Chapter 57

Beatrice and Elspeth looked through the broken window as Potter scaled down the building, both of them feeling a mounting frustration as another one of their plans to deal with Potter fell apart.

"Reparo," Elspeth hissed angrily, repairing the window before anyone noticed.

"I don't get it," Beatrice shook her head in frustration. "How is he able to do these things?" She questioned.

"I don't know," Elspeth replied. "He stole the tome from us, too. Do you think he performed the ritual himself?"

"I doubt it," Beatrice shook her head. "We would have noticed. Remember when we went through it? It took more than a month to get our control back. It doesn't look like that happen to him."

"Then how?" Elspeth questioned. "And where did he learn the stuff he did?"

"The Darkhold?" Beatrice asked, thinking the same thing herself.

"No," Elspeth shook her head. "Our side had it all this time. If there were techniques like the ones Potter uses in there, we would have learned them too."

Beatrice nodded, seeing her point. "Let's go," she said. "The others are waiting for us."

"Fine," Elspeth said as they continued down the corridor towards Ravenclaw tower. She knew Andre would be disappointed, but was beginning to see his point. Taking Potter alive would not be easy. He was far too slippery for that. They're only option may be to take him out permanently.

"What happened?" Andre demanded angrily when he saw Elspeth and Beatrice arrive empty-handed.

"Potter happened," Elspeth spat back, just as angrily. "He jumped out the damn window and scaled down the castle before we could stop him."

"Damn it!" Andre growled, wanting to punch something. "That was our best shot to get to Potter!"

"You think we don't know that?!" Elspeth demanded.

"Alright, that's enough," Ismelda said, getting between them. "We're all upset. We don't need to go attacking each other."

"We're running out of time," Andre said, shaking his head in frustration. "And what we're doing just isn't working," he said, venting his frustration. "Malfoy hid himself away in the room of requirement, and the rest of them stick together like glue. We can't go after them without half the school finding out about it."

"Guys!" Talbott called out, running up to them. "We've got another problem."

"What now?" Andre said, shaking his head, exasperated.

"Potter went through the mirror," Talbott revealed. "He took down the guards."

"All of them?" Ismelda asked, "Are they still alive?"

"Yeah," Talbott replied. "They were all out cold when I found them, but they're going to be ok. It looks like he stopped there and didn't go for the chamber."

"That's when we found them," Beatrice replied.

"Them?" Andre questioned.

"Yeah," Elspeth replied. "I didn't recognize her. I don know if she attends Hogwarts, but she was dressed like a student."

"Shit," Andre sighed, leaning against the wall. "I was afraid of this. He's definitely part of the Order, and he's got more help than the first years he recruited."

"Why wouldn't he go down to the chamber?" Beatrice questioned.

"He must have known there were more guards," Ismelda realized. "He was just there to test our defenses."

"Yeah, and we failed," Andre ground out, wishing he had been more successful in convincing the Alumni to drop all the cloak and dagger stuff and go after Potter directly.

"No," Ismelda said, giving into her growing frustration. "The Alumni failed. They don't understand how dangerous Potter is to the mission, and they're never going to!"

Andre watched as the rest of his friends nodded along, glad they were finally coming around to what he had been telling them for the past few weeks. They couldn't count on the Alumni, and to get things done, they would need to do this themselves.

***

Harry looked out across the frozen lake, not willing to risk going into the castle by himself in case the study group were waiting there to ambush him again, deciding to wait until a group of students went inside.

"You need to deal with the one in the hospital wing," Merlin pointed out. "He may not be a problem for you right now, but it's only a matter of time before they cure him."

Harry sighed mentally. He and Merlin had been going round and round about this topic since he faced Lucian in the forest.

"Yes, this again!" Merlin replied, losing his patience. "It's tactically unsound to leave your opponent on the field, and you know it. You should have done the same thing with those guards."

'I'm not going to kill anyone,' Harry thought back adamantly. 'There has to be another way!'

"There isn't," Merlin replied, a tone if finality in his voice. "Believe me, I know," he added, his voice softening. "I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it is. The other side isn't going to play by your rules, and if you insist on doing things this way, you're going to lose people. To save lives, you sometimes need to take them."

'But not always,' Harry thought back. 'We still have some time. If we can just get into the chamber and release the magic, it's over.'

"And how do you expect to get in there to do that? It's probably crawling with guards, and you won't get anywhere near that magic without having to kill," Merlin pointed out. "Why do you insist on doing things this way?"

