Harry arrived back at Lily Lane with the note shoved securely in his pocket. Severus glanced up at his arrival via Floo Powder from a file he'd been perusing and asked, "Well? He leave anything?"

Harry nodded. "Another ransom note, just like we figured. Here, read it for yourself." He handed Severus the parchment.

The Director scrutinized the parchment carefully, trying to see if he could recognize the handwriting, but it was no use. The letters were not uniform, but instead varied in size and sometimes resembled a little child's first attempts at writing the alphabet. "I can't determine the handwriting from this," Snape finally admitted with a scowl. "But we can analyze this better in my office. It's equipped with special potions and items for identifying things like this."

"Can we go there now?"

"Yes, as soon as I make arrangements with my mother-in-law to take care of Gavin. I can't leave him alone." Severus said, withdrawing his black spellophone emblazoned with the Hunter crest from his back pocket. He flipped it open and spoke into it. "Hello, Ari. It's Severus. I need to ask you for a favor. Gavin is recovering from a stomach virus and I got called away to investigate a Priority One case, so I was wondering if you'd mind watching him for the weekend?"

He hit Send.

A second later his spellophone chimed. He pressed Receive and Ari's face rose from the image gel. "Severus, of course we'll watch him. No trouble at all. You just concentrate on nailing your suspect and don't worry about Gavin. I'll make sure he rests and gets some fresh air too. Come over when you're ready, dear. Bye."

"Goodbye, Ari," Severus replied, shutting the spellophone disk.

Harry fought to keep from grinning at hearing Ari call Severus "dear" like he was her kid. And what was even funnier was that Snape didn't seem at all phased by the address. I wonder if she calls him that all the time? Reminds me of Molly, except her I can understand, she's always tried to mother me. But I can't imagine any woman trying to mother Severus Snape. Or him letting her do that. He shot another speculative glance at the other man. Severus had a faint smile on his face.

"She's a wonderful woman, my mother-in-law. An Animal Healer and one of the smartest and intuitive people I've ever met. Even if she does tend to treat me like I was fifteen sometimes."

"You don't mind then?"

"Mind? Well, maybe a little. But that's part of having a family, you put up with things you never would from strangers. She treats her son-in-laws like her children, fusses over us something awful, but she means well." Severus told Harry, a wry smirk on his face. And though he would rather die than admit it, he enjoyed Ari's concern, for it reminded him of his own mother, who'd died when he was sixteen, and he'd never quite gotten over missing her. Ari understood that, though they'd never spoken of it aloud and thus acted as a surrogate mother to Severus.

"Sounds kind of like Molly Weasley."

"I think most mother-in-laws are alike, if they're good ones, that is." Severus said. "Now that's settled, I'd better check on Gavin, let him know what's going on." he rose from where he'd been sitting on the couch. "He's supposed to be reading his natural science homework."

Harry sat down on the couch, content to relax a bit before they went to Severus's office. He just made out the conversation between Snape and his ward.

"But Sev, why can't I just stay here?" argued Gavin. "I'm not a baby, I can take care of myself."

"No. What if you get sick again?"

"I'll call Arista."

"Not good enough. I don't like leaving a kid your age by himself for anything longer than an hour. Too many things can go wrong."

"Like what? I promise I won't mess with your potions or set the house on fire."

"Glad to hear it, but you're still going to your grandmother's. You're due for a visit anyhow."

"Aw, bloody hell, Sev!" groaned the boy.

"Language, young man!" reproved Snape. "Now quit acting like a sulky brat and start packing."

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know. Hopefully not longer than the weekend, but if I'm not back by Monday morning, Ari can send you to school."

"Unless I'm sick."

"Yes, but Ari knows how to tell the difference between a kid who's really sick and only faking it. And if I come back and find out you cut school, Gavin Snape, you'll be in serious trouble, understand?"

Harry could just picture Severus' warning glower.

"Yes, sir. Who are you going after this time?"

"A man who calls himself the Shifter. And that's all I'm going to tell you. You know my rules about discussing current cases, Gavin. You only get information on a need-to-know basis. And this is not-"

"-something I need to know," Gavin finished. "Okay, Sev, I'll be good."

