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Altered Destinies by DobbyElfLord
 Books » Harry Potter Rated: T, English, Supernatural & Suspense, Harry P., Tom R. Jr., Words: 289k+, Favs: 8k+, Follows: 3k+, Published: Sep 16, 2006 Updated: Sep 1, 2007 3,864Chapter 22: Winter in Berlin
A/N: I still don't own HP
Chapter 22 – Winter in Berlin
2 December 1940
James walked down the Paris street in the early morning light. Paris had been in German possession for more then six months now. The city itself did not seem much changed until one noticed half the city's population was missing. Then there was the German units standing guard over key buildings and intersections. James was dressed as a day laborer and had the papers to prove it. He walked past the German solders without acknowledging their presence. For their part, the young German solders did not seem interested in harassing a seemingly middle-aged, slightly overweight and drunk worker.
James had been traveling since he had left England two weeks before. A ten second trip by Floo, two weeks were needed to slip unobserved into occupied France. It started with an Apparition to neutral Ireland. From there he boarded a cargo ship bound for Lisbon, Portugal as a stowaway in his bat form. Flying off the ship at night once it was in port, James changed into his wolf form once out of the city. From Portugal, he traveled in wolf form through Spain and into Vichy France.
The Vichy Government sought to appease their German masters by maintaining a harder line then the Germans did themselves. Crossing the Spanish boarder undetected was a challenge even for a wolf. Outside Paris, James stole the papers from three different French Muggles.
Since leaving Ireland, James performed no magic except for changing forms in Lisbon and Paris. The idea was to leave no magical trace for the Dark Army to pick up his trail. The only things magical James carried was his wand (hidden in a holster on his leg with a Notice-Me Not and Anti-Summoning charms and a shrunken trunk that looked like a locket around his neck. Both were charmed to shield any magical detection. In a hidden pocket of his rucksack, James stashed his pistol of Ministry fame. It was easy to get to but not detectable to a casual search.
James's orders were to meet a French magical resistance agent at a café in Paris on a Monday morning. If James missed this Monday, he would have to wait an entire extra week before trying again. Waiting for an extra week inside an occupied city did not sound like a good idea to James. He timed his arrival to enter the city late on Sunday night. A night in a Paris alley and now James was ready to meet his contact.
Right on schedule, James entered the café and spotted his contact. In a completely open manner, James approached him and asked in French, "Are you Albert? I understand you are looking for a worker?"
The man addressed as Albert nodded and set down his coffee cup. He appeared to be a farmer. In the same language he answered, "You seem a likely candidate. I warn you the work will be hard and tiring! You must stay sober!"
James nodded in a sheepish manner, "I can do that. I need the work."
"What is your name?"
"Alan Rickman, sir," James answered.
The farmer nodded in an abrupt manner. "Very well, I have a truck outside. I came into the city to make a milk delivery. You can wait by the truck until I finish my coffee."
James nodded, "Yes, sir." Then he quickly made his way out of the café and made his way to the truck.
Ten minutes later, the farmer walked out and indicated James to climb into the passenger side of the truck. The farmer took a drink from a flask before starting the engine. James could smell a hint of alcohol. In a short time, the truck was making its way through the early morning streets of Paris.
They passed through three German checkpoints before leaving the city. The German solders checked their papers and searched the truck each time. From the greetings, James got the feeling this was a regular run for the farmer. While the solders did not seem friendly, they greeted Albert by name and treated the farmer like a known commodity.
They spent more time on James, or 'Alan Rickman' then the farmer or his truck. Who was he? Why was he in Paris? Where was he going? The farmer vouched for hiring 'Alan' and that settled them a bit but it still took a while.
Once outside Paris, neither man spoke to the other. James noticed a man dressed as a Nazi officer watching them at the last checkpoint. Something about the way the man wore his uniform was not right. As a uniform it was perfect, but something in his body language suggested he was not used to wearing it. James wondered if he was unused to the uniform or Muggle clothes in general. That concern prompted James to stay silent. James also kept silent when Albert's Polyjuice Potion wore off.
Thirty minutes after leaving Paris, the truck pulled down a small dirt lane surrounded on both sides by pastures. The truck pulled into a small farm yard. A small house sat across from a rather large barn. Neither building looked to be in good repair. Paint and other maintenance issues had obviously been ignored since the beginning of the war.
Bringing the truck to a stop in the yard, the farmer climbed out. "Come inside, we get you squared away."
James followed the farmer into the house. Once they were inside, James could feel subtle privacy wards being raised.
The farmer embraced James and kissed him on the cheeks in French fashion. "It is good to see you again, Count. I was never able to thank you for what you did for us in June."
"It is good to see you again too, Claude. I had heard you made your way to your wife's village."
Claude Delacour gestured to a seat, "Relax, this is a safe house the DMLE used for hiding informants. It was removed from the records six months before the Germans invaded. Magically, it is a sealed off. You looked much better the last time I saw you."
