Beth didn't expect the reaction she got from her security detail, although she admitted she should have.
Roy's voice went totally cold. "Winry check her for imperious. Radar contact..."
"Hold it!" Beth shouted. "Gees he said any security force worth it's salt would do this at the mention of his name. I didn't believe him. And no Winry you don't need to check me for imperious. Sirius is innocent, no matter what that kangaroo court in the U.K. says. I asked him to come with me and meet Mother and Dad and he told me openly he was a wanted man in a third of the world and why. I tell myself he's overreacting, and then this happens."
"Miss O'Neill the man you named is a dangerous wizard. He betrayed his best friend and kidnapped a small child such a man would have no compunctions about lying to you to get you to go to bed with him. How exactly did you meet him?" Roy firmly stated.
"I met Harry, the said small child first, and it isn't kidnapping if you're the guardian assigned by the deceased parents is it? I met Harry walking on the beach my second morning in Palau. I had breakfast with Harry and Sirius that morning and I went for a hike with them that afternoon. We enjoyed each others company so we started having meals together and going on outings. I wasn't even aware they were even wizards for a week and a half."
"I only found out because Harry apparated to the beach before a shark munched his surfboard. Sirius did exactly two pieces of magic around me one he transfigured his clothes so they would be more appropriate two he shrank my gown so it would fit in my suitcase but you already knew that because you went through my luggage. The entirety of my vacation was spent in their company at a muggle resort and at the moment I'm wishing I had stayed with them rather than coming back here to be harassed by a bunch of idiots."
While Beth had been ranting at Roy, Winry did the check for imperious. It was negative. She shook her head no after making eye contact with Roy.
Beth had felt the spell but decided not to throw a fit about it because they would do it anyway. It was required to protect her and her family. "While I am fully aware he could be a formidable enemy, Sirius is not guilty of what he was accused of. When he told me about James and Lily I could feel his anguish. He loved them and he loves Harry. And He loves me, damn it!" Beth felt as if she was ready to burst into tears. She paced the room for a moment, "I need to walk. I want to go for a walk."
Riza sensed Beth was trying to calm herself. "Okay, do you mind if we keep this walk to the grounds?"
"No that's fine."
"Radar how about you walk Beth up for her shoes and a jacket." He did as suggested. As soon as they left Riza spoke again. "Things aren't adding up. Back off Roy, way off. George back me up."
"Hawkeye is right Roy. That little scene in the breakfast room, funny as it was, gave us a ton of answers about her. That scene was about control, she was giving notice to her parents she wasn't theirs to control any longer. She controlled what happened in that room from the time she entered it. Good choice or bad she is firmly in Sirius Black's corner, I don't know why. What little I know about about Sirius Black doesn't match with what we just heard."
"Our job is to protect Beth O'Neill, to do that we have to stay close to her, we can't do that if she bolts on us again. You push and we'll have nothing but trouble. Hawkeye you, Rachel, and Winry are women see how much you can get her say about her time in Palau. Get as much information as possible about Sirius Black. Walter, after you sleep since you were on watch last night, call the ICW office in New York and get everything they have on Sirius Black."
"Right it's times like this when I wish computers and fax machines worked for us magicals. I'll get them to express courier them."
"Roy, my advice for you is hang back give her space we all saw how Rodney treated her. Your reaction to Black may have put you in a similar place in her mind. We'll have to see how flexible she is. A lot of times people who come late to their independence, respond very poorly to anyone perceived as a threat to that independence, which sadly in this case means you and unfortunately by extension us."
"Fine." Roy all but snarled. "I'm just not looking forward to being the one to tell the President that the boyfriend is worse than a beach bum, he's an actual wanted criminal. Maybe I should keep it to myself a few days." Roy trusted George's take on the situation. George like each member of his hand selected team, had a specialty. He waved the rest of the team away to walk the grounds with Beth or in Walter's case to go off shift, and stayed in the conference room to think.
George Takei's specialty happened to be Psychology. He was a certified mind healer with degrees from both magical and muggle establishments. A half-blood he had been raised in the muggle world at the insistence of his 1st generation Japanese father. He had learned aikido, kendo and fencing in addition to being a superior magical duelist.
Walter Koenig was another half blood he specialized in warding; putting them up or taking them down he was the best. He was strongest in terms of magical endurance but he wasn't fast. He was a full fledged potions master and a useful man to have on the team. The team teased him and called him "iron man" because he trained for muggle triathlons in his spare time.
Riza "Hawkeye" Pierce was another half blood. Nicknamed Hawkeye because of her sharpshooter skills and training from her World champion marksman father and because of her eye for details. Riza had served with the U.S. Navy in Naval Intelligence for seven years before getting out and applying to the Wizarding Investigative Service to become a hit wizard. She was a perennial student after meeting George she started to work on a psychology degree. Magically she never met a Charm she didn't like.
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