Ad libitum

“Well, one thing is for sure. I'm not in London anymore.” He was very sure of this and didn't even need to open his eyes for it. It started with the fact that the ambient sounds were no longer those in the chamber. It sounded more like the everyday background noises of a hospital. Something that was familiar to him. Working as a healer had always been his dream, but his name had put more than one stone in his path. So after a while he had ended up supporting the Order by brewing potions rather than helping those at St Mungo’s who really needed it. He...

Gasping for breath, he opened his eyes and looked around cautiously. Something was wrong, something was different. Something really strange had happened.

There was a good reason why he hated hospitals and it was strongly connected to his aversion to his father. He had been born a Dormant - a descendant of Mages, but unable to use magic himself - had moved away from the enclave on Roanoke Island after he had come of age and had only made contact with his family when he tried to beg for financial support from them. As a Dormant, he also had no access to the family magic, but the little skills he possessed had always been enough to make people do what he wanted. He had also found a way to enrich himself from the life force of others. This led to mental and physical illness in his wife and ultimately to her death. However, it was impossible to trace it back to him, for who would believe that a dormant could do something that even Mages were denied (without including the darkest ritual magic). That his son was spared was due to the unlikely situation that as a Dormant he sired a full Mage and he was therefore immune. When young Tony told his grandparents that he did not feel safe with his father and what he believed his father had done, they arranged for him to go to boarding school at the age of nine and for his grandparents to become his official guardians. His father, however, did not think of leaving him alone, as demanded by his own parents. He tried to wear his son down and demonstrate his power over him by interfering with his schooling every year, without success. Eventually Senior withdrew, but he had not given up, merely waited in silence for his moment. Years later, he then began attempts to torpedo his son's professional career and personal contacts. This time with limited success, as many fell for his pretense, forcing his son to change his place of residence and his job many times. It was clear to him why his father behaved like this. It was absolute envy that he was a non-magical child of magical parents and that his own son, in contrast, was blessed with talent.

But, his old man was not his problem at the moment, even if he had been quiet for far too long, which was never a good sign.

He put out feelers and realized he was alone in the room. But then why could he sense another magical presence?

“I'd say we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto,” was the thought that manifested itself in his head and he thought he heard a distinctly British voice, whereupon he frowned. He knew he wasn't possessed, so something else was going on. Amusement wove through his body, mixed with something that resembled regret. “Is there any possibility that you have recently been involved in a life-changing incident? Possibly even life-threatening?”

Tony snorted and thought rather sarcastically “You can say so! I caught the fucking plague and died.”

“Fuck the Fates and all their buddies. For my part, I tried to help my godson and got killed by my cousin. Apparently, someone thinks we have unfinished business, and this is the only way to fulfil it.”

“And what might that be?” Tony had never liked the idea of fate and predestination, there was just too much crap happening for that.

“How do you feel about kicking a Dark Lord's ass? And putting a power-mad old barmy bastard in his place?”

"And with whom would I embark on this adventure?"

“Sirius Orion Black, Duke of Blackwood. At your service.”

Tony wanted to rebel angrily. It had to be a stupid joke that he, of all people, should have absorbed the magical essence of a convicted traitor and mass murderer. But a memory of something from his lessons with his grandfather gave him pause. One could only become and be a Lord of an ancient and noble house in Britain as long as one was not legally convicted. That meant the man had been innocent and without trial in the worst prison in the magical world. For that, however, his thoughts seemed surprisingly clear and so he introduced himself.

“Antonio Dominico DiNozzo, jr. L'erede di famiglia Amato.” Calmly he waited for the astonishment, and he was not disappointed.

“I thought the family had died out in the magical line?”

“I am one of the last of us. Senior was born a Dormant. Which is a good thing, because he'd be right in it when it came to the following of dark lordships. Or would rise to become one himself.”

A laugh sounded in his head; it sounded bitter but also sad. “Don't we all know someone like that? So what's the plan? How do we want to proceed?”