"Why not make it Unplottable and use a Fidelius Charm?" James asked. He ignored the comment about his middle-aged disguise.
Claude shrugged, "We needed a findable location for the German papers. Also Dark wizards have been using magical detection spells."
James looked confused, "They still shouldn't be able to find them."
"True," Claude grinned, "they are looking for holes."
Comprehension flooded James mind. "So, if they find a place registering no magic at all it is someplace to take a look at. Clever bastards."
"Yes, they are, aren't they?" Claude agreed. "I wish they would be clever bastards in their own country." Claude poured James a cup of tea and both men settled into comfortable but worn chairs. "So, my friend, I understand you would like to go to Berlin?"
James smiled slightly over the rim of his cup. "I don't know about wanting to go to Berlin. It seems I must."
Claude snorted his agreement. "Yes, I understand. My superiors have decided I am to accompany you."
"What about your cover here? Why do they want you to go?"
"Albert is actually the farmer here. He is a Muggle. His son was a Muggle-born Auror. He will continue to work the farm and do the Monday run into Paris. As for why I am going, the Ministry in exile wants to me to be your … sidekick, I believe the term is."
James looked amused, "My sidekick? Why?"
Claude shrugged. "They wanted me to back you up. I have some contacts in the German underground." "Their underground has been in existence almost from the time Grindelwald took power," he explained. "Also, I believe the Minister believes we 'owe you one', as the Americans say."
"How have the German resistance survived?" James asked. He knew of their existence but wanted another's perspective.
"Most of the pure Light families fled when the Dark Lord took over their ministry. Darker families were very vocal in their support. As for the rest, I will call them the Grey families. The Grey families were mostly the business men, shop keeps and other professionals. They figured if they kept their heads down and their noses clean, Grindelwald would leave them alone.
Some of them realized that would not work. They joined with the few remaining Light families to undermine the Dark Lord. Mostly, they are ineffective at anything but surviving. But given the environment they live in, survival is the biggest priority. They are very good at that."
James nodded. Claude's assessment fairly well matched his own. "So, how do we get to Berlin?"
"The Nazis are going to drive us there." At James's surprised look Claude smiled, "They need construction workers in Berlin. I have arranged for us to take the place of two Muggles that were selected. The train leaves tomorrow at dawn."
So, tell me what the plans are for Berlin?" Claude asked.
The two wizards talked and planned all day and into the night.
3 December 1940
The train ride was a lot different then Harry's experience on the Express. Six cars worth of Frenchmen were shipped into Berlin…in a box car. The men either stood or sat on the floor. The conditions were so crowded the men had to sit in shifts. No one talked during the trip if they could help it. None of the Muggles on the train acted like they had any hope left. James idly wondered if the Dark Army had a way of creating Dementor-like effects in Muggles.
The train arrived in Berlin after a several hour trip with no food or water provided. The car loads of men were removed from the cars and herded into German army trucks. James maneuvered himself to be the last to board the truck. He wanted to be in a position to get a good view of Berlin as they drove through it.
James found Berlin to be the cleanest city he had ever been in. Not one thing was out of place. The buildings looked well-maintained. It looked like something out of a picture book. It was perfect, at least, as long as one ignored the constant police presence, the red banners and the portraits of the ultimate of evil bastards, Hitler.
As the truck progressed through Berlin, James wondered about the extent Voldemort's views and tactics were influenced by Hitler. They seemed much closer to Hitler's view then what Grindelwald sought. James found a certain sense of irony that a pureblood fanatic dark wizard would use a Muggle dictator as a role model.
The trucks pulled into a barracks like area and the men unloaded. The men stood in a clump and the trucks pulled away. A couple guards stood near the entrance but that was all. A harsh December wind blew through the men.
A large German man wearing working clothes but sporting a Nazi armband appeared in the yard from one of the buildings. He yelled in German, "Line up here to enter your barracks! Move!"
The crowd moved quickly as the man instructed. With a minimum of fuss, a line was soon formed. Once he was satisfied, the man allowed them into the barracks.
The barracks consisted of cheap metal bunks with flimsy looking foot lockers at the end of each bed. Only a sheet of plywood separated them from the cold wind outside. Several old wood stoves lined the middle of the barracks as the sole heat source.
Looking around in disgust, James thought, 'I never thought I would sleep in a place worse then that damn cupboard!"
"Gather around!" the large German called. James noticed his left leg was artificial and caused him o walk with a limp. The men gathered around him meekly.
"I am Hauptfeldwebel Mann. For my sins and a Polish bullet, I am the foreman of all the foreign workers involved in building the Fuhrer's great works. You should be proud to be included in an effort that will stand the thousand years of the Reich!" The large former solder stamped his wooden leg when he mentioned the Polish bullet. James assumed that was the cause of his 'retirement'.
"Quality work is required! Poor work or not meeting schedule will result in punishment. You are here because the proper German workers are needed in the army bringing the gift of the Fatherland to the rest of Europe."
James wondered if Sergeant Major Mann truly believed his spiel or if he was just trying to get along. He really could not tell.
