More Than Just A New Beginning

Chapter 13

Peter waited impatiently for an answer as his palm was pressed against the wall. Each move Harry made was watched closely, cautiously, Peter was very guarded, he knew nothing of this person or his motives, other than the fact he was somehow an Alpha without being a werewolf. Which in itself was extremely baffling and Peter did not like being confused.

Inhaling sharply when he felt something stirring, he was just about to yank his hand back away knowing magic when he felt it. before he could make the conscious decision to withdraw he felt tiny pinpricks before it was over and Harry withdrew.

Flipping his hand over he stared at it befuddled, not even a little bit of blood to showcase the fact he'd felt needs inserted under his skin. Magic didn't work that way, at least none he had read off. "What are you?" he repeated, becoming increasingly frustrated with the secrecy, eyes flashing blue in a show of his inability to control his emotions.

Harry took pity on him, he had just woke up from a coma, everything he knew had changed…so, of course, he'd feel off kilter and definitely emotional. It would take a while for him to regain his former strength, emotionally and physically.

"I'm a wizard," Harry explained, "And please don't do the discourtesy of comparing me to a druid or a spark." He added more exasperated than anything, it's what people took him for, more often a spark of course, which was far less insulting.

"They were wiped out," Peter refuted that statement, "Way back in what…1663? Hunters got every single one of them, right down to the last child."

Harry nodded, pride gleaming in his eyes, having not expected even this much from Peter. The exact year they went into hiding, but considering how old the Hale bloodline was…he shouldn't have been surprised. "You're quite correct, that is what history will remember."

"History?" Peter asked, speculatively, eyes greedy for more information. Glancing once again at the wall, wondering what type of magic it was. "Then at least one of you had to have survived the Salem witch trials?" this magical world seemed to have gone into hiding before the trials, he knew the years they didn't fit.

"The witch trials as they're referred to…" Harry started, making them some coffee, with a flick of his hand. "Killed mostly…Ordinary people with a whole load of untrained witches, children mostly." His voice sombre, it was one of the darkest periods of history, one they did not ever want to see repeated. "They had a competent President, and thus were able to safeguard our people adequately."

"But you survived?" Peter questioned, sitting down, enthusiastic to hear more about this magical world. He'd always valued knowledge as much as money.

"We survived yes, MACUSA was created to safeguard wizards and witches." Harry explained, as the tray of hot beverages floated over towards them. "To protect us from hunters. It wasn't just hunters after us either, but Scourers, wizards and witches who hunted down their fellow kind. Before MACUSA we weren't policed, thankfully though laws were implemented and with a great deal of effort and sacrifice we pulled through and became a civilised society. The Salem witch trials just drove us further underground. It got to a point where we were actually forbidden to even interact with Mundane's those laws were eventually discarded."

Peter was enraptured with the information, it took his mind off a lot of things that were worrying him. Not including his daughter of course. "How could this information have been lost?"

"Not technically lost, perhaps on your part, but we've always been aware of the supernatural society on a whole. Lately…in the past decade or so we've noticed there's been a massive surge of attacks on the supernatural on a whole, with Ordinary people advancing…that the people decided that there needed to be a taskforce created to deal with the Ordinary people killing supernatural, which is my department. There are many other departments, we all have our own focuses." Harry explained, hopefully he didn't get too many more questions, because quite frankly, history wasn't his strong suit.

"You mean hunters not Ordinary people," Peter sneered, how he loathed their very existence.

"They're both, and MACUSA has just begun to realize just how dangerous things are even without knowledge of most things magical. Unfortunately…our job mostly only allows for avenging those who have already been killed." Oh, they had saved people, numerous times, directly, and saved hundreds indirectly by getting the scum off the street, but they'd had many five or six cases where they'd found their target in time to save the victim. The young girl was just the latest example, unfortunately, it was all down to Zane who had led the team perfectly. He deserved his own team, but Harry didn't want him off his own. Not yet.

