Reconstruction of a Death Eater

Chapter 22 - Like a Double Naught Spy

Eight weeks of training in eight weeks, eight weeks of study in eight weeks, it didn't sound too bad when it was said like that, but in actual fact, the whole class was exhausted! A couple of the teachers who were not part of the training conspiracy remarked that it was a good thing the Christmas holidays were almost upon them as half the NEWTs class seemed to be in desperate need of a rest.

"Little do they know," Hermione sighed, scrubbing her face as she stretched. "Our next schedule includes one year in one week! We are leading a double life in the best traditions of Ian Fleming."

"'Like a double naught spy'," Dean quoted in a twangy accent that made the wizardborn stare at him as if he had lost the plot and the Muggleborns giggle uncontrollably. Seeing the puzzled looks, he grinned. "Jethro Clampett, the Beverly Hillbillies," he clarified, but most were none the wiser. "Forget it, you had to be there. So what's next on our very exciting, undercover agenda?"

"Okay," Harry announced, glancing around, "we go in on the first of January at eight am and come out on the eighth of January at four pm. Pack for a year, and bring lots of casual clothes, we won't be needing school robes as Professor Moody will provide trainee uniforms and gear."

"At least we get to have Christmas with the family," Dean murmured, but was shot down when Seamus reminded him that none of them were going home this year as it was too dangerous.

Molly and Arthur had asked if their children and Harry could come to Grimmauld Place for Christmas, but after a lot of thought and soul searching they had rescinded the invitation and insisted the children stay at Hogwarts where they would be safe and protected, which was a pity when Charlie managed to make it back to Britain for Christmas with his parents.

Christmas was a subdued affair at Hogwarts although the owls that arrived were laden with presents and good wishes for the holiday. Many of the children had taken advantage of the floo system and been escorted home, but many were still at the school; the teachers made as much celebration as they could. The Christmas tree in the main hall was huge and glittering with baubles and streamers, Christmas crackers abounded with gifts and novelties that were superior to most others, wizard or Muggle.

Ron played with a little puzzle that changed every time he tried to do it, a legacy from his brothers and heavy with memories of the twins and their obsessive quest for bigger, better pranks and jokes. Ginny wrapped her arms around him from behind and the siblings shared the bittersweet memories of years gone past. "I hated it when they played their tricks on me, but what I would give for just one more...."

"Hush, Ron, it's as it is and there's no going back," Ginny counselled, sniffing hard before chuckling waterily. "Remember the time they were inventing the portable swamp and it ran down the stairs into Mum's kitchen?"

"And a frog landed in the stew Mum had simmering..." They both burst out laughing, the sadness dispelled for another time.

New Year saw most of the students resigned if not happy to be still at the school, the teachers having arranged a number of activities such as sleigh rides and ice skating on the edge of the lake. In fact, the number and variety of winter sports and pleasures was so great that no one really missed the twenty students that disappeared early in the morning on the first of January.

~~*~~

"Right, you lot, form up and listen up," Professor Moody bellowed as the class assembled in the main body of the Room of Requirement. "We are going to start with the basics of Auror training, a continuation of the studies you have been taking piecemeal over the last few months. Various professors and professionals have taken a few days out of their heavy schedules to come and share their wisdom with you, so you better listen carefully, learn quickly and don't forget anything you are taught. Since there will be no weekend passes, sick days or days off to visit your ageing grannies, we are all going onto an accelerated programme which means you are going to have to put a little effort into it. Got that?"

There was an uneasy stir amongst the class, but it didn't have time to get any deeper as the door opened and a slight shabby figure slunk in, hiding in the shadows. Harry narrowed his eyes but couldn't really make out who it was until Moody made an impatient noise and beckoned imperiously. A very familiar figure came forward nervously to stand beside Moody, his hands moving restlessly in the fold of his robes.

"You all know Professor Lupin, or you should do. You may not know that Remus is also acting head of the Order of the Phoenix now that Dumbledore is no longer with us. He will be teaching you some real Defence against the Dark Arts while you are in here, not the kiddie class stuff you get in lessons. He will also be teaching you some battlefield healing spells and techniques to try and keep you alive long enough to get serious help. Any questions?"

There were none, so Alastor turned to the other side of the room and snorted softly, then grinned as a cat arrived from out of the depths of an arm chair, wound its way around Remus' ankles then transfigured into Headmistress McGonagall wearing form-fitting battle robes that made her look anything but the strict and fussy spinster teacher she usually presented to the world. She smirked at the soft murmur of surprise that went through the young men and women before her.