'Because I saw what happened to you,' Harry admitted bluntly. 'I know you didn't have a choice, and I can't even say I would have made a different choice in your place, but you were never the same after that. Every life you took chipped away at your soul, your compassion, your kindness. I don't want to go down that road if I can help it.'

Merlin sighed mentally, seeing the crux of the problem for perhaps the first time. It was sometimes easy for him to forget that Harry, after all he'd accomplished and how strong he had become, was still a child, and didn't truly understand the cruelty the world had a never ending supply of.

Harry and Merlin fell into a deep silence as they each considered the other's words, but still adamant they were right.

'They're going inside,' Harry thought, looking in the direction of a few students making their way back to the castle. A moment later, he followed them, falling in step behind them, but kept his senses up to make sure there were at least a few students close by as he made his way through the castle.

"They're gone," Merlin said. "Whatever wards they activated to repel the students and teachers are no longer active."

'Why is that?' Harry thought back curiously.

"Wards to repel muggles is one thing," Merlin explained, "but wizards and witches are another matter entirely. The ward has to overpower their natural magical defenses, and it isn't something that can be sustained long term, at least without leaving other signs that was also be detectable."

'That's a relief,' Harry thought.

"It doesn't mean you should let down your guard, either," Merlin admonished. "There's nothing stopping them from trying it again later."

Harry nodded mentally, acknowledging the point as he walked past a pair of students, before coming to a stop as he spotted the headmaster at the end of the hall. He hadn't seen much of the man over the last month, making him wonder what had changed.

The headmaster usually attempted to make small talk at the very least, trying to build a relationship with him, but it seemed he ignored most everyone now.

He thought about what Hermione said, about telling the headmaster what was going on. The cat was already out of the bag. The study group knew who they were, so talking to him now wouldn't put anyone in any more danger than they already were.

"Careful, Harry," Merlin warned, knowing what Harry was thinking. "Help from men like him never comes cheap, even with what's at stake."

'I can't beat them on my own,' Harry thought back, 'and my friends aren't going to be much help against them either.'

Merlin acknowledged the point. He had high hopes for the Minister, but it seemed his power was far more limited than he thought originally. Nothing short of a full scale mobilization of the Aurors would be enough to stop the study group and the Alumni in a direct confrontation, and even then it wasn't a sure thing. "Do what you must," he finally said.

Albus walked down the hallway, deep in thought. Plugging the leaks about Evergreen was proving more troublesome than he thought. Dung had told him it was one of his competitors that found out the information, one that was conveniently missing. Even Alister had trouble locating them.

'There's no telling what else he knows,' he thought, 'or who else he revealed the information too.' He briefly considered interrogating Potter himself, but quickly dismissed the idea. He knew better than anyone that Potter wasn't a smart man, and if he knew anything else, he would have said so at the Christmas party, and he certainly wouldn't have approached him if he knew the full truth.

'Perhaps its time to shut down Evergreen,' he thought with a sigh. It certainly wasn't the first time he had to go to such lengths, and setting up a new network of companies to manage those assets wouldn't be too difficult, but that would also mean letting go of the family fortunes under his control to prevent anything from being traced back to him.

That was the crux of the problem. The estates he controlled now were too important, both politically and in terms of wealth. They were the true asset of Evergreen and wouldn't be replaced so easily.

"Hello Headmaster, I'd like to speak with you," Harry said as he and the headmaster crossed paths.

Albus looked up, ready to dismiss the student, when he realized who it was and stopped in his tracks. 'Finally,' he thought. After all the work he put into correcting his past mistakes with handling the boy, it finally payed off. "Of course, my boy," he said, fixing a jovial smile on his face. "What is on your mind?"

Harry ground his teeth at the way the Headmaster addressed him, flashing back to when his father called him that, but buried those feelings, knowing that he had a job to do.

He looked around, making sure the other students didn't overhear them, and cast a Muffliato charm.

Albus raised an eyebrow, impressed by the boy's repertoire of spells. 'A fifth year spell if I'm not mistaken,' he thought, but also surprised that the boy would think such a spell was even necessary.

"There's something going on," Harry began, thinking about the best way to not only explain what was going on but also to ask for his help. "It's going to be hard to believe," he warned, "but it's the truth."