"Are there books available on the subject?" Peter asked, the thought of reading about all this history was fascinating. To think that the supernatural history had them as extinct.

"Most certainly, there are supernatural websites saved on my laptop, you can buy whatever you please. Same day purchases are exactly that, same day. Within an hour they'll be boxed up and here via owl." Harry said, glancing briefly at Derek, who was watching them both with an amused look, Peter's desire for knowledge evidently wasn't news to the werewolf. "In my library there's a list of books I do have, at the ladder but they are a little light on history it's not been one I've…been interested in overly much. I can recommend a few that might suit you best until you become more aware of the magical world and understand greater. Unfortunately, a few of them are archaic Latin…"

"I both understand and can write archaic Latin," Peter said smugly, as if something mundane as a different language would be allowed to hinder his knowledge.

Derek chuckled at the look on Harry's face, "Classical too, a lot of the books in the Hale vault were written in Latin and Uncle Peter was determined to learn them so he could read everything."

"Are the vaults connected to the tunnels in your home?" Harry asked, quite alarmed he hadn't asked before. Worried that they may well have been found. "Unfortunately, when something tragic happens…people get nosy and greedy…" a grimace splitting his features. It's exactly what had happened to his family.

"There are tunnels all over Beacon Hills, one vault, the only entrance is miles away from the house and requires the claws of a Hale." Peter said smugly at his family's competence. It was a nifty piece of magic that their families spark had accomplished, unfortunately, they hadn't had another spark since.

Harry relaxed, "That's good," relieved to hear that their vault was untouched. He truly was pleased to hear that the families valuables were safe from greedy vultures.

Derek reflected on that grimace, not needing further information to realize that Harry's home had been pilfered by greedy people after his family died apparently. It made him sick to his stomach at the thought of anyone coming into his family home and just looking through the burnt out ruins. No, it made his skin crawl.

Harry passed over the cups, as he grabbed his at home laptop, which didn't have any case files or anything work related on it. putting it on the arm of the chair, he opened it up and waited the few moments for it to boot up, drinking his coffee only to roll his eyes before sighing in exasperation, there was never peace to be had.

Shifting slightly, he pulled out his phone, noticing the battery was getting a little low. Accepting the call, he put it to his ear, "Auror Harry Potter speaking,"

"Sir, we're here to collect the blood sample," came the voice of Auror White.

"Of course, come on in," Harry informed him, the wards shifting to allow them entrance. "Top floor." Was all he added before the call ended.

"It looks like you will have your daughter here very soon," Harry said, with that blood, they could track her down within half an hour, if they even needed that. Blood was a very good tool to have, whether they were tracking victim or perp. "Do you want to do it or shall I?" Harry asked as he summoned a vial, "You'll only need a few drops, blood…is a very powerful thing to those who have magic."

"And us," Peter corrected, "We do have our own magic." just because they didn't have active magic, didn't mean they couldn't at least perform some rituals.

Harry inhaled sharply at that, "That sort of magic should not be performed." He warned Peter, "It weakens you," which was quite true, and he could imagine just what sort of knowledge Peter had on blood rituals. He didn't even need to know which particular one it was to know this.

Peter nodded solemnly, he'd only ever use it if he had no other choice. He couldn't promise anyone, even his Alpha that he wouldn't use it. Thankfully, he wasn't making demands of him that he shouldn't use it. unsheathing a single claw, he slashed his finger and pressed it into the lip of the vial. More than just a few drops went in, but his wound quickly healed and the blood letting stopped.

Harry stood up, putting the coffee down, and accepted the vial before meeting the Aurors at the door.

"Give me an update every step of the way, text messaging is perfectly fine." Harry stated sharply, "The father is here, and I'm sure he will take comfort in any knowledge that comes through."

"Of course, Sir, we'll get on it right away," Auror White was quick to agree, they worked in the Minor Crimes Department, but had expressed a desire to work with his, depending on how well they worked today, Harry just might accept them. He was going to need everyone he could get to work on the Argent case. There was more than one facet of it.