The sergeant major continued, "If you work well, you will be permitted to leave the barracks to visit one of the many fine German beer halls. If you would like to earn extra pay, I may be able to get some of you positions working in one." Mann looked around at the mostly blank faces surrounding him. "Dinner will be served in twenty minutes. Work started at 7. Be out of bed and ready by then." Then he walked out of the room.
James settled onto the lower bunk in the middle of the room. Claude took the bunk one over from him. Before James settled down to rest before dinner, he shot Claude a glance. The two had not spoken since arriving at the train depot that morning.
The glance clearly asked, 'This was your great idea?!'
Claude gave a slight shrug in response. He mouthed, 'Oops'
James involuntarily chuckled to himself as he lay down. 'It is a good thing Ron isn't here for this,' he thought. 'He would have been miserable if the food is half as bad is I'm expecting.'
Thinking about his old friends, James realized he could think about their adventures and misadventures now without pain. Only a kind of nostalgia remained. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville would always remain important memories and alive within him. He still thought about them with love, but it was only a bittersweet ache. Inside a German 'visiting' worker camp was a strange place for this kind of epiphany. With his eyes closed, Harry James Potter thought about a certain Halloween and a troll.
A couple of his fellow workers wondered about the guy lying in his bunk with the slight grin on his face.
25 December 1940
The food was just as bad as James feared.
The French workers spent the next three weeks laboring on the new Nazi buildings. James and Claude worked carrying material to the German craftsman doing the actual building. The craftsmen were neither friendly nor hostile to the French workers. James got the sense they did not want to be involved. He would readily admit they did excellent work though.
Walking past the various Nazi offices, James realized for the first time what the wizards of his timeline truly felt on seeing the Dark Mark. Passing the Nazi banners and other symbols caused a chill to run down his spine. Although Harry only spent until his 11th birthday living amongst Muggles, the hatred of those symbols was ingrained. He still thought the wizards were idiots for the 'You-Know-Who' thing.
The arrival of Christmas did not stop the work. Rather the German decided today would be an excellent opportunity to move a large quantity of materials through the mostly deserted buildings. After a promised Christmas feast (it would include an extra slice of bread) the French workers would be allowed their first foray into the German beer halls.
Claude signed up to work in one of the beer halls. He expected his contact to approach him there. James knew the beer halls would be filled with intelligence agents, counter-intelligence, Gestapo, Dark Army, German resistance and the PTA. James wondered if anyone would be there simply to drink.
James, or Alan Rickman, established a rapport with the German Sergeant Major early on. James's story was his father was a German caught on the French side of the border after the last war. The fictional father moved to Paris looking for work where he married a French girl. James's perfect German lent an air of believability to the story.
James didn't set out to win the tough German ex-solder. The sergeant major had been screaming at a pair of French workers who understood very little German. Catching James's amused snort over a reference to their fathers' having carnal relations with a goat, the sergeant insisted James translate for him. James complied and even translated the swearing into the appropriate French terms. Mann was impressed with James's translation and delivery. (James later learned the sergeant spoke excellent French.)
When the rest of the workers left to wander around Berlin, James decided to stay in the barracks. All day he could feel sadness coming through his scar. Tom seemed upset over something. James acted slightly ill so the others would not question his staying behind.
Once it dark had settled across the city, a bat fluttered out of the small bathroom window. The Count came out to play. The bat flew down the street twenty feet above the heads of the Germans below. The bat's squeak was lost in the noise of the people and cars below.
The Count had operated in Berlin twice before. Both times he was assigned to retrieve something from the German capital. The first one was a hidden cache of magical items from an old witch. That mission based without a hitch as the Count ghosted in and out of hostile territory. The second was supposed to be assisting a Light wizard escape the country. Dark Army wizards and a third party became involved in a duel. James showed up at the meeting place to find the battle going and his contact AK'd. (James later learned the wizards were a hit squad from Poland after the leader of the Dark Army unit.)
James made his way to the entrance of magical Berlin. Unlike the Leaky Caludron, the Berlin entrance stood in the open. A large hallway turned off the main corridor in the Berlin underground. The hall had various Muggle repealing charms to prevent them from wandering down the corridor. James approved as German magical shoppers seeming to come out of the underground were much less likely to attract suspicion. James also knew it led to the Durmstrang version of the Express.
James's mission tonight was to gather information. Hopefully the Dark Army would never know the Count was ever in Berlin on this visit.
The Berlin alley was renamed after Grindelwald took power. It was now called, 'Der Platz des großen Führers'. Translated into English it meant 'Great Leader's Place'. James long since decided that all Dark Lords were megalomaniacs. He preferred the original name 'Die Ruhe des Zauberers' much more. It meant 'Wizard's Rest'.
The Alley was very quiet this late on Christmas night. Most wizards were not Christian but the day was kept for family gatherings. The shops had all closed except Gringott's Berlin branch. (The goblins were staying out of this war, thank you very much!)
