Katie Bell (silenced_bell) wrote in whatprice, @ 2009-12-03 21:30:00 |
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Entry tags: | !completed, charlie weasley, george weasley, katie bell |
Charlie, George, and Katie hash it out
Who: Charlie, George, and Katie
What: The Interrogation
When: Saturday, 17 October, evening
Where: Order safehouse, location unknown to Katie
Warnings: Charlie has a potty mouth
Status: Log
Notes: Thank you to George-mun for the assistance with the candy.
Katie sat in a straight backed chair, still blindfolded, waiting for the questions to start. She suspected that this was to be her interrogation, but as nothing had been explained, she could not be completely sure. She nudged her backpack with her foot, taking some small reassurance from its solid weight sitting close by and let her breath out slowly.
Sometimes Charlie felt like an idiot with all this cloak-and-dagger shit. Percy had insisted on it and all it did was get Neville shot, he thought. He could understand the impulse, but the truth was, as he'd decided after his discussion with Penny's MI7 bloke, he did better when he just talked to people. And Harry had mostly cleared Katie. He was taking enough hell from various quarters that he wasn't willing to forgo the formalities this time, not until he was sort of satisfied.
He popped the voice-altering candy that George had whipped up for him into his mouth. It tasted like butterbeer, and Charlie made a face as the intensity of it hit his tongue and washed over his mouth. Fortunately Katie's blindfold kept her from seeing his eyes pop out a bit as he slowly chewed it for the prescribed period and swallowed. "Katie Bell," he said and made another horrified face when he realised George had made him sound like Severus Snape.
She gave a small start. The voice gave her gooseflesh, but she couldn't quite place why it did so. "Yes," she answered flatly.
"Hem, Hem," said George, in a high, girlish voice sounding like poisoned honey, "Do you know whyyyy you are here?" George rolled his eyes at Charlie, and couldn't suppress his smile.
That voice she did recognize, and Katie drew in a gasp, nearly choking. There was no way she was sitting in a room with Dolores Umbridge . It must be a part of the plan - intimidate her to put her off balance. Not that they needed any of that; she wasn't planning on playing mind games with the Order.
"I assume I am here to defend my honour." Her brow furrowed underneath the blindfold.
Charlie made a face at George and resisted the urge to mouth obscenities at his brother where Katie couldn't see them. "You are here," he told her, his voice falling unconsciously into the rhythms of his old teacher, dead these many years in the service of the Order, "to answer our questions. Honour doesn't come into it." He winced again at the sound of his own voice.
Biting back a remark that, in other circumstances might have gotten her backhanded, Katie quietly asserted, "My apologies, but it is always about honour."
"Perhaps it is, Katie Bell. What might your honour need defending from? Hmmm?" The girlish voice moved around her as it spoke.
"From my own people mistrusting me." The irony of that statement, said to someone who was clearly disguising their own identity, made Katie's stomach clench. But she was here of her own accord, and she was willing to do whatever was needed.
"That might be because you're working for MI7," Charlie pointed out, sounding more like himself despite the Snapeish tone. Merlin, he hated this.
"Hem, hem," George hemmed, "defend away, Chaser." George shut his eyes. That was a giveaway.
Chaser? What was the woman trying to say? Was this someone from Katie's Quidditch days?
It was hard to know where to start, especially not knowing to whom she was defending herself. After a moment, she decided that she may as well explain some of what she had told Ginny, back in August. "I have been working for MI7, that much is true. But only in order to have a way to help people escape. I have access to their databases, you see, and so I can confuse them when they get too close to a witch or wizard, or, when I am able, I can find a way to get endangered folks out of the country." Her voice shook; being blindfolded was unnerving and made her feel too vulnerable.
George looked over at Charlie, who gestured to him to continue. "Quite. It must be quite the trick, keeping them from noticing you while passing information to their enemies. How have you managed it?" Before she could reply, George remembered his cover. "Hmm?"
Katie shrugged, squirming a bit on the hard chair. "I suppose it's a combination of luck, skill, and their own arrogance. Until recently they didn't expect to have anyone get through their screening process who would have any reason...or desire to help wizard kind. They didn't count on having anyone purposely infiltrate their organisation. Not when it's practically unknown in the first place." She rubbed her thumb against the third finger of her left hand as she spoke. "They've learned more recently that they should have been more careful."
This was a bit Charlie was interested in. He hoped she didn't mean something was happening to Shashi. "Explain," he said, managing not to make a face at the Snape voice.
"They know there's a leak now. They were beginning to suspect before, but since Hermione's disappearance they've been on high alert. Agents have been injured or even died in the line of duty. There have been numerous emails from above and...interviews with the staff." Shauri's thinly veiled threats still rang in her ears.
