Light and Shadow

Light and Shadow

Chapter 1 - The job

Time runs fast. No, time runs really very fast. It's funny how, sometimes, you can see yourself in a house, surrounded by friends, in the countdown for the new year. And, in a blink, you're there again, in a house surrounded by friends, celebrating the new year again. But, in Harry's case, time ran way too fast. And, of course, the house unfortunately wasn't full of friends.

Things had changed, a lot. He changed a lot. The man he had become didn't resemble the skinny boy he used to be. By the way, who met the "famous" Harry Potter, the "boy who lived", couldn't say he was the man sitting in a very comfortable armchair in his big office, drinking vodka (a habit he reverted to when something was bothering him).

Since he graduated from Hogwarts, Harry had joined the Aurors Academy, ending it as the first in his class. After all, he had a war to face, and had the weight of an entire community on his back, people who believed he could bring peace back to their lives. What most of them didn't know was that Harry didn't graduate "with flying colours" because he had a "debt" with the magic community. After all, as his godfather had said, he didn't have any debt. What he had to carry was the hope of those who suffered and were still suffering because of a lunatic. He did it for anger. Anger for being betrayed, by someone he couldn't even think of. He just wanted to prove that the "friend", the "brother", was wrong when he chose to go to the other side; and that everything the "friend" said, all the arguments weren't grounded. Seemed like betrayal was becoming a tradition in the family. First the father... Then the son.

Now that the peace was back, Harry was working in a new department, created after the war ended. The Department of Disaster Prevention. A weird name, but it was a faction inside the Ministry. Those who work at this department do a very simple thing: they spy. Just like the CIA, in the American muggle government.

When the department was about to be created, there was a lot of controversy. The Ministry had never had a department to spy on the citizens. It wasn't really necessary, the population, so far, hadn't any reason to be spied upon. However, after Voldemort, came the need for a department like this. But before creating it, there was lots and lots of discussion. The new department would cost a lot of money to the Ministry, or the population wouldn't have a very good reaction; all kinds of arguments were presented against it. The department ended up being created, but under total secrecy. Actually, not one hundred percent secrecy, because that wasn't a very easy thing to reach in the Magic World; it just wouldn't be under the spotlights, as if everything done inside it wasn't important enough to warrant much attention. A discreet and "shy" department, just like a cat in the dark.

The Department of Disaster Prevention was growing. Most of it's "Agents" were Aurors, with some extra improvement courses, like Transfiguration, Potions, etc. And some of them also had instructions to live among the muggles, and there were always one or two, just to see if everything was "normal". Others had made muggle courses that could be very useful, like identification of fingerprints, shooting, muggle law, etc.

The Aurors working as spies were organized like this: there was a backup team, responsible for the support of the field team. These field teams were named with letters, like A, B, C,... The A team was sub-divided in A-1 and A-2. Harry belonged to the A-1, the "best" team in the department. Those who belonged to this one had some privileges, like for example, the right of Veto, that means they could choose whether to participate or not in the missions. And they could choose with whom they wanted to work, including people from the other teams.

Apart from belonging to the A-1 team, Harry was also licensed in Muggle Law. Just in case he needed to camouflage, Harry would be a lawyer. He didn't live in the magical world, but in the muggle one. After all, he had lived his entire life among them, and it was a way to "escape" from work. Arriving home, and doing things muggles do, like watching TV, or listening to some music, were some habits he had adopted. Harry had always liked muggle TV: movies, TV shows, and TV series... But, unfortunately, while living with the Dursleys, he couldn't watch any, because of his cousin.

Harry sat and drank for about 30 minutes. He was thinking of his godfather, head of the department, calling him. Apparently to give the information of his new "mission".

- Harry, I have a new job for you. However, unfortunately, this one I won't let you veto - Sirius was deadly serious.

- And why not? - Harry was serious too, but a little bit curious.

- Because you are one of my best men, and you fit perfectly to this job. And, of course, you're licensed in...

- Come on, Sirius, stop it! Praising me won't make me bite the bait. Why can't I veto it? - Harry was more serious than before, and now he was also angry.

Sirius just looked at the man sitting in front of him, as if analyzing him. He knew exactly what would be Harry's reaction. Then, he pushed a folder toward Harry.

Harry just had to glance at the name in the folder before he brusquely stood up.

- Forget it! No way, I won't take this job - he said, moving toward the door.

But Sirius ran after him, stopping his godson. Harry had the exact reaction he expected.

- Harry! Harry... wait... why won't you take it?

- You ask as if you didn't know. - his voice was now cold.

- Harry. You, more than anyone, know you are perfect for this job. I think you could leave the past behind... Just... Just forget the past - Sirius said, with a calm voice.