"We'll keep you updated," Auror Wilkes agreed.

"I look forward to it, thank you gentlemen." Harry said kindly, letting them get back to MACUSA and the taskforce that was scheduled to head out and find Malia Hale. She was Malia Hale, she had not been adopted legally – despite evidence to the contrary – if she was a werewolf, she would never go back to being a Tate. Harry closed the door sighing softly, as he ambled back to the sofa and reclaimed his seat and coffee, not bothering to explain, they had heard every word.

"Incoming," was the only warning the two Hales had before the portkey deposited Cora Hale and Eric Carlton, the wizard who had tracked her down.

"Thank you, Eric, your funds will be deposited into your account by tomorrow morning." Harry said, standing up, glancing longingly at his coffee, it seemed it wasn't meant to be. "Unfortunately, I have to leave, otherwise I'd offer you a cup," he sighed, which was true enough, he had a woman sitting in his office for him and a whole load of Mundane cases to go through with suspicious supernatural happenstance.

"I've got a new job to do," Eric waved off, so he wouldn't have been able to stay himself.

"Thank you," Cora offered up tremulously, overwhelmed and shaken to the core that her family…her family had been alive all this time with her living with the guilt of being the only survivor. Instinctively knowing that she wouldn't be here without Harry. Harry who had looked into her family's murders, who had gotten Peter help, saved his life, and found her too and Malia.

Breathing shakily, eyes greedily taking in the frozen form of her brother and Uncle, tears raining down her face. Choking back the sobs, so utterly overwhelmed by the sight of them.

Adjusting the wards, Harry gave Eric a nod, and both of them apparated, giving the reuniting family privacy not before seeing Derek crouching on the floor, beside his seat, mouth opening...Harry could guess a whole platitude of 'sorry' were going to be coming out of his mouth.

Harry could only hope one day, that the family would be whole again.

"Hey boss," came the voices of Harry's team, as Harry entered the bullpen.

"Are the rumours true?" Zane asked, moving towards Harry, handing off a thick wad of paperwork in folders for him.

"Which ones?" Harry queried, as he accepted them. slowing his walk to his office only slightly, so he had more time to discuss whatever Zane wished to.

"The Taylor and his team have a Chaos Demon to deal with?" Zane asked, positively tense and alert.

"Yes, they do, they're in Beacon Hills right now," Harry said, "You should give yourself a part on the back there mate, if you hadn't looked into Beacon Hills and the Hale fire…or the nexus…Nemeton," he corrected using the better known term for the Nemeton, "Otherwise….that town would have ended up a hellmouth. You may well have saved everyone in that town…hell, maybe millions."

Zane just gaped at Harry's back, more to do with the fact the rumours were true, there really was a Chaos Demon that had survived the damn purge way back when. To think his desire to protect his boss, and do his job properly…had let to this significant discovery was amazing.

"Ma'am? I'm Auror Harry Potter, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but you said you wanted to speak to me?" Harry said as he nodded, they didn't really shake hands in the magical world. He sat down on his chair, staring at the witch curiously. The boxes had been thoughtfully spread around so not to obstruct his view of her.

"I…I've heard that you…might be able to help," the desperation oozed from the witch, as she clutched a file in her hands, which were shaking. Eyes rimmed red as if she had been crying.

"Okay, help with what?" Harry asked, giving her his full undivided attention. While he was at work, he intended to be at work and he couldn't split his focus.

"My daughter…" the witch choked off.

"May I know your name, ma'am?" Harry asked soothingly, green eyes gleaming with sympathy.

"Um…Sally, Sally Reed," she told him straightening, unconsciously copying his confident stance.

"Well, Sally, I know this is difficult, take your time," Harry said, "What's your daughters name?"

"Sara, she…she's eight-years-old," she told him, breathing shakily, "She and my husband disappeared last year."

