Pharaoh's Magi

A/N: I hate this chapter. Like, really hate this chapter.

Chapter 11

When Harry returned to the temple of Justice he appeared calm and collected. It was a startling contrast from the frantic boy who had run out of the temple an hour before. But the prophecy was spoken, and the situation was now out of Harry's hands. Hermione was taking care of it, and there was nothing he could do except wait for an update, which he would receive that night.

The moment Hasani saw Harry he headed straight for the boy. As the self-appointed office gossip the man was always looking for a new scoop, even at the detriment of his work. Hasani would never be moved from accolit. He was fine with that, even going as far as saying he provided an invaluable service to the Temple.

"What was that about?" Hassani asked.

"I'm a Seer." Harry said. "Sometimes I have visions, and my visions are almost always urgent."

"Cool!" Hassani exclaimed. "What did you see?"

"Snake bite. Rather deadly snake, but hopefully he's getting help now and will survive."

"Whoa."

"Yeah. I know the man, and his family, so I'll get an update tonight."

"So cool." Mana said approaching.

Harry's cheeks began to color from the pretty girls attention. Beside her, Hassan snickered and gave Harry a knowing look. The younger boy shot his friend a glare before turning his attention back to Mana.

"That's just my first mastery." Harry said. "I have a second one in an archaic magic."

"Well that's helpful." Hasani scoffed, voice heavy with sarcasm.

"It can be." Harry said, beginning to imagine its applications. "It's not like the magic we use now."

"Oh?" The new voice came from behind him. Harry turned to see Justice Zuliki approaching them.

"Sir." Harry greeted him respectfully.

"Easy accolite." Zuliki said. "I came to see that you are well."

"Yes sir. All's good. I should get back to work."

"Hold, please," the Justice said. "I would like to speak with you."

Harry's shoulders slumped. He was in trouble.

"Yes sir."

"This way please." Justice Zuliki said, and led Harry through the Temple.

They approached the Justices' chambers, a part of the Temple Harry had never been in before. His heart continued to race as he followed the Young Justice inside.

Justice Heba was seated inside at a square table. She looked like a mother, with an air about her that felt warm and welcoming. Zuliki moved to sit at the table, Harry was instructed to do the same. Heba smiled her warmest at him, and Harry relaxed a fraction.

Justice Heba began to speak. "We'll start by addressing the divination. We knew when we hired you that you could be called away during work hours. You are not in trouble for that."

"Just try not to spill coffee on parchment next time" Zuliki said, holding up a paper with ink smeared all over it.

Harry blushed violently. "I'll try my best sir."

"It's hard to juggle being a Seer and holding another job. What happens when you get an important vision during a work emergency? Which emergency do you go for?"

Harry opened his mouth, but Justice Heba shook her head.

"I'm not asking for an answer. This is a question you must think on. You need to know what you're going to do when that day comes."

"Yes ma'am." Harry said.

Zuliki began to speak. "It is rare to find one of your talent interested in Law Enforcement. There are special circumstances to take into account, and is difficult to work around them."

"But it is worth it" Justice Heba added, and Zuliki nodded agreement.

"Which is why there is a division within the Temple that was designed with people in special circumstances in mind. Not just seers, but others as well. We would like to offer you a change in position from accolite to the Investigator."

It was hard to believe. He was six months into the job, and he was being promoted? The boy managed to stutter out a thank you. Justice Heba escorted Harry to the offices of the Investigators.

On the way he caught Mana and Hasanni waiting for him. He gave them a thumbs up and a smile. Receiving a return thumbs up from Hasanni, and an brilliant smile from Mana. Harry thought she was even prettier when she smiled.

The first person Harry saw upon entering the area was an ancient man, older than Dumbledore Harry guessed. He was seated at a desk that faced the door, and was covered in stacked papers. Four more desks were arranged into tables behind that. At one such table sat two women.

The man has looked up as Harry entered the room. He smiled a huge grin that showed off his crooked and missing teeth.

"Justice Heba, what brings you here today?" The man asked.

"I bring you a new Investigator." She said, gesturing. "This is Harry Potter. He is a seer, and so far a good worker. Still part-time, and will be until he finishes his mathematics and sciences."

"Hello Harry." The man said. "I'm Samuel, and these lovely ladies are Isis and Cairo."

The two women had turned to look at him. The first was tall. She frowned at Harry and returned to her work. Across the desk was a tiny gold woman. Her metal skin glittered as she rose to meet him.

