The blue door with gold lettering stood before her as she stood on the sidewalks. Reaching from under the umbrella, she chanced the rain to knock on the door. She retreated back under the umbrella waiting.

On the other side of the door, she heard a bit of fumbling followed by a click. It slowly opened back. An older woman peeked through the crack.

"Mrs. Hudson," The woman on the street asked cautiously.

"Yes," Mrs. Hudson answered. "Who are you?"

"My name is Avery Swann." She announced. "I'm your new tenant."

The dancing green flames vanished from in front of her eyes. Stepping from the fireplace, she brushed the ashes from her cloak. Several other wizards flew past tip their hats in greeting to her as she joined the rushing crowd.

A fellow witch of the Auror Department joined her side. She stood about a half foot shorter than her with curly brown hair and brown eyes hidden behind red-rimmed glasses. Draped around her was a cloak slightly damp from her own travels.

"Morning, Swann," the witch spoke in a high sing-song voice.

"Morning, Elphick," Swann returned. "Aren't you going to court to present your case today?"

"Yeah," Elphick nodded removing her glass to wipe it clean. "Minister Shacklebolt and Potter are meeting me down there. I can't help but be a bit nervous with this being my first solo case and all."

"You'll do fine, Elphick," Swann reassured as they entered the gold gated elevator.

"I hope so." Elphick exhaled. Her eyes flicked up to Swann. "How are you doing? It's been a while since you've been to work, you know since the accident..."
Elphick trailed off when she saw Swann's face darken a little. She decided to face forward instead.

"I'm fine, Elphick," Swann said stiffly. "Just worry about your case. I needed to come back. Heaven knows how much paperwork has piled on my desk for me."

The elevator stopped. A disembodied voice spoke, "Level two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters, and Wizengamot Administration Services."

The two Aurors stepped out of the elevator and went in different directions. Swann headed to her office. A wooden door with a golden plaque embossed with her name greeted her opening magically to her.

The usual desk and decorations of her office remained in their same place. The photo of her and her partner, an older name with slightly greying hair and hazel eyes, continued to dance and kiss happily. Her partner looked out to her with his normal big smile. He then turned back to Swann in the photo and kissed her spinning her around.

Swann pushed the picture down flat to her desk. Enough was enough. It was time to work and move on. She sat and saw all the flyers that had gotten into her office while she was recovering.

Two were actual policy changes while most were reminders and memos from her department and others. Underneath the flyers, she found a letter.

Her mother's name flashed in red ink upon the parchment. Swann hadn't personally spoken to her mother for many months since becoming an Auror Elite, top of the Auror division, second only to the Head of the Department. It was even more dangerous than regular Auror work. She had to take great risks. Her mother didn't understand. Her mother had the biggest worry bone of anyone she knew. She loved her mother, but her worry drove her crazy.

Swann collapsed into her chair and got to work reexamining the paperwork before sealing it and sending it the Head's Office. As the hours passed, many other Aurors popped in and out. They welcomed her back but also requested things of her. One wanted to make sure she was alright.

A paper airplane landed on her desk. She didn't need to look up to see who tossed it.

"What do you want, Alexander?"

"I came to see if the rumors were true. The great and marvelous Avery Swann has returned to the Ministry. We were worried that you weren't coming back." A young man about her age crossed the room and leaned on her desk. His blonde hair was slicked back in a pompadour. He was dressed quite sharply trying to impress everyone.

"I stayed away from as long as I wanted. Mr. Potter said I could take as long as I needed." She pushed his hand off her desk to get some of the paperwork he was on. "I don't need anyone's permission to leave for recovery."

"Well, now that you are back, maybe we can get some lunch sometime."

Avery's eyes snapped up angerly up at Alexander. "I just lost my partner. I'm not in the market for a new one. Now, please leave my office, I have work that I need to catch up on."

"Maybe you will in a few weeks. I'll hold out hope for you." He winked and left the office.

She rolled her eyes. Alexander had been fighting for her attention since he joined the Aurors. She remembered him from school. He was a year below her and was one of the students who thought highly of himself. He wasn't much for teamwork.

A snow-white owl flew through her door landing happily on the perch beside her desk. Swann addressed the owl with a quick stroke on its chest and untied the letter attached to its leg. As she broke the seal, the owl took off.

"Swann, welcome back. I need to see you in the Minister's office right away. We have a new assignment for you. -Potter"

Avery sighed and slipped her wand back up her sleeve. She made her way to the Minister's office and knocked on the door. It swung open and Avery spotted three men chatting calmly together.

The two who faced the door was instantly recognizable. One was Prime Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt sitting at the desk folding hands close to his mouth. Standing behind Kingsley was Harry Potter, Head of the Auror Department, the Boy who Lived, Vanquisher of Voldemort. His untidy hair hid the scar left by the Killing Curse that rebounded.

She had been at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with him. She was only a year younger than Harry, roughly the same age as his wife, Ginny Potter. It almost made her chuckle thinking about all the trouble the school experienced because Voldemort had been trying to kill him. Her sixth year though there was a Battle for Hogwarts. The memories of that still haunted her and others who had been there.

"You wished to see me?" She spoke up.