"For once in your life," the other teased. "Finish packing and then I'll send you and Scout over there by Floo network."

"Can I bring my broom?"

Severus didn't reply for a minute, considering the kid's request. "Yes. Provided you don't fly too far and come inside if you start to feel tired. I'm counting on you to act responsibly, Gavin, and not exhaust yourself. You're still not completely well."

"I'm not throwing up anymore."

"That's not the only thing you have to worry about. That virus drains your energy levels and if you don't watch yourself, you could bring on another bout of it. So no flying more than an hour at a time and rest afterwards. Agreed?"

"Sure, whatever."

"I'm serious, son. Ari has my permission to take your broom away and ground you if you break that rule, so don't be stupid."

"God, but you've turned into my mother!" Gavin muttered disgustedly.

"Watch it, brat. Before that smart mouth gets you in worse trouble," his guardian threatened.

"Trouble? Me? I'm an angel, I'll have you know."

"The angel of destruction," Severus shot back. "Now hurry up and pack I haven't got all day."

"Okay, okay, don't get your cloak in a knot, Sev," the apprentice replied cheekily. "I'd have been done already if you'd of skipped the lecture, honestly." Then he yelped. "Hey! Let go of my ear, sir!"

"That'll be enough of your cheek, mister," Severus growled. "Now behave."

"Okay. Sorry."

Severus released Gavin's ear and left the room, muttering under his breath about mouthy ten-year-old brats driving him slowly insane.

Harry hid a grin and pretended to read a magazine on the table when Severus rejoined him.

Ten minutes later, Gavin was packed and Severus sent him off with Scout, admonishing him once more to behave. Gavin rolled his eyes and promised he would, then hugged the Director before stepping into the fireplace, holding Scout's collar in one hand and a pinch of Floo in the other.

"Amarotti beach house, Brick," Gavin spoke clearly and tossed down the powder.

Green fire swirled up and the boy and the dog vanished.

Harry was on his feet. "Okay, now we can go to your office, right?" he reached for some Floo powder.

Severus put out a hand. "Stop. You can't get into my office with the network. I have scramble charms over my fireplace. And you can't Apparate into it either."

"Then how do we get there?"

"We Apparate a few blocks before the building and then walk." Severus answered. "You can never be too cautious in my line of work."

"Guess not," Harry agreed. Severus probably had more people hating him and trying to kill him now than he ever did when he was a supposed Death Eater. The position of Director of the DHI was not one for the faint of heart.

The two Apparated in twin flashes of blue light.

* * * * * *

Severus and Harry appeared with a pop in a rather deserted corner of Manhattan near an Italian deli, some two blocks down from the Dark Hunter Intelligence Agency. It was around twelve noon and Harry was starting to get hungry. He nearly asked the Director if they could stop in at the deli, the aroma from there was mouthwatering. "Your headquarters is hidden near here?"

Severus shook his head. "No. It's about two blocks down, but we have to walk. You can't Apparate anywhere near it, it's warded better than Hogwarts against any teleportation magic." He glanced up and down the street before he began walking briskly down the sidewalk, his black robes billowing majestically behind him.

Harry bit his lip in envy. He always meant to ask Severus how he did that, for he could never manage it. Must be a Snape thing, he sighed and ran to catch up with the Director's long strides. "Why are we walking so quickly?" he panted as he drew level with Severus. "You're the boss, you can't be late for work."

"I'll explain later," Snape said shortly. "Now come on." His hurrying had nothing to do with work.

Mystified, Harry followed. They had just gone a block when a girl's voice squealed, "There he is! I think I'm gonna die!"

Harry's head whipped around. Oh no! My fan club's found me even over here!

Snape groaned and kept walking.

Suddenly what appeared to be over a hundred teenage girls, women, and even some mothers with small children emerged from buildings across the square. They were dressed in a variety of outfits, wizard and Muggle, but most of them seemed to be wearing black somewhere on them. All of them were gaping and pointing, screaming and giggling, and chanting in a frenzy.

"Snape!Snape! Severus Snape!"

