Semper Fidelis

Chapter 16.2

The Gryphons were able to identify the Mr. Demos Hermione worked with from the bits of information they received from Rose and Professor McGonagall. Demetre Demos was the director of the Acropolis Museum of Greece located in Athens. They had already checked his home and villa but neither he nor Hermione Granger were in them. The next place they needed to look was the museum itself. Procuring a floor plan of the entire museum came quickly after that for the Aurors. The large museum which stood just metres away from the Parthenon had three floors for all of its showrooms and exhibits. The fourth floor was reserved as office space while the basement was the museum's storage.

"Good," she heard Harry Potter say from her communication device. "Be careful, Nova. We have no indication whether or not magical wards are used in this museum."

"Yes, Sir," Nova replied. That was why she was chosen for this. Novella de Luca was an expert at disassembling wards.

"Tonks? Your status?" Harry asked.

They heard Tonks relay directions to the washrooms in broken Greek.

"I'm one of the curators now," she mumbled. "Knocked him out so he's sleeping in the staff room. I took his uniform and locked it."

"Your appearance?" They heard Remus asked.

Tonks rolled her eyes and replied. "Don't get your knickers in a twist; I didn't use his exact appearance." She glimpsed herself through a glass wall and saw a stout and pudgy man staring back with brown hair and dull brown eyes. Being a Metamorphmagus was a gift but the Gryphons would never implicate an innocent just to get an in.

"Good," Harry said through the earpiece. "Your position?"

"Heading towards the basement entrance as we speak," she replied.

"First floor is cleared," Yasmine's voice said. "About five wizards here, Commander. Two by the museum entrance, one by each of the fire escapes, and one by the basement entrance. Careful, Tonks."

Through their earpiece they heard a man accost Tonks.

"Your business here?" The man asked.

"I need to pick up the terracotta figure 549 from study gallery C. We're doing new photos for the pamphlets," Tonks replied in Greek.

The man considered her words for a minute. "Alright then. Go on down."

They heard shuffling from Tonks' communicator before hearing her whisper. "I'm in."

"Be careful," Harry stressed. "And the others?"   

"Second floor is cleared too," Cyprian said. "Two wizards by the entrance, one on each fire escapes."

"Same for the third," added Theo.

"Okay, stay at your posts," Harry commanded. "Nova, Tonks, it's on you. What's the status up there, Nova?"

Nova had her wand out and was scanning the stairwell door to the fourth floor. With practiced movements, she cast a spell that would determine if protective charms were used at the exit. She was satisfied with the results of her spell and muttered the unlocking charm.

"Alohomara," she murmured. The door unlocked and she quickly grabbed the handle to prevent it from swinging too much forward on the other side. Squeezing herself into as small an opening as possible, Nova stepped foot on the fourth floor. "I'm in," she whispered. A quick glance around showed no one was with her. The reception room with its large crescent moon desk bearing the museum's name and logo was devoid of any occupants. She strained her ears and looked at the two hallways on either side of the desk. She could hear conversations in Greek flow down the hall but she saw no one. 

"Demos' office is the last office in the east wing," Draco said through the device.

"Copy that, I'm heading there now," Nova said. Sticking close to the walls to avoid any collision, Nova slowly stepped towards one of the hallways.

The elevator dinged behind her. She pressed herself as close to the wall underneath the cloak and watched as a man briskly walked out. He was tall and built and he had a deep-set scowl on his face. His walk was quick and hurried causing the back of his suit jacket to billow behind him. Nova spied a wand handle sticking out from his pocket.

As silent as a mouse, she followed behind the man. He was heading in the same direction as her and his long strides soon led them to the last office in the east wing. The man didn't bother knocking. He opened the door and stormed in with Nova following right behind him.

"What the hell is taking so long, Demos?" The man growled. Nova huddled at one corner of the room and watched as the man behind the desk whom she recognized as Demetre Demos stood up. He was as handsome as the pictures she had seen from their research but there was a fierce scowl on his face as he looked at the intruder.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't come barging in here, Yaxley. It's bad for business," Demos replied.

Yaxley drew his wand and Demos did so as well. Nova watched wide-eyed as the two men stood with wands outstretched. There were snarls on their faces as they sized each other up.

"If I were you I would remember your place, Demos," Yaxley said. "The Master is getting impatient. You were brought into our cause with one purpose only and that was to retrieve the staff. Without it, we have no need for you." 

Demos' eyes hardened and he lowered his wand in surrender. Yaxley smirked but kept his wand pointed. "I almost have it," Demos said, almost pleading. "Give me until tomorrow and I'll have it for you."

Yaxley's eyes narrowed. "You have twenty-four hours." Then the wizard cast a stinging hex towards Demos which drew a pained gasp from the museum director. Blood started to seep through his white shirt sleeve. "If I don't have the staff by tomorrow you'll experience pain far greater than that."

Yaxley kept his wand raised as he exited the room. Nova followed right behind him underneath the cloak all the while praying neither men would cast anymore spells so she wouldn't be caught in the crossfire. She didn't follow Yaxley all the way to the elevator. Instead, Nova leaned against the wall at a relatively quiet part of the floor and took a breath in.

"Commander? Did you hear all of that?" She whispered.

There was a pause and Harry Potter's voice, hard as steel and chillingly controlled, came through her communicator.

"Yes, I did."