"Hi." She chirped, and even her voice was metallic. "I'm Isis, and that is Cairo. I'm so glad you're here."

Harry began to smile back. Her excitement and stature reminded him of Professor Flitwick, and her gold body was unusual even in the magical world. Harry caught himself before he asked her what she was, unsure it would be polite.

Instead Harry said "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Beside him, the Justice bid her farewell. Pleasantries over Isis returned to her desk, and Harry looked to Old Samuel. The old man directed Harry to the other set of desks. He sat down as Samuel pulled over his chair. He placed a small stack of papers on the desk between them as he sat down.

"How much do you know about the Investigators?" Old Samuel asked.

"Not much." Harry admitted. "Mana's been running all the errands for you, so this is the first time I've even been in here."

"That's fine. We're not Justices or Mutaridaan so most people pay no attention to us." The old man said with good humor. "It works out well for us when our suspects don't suspect us back."

The elderly wizard pulled the first page off his stack of papers. "You're going to see a lot of paperwork here. So I'm going to familiarize you with the forms we use..."

At home, Harry found his godfather hosting tea with Odion and Shadi.

"Pull up a seat." Remus greeted.

"I had a vision at work"

"Are you ok?"

"I, yes. I think." Harry stumbled. "It was Mr. Weasley, but I made sure someone got to him in time."

"Good." Sirius declared.

"But that's not all."

"Oh?"

"When I came back, I was called into a meeting with some of the Justices."

"Oh, Harry." Remus began, but Harry was quick to interrupted him.

"Nonono, it's good. They wanted to talk to me about moving from accolite to Investigator. I've been promoted!"

Sirius jumped from his chair and enveloped Harry in a hug. As he was being smothered, Harry could hear Remus, Shadi, and Odion all calling their congratulations. Harry allowed the exuberant hug to continue for several moments before he finally pushed his godfather off. Sirius returned to his seat, and Harry pulled up one for himself.

"Have you used the Scales at your job?" Shadi asked. "They seem to have been appropriately gifted."

Harry thought it was a great idea. He had looked into the Scales. Originally they were an extension of the pharaoh's will, a full court of law where the device was judge, jury, and executioner. But at their most basic the device was a lie detector, and Harry could use that.

"Not yet." Harry answered. "There wasn't much use for them as an acolyte, but now that I'm an Investigator that might change."

"A word of warning, the punishment dealt by the Scales are Shadow Magic." Odion said. "They don't align with current punishment standards, and may be considered crude or even barbaric in some circumstances."

"Or countries." Sirius said. "The British use dementors to suck out a criminal's soul. There's not much difference in using a device to do the same thing now is there?"

Harry knew they were heading for dangerous territory. It was time to change the subject.

"What are you guys doing here?" He asked Shadi and Odion.

"We have news of our own." Odion said.

"Ishizu has seen our tomb being opened." Shadi added.

"They want to be represented properly when the tomb is "discovered", so they came to me." Sirius said, pleased.

Odion glanced to the clock and sighed. "We need to be going. I'll tell my siblings your good news."

"Thanks." Said Harry. "Tell Marik I'll stop by later, ok?"

They all gave their farewells, and Sirius escorted Odion and Shadi out.

Harry's next few months sped by. After learning the paperwork, Harry shadowed the other three investigators. He worked with Samuel the most. The old man was a fount of knowledge gained from years of experience. His procedure was flawless, but it was the little tricks that impressed Harry the most.

Isis and Cairo each took their turns. Isis was a ball of sunshine, Harry thought, and tried not to giggle at the pun. She answered all the questions Harry asked with patience and her golden sunshine smile. Cairo started off scary, but soon Harry realized she became grumpy when bothered at her desk. When they went into the field, or was on break, she was personable and Harry enjoyed working with her.

And then Harry was given his first real case!

"We'll be right here if you need us." Isis said cheerfully.

Even so, Harry was nervous. Butterflies fluttered through his stomach. What if he messed up. He pushed those thoughts aside summoned his Gryffindor courage, and entered the conference room.

"Mutaridaan David, Mr. Weasley." Harry said in surprise.

While Bill and Harry had never received a formal introduced, the redhead looked just like Ron if he went through a rebellious stage. His long red hair was pulled back in a pony tail that showed off the gold hoop in his ear. In Harry's opinion, he looked very cool.