Albus regarded the boy. He wasn't prone to crying wolf like most of the younger students. "You have my attention, Mr. Potter. What exactly is going on?"

"There's a group of people," Harry started, knowing that he couldn't just blurt everything out without the Headmaster thinking he was crazy. "They've been manipulating things behind the scenes for a long time."

"…I see," Albus said, warning bells going off in his head. 'Did the boy find out about Evergreen?' He thought. 'Whoever told Potter must have told him as well after he saw what Potter did with the information.' "Accusations require proof. Do you have any?"

"No," Harry admitted with a sigh. "Nothing I can present to anyone," he added, knowing that the tome was far too dangerous to trust with anyone else.

'Makes sense,' Albus thought. 'Potter didn't know it was me, so Harry doesn't either, but I still need to nip this in the bud.' "And this group," he continued. "What is their purpose?"

".. They think they're doing something good, but they're not…" Harry tried to explain, thinking back on Tonk's reaction when he explained how they were stealing magic, and were planning on opening a portal, and how she had immediately dismissed the idea out of hand.

"There are a great many mysteries to our world, Harry," Albus, said, cutting Harry off. "It was perhaps inevitable that you would run into one so soon, but what I can tell you from my own experience is that not everything is quite as it seems. There isn't always a dark lord hiding around every corner, and there are a great many reasons for a person's actions, most of which we don't see until our own actions force the issue and make fools out of us. I'm not ashamed to admit that early in my life I fell for such manipulations," he lied.

"The best advice I can give you is to do nothing," Albus continued. "If the only proof you have is circumstantial, there is a reason for that. Many a lord have been caught out by such cheap tricks, and paid a heavy price for it," he warned. "Now if you will excuse me there is something urgent I must attend to," he said turning on his heel as he made his way back to his office, now sure more than ever he had to find this leak before it ruined all his plans.

Harry watched the Professor leave, feeling a growing sense of frustration with him. 'He didn't even want to hear me out,' he thought, angry at being dismissed. 'How did he even end up with the reputation he has?' he thought, considering all his previous interactions with the man.

"Reputations aren't always crafted by our actions," Merlin explained. "Sometimes it simply comes down to what we convince others to believe," he added, his already low expectations for the headmaster dropping even lower.

***

Morgan sighed mentally as she heard about the latest failure of her pawns. It wasn't a surprise to her. None of them had the creativity, the ingenuity or even the critical thinking skills required to take on an adversary like Harry.

They, like all the others before them, were chosen for their likelihood to survive the power strengthening rituals and their reverence for her above all else.

"We think you're right, Celestia," Andre said, concluding his recap of their latest confrontation with Potter. "It's the only thing that makes sense. He has to be a member of the Order of Set to have the kind of training he does. He wants the Darkhold," he concluded.

Morgan regarded Andre, then the rest of her study group, smiling internally. Her lie about the split in the order had obviously taken root in their minds. As if she would ever allow such a thing to happen.

The order had simply outlived its usefulness to her, and the many lies she had to manage to keep them on track had become too bothersome to maintain. It was better to start fresh with a follower that didn't know of her previous manipulations.

"How many of them do you think there are?" Ismelda asked, feeling worried. "If a first year under their training can do what Potter did, what about the rest of them? Do we even stand a chance against them?"

"I don't know," Morgan lied, doing a convincing job of making them believe she was worried, but in truth, she knew they weren't her old Order. She had made sure every one of them were hunted down and killed long ago.

'Still,' Morgan thought, considering the resourcefulness of Potter, and the fact there were others outside of Hogwarts helping him. 'He isn't a threat I can simply ignore, either.'

"We can deal with Potter," Andre said decisively, banging his fist on the table for effect. "Beatrice, Elspeth, you said it yourself. Potter was the one that did most of the work. Even if he has help outside of Hogwarts, it doesn't matter. We're still stronger than them. Potter ran from you," he said, pointing out the silver lining. "That means he's afraid, and knows for a fact he doesn't stand a chance against us in a real fight."

"Then what happened to Lucian?" Talbott retorted, pointing out the obvious hole in Andre's argument.

"He was outnumbered, obviously," Andre replied. "You all just assumed Potter took him out by himself, didn't you?" He accused. "Why? Every time we've faced him, it was him that ran away," he pointed out. "We know he isn't working alone. I think Potter led Lucian into a trap. That's how he beat him."

