Dark Hunters

Darke Hunters

Chapter 1: The Looming Darkness

"Neville, he's on the move. How are things looking from where you're at?" Ronald Weasley whispered into his comlink earpiece as he watched his target walk about thirty feet ahead of him.

"Okay, but there's a bit of interference right now with the channels. I tried switching, but it isn't helping much. Can you still hear me pretty well?" said Neville in response.

"Yeah but I have to shut it for now. He's getting too ahead of me. I'm going to start moving in."

"Wait. Let me send you some data. I've figured out his path so you might want to try cutting him off instead of meeting him head on. You should be seeing it on your handparch shortly."

"Okay Neville. Thanks."

"Did you hear that, Malfoy? His movements are getting a bit suspicious. Malfoy? Are you still there? Malfoy?!" Neville called out. "Fall back! Don't get too close right now! Wait for Ron!"

Draco slouched down on the ground and raised his wand. He raised his hand to his right ear and pressed on his comlink. "I'm in position. I've got him on my sight. About ten meters away from him." He shifted and snuck a peak from the corner at his target. "I don't see Weasley anywhere!"

"Not yet, Malfoy. He's goi--"

Draco cursed and grinded his teeth as Longbottom never got to finish his sentence. The target seemed to have finally picked up on Draco's close presence and made a sudden bolt for the nearest alley. Draco got up and ran toward the alley, only to be surprised to see that the darke was just about ten feet ahead of him. He barely had time to dodge the stunning spell that was directed at him.

"Damn!" Draco exclaimed as he jumped back around a corner. "Forget that, Longbottom. He knows I'm here so I'm going after him now!" He shut his comlink off and fired off several stunning spells from his wand back at his target. "Stupefy!"

"Protego!" his target countered without hesitation.

"Argh!" Draco muttered angrily. He soon heard running footsteps. He looked around the corner and realized that the darke was trying to get away. He quickly ran after him, shooting off more stupefying spells--all of them were to no avail.

-x-

"Hermione, Malfoy didn't wait. He's chasing after the darke now. I've still got him on radar but I know I'll lose him soon. There is too much interference in the area. I'm sending you and Ron the latest map coordinates now."

Hermione scanned the grounds below from the rooftop and faintly saw two figures running in the distance. "I see them, Neville. I'll take it from here. Thanks."

"Be careful."

"I will," Hermione replied as she leapt from one rooftop to another. She drew out her wand and quickly dashed towards the two figures running away. In times like these Hermione wished she were skillful with the broom. It would certainly cut down on the chase time and make it easier for her to apprehend their target. As it is, however, broom flying was a craft that she could never learn, much less master.

Hermione turned quickly and decided that she would be better off cutting off their prey's running path. Knowing Draco, he was probably mouthing off a handful of disabling spells carelessly. It certainly wasn't helping their work as it often attracted unwanted Muggle attention. She knew that she had to finish this quickly to lessen that possibility.

"Eargh!"

Hermione paused briefly when she heard Draco yell in pain and felt a dooming air about her surroundings. It seemed that the darke had finally decided to use a powerful curse to get rid of his hunters. All the more reason for her to apprehend him now.

Their target was just recently confirmed to be a darke wizard. For most of his life, he lived in the Muggle world without incident, Hermione recalled from his file. When his abilities awoke and caught the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's attention, Hermione's elite Auror division was quite surprised at how capable he was at using his recently discovered craft in creating chaos within the city. If it wasn't evident before, the fact that he had been able to hold off Draco for this long is a good indication of his capacity.

"Hermione? Are you there?" Ron's voice over the comlink interrupted her thoughts. "I caught a dead end at some alley and will have trouble getting around it. How's Malfoy doing?"

Hermione ran towards a roof ledge and saw that the wizard had managed to knock Malfoy out cold. "A useful one, he is," she muttered sarcastically. She narrowed her eyes. "At least his Orb pendant is still working."

Hermione barely had time to worry about Malfoy as she realized that the wizard had cast an entirely new spell and was now levitating off the ground, upward near her location. She moved out of his eyesight and clutched the pendant that hung from her neck.