Charlie exchanged glances with George. They'd both been involved in disappearances, including Harry's, but they'd been lucky enough to avoid significant exchanges of fire lately. "Deaths in the field? Like who?"
"I have no specific names. They tend to keep the field agents away from my section. But there was at least one death that we all heard about; Pete Carnegie. He died during the Seeker mission." Katie shook her head, like a dog ridding itself of a nasty fly. She had been partly responsible for that death, and was still dealing with the emotional aftermath. It was easier if she didn't have to think about it. "I believe that's when they started cracking down on security breaches."
There was another exchange of glances over Katie's head, and then Charlie continued. "What about more recently?"
"Deaths? I don't know. But when I was -- questioned, it seemed like there had been more. Plus the disappearances. They were plenty upset when Harry escaped." Her fleeting grin was almost feral. "And then their priest turned tail as well. Rats from a sinking ship."
"But you're still there," Charlie prodded in Snape's voice.
That drawl, almost a hiss, was so familiar that she was momentarily distracted from the question. "Um... yes, I am still there. They're still after us, aren't they? And someone had to stay behind and keep working from the inside." Adrianwould call her an idiot for it, or a stubborn Gryffindor . The thought made her sit up straighter. "Every day that I'm there I have the opportunity to alter their databases, and possibly save lives." Stupid Gryffindor attitude. Wait...that was Snape! What the hell were these people playing at?
At the odd expressions from their captive, Charlie glared at George, who looked unrepentantly back at his brother. Charlie rolled his eyes. "And what kinds of alterations are you doing?" The information she was giving jibed with what she'd told him and Ginny, and what he'd gotten out of Harry. "Especially since there's no easy way to get people out of the country or warn them now without betraying yourself."
"I alter their data." Katie's voice had taken on an edge, now that she had recognized the voice. Why anyone would purposely impersonate Snape and Umbridge in this situation was irritating and, she had to admit, a bit disrespectful. "I change addresses, or names of contacts, so that they take longer to find the wizards they are hunting." She worried at her bottom lip before adding, "I haven't found another method of transport since we lost Sam, but I've sent anonymous notes to wizards and witches who were in immediate danger. Some of them were able to flee the country before being picked up." Underneath the blindfold, her eyes filled, but she shed no tears.
"Names. We need recent names." Charlie's job involved helping these people. She wasn't a front for Harry, because he'd cleared himself. But he still had to get something to satisfy Percy, not that Charlie thought Percy was really going to be satisfied. He'd hardly been satisfied by how Charlie had handled the situation with Harry.
"Names of what? Or whom?" Were they looking for MI7 operatives? If so, Katie was not going to be much help.
Charlie realised he hadn't been clear, and elaborated. "Names of people you warned." After Harry got away, either they had their plant or not; there was no reason for Katie to continue warning people. Or so Charlie reckoned and so he meant to argue to theWizengamot if it came up.
"I have a complete list in my notebook." She nudged her pack again with her foot. "It's electronic, so it won't work if you've got anything magical going on. Sorry. But I can give you a few of the latest names." She rattled off three wizards and a witch that she had contacted within the past six weeks. She wasn't sure, but she thought at least two of them had fled the country.
The names Katie had given jibed with Charlie's information, but there was no way to check beyond her word. There was also the matter of her electronics almost certainly being fried by now, but Charlie didn't think this was a good moment to mention it. Apparation did tend to fry mobiles. Charlie looked at George to see what he thought.
George pantomimed pulling the blindfold off of her, and looked to Charlie for approval.
Charlie nodded, then held up his hand to stop George from doing it just yet. He touched his throat and his eyebrows went up questioningly.
George shrugged and smiled, and put his hands on either side of the blindfold. He pulled it off her eyes. "Hallo, Chaser, long time no see? Hold still while I untie you and the boss talks at you." His voice was still high and girlish. George went around behind her and began working at the ropes.
Blinking watery eyes at the sudden brightness, Katie shook her head in exasperation. "Umbridge? You somehow felt the need to make it Umbridge, Weasley?" Looking up at Charlie, she continued, "And I assume you're Snape, then? Was this supposed to be amusing in some way?"
"Don't look at me," Charlie said in his Snapelike voice. "I just told him to make us anonymous. He's the one with the sense of humour." The unspoken 'so-called' was inherent in the tone. "And you pass. I mean, I could give you veritaserum but we don't exactly have a lot of that lying about." Not to mention that Bill was probably right about that, as he so often was. "I don't think that would prove a damned thing to anyone, though. I don't think you need it and the people who do might not be convinced by it anyhow." He studiously didn't think of Percy.