Harry nearly passed out. These were not part of his circle of admirers. He gaped at Severus, who grabbed his arm. "Keep walking, Potter. Don't stop."

"But they-they're calling you!"

"Ignore them, for the love of Merlin. Please!"

Harry couldn't resist a glance over his shoulder.

The knot of adoring women had moved up and were gazing at the object of their affection with dreamy eyes. They were still chanting Snape's name, but now some of them were starting to yell other things as well. A smirk spread slowly across Harry's face.

"Oh my God, Mom! He's such a sexy beast!"

"We love you, Severus!" screamed five adolescent girls.

"Can I bear your child?" panted one blond in a low cut blue dress. Her eyes gleamed as she stared at the Director's lean frame like a hungry wolf.

"No way! I saw him first!" cried another woman wearing black leather and she elbowed the blond out of the way. "Sev, honey, I'm ready when you are!"

Harry choked, trying to contain his laughter.

Severus was gazing steadfastly down the sidewalk, refusing to look at the horde of women.

"Ooo! I love the way his cloak billows! It's so-so magical!" gushed a short sixteen-year-old.

"Snape, I left my husband for you!" shouted a middle-aged magician in a pale blue robe. "You're worth ten of him any day of the week, sweetheart!"

"Severus, my daughter's locked herself in her room and refuses to eat, says she pining away from love for you!" yelled a rather harried-looking woman with frizzy hair. "What should I do?"

"Great! Just great!" Severus muttered. "Another lovesick anorexic teenager to chalk up to my account!" Then he turned around and called out to the woman, "Tell her I said to stop behaving like a brat and eat, or else!"

"Thank you, sir!" cried the mother, but Snape was already swishing by.

"Or else what?" giggled a fourteen-year-old. "Will he spank her?"

"He can spank me!" shrilled another.

"Severus can give me detention anytime!" smirked a third, gazing at him longingly.

"I demand detention, sir!" shouted another teen. "Pretty please with sugar on top?" she smiled at Severus winsomely.

They're asking for DETENTION! Harry couldn't believe his ears. Are they insane?

Snape's jaw was clenched. The crowd was pressing up at their heels now and slowly creeping alongside them as well.

"Mom! Mom! He looked at me! Oh My God!" screamed a thirteen-year-old dressed all in black. Then she fainted dead away in the street.

Harry covered his hand with his mouth to smother his chuckle.

Severus glared at him. A block had never seemed like an eternity until now.

"Snape, I've redone my living room wall. It's got you all over it!" cried a tall willowy brunette with red high heels. "I could just stare at you all day!"

"That's nothin'!" sneered another. "I've got the Hug Me Severus doll in my room! Eat yoah heart out, sugar!"

"You DO? But where can I get one?" squealed half the crowd.

"You've got a Hug Me doll?" Harry cried. "Wow! I never rated one of those!"

"Shut up, Potter!" Snape ordered. He was blushing. "Just keep walking. Quickly! Before they try and touch me. Last time that happened-" he closed his mouth with a snap. No, he was not going there.

They were almost to the DHI when a small girl of about nine in a green sweater and black pants stepped directly into their path, forcing Severus to halt before he ran her over. "What do you want?" he frowned at her. "An autograph?"

"Oh no, sir. I-I just wanted to . . .my teacher says we have to do a report on a famous wizard and-and I picked you, Mr. Snape, sir! Cause I think you're lots cooler than Dumbledore." She beamed up at him. "My name is Mandy Marcus."

Snape felt a reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Well, Mandy, seeing as it's for an assignment . . .Tell your mother to see my assistant Mr. Barrow about an appointment next week. You can interview me for fifteen minutes."

"Really? Thanks, sir!" she smiled at him, then turned and ran over to her mother, who was standing five feet away. "Mom, guess what! He said we need to make an appointment."

"Couldn't resist, huh, Sev?" Harry smirked.

"It's for a school project, Harry," Snape said irritably. "I couldn't turn that down, I'm a former professor. It wouldn't look right at all. Now, move! We're almost there." He practically dragged Harry down the sidewalk.

