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Temptation	By : ceruleanblue Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 1369 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters from the books or movies. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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*AN: Azrael Blocks aren't mine. I borrowed them from the Dean Koontz novel, "Strangers." I changed them slightly, but the basic principle is the same.

Lachlan decided that she'd either picked up the most obstinate stray in existence or that dogs in general were just the stupidest creatures in existence. While the dog was more than happy to defend her from a thief, he would NOT follow her home. She tried everything, including food, and the dog wouldn't budge. Finally, she gave up and stalked off toward her flat. She was surprised to find the dog pawing at the door when the rain started up again. Lachlan was engrossed in her dossier and pushed her glasses up on her nose to investigate. She nearly fell out of her chair laughing when she saw that it was her furry friend.

Not being a heartless woman, she decided to let the contrary dog in. He was large, but appeared to be well-trained by someone. Perhaps he was a family pet lost somehow to the cruel streets of London.

Either way, she was glad for the company. While Reginald had been grating on her nerves for the past few weeks, she was unused to being completely alone in her flat. In fact, she almost MISSED the annoying presence of his snoring, whining, and predictability. The dog licked her hand lightly, pushing his nose tentatively into her palm. Lachlan reached out to scratch him behind the ears when she was suddenly hit with the overwhelming stench of wet, muddy dog.

"Okay, Mister. It's bath time for you. Into the tub you go, laddie, or you're not sleeping anywhere near me." The dog perked up at that, and wagged his tail excitedly at the prospect of staying with her. Lachlan found it odd that anyone would be excited to stay with her, since she was domestically challenged, but of course the dog wouldn't know any better. He was just grateful for the fact that Lachlan meant warmth, safety, and food.

She guided the huge dog into her smallish bathroom and began drawing a warm bath. As she did so, Lachlan began rambling about how crazy her life had gotten over the past few days, what with her new assignment and the complete mugglization of her flat. It was nice to be able to get these feelings off her chest, since she was bound by secrecy to protect all of her findings. Open cases were a matter of the Ministry and the Ministry alone. Even if she barely mentioned something she was working on to Reginald, she had to perform an Azrael Block in order to make sure that the memory couldn't be recovered by even the strongest of wizards.

Azrael Blocks had been developed and tested during the Spanish Inquisition of the Middle Ages. While the Spaniards believed that they were catching supposed witches and wizards during their purge of the Muslims and Jews, in all actuality they missed a great many due to the works of Melchizedek, a wizard of Moroccan descent. The principle behind the powerful charm, from what Lachlan could wrap her mind around, was that memories left a biological imprint on the tissue within the brain. When a standard memory charm was performed, the imprint was merely changed, as one changes a lock. However, just as a lock can be picked, so can a standard memory charm. Azrael Blocks erase the biological imprint entirely, leaving only smooth brain tissue in their wake, akin to removing the lock entirely and replacing it with unmarked steel. Furthermore, while standard Obliviate spells can be broken through subtle legilimency, any attempts to "pick the locks" of an Azrael Block results in a complete dismantling of the mind in question, leaving the subject comatose or dead.

The ability to perform the Azrael Block required not only a firm grasp on advanced charming and charm theory, but also intense concentration and a mind unclouded by worry. Needless to say, it was next to impossible for Lachlan to perform one. Her temper was too fiery and easily riled. The task was better suited to someone of a cool demeanor like her sister or Ashton. The only time Lachlan was able to perform the difficult charm correctly was during her Auror's examination, and then only after copious amounts of a tranquilizing draught.

Lachlan was amazed at how the dog seemed to hang onto her every word. She hadn't been paid this much attention for something positive in quite a while. She scrubbed him almost absently, her mind wandering down paths that she never even dreamed that she could expound upon out loud. She told the poor animal her hopes, dreams and even concerns for the way the Ministry was being run under Fudge. All the while, he listened with sympathetic ears, something that Lachlan didn't realize she needed until she had it. Funny, Reginald had never listened to her half as well as this dog and he was a potions master. Weren't they supposed to be brooding and perceptive?

Finally satisfied with the dog's cleanliness, she grabbed an old, paint-stained towel and began to dry him off. She took her time, taking special care with his ears and along the scruff of his neck. He made low growling noises, indicating his intense pleasure at getting a rubdown after what seemed to be many weeks without human affection. Lachlan smiled and got up from her crouching position, looking over her shoulder to make sure the dog followed. He was really too big to be kept inside her small apart, bt, but she couldn't refuse. The animal seemed to be highly affectionate and in need of a good home. She was very lonely and in need of a good companion. It seemed that they had stumbled upon each other at the right time.

"You need a name. I can't just call you 'dog,' you know. We have to find something suitable." Lachlan thought for a moment before sinking down into her armchair. *Hmm. The best way to do this would be to go through a baby name book. I'm sure I have one somewhere�* She twisted in the chair and peered up at the bookcase above her head. About three books up and two books over, she spotted a slender volume entitled, "Baby Names for the New Millennium."

Thumbing through the pages of the book, Lachlan found the section for male names and began scanning. "Let's see. Aaron?" The dog cocked his head inquisitively and resumed licking her bare feet. "Aidan? Alan? Archibald?" At the last, the dog seemed to look up at her and she swore that he actually smiled. That settled it. Archie it was. Lachlan continued to read through the etymology of the name, finding that it was a Scottish name derived from the Teutonic elements meaning "genuine" and "bold." Well, the dog certainly was bold, the way he'd gone after that thief earlier. Lachlan peered into his large brown eyes, finding them warm and without artifice.

Funny. She knew those eyes from somewhere. Shaking off the odd feeling that Archie's eyes gave her, she resumed paging through her files on Black, intermittently scratching behind Archie's ears with her left hand. Whoever said that dogs were man's best friend was sorely mistaken. It seemed that this dog was cozying up quite nicely to her and, last time she checked, Lachlan was completely female.

It was really nice to have a friend that didn't evaluate her success percentages, bug her for sex, or try to set her up with his oldest son. Archie gave companionship and asked for nothing in return and at this moment, he was exactly what a stressed-out Auror truly needed. Lachlan checked the clock on the shelf above her and found that it was nearly half past ten. My, how time flew when one was reading about dangerous convicts escaped from Azkaban!

Yawning loudly, she stretched and decided that she was done for the day. She made her way back towards the bathroom once more, dropping various articles of clothing on her way towards a long, hot bath. She left the door open, thinking Archie might want to come in and keep her company while she was getting pruny and water-logged.

However, Archie decided to putter around the living room for the time being. Too lazy to shut the door, Lachlan sank into a pool of bubbles and tried to think of a way to justify the fact that she'd made no more progress today than she had when first assigned this case. Black was a tough nut to crack anyway and the fact that the Powers that Be seemed to conspire against her by sending foul weather and inept muggers didn't help matters much. Ah well, she thought, tomorrow is another day.
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Temptation