James passed a small broom shop and circled around when the name caught his eye. It was the Firebolt Broom Shop. The shop sold Cleansweep and Nimbus brooms. A sign indicated that few of the British brooms were left in stock. The sign further stated the shop was working on developing its own line of brooms. James wondered if this was the genesis of his beloved racing broom.
Like Diagon Alley in London, the Berlin alley had a connection to the German Ministry of Magic. Although it was known Grindelwald no longer maintained offices there, the vast majority of the German magical bureaucracy remained housed here. Wards prevented anyone with malicious or hostile intent from entering the grounds. A spy or assassin would be blocked and activate alarms.
James fluttered right by the Dark Army guards.
During his fight against Voldemort, James learned a great deal about Oaths and wards. The wording of each was more important than a contract negotiation with a Hollywood lawyer. The wording detailed exactly what the magic would and would not allow. Snape taught him that.
The German Ministry wards talked of grand protections from hostile intent or harming the German magical people. It never said anything about playing pranks on the German bureaucracy. James was not here with hostile intent or to hurt the German people. Instead, he left behind a gift, what Muggles of another time would call an 'Easter Egg'.
When James developed his anti-Muggle bomb wards, two versions were developed. The first operated at a much higher power and deflected bombs onto an alternate location. James only deployed this ward on the schools and the orphanage. The second ward was provided to the Ministry and other key locations, such as Diagon Alley. Both wards tied into the Anti-Muggle wards to prevent bombers from intentionally targeting the protected areas.
The second ward used much less power than the first. Rather than banishing the bombs to an alternate location, the wards defused the bombs as they passes through the wards. The wards then shrank the bombs so no damage was done to the buildings below. The loophole lay in the wards need to be 'reset'.
Bombs before the era of laser sights and GPS, relied on the bombardier's eyes and a large number of bombs. To take out a single target sometimes required dozens of aircraft and damaged the entire surrounding area. The alternate wards were designed to handle the odd bomb falling off target. After two or three bombs, the wards needed ten to fifteen seconds to 'recharge'.
As James expected, the Dark Army had stolen James's wards and emplaced them on their own buildings. However, the second ward had a small loophole. James's prank relied on that recharge rate and one minor modification to the Anti-Muggle charm. The 'Easter Egg' modified the wards to act as a Muggle-Attraction charm. The bombardiers' eyes would be attracted to the target. Without thinking about it, they would adjust their bombsights to hit the wards. The rain of explosive metal would overload the wards.
The 'Easter Egg' would only last through one attack. The German air raid sirens would activate the spells. Then it would burn itself up. If the Dark Army investigated, it would look like random chance caused too many bombs to fall here accidently. James did not want to leave any trace. After all, he may want to use this again someday.
James thought it was a great prank. Sirius and the Weasley Twins would have loved it.
Carefully making his way back out to the magical street, James left to meet Claude. His French companion should now have started his new position as a bartender. After tonight's work, James felt like getting a glass to celebrate.
28 December 1940
The French worker known as Alan Rickman was loading records boxes onto a truck as the workday ended. A group of other workers wandered by on their way to dinner. Claude walked with them. As they passed, Claude called out in French, "Rickman, join us for dinner!"
Several of the other Frenchmen grumbled about Rickman's inclusion. He was seen as being the 'pet' of the Germans and was not very social with the other workers. Claude played the part of unofficial social director of the French workers. This enabled him to talk with James while not appearing to be friends with him.
James set down the last box to be loaded. He was very curious about the boxes' contents but the German solders watching over him were too alert to provide him an opportunity to answer his curiosity. James looked over to where Claude stood, "I will join you after I clean up."
Claude gave a friendly but casual shrug, "Suit yourself. I found a new drink I think you should try."
James gave a vague wave and started to make his way back to the barracks. Claude's comment about the new drink meant he found a potential contact he wanted James to meet. This was a dangerous time for any agent. One had to reveal their true allegiance first and hope they had read the signs correctly. If not, the best case was the uninvolved Muggles who merely screamed for the Gestapo. Worst case was they were Dark Army agents about to draw their wands.
James showered the days grime off and dress quickly. He slipped his wand into a special holster strapped to his calf. The holster was designed for Unspeakables and would pass through any kind of a casual search without notice. Even a pat down was guaranteed to miss it. Only a advanced magical scan would reveal it presence. It was not a quick-draw solution, but James hoped not to draw it.
He considered not taking the wand with him at all. If he was caught with the wand or the pistol he would go from being a suspicious person to a confirmed enemy agent in a heartbeat. If this meet did go bad, James wanted to be able to fight his way out.
James reached the beer house. Inside it was light and filled with music and loud talk. Opening the door, James was hit by an almost physical wall of sound. Shades were drawn over the windows to limit the light escaping due to blackout regulations. Slipping into the room, James made his way over to where Claude sat with a young woman on his knee. Claude was boisterously talking with a couple other workers who were trying to talk the young woman onto their laps.
