Infinitely has a minion!

Lumos the Fire Carrier

You have nothing to fear... as long as you have nothing to hide

Infinitely knew the phrase like the back of his paw, having passed the sign daily as he entered the Ministry of Magic. He couldn't help but feel it was a personal message to him, a sign that if the Ministry decided to change their minds, his past would catch up with him faster than he could run. A sign that a one-way ticket to Azkaban was lurking in the wings, ready to head his way at the slightest slip.


Infinitely sighed, and wiped his face with his paw. As an Unregistered Animagus, he knew he was breaking wizarding law, but how else could he manage to smuggle goods into Hogsmede without being spotted? Mundungus Fletcher was just a petty thief compared to him; bags of Galleons had passed through his paws, although he made certain to never show any outward signs of making a lot of money. A poor and needy hustler would usually get a better deal when it came to selling the goods on.


Staring at the clock, he was certain that it had been charmed to tick slower.... or maybe even backwards. Time seemed to be dragging, and his work was as boring as ever. The air in the tiny office seemed heavier than normal, but no, that had to just be his overactive imagination. Resting his head on his paws, he shut his eyes for a few moments to clear his head.


*

The crisp salty sea air caught his nostrils as he breathed deeply. It'd been a few weeks since he had been to the port and he was on the alert in case he was spotted by the new security team. He knew he could get past them in his Animagus form, but he wasn't sure if they would be distracted in the same way as all the other teams over the years. Checking behind him, he heard the sound of the first lorry approaching, and knew it was time to keep the guards busy. He'd timed the route the lorries would take, and knew he needed to occupy the guards for ten minutes, to allow the vehicles to pass without inspection. A few miles down the road, they would then take a short detour, so that his smuggled goods could be offloaded, leaving the lorries with their intended loads to deliver to the stores in the morning.
It was a risky business, but Infinitely thrived on the adrenaline rush and knew the layout of the port so well, he could run it with his eyes shut. In fact, one night he had, much to the amusement of the guards when he pretended to lose his way, and ran straight into a pile of wooden pallets.


The lorry was almost at its mark, so Infinitely sprang forwards, barking twice as he ran towards the shed the security guards laughingly called their "office". Sitting in front of them, he sat on his hind paws and begged, before springing up and chasing his tail. It would be degrading for a wild Kumos to be doing such things, let alone a human, but it usually worked well, so Infinitely focussed his mind on the payday reward to come, as he performed his routine of tricks for the guards.


Suddenly, he heard a hissing from behind the guards; surely they didn't have a snake or something in their office? As they moved aside, Infinitely caught sight of a cat.... no, judging by the way it was hissing and spitting at him, it must be a Kneazle/cat hybrid. But why were these guards anywhere near a magical creature? As Infinitely backed away slightly, he bumped into something.... someone. He gulped as he slowly turned, and found himself face-to-face with a Ministry of Magic official. All thoughts of escape flew from his mind as the Kneazle-cat prowled towards him. The official must have silently cast a spell to prevent him from moving, but it wasn't the Imperius curse as he still felt absolutely terrified.


A while later, Infinitely opened his eyes. He hadn't remembered closing them, nor anything about the apparent journey to get wherever he was, but as his stood, he realised his paw hurt. Looking down, he almost fell over with the shock of seeing his human foot, rather than his Animagus paw; the officials must have cast a spell to force him to show his human form. He knew this was the end - Azkaban awaited, and even before day break, he could be turned over to the Dementors as a new toy for them to play with.


Warily glancing around, he realised he was in a small cell-like room; no windows, quite a low ceiling, and one door. Almost as soon as he had clapped eyes on the door, it opened and the Minister for Magic himself strode in. Infinitely had definitely not been expecting to see the most important of all wizards, and simply stared while the Minister flipped through the sheets of parchment he was holding.


He wasn't sure exactly what was said - in fact, he did wonder if there was a charm cast before the Minister said anything, so he couldn't be absolutely certain of any agreements that were made. He knew that the Minister had stepped in to save him from Azkaban, and that in return, Infinitely would have to transfer his loyalty to the Ministry, to do whatever work they set, remain in his Animagus form, and never disclose the details of their agreement. He sighed at the thought - as if he could disclose details that he couldn't even remember! He did remember one element of the meeting however, being given a new name; infinitely - the length of time he will be working for the Ministry.

*

Infinitely snorted and opened his eyes. What would the Minister say, if he was caught sleeping on the job? Quickly rubbing his eyes with his paws, he picked up the next sheet of paper to file, and glanced at the heading; Undesirable Number One: Harry J Potter.








Credits
Infinitely is a non-canon Harry Potter character who works at the Ministry of Magic. Some elements of his story and of course all place names, Kneazles, HP characters, spells, and the Ministry of Magic itself, belong to JK Rowling.

Profile created by Paddy using a Harry Potter hoodie as a template for the layout of the Ministry of Magic sign - the original design of the sign, belongs to Warner Bros.
Tiled texture in background kindly provided by Ringo :)