"Alright," Talbott conceded. "That makes sense, but it doesn't change the fact that we're a man down. We don't have enough people to perform the ritual, anyway. What are we supposed to do about that?"

"The ritual we were planning to use was a modified version of the original ritual," Andre said, having thought deeply about this earlier. "If it was modified once, maybe we can do it again."

Beatrice along with Elspeth paled at the thought of performing another power strengthening ritual, the pain they went through still fresh in their minds.

"No," Morgan said, shaking her head as she drew their attention. "I can't ask you to do that again," she said, playing to the image she crafted over the centuries to appear as the saintly figure they believed her to be.

As she looked at the troubled, then relieved, faces of her followers, she knew she made the right call. She couldn't afford for them to question her motivations, not now, when she was so close to her plan finally coming to fruition.

"There must be something," Andre pressed.

"There isn't," Morgan replied, making it look like she was hiding the truth from them as they played right into her hands.

"Please, Celestia," Ismelda implored. "We know you're hiding something from us. What is it?"

"It's nothing," Celestia said. "I have to go," she said quickly.

"Wait!" Talbott jumped up, stopping Celestia in her tracks as he realized what he need to remind her off to get the truth from her, and allow them to help her. "The rituals we did to free you. What's going to happen to us if you're not here to reverse the damage the ritual caused?"

Celestia gasped, making a show of widening her eyes, looking at each of them with a sorrowful look in her eyes. "I'll talk to the Alumni," she said. "It will take some time, but I can teach them what they need to do to heal you."

"Time we may not have," Ismelda said, catching onto Talbott's plan.

"…Alright, there is a way," Morgan said, acting as if they had dragged the information out of her, "but it's wrong, and I want no part of it."

"What is it?" Andre pressed. "We at least have a right to know."

"The ritual can be modified," Morgan said with a sigh as she spun another web of lies and half truths. "You magic, combined with the three others, will be enough to open the portal," she said, having already done the calculations previously.

"It can't be as simple as that," Ismelda said, "otherwise you would have already mentioned it."

"It isn't," Celestia agreed, "and it goes against everything I have ever taught you."

"What is it?" Andre asked. "We have to know," he added, fully prepared to move heaven and earth to get the job done.

"…The magic. It can be taken from them." Morgan admitted, feigning reluctance to even tell them that much.

"And you can fix them, right? Just like you're going to do with us?" Ismelda asked, not seeing the issue.

"…I can," Morgan replied. "But that isn't the issue. This will be painful for them, agonizing even, and it won't stop until the portal is closed."

"But they'll live?" Talbott asked, thinking about the sacrifices he'd made to free Celestia, and the pain he had to endure.

"Yes, they'll live," Morgan replied. "But by doing this, we would effectively take away their choice."

"We can convince them then," Ismelda replied.

"There isn't enough time for that," Morgan replied. "The date for the ritual is coming too soon."

She then looked up, a scared look on her face. "I can sense him. He's awake. I have to go. I'll try to contact you if… when I can," she said, pretending to slip her words before disappearing.

"Celestia?!" Andre called out, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"What? What is it?" Talbott demanded, looking to Andre for answers.

"Chthon," Andre replied gravely. "He's waking up. It's only a matter of time before he finds her."

"What do we do?" Elspeth asked as an uncomfortable silence descended upon the group.

"You know what we have to do," Andre said solemnly.

"But she told us she didn't want us to do that," Beatrice pointed out.

"Think about what's at stake," Andre pointed out. "When, not if Chthon finds Celestia, he'll pluck everything she knows about us from her mind. He'll know there are enough souls here ten times over to free him. Do any of you want that?" He asked, seeing the horrified looks on their faces. "I didn't think so."

"We've never done something like this," Ismelda pointed out. "These aren't just magicals beasts we're talking about, but actual people. I don't know that I can."

"Really?" Andre asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because I can think of at least four people that would be perfect for this, and after everything they've done, I can't think of a group of people more deserving."

"You mean Potter, don't you," Talbott said, seeing where Andre was going with this.

Andre nodded his head.

"Even if we went along with something like this," Ismelda said. "We aren't going to catch Potter, not without going all out, and drawing way too much attention to ourselves. It's not going to work."

"His friends, then," Andre concluded. "There's three of them."

"That won't be any easier," Ismelda pointed out. "Potter's going to know the second we make a move on them. He'll know it's us, and with three missing students, he'll have enough to get the Aurors here to investigate."

