace."

"Thank you." He bowed and scurried away, followed by the bystanders.

Harry didn't get to complain as she grabbed his arm and led him back the way they came from.

"They are going to run now that they realise we know about them," Daphne muttered under her breath.

"Why give them a chance? Let's take them head-on."

"There are more than thirty people."

"And? Are you scared?"

"Yes, of losing my job. Madam Tonks clearly ordered us not to engage in any combat."

"Avada Kedavra!" A shout came from behind them.

Harry yanked her towards him, saving her from the spell. Then they swiftly sprinted towards the buildings, dodging and raising concrete walls to shield their backs.

They dove into a narrow back alley.

"Why are they attacking us?" She hissed, clutching her chest. "It's foolish. It'd have been better to let us go before apparating away."

"Maybe someone put up anti-apparition and anti-portkey wards wandlessly, trapping them, giving them no option but to fight. I wonder who."

…

"You're going to get us killed." She sighed, gripping her own wand. "Or worse, unemployed."

"We just have to kill them all and prove that we are too powerful to be kicked out of the auror force." He peeked out as the criminals slowly slunk their way.

She moistened her dry lips and nodded stiffly. "What's the plan?"

"Uhm, we will step out and start killing them. The person who kills the most is the winner." He pressed himself flat against the wall as spells rained towards them.

Daphne's eyes flared with rage as she raised a stony wall to form a temporary shield. "Take it seriously, Harry. This is not a game."

"I am dead serious." He smiled mirthlessly, jabbing his wand towards the transfigured wall.

Her wall crumbled, and stony missiles flew towards their enemies, finding flesh to pierce into, eliciting pained shrieks.

Their intense gazes met, and she looked away.

"Fine, you focus on the offensive, and I'll defend us."

"Okay."

The duo stepped out of the back alley, with Harry in the front and Daphne a little behind and to the side.

He swept his wand up with a flourish, and the very earth rumbled.

Rocky protrusions expanded out of the ground and speared through men and women alike.

Screams rang out in the alley, and blood spurted from the perforated bodies. Nine people gurgled as they were torn apart, as the rocky stalagmites grew taller and wider, stretching their wounds until their souls left them, until they weren't even in one piece.

Daphne did a fabulous job watching his back, not letting any spells come near him, spamming her blinking shield, and absorbing all the curses. She only had to resort to transfiguration when unforgivables were used.

Harry twisted his wand and jabbed at a tall, middle-aged woman. She was thrown back with such force that her skull shattered the moment she hit the wall, and her scream was cut short.

Then he sent air scythes careening towards the remainders, cutting them in two, separating them at waist, and letting them die in their own pools of blood.

The entire fight barely took minutes, and once it was done, there was silence once again. There were barely any moanings or groanings; most people were too dead to vocalise their pain.

He lowered his wand at his side, surveying the surroundings with a critical eye. "Good job. I didn't have to bat away a single spell."

"I can say the same to you." She looked around blankly. "You've grown quite strong."

"Let's see what they were hiding." He started for the shop, which they had noticed earlier.

He already knew what was in there, but he couldn't reveal it without telling her that he possessed the ability to look at and control the souls of this world. She didn't know about Magiscape, and he'd rather keep it a secret just between him and his mum.

Before they could even go near the door, the portly man from before stumbled out with a child in his hold, using him as a human shield. "Don't come near! I'll kill him."

"I don't think you need translation for this," Daphne said with narrowed eyes, lowering her wand.

"No, I don't."

He stomped his right foot on the ground, causing a minor tremor.

The man's eyes suddenly rolled back in his skull, his body seized up, and saliva frothed at his mouth.

He gasped and fell down with a thud. Unconscious.

…

…

"What was that?" Daphne asked, deeply shocked, as the little boy ran up to them, crying and blabbering incoherently.

Harry didn't reply and simply hugged the young boy, patting his back and reassuring him.

The two new aurors found the shop full of muggle women and children, meant to be taken away to other magical countries, meant to be sold away like cattle. They would become slaves, a replacement for house elves. Though unlike house elves, they wouldn't just have to do domestic tasks. No, they would suffer worse tasks.

When they would report back to the ministry, their fame would skyrocket. The tales of two aurors surviving and defeating some thirty French criminals to save innocents would be regaled around in every part of the ministry and soon every household of Avalon. And while Miss Tonks would be angry in the beginning, she would come around too, forgiving them for ignoring her order and taking upon themselves to rescue the sorry muggles.

This wouldn't be the only time the duo would prove to be exceptionally talented.

They would keep on accomplishing daring feats, imprinting their names in everyone's minds.

~xXxXx~

1 Month Later

James and Lily sat in his office, smiling as the Daily Prophet printed another exploit of Harry and Daphne.

"With the way he is going, we don't even have to embellish to make him stand out." He sipped at his coffee, looking at the adoring look on Lily's face.

She grinned proudly. "You're a fraud, but my son is genuinely a legend in making."

"Yes." He winced at her remark, unable to deny it. Even though the entire Avalon thought him to be Arthur Reborn, he was just a fake. A lie spurned to save and prosper his country. And he was fine with it as long as his nation remained protected.

"So," she leant forward, her emerald eyes gleaming with greed, "will you create a monarchy as I've suggested? Will you make Harry your prince, your heir?"

James nodded. "Yes, it's a good idea. Democracy introduced nothing but corruption and oligarchy until I took power. It's my rule that has improved everyone's lives. And Harry is my firstborn. He will make a better king after me."

Lily's smile widened.