Here is part one "Of the Silver Light."
Now tear it to pieces.
All police stations in the world have a few things in common. Even the ones in corrupt countries have bad coffee. The
ones run in the most liberal of countries have the scent of authority, aggression, and suppression. The ones found in
dictatorships, those operating under tyranny, all give off the aura that the whole building is just a thin veneer.
In all police stations there is hypocrisy. Corruption, dirty cops, unlawfully abiding service-me men.
Thankfully in a good majority the uncorrupt outnumber the corrupt, the dirty cops act in non sociopathic ways, the
lawbreakers just cut inconvenient corners, that frankly have no real purpose but the general bureaucratic bullshit of
either law, or justice.
The Aurors, or more formally, The Auror Command of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, are just another police department.
Once you get away from the obvious, like... you know, Magic.
Perhaps the more surprising part is the prevalence of coffee at all at such a station. Considering the aurors come from
a society set back in a time where the idea of drinking coffee instead of their noble and pure tea is ludicrous.
Of course the new pureblood aurors would then blame the mudbloods for this devolvement of culture, until about the
second week in.
By then they too would rely on coffee, and they would wonder how aurors in the past operated without this blessed
invention of the muggles.
The auror sitting at the paper covered table noticed first the cups of freshly brewed coffee, then a moment later the
feminine hands holding them.
Before the identity of the speaker clicked into his head, she had already began speaking, "I just don't see the point of
wasting all of this time on the death of junkies and dealers."
Accepting the cup gratefully from the somewhat still rookieish auror he couldn't help but sigh.
Dealing with people who knew just enough to have a feel for the subject, but not enough to have an instinctive
understanding, is at times infuriating.
Rookies have one thing going for them. The majority realize that even after getting through academy, they still need to
learn more.
It's when that humility perishes where the rookie straddles the line between inexperienced and ignorant where they think
they know all of the answers that one of two things happen.
An even happens where they acknowledge their ignorance or inexperience, knocking them back into humility where they can
learn to improve. Rinse and repeat a couple dozen times and you may just have an adequate player in the field. Hopefully
for those whose field is the life risking time they do not get themselves, or worse, others killed before this.
The other is they never acknowledge they still have stuff to learn. They willfully and stubbornly march on, self assured
of their knowledge -or- superiority. If it is in an area where no real lives are at risk, sure go ahead and let them
continue make idiots of themselves as they assert PC's are always better than Mac's and Mac's are best for those with
creative aspirations.
In the case where lives are at risk, like in medicine or warfare or in this particular example, law enforcement...
The inevitable conclusion is life is lost. Theirs, friends, ally, or family. Then consequences resound with a bang and
they are removed from ever risking a life again.
It is the responsibility for those in charge to ensure those who don't learn humility are forced into it or are removed.
As a result of forcefully pushing new comers to the field into humility, sometimes through truly humiliating non-life-
threatening circumstances, the reputation of these leaders takes a temporal hit.
By the time the rookie gains enough experience to recognize this the dislike turns into respect.
Of course this was the reasoning Severus Snape used to explain to himself at least his actions in the classroom.
Needless to say, he went a tad overboard.
Head Auror Harry Potter on the other hand over the years gained a reputation of being strict but fair, even a little
towards the too lenient to those in his own team.
The second of his personal unit, Auror Patil, however had a way of looking at a new Auror with such compassionate,
understanding, and devastatingly disappointed...
The department as a whole agreed, those who botch a job would be best off on any team besides Potter's.
Luckily for Auror Boot, Patil was not present.
Or, more accurately, if Patil was present Boot would not have asked, nay, complain about the task at hand.
"Alice, was seven people found dead two days ago?"
"Yes, but-"
"And is it not our jobs, as Aurors to investigate such murders?"
"Yes, but-"
"And is it not true that criminals who commit murder are more likely to murder again?"
"Yes, I know that and-"
"And is it not also true that when a dealer is found dead without a stash it is most likely those were stolen?"
"Yes, considering the-"
"And since this all went down in a location of a known mem-den, isn't it disconcerting that all of the fucking bowls are
gone?"
The silence this time ticked on until she spoke in a manner that made it clear she was giving up, "Yes."