As he approached, James observed the young woman. A extremely pretty girl, she would have given many of the veelas James had met a run for their money. The unknown woman however did not have that magical aura of attraction all veela maintained unconsciously. Every male eye (and some female) tended to glance over at her from time to time. She seemed perfectly content on Claude's knee. She projected the perfect front of a 'working girl'. However, James sensed something different about her.
It was her eyes. Although they seemed friendly and open, there was a hint in the corner of her eyes. They seemed flat. As he reached the group, James realized what that flatness signaled, Occlumency. Claude had a witch sitting on his knee.
Claude called to James as he approached the group. James noticed the witch turned a weighing glance on him as he walked towards the group. "Alan, come meet my new love, Maria!"
James walked up and took the witch's hand. He bent over to kiss her hand without breaking eye contact with her. Then he said, "A pleasure, miss."
If the situation was not so serious, James would have laughed as she blushed. "Claude, your new friend is a charmer. You may have some competition after all," she said in a breathy little voice.
Claude laughed at her comment while the other French workers had a mixed reaction. While they enjoyed seeing the woman verbally smack Claude, the fact she responded to James's attention and not their own attempts angered them. James noticed this and ignored it. James signaled for a beer and settled down on the periphery of the group. After several minutes, the other workers seemed to forget James was there.
An hour later and Claude was due to start his shift tending bar. With a great show of regret, he left Maria and made his way to the bar. The other workers laughed at his antics.
Maria made a show of her own after Claude left. The gorgeous blond moved from lap to lap, never staying with one man for too long. She claimed she did not want to make Claude jealous.
Eventually, she ended up on James's lap. Many of the other workers scowled at this. She teased them back while ignoring James while perched on his lap. After only a few minutes she moved on. They had never said a single word to each other the entire time she sat on his lap.
An hour and a half into Claude's shift, James excused himself, and made his way to the loo. Once in a stall, James read the note he had been slipped. It was from Claude.
Alan,
Get to know Maria. Tell her what a wonderful guy I am. I am counting on you.
Your friend,
Claude
James knew the note came from Claude. The final sentence was a pass phrase to ensure the message's authenticity. Maria must be the contact Claude indicated.
James swore under his breath. Talking to a beautiful lady in a bar is not a bad thing. That is, unless you are an undercover operative behind enemy lines who wished to remain undercover. He was not James bloody Bond! There was a technical term for agents who became exposed on a mission: Dead. Grindelwald was not going to play a 'gentleman's game' or be politely amused by James's mission to stop him. The Dark Lord would simply order the death of Alan Rickman. Then James would have to fight his way back to England.
James made his way back into the bar. As he sat down, Maria saw him and dropped into his lap.
"You were gone for a long time. We're you thinking about me?" she asked in an innocent little girl voice. She also turned her big blue eyes on 'Alan' in full force. James was inoculated against the 'little innocent girl look'. Ginny had been the mistress of the look. She perfected it on her six brothers and her father. Katie was a least a journeywoman. She practiced on her father, grandfather and Uncle Albus constantly. 'Maria' while very beautiful could not hold a candle against those two witches.
Playing along, James answered, "I thought of you the whole time I was gone." This had the advantage of being true, just not the way most listeners would understand.
Maria squealed and bounced on James's lap. "Oooh, I knew you would be thinking of me!" She snuggled into James's shoulder. Then she whispered into his ear. "We must meet. Follow me upstairs."
Maria bounced up and snatched James's hand. She pulled him up and dragged him along. James followed with a silly grin on his face. Catcalls from some of the other patrons followed after them.
James heard a couple muttered comments. "She dragged me up last night…" and "She picks another guy each night…"
James followed her to a nondescript door with the number 7 on it. She pulled out a key and unlocked it, all the while keeping up a flirting act with James. Once the door was open, James followed her in.
James stepped into the room and scanned the open corner to the right of the door. Then with his back to the corner, James scanned the rest of the room. The only thing James found was a charm that would cause anyone listening in to hear exactly what one would expect to hear coming from a prostitute's room. A combination of Albus working with James on wandless magic, and Unspeakable trainers demonstrating how to detect hidden foes or listening spells, allowed James to magically scan the room very quickly. Once he was done, James turned his attention back to his host.
Maria watched James with an intent expression. "You did not use you wand." Her voice was now very focused. No trace of the ditzy party girl from the bar remained.
James ignored her implied question. "So, do you really bring a different guy up here each night?"
The beautiful mouth frowned, "Yes, they spend the night asleep on the couch and leave with a Memory Charm about nights that never happened." James simply nodded as she confirmed what he already expected.
"Why are you here in Germany?" Maria asked.
"Who do you work for?" James asked in return.
James watched as she carefully drew her wand from a hidden location under her dress. (James really didn't want to know where it was hidden.) Keeping her eyes on James she said, "I swear on my magic I am a member of the resistance. I have never served Grindelwald or the Dark Army and never will."