A long, detailed discussion followed about how to proceed. To the uninformed observer, it might appear that Tony was merely deep in thought. In truth, however, he weighed everything very carefully and received occasional nudges that showed him that what was left of Sirius did not agree with what he was about to do. The tentative plan ultimately made was that Tony would return to NCIS for the time being. He would also carefully contact Harry to inform him of what had happened. Hopefully that would cheer him up a little. The feelings Tony was picking up made one thing very clear to him: Harry Potter was far from leading the privileged or even remotely pleasant life he was entitled to. Rather the opposite was probably the case. Because no one who was even slightly content with their life and home would agree to move in with someone they hardly knew. Even less so if one thought just a few hours earlier that this person had been to blame for the death of one's parents. That was a more than clear warning! They both hoped that they would find a way to help Harry out of his situation. Also considering the fact that the teen had not received any training so far to have at least a small chance against the Dark Lord when they met. Which, considering the fact that there was that damned self-fulfilling prophecy with Harry's name on it, was highly likely.

One question remained. Would they move to England or stay in America and help Harry from afar? That would probably be settled after Tony had spent some time in the office. He suspected that his abilities (he was, among other things, a natural Legilimens) had been given a huge boost by the merge with Sirius (the guy was actually a genuine Grim Animagus) and would change to a previously unimagined extent. Being a natural Legilimens had an immense advantage in his professional field but could also be incredibly disadvantageous. Knowing if you were being lied to just by talking to someone was perhaps a good thing in interrogations and questioning. But it also made it incredibly difficult to trust. He had finally managed to build up a good base at NCIS. But he also knew that this could change quickly. There were rumors that there would be a change in the leadership and how that would affect the working atmosphere remained to be seen.

In order to remain plausible, they would go into “rehab” for a few weeks and then return to the office - under a heavy glamour spell that would make them look sicker than they really were. 

~*~

Tony had known that his return to NCIS was only a partially good idea. But he was no quitter and would not disappear without comment. But so much had happened in the last few weeks that it was hard for him to get up the nerve to go to work. Sirius' abilities as a grim had significantly enhanced Tony's own natural legilimency. He was now able to tell when someone was planning to lie before they even opened their mouth and could also tell people's intentions and emotions from the aura that surrounded every living being - including NoMas. Even going shopping had turned into running the gauntlet. He didn't want to imagine what it would be like at work, where everyone told fibs at one time or another to avoid being honest about how they were feeling or what was bothering them. He had made a bet with himself that he would need an anti-migraine potion by lunch time at the latest. 

With lunchtime still a long way in the distance, Tony was ready to introduce his forehead to the tabletop. He had barely set foot out of the lift when he was attacked by Abby with unstoppable chatter. They had been joined after a few minutes by McGee and Kate with incredibly poorly feigned concern that he was still so pale around the nose. But Gibbs was the one who really worried him. He had inquired about Tony's condition, but there was no emotion behind it. If Tony didn't know better, he would suspect that Gibbs was using Occlumency. However, one of the first things Tony had done when he had been offered the job at NCIS was to check everyone's background. There wasn't a single person who was even slightly magical. Well, apart from Ducky. But they had made an unspoken agreement. They stuck to the first rule of Fight Club and that was that.

The absolute emptiness that surrounded Gibbs could not be explained and worried Tony immensely. Tony knew about Kelly and Shannon, after all, the murder had been reported in several newspapers. Grief and pain could change people, but not explain this complete lack of empathy. At some point the abyss looks into you too. Gibbs feels dead. Tony tilted his head and analyzed what was being signaled to him through Sirius' abilities and could only agree. We need to keep an eye on him. People who feel like this tend to fill the void with other things. Manic behaviour, doggedness or even illogical uncontrollable rage. This can be life-threatening for everyone. Tony ignored the chatter around him and made a decision. At the first sign that Gibbs was losing his grip on himself and the point of no return, he would make a run for it. There was something, someone, more important in his life.

~*~

Tony stood with Kate and McGee above where the white convertible with the two dead men had been found and waited for Gibbs to distribute the tasks in his typically curt manner. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about the whole thing. Why had NCIS been called in when from a distance they couldn't even be sure of the cause of death? Tony carefully put the words together and then turned to Gibbs.

