"In general or at the moment?"
"Either."
"I'm packing. Harry and I go home tomorrow morning. In general I'm finishing the refinements on the cell phones for wizards. I'll send you a present in about a month."
"Sounds wonderful, I should probably go. I'm making my detail go for a walk. If they hate it, I'll know they're like my last detail, out of shape wizards. Miss you, I didn't think a week was long enough to get used to sleeping in your arms but I noticed last night."
"I know the feeling love, why do you think I put off my packing until tonight. Talk to you tomorrow." Sirius hung up.
A half an hour later Beth calmly walked into the conference room with all the team that was on duty. She carried all the photos from her trip.
"Better now Miss O"O'Neill?"Roy asked.
"Much." Beth actually was very pleased with her detail. She had set a fast pace for her walk and they had not only kept up but Rachel had asked her about her training with Harry after confessing to some martial arts training of her own. Rachel had promised to give Beth more lessons and she looked forward to surprising Harry when they next met.
"Alright what do you want to know?" for the next five and a half hours the question and answer session went on. They had paused to allow lunch but they kept coming up with questions to extract every nuance of information from Beth. At 6:oo p.m. When her watch alarm went off, it startled her team into momentary quietness.
"I'm sorry everyone. I have a dinner at the White House to attend. I need to go get ready. I'm sure I've given you plenty of information to start."
"I need to get ready as well." Riza said.
Walter who had come in at four followed both women out.
Roy was focused completely on his notes and merely waved his hand. There was a lot of information in everything Beth had told them. He was surprised at how easily she had shared details she had told them at the beginning she was going to pretend they were friends and she was telling about her vacation. He didn't object because it seemed to make it easier for her.
He wondered about the mysterious condition Harry had it had first sounded like a heart condition but that wouldn't necessitate living as a muggle. The later comment it was a spell made more sense but still left enormous amounts of information out. Sirius Black's injuries were another oddity. There might be a line of inquiry there. He reached over so he could review the information provided by the ICW and found even more discrepancies.
He wrote a memorandum to the British Wizarding Consulate asking for information about Black because of information that had come his way through unnamed sources he was trying to access the risk to his principles. And one to the Indonesian Wizarding Consulate as well inquiring about details of the attack that occurred at the end of July, such communications were common for security squads.
He exited the conference room in time to see Radar in a tux, Riza in a charcoal gray taffeta evening gown with a velvet jacket and Beth in the green dress she had brought back from Palau and a floor length chocolate brown velvet cloak enter the foyer to join the President and the first lady of magic.
Beth's mother was the first to speak. "You look marvelous Beth, I don't remember that dress."
"You wouldn't Mother I got it on my vacation."
"You look like a princess, baby. I hope I won't have to hex anyone tonight."
"Daddy... I'm thirty two. Don't call me baby. Thank you for the compliment, and if anyone gets ideas Riza and Radar will discourage them if I don't do it first." The family left security in tow.
As Beth went to bed that night she smiled. The dinner had been lovely, she had been able to introduce her boss to her new security, and she had received many compliments. She had noticed as she wore her dress that Sirius must have fixed the bodice of her dress when he shrank it it was a slightly closer fit now. The dress, the compliments, and her new attitude had her feeling very cheerful. She couldn't wait for Sirius and Harry's call in the morning, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
One week later Roy's life felt more in control Beth had proven to be very sweet and willing to cooperate as long as she was given information and choices. She had even decided to undergo training so she was both helping in her defense and making it easier for her team to defend her. She had been very forthcoming with information regarding her time with Black.
If only his investigations were making as much sense. The ICW information had the British report of Black's crimes and wanted status and death eater ties. Then back in July he was listed as presenter at the Congress conference seminars for aurors teaching about muggle police techniques that could help aurors. Then at the end of July he was involved in defending the Indonesian President almost at the cost of his life from a group that was known for having the same ideals as the death eaters. It absolutely didn't make sense.
He had managed to get a hold of the trial of Sirius Black transcripts and he felt sick, the only two solid facts presented were Black was this Potter fellow's best friend and Harry Potter had been taken from England by Black everything else was hearsay and conjecture. Had the man been wanted for all these years for something he wasn't guilty of? If so why, who stood to gain? Roy had decided that he would talk with Indra Budiono the Indonesian Secretary of Security and try to get some answers, so he sat in his office in the castle waiting for the message to tell him when to call. Suddenly Morrie, the president's house elf, popped into the room. Roy got a sinking feeling. "Yes Morrie?"
"Mr President is wanting you NOW. Mr. Mustang sir."
"On my way." Roy got up. He had a feeling the president had heard about the overseas phone calls his daughter was receiving every morning. He moved towards the door.
Radar called him, "Roy."
Roy stopped and half turned, Radar was holding out the thick folder he had complied on Black. In it was everything they knew and everything he suspected. "Thanks." Roy went to the President's office.
The President's office was chillingly cold and swirled with magical currents. Roy gulped but entered. "Close the door behind you." Roy did. "My daughter her first day back called Palau and again the next day after she woke up. As her chief of security you should already know this?"
"Yes, sir."
"She has been receiving phone calls daily. Are they from the same person?"
"I believe so sir."
"Is it that beach bum she met on vacation?"
Roy hesitated awhile, technically he was the man she had met on vacation however he was not a bum. But giving the name might be worse. "Sir, it is the man she met on vacation."
"Mustang what sort of security detail officer..."
"Here's the file sir everything I have found out and compiled on him."
"A file this thick can't be good. What is his name?"
Roy hesitated again. Taking a deep breath "Sirius Black sir."
The room went still. The President had heard the name before although it had been years. Suddenly across the room the beverage bottles that were used to serve drinks to guests exploded, and the furniture rattled. "NO MORE PHONE CALLS IS THAT CLEAR!"
"Yes sir, but sir you should read the file."
"I don't want my daughter associating with a criminal! Get out of my office before I sack you."
Mustang fled.
...
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