Once he floated higher than the ledge, Hermione moved from her hiding place and raised her wand. Her brown eyes darkened as she aimed her wand at him. The wizard saw her and immediately tried to counterattack with a spell, but it was a futile effort as Hermione had developed a strong protection barrier around herself now. Without hesitation, she looked her hunted in the eye and cast her spell.

"Orbos Incursio!"

The wizard didn't stand a chance as he screamed and fell down struggling at her feet. She hit him with the incantation two more times before he finally became unconscious.

-x-

Ron watched anxiously as the DMLE's cleanup division sealed the casket-looking metal container that held the wizard that they were chasing after earlier. He was slightly disappointed that he didn't have a more active role in the apprehension but then again, he knew that once the wizard faced Hermione, he barely had a chance to escape.

"Who knew the bastard knew how to use the Imperius Curse?" Draco complained as he walked up to Ron.

Ron smirked. "Serves you right for rushing in. Didn't Neville tell you to hold off until Hermione and I got there?"

Draco huffed. "Yeah, whatever. I never even saw you once, Weasley. You were both taking too long. If I acted sooner rather than waiting on you, I'd have bagged him by now."

"Is that so?" a light voice behind him spoke.

The blond agent flinched as he turned to face his team leader, Hermione Granger. "Well Granger, looks like I can't prove that now, can I?"

Ron barely held himself back from retorting. He turned to Hermione. "I guess that's it for the night, isn't it, boss?"

Hermione didn't answer Ron's question. Her eyes were trained on the metal container that a sweeper agent shrunk for transportation back to DMLE. A few minutes later, all the sweeper agents left and all that remained were she, Ron, and Draco in the empty street.

-x-

The next day

He anxiously looked out the cab's window. He knew that he was nearing his destination, a new place he'd have to call home for who knows how long. He wasn't sure yet really if he wanted to be here but Dumbledore said that he was needed here.

The cab came to a stop in front of a Victorian-like building. Dark brick red walls exuded an air of mystery and superiority. The roof was made of black shingles that seemed to be flying off at certain parts. The building seemed ancient yet felt right in place at the same time with its surroundings. To separate itself from the outside world, it was surrounded by iron gates that seemed to have stood there for more than ten years at least. What caught his attention the most though was the height of one of the sections of the building. Farther back, there seemed to be a tower-like structure that spanned five floors in height, he guessed.

After looking over the area, he glanced down at the paper in his right hand to confirm the structure's address.

"So this is Grimmauld Place."

Without wasting another moment, he picked up his duffel bag and proceeded to open the black iron gates.

-x-

Hermione looked down through a glass window as she stood in her superior's office. Below the office, she saw Malfoy sitting on a chair, being reprimanded by Chief Severus Snape for his actions from last night.

"You did a good job last night, Granger," their superior commented curtly. "Malfoy, on the other hand, still has much to learn. A little too eager with spell-casting it seems."

Hermione turned and faced Lleod Vodim who sat on his desk chair, smoking a cigar. "He's good, but a bit rash at times. He's overly arrogant at times. But I know I can count on him to watch my back if necessary though."

"Can you now?" Vodim puffed out a cloud of smoke as he took his cigar from his mouth. "You put a lot of faith on your team, Granger."

"Yes sir, I do."

Vodim flicked his cigar on the ashtray to get rid of some soot. "Well, I trust you so I shouldn't worry then."

"Thank you, sir."

A small smile formed on Vodim's lips as he opened a drawer and took out a file. "Oh, before I forget. It seems that Hogwarts has sent us a replacement for your last partner. You've got a new addition to your team."

Hermione's eyebrows shifted. "A replacement? For Dolan?"

Vodim tossed the file onto the desk, with its front flap open. "Yes. His name is Potter, Harry Potter. There's not much on him but since he's directly from headquarters that has to mean something. Ever heard of him?"

The brown-haired agent took a step forward to glance the open file. Unfortunately, there was no photo to give her a visual of what the replacement might look like. "No sir, I haven't."