“You know what, boss? I wonder how it was determined that this was an NCIS case? And just in case we really are in charge... Abby's going to have all our heads if we change anything in her jurisdiction, i.e. the car. So, my suggestion is that we find out if these two poor bastards are sailors. If they are, we put the whole car as it is on a transporter and take it to the Yard. If they are not sailors, then let's notify the local LEOs and get out of here.”

“Too good to go down there, Tony?”

“Not at all, Junior Agent McGee. However, I don't like doing the work for others when it's not necessary. Why should we investigate what may be a murder, but may also be an accident, if it has nothing to do with NCIS? The time could well be better and more usefully spent.”

Kate looked at Tony in surprise. He didn't usually talk like that. 

“Tony, McGee really hasn't done anything to deserve that tone.”

“That’s right. You're no better than us, Tony,” McGee agreed with her, whereupon Kate replied again and they continued to hype each other up. Tony had already had enough after a few moments and his arduously maintained composure cracked.

“Can’t you be quiet for five minutes at least? Your chattering and whining is driving me crazy! I was under the insane impression that you were adults with a certain amount of experience and self-control. But it is becoming increasingly apparent that you have the emotional maturity of toddlers. Bloody hell!”

Tony looked from McGee to Kate, who had been trying to throw him off balance with their side-blows since he had entered the office that morning. But if the experience with the plague and Sirius' memories had shown him one thing, it was that masks and secrets were only good as long as you didn’t push it too far. Sirius had paid for it with his freedom and his life, and Tony would be damned if he was going to sacrifice as much. If the two junior agents couldn't handle his true, adult self, then that wasn't his problem!

“Am I the only one who learned something from the action with a certain envelope? Rash action almost got me killed! I take full responsibility for that. But think, damn it! We have a possibly-probably-most-likely tripple agent with hatred for Gibbs on the loose who we couldn't do anything about because he's under FBI protection. Ari plays a Hamas terrorist. You know what they're known for? I'd rather be a little too careful than have to bury one of you.”

Kate and McGee looked at him puzzled and he realised they had no idea what he was getting at.

“Suicide bomber,” came the growled reply from Gibbs. His expression showed that he reluctantly acknowledged that DiNozzo's arguments were logical.

“Thank you, Gibbs. So the question is, can we even risk checking to see if the victims are Navy personnel? We're standing in front of Schrödinger’s car.” The incomprehension that surged towards him only made him shake his head. “We don’t know if there’s a bomb in the car because we haven’t looked, but we have to assume there’s a bomb in the car until we look.”

“We can bullshit ourselves, DiNozzo.”

Tony threw his hands up in the air and growled in frustration. “If you’re so hell-bent on killing yourselves, go ahead. There’s a car down there that may have been fitted with motion, proximity or pressure sensors. I’ll stay up here if you don’t mind while you try to earn brownie points with Gibbs. Who, however, agrees with me on the current situation, in case you haven't noticed.”

Ultimately, they ended their discussion by briefly checking that the dead were indeed Navy personnel and that their deaths therefore fell within their jurisdiction. They then called a transporter to take the car to the Navy Yard. While loading the car, the technicians noticed wiring in the boot area that did not belong there. So Tony had not been mistaken. It was quickly determined, however, that it was a trigger connected to the boot lock and could be disarmed quite easily by cutting the wires. Tony kept an I told you so to himself at his teammates but couldn’t help raising an eyebrow. The following days were so packed with investigations, changes and frightening realisations that there was no time for real gloating.

The dead sailors, Lieutenants Westfall and Janssen, had not only been murdered but also mutilated. This provided them with an unwanted further clue - of a planned attack on the returning amphibious battle fleet. The next few hours were filled with finding the source of the attack and neutralising it.

Even as they approached the building - from which, according to McGee's analysis, the signal to the remote control came - Tony knew that this action could not end well. It was somehow understandable that the controls were on the roof, but up there you were also sitting like a sitting duck for snipers. It was a real kill zone and the team was running full speed towards it.