"So tell me, Auror Boot, is it not worth going over every detail we know to make sure we have no evidence then let this
case go cold allowing more death and destruction?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, now sit down until everyone else arrives."
Over the next few minutes the rest of the team arrived. Padma Finnegan sat to his right, as always. After graduating Hogwarts she went immediately to St. Mungos and was trained as a healer. She loved her job as a healer for a few years, until her sister was raped and left in a coma. Being a true Ravenclaw she threw herself into trying to heal her sister. The longer it went without Pavarti waking up, the more frustrated and angry she got. It got so bad she was formally asked to take a leave of absence.
The next day she showed up at the Potter house, walked right past Ginny as she breast fed James, and demanded to know everything Harry knew about the rapist.
A secrecy oath from Padma not to share anything she knew, the evidence from Harry, and thirteen hours of brainstorming and arguing later the two month old case opened up enough that with a few pointed questions at the right people Blaise Zabini was arrested.
The knowledge of what exactly Zabini did enabled Pavarti to make a full recovery.
Padma never returned to St. Mungos. Having such a skilled medic in the field had saved many lives over the past several years.
The Auror next senior to Harry and Padma sat at Harry's left. Creevey had mellowed out after his brother's death. A horrible, but needed, blessing. After his sudden return to the world of magic, Harry made it his job to look out for him. When he became an Auror, Harry had just become a senior Auror and requested him to be his partner. Harry's influence on the younger, or well now only, Creevey enabled him to fulfill his potential.
The final few Aurors, McAnders, Schindler and Odaire, were just exiting the stage of being dangerous to trustily experienced. In a few months dare he say it, dependable. The three despite being in different houses at Hogwarts had been friends from second year. The few pickup games of quidditch when the three would play chaser together their teamwork would rival the twins when they were beaters. When no single team would sign three chasers at the same time, they decided to move their teamwork to a different field. When Harry was asked to form a team the year before becoming Head Auror these three were just graduating. Their ability to work together, and more importantly, trust each other, made them an obvious choice.
Alice Boot would join the team as a favor to her older brother Terry. Luckily she proved competent enough. In time it was Harry's hope she would translate her book smarts to things of the slightly more practical nature. But that isn't quite right. No, it was more as if she had a little bit of a limit in trying to look at the big picture.
In looking at the reasoning why certain decisions are made, working out the significance and repercussions of the investigation.
As if there was a little bit of an inductive step she was missing.
Huh. So this is what Kingsley meant all those years ago when he said Harry's problem wasn't looking at the big picture, but seeing it.
I wonder if Kingsley was told the same thing by Moody? If Moody was told the same thing by someone else?
"Let's get started then. As you know Alice, Dennis, and I have been investigating a multiple homicide for the day and a half. This morning we confirmed the identity of the dealer as Vladimir Kakaroff. Shortly after we received a message for an urgent meeting with the Bulgarian Ministry requesting the right of first review of any memories found on Vladimir. Minister Shacklebolt agreed, but explained none were found. To make a long story short an auror from Bulgaria will be coming to assist -"
Dennis interrupts with a cough, "spy!"
"On our progress. Dennis, luckily for you, you will be assisting the auror assist us."
That earned a glare from Creevey and a chuckle from Schindler.
"It is our belief that Kakaroff gained possession of a compromising memory of a high ranked official, and that official wants it contained. Hopefully the auror isn't obstructive until after we find the memories, and once we do leaves us alone. McAnders I want you to get an update from the Unspeakables on any information they got from the site. They said they should be finishing up possessing the magical signatures by this afternoon. Odaire, I want you to go to Mungos and check out some of the recovering junkies. Tell them that the den in Diagon was robbed of everything inside. Those who are truly recovering will have nothing to lose, and those who just want another fix will be so pissed a den was knocked out they should spill their guts hoping we could get revenge for them. Be careful of those why may be released soon, if they know something they may want to get revenge for themselves. If it seems that way you have permission to get one of the surveillance teams to follow them. Boot, you are under Padma for today, she will tell you what needs to get done. Schindler, you are with me, we are heading to an informant who may have sold some of the pensives to the den. Dismissed."
