The soft click of the captain’s office door echoed down the corridor as Harry Potter emerged.
He walked a few steps and stopped exactly where Sergeant Wade Grey had indicated with a brief nod.
“Here,” Wade said.
“Wait outside the briefing room.”
“Yes, sir,” Harry replied.
He leaned against the frosted glass wall that separated the briefing room.
From inside, still empty, one could see the blank whiteboard, chairs arranged in a semicircle, and the simple lectern the captain usually used.
Harry crossed his arms, relaxing just enough not to draw attention, but maintaining an alert posture.
It was too old a habit to break.
A few seconds later, the captain’s office door opened again.
Zoe Anderson came out first, followed by Wade.
The two exchanged a quick glanceone of those silent glances, built up over years of working together.
“I’ll call the others.” “— said Wade.
Zoe nodded.
— I want everyone.
Without exception.
Wade walked away down the corridor, already speaking on the radio.
Zoe passed Harry, stopped for a moment and said in a low voice:
— Briefing room.
Don’t move until I call you.
— Understood, Captain.
She continued forward, her firm steps echoing off the polished floor.
Harry took a deep breath.
The noise of the precinct gradually increased: doors slamming, stifled laughter, radios crackling, the distant clinking of a coffee maker.
He felt the curious glances of some passing officers, assessing the older man in a recruit’s uniform.
He already knew that kind of look.
What is he doing here?
Little by little, the officers began to enter the briefing room.
Angela Lopez was one of the first.
She walked confidently, her hair tied back, her expression focused.
She greeted some colleagues before sitting down further ahead.” Talia Bishop entered soon after, observant as always, analyzing the surroundings even before choosing a seat.
Tim Bradford arrived last, coffee in hand, posture rigid, his experienced gaze automatically scanning the room.
“What do we have today?” Tim murmured to Angela as he sat down.
“I have no idea,” she replied.
“But when the captain calls everyone, it’s never anything small.”
The room was full.
The murmur of crossed conversations filled the space until the door opened again.
Zoe entered, Wade right behind her.
“Good morning,” said the captain, without raising her voice, but loud enough to silence the entire room.
Everyone settled in.
Zoe positioned herself at the front, resting her hands on the podium.
“I’ll be direct,” she began.
“This year, Mid-Wilshire will only receive one recruit.”
The murmur was immediate.
“Only one?” — someone whispered in the background.
Zoe raised her hand and silence returned.
— Yes.
One.
Command decision.
— she paused briefly.
— This means that the responsibility for training will be shared.
Angela tilted her head, already anticipating.
— The lead training officer will be Officer Angela Lopez.
Angela straightened her posture.
— Understood, Captain.
— However, — Zoe continued, — since he is only a recruit, he will also be rotated with Officer Tim Bradford and Officer Talia Bishop.
Tim raised his eyebrows slightly.
— Interesting.
— he murmured.
Talia crossed her arms, curious.
Zoe took a deep breath before continuing.
— Before calling him, you need to understand who he is.
She gestured to Wade, who handed some printed sheets to the three TOs.
— Name: Harry James Potter.
— Zoe said.
— Age: 37 years old.
Tim let out a low sound, almost a whistle.
— Thirty-seven?
— he murmured, flipping through the paper.
— That’s not exactly standard.
— No.
— Zoe agreed.
— Nationality: British and American.
Dual citizenship.
Angela read with increasing attention.
— Training in applied criminology and behavioral psychology… — she looked up.
— Cambridge?
— Exactly.
— Zoe replied.
Talia slowly flipped through the document.
— Professional experience… — she frowned.
— International security consultant?
Zoe nodded.
— As a contractor.
— she emphasized.
— Collaborations with the SAS.
The room became visibly more attentive.
— SAS?
— Tim repeated.
— British Tier One?
— The same.
— Zoe confirmed.
— And also with MI6, the British intelligence service.
The silence was now absolute.
Angela slowly closed the file.
“Captain…” she chose her words carefully.
“Why would someone like that be joining the LAPD as a recruit?”
Zoe held her gaze.
“That question has already been asked,” she said.
“The official answer is: he wants to serve in the local police force.”
Tim leaned forward.
“And the unofficial one?”
“The unofficial one,” Zoe replied, “is that some people carry pasts that no longer fit where they were.”
Talia analyzed the situation in silence.
“Does he have real experience?” she asked.
“A lot,” Wade replied.
“But here, he starts from scratch.
Like any recruit.”
Tim let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“I want to see that.”
Zoe talked:
“Treat him like a recruit,” she said firmly.
“Not like a legend, not like a threat.
Observe.
Assess.
Teach.”
She paused for the last time.
“Mr.
Potter,” she called out loudly.
The door to the briefing room opened.
Harry entered.
All eyes turned to him.
He walked to the front of the room with calm steps, stopping beside the captain.
His gaze briefly swept over the faces: curiosity, skepticism, interest, distrust.
He had seen it all before, in other contexts, other countries.
“This is Harry Potter,” Zoe announced.
“The only recruit from Mid-Wilshire this year.”
Harry kept his hands behind his back.
“Good morning,” he said, his voice firm, a subtle British accent.
Tim tilted his head, assessing every detail of the man before him.
“You don’t look like a recruit.” he said bluntly.
Harry turned to him.
“I’ve already been told that today.”
Some officers chuckled softly.
Angela watched intently.
“Welcome to chaos,” she commented.
“I’ve lived through worse,” Harry replied with a slight, restrained smile.
Zoe cleared her throat.
“Mr.
Potter will initially be assigned to Officer Lopez,” she said.
“He will learn our procedures, our rules, and our reality.”
She looked directly at Harry.
“Here, past experience doesn’t replace protocol.”
“I understand perfectly, Captain.”
Tim crossed his arms.
“I hope so.”
Harry held Tim’s gaze for a second longer than usual.
“I’m here