Always There For You (Harry Potter OC X OC)

80. Agent-

Since they were staying for free in the Boot's house, they felt that it was only fair they offer to help around the house. Either helping in house chores or volunteering for employee at Tom's humble shoe shop in town.it was the least they could do.

Other than that, every early morning or late afternoon, Lizzy would find Joel and Terry practice spells in the back of the house. She would watch them all on her own, wishing she could join them like that. But she couldn't practice spells, as she still had the trace. It was frustrating, though she tried to be a good sport.

She sat cross legs on a grassy ground by the lilac shrub, leaning against her arm, watching the boys. Joel and Terry were practicing duels without verbally speaking the spells. It was like they were performing a dance. Every gestures had been calculated and anticipated. Shooting and repelling in the same interval. Moving and lunging their muscles and joints in harmony.

She wished to join if she could.

'Dinner!' Tom shouted out from an open kitchen window. A cue for the boys to stop practicing.

Terry headed straight to the house, only exchanging a smile with Lizzy when he passed her by. Joel went to rest his head on her legs. Tired he was, breathing heftily. But he was happy to see Lizzy's face upside down at his view.

They playfully held hands and swung around mindlessly. Lizzy talked of nothing important, before ending the playful gesture, folding Joel's arms together, constricting him as she went down for a kiss.

'I wish I can come with you and Terry to the mansin...' Lizzy spoke, bitterly.

Joel's smile thinned out. 'It's not like I'm staying there all the time, I'll come back here when I can...'

That's a lie, Lizzy thought.

For some time it wasn't a lie. When Joel was ready to join the DA, he got home every late evenings. But that routine was fading gradually. He came back less and less.

Lizzy woke up in the middle of the night, having nightmares of vision or past event and she would rub her hand on the empty side of the bed, just to realize Joel didn't come back again. She'd give up sleep when it tire her more or she would cry herself back to sleep.

She missed home.

She wanted to be there and see her mum. She wanted to sit in the tree house with Joel and play uno cards until she had enough of it. She missed the cookies and cream ice cream she'd order in that favourite parlour.

She missed the old life.

***

'Come on, tell me,' Lizzy solicited in a hush voice.

It was the middle of the night. Only a single light of candle was lit at a round table nearby. Joel had put muffling charm in this bedroom just to be sure that no one could hear him and her for whatever ideas they had in mind. It felt so right that they cuddled in less than a blanket to keep themselves warm from the night air.

But he was unmoved by her persuasion to make him spill his new job from the DA. He didn't want to tell her that it comes with risking his own life to find displaced Muggleborns to take them safely to the mansion. A high secret job with a high risk. He didn't want to worry her.

'I'm just helping Anthony in the mansion, that's all. Nothing much...' Joel said. Technically, it wasn't a lie.

Anthony's job was to file reports of Muggleborns. New names of Muggleborns was given to him. He had to arrange them neatly and give tasks to agents to find the names who're still missing.

Joel was one of the agents. But he didn't tell her that. And he made Terry swear not to tell her that. So that was that.

Lizzy knew him so well, she knew that he was hiding something as he would speak less about it. But she gave up and rested her head by his bare chest and stayed that way, unable to fall asleep.

***

Joel went on with his routine in the morning. Breakfast with Lizzy and the Boots. Then he and Terry apparated to Longbottom's Mansion.

Joel got assigned with Terry and Michael. At the very moment, he stood on a rooftop of a rowhouse somewhere near Camden. Wand stayed on hand. He watched down below on the streets, crouching. Muggles walked down on the pavements a busy street. Michael was down there, walking alongside the muggles. He was sticking posters on poles, public mailboxes, and stinky red booth telephones. While Terry was somewhere else, investigating footsteps of where the Muggleborn kid might be.

Joel's job was to send a patronus to Michael and Terry if he saw something suspicious, like snatchers or Ministry Officials. Or maybe diguised auror working for the corrupted. He had to admit. Even though he was just looking out for Michael right now, it felt unnerving. It kept him on his toes every second.

Then a stranger talked to Michael. A man asked about the poster of a missing person. Joel was unsure if he should send a patronus to Terry for help. Michael spoke to this stranger. The stranger nodded and minded his own business. Perhaps it was just a curious muggle. Michael stared up at Joel and nodded to mean it was safe and he was back to sticking up posters.

The poster was about a missing twelve year old Muggleborn, though nothing mentioned anything magical about it. It looked like a regular missing child in the muggle world. Hopefully, the kid would find his face was on it and touch it. It would trigger a bell that Terry carried and the bell will tell him which location of the poster. If it wasn't the kid, it wouldn't trigger.

Terry appeared next to Joel some time later. 'He's in town. We should pull Michael out and go there.' Terry was wearinf black sunglasses. A peculiar accessory in such a cloudy weather.

'Why are you wearing sunglasses?' Joel asked.

'Luna's invention. If I found a DNA, like hair, saliva... pee... any DNA and rub them on the lenses, boom, footprints will appear. Quite smart. We don't give her enough credit for being a Ravenclaw.'

'That would suck if you found pee.'

Terry laughed.

Joel took out a mirror and reflected light on Michael's face until Michael shielded off with his hand. The boy went to an alley and now he appeared beside them.

'What do you find, Terry?' Michael asked with some leftover posters on hand.

'He's in town.'

'That'll bring attention...' Michael said in annoyance. 'He could be anywhere.'

'Same old story. Now, Joel, you'll hang back. Watch Michael's back. I'll try to follow the footprints.' Terry reach out his arm. Hands held onto him and they apparated. They appeared in a dark alley by a more crowded street. Terry went away to a different direction.

Joel was a bit behind Michael. As instructed, he watched Michael from the distance. He was having a hard time acting like one of the muggles. He had to take deep breaths and calm down.

Michael started putting up posters again. Joel stood on the side, acting like he was looking at shops or watching the cars.

Terry's patronus appeared in front of Joel and Michael.

Found the kid. I'm taking him. Meet me at the house.

Another mission completed. Joel was relieved that today was going well. He and Michael apparated back to the mansion.