"Look at you!" David exclaimed. "I heard you were working here, but I never expected to see you. You look good kid."

"Harry Potter." Bill said with all the reverence of a British wizard.

Harry tried not to roll his eyes, but Ron's brother continued "I would like to thank you for what you did for my father."

Feeling sheepish, Harry stuttered out "it was nothing."

He moved toward the conference table, still flustered. David and Weasley two followed, and they sat around the table. Harry busied himself with straightening his paperwork to calm down.

At last he asked "how can the Investigators help you today?"

Mutaridaan David began. "There have been a series of thefts recently."

"Artifacts from one of our digs." Bill added. "Some of the items haven't been checked yet, and are definitely cursed."

"How may I be of service." Harry asked.

"We need a discreet inquiry into the thefts." David said. "If I go poking around, the thief will bolt, and we'll only recover the items when the curses manifest. Retrieving the artifacts with dead muggles all over the world."

"The safe recovery of the items is Gringotts goal." Bill said. "I've been called in to assess the artifacts as we find them for curses or enchantments. And to remove curses as required."

Harry thought for a moment. "If I were to pretend to be the friend of your brother"

"Which you are." Bill noted in amusement.

Harry inclined his head in agreement. "A friend of your brother who may be interested in curse breaking, it will give me a reason to be there and ask all sorts of questions. Questions that would make your suspects suspicious if someone from the Temples were to ask them."

"I could bring Mutaridaan David's suspects to you individually." Bill offered. "You ask basic job questions at the beginning and you can ask just about anything after."

"Sounds like we have a plan." Said the Mutaridaan. "We can plan for Thursday. I'll be standing by to arrest anyone we catch."

The men stood. Harry stood with them. David held out a sheaf of papers.

"My notes so far." David said. "You should look over them before Thursday."

"Of course" Agreed Harry.

As the two wizards left, Harry began fo flip through the mutaridaan's notes. There were four men who handled the missing items with any consistency. Two of them owed debts. Another man had been on site for every job, but had never handled the artifacts directly. He too owed debt. The three debtors, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Holloway, and Mr. Abdo, were the Mutaridaan's prime suspects.

Harry read and reread the report over the next couple of days as he prepared for his interviews. By the time Thursday rolled around he had David's notes memorized and made notes of his own.

After school Thursday, Harry headed straight for the excavation site. The strangest part for Harry was not stopping to change clothes before work. As an accolite, he had worn a uniform consisting of a dark blue robe and pale blue sash like all the others. When he moved to the Investigators, he continued to wear a formal robe in the temple even if it was not mandated.

Bill met Harry at the entrance to the dig site.

"Ready for this?" Bill greeted him.

"I am." Harry replied. "Thanks for inviting me Mr. Weasley."

"You can call me Bill." He said and led the way to a supply tent.

"You can set up at this table"

Bill tapped a desk that was set up to one side. On it were parchments scattered in several colors of ink. Hary dropped his bag to the table and pulled out a notebook. Placing it on the table.

He then held his hand out, palm down over a blank space on the surface. Shadows jumped to the area and took shape as the scales. Beside him, Bill inhaled sharply.

"You know what this is?" Harry asked. "Will the others?"

"I recognize the summoning." Bill said. "We're starting work on a tomb that depicts such magic."

"You've seen the Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh?" Harry said, surprised.

"Tomb of the Nameless Pharaoh" Bill repeated. "That's very appropriate. How did you know."

"I'm friends with the keepers." Harry explained. "They helped me out when we first got here."

Gesturing to the scales on the table, he continued "And I practice their magic. Officially I've mastered it, but there was so much that was lost. I learn something new everyday."

"Oh." Bill sounded more understanding than surprised. "To answer your original question, no one else here will recognize it. Only a few have been to the new dig, and none of those people are here."

"Good. This is a lie detector at its most basic. I going to use it today."

Bill looked thoughtful for a few moments, morbid fascination filling his voice as he asked "Does it really eat people's hearts?"

Harry laughed. "Only if they deserve it, and only if I let it. I don't see myself using that particular feature any time soon."

"Oh, ok. I'll... I'll go get you the first guy now."

Bill fled the tent but was back a few moments later with another man. The second man was heavy set, with salt and pepper hair. As he stepped into the tent he relaxed, mopping his forehead with a brown spotted handkerchief.

"It's much nicer in here." He commented to Bill. Turning to Harry he added "So you're Bill's friend."