James nodded at her Oath. Within limits it was specific enough. "I am an Unspeakable from the British Ministry. I am here to make contact with the resistance and gather intelligence."
"You might want to work with your partner a bit more. He asked for a butterbeer. I almost hexed him on general principles."
James shrugged, "French Auror. His ministry sent him so they can say they are Doing Something. He'll learn or not. I will bet though he had his wand handy for any reaction. I sincerely doubt it was an accident."
The German witch shrugged and gestured at the open couch as she settled into a chair. James chose instead to sit on the floor against the wall.
"Don't you trust me?"
"Of course I do. The floor simply looked more comfortable." The witch looked amused and approving of James's caution. (Harry's Moody would have been so proud of him.)
The witch's amusement ended as she asked, "What can the British wizards offer us?"
"Information, coordination, and magical supplies to start off with. Claude will be your contact." James smirked at the witch, "Congratulations, you just got a boyfriend." She glared back and James continued, "In return we will expect information from you. Over time if we build up trust we can coordinate operations."
"Are you remaining here also?"
"Possibly," James absently answered. "I will be leaving now."
Maria objected, "You can't leave yet. It is too soon. They will suspect something!"
"So what do you suggest?"
Maria shrugged, "Do you play chess?"
31 December 1940
James sat at a table at six in the evening when he gasped in sudden pain as his scar started to bleed for the first time since the death of Voldemort. Around him, his fellow workers looked on in confusion as to what caused the loner in the group to cry out in pain at dinner.
James was oblivious to everything around him. He could feel Tom's anger, fear, and rage. Something was happening in England. Something horrible and he was not there to stop it. If not for the vast network of Anti-Apparition wards erected between London and Berlin, James would have been there in a heartbeat.
Almost as suddenly as the pain started, it dropped down to a low level ache. James could feel Tom's relief and concern but he did not seem to be in any immediate danger. The rage bubbled along under the surface, but not at the hell-fire level of only moments ago.
Pulling his thoughts together, James considered what he had felt from his son. 'Voldemort never felt a rage like that. He raged about Death Eaters' failures or my survival. Tom is angry at something personal.' James realized the difference. 'Someone hurt someone Tom loves. I recognize the anger. I felt it when Cedric, Sirius and all the others were killed.'
Intellectually, James felt better about Tom's rage now. Subsiding, James realized this meant someone was hurt, not killed. Emotionally, that didn't matter much; James still wanted to get home as soon as possible. Physically, James decided, 'Merlin that still hurts like hell!'
A hand on his shoulder broke James out of his thoughts. "Alan, are you okay?" Claude asked.
James nodded delicately, "I banged my head earlier. The scab gave way."
"Let's get you fixed up. I need to go on shift at the beer house soon."
James allowed Claude to lead him away from the table. Once they were safely out of sight, Claude asked what happened. James shook him away.
"It is not important. Something has come up, I have to go back to England immediately."
Claude looked shocked, "You can't go home now! We have a mission to complete!"
"This is more important. You have your contact with Maria. Build on that. You don't need me here now."
Claude grumbled but let the matter drop.
James tried to find a good opportunity to leave over the next five days. At Claude's instance, James agreed to stay one more day to meet with Maria one last time.
Unfortunately, a British air raid occurred the next day. As James hoped, the German Ministry of Magic was leveled when several planeloads of bombs smashed through the roof. It was an early morning raid so not many shoppers were in the alley. The raid did catch many of the Ministry workers at their desks. Confident in their wards to prevent any damage, they failed to seek cover when the sirens went off.
The Dark Army erupted like a kicked bees nest. Wizards in black Gestapo style coats seemed to be everywhere looking for whoever brought down the wards. Eventually they found exactly what James wanted them to find. The wards simply became overloaded and collapsed under large number of Muggle bombs.
The bombing and the subsequent Dark Army activity prevented James from leaving Berlin. Nazi troops prevented his departure as a Muggle. Dark Army wards prevented James from using Appartition or his animagus forms from leaving. For over a week an increasingly surly wizard was forced to keep his head down and wait while his imagination conjured up a wide variety of horrible images for what awaited him in England.
6 January 1941
"Come out to the beer house tonight, Alan," Claude said as he approached James's bunk. When no response came back, Claude nudged the bunk, "You need to get out. You are so grumpy even the guards are avoiding you."
A clunk from behind Claude seconded this, "Get out of here, Rickman! You are stinking up my barracks! I want you shaved, showered and out of my damn barracks in ten minutes! MOVE IT!" The German Sergeant Major still had the voice to shout across parade grounds. James was out of the bunk and moving before he even considered resisting the sergeant.
Two hours later, a much happier seeming Alan Rickman sat at a table in the beer hall. Maria was off flirting with her 'boyfriend' Claude. James pretended to act slightly drunk for any watchers.
Maria maneuvered her way across the room and settled into James's lap. "Hello, you sweet man. Claude sent me over to cheer you up." She wrapped her arms around James's neck and rested his head against her chest. She leaned over and acted like she was nibbling on his ear. She whispered, "I have something for you."