"Very well then. He's supposed to arrive sometime this afternoon. I suggest you brief him at your earliest convenience."

"Yes sir. Anything else?"

"Ah, yes. About last night's case. It seems that our wizard had a partner. Apparently, he was supposed to have met up with his accomplice in the area but was spooked by your team's presence, I assume. Compared to last night's wizard, this accomplice is deemed to be more experienced in the use of the craft." Vodim spun his Viewing Glass and showed Hermione the other wizard's profile. "I just received intelligence that he can be frequently spotted at one of the warehouses at the docks. I have forwarded the information to Longbottom. I believe he's busying himself with gathering precise location data. After this, we'll have a meeting to formulate our agenda."

"All right." Hermione gave the Viewing Glass a once-over briefly then turned to leave the room without saying another word.

Vodim leaned back on his chair and took in another whiff of his cigar. He glanced down at the folder that lay in the middle of his desk before turning his chair to face the window behind him.

"What are you up to, Dumbledore?"

-x-

The Auror guard tapped impatiently by the chimney as he waited for someone from the fifth floor to acknowledge his summons. He felt a bit awkward and wary at having to do this with the strange young man looking at him intently. Finally, Dean's face appeared in the fire.

"I've got someone here who says he's supposed to meet with Hermione Granger, Dean. Can you get her for me?"

"I'm sorry, Seamus. Granger's at a meeting right now. Most likely another assignment. What does your guest want?" Dean asked nonchalantly.

"I don't know. Maybe an admirer or a reporter? Well, if Miss Granger can't come right now, I'll have to send him off in the meantime. He can't wait here long. He makes me a bit antsy, you know?"

Dean shrugged. "Do whatever you want. I'll tell Hermione later if I don't forget. I think entertaining a reporter won't be something she'd want to do anytime soon anyway."

A young woman named Luna Lovegood paused on her way in to the compound to regard the young man that Dean was referring to. He wore a dark robe that seemed to show off his lean yet suspiciously formidable physique. Luna guessed that he couldn't be more than twenty-five years old though, which makes him older than her by a year. Despite looking in his twenties, he carried an innocent, vulnerable look about him. Luna, however, suspected that he was not one to be messed around with if one ever found himself alone in an alley with him. Luna looked him over one more time then proceeded to enter the main compound. She was running late already and couldn't afford to waste another moment analyzing the guest.

Seamus rubbed the back of his neck as he glimpsed the young man behind him once more. The scar by his right temple made Seamus a bit apprehensive. Yet, his overall demeanor didn't seem threatening. "Okay. Thanks, Dean," he said before turning to face the young man again. "I'm sorry but Miss Granger is unable to attend to you at this time. Could you perhaps come back later? Maybe she'll have time then?"

The young man blinked several times before standing up. "I understand. However, at the moment, I'm not sure where I could go. I'm fairly new to this area. Do you have any place to suggest?"

Seamus regarded the man's frame for a moment. "There's this café down the street. It's called Dog-Star. You could probably spend some time there. Just walk about three blocks east of here. Good place. Patron's a nice fellow too."

The young man looked east. "I'll do that then. Could I perhaps leave my bag with you for the time being? I'm a bit exhausted and have not much strength left to be carrying heavy things even if it's just three blocks."

Seamus walked up to him. "Sure thing, mate. Come back in about two hours or so."

"Thank you," he replied in a pleasant voice. The young man handed his bag to Seamus and then walked off to exit the compound, proceeding toward the direction to the café.

-x-

Hermione walked to Malfoy who was busy sulking on his desk. "Still sulking?"

Draco made a noise. "Che. He's on about that everyday. Doesn't miss an opportunity to throw his weight around does, eh?"

"Well you ought to curb your magic-using a bit anyway. We're not supposed to be openly using our powers at any rate, Malfoy."

"Bah. What good is learning magic if you can't use it when needed?"

Hermione cocked an eyebrow. "Keep talking like that and you might just end up like a hunted, Malfoy."