"Minerva McGonagall is our transfigurations, stealth and concealment specialist; also a member of the Order of the Phoenix. While it takes a special sort of mind to learn the skills of an animagus, the techniques in their less rugged form are often employed to hide wizards or witches in plain sight, helping them blend with their surroundings. No, Mr Thomas, not the Disillusionment spell, it is something much more complex and yet much simpler than that, also much, much harder to detect."

While Moody had been talking, the headmistress had vanished away without any of them noticing, making Remus smile and Moody laugh at the astonishment of the students.

"So that's how she always knows what you've been up to," Ron muttered out the side of his mouth to Harry who winced when Remus cocked his head and grinned at Ron. "I think he heard me."

"Yes, I did, Ron, no need to hide the fact that werewolves have extremely good hearing anymore," Remus replied and shrugged. "In point of fact, werewolves are stronger, faster, have keener senses, more endurance and more resilience to magic than the normal human, which makes us both hard to control and very scary to the Ministry. However, the Alpha has decreed that I am to assist in your training and hopefully help improve your ability to cope with the rigours of war."

"So, we three will be your teachers for the first part of the year, and around about our 'July' we will be joined by Kingsley Shacklebolt who will be teaching you physical defence and improving your fitness and endurance. We hope that Professor Snape will also be able to join us for a short time as his skills with potions and Defence against the Dark Arts as well as his insight into the workings of the Dark Lord's mind and organisation will be invaluable. Any questions?"

Hermione put her hand up immediately, making Remus smile and Alastor huff. "Yes, Miss Granger?"

"When we were here for just the week there were a lot of books and texts in the library that were not available outside this room. Are they still here and will we have time to study them?"

"Yes to both questions. Research, inquiry and book bashing are all a part of the Auror's daily grind, so there will be some training on how to read a book, how to get the information you want, and there will also be some sessions on strategy, tactics and the handling of people in groups and as individuals. There will also be a course on interrogation methods, ethics and law but only the basics at this point. With a bit of luck we can drag you through the complete first year's training and well into the second year before we have to return to the real world again. So, shall we begin?"

~~*~~

Ginny grinned at the defeated Malfoy just before a hex from Finnigan took out her knees and landed her on the floor in a heap. It was lucky as a hex from behind missed all but the tip of her ponytail, turning it into spider webs before it smacked Seamus in the chest and thoroughly entangled him in the web. A counter curse removed the spider webs from Ginny's hair as Hermione was dashing past, blasting the ambush to pieces as the two girls arrived at the heart of the boys' territory. Hermione grabbed the cup that was the object of the battle and froze, making a disgusted noise, as the Gorgon spell in the cup took hold, turning her fingers into stone and creeping up her arm. Emily made an impatient noise and tapped the tide with her wand, stilling it and turning it even as Ginny guarded the two young women, blasting Crabbe out of his hiding place near the far wall. As soon as the cup was free, all three girls began their retreat, only to run into Harry and Ron who made a spirited attempt to retrieve the prize but ran afoul of Hannah who felled them both with a neat Jellylegs.

Bursting free of the boys' 'headquarters' the girls managed to make it all the way home and plant the cup firmly on their home pedestal, cheering all the way until the pedestal transformed into a grinning Terry Boot who tossed it back to Ernie who fled with it, only to be felled by the Patil twins and lose the cup again. Guarding each other's backs they made it all the way back to 'headquarters' where Hermione had located the real pedestal. Five seconds later they planted the cup firmly, and the chimes rang out to signal the end of the exercise.

Gasping and panting, the members of the Auror training class emerged from their various hiding places, those who had been 'killed' grumbling as they were freed from the holding spell that ensured they could not miraculously come back to life again. Remus and Minerva surveyed the battered and exhausted crew and grinned widely, pleased with how far they had all come over the past few months. Every day in every way they were getting stronger, faster and sneakier.

"So, what did you learn today?" Remus asked, hitching a hip onto the edge of the desk and grinning at the red faced, sweaty assembly.

"Look behind you!"

"Don't trust boys!"

"Girls are not gentle creatures."

"It's not over until the fat lady sings."