"I went to school with his brothers." Harry explained.

"And now you're interested in curse breaking?"

"That or dragons." Harry replied, giving Bill a saucy wink.

Bill played along with a laugh. "So it's up to you George. Convince him this is the better option."

George Murphey chuckled and turned back to Harry. "You certainly won't make this easy kid, but I'll try. Where should I begin?"

"What's your favorite part?"

"First time in a new tomb." He answered with a smile. "There's nothing like going in a seeing everything for the first time. You never know what's waiting for you in there. It keeps me quick with the spells!"

"What about the things you find?"

"Oh they're beautiful. Excellent craftsmanship the lot."

"Ever want one for your own?"

Murphey's smile softened. "Just once. There was a jade ring in a tomb in China. I ended up buying it from Gringotts to propose to my wife."

"I didn't know that." said Bill.

"Cost a sickle and a half, you know how goblins are. I'm still paying for it, but I don't regret a thing."

"That's cool." Harry said, and stood. "Thank you for taking the time to speak with me."

"My pleasure." Murphy also stood. As he shook Harry's hand he added, "It seems you like the artifacts best. Bill has some great stories. And talk to Omar Abdo. He knows his trinkets."

"He's on my list George." Bill said.

Murphey nodded, still in good humor. With one last goodbye, he left the tent to return to his work. Bill and Harry exchanged glances.

"Abdo next?" Harry asked.

"I'll go find him."

Bill left, and Hary sat back down. Not long after, the redhead returned with another man in tow. Abdo was muscular, like a bull, with short dark hair. Entering the tent he blinked several times as his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the tent. When they did, Abdo was quick to look around, catching sight of Harry.

"Who's this little guy?" He asked.

"Omar, this is Harry." Bill introduced. "He's here to ask about curse breaking, and George recommended he speak with you."

Abdo flushed with pleasure "How nice of him."

"He said you know a lot about the items." Harry added.

"It's a hobby of mine."

"What's your favorite?"

"Oh, the jewelry. Ancient craftsmanship really has no modern-day comparison."

"Ever want any of it?"

"Who doesn't?"

"Did you ever take anything?"

"No!"

The scales tipped instantly. The sudden movement drew Abdo's attention to the object. He paled in recognition.

"Let's try this again." Harry began. "Have you ever taken anything? What and when."

Abdo slumped in the chair. His sounded defeated as he said "Gold ankh statue, three nights ago."

"Anything else?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Statue of Isis, same night."

"Anything else?"

"Lapis broach."

Bill interrupted. "That one is on the list."

Harry nodded to Bill before returning his attention to Abdo. "Has anyone else been aiding you in these thefts?"

"No!" Abdo protested.

The scales dipped again.

"Alright! Thomas Holloway knows this fence…"

"This fence have a name?"

"I dunno, something foreign. Asian."

"I can take it from here, Harry." Mutaridaan David's disembodied voice caused the already on edge Omar Abdo to jump

"Whos there!" He squeaked.

Mutaridaan David appeared as he pulled off the invisibility cloak he had been hiding under. He made his way toward the thief who tried to run, but Bill stunned him before he could take a second step. Fishing out a portkey, David dropped it onto the man who vanished immediately.

"Well, that didn't go half bad." David commented. Turning to Bill he asked "Is this Holloway fellow here today?"

Yes. I can get him next."

"Do that." David ordered, and Bill made his way out of the tent.

David put the cloak back on and Harry listened as the Mutaridaan made his way back to the spot he hid in. A short time later Bill returned with another man. He was almost as tall as Bill, and his messy blonde hair needed a comb worse than Harry's.

"Mister Holloway?" Harry asked.

"What do you want, kid?" The man demanded.

"I, I was hoping you would like to talk with me about being a curse breaker." Harry said, acting like the timid kid Holloway was expecting.

The act worked, Holloway's aggression bleeding away. For a moment he looked pleased before he masked that with a neutral expression.

"Well, what would you like to ask?" He said, much calmer than before.

"Tell me about the artifacts. You seem to know about them." Harry said with an excited smile.

Holloway looked confused. "What about the artifacts? I don't work with them except to pull them from the tomb."

"That's not what Mr. Abdo said." Harry taunted. "according to him, you know quite a bit about the the artifacts that have gone missing over the last couple of weeks."

"What is this." Holloway hissed, the anger returning to his features.