"Ooo! His cloak brushed my hand! I'm never washing it again!" squealed a girl, clutching her hand to her chest.

"That's disgusting!" Severus scowled, ignoring Harry who was laughing.

Various cameras were busy snapping pictures as they finally managed to slip into the tall double doors of the DHI.

They could still hear the sound of hundreds of female voices chanting, "Snape! Snape! Severus Snape!"

Once inside, Severus activated the wards that kept crowds away and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Out on the street, the hordes of disappointed fangirls heaved a groan of dismay.

"Oh, well, there's always tomorrow!" they sighed.

Inside the building, which was done in shiny black and gold, the Dark Hunter colors, Harry was snickering. "You-" he stabbed an accusing finger at the Director. "-have the nerve to lecture me about my fan club? What do you call that?"

"Insanity. They need help. All of them need to be committed." he scowled, brushing off his robes. "Maybe I ought to start a therapy group-Snape Fans Anonymous-all ages welcome!"

"You'd need the whole building," Harry declared, still laughing. "So, Sev, how does it feel to be famous?"

Snape gave him a withering scowl. "Shut up, Potter! Come, my office is up on the thirty-second floor." He led the way to a glittering black elevator.

"Good afternoon, sir," called a Hunter on his way past them.

"Afternoon, Torelli," Severus answered, nodding.

They stepped into the elevator, which was done in cherry tones. The doors slid shut and Harry noticed there were only two buttons, Up and Down. Next to that was a shimmering panel that looked like a faceted crystal. "Level, please," spoke a soft woman's voice.

Severus laid his hand on the crystal panel. "Director Snape's office."

"ID match confirmed. Good morning, Director Snape. Level 32."

Snape stepped back as the panel suddenly glowed a bright purple and then the elevator began to move, swiftly and silently. In about three seconds the elevator had stopped and the doors opened. "Level 32. Director's office. Have a nice day, sir."

They stepped out into a tan waiting area with black couches and tables lit by soft mageglobes. A large circular desk was in the center of the room, right in front of a mahogany door with a brass nameplate that read Director Severus Snape.

A small sign on the desk itself read: Director will see you by appointment ONLY. The desk had four multifaceted message crystals similar to the one Severus had in his study. It was covered with neat stacks of files and folders and many containers of quills and jars of ink. A clipboard on the righthand side hung slightly off the edge and said For Appointments, write name, reason, and date.

Behind the desk was a woman with pale hair and a thin attractive face dressed in a black and gold shirt with the magehound crest and matching black pants and boots. A tag pinned on her shirt read Fiona Hollis.

She looked up when the elevator opened, for there were no people waiting in the room. Her eyes widened when she saw her boss and his companion. "Good afternoon, Director."

"Good afternoon, Miss Hollis. Is Mr. Barrow back from lunch yet?"

"No, sir. He, uh, said he wasn't feeling well and decided to take the rest of the day off. So I'm filling in for him. I wasn't expecting you until Monday, sir. How's your son?"

"Recovering nicely, thank you. I hope Stanley doesn't have what Gavin did," Severus murmured. "Did anything new come in from the Auror Department over in Britain for me?"

She shuffled through the papers on her desk, then shook her head. "No, sir. Are you waiting for a letter?"

"I requested some information and received it but I thought perhaps they might have more." he waved a hand. "Never mind. I'm assisting Mr. Potter here with an investigation for his missing wife. I'll be in my office."

"Yes, sir." She smiled at Harry. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Potter. We'll assist you in any way we can."

"Thanks," Harry said, then followed Severus through the unlocked door.

Once they were in the office, which Snape told him had several charms upon it so no one could hear what was discussed, Harry sank down on the couch, and eyed Severus with undisguised glee. "So, does that kind of thing happen to you a lot? Women following you everywhere?"

Severus scowled. "Regrettably, yes."

"What did happen that last time?" Harry pressed, his green eyes dancing. "You mentioned they touched you."

Snape glared at him frostily. "That's none of your business."

"Last time one of those girls got close enough to touch him, they went wild," said Amelia's portrait from her place on the wall. The auburn-haired Hunter was laughing. "Ripped his cloak and half his clothes off right there in the middle of the street. He had to cast a glamour on himself so he could get to work without causing a riot."