There was a collection of 'huhs' and giggles, but Justin merely shrugged and smiled tiredly, licking a real cut on his forearm. Emily rolled on one hip, pointed her wand and healed it without a thought or a murmur before swinging back to the front. Minerva nodded approval as various members of their intrepid group performed those small acts of kindness without a thought these days. Even Malfoy had totally integrated, taking his share of the work as well as the responsibility without too many grumbles.

"Would you like to clarify that remark, Mr Finch-Fletchley?" Remus asked, bringing Minerva's mind back to the task at hand.

"It was something Terry said actually, about not taking the last second for granted. Just because you think you have won doesn't mean you really have won until you can prove it, if you see what I mean. Like the pedestal thing. It would have been more effective if Terry had stayed transfigured until the girls had left him alone and then had sneaked away with the cup rather than just bolting."

"Well done, good reasoning," Remus congratulated. "So, debriefing. Team leaders take your teams and analyse the strategies you came up with, what was done to counteract them and how you would react if that situation came up again. Put a report together for us, then analyse your opponents' strategies, strengths and weaknesses and see if you can draw some conclusions about the other side's possible tactics in the future."

Remus watched as the class helped each other up and they all wandered off to the showers, then to the cosy inglenooks of soft furnishings the Room of Requirement provided. Minerva rose too and laughed as Remus rolled his shoulders, making his neck crack loudly in the sudden silence.

"How are you holding up?" she asked as he blinked in surprise.

"Excellently," Remus replied enthusiastically. "Do you realise this is the first time in my life that I haven't transformed once a month since I was too young to remember? It takes a lot of energy to change and change back so the rest has been fantastic. Even those muscles that never fully healed have been repaired and fixed, and that broken rib has finally healed fully and properly after four years of constant nagging ache. I wish I could stay the full year, but..."

"Remus, you can. I know you don't want to see Severus, but perhaps it would be best to confront him here in the privacy of this place than in the public gaze of an Order meeting. Severus may not remember anything about what happened between you, and he may not even react to your presence at all. So, it will be up to you to decide how to act and behave toward him, how better than here in the Room of Requirement."

"Perhaps... no, not perhaps; of course, you are right," Remus sighed then chuckled. "Alright, I'll stay on. Kingsley can use me as a demonstration partner for his flips and kicks, I'm tough."

Minerva laughed and agreed before going off to see what the house-elves were bringing them for dinner.

~~*~~

Kingsley Shacklebolt was sceptical that he was coming to Hogwarts for anything except a six-month stint of training. Oh, he had heard all about the Room of Requirement from Minerva, but he could not really believe it was so. As he entered the small antechamber, a powerful spell caught him and he felt dizzy for a few seconds. Grabbing the handle, he surged into the room but there was no one there, just a bare open room with a padded mat area in one corner and some very nice gym equipment at the other side.

With his duffle over his shoulder, he strode across the room and threw open the far door, startling the four girls sitting huddled over a huge old tome. He recognised Hermione Granger straight away as well as Ginny Weasley, both girls smiling slightly nervously at his abrupt entrance. Before he could speak, another door opened and Minerva McGonagall came in, holding out a hand in greeting.

"Kingsley, it's good to see you again, how are you? How is the weather on the outside?"

"It's snowing of course, and I am fine. I like the gym setup out there; it's very good."

"We have a gym now? I wondered about that. Excellent. Remus is going to stay on and be your training partner, he's resilient enough to bear up."

Kingsley looked sceptical until Remus himself came in, then the Auror had to believe they had been in the room for six months their time; Remus looked well. When last Kingsley had seen the acting Head of the Order, he looked thin-drawn and as exhausted as an old man. Now he looked much more his age -- fit, happy and full of sparkle as he came forward and shook hands with a grin.

"Good to see you again, Kingsley, ready for some intensive training? The boys and girls are raring to go, and I think they will come to appreciate your skills, once they get over the initial set of bruises and sprains." Remus grinned as a chorus of groans came from behind where the rest of the class had assembled.

Acknowledging the group, Kingsley allowed himself to be ushered into a small dining room where lunch was already set upon the table. It was Sunday in the Room of Requirement, so he allowed himself to relax and enjoy the company of the lively group, studying the dynamics and getting a feel for his new students. Remus came across and lounged untidily in a chair, not at all the controlled and very self-effacing man he had always been, obviously very comfortable with the group. Shacklebolt accepted the bottle of butterbeer Remus held out to him, taking a sip and nodding approval.

"Anything to report from the outside?" Remus asked after a few moments of quiet contemplation.