"No, you didn't. You," George says, laughing in a way Dolores Umbridge quite probably never had, "you said 'make sure she can't tell it's us!'" The laughing continued and George collapsed to the floor. "You couldn't, could you?," he asked Katie.
Charlie threw up his hands and looked to the heavens, which only made George laugh harder.
"Same old George, " Katie groused, rubbing her wrists where the rope had marked them. "You really do have a sick sense of humour, you know that?" There was relief underlying her complaint, but she refused to let them off that easily.
"I had no idea who you were, but I knew who you weren't." She turned back to Charlie, a look of shared sufferance in her eyes, "I would be willing to go under veritaserum if you find any, or be read by a legilimens if you have one available." Her furrowed brow and set jaw showed how important it was that she be believed - especially by these two, who, to her at least, represented the wizarding world right now.
George settled his face and looked Katie in the eyes. "Of course you would, Chaser. I'd've taken this seriously if I'd had any doubt. Can I get you anything? Glass of water, something to eat? There's not much here, but we can at least try to be somewhat nice to you after having been required to be jackasses."
"Water would be great, thanks," she almost smiled. Merlin, how she had missed having Weasleys around. "I suppose I should be used to you being a jackass, George, but I would have thought Charlie here would have known better than to go along with one of your schemes."
"Could be worse. Could be Percy," Charlie said drily before he could help himself. "He's the one most likely to think you're a plant for your bosses."
Katie rolled her eyes. "He's really Minister, then? I was hoping that was some falsely planted intel to scare the shite out of any turncoat wizards."
"He's the man we need to rebuild the Ministry. And he's the one who's been most committed to keeping his hands clean. He's not a violent terrorist who blows up national landmarks, or so I'm told." It was clear Charlie had heard something to that effect more than once from someone.
"Yup. He always was an underachiever," George said, followed by "Accio Water!" and a wave of his wand. Fortunately, it came in a glass. "Besides, if we wanted to scare any turncoats, we'd tell 'em who the new Chief Warlock was..."
"The way I see it the wizard 'terrorists' didn't actually kill anyone until MI7 forced the issue, and even then they showed more restraint than they should have." Katie accepted the water and took a long swallow, then favoured George with a suspicious glance. "Who is the new Chief Warlock?"
"Why none other than the Right Honorable Lucius G. Malfoy, of course. Founderer of our new government." George's wand tip was ready to try to catch the glass if Katie dropped it.
As expected, Katie was completely thrown by this news. Her second sip of water was interrupted by a gasp, which set her to choking and gasping for air. Only her Chaser's instincts kept the glass in her hand.
"He's a war hero now." The dry Snapelike tones were well-suited to Charlie's mood. "Congratulations, your lot have done something I thought wasn't possible: redeemed Lucius Malfoy."
"The greenies have united Wizarading Britain like nothing has in," George said, abruptly dropping back to his normal speech patterns, "a thousand years. Huh. That didn't seem like a thousand words. The wheezes were off, Charlie."
"This isn't one of your jokes, is it?" Katie asked, as soon as she was able to breathe again. "And what do you mean my lot?" she shot back at Charlie.
George laughed, and plopped down sideways in a beat-up old arm-chair that showed signs of having been abused thusly before. "Merlin's hairy balls, no! This is the Universe reminding me that it will always be better at those kinds of things than I can hope to be. It's inspiringly demented." He paused. "But one has to try, of course..."
To Charlie the universe's dementia meant that he'd never be going back to Romania. He shrugged. "We'll make do. Either way. And they're your lot, Katie Bell, until you quit even the pretence of working for them."
"That's ridiculous," Katie spat back, although ridiculous was not the first word that came to mind. "I'm risking my life every day that I walk into that office. It's like...like sitting in a roomful of Dementors for shite's sake."
There was a snort from the elder redhead. "As opposed to them shooting at you, which I reckon is safer." The Snape voice wasn't leaving him yet, but he sounded more like Charlie. He moved to lean against the wall of the safehouse, leaving his wand arm free so he could drop the wand into his hand with a flick of his wrist.
"You trying to make this a competition, Weasley?" She sounded more tired than angry.
George sat up. "Hey, that sounds brilliant! We'll get it broadcast on the wireless. Greeniebait, The Musical!. We can get Smack Ziff to do colour commentary on whose stones are larger. Katie it's gonna get a lot more dangerous and difficult to be useful in Greenieland. I've got no problem with you volunteering to be there, but I'm not sure if the diminishing marginal returns are worth the increased risk. And on the other hand, it would be good to have you flying with us again, directly against the enemy." George paused. "If we were to do something like that."
Katie perked up a bit at this, and leaned toward George with a familiar look in her eyes. "Planning on doing something, Georgie boy?"