"Amelia, please! You promised you'd never bring that up again."

"You're serious?" Harry gaped.

"Yes! Guess they all wanted a piece of him. And who could blame them?" She eyed her husband leisurely and Severus flushed. "I found him quite irresistible, you know."

"Amelia!" Severus snapped. "Harry does not need to know that!"

Harry snickered, for his Potion Master's face was slowly turning red in embarrassment.

"Oh, come on, Sev! Even you have to admit-it is funny, the way they all fawn over you, like a little lost puppy."

Severus rolled his eyes. "None of this would have happened, Amy, if you were still alive. Those women, they think all I need is another wife. I don't. I had the very best one I could have ever had."

"True. But you can't blame them for wishing," snickered Amelia. "Right, Harry?"

"Umm . . .yeah," replied Harry.

"I'm glad the both of you find this so funny," grumbled the Director. "I'd wager you wouldn't be half so amused if it was you they were tearing clothes off of, Potter."

"Uh, actually, there was one time when a girl tried to rip my sweater off," Harry admitted, chuckling. "But none of my fans ever went bonkers and actually shredded my clothing." He had to admit, it was fun to tease the other wizard, especially over this.

"That's New Yorkers for you," Amelia remarked.

"Must be something in the water," her husband muttered. "And that's why I keep a shield charm upon my person at all times." Then he shook his head. "Back to the real reason why we're here. . .Where's that last note, Harry?"

Harry handed it to him.

"I'll run it through my Magic ID Scanner and see if it can find a match for handwriting or a pattern in the suspects we've got on file that haven't been brought in yet."

He opened a drawer in his rolltop and removed a long black rectangular box. He placed it on the table and flipped it open. It was lined with an odd iridescent material, kind of like snakeskin. Severus placed the parchment inside and shut it. Then he said, "Handwriting ID for suspect the Shifter."

The box blurred and a soft violet glow outlined it.

While the spell was working, Harry peered about the office. He noted the several pictures of Snape's family, which wasn't something the professor had ever displayed while at Hogwarts. Then he read the small wooden sign next to them. "Nobody gets in to see the wizard. Not nobody, not no how." He was puzzled. That phrase sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"That's a quote from The Wizard of Oz movie," Severus explained upon seeing Harry's expression. "It's Arista's little joke, since appointments with me are extremely hard to get."

"The Wizard of Oz? Is that a Muggle movie?"

"Yes. You mean to tell me you've never watched it? And you were raised in a Muggle household?" Severus repeated. "What kind of deprived childhood did you have?"

Harry shrugged. "The Dursleys never let me have a TV of my own. Dudley had five though, one for each room of the house. And I wasn't allowed to watch any of them unless he let me, which he almost never did."

"Wicked buggers!" Severus shook his head in disgust. "Well, it's a musical, a very famous one."

"I take it you've seen it?"

"Only about a thousand times. Marietta's obsessed with it, makes me watch it nearly every time she spends the night over my house. I have the DVD and I swear, I've probably memorized it by now. Maybe once this is all over with, you can watch it with Ginny."

Harry nodded. "I'd like that." he glanced back at the violet glowing box. "Does it always take this long?"

"Patience, Mr. Potter. Handwriting identification isn't as easy to match as a hair or a fingernail clipping. Quit pacing like a caged lion and sit down." He gestured to the couch. Then he snapped his fingers and two mugs of steaming coffee appeared on his desk along with sugar and cream. "Coffee?"

"God, yes." Harry accepted a cup gratefully and fixed it. Then he sipped it slowly, relishing the sweet yet bold taste. "I'd never have figured you the type to have much to do with Muggle stuff."

"No? You forget, I was raised by one. So Muggle culture isn't strange to me. Besides, here in the States, the AMA believes in integrating Muggle and wizard, to a certain extent. Families with Muggles aren't ostracized here, they're encouraged to learn about us and also teach the wizards about their world as well, such as entertainment, science, technology, that sort of thing. It helps to promote tolerance between us and I find that a very good thing. Muggleborns and half-bloods are given equal status with purebloods here. Calling any witch or wizard a Mudblood here is considered a hate crime according to the legal system."