Now tear it to pieces.
All police stations in the world have a few things in common. Even the ones in corrupt countries have bad coffee. The
ones run in the most liberal of countries have the scent of authority, aggression, and suppression. The ones found in
dictatorships, those operating under tyranny, all give off the aura that the whole building is just a thin veneer.
In all police stations there is hypocrisy. Corruption, dirty cops, unlawfully abiding service-me men.
Thankfully in a good majority the uncorrupt outnumber the corrupt, the dirty cops act in non sociopathic ways, the
lawbreakers just cut inconvenient corners, that frankly have no real purpose but the general bureaucratic bullshit of
either law, or justice.
The Aurors, or more formally, The Auror Command of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement of Her Majesty Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, are just another police department.
Once you get away from the obvious, like... you know, Magic.
Perhaps the more surprising part is the prevalence of coffee at all at such a station. Considering the aurors come from
a society set back in a time where the idea of drinking coffee instead of their noble and pure tea is ludicrous.
Of course the new pureblood aurors would then blame the mudbloods for this devolvement of culture, until about the
second week in.
By then they too would rely on coffee, and they would wonder how aurors in the past operated without this blessed
invention of the muggles.
The auror sitting at the paper covered table noticed first the cups of freshly brewed coffee, then a moment later the
feminine hands holding them.
Before the identity of the speaker clicked into his head, she had already began speaking, "I just don't see the point of
wasting all of this time on the death of junkies and dealers."
Accepting the cup gratefully from the somewhat still rookieish auror he couldn't help but sigh.
Dealing with people who knew just enough to have a feel for the subject, but not enough to have an instinctive
understanding, is at times infuriating.
Rookies have one thing going for them. The majority realize that even after getting through academy, they still need to
learn more.
It's when that humility perishes where the rookie straddles the line between inexperienced and ignorant where they think
they know all of the answers that one of two things happen.
An even happens where they acknowledge their ignorance or inexperience, knocking them back into humility where they can
learn to improve. Rinse and repeat a couple dozen times and you may just have an adequate player in the field. Hopefully
for those whose field is the life risking time they do not get themselves, or worse, others killed before this.
The other is they never acknowledge they still have stuff to learn. They willfully and stubbornly march on, self assured
of their knowledge -or- superiority. If it is in an area where no real lives are at risk, sure go ahead and let them
continue make idiots of themselves as they assert PC's are always better than Mac's and Mac's are best for those with
creative aspirations.
In the case where lives are at risk, like in medicine or warfare or in this particular example, law enforcement...
The inevitable conclusion is life is lost. Theirs, friends, ally, or family. Then consequences resound with a bang and
they are removed from ever risking a life again.
It is the responsibility for those in charge to ensure those who don't learn humility are forced into it or are removed.
As a result of forcefully pushing new comers to the field into humility, sometimes through truly humiliating non-life-
threatening circumstances, the reputation of these leaders takes a temporal hit.
By the time the rookie gains enough experience to recognize this the dislike turns into respect.
Of course this was the reasoning Severus Snape used to explain to himself at least his actions in the classroom.
Needless to say, he went a tad overboard.
Head Auror Harry Potter on the other hand over the years gained a reputation of being strict but fair, even a little
towards the too lenient to those in his own team.
The second of his personal unit, Auror Patil, however had a way of looking at a new Auror with such compassionate,
understanding, and devastatingly disappointed...
The department as a whole agreed, those who botch a job would be best off on any team besides Potter's.
Luckily for Auror Boot, Patil was not present.
Or, more accurately, if Patil was present Boot would not have asked, nay, complain about the task at hand.
"Alice, was seven people found dead two days ago?"
"Yes, but-"
"And is it not our jobs, as Aurors to investigate such murders?"
"Yes, but-"
"And is it not true that criminals who commit murder are more likely to murder again?"
"Yes, I know that and-"
"And is it not also true that when a dealer is found dead without a stash it is most likely those were stolen?"
"Yes, considering the-"
"And since this all went down in a location of a known mem-den, isn't it disconcerting that all of the fucking bowls are
gone?"
The silence this time ticked on until she spoke in a manner that made it clear she was giving up, "Yes."