James pretended to get into Maria's ministrations. Actually he felt dirty for allowing her to touch him like this. He knew it was needed to keep his cover, but it felt wrong.
After a couple of minutes, Maude, the beer house manager, yelled at Maria for being indecent. "You know we don't allow that in the public rooms! Stop it or leave!"
Maria gave Maude a pout. "Alan just needs some attention to raise his mood!"
One of the bar patrons yelled out, "That is not all you are raising!"
Maude looked furious. "Get out! I don't want you here for the rest of the night. Take your drunken toy with you."
The regular patrons laughed as Maria dragged the seemingly drunken Alan up to her room. They particularly enjoyed the look of anger on Claude's face as his 'girlfriend' took another man to her room. Even the believed Gestapo informant in the room seemed to enjoy the show and saw nothing suspicious. After all, Maria's activities were well-known and documented.
Once inside the room, Maria wasted no time raising her privacy charm. James settled at the small table in what served as her kitchen. Maria sat directly across from him.
"I received a owl today from one of my sisters. She works in the Dark Lord's headquarters as a researcher and curse-breaker. She overheard something. She could not be clear in her letter but her code gave me three key words: Slytherin, Heir, and Meet."
James went white at those three words. Suddenly the scar pain of a week ago took on a whole other layer of urgency. "How did your sister hear this?"
Maria turned red in a mixture of anger coupled with embarrassment. "I have another sister. She joined Grindelwald when she was still a student. My eldest sister, Serena, was a librarian with no political leanings. My other sister had her hired because she is the best researcher in Germany."
"Does your younger sister know you are still in Germany?"
Maria shook her head, "No, she thinks I left for Australia. I actually did for a time. She had my parents kick me out of the family."
James nodded. It kind of sounded like the Black family and Sirius.
Maria smiled, "Since I was disowned, I don't really have a magically legal last name. So owls that include my old name don't find me. You have to use just my real first name."
James smiled briefly. Then he looked hard at Maria. "Christina is your youngest sister?" It was asked as a question, but both of them knew it really wasn't.
Maria looked shocked, "How do you know who Christina is? Grindelwald uses her in secret. She never appears in public."
"Oh, we have met a couple times," James answered with a mirthless smile. "She seemed quite taken with me."
Maria looked stunned. Then her eyes suddenly grew in shock. "Great Merlin's Ghost! You are him!" she said in whispered shock.
James took this opportunity to use a dash of Legilimency to push through Maria's natural shields. If Maria was to retain any knowledge of who Alan Rickman really was, he needed to know if she could be loyal and keep that secret. Unfortunately, James found that she was loyal to the cause of removing Grindelwald, her mental barriers were not any more substantial that that of any other witch or wizard.
Pulling out of her mind, James addressed her, "Yes, I am who you think I am. But know you have a choice to make."
Still in shock over the revelation of just who her guest was, Maria quietly repeated, "Choice?"
James nodded. "You have very weak mental barriers. If a Dark Army wizard who is halfway skilled at Legilimency approached you he could learn all of your secrets whether or not you are willing. I can either Oblivate you, or I can set up a temporary mental block. The block will keep you from being able to recall the information until you learn Occlumency."
"I know something of it." Maria said.
"I noticed it the first time we met. It actually gave away to me you are a witch. You know enough to hide involuntary facial expressions, but not enough to shield your mind. If you know what you are looking for the in-between state leaves a tell if you know what you are looking for."
Maria frowned, "How would I learn this?"
"Claude." James answered simply. "He is actually very good at it." James smirked, "It will give you two something to do besides play chess."
For the first time since entering the room, Maria laughed. "I will do that."
"Good, it will help you survive as a spy. Now, Maria, tell me how to meet your older sister."
Very late that night an SS Obersturbannfuhrer (First Lieutenant) felt a sudden pain just above his left ankle. Spinning around he noticed a small multicolored snake slithering away. A sudden weakness washed over his body. He sank to the ground. Unable to move he heard very light footsteps approach.
"I am sorry, Obersturbannfuhrer. I have need of your uniform and you are my size and build. That will make it easier for the potion."
The dying SS officer thought in a panic. 'Potion? What did that mean?' He felt his head gently raised off the ground and a horrible tasting liquid filling his mouth and rushing down his throat. The officer felt something in him shift in a particular way. Then he felt a floating sensation as his sight started to dim.
James banished the conjured coral snake and set about exchanging his clothes for those of the dead officer. The Polyjuice Potion would make everyone assume the body was that of one Alan Rickman, French 'voluntary' worker from Paris. Meanwhile, James had a train to catch.
Pulling on the German SS uniform, James found it to be just slightly too large for his size. He had spent all night looking for a junior officer who came close to his size. James snorted to himself, 'I guess I am a little short to be a stormtrooper.'
The train ran south towards the Alps. The Obersturbannfuhrer had orders to join a Waffen SS panzer until forming in the southern part of Germany. Rumor had it the unit was to deploy to North Africa with Rommel. James remembered from some general history books Rommel was respected by solders on both sides of the front as a superior solder and strategist.