"Is that a case file?" Harry asked, gesturing towards the file, knowing it indeed was.

Sally nodded, handing it over, her grip momentarily tightening before she let it go.

Harry flipped through the casefile, and he felt sympathy for her. Her husband had been found, bloodied and beaten a AGSW was the cause of death. "Had your daughter presented?" as either a Witch or Supernatural.

"I…I saw her eyes flash…I think, just the once…" she admitted, crumbling in on herself, expecting him now to tell her to go to the creature department as she had been when she went to the MCD. "Please, she's just a little girl…I just want my daughter back…" unable to help herself but plead for his pity and mercy.

"Please the creature department and major crimes department just brushed me off…please," she continued when Harry remained silent.

"You understand that cold cases tend to be more…difficult to solve?" Harry said softly, sympathetic to her plight.

"She's not a case," Sally argued vehemently, "She's my daughter! A living breathing child! Who has done no wrong in her life!"

"I'm to assume you didn't give her a piece of jewellery with a tracking charm on it?" Harry asked pensively.

"The bracelet was found a mile from the scene, like it had come off in a struggle." Sally confessed bitterly.

"So she originally got away, until she was caught again," Harry mused, "If it came off by accident, then it's conceivable that they don't know anything about magic." which meant he could theoretically take the case on. Unfortunately, the likelihood of getting the child back alive…was very unlikely. It had been a year to the day, since she lost her husband and her child.

"The MCJ said they did," Sally said tearfully. "Please say you'll help? Gemma said you helped her mom find her brother…please?"

"You are…a long way from home," Harry said slowly, knowing exactly which case she was referring to. Ironically enough, he had just finished dealing with them for Cora. Gemma must be the big sister, a up and coming druid. They didn't adhere to the belief of non-interference, so druid wasn't exactly what they liked to call themselves. "Have they helped?"

"Yes, many Beta's have come to help, they've been so good to me," Sally confessed, "Gemma has been…a godsend, she finally finished university and came to visit last week and explained…"

"And tracking her scent wasn't a viable option?" Harry asked, surprising her he could see, with his knowledge of werewolves.

"They tried, oh, they tried, sent their best trackers...but it rained very heavily and the foot traffic…it was a futile task, but they refused to give up…if only I had taken the bite…" she choked off.

"No," Harry stated sharply, "Never doubt yourself. Even if you had a pack bond to your daughter, as the Alpha mate…" assuming her husband was an alpha by the bite reference. "They don't act as a tracking charm, you still wouldn't have found her, instead you would have found yourself an omega and unstable. Not even an Alpha can track by bond alone, they need scent to back them up unless they're born with a little extra special." With the loss of her husband and daughter, she may well have gone feral. "This way you can help with a clear head." Giving her the reassurance she already knew but needed desperately from a third party.

"You'll help?" head jerking up, eyes wide and ever so hopeful.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, "I'll look into it," was all Harry said, refusing to give her any promises, his workload was immense right now, and his responsibilities were getting on top of him. Not only was he an Alpha to a pack of Hales, who were going through a tough time, but he had two mass scale cases, and another Hale being looked for.

It was no surprise that his phone had been vibrating in his pocket the entire time as he was continuously updated.

"You understand why I can't make any promises?" he added solemnly.

Sally swallowed thickly, giving a jerky nod, her daughter might be dead. she knew that, she thought about it in the dead of the night, when she stopped handing out leaflets, following leads and just pleading with the Aurors just to look at the case again. Sleep…was not easily found, she was lucky if she slept a few hours every day, and her haggard and worn appearance proved it.

"Tell me, have you thought to use a Private Investigator?" Harry asked, an idea springing to mind.

"I don't have the money to hire one," Sally admitted, shame faced, "I haven't worked in a year…" she'd been living very, very frugally and selling anything she could in order to just make ends meet. Even her husbands life insurance was running low, but without it…she wouldn't have been able to do this at all. If she did hire one…she'd have nothing left within two months and she couldn't be homeless when her daughter was found…otherwise they'd take her into care.