"And since he knows where the entrance to the chamber is," Talbott continued, "they'll find it, too."

Andre cursed, unable to refute their logic. "It has to be someone," he pointed out. "Chthon can't find out about our world. If he finds his way here, it won't be just three students that are hurt. We're talking about billions, and not just on this world, but countless others. Do you want that on your conscience?" He demanded.

"Who?" Talbot questioned. "Tell me who. Who are you willing to sacrifice? Who do you want to put through that?"

"Potter's scholarship students," Andre said, latching onto a new idea. "He isn't nearly as close with them as he is with Granger, Malfoy, and Weasley. We can grab them on the day of the ritual. Potter won't even realize we've grabbed them until after the ritual is over."

"Come on, it's perfect," Andre said, looking around the room. "Potter's going to recruit them to his side, if he hasn't already. We can free Celestia and deal a heavy blow to the people that have been hunting for us for hundreds of years. They aren't innocents, they've chosen their side."

"It doesn't matter," Ismelda said. "Celestia doesn't want us to do this," she said, reminding everyone of what she said before she disappeared.

"We convince her then," Andre replied. "I know what side I'm on. What about you? Are you really going to choose the people that nearly destroyed us over Celestia?"

Morgan smiled, keeping herself hidden from them. She could see the looks in their eyes, and knew she had them now.

***

Rita re-read her latest article. It wasn't exactly what she had been hoping for. There was nowhere near enough evidence to tie Dumbledore to Evergreen, but she had high hopes the ensuing scandal would be enough to force the Wizengamot to hold an inquiry, which would hopefully expose more threads for her to pull on.

"Barnabas," she said, pushing open the door to the Daily Prophet editor's office. "I have my next article, and it's a big one," she promised. "You're going to want to print extra copies, otherwise you won't be able to keep up with demand."

"Slow down," Barnabas said, holding up his hand. "I just assigned the Dearborn disappearance to you a couple of days ago. There's no way you've already finished it."

"Not that," Rita said, exasperated. "I've been working on something on my own for the last few months," she said, placing the copy of her article on his desk.

Barnabas raised an eyebrow. "You know how I feel about this, Rita," he admonished. "You need to work on the articles I assign you, not just go off on your own, following hunches."

"Relax," Rita said, "I'll have the Dearborn article for you at the end of the month, as promised. Just read it!" She insisted.

Barnabas sighed, picking up the article, knowing that unlike the rest of his reporters he couldn't read her the riot act for not following orders, not after what her success with Merlin's Vault, and her article exposing Potter. Every newspaper in Europe wanted her, and he couldn't risk losing her to them over something like this. "Alright, fine. Just don't make a habit of this," he said before looking at the headline.

Evergreen Exposed: Pureblood Estates Stolen

Barnabas's eyes widened as he read the headline. His hands shook as his mouth went dry. He looked up at Rita. "…Evergreen? Tell me this is some kind of joke, Rita. Did someone put you up to this?"

"What?" Rita asked, furrowing her brows, seeing a look she had never seen on the editor's face before. "What are you talking about? Of course, this isn't a joke!"

"Damn it, Rita," Barnabas said, shaking his head as he leaned back in his chair with a defeated sigh. "What have you done?"

"Barnabas, what the hell is going on?" Rita demanded, getting a sinking feeling about what he was about to reveal.

"…Your article. I'm not going to bother reading the rest of it," he said, throwing it in the bin. "It's never going to see the light of day."

"You can't do that!" Rita insisted. "I'll go to the owners if I have to, but this article needs to go to print!"

"Where do you think this decision is coming from?!" Barnabas demanded.

"That doesn't make any sense," Rita said, throwing up her hands in frustration. She knew the ownership group for the Prophet wasn't publicly listed, but knew for a fact that it was influential pureblood families in charge, and they were the ones affected by Evergreen.

"There's more than enough here to investigate," Rita said, picking the article out of the trash and trying to hand it back to the editor. "Multiple pureblood families have been swindled out of their wealth!"

"It's not my call," Barnabas said, refusing to take back the article. "I'm sorry Rita. I don't want to do this, but I have to fire you," he said, shocking Rita. "You're a good reporter, you always have been, and after your recent articles, I'm sure you'll land on your feet," he added, trying to soften the blow.

"You're firing me?" Rita asked, not believing her ears. "I'm your best reporter. Tell me what's going on," she demanded. "Is someone blackmailing you? What is it?"

