FicWad

"How's it look?" Harry enquired, appearing suddenly next to the MIB agent and startling him. It was a long running game between the two of them and Harry just managed to keep the corners of his mouth from turning upwards into a grin upon hearing the agent swear.

"Damn it! I wish you'd stop doing that," Agent Willis griped, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart. "I swear one of these days you're going to give me a heart attack!"

"That's why they only allow the younger agents to go on missions with me," Harry quipped. Both chose to ignore that fact that if it were any other Agents other than Smith and Willis, Harry wouldn't have just appeared out of thin air as he had. That was just another part of the game they played. Hunting and killing Dark Wizards was a terrible business, and so they each took their enjoyment where they could get it.

"Did he get you again?" Smith asked as he walked up with a knowing grin upon his face, not trying to hide his laughter at the other's expense one bit. The younger agent gave a slightly crestfallen look and simply nodded in way of answering. "Don't worry," Smith replied sagely to his partner, "you eventually get used to it."

Seeing the hopeful look in Willis' eyes Harry couldn't help but clarify for the man. "He means you get used to getting got, not me appearing out of thin air right next to you."

Agent Willis groaned upon seeing an agreeing nod from his partner. Feeling it would be in his best interest to change the subject, he did just that. "Nothing has changed since I arrived," Willis explained, replying to Harry's initial question. After the MIB agent had dropped Hermione at the Wilkins place he had headed straight for where Smith and the others were.

Harry looked down the street once again at the muggle bar they were currently staking out. Trent Davis and three others had been seen entering the establishment. There were apparently no magical wards in place, not surprising given that it was a muggle business and all. "I don't like it," the world's deadliest hit wizard said, all emotion gone from his face as he slipped into the persona of his call sign, Archangel. "Why here of all places," he asked rhetorically as none of them had an answer.

"We could see if TASS would be willing to loan us a few people we could send in to scope the place out?" Smith offered as a suggestion only to see Harry start to walk down the street towards the establishment. "Angel, where are you going?"

Harry turned around to face his MIB handlers while changing to walking backwards towards the bar. "Never trust someone else to do what you can do yourself," he told them before turning back around and continuing on his way.

"We really shouldn't let him go in there alone like that. There are a lot of non-magicals about that could get hurt in the spell fire," Willis said as they watched Harry walk down the street.

Smith looked at the younger man and smirked. "You want to tell him that?"

"Be advised, Archangel is entering the premises," Willis said into his communication device to alert the rest of their team.

"Was it just me or did he seem to be in a really good mood just now?" Smith asked his partner.

"Almost jovial," Willis replied in way of confirmation. "I've never seen him like that before."

"I don't know if I should be relieved or scared," Smith quipped as they watched the topic of their discussion enter the bar down the street.

Harry stepped into the establishment and took a vacant seat at bar, ordering a beer when the bar tender walked over to see what he could serve him. As he took a long sip of the dark beverage he surveyed the room in the reflection of the mirror behind the bar. There were a number of locals scattered about the place. Those he quickly discounted. In the far corner there was a group of four men, undoubtedly his targets.

Harry had only made it halfway through his beer when one of the blokes from the corner got up and walked over, taking the seat beside him. "You're a long way from home, mate," the man said in a phony Aussie accent.

"One could say the same of you," Harry replied dryly without even turning to regard the man. "That fake accent wouldn't even fool a muggle tourist…mate." Harry managed to make that last sound like a taunt.

The man chuckled softly. "He said you wouldn't be fooled. I guess I'll have to keep working on it then."

"I take it then that he isn't here?" Harry asked, setting his glass of beer down on the bar. Seeing the man shake his head only confirmed what he had already suspected. Davis wasn't about to boldly walk into a muggle bar after all. It was all just too easy he reasoned. "Polyjuice?" Harry asked, realizing how they had been duped.

"Right in one, mate!" the man replied, a grin stretching his lips across his face. "Now before you do anything rash I have something I want to show you," the man stated as he pulled something out of his pocket and showed it discreetly to Harry. "If you're as good as they say you are then I'm sure you know what this is."

Harry did little more than glance at the device before giving a slight nod. "Soviet made remote detonator. Mark VII model I believe," he added as he took another sip of his beer.

"Right in one again, mate! Once activated, as it is now, should my finger come off of the trigger even for a second…well, let's just say that those teeth doctor friends of yours won't be fixing any teeth no more," the man said with a wicked grin.

"Dentists," Harry corrected. "They're called dentists."

"As if I care what they're called," the man snorted. "They're filthy muggles and that's all they are to me."

Harry decided to let the matter go for the time being. "So what's the game plan?" he enquired.