"So tell me, Auror Boot, is it not worth going over every detail we know to make sure we have no evidence then let this
case go cold allowing more death and destruction?"
"Yes sir."
"Good, now sit down until everyone else arrives."
Over the next few minutes the rest of the team arrived. Padma Finnegan sat to his right, as always. After graduating Hogwarts she went immediately to St. Mungos and was trained as a healer. She loved her job as a healer for a few years, until her sister was raped and left in a coma. Being a true Ravenclaw she threw herself into trying to heal her sister. The longer it went without Pavarti waking up, the more frustrated and angry she got. It got so bad she was formally asked to take a leave of absence.
The next day she showed up at the Potter house, walked right past Ginny as she breast fed James, and demanded to know everything Harry knew about the rapist.
A secrecy oath from Padma not to share anything she knew, the evidence from Harry, and thirteen hours of brainstorming and arguing later the two month old case opened up enough that with a few pointed questions at the right people Blaise Zabini was arrested.
The knowledge of what exactly Zabini did enabled Pavarti to make a full recovery.
Padma never returned to St. Mungos. Having such a skilled medic in the field had saved many lives over the past several years.
The Auror next senior to Harry and Padma sat at Harry's left. Creevey had mellowed out after his brother's death. A horrible, but needed, blessing. After his sudden return to the world of magic, Harry made it his job to look out for him. When he became an Auror, Harry had just become a senior Auror and requested him to be his partner. Harry's influence on the younger, or well now only, Creevey enabled him to fulfill his potential.
The final few Aurors, McAnders, Schindler and Odaire, were just exiting the stage of being dangerous to trustily experienced. In a few months dare he say it, dependable. The three despite being in different houses at Hogwarts had been friends from second year. The few pickup games of quidditch when the three would play chaser together their teamwork would rival the twins when they were beaters. When no single team would sign three chasers at the same time, they decided to move their teamwork to a different field. When Harry was asked to form a team the year before becoming Head Auror these three were just graduating. Their ability to work together, and more importantly, trust each other, made them an obvious choice.
Alice Boot would join the team as a favor to her older brother Terry. Luckily she proved competent enough. In time it was Harry's hope she would translate her book smarts to things of the slightly more practical nature. But that isn't quite right. No, it was more as if she had a little bit of a limit in trying to look at the big picture.
In looking at the reasoning why certain decisions are made, working out the significance and repercussions of the investigation.
As if there was a little bit of an inductive step she was missing.
Huh. So this is what Kingsley meant all those years ago when he said Harry's problem wasn't looking at the big picture, but seeing it.
I wonder if Kingsley was told the same thing by Moody? If Moody was told the same thing by someone else?
"Let's get started then. As you know Alice, Dennis, and I have been investigating a multiple homicide for the day and a half. This morning we confirmed the identity of the dealer as Vladimir Kakaroff. Shortly after we received a message for an urgent meeting with the Bulgarian Ministry requesting the right of first review of any memories found on Vladimir. Minister Shacklebolt agreed, but explained none were found. To make a long story short an auror from Bulgaria will be coming to assist -"
Dennis interrupts with a cough, "spy!"
"On our progress. Dennis, luckily for you, you will be assisting the auror assist us."
That earned a glare from Creevey and a chuckle from Schindler.
"It is our belief that Kakaroff gained possession of a compromising memory of a high ranked official, and that official wants it contained. Hopefully the auror isn't obstructive until after we find the memories, and once we do leaves us alone. McAnders I want you to get an update from the Unspeakables on any information they got from the site. They said they should be finishing up possessing the magical signatures by this afternoon. Odaire, I want you to go to Mungos and check out some of the recovering junkies. Tell them that the den in Diagon was robbed of everything inside. Those who are truly recovering will have nothing to lose, and those who just want another fix will be so pissed a den was knocked out they should spill their guts hoping we could get revenge for them. Be careful of those why may be released soon, if they know something they may want to get revenge for themselves. If it seems that way you have permission to get one of the surveillance teams to follow them. Boot, you are under Padma for today, she will tell you what needs to get done. Schindler, you are with me, we are heading to an informant who may have sold some of the pensives to the den. Dismissed."