James actually owed his plan to a Bulgarian. During Harry's Seventh year Horcrux hunt, a certain Bulgarian Seeker offered an invitation to Durmstrang for some recovery time. Victor argued that Voldemort would never look for the Boy-Who-Lived in a school known for teaching the Dark Arts. Although Hermione really wanted a look at their library, Harry did not want to leave England in case he was needed.
The wards of Dumstrang prevented anyone not invited from knowing where the school was. It was hidden under something like a large Fidelous Charm, except one only needed an invitation from the Headmaster or an honored alumnus. First years received their invitations through their letters. Victor Krum, starting Seeker of the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team, was a very honored alumni. The wards recognized Victor's invitation as still being valid.
James pulled his borrowed SS officers cap down over his eyes. In a couple hours he would reach his destination of Ravensburg.
Serena looked like the sternest librarian this side of Hell. Her no-nonsense approach was broadcast in her appearance for all to see. She wore severe, utilitarian glasses. Thick, curly hair was pulled into a tight bun. She had the white pasty skin of a researcher more at home in dark catacombs then the outdoors. Her clothing looked like they had been picked out of a military catalog for uniformity. James bet she had a dozen of the same exact outfits at home.
Maria arranged for James to meet her elder sister in her natural environment, a library. The small magical village outside Ravensburg contained a small library that collected scrolls from various estates. A diligent researcher could sometimes find gems amongst the yellowing scrolls.
James sat down across from the witch and waited for her to notice him. James wore a normal everyday wizards robe over his purloined SS uniform. After five minutes, James cleared his throat.
The witch looked up in a start as James seemed to appear out of no where to her. She pursed her lips at James and gave him a disapproving stare. James was reminded of Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Madam Pince rolled into one. He barely contained an automatic guilty flinch.
In a quiet voice, James said, "Your unclaimed sister sent me."
"Prove it," a harsh voice challenged him.
"You had a crush on your Potions professor whilst at school. You sent him a love note during your Seventh year." Frankly, having now met this sister, he could not think of anything less likely.
The librarian from Hell looked angry. "She told you that!" she hissed in a whisper. "Only she would have so little tact!"
James had to fight not to grin. So it was true. "I take it you accept now I am from her."
"Yes," Serena (a.k.a The Librarian from Hell) answered. Her little fit over, she settled back into a research mode.
"Maria told me you have something to tell me."
Serena nodded, "It happened a few days ago, after the Dark Lord sent some of his wizards to steal information from the British Ministry of Magic."
"What did they want to steal?"
"Birth records. They wanted to find someone named Gaunt."
James's heart almost stopped beating. They were looking for Tom. He was the last Gaunt left. "Why are they looking for him?"
Adjusting her glasses on her nose, Serena answered, "His deceased uncle claimed to be the Heir of Slytherin. The Dark Lord wants Slytherin's research notes. They are supposed to be in the Chamber of Secrets. Slytherin did a great deal of research into reaching immortality. The Dark Lord feels he needs that knowledge to survive opening the Gate."
James winced. "Crap"
"Language, sir. I will not listen to foul language."
James ignored her. "So what happened?"
"They failed to get the records but two of the Dark Solders fought a young boy who spoke Parseltongue. He must be the Heir. There are no other Parselmouths known in Europe. The Dark Lord is sending wizards to track him down."
Before James could respond a voice called from down the hall. "Serena? Serena darling, are you down here?" James recognized the voice.
Serena turned and called out, "I am down here, Christina." When she turned back, her English visitor was missing.
Christina walked into the room followed by six Dark Solders. "Serena dear, you know you should not wander without your bodyguards."
The prim librarian glared at her youngest sister, "I am not a part of your little games, Christina. I am a researcher. I leave the rest of the rubbish to you."
Christina let out a giggle and hugged her older sister. Serena just stood there during the hug. Christina stepped back to smile affectionately at her sister. "Don't ever change. Come, Mother and Father are waiting for us. We must visit before I must leave again." Linking her arm in Serena's, Christina led the Dark Solders out of the library.
James stepped out of the shadows. He had to get back to England quickly. Grindelwald was targeting Tom. James had to be there to protect him.
James had briefly considered attacking Christina. However the close confines of the library meant James would most like take some serious injuries. Getting back to England whilst wounded would take too long. Tom needed him more then he needed to fight Christina.
As James left the village and made his way back to the train station as an SS lieutenant again, he wondered what the scariest thing he heard in Germany was. The fact the Dark Lord was after his son, or Christina giggling.
A/N: This was the longest chapter I have written to date. A bit of foreshadowing and character development added up to a lot of words. ;-)
I have had a lot of questions about pairings for Tom. At this point I have not planned anything firmly. He may date more then one of 'his' girls before the end of the story. If you would like to state your opinion and why, please post it in the Altered Destiny forum.
Thanks for reading!
Rick
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