"You and I, along with my chums," he started with, giving a slight tilt of his head to indicate the other three men in the corner, "are going to take a little trip. We'll be doing so without your friends outside. If they make any attempt at stopping us or following, well," the man chuckled evilly, "they'll be picking those dentist's teeth out of the rubble of their house." The man chuckled at his own apparent wit.

Harry quickly drained the remainder of his drink before setting the glass down. "Well then we'd best be about it." The man gave a slightly startled look at how easily the most feared hit wizard gave into his demands. "I suspect you don't want to keep your boss waiting, now do you?" Harry asked as he slid off of his stool and stood.

The man with the detonator stood and motioned for the other three SOS members to join them. Once they had walked over he led the way to the door, with Harry walking behind him. "Don't try anything funny now," the man warned over his shoulder just before stepping out the door.

"Let me go talk to my people," Harry requested. Seeing the man hesitate he quickly added, "You've clearly got the upper hand. I just want to make certain they don't do anything stupid as you requested."

"Fine," the man agreed with a smug grin. "Then you won't mind if we tag along with you just to be certain will you?"

"Not at all," Harry replied with a slight shrug indicating that he didn't care one way of the other. They made their way down the street till they neared the location where Harry knew the MIB Agents were. "You might as well show yourselves. They already know you're there." The MIB agents dropped their disillusionment charms.

"You've seemed to have made friends rather quickly, Angel?" Smith stated as he eyed the others with Harry.

"Yes, well these nice gentlemen invited me over for a spot of tea," Harry replied. "I found their offer a bit hard to refuse." Willis winced, having caught site of the detonator in the hand of the man next to Harry. "Tooth still bothering you, mate? I told you that you should have the Wilkins take a look at that for you."

"Maybe when we're done here," Willis replied.

"See that you do," Harry said. "In the meantime try not to do anything stupid like trying to follow us. I'm certain my host will not look kindly upon unwanted guests."

Smith nodded once and watched as Harry walked off with the four men and climbed into a van parked in front of the bar. As soon as the van drove off and was out of sight the MIB agent quickly retrieved his cell phone from his pocket and dialed the required number. "Damn, she's not answering," Smith swore as two black SUV's rolled up and he and Willis climbed in.

"Perhaps she's asleep," Willis offered as he slipped into the passenger seat, closing the door behind him just before the vehicle took off.

"The Wilkins' home and don't spare the speed," Smith told the driver. "Let us hope so," the agent said in way of reply to his partner. "I'm not certain what Archangel would do if someone tried to harm Inspector Granger."

"Given what he did at her apartment I don't think they would be long for this world," Willis offered as they sped through late night traffic in a manner that was reminiscent of the Knight Bus back in England.

-oOo-

Hermione looked in the mirror for the thousandth time, making yet another minute adjustment to her hair. This was the first time she had ever worn her hair up in this fashion and she was worried that her date wouldn't like it. The young witch had agonized over every little detail this day while preparing herself, wanting everything to be perfect. From the manner in which her hair curled, trailing down across one shoulder elegantly, to the periwinkle-blue dress and the light cosmetic touches to her face. The color of the dress was due to her date once commenting on how the color looked pretty on her when she had been trying on shawls during one Hogsmeade weekend.

It's not every day you get escorted by a Champion, she mused silently to herself as she frowned at the image in the mirror, unsatisfied with what she saw there. "Nothing to do about it now," she sighed forlornly as she turned away from the looking glass that told her she looked lovely. "Hopefully he won't go running for the woods at the first site of me." Quickly making her way through the passageway and down the stairs she hurried to reach the Great Hall before she could lost her nerve.

Descending the stairs she made her way along to hallways, weaving through the other celebrants who were there awaiting their own dates. Hermione smiled and nodded quick greetings to those she knew as she made her way towards the entry way to the Great Hall. The brunette witch saw him before he saw her. He cleans up rather nicely, she thought to herself as she paused and allowed herself to give him the once over. Very nicely indeed!

If she had doubted that he would like the dress or what she had done with her hair, her fears died as soon as he turned and saw her. The look on the wizards face was a mixture of shock, disbelief, fear and longing. Several moments passed as she drank in the adorable look upon his face, before she took pity on him and closed the distance between them. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. You look rather fetching in your new robes," she offered with a sincere smile only to have to stifle a chuckle as he blushed at her compliment.

"You look…," the wizard had to pause and swallow heavily before he could continue, "very very…" the poor boy became flustered and just sort of trailed off, unable to finish whatever he was going to say.

Hermione smiled sweetly, pleased by his reaction as it was everything she had hoped for. The poor dear is gobsmacked. "Hmmm? Very what?" she asked to prod him on.

"Amazing," the wizard breathed ethereally only to realize what he said. "Pretty! I mean you're very, very pretty!" he stammered.