"I'm sorry Rita. I don't have a choice, and I can't discuss this any further with you," Barnabas said, feeling genuinely sorry, but knew there was nothing he could do. "I'll write you a letter of recommendation," he offered. "Even put you in touch with the editors of some of the biggest newspapers on the continent, but you're done at the Prophet. Security will escort you to your desk and help you get packed up."

Rita stared at Barnabas for a long moment, not sure of even what to say. "Barnabas… I…" She trailed off as the security guards appeared in the doorway.

"It's time for you to go, Rita," Barnabas said gently.

Rita could only nod her head as she was led out of the room, feeling numb as she packed up her desk amidst the shocked stares of the rest of her colleagues. She considered answering their questions, but thought better of it, knowing that it would likely lead to them losing their jobs as well.

Before she knew it, she was standing outside of the building she had worked at for the last ten years, staring up at the gold lettering on the sign. She had written inflammatory articles before, but she had never thought this would be the one that would cost her, her job.

Rita sat on a bench, just staring at the box in her hands. 'All my years as a reporter, and it all fits neatly in a single box,' she thought, shaking her head in disbelief.

She still couldn't believe that Barnabas had fired her, just like that. 'He didn't even bother reading the article,' she thought. 'Why wouldn't he even read it?' She thought as the gears in her head started to turn. 'Unless Evergreen also controls the Prophet,' she realized.

Rita briefly considered publishing the article in France, but remembered the muted response she'd received when she did it to expose Potter. 'No,' she decided. 'My article needs to come out in Britain.' It was the only way to bring Evergreen to justice. She had to force the Wizengamot to act.

***

"Hello Miss Tonks," Saul Croaker said as he looked up from his desk. "What can I do for you today?"

Tonks stepped into the office of the Head of the Department of Mysteries. "I found out something that you need to know about," she said, not at all surprised that Croaker knew who she was already.

"Oh," Saul said, raising an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"Not so fast," Tonks replied. "I want something in return first. I think you know what it is."

"Miss Tonks," Saul replied. "I'm not in the business of paying for information. I assure you, whatever secret you think you know, I already know it. Your application to join the department of mysteries was rejected for a reason."

"It's about Harry Potter," Tonks replied. "I know you've had an interest in him ever since he opened Merlin's vault. He's found something new… or old, depending on your perspective."

"While that is interesting," Saul agreed. "Whatever it is, I'll find out about in due time."

"I passed all your tests," Tonks said adamantly. "With flying colors," she added. "My family history shouldn't be counted against me. I haven't so much as spoken to that side of my family my entire life."

"Rules are rules," Saul replied, an unreadable expression on his face. "Please see yourself out."

"Potter found a tome," Tonks revealed, getting desperate. "It shows how to take the magic of another being."

"Yes," Saul said, rolling his eyes. "Potter mentioned some fanciful tales about the same thing, but I'll tell you what I told him. Every one of the tomes is a fake. There's no way to take the magic of another being for yourself."

"I've seen the results first hand," Tonks countered. "There's no mistaking it. They aren't just strong for their age. They're significantly more powerful than fully trained witches and wizards."

'A student then, or multiple students,' Saul thought, picking up on Tonks's slip. "And how was this accomplished?"

"I don't have all the details," Tonks admitted. "There's a ritual they performed, but Potter has the tome in his possession."

"Alright, this has piqued my interests," Saul said, leaning forward. "But before I extend an invitation to you, I need you to tell me the real reason you're so interested in joining my department."

"…My mother," Tonks admitted. "I know she used to work here," she revealed.

"I'm not sure where you got that idea," Saul replied, careful not to outright confirm or deny that statement.

"It doesn't matter how I know," Tonks replied. "You made an exception for her to join. You can do the same for me. I want to know what she was working on before the accident, and if there's a way to cure her."

"There's a lot more going on here than just this tome you're talking about," Saul observed.

"You're right, there is," Tonks said with a smirk. "But the only way you're going to find out is by hiring me, and believe me, this is something you're going to want to know about sooner rather than later."

Saul leaned back in his chair as he regarded the girl. She was talented. There was no denying that, and her Metamorphmagus abilities only sweetened the deal. "Welcome to the Department of Mysteries, Miss Tonks," he smiled.

***

Hi! Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. What did you think about how things went for Rita? How are you liking Tonks so far in the story?

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Jumpin