“We can prevent casualties.”

“How, Sirius? The team is made up entirely of NoMas. I can't just pull out my wand and wave it around here.”

“I wasn’t talking about that either. But one of the Grim's abilities is to influence the weather. It would be worth trying to see if you too are able to conjure up a thunderstorm. I think that might provide enough distraction.” Tony tilted his head to one side thoughtfully and then nodded slowly. “Okay, I’ll tell you what you need to do. Luckily, you don’t need a wand for that. It is a comparable gift to your empathy and legilimency. Listen into your magical core. That is where all your abilities are hidden. There will be something there that is unknown to you. That is the Grim. Do not be afraid of him. Good Paddy is a gentle soul. Accept him and then it should just work itself out.”

Tony followed the instructions and peripherally noticed the sky slowly to cloud over. 

“Very good, carry on Tony.”

Tony walked behind his team into the building, still working on conjuring up a thunderstorm over the city, outwardly appearing to have the team's back.

By the time they pushed open the door to the roof, an increasingly heavy rain had begun to fall. 

“Okay, about twenty more seconds. Then it will keep raining for the next few hours. And since bad weather had been forecasted for the next few days, no one will be too surprised.”

He did as Sirius told him and felt sincere gratitude. The rain had now been joined by unpredictable winds, which made any shot at long range an absolute gamble. 

“Boss,” McGee's hesitant voice came over the radio, “the approaching storm is jamming the signals. I don't know if the drone can still take off.”

Gibbs growled, which McGee had to accept as agreement and merely not disturb any more. Fortunately, Bambino complied. Which might also have been due to the bullets that were sent in his direction from time to time.

Tony recognised the exact moment when a sniper targeted the team and although he was quick as a flash to pull both Gibbs and Kate to the ground with him, the expected shot was not without consequences. Kate should be fucking glad that she was only hit in the shoulder. Even if it hurt like hell - as he knew from his own experience - but better wounded than dead! She'd better be thankful to him!

“Agent Todd, that's enough! If I hadn't been so clumsy and hadn't stumpled against you, you'd be bloody dead by now! So shut up and get treatment.” Tony knew that it was more Sirius and the general frustration they both felt that was speaking out of him at that moment, but he didn't care. Kate should finally realise that he was the one with more experience. Not to mention a few extra skills.

Gibbs looked back and forth between his subordinates in amazement, but silently agreed with DiNozzo. The shot would normally have been fatal if DiNozzo had not reacted that quickly. But, it was better not to tell him that. The younger man would only let too much praise go to his head and ultimately get stupid ideas. Better to make sure that everyone did what he told them. A troop must be led with a strong and firm hand.

“DiNozzo, stop wasting air. Better grab the equipment. And if McGee's been hurt too, that means triple work for you for the next few weeks, since you'll already be doing Kate's stuff.”

Tony looked at the older man calmly, but in reality stunned. It was almost as if Gibbs wanted to blame him for Kate getting shot. Inwardly, he shook his head. One action. Gibbs really was one action away from finding out why people didn't joke with an Amato.

Kate managed to put on a snooty triumphant expression despite obvious pain, while Tony struggled to tuck the tech under his arm (one didn't want to conjure anything up). Together they walked back to the car. McGee was already waiting for them, who reported with a proud face that he had already called an ambulance. You did a great job, Tony couldn't help thinking sarcastically.

The team - minus Kate - had been back in the office for less than half an hour when Abby came shooting out of the lift towards Tony and punched him hard on the upper arm.

“Why didn't you take better care of Kate, Tony? You're the reason she got shot!” Tony knew that Abby had slight memory problems from time to time and tended to see things differently than they really were. An unfortunate consequence of the circumstances that she had stumbled across magical enclaves too often and simply didn't want to understand that certain truths were not meant for the public. Professionally, she was still a luminary in her field, but she was only one obliviate away from being placed under the permanent supervision of the nuns she went bowling with for her own protection. Committees, bodies and institutions whose task it was to keep a watchful eye on those NoMas who had been obliviated to maintain the International Statute for the Secrecy of Magic were as much a part of the Society as magical enclaves and their ministries. The nuns were also part of the Society, as was the UICM in Italy, and Tony was getting closer and closer to submitting his application.