Aggressively he turned to Bill, and took in his coworkers stance. Feet spread and wand out, Bill was looking for a fight.

"Answer the investigator's questions Tom." Bill ordered.

"Investigator!" He exclaimed turning back to Harry. "You're just a little brat!"

Harry sighed. "Mutaridaan David, I don't think he's going to cooperate."

"I agree" The man said from near Holloway.

The cursebreaker went for his wand, but something invisible caught him up. He struggled, looking strange to Harry's eyes when only one entity could be seen. Still struggling, there was a crack then Holloway was gone. Presumably, Mutaridaan David was too.

Harry began packing his notebook back into his bag, allowing himself to relax as the tension faded. The scales disappeared from the table in a puff, like a shadow dissipating. He approached Bill, and together they exited the tent. Harry had to shield his eyes for a moment from the bright afternoon sun. Once adjusted Bill and Harry headed back away from the dig site to the apparition point where they came in. Together they aperated to the Temple of Justice.

The screaming hit Harry's ears the moment he arrived, and he took off running for the noise. Thick sandstone walls obscured the words being said in the temple's other rooms. Harry entered the main hall to find a crowd had gathered around Holloway, who was screaming at Justice Heba. The young wizard noticed Hasani watching the whole ordeal with unmasked glee, and Heba wearing a placid smile and looking serene as the words Holloway used became more obscene.

"You're just gonna believe what that, that, that boy said!" He screamed, pointing at Harry.

Heba finally spoke. "You will find that you were indeed speaking with an Investigator. He had every right to have you brought in."

A pair of Mutaridaan forced Holloway into an interrogation room. He continued to scream and thrash as the doors shut behind them. Silence fell upon the hall in an instant as the interrogation room's silencing spells prevented the wizard's screams from escaping. The gathered crowd dispersed a few people at a time. Several of the onlookers gave Harry an encouraging smile as they left.

"It sounds like you had an adventurous day, Investigator Potter" Justice Heba said approaching the boy.

"Except for him, it went quite well." Harry said.

"Hopefully the rest will go as well."

"Hopefully," Harry repeated.

Justice Heba gave Harry her motherly smile before she left. Harry noticed Bill had caught up sometime in the commotion, but before he could speak Hasani and Mana arrived.

"Did you see that!" the older boy exclaimed.

"Crazy." Harry agreed.

"But what did you do to him? He was mad at you." Mana asked.

"I arrested him." Harry said.

Hasani snorted then began to apologize, but Bill and Harry were laughing with him.

"No, seriously though, he's angry because I'm sixteen." Harry said as he pointed to himself. "And this sixteen year old just had him arrested."

Hasani and Mana laughed again.

"Actually, I need to check on the other guy I arrested today. So if you'll excuse me."

Mana waved as Harry walked toward the interrogation rooms. He smiled back at her for a moment before she turned to an excited Hasani. Once again, Bill was right on his heel.

"Hey Bill." Harry began. "Interrogation is probably going to take a couple of hours. Do you need anything right away?"

"I need those artifacts, But that's what interrogation is for." He thought for a moment before adding "I have something I can work on in the meantime."

"Good." Harry said. "I need to check on Abdo, so do what you want."

Bill dismissed, Harry headed for where he saw David already speaking with another Mutaridaan, Malik Toma. He was well known for his interrogation. Harry also knew from his time as an acolyte that Toma hated smugglers and forgers. Watching the other Mutaridaan, Harry tried to gauge how the man was doing with this case.

"How's it going?" Harry asked.

"Apparently He sang like a bird the moment he got here." David said with an air of relaxed smugness from a job well done.

"Anything good?"

"Some, he's a small fish. The debt got the better of him and the temptation of easy money became too much."

"Mind if I speak with him?" Harry asked Toma.

"It's your case. Go right ahead." The mutaridaan answered.

The sandstone cell was used for the interrogation room was small. It barely fit an industrial steel table in the center where Omar Abdo sat. His large form hunched over the table, and he looked miserable.

"Mr. Abdo, I was hoping you would answer a few more questions for me." Harry said.

"Yeah. Sure." He responded, voice dull.

"We got you and Holloway. Is there anyone else stealing artifacts that you know of?"

Abdo shook his head. "No. If Holloway was also working with someone else at the dig, he kept it from me. Good luck getting the answer from him though."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked in confusion.

"He's allergic to veritasium. Makes him swell up all puffy and break out in hives."