Draco grumbled slightly then leaned back on his chair. "You know what I mean, Granger."

"Hey!" Ron called from the conference room. "Neville's all set up in here, Herms! We can have the briefing now. I've already told Commander Vodim and Chief Snape!"

"We'll be there in a moment, Ron. And don't call me 'Herms'." Hermione responded. She turned to Malfoy again. "Get a move on. You don't want Snape badgering you again, do you?"

"Aye, aye," said the blond agent as he stood up. "I swear you and Snape live to make my life here miserable at times, Herms."

Hermione frowned slightly as she followed after Malfoy. "Oh I'm sure I could do worse."

-x-

"Last night's wizard, regardless of the trouble he caused, was just a Class A," explained Neville to the agents seated around the table in front of him. He waved his hand behind him and the screen behind him changed to show a profile picture of last night's wizard. "Piotr Henchley doesn't even come close to sorcerer classifications yet he was able to make use of considerable amounts of magic. This was partly caused by a drug that was later discovered in his system."

Hermione made a sound. "Drug? Are you saying he ingested a magic amplifier?"

Neville shook his head. "Not ingested. Injected. The Magical Examiner informed me of some faint puncture wounds found behind Henchley's neck. Closer examination revealed faint traces of the drug."

"A drug, you say?" Severus Snape asked with a slight sneer. "Will I be getting a sample of this drug? Such analyses are my specialties and I'm very curious to know about its amplifying abilities."

"To further your own agenda and increase your own powers, you mean" Hermione heard Ron mumble beside her.

Snape shot Ron a scathing look. "Do you have something to say, Mister Weasley?"

Ron returned the look. "Of course, I didn't. You must be hearing things again, Snape."

"That's Chief Snape to you, boy."

Ron was about to say something else when an Ahem-ing sound caught his attention from the other side of the table. Commander Vodim looked at him and Snape with stern eyes, telling them silently to desist.

Neville cleared his throat. "To continue, yes, Chief Snape, the DMLE has indicated to me that they will be forwarding a sample soon to you for your examination."

Dean leaned forward. "You said it has amplifying properties. How much more was Henchley's power amplified by?"

Neville looked down at this viewing glass and pressed several keys on his keyboard. "Considering his case data and the reports from last night's activities, his powers were amplified as much as five times, I'm guessing."

"Heh," sounded Draco. "I'd like some of what he had."

"I suppose you'd be okay with us hunting you down next then for using darke magic, Malfoy," said Hermione.

"..."

"Can we please continue or should I adjourn this meeting so you may all resume your incessant bickering?" Lleod asked with a pleasant voice.

The agents including Snape all hushed at their Commander's question. Hermione knew that despite the seemingly pleasant attitude that Vodim showed, he was getting annoyed. "Excuse us, Commander. Neville, please proceed."

Neville sighed and hit a key on his keyboard. "Commander Vodim received information from DMLE about our main target. As you all know, he evaded capture and we apprehended his newest recruit instead. With the Commander's intelligence information, I have been able to narrow down the search area for our main culprit."

Neville waved his hand over his Viewing Glass. A map of the warehouse district showed up behind him on the main viewing screen. Neville then tapped his screen three times at which several areas became highlighted. "This area you see here has three warehouses listed under the name of Lorenz Wickstrom. Careful investigation has revealed that no such person exists. Furthermore, it was indicated on shipping and renting reports that these warehouses were being used to house raw materials for construction projects. A DMLE agent found out, however, that there have been neither actual deliveries nor pickups taking place in these warehouses."

Hermione looked over the information in the Viewing Glass in front of her. "What do you suspect these structures are being for then?"

Neville struck some more keys on his keyboard. A video clip soon began to play in the big screen. "This footage was taken last night just as you were busy with your operation. As you can see, the insides have been transformed into factories of some sort, developing some powdery material. I suspect it's that new amplifier drug."

"Who took the video?" Dean asked.

"The same DMLE agent mentioned earlier," replied the commander. "He secured the video and forwarded it to DMLE who then forwarded it to me this morning."