"Really? I never knew they were that strict."

"About this, yes. It's the same with the bronze dragons. Every wizard in America swears Dragon's Oath when they apprentice to a master. It's a requirement because the bronzes are our allies and refuse to honor a wizard who hasn't sworn to respect and do them no harm. Sometimes the AMA might seem rather lax when it comes to things like dress codes and wandless spells, but with dragons and Muggles the laws are followed to the letter."

"I've heard you don't use dragon parts in your potions."

"We don't. Again, that's in accordance with the oath we swore to the bronzes. They're our friends and you don't go around cutting up bits and pieces of your friend to add to a potion. Unless you're Voldemort or a member of his family."

"That's for sure," Harry scowled, recalling the disgusting potion Voldemort had created to give himself a body, using his father's bone and Harry's blood and Wormtail's arm. He looked back at the black box and saw it was no longer glowing. "Hey, I think it's done."

Severus popped open the box and a woman's voice said regretfully, "No positive match found. Parchment and ink untraceable."

"Damn!" Harry swore, running his fingers through his hair. "Now what do we do?"

"Now we have to do this the old fashioned way," Severus sighed. "With a map and guesswork." He indicated the map on the wall. "Let me transfer what we know of the Shifter into the map and see if it can come up with possible places he might be hiding."

He drew his ebony wand, tapped it on the file of the Shifter and then on the map and a bright green ribbon flowed out of the wand and into the map.

Immediately, the red dots on the map, which were indicative of criminal suspects, began blinking in the New York area. Soon they settled, until only seven or eight points were blinking. Severus tapped the map and said "Enlarge."

The area with the blinking dots enlarged so he could see exactly where the map determined the Shifter's location to be. All of the eight points were in the New York metropolitan area. One of them was right over Central Park, which was where the Shifter had ordered Harry to bring the money and the Resurrection Stone.

"Well, it's a starting point anyway," said Severus, and tapped the map until it went back to its original size. He turned to Harry. "Normally, this is the time I'd assign a Hunter pair to investigate all the locations. But not this time. Something tells me this Shifter is someone I know very well and I want to bring him in myself." His mouth twitched into a wry grin. "The Director doesn't usually involve himself in the field, but this once I'll make an exception."

Harry looked uneasy. "Are you sure about this, Severus? I mean, I knew you could help me find him, but I never expected you to come with me to confront him. What about your, uh, leg?"

"Don't insult me, Potter! My leg isn't going to hinder me much. It's not like I have to walk every inch of Manhattan. I can Apparate, and if he runs from us, then you can chase him down, Mr. Seeker."

"Okay. Okay. Don't go all snarky on me," Harry held up his hands in surrender.

"Just so we understand each other. I'll contact Colin, let him know to be on standby, since he's my second in command. But I don't think we'll have much problem catching this one, since he's not very familiar with Manhattan."

"And you are?"

"Harry, I work here and I'm head of the DHI. I know this city like the back of my hand."Severus reassured him. He reached into another drawer of his desk and withdrew a square of parchment. "This is a miniature map of the one on my wall. It'll show us where we have to go and if he suddenly changes direction or whatever. It's linked to the permanent one here and will update itself as needed."

Harry watched in fascination as Severus summoned a black bag and removed from it a pair of silvery handcuffs and a length of coiled black rope and a potions case. "What are those?"

"A case of emergency potions, mostly healing and protective ones, my Null Magic Cuffs and constrictor rope," Severus replied. "Standard Hunter field kit." Then he took the Blackstaff down from the wall. "In the words of another legendary investigator, the game's afoot, Potter."

"Huh?"

"Sherlock Holmes. Written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle," Severus shook his head. "You have to start reading classical literature, Harry, not Quidditch stats." Then he contacted Colin Flynn through his message crystal to inform him of their new mission.

Ten minutes later, both of them were riding the elevator back down to the ground floor of the agency and ready to go to the site of their first lead, nearby Times Square.