"Oh, thank you for telling me. I should go make sure that he told that to the mutaridaan."

Outside he saw David headed for the other interrogation room ahead of him. Harry assumed the mutaridaan must have listened in from the observation booth. He was proven right when Toma stepped from the booth.

"Well that makes things difficult." Toma said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"We can't use veritasium. There's no proof he is telling the truth."

"I can do it." said Harry slowly.

"Do what."

"Tell if he's telling the truth." Harry said. He summoned the scales to his hand. "This can act as a lie detector, among other things."

A smile began to form at the corner of Toma's mouth. "That might work."

"Except Holloway hates me, and will be belligerent if I go and question him." Harry frowned.

"Then we won't let him see you. Can you use the observation booth?"

"I don't know." Harry admitted.

By that time Mutaridaan David had returned with the Mutaridaan questioning Holloway. Harry was surprised he did not recognize the man. He thought he had a good grasp on everyone who was working at the Temple.

As David approached, he noticed the scales in Harry's hand. "I see you've come up with a plan already."

"Part of one. Maybe." Harry stressed.

"If we put him in the observation booth, hopefully he can still use his device." Toma outlined their plan.

"And knock on the glass if he lies." David added.

"That would work." the other Mutaridaan thought.

"This still hinges on the scales working from the observation room." Harry protested.

"Well then, let's test it." The man said again and turned to return to Holloway's room.

Harry hurried along, and they both ducked into the observation booth. Mr. Holloway sat at the table in the center of his room. He still looked seething mad, though he was no longer screaming. Keeping an eye on the other wizard, Harry situated himself and the scales. Once he was set, the Mutaridaan left. A moment later the door to Holloway's room opened.

"Alright Mr. Holloway." The Mutaridaan said. "If you are ready we can get started."

"I have nothing to say to you if you are willing to believe a boy over myself."

"Investigator Potter had reason to suspect you based on another man's testimony. It is the man's statement, not the boy's that brought you here today."

Holloway made a sound of disgust and looked away.

"If you are innocent, and this is a mistake as you have claimed. The sooner you answer my questions the sooner you can leave." The Egyptian man coaxed.

This time Holloway's look was an obvious facade.

"Are you willing to cooperate with the questioning?"

Holloway was silent for a few more moments before he answered "I will answer your questions. "

"Excellent. To start with please state your name for the record."

"Thomas Holloway"

"And your occupation."

"I am a cursebreaker for Gringotts"

"I understand that you are allergic to veritasium?"

"Yes." The British wizard seemed proud of the fact, but his smirk fell as a the Mutaridaan continued.

"We are fortunate that we have a workaround for that."

Holloway was silent. Based on the tension in his form, Harry expected him to explode in anger once again. Before he could, the Mutaridaan continued to speak.

"Mr. Holloway, I need you to lie to me. Say, I don't know, 'I am a woman."

"I am a woman." Holloway repeated through his clenched jaw.

The scale tilted with a metallic clang. Although Harry expected it to, he still jumped as it echoed in the observation room. Recovering, Harry rapped on the glass twice.

Back in the interrogation room, Holloway looked at the blank wall in confusion.

"What was that?" He asked.

"That would be the workaround." the other wizard said.

Holloway looked pale. Harry wondered if he was going to be sick.

"Mr. Holloway, have you ever stolen an artifact from the dig sites you worked on?" the Mutaridaan continued, unaware or ignoring the color of the man across the table.

"No" Holloway denied.

The lie was so obvious, Harry tapped on the window even as the Scales tipped.

"It's not like I was the only one" Holloway protested. "I've seen the ring Murphy's wife wears. It came out of a Chinese dig, I swear."

"Mr. Murphy is not the man I am questioning. What was the first thing you stole from your employer?"

With a defeated sigh, Holloway answered "A little bottle"

"And what happened to it?"

"I sold it for 50 Galleons."

"To who?"

"Satoshi Midori."

"And how did you come into business with this Satoshi Midori?"

"He watches all the dig sites." Said Holloway. "Every so often he comes around offering money for anything you're willing to give him. I needed the money."

"Are you aware if any of the artifacts you stole were cursed."

"No."

The scales tipped once again. Harry tapped on the window like he had before, and Mutaridaan looked at Holloway unimpressed.

"Look, unprocessed items are easier to take. No official cataloge. So what if some of them were still cursed.?"

"Artifact sale is a one year sentence. Curse artifact sale has a minimum of ten years, but it is a death sentence if the curse kills someone. Muggle or wizard.