Hermione could feel the warmth rising in her cheeks but was saved from replying as their names were called. They were soon lined up with the other Champions and their dates just outside the doors to the Great Hall. Slipping her hand into the crook of her date's elbow she didn't have long to wait till the Headmaster started to announce the couples.

"Miss Hermione Granger, escorted by Mr. Harry Potter!" the Headmaster's voice rang out which was the queue for them to proceed into the great Hall.

The rest of the Yule ball passed in little more than a blur to the young witch. Harry seemed to only have eyes for her. The entire night was as if it was some sort of dream or fairytale. More than once during the course of the night she had found herself getting lost in those emerald orbs that always seemed to be watching her whenever she turned to look in Harry's direction.

The night finally wound down and it was the last dance, a slow number being played by the band. Hermione found herself in Harry's arms upon the dance floor. Their bodies were far closer together than they had ever been while practicing dancing under the watchful eye of Professor McGonagall, not that Hermione minded in the least. Harry's hand on the small of her back however, was making it hard to remember to move her feet.

"Hermione," Harry's soft voice spoke into her ear as his cheek rested gently against the side of her head. "I want to thank you for tonight. I can't think of anyone I would rather be here with than you."

Lifting her chin from his shoulder she smiled at him and gazed into his eyes, instantly losing herself in them. "Harry, I'm the lucky one. I'm certain most of the girls here would give anything to be in my place right now," Hermione told him, unconsciously running her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck.

"None of them can compare to you, Hermione," Harry told her earnestly.

"You always say the sweetest things, Harry," she replied, an affectionate soft smile on her face.

"There is something I've been wanting to do all evening," Harry told her, pausing to lick his lips quickly. "If I don't do it now I'll probably lose my nerve," he added with a small nervous chuckle.

"It's alright, Harry," she told him, suddenly feeling her pulse begin to race. "You can do it, Harry. I trust you," she said as she tilted her head up towards Harry, her lips slightly parted expectantly. As Hermione's eyes slowly began to close she could see Harry lowering his lips towards her. Finally! It's finally going to happen! We're going to kiss! About bloody time!

"Granger."

As Harry's lips drew closer she could feel the moist heat of his breath as it brushed across her lips.

"Granger."

"Go away," Hermione growled as her eyes closed till they were only open a sliver.

"Granger."

Their noses touched, softly brushing against each other's and causing the breath to hitch in her throat. Just a second more, she thought gleefully, having waited for this moment for four years!

"Granger!"

"What!" Hermione snapped, her eyes popping open as she turned her head to the side to see who was interrupting perhaps the most perfect moment of her young life. "Jess?" she asked in a quizzical tone upon seeing the blonde witch leaning over her from the side of the bed.

The buxom witch grinned. "I almost didn't wake you. You were moaning and wiggling about saying something about it being bloody time and all. I wanted to see how the dream ended," she added with a lecherous leer.

"A few more minutes and it would have been a happy ending," Hermione quipped angrily just before she realized something. "What are you doing here?"

Jess' expression sobered up instantly as she recalled why she was there. "We have to get you out of here right now," she told Hermione, reaching out to help the witch get up. "Some of the SOS boys managed to get the drop on Archangel. Apparently before he left with them he told Smith and Willis that they needed to get here as quickly as possible."

Hermione was quickly out of bed and throwing on clothes before the witch with her had even finished explaining. "Mom and Dad?"

"They're safe. I got them out first," Jess told her, causing the brunette witch to sigh in relief. "Apparently one of the SOS members had a remote detonation device of some kind."

"Are any of our people familiar with explosives enough to locate and disarm them?" Hermione asked as she pulled on her boots and stood up only to see her fellow TASS member shake her head. "I didn't think so. That means we'll have to call in the non-magical bomb squad."

"I'll make the call and start getting things organized so we can begin to evacuate the neighborhood," Jess said as she turned to head out of the room with Hermione right on her heels.

"Do we know what happened to Archangel?" the Inspector asked.

"Only that he left with them in a van," Jess told her. "We're searching for it now but so far no luck."

"Alright, I want a full spectrum surveillance net up," Hermione ordered in a no-nonsense tone. "If someone sneezes and conjures so much as a hanky I want to know about it!"

"Roger, Boss," Jess replied as they walked through the front door and down the porch steps. "It will be up in fifteen minutes."

"You've got five," Hermione demanded. "We're already late in the game and can't afford any further delays." The TASS member simply nodded and disapparited away to see to it.

"Where are the Wilkins?" Hermione asked as she drew near to the black SUV parked in front of the house, the flashing lights atop it painting her face alternately red and blue.