Harry nodded slowly unsurprised, "Would you mind if I gave it to one? I'm sure he wouldn't mind working pro-bono for this case at least." A lot of people owed him favours, so he knew he could get one to do this for him.

Sally numbly nodded her head, she would do anything to save her daughter. She refused to believe she was dead…she couldn't be. Sally had already lost her husband, she couldn't lose Sara too.

"May I copy this?" Harry asked kindly.

"It's a copy itself of what they were willing to give," Sally whispered quietly, "You might find a more detailed file here."

"That's true, but a lot of this is details you've added on your own, which will help both us and a PI if one takes on the case." Harry explained, and it was very detailed, every single 'sighting' had been investigated on her own.

Sally nodded firmly, "Go ahead," she agreed, hope exploding within her, she owed Gemma so much. Every other attempt had failed, they were all so cold and…and…callous. Harry had actually listened to her and agreed to help.

"Thank you," Harry said, lowering the wards, "Will? Get in here, I'll have someone show you out." To ensure she wasn't bothered by anyone. It seemed like she'd been dismissed by pretty much everyone.

"Sir?" Will asked, entering the room looking a little mystified. It wasn't often they were pulled off cases or called for by Harry into his office. In fact, Will couldn't remember a single time where it had happened.

"Please escort Sally to the doors, and ensure she isn't bothered by anyone." Harry stated, making it clear that it wasn't a forceful escorting she needed out. "I'll keep you updated but don't expect to hear anything for a few days." He cautioned her.

Sally nodded once, "Thank you, thank you so much."

"You're welcome, go home and get some sleep," Harry stated, imbuing a bit of magic into it. She wouldn't be forced to follow Harry's command, but it was like a subliminal message. She needed the rest, she was beyond exhausted. If she wasn't going to look after herself, then he would do what little he could. He couldn't bring him to suggest that its what her husband would have wanted, even if it was. It was the anniversary today, the grief was probably closer to the surface.

It didn't take too long before the two were gone.

Sighing softly, Harry leaned back with a groan. Damn, the work just kept piling and piling up. He knew a few PI's who would give the case the looking at it deserved. Hopefully one of them would be available. Right now though, he had other cases that required his immediate attention.

With a thoughtful look on his face, Harry rearranged all the boxes by the date, all starting after the fire. Talia Hale may have been a failure in more ways than one, but she had taken care of her territory appropriately. Which couldn't have been easy at all, especially living so closely to a beacon, which naturally drew the supernatural in causing more incidents than other territories.

He wrote a quick email to the director of the camp, he wanted to find out if Laura knew just how vulnerable the territory was. If she did…there was no way he could let her ever reclaim the territory. It would prove she was as selfish as he believed she was. Then again, family meant everything to him and she'd abandoned them, so nothing honestly would surprise him to say the least.

He then shot of a text message to give to Peter, who didn't have anything, not even a phone yet.

Then his afternoon was filled with reading through each and every case file. A great many of them were missing person files, others were murder unexplainable murder cases, supernatural creatures without a doubt. Parrish had good instincts he'd give him that, most certainly.

A knock distracted him as he hauled up another casefile, instead of waiting for him to answer, they walked in. With silencing spells around the room, it was impossible for them to hear him if he did ask them to enter.

"Here's everything we could get on Deaton, he has an opening for an assistant…if you want someone to go in undercover?" Zane stated, handing over a box that clearly had Deaton written across it. "I know you want information we cannot gather without a warrant."

Giving Zane a speculative look, "Is there enough evidence for a warrant?"

"From what I can see? Not really, unless we put 'was a shitty emissary' on the warrant." Zane said wryly, "Everything else is just pure speculation." And that definitely wouldn't give them grounds for a warrant.

Harry laughed, an amused grin on his face, "Yeah, yeah I get it," he hated the constraints but the law was the law, he upheld it to the best of his ability and very rarely did they get away.