George raised his wand and used it like a conductors baton, emphasizing points like sections of music. "See, if I were Percy, I'd be all half-clever and cloak-and-dagger it, and feed you a line here and see if the Greenies showed up ready for us. On the other hand, I'd be half as smart and handsome as I am now, so there's useful trade-offs in not being Perce. I think I can safely say 'yes' and also 'why, do you think you can keep up with me?' I may be out of your league these days, Chaser."
"I've been off of a broom for too many years, but I'm a damned quick study." She downed the last of the water in her glass and placed it on the floor next to her chair.
George was in for so much ribbing about this as soon as he and Charlie were alone. Payback for all the hell George had put him through about Penny was going to be sweet. He'd be living down that Georgie boy for years. "Now that you two have made progress in your mating rituals--" he interjected "--we can discuss what we actually brought you here to talk about. The information you have access to needs to come directly to us." He also had it in mind to feed false information into the system, but he wanted to see how Katie reacted to his early suggestions before he brought up something like active disinformation and ambushes.
"I've got names and locations here," she said, reaching for her backpack, "but there's plenty more data I have stashed in external storage. Just let me know what will help your efforts, and I'll pull what I don't already have off of their systems." Katie made it sound easy, but there were files even she couldn't get access to. Hopefully her hacking skills would be good enough for Charlie's needs.
It never occurred to Charlie that people living Muggle-style were carrying electronics, even now. He winced.
"Ignore his bitterness, Chaser. He's just coming away from a near miss in the relationship department, which makes him see things. A near Missus, really..." George looked out of the corner of his eye to see if he needed to dodge a curse from his favorite live brother. "Within the confines of safe and useful. Barring a full frontal assault, we're kinda out of tricks to rescue people inside Greenie prisons."
Katie glanced at Charlie, wondering if this poke from George was actually true. Was he really taking time out to court a wife during all this? Knowing George, though, this was just another smart arse remark. She chose to ignore it, responding instead to the business at hand. "I haven't been able to break anyone out of prison perse , although you might count Hermione as one of mine," she opened the notebook, pressing the power button as she spoke. "It's easier, of course, to reroute them before they get into secure custody." She pressed the power button again, looking a bit irritated.
"Nobody's getting prisoners out of Azkaban. Yet." Charlie was confident, at least of the last word.
George turned to look studiously at his fingernails, and began cleaning them with his wand.
"You're planning an attack on Azkaban?" Katie looked from one Weasley to the other, her eyes wide, momentarily forgetting her annoyance at the malfunctioning notebook.
Charlie had learnt enough from dealing with Percy and Lucius (and, rather sadly, he realised, from other people) that he knew better than to confirm or deny. "There are people out there. We owe it to them not to leave them there." He leaned in to see what her eckelcektric device was doing. "Rumour has it that they have children out there."
Katie's eyes narrowed evilly. "The ones they took from Hogwarts, I presume. I haven't been able to crack their encryption for the Azkaban lists, but it's not for lack of trying." The notebook was not responding, and she looked momentarily bewildered. "Hmmm... battery must be dead."
George looked at her notebook, but was far less interested than Charlie. "There's a lot we don't know. Simple things that they might not encrypt. How many pairs of shoes have they sent there? Or how much milk? Same for the soldiers. Something to give us a count of how many greenies we might find."
"Materiel going in and out of Azkaban may be harder to find than you expect, but I'll give it a try. As for the number of soldiers they may have, I suspect I can get into the funding data to see how much they are spending on 'security' and make some estimates from that." She closed the notebook with a shrug, and slid it back into the backpack still at her feet.
"So, right, sounds like we have a plan. One, you are working with us." George ticked off fingers with each number. "Two, you will be telling us who needs warning, assuming there's enough time. Three, we won't tell you too much, because it's a risk to you and us. Four, you'll try to find other little bits of usefulness, safely. Five, you'll get out if you or we decide you're not safe. Six, when I need a chaser I can count on for a big attack, we'll pull you out and you'll fly with us."
Somehow, George had managed to produce six fingers. "Does that sound correct? Charlie, can we sell that shite to MA One?"
"They may not be buying, but I can sell it to quarters that will make them." Charlie gave George a smirk that betrayed their kinship to Katie.
Katie's body had visibly tensed at George's statement about flying with them. To be totally honest, she felt a jolt of adrenaline every time he had addressed her as chaser. "So I pass?" The slight edge to her voice betrayed her concern.
"You pass." Charlie confirmed. "If you've been compromised, you don't know it."
Quashing a strong desire to scratch between her shoulder blades, Katie did her best not to think of what she had cut out of Harry. Instead, she glanced at George, a strange gleam in her eyes.
"Got a broom I might borrow?"