He leaned forward and with every syllable he spoke, not only did his voice grow colder, but also the expression in his eyes. “If it wasn't for me, we'd be saying goodbye to Kate forever right now. And probably Gibbs, too. And possibly McGee wouldn't be here anymore either. We were in a fucking kill zone, right in the middle of it! It's time to grow up, Miss Sciuto!” Tony noticed out of the corner of his eye McGee quickly trying to minimise something on his screen. “And you, Agent McGee should take care of your report of today's action rather than chatting during working hours.”

The younger man stuck his chin out haughtily. “Gibbs says I don't have to make a report because I wasn't actively involved in the action. So I didn't do anything wrong. Unlike you.”

Tony would have taken a startled step back if he hadn't been sitting. He knew McGee tended to perceive things through a very narrow focus. But even for that, what he had just said was truly unbelievable. If this really was Gibbs' statement, then it limited Tony immensely in his position as SFA. But at the same time explained McGee and Kate's behaviour.

“When did Gibbs say that?”

“When you were once again flirting with some brainless bimbo instead of working. Gibbs said that since you're always wasting your time on useless things, it's enough for him to tell me when to write a report or what tasks to do. And since I have the higher degree than you anyway, I don't see any problem with that. Gibbs is the boss, after all.”

The disbelief in Tony was growing. How could Gibbs say such a thing? Didn't he realise that it undermined everything the SFA's position stood for and also endangered them all and their cases? Tony allowed himself a last-ditch attempt to point out to McGee the lunacy of this behaviour. 

“Then I guess everyone here should read the NCIS bylaws, the information regarding the team structure in NCIS and the requirements for certain positions in NCIS.” He rose from his seat, put the files in his backpack and stared McGee and Sciuto down. “Since everyone here seems to think they know better than me what to do, I'm going to find a quiet place where I can really concentrate.”

Tony dropped his backpack on the floor and leaned exhausted with his back against the closed appartment door. He was disappointed, but somehow not. He knew that Abby often didn't think quite rationally, but today's behaviour was absolutely unbelievable. Wearily, he wondered how to deal with the whole situation. He heard a scornful sound in his head.

“You know exactly what you have to do. But I also know you don't want to just walk away. So I suggest you give NCIS this one last chance. But before you do that, I want you to get in touch with the UICM so you have something to look forward to.”

Tony couldn't help but agree with Sirius. The UICM (Ufficio Internazionale del Crimine Magico) was the oldest magical criminal investigation agency that had made the leap into modernity and still retained values of its origins. Together with the Istituto di Studi Magico e Mondano and the Istituto Medico Magico Internazionale, it represented the oldest surviving culture in Europe, if not the world - apart from a few examples in South America, Africa and Asia. Unlike the cultures of Central and Western Europe, which had become very distant from their past and identity in recent decades through supposedly important reforms.

Tony took a deep breath, pushed himself away from the door and walked towards the loggia where the aviary of his long-eared owl Lokes was located. As always, the access was open so that the animal could move freely when Tony was at work. As he approached the cage, the owl flew out and landed on his shoulder. Initially Lokes had been acting a bit strange, as the merge with Sirius had also changed Tony's magic and with it his connection to his familiar. He had almost feared that he had lost this connection completely, but in the last few weeks Lokes had become again the confidant and friend he had been before. Tony stroked the belly feathers and smiled at the animal's pleased sounds.