"If it kills a muggle!"

"British wizards." The Mutaridaan cried, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Attacks on muggles cary higher penalties than on wizards as it is an International crime."

"I can't be punished for that." Holloway complained.

"You can and will unless you cooperate. Our Justices reward cooperation."

"What do I do?" asked the defeated Holloway.

"Tell me everything. From the beginning. Stop fighting the questions." The mutaridaan demanded.

So he began. Holloway spilled everything he knew, and the scales did not tip.

"That was amazing!" Isis cheered when Harry left his observation room. Holloway was being escorted to the holding cells by two mutaridaan.

"Thanks." Harry muttered. "But I didn't do much."

"No, no." Isis protested. "YOU came up with a solution to a problem we've been having for years. That's a big deal."

Harry blushed a bit with embarrassment from the praise. He went to argue more, but a yawn cut him off. The excitement in Isis' smile softened.

"You did really good today. Go home and get some sleep."

"Thanks." Harry yawned again and gathered up his things to head home.

Sirius was having pie in the kitchen when Harry arrived home. The younger wizard greeted him with a smile and cut himself a hearty slice.

"How was your first case?" Sirius asked.

"Good" Harry responded. "Two men were arrested and they gave us their fence. Satoshi Midori."

About to take another bite of pie, Sirius froze a put the fork back on his plate. "Japanese?"

"The name is." Harry agreed.

"Do you think this is why your Pharaoh had you learn the language?"

"I dunno. Could be a coincidence."

"You don't think it is." Sirius pointed out. "And neither do I."

"No." Harry sighed. "I think we'll all think 'this is the reason' until it actually happens even if this isn't that time."

"You know" Sirius began, pausing for a moment before continuing. "I support you."

"Did Remus coach you on that?"

"Yes."

"It sounded painful."

"It was."

Harry laughed. After a few seconds, Sirius joined in. They finished their pie with other conversation before Harry moved to his room to work on his homework. But he remained distracted thinking about Japan, the case, and the Pharaoh. Sighing he got up and left.

"I'm going to the Ishtar's." he called, leaving the house before he got a reply.

Marik was playing Sennett with Odion when Harry arrived. After a quick greeting, the elder brother excused himself so that Harry and Marik could talk. Harry took the abandoned place at the game while making a face. He still had difficulty with pure strategy games. For the rest of the game, they talked of light, trivial things until Harry lost.

"One of these days I'll have you play chess with Ron." Harry said as he looked at the board in disgust.

"I will enjoy beating him too." Marik gloated.

Harry laughed, but it sounded strange. Taking a deep breath he said "We need to talk about the Pharaoh again."

Marik froze where he was setting up Sennett for a new game. Harry held his breath and hoped there would be no explosion. When Marik looked up The Crazy was there.

"I'm going to Japan." Harry told his friend. "Maybe not now, but soon."

"You think he is there."

"I dunno. I'm trying not to expect anything right now."

Marik huffed and glared at the wall behind Harry.

"You're my friend Marik. My best friend."

"Hermione-" Marik argued, but Harry shook his head.

"She's great, but we're different. Literally countries away from each other."

"What do you want from me."

"Promise me we're still friends."

"I think you're an idiot." Marik said, his voice flat. "Trusting him is going to get you hurt."

"That's my bad decision to make."

"Whatever. Make your bad decision." He said while rolling his eyes, then added in a put-upon voice, "Yes we're still friends."

"I guess we'll find out who's right soon enough."

"Your move." Marik demanded.

Harry deliberately chose the worst opening move he could think of. It caused Marik to laugh, which was his goal. The subject was dropped once again though it's weight remained an invisible elephant for the rest of the night.

At work the next day Harry was not surprised to discover the artifacts had already left the country bound for a city in Japan. The stolen objects had been packed with legitimate items bound for one Domino Museum of History.

"You don't look surprised." Mutaridaan David said.

"I've been learning Japanese because I Saw that I would need it. I just didn't know the when." Harry answered the unspoken question.

"You're a seer then." Said David. "If you know Japanese, then you can accompany Bill to retrieve the artifacts and play nice with their Mutaridaan! Means I don't have to."

"I already talked it over with my guardian." Harry admitted. "He said he supports my decision, so I can go."

"Excellent! Let's find Bill and tell him you're going." David clapped the young wizard on the as they headed off.