- Did you forget the past? - Harry asked, sarcastically.

- When did you become this cold, serious, sarcastic person, Harry? I didn't forget the past, but I try to live without thinking of it.

Harry deeply regretted asking that question to his godfather. He was the only person who still cared for him. Of course, there were the Weasleys, who, even after all that happened, still held him in high esteemed. But with his godfather things were different. He was practically the only family Harry had. He was like a father, a "father" he'd never had. Harry just said that for pure reflection. A long time ago, specifically when the war ended, he started this sarcastic behavior. He just couldn't understand that...

- I'm sorry Sirius... I didn't mean to say that... But the thing is that I won't take it, really. Choose another one, there are people here just as good as me for the job. - He said, getting ready to leave.

- I said I wouldn't let you veto it, Harry...

- Yes, you said... Fire me, then. But I won't take it. - He said in a tone of finality, leaving his godfather behind.

But of course Sirius wouldn't fire his godson. That would be insane. After all, Harry was one of his best men. He was an A-1. However, Sirius tried, all day, to make his godson change his mind. And finally, at the end of the day, he made an offer impossible to be refused, an offer Harry had been waiting for at least two years.

- Okay, Harry, here's the deal: if you take the job, I give you a vacation. I know you've been wanting one for so long... - said Sirius, getting into the godson's office.

- Vacation? Like the last one? Hmm... let me see if I remember... Ah! Yes! I WORKED THEN TOO!

- he said with some sarcasm in his voice.

- But the situation was completely different. We needed someone in France, and since you were there... Wouldn't cost to help... - Sirius said, amused by his godson's sarcasm.

- Help? Funny, if it was just to "help", why did I work almost my entire vacation?

- Okay, all right, you had to work during you vacation, and so what? Lots of people do it. - Sirius said as if it wasn't important, just a small detail.

- Lots of people really, Sirius... Now tell me, why is it that when YOU are traveling, no one finds you?

- Ah, that's very simple... No one finds me, because otherwise I'll have to work during my vacation... - Sirius said, very debauched. Ah! Come on Harry... I promise you on this vacation nobody will find you... Take the job... A peaceful vacation instead of some job... Hmm? What do you say? A tropical paradise, for example... Hawaii? Caribbean? That's a very nice change...

And Harry ended up taking it. He had been working for almost two years without a brake, and the thought of having some days to rest was very comforting. Maybe he could really go to a tropical paradise. He'd always wanted to go to the Caribbean.

What was concerning Harry was the job he would have to do. He would be a muggle lawyer, in a very important firm in London. He would be working on a murder case with...

"Enough of thinking about it, and about the past." Harry thought.

He took his coat, the folder containing the information and left his office. He thought of apparating home, but he remembered he would have a lot to explain to the doorman of his building, after all, how could he be at home without passing through the entrance? And besides, Harry had a car. He was practically the only one in the department who had one. It was a muggle car, without any kind of magic, and he liked it a lot. He could still remember of his godfather saying "Harry... a muggle car? What are you going to do with a 'magic- less' car? And why was it so expensive?" Well... Harry liked to drive. Like a muggle. Just grab the car and drive through London's streets. The city was so beautiful, specially at night. During his nights of insomnia, he used to grab the car and drive until sunrise. Harry liked so much to drive as a muggle that, if it depended on him, the car would remain without magic for a long while. And it had cost so much money due to the fact that Harry didn't have anything to use all the money he gained at the department on. And it wasn't any little bit of money. He wasn't an extravagant man. Yes, he had a very good apartment, well decorated, but nothing too luxurious. Only the car had cost a good amount of money.

That night Harry took more time than usual to get home. It was a very pleasant night, and he didn't have a reason to get home soon. Nobody was waiting for him. No one waiting... Just thinking about it made him sad. He liked to have a place to go back to, indeed, after a stressing day at work. A place that had someone waiting. A family, perhaps...

He entered the apartment, left his coat anyhow in the sofa and threw the folder over the table. He went to the bar to get more vodka, but when he grabbed the bottle, he saw it was empty. "Great!" he thought. "Well... no problem, I've already drunk too much, anyway..."

Harry went back to the living room and turned on the stereo. He plunged into the sofa, just listening to the melody. Taking off his glasses, he put his hands over his face tiredly. Sitting that way, listening to the music, particularly sad, he surrendered to his reverie... "Ah! You know what? I have to stop getting worried. I'll finish my job, and get my expected vacation..."

He stood up, went to the bedroom, took a little sleeping potion and prepared himself to sleep. "A good night of sleep will help me stop thinking of the past, and this new job."

In the living room, on the table, in the cover of the folder Harry brought, could be read, in big red letters: HERMIONE ANNE GRANGER.