“You know, Lokes, we may be leaving D.C. very soon. I know you've settled in great here and the cute barn owl four houses down has taken a liking to you immensely. Hey,” Tony laughed as he was pinched in the ear, “I don't want to spoil your fun, but I've got a feeling that's a pretty easy girlie. But NCIS has moved in a direction I absolutely do not approve of. I see incredible danger coming our way.” Tony looked off into the distance and sighed, then turned and walked back into the flat. “I need you to take two letters to Gringotts. I need them to forward them to Europe for me. There is someone there who really needs me. And maybe I need him too.” He set Lokes down on the back of one of the chairs at the dining table and proceeded to write two letters. One would go to the UICM requesting an interview for an investigator position. The second was a lot harder to write, but that much more important.

“Harry,

I can only imagine how you feel right now...”

~*~

The next few days showed Tony that he had done absolutely the right thing by asking Gringotts to enquire about possible positions for him at the UICM. This became particularly clear two weeks after the scene on the roof. It started with the fact that from one day to the next the team area had been changed. The partition next to Gibbs' desk had been removed and in the now visible space sat a young brunette woman who looked at him appraisingly and also almost dismissively. Not knowing who he was dealing with, he didn't dwell on it and calmly booted up his computer. He had enough to do until Gibbs showed up. By now everyone thought it was perfectly fine to ignore him when he asked for something. McGee in particular thought that Tony was trying to push his work onto him. It was actually part of his job to train and instruct the junior agents of the team. But both Kate and McGee didn't see it that way and tended to team up against him. So Tony stayed late more and more often and also came in earlier than everyone else so that the extra paperwork didn't got ignored and JAG could trial the cases properly.

He was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice McGee showing up. He was only pulled out of his concentration when the atmosphere next to his desk changed. He looked up.

“Good morning, Madam Director.”

“Where's Jet... I mean Agent Gibbs?”

"I think something's up." Sirius was amused and Tony could only just stifle a smile as well. Director Shepard's aura had hinted at some feelings at the mention of Gibbs that one shouldn't have as a boss towards one's subordinates. “Unless you liked being addressed as Mistress.”

“Agent Gibbs is where Agent Gibbs is when he's not in the office,” Tony replied. “What I'm saying, ma'am, you can never tell exactly where Agent Gibbs is. But he has a knack of showing up when you don't expect him to. Like right now,” he ducked under the hand that was about to head-slap him. This was a thing that had restarted in the last few weeks, and he would not allow it. He would tell Gibbs off very soon or report him for abuse. Depending on what mood he himself would be in at that moment.

“Jethro,” the Director looked at Gibbs brightly and Tony had to pull himself together not to shudder. It was almost sickening how much she radiated lust and desire. “I want you to meet someone.” She nodded to the young woman who stood up confidently and approached. “This is Officer David, she will be assisting the MCRT from now on.”

“Nope,” was Gibbs' dry response and Tony leaned back in his chair. If Director Shepard knew Gibbs, then she should really know about Gibbs' rules. Especially the one rule, Rule 0 so to speak, that everything was built on. This was: His team, his rules and only he decided who joined the team and when they left.

“Agent Gibbs,” oups that was it for the desire and emergence of anger and irritation. “You will accept the assistance and support of Officer David. Both in terms of finding Ari Haswari and the normal workings of the MCRT.”

“And what,” Gibbs asked, “are Officer David's qualifications?”

“She is one of the most experienced and best officers Mossad has to offer.”

“And is thus completely unsuited to the work of the MCRT.” Everyone turned to Tony, who must have unconsciously spoken the thought aloud. “With all due respect, ma'am, Mossad is not a criminal investigation agency, which is one of the main functions of NCIS and especially the MCRT. Besides, the team often deals with sensitive data to which no non-American should have access. It may well be that Officer David can help us find Haswari. But, under no circumstances will I cooperate with her in any active investigation.”

“Agent DiNozzo, you will do as I say!” Shepard reared up in front of his desk and stared down at him.

“Afraid I might have something to teach you?” an arrogant female voice rang out and Tony couldn't stop a dry chuckle.

“I guess it's a question of who's teaching who what. Or rather, should be teaching.”