"Did the agent find out who the actual ring-leader is?"

"Yes. You won't be surprised to hear it. It's--"

"Doholov," said Draco bitterly as brutish-looking face appeared on the video. He clenched his hands into fists. "One of Father's closest associates. I'll never forget his face as he almost killed me the night I escaped from Father's compound."

Ron opened his mouth to say something but was silenced by the icy look Hermione gave him.

Lleod Vodim watched Malfoy's reaction and then stood up. "The agent, unfortunately, was compromised and captured by Doholov's men soon after this video was sent over. DMLE has tried to retrieve him several times but with no luck. They have since informed me that they now presume their agent to be dead."

Hermione watched their leader. "When do you want us to move?"

"Just before nightfall. Take as many agents as necessary with you on this operation." Vodim swept his gaze across the table. "I want this operation to go off without a hitch. If the darke are indeed amassing vast amounts of the amplifying drug, this can mean bad news for the Magical World. Capture Doholov tonight, and if we're lucky, he might lead us to the sorcerer who has been culturing and leading the recent growth of dark magic in Britain."

All present agents stood up from their seats and turned to face their commander. "Yes, sir!"

-x-

"I'm not late, am I?"

Hermione Granger gave Luna Lovegood a disapproving glance as she slipped her field robes on. "Only missed the whole meeting. Where were you, Lovegood?"

Luna seemed oblivious to Hermione's displeasure. "I had some other matters to attend to. Besides, Ron has briefed me on tonight's operation, so I can't have missed much, right?"

Hermione took a deep breath to recollect herself. She had never really liked nor trusted Luna Lovegood since she was first transferred under her command five months ago. She rarely did any fieldwork and often was kept 'away' by 'other matters', as she once again explained. She had talked to Vodim more than once about Luna but Vodim always informed her to just let Luna do as she pleases. Hermione wondered what kind of clout, if any, Luna possessed that even Vodim couldn't do much about her.

"Hermione? Boss?" Luna called. "Did you hear me? Commander Vodim has ordered me to join your squad tonight in your operation."

"Lovegood is joining us tonight? How swell," Draco said dryly. "I'm sure Weasley's really happy about that."

Ron finished slipping his gloves on his hands. "You trying to imply something, Malfoy?"

Draco shot him a distasteful look. "I hope you don't suddenly forget about the operation and sneak away with her to snog her, Weasel."

"Cut it out, you two," Hermione snapped. "The last thing this operation needs is a tense situation between the agents partaking in it. You two can settle your differences after."

"Sorry," mumbled Ron. He turned to Malfoy expecting him to say likewise but he was unnerved to see the arrogant agent ignoring him. Ron was about to say something else when Luna walked next to him and touched his arm, silently telling him to drop the matter.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, let's go," Ron replied as he slid his wand in his hip holster.

-x-

"Excuse me, Commander?" Snape tapped on the doorframe. "I have something to tell you."

Vodim looked up from reading a case file. "What is it, Severus?"

"If I recall correctly, did you not mention that a new agent will be joining this division today?"

"Yes. He was supposed to arrive today. I was hoping he would sortie with the rest of the agents on tonight's operation. Why are you asking about this now?" said Vodim.

Severus took a step into the Commander's office. "Dean Thomas informed me just a moment ago that a young man came by looking for Agent Granger. Mister Finnegan from downstairs has informed me that they thought that the man was a reporter so he was told to come back later to talk to Agent Granger."

Vodim's eyebrows furrowed. "Do you have a name?"

"Harry Potter, sir."

Vodim stood up abruptly. "And Finnegan sent him away? Where did he go?"

"Finnegan said he sent him to Dog-Star. Shall I tell Finn--"

"No matter." Vodim walked to the coat rack and slipped a robe on. "I shall pick him up myself. I should have been informed of this earlier, Severus."

Severus gave a brief nod of apology. "My apologies, Commander."

Vodim walked towards Snape to exit the office. "What's done is done. I'm leaving now. I leave Grimmauld Place under your charge until I come back."

"Yes, sir."

-x-

TBC