Smith looked up from the map he was regarding and gave Hermione a slight nod before replying. "I thought it would be best to get them as far away from here as possible. Right now they should be checking into the InterContinental Hotel with a view overlooking the bay and the Opera house."

"I'm sure they will appreciate that. Thank you," she told the MIB agent who simply nodded once again. "Any news on Archangel yet?"

"The tracker has him heading west," Smith told her.

"I'm surprised they didn't remove the tracking charm," Hermione mused aloud.

"They can't if they want him alive, which I think Davis does," Smith told her only to see her give him a questioning look. "The tracking device is not magical. It's electronic and it's imbedded inside him. They would have to cut him open to get to it."

"Let's hope that all they check for are magical tracers then," Hermione replied. It went without saying that the group they were dealing with were no strangers to non-magical devices. The fact that they had a remote detonation device gave evidence to that fact.

Smith simply nodded in agreement before asking, "What's west of here?"

"A great deal till you get to Penrith," Hermione told him. "After that you get into a whole lot of open country." Before Smith could say anything there was the crack of an Apparition and Jess was back. "Is it up?" Hermione enquired.

Jess gave a curt nod. "Do we know which way they headed? If we do we can narrow the search."

"They're heading west so I would guess the M4 or the Western," Hermione replied. "Bomb squad?"

"I called it in and they should be here as soon as they can get here," she informed her boss. The blonde witch's eyes unfocused as she manipulated the magical surveillance net to focus in that direction. "We're using a gas leak excuse to evacuate the surrounding area," Jess added absently, keeping most of her attention on the magical net.

It was another thirty minutes before the bomb squad arrived. Through the use of a mechanical robot they did a slow but thorough search of the main floor of the residence. Three hours later the bomb was located in the basement tucked under the gas line. The bomb disposal squad moved in to attempt to deactivate the bomb. They had only been in the house for fifteen minutes before they all came out and started to remove their gear. The leader, a veteran of his profession for many years, approached Hermione and Smith.

"Beggin your pardon, Inspector," the older man said, "But I think you're going to want to see this."

Hermione looked questioningly at Smith for a moment before turning back to the police officer. "Officer Reiley, wasn't it?" Seeing the man nod, indicating that she was right, she continued. "Is there a bomb or not?"

"Oh there's a bomb alright," Reiley assured her.

"So you disarmed it then?" Hermione stated only to see the man shake his head.

"It was already disarmed…or at least it was rendered inactive." Seeing their questioning looks he turned, motioning for them to follow him. The three made their way back inside the house and down into the basement. "There's you're bomb, Inspector," he said, pointing to a small stack of object that had C4 written on the outside of them. "And there's the detonator," the man added pointing off to the side.

Stuck to the wall was an electronic detonation device attached to a rather large potato which appeared to be stuck to the wall.

"If you look closely," Reiley said, leaning down and pointing to the top of the pile of blocks of C4, "you can see where the detonation device was attached to the C4 originally. Someone, at some point, removed it and stuck it in that potato." The aged veteran raised one hand and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know how they could have done that though as any attempt to move the bomb should have set it off. They'd have to be the best bomb tech I've ever seen to pull this off."

Smith and Hermione exchanged knowing looks, having a good idea just who was responsible for it. "Is it dangerous as it is?" Hermione enquired.

"No, Ma`am," Reiley replied.

"Good. So you can removed it then. Thanks for your time," Hermione said, turn to head back upstairs.

"Oh we can remove the C4, right enough," Reiley informed her of, "but the detonator is another story. We're not exactly certain how it is fastened to the wall," he added sheepishly, embarrassed to admit such a thing.

Hermione quickly realized that if Harry had placed it there with a sticky charm it was unlikely that they would be able to remove it any time soon. "Leave the detonator for now," she told Reiley, "and just get the C4 out of here."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Smith asked as the two of them climbed the stairs to the main floor.

"He wanted them to take him," Hermione replied. "He had already disarmed the bomb and so knew it wasn't a threat."

Smith grunted in agreement. "Which means…,"

"He's going after Davis on his own," the witch stated, finishing his sentence for him. "The damn fool," she cursed under her breath.

"Granger!" Jess hollered, running up to them as they walked out of the house. "We lost them," she said, coming to stop. "They were going down the Western Highway. They were there one moment and then suddenly they were gone!"

Smith suddenly raised a hand to his ear, a sign Hermione recognized as him listening to something in his ear piece. "We've lost him as well," Smith finally told them. "They turned off the main road and had gone a little ways and then suddenly they were gone."

Hermione chewed her bottom lip absently as worry for Harry began to gnaw at her stomach. "Jess, I want you to go back to the office an see if you can dig up anything of interest in that area that could account for them disappearing like that. Agent Smith, why don't you and I go for a little drive."