“What do you mean?” now Gibbs interfered and Tony decided that was it. He'd had enough. If even allowing a foreign agent unrestricted access to the MCRT was now being considered... No, he wanted nothing to do with that. He stood up, slowly placed his badge on the table, the service weapon from the top drawer next to it, shut down his computer and reached for his backpack. Then he looked at Gibbs, ignoring Shepard for the moment. For she was, in his opinion, only one of the symptoms. His main problem lay with Gibbs, who had enjoyed free hand for far too long and had passed that misbehaviour on to younger generations.

“You didn't support me with Kate, even told McGee that he only had to do something if it came from you. I guess I won't be allowed to say anything to David then, because she's such an experienced officer? You may be the team leader, Gibbs. But I'm the damn training officer on this team and you don't let me do my job. I'm the SFA of the MCRT, but I don't think that means anything. Except everyone dumping their work on me and I'm supposed to put up with it too? And now you want to bring a foreign agent into the MCRT? Normally, I'd say NCIS stands for ‘No criminal is safe’. But if one thinks about the current behaviour, ‘No crime is solved’ is more appropriate. Have you people completely lost your minds?!”

“Agent DiNozzo! I will not accept this behaviour!” Shepard get het up, but Tony just smiled sadly.

“Don't worry, ma'am. I can tell when something doesn't make sense. Integrating Officer David into NCIS and the MCRT promises to be as successful as General Custer at Little Big Horn. I'm not going to stand by and watch that happen. I quit.”

With that he squeezed past between her, Gibbs and the desk and walked away towards the stairwell. Ignoring any reactions from the office area. As soon as he was out of sight he would apparate, not bothering with the lift. Since he always used magical transport to get to work, no one would wonder why he had left his car in the parking lot.

~*~

A few hours after leaving NCIS, his flat was packed up and he stood in the rooms of the Washington branch of Gringotts waiting for his portkey to Rome to be ready. He would spend a few days in a hotel waiting to receive word from the UICM. Meanwhile, he would seek out Harry in Surrey. The latter had indeed made contact with him through the mirror, albeit briefly. Too briefly to soothe the worry that was almost eating Tony up from the inside out - and more likely coming from Sirius. But one thing that brief conversation had reinforced was the certainty that Harry was absolutely not doing well at the Dursleys'. It hadn't mattered that Harry hadn't looked at him. It was so obvious, why did no one see it?

“Erede Amato?”

Tony couldn't help smirking. Gringotts' behavior was the same everywhere, after all. Here he was always the heir to the Amato family and that was how he was addressed.

“Yes?”

“The portkey to Roma is ready.” A small disc was handed to him.

“Thank you very much, Thangrid. I don't think I'll be returning to America any time soon.”

“As soon as you are settled in a new location, Gringotts will inform me and I will continue to be available there as your personal account manager.”

“I'm glad to hear that," Tony said, and meant it. Thangrid Copperplate had been his account manager for years and something like respect had built up between them. "May your enemies quiver at your feet.”

“A noble wish," Thangrid said, "but you may need it more.”

Tony nodded only slightly and then braced himself for the uncomfortable feeling of the international portkey.

~*~

A few days later, Tony stood in the shadow of one of the columns at the Roman Forum and waited for the contact from the UICM, thinking about the brief meeting he had had with Harry the night before. It had done them both good to talk about a few things. It had been particularly important for Harry to hear that Sirius didn't blame him at all for what had happened at the Ministry.

“DiNozzo? Anthony DiNozzo Jr, formerly of NCIS? I am Investigatore Artaius Maël. The Investigatore Capo has asked me to escort you and show you around.”

Tony looked up as a person appeared beside him and could barely hide the bewilderment that overcame him. A feeling that Sirius brought to him. Sirius knew the person who had stepped out of the shadows and cautiously approached him. Artaius, one of the Celtic bear gods, referring to Arcturus from the constellation of the bear; and Maël the old Irish word for prince. Say what you will about him, but my little brother has always had a certain sense of humour. But how in Nimue's name is he still alive? Dumbledore told me Regulus had died. Everyone thinks he betrayed Voldemort and was killed as a result. Tony assured him that he would figure it out. But first was about him getting a job at the UICM. Then he could start making sure Harry was better off in the future.