"Not much, some vague rumours about another attack on the Ministry, but nothing firm or even confirmable by a second source. There are also rumours that Scrimgeour has managed to capture something very important to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but he is not saying anything at all."

Remus scratched behind his ear thoughtfully, then sighed before taking a sip of his beer. "Can't think of anything that important unless... nah, we would have heard if he had taken a Horcrux. After all, there are only two left to locate, aren't there?"

"We believe so," Shacklebolt confirmed before both men went back to contemplating the fire.

~~*~~

"What have you there?" Malfoy asked, sliding in beside Hermione and looking over her shoulder at the old Muggle book in her lap.

She blushed slightly and then smiled up at him before snuggling into the curve of his shoulder. "It's a book of fairytales my parents gave to me years ago. I was just thinking about them."

Draco glanced at the colourful picture and snorted at the depiction of the dwarves surrounding a glass coffin, caps in hand. "Looks like someone took a Living Death potion and was encased in a Timeless Bier." He chuckled, leaning forward to turn the page but was stopped by Hermione's hand.

"Say that again, Malfoy?" she insisted, turning as best she could to stare at him intently.

"When did I get to be Malfoy again?" Draco asked with a pout but obligingly repeated his remark, expanding on it when his girlfriend demanded clarification. "Oh, for Merlin's sake, it's only a myth. Okay, okay," he conceded with a put-on huff as more of the students turned to listen to them.

"Once upon a time there was a Pureblood lady whose Father and Mother had contracted her to a Scion of another Pureblood family. She hated her affianced husband who was a spoilt and mediocre fool, incapable of furthering the family fortune and unworthy of the position of Head of Family. His younger brother was much more suitable to the role, being intelligent, ambitious and cunning; a powerful wizard in his own right. Together they concocted a plan that involved the Lady's apparent murder by the hands of her new husband at the wedding feast. This would negate the wedding contract and free her from obligation to him. His brother would then be able to challenge him for the position of Head of Family with a clear conscience. To clear the way, the pair created a spell called the Timeless Bier, a stasis field where time was stopped until the spell was broken with the key. The plan was duly put into motion; the Lady took the potion and fell down 'dead' at her bridegroom's feet. The younger brother immediately accused him of murdering the girl to take control of her inheritance and put her into the Timeless Bier before any further investigation could take place. Of course, her parents were outraged and insisted on a duel being fought to prove one side of the story or the other. Well, the Head of Family was neither as stupid nor as heedless as his brother assumed and immediately appointed himself a Champion as was his right. The younger brother lost and was killed in his turn, and the Head of Family had a long, profitable reign over the Family fortunes until he too died and his only son took over as Head of Family." Malfoy grinned at the circle of intent faces he had gathered around him as he told the fairy story.

"But what about the girl? What happened to her was she the mother of the Heir?" Lavender demanded breathlessly.

"Nothing happened to her. When the younger brother was killed the key to the spell was lost, and so the elder brother set her up in the Great Hall as a warning to all those who saw her. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it!"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "What sort of key was it, Malfoy? What did it look like?"

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, Potter, it's a fairy story, how would I know?" he protested in exasperation.

"What did the stasis field look like?" Ron asked almost in the same breath, leaning forward eagerly.

Malfoy humphed in disgust, but surprisingly it was Crabbe that answered. "Can look like anything, glass, stone, flowers, just empty air. Or at least that's what my Nanny used to tell me."

"Could it look like marble?" Harry pursued relentlessly, turning to the hulking boy who scratched his head in thought.

"I suppose so, or gold or wood, anything."

"Looks like you have a project, Hermione," Harry said, with a grin from ear to ear.

"Me? Why me? Malfoy can help as it is his story after all," she said primly making Malfoy yowl in disgust. "It won't kill you to do a little extra curricular reading, you lazy beast," she said firmly over all his protests and everyone's laughter. "Now, how do we go about tracking down the roots of a fairy story?"

"Start with the Family Books of History, I would assume," Malfoy said in resignation as he followed her out.

Ron and Harry grinned at each other as Ginny pulled out the notebook and scribbled a note next to the prophecy Hermione had scribed in her very neat handwriting.

From Elder Snake to Younger Lion (From Snape to Harry?)

In marble cold, holds the timeless bier (Check fairytale, is the necklace a key?)

Come to the Blood, through Fire rising,

The Phoenix shall give up its eld."