"It's a school kid he wants, between the ages of fifteen to eighteen," Zane added, "Which means you'd need to use one of the cadets."

"That's a dream come true for them," Harry mused thoughtfully, "It would only be for a few weeks or so. Can druids sense our magic though? I know other supernatural creatures can, they think I'm a spark, would a druid automatically assume the cadet was?" leaning back in his chair.

"That's definitely something you'd have to ask Mike," Zane admitted, Mike was a Mage, neither wizard nor Druid, but his knowledge of all things magic was immense and amazing.

Harry laughed, "Yeah, I don't think he's going to appreciate it on top of what else he has on his plate." Dealing with a Chaos Demon would be damn terrifying to everyone else, but Mike and Taylor knew just what they were capable of, most knowledgably.

His phone went off yet again, sighing softly, reading the text message as more came through, "That's Mike now…huh, that's interesting…it would seem Jordan's attracted to a budding spark, a spark is pretty much the only thing that can bond to a Nemeton, what's the bets the Nemeton is nudging Jordan in the right direction?"

"A new guardian has been chosen then?" Zane mused thoughtfully, "Does he say who?"

"The child goes by the nickname Stiles, he's the new elected sheriff's son." Harry replied, as he read, "Not many will ever get to know his birth name, you and I know the…secrecy involved in full names." Its why the magical world liked to have more than one middle name, and they were rarely told outside of immediate family. They weren't even put on the birth certificate.

"The kid might not even know his own full name," Zane agreed, "I wonder what drove at least one of the parents into living in the mundane world…" not often those with magic take on mundane jobs, so perhaps his mother was the magical practitioner.

"Sparks can miss generations," Harry admitted, "But it seems unlikely that this is what happened here." with the nickname and such, it was probably at the mother or fathers urging.

"I wonder if Deaton is the threat the Nemeton is warning Jordan about?" Zane questioned, eyes narrowed.

Harry blinked, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, sparks have unlimited potential, depending on which way they go…their abilities will be seen as obscene and an insult to the balance…sparks never remain neutral, they gravitate towards packs…especially packs close to the nexus'…if the kid was born in Beacon Hills, he's more connected than anyone usually is."

Harry begun typing away, "There are only two Stilinski's in Beacon Hills, one is the sheriff and a kid…oh, boy, I'm afraid I couldn't say that name if I tried…well kudos on making it even more difficult." He sniggered to himself.

"That's Polish," Zane said, after making his way around the desk. "It means famous man, famous bear, the names borne of two early polish rulers, I wonder if he's part of that family. If he is I had no idea they were sparks…" it was something they'd know.

Harry stared at him amused.

"I have an aunt who married my uncle, he's Polish, you pick things up," Zane admitted, "He left when he was seventeen, married my aunt, settled down here. He used to go back every summer, we went with him more than a few times…learned the language and the country is full of rich character." He admitted.

"Stilinski isn't a Polish name, neither is Noah, must be his mum…got it, her maiden name is Gajos." Harry replied, "The name isn't familiar but I don't know much about Sparks other than they're revered and extremely powerful." And that he was often mistaken for one.

"I best get a cadet picked out then," Harry said, if Deaton was a danger to a kid…he definitely needed to find out. He wondered if the Hales were acquainted with the family. He'd need to find out for sure. Something else he would need to find out.

Another text message came through, this time from Auror white.

"And they've found Malia Hale…she's a damn Coyote," Harry said in disbelief. Well, that settled it, Malia would be remaining with the Hale pack for sure.

Poor Harry has a lot on his plate! Will Peter be an intelligent supernatural tracker in this? Perhaps a thriving business of selling and buying magical artefacts? Perhaps both? Or will we go our usual route and make him a lawyer? Will he return to his chosen field? Would you like this to be a Peter/Stiles story as it was in the original? Or going to be more accurately...Will we see Stiles aged up? R&R please