"Yes, Swann," Kingsley turned his attention. "I'm glad you're here. How are you feeling?"

"I could be better, sir. I won't lie."

"That's unfortunate. Hopefully, you'll feel well enough to continue your mission of hunting down Flanigan." Kingsley gestured to the man not facing Avery. "I suppose you remember Mr. Mycroft Holmes."

The man stood and turned to Avery. She let her eyes scan him. He was at least forty with a slowly receding hairline. A sharp suit cleverly hid a few extra pounds.

"Of course," Avery smiled and shook Mycroft's hand. "The Romanian case, it's been awhile."

"I would say so," he greeted. "How have you been?"

"Tolerable," Avery joked but then turned serious. "What's the deal with Flanigan?"

"He's resurfaced," Harry passed a folder to her. "He's killing Muggles again."

Avery opened the file and flipped through the multiple pictures of the victims. "Am I to assume that Mycroft is here as a Muggle Ministry Representative to bring this madman to an end?"

"At the rate that he is going, there will be a national incident, the public will go crazy," Mycroft confirmed. "I'm here to make sure the best Auror is on the case."

"We had recommended to not put you back on the case. However," Kingsley eyed Mycroft. "He insisted that you would work the best."

Avery hesitated. She wanted revenge, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to control herself from killing him rather than bringing him in. "What did you have in mind?"

Mycroft sighed taking her question as a sign. "Have you ever heard of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Can't say I have."

"Well, he's a detective of sorts and unfortunately has caught wind of the murders and has been investigating. I need you to get close and keep him out of harm's way while still trying to catch Flanigan."

"Holmes...so you need me to keep an eye on your little brother," she thought out loud.

"I never said-"

"It was a good guess." Avery cut Mycroft off. "I will accept, but I will work alone. I'm not risking another Auror's life."

Harry and Kingsley looked at each other unsure.

"Alright," Kingsley broke the silence. "You'll start immediately. You will be relocated to a better position of observation."

"Relocate?" Avery pressed.

"Why, yes," Mycroft said.

"Where to?"

"221B Baker Street."

"Is there a possibility for me to come in out of the rain?" Avery looked around her hoping for Mrs. Hudson to get the hint.

"Oh, yes, please come in." Mrs. Hudson stepped back opening the door all the way.

"Thank you," Avery entered after shaking her umbrella out. She dropped the umbrella in the holder by the door setting down her case. "Is there anything you'd like me to sign before moving my stuff in?"

"Oh yes," she gestured for Avery to follow. "I had to change the contract due to some… interesting upstairs tenants."

"What do you mean by interesting?" Avery asked as she sat at the table.

"Well," Mrs. Hudson trod lightly. "They certainly cause a lot of problems." She placed a thirty-page packet in front of Avery.

"Wow," Avery flipped through the pages glancing at the words. A few flew off the page on her. "Dismembered body parts, gunshots, fires, odd smells, poisoned tea, why don't you kick them out?"

"I owe one of them for help my former husband during his trial."

"Oh, so he saved him."

"Oh no, he made sure that he would be executed."

Avery, slightly stunned, turned back to the papers. "Right," she breathed. "Just give me a minute and I'll have everything ready for you."

"I'll make you some tea."

"That would be great," Avery called back to Mrs. Hudson. She slipped her wand silently from her sleeve. She muttered a spell under her breath and the pages began flipped fast past her eyes. All the information entered her mind and it landed on the signature page. "She was rather thorough," Avery whispered.

As she signed her name, Mrs. Hudson poked her head back in the room. "Sugar, cream?"

"Sugar is fine." Waiting for a few minutes, Avery finally called out, "I've finished, and it's signed. I'll leave the first year's rent on top. I'm going to go unpack."

"Thank you, dear. I'll bring down you some tea when it's done. I still don't know why you wanted 221C."

Avery ignored that last comment and grabbed her case. She turned the knob to 221C and was greeted by a gloomy stairway. At the bottom of the stairs, a closed-door greeted her. She entered 221C.

A gross moldy sight greeted. The carpet was torn up slightly and the fireplace was crumbling. The kitchen was in total disarray.

"Well, I have a lot of work ahead of me." Avery removed her wand again and put a levitation charm on her bag to keep it from touching the ground.

She was about to cast another spell, but she heard Mrs. Hudson coming down the stairs. The suitcase dropped and tucked it to the side.

"Well, what do you think?" Mrs. Hudson greeted.

"It might need some work." Avery agreed. "But it won't be hard to fix. I would ask to not be bothered while I work."

"I understand, dear." Mrs. Hudson patted her gently on the shoulder. "Bring the tray back up when you're done, dear."

Avery waited for Mrs. Hudson to shut the upstairs door. Avery sighed and waved her wand. The room brightened and the wall repainted, carpet cleaned. The pipes creaked as they mended. The windows sealed again. The mold vanished with the fireplace mending.

With a final flick of her wand, her suitcase flew open and began unpacking. Avery picked up a cup of tea and sat just as her couch expanded beneath her. She glanced around as the final detail landed in place. "Perfect," she took a sip. "Maybe we can call this home for a while."

It's so nice to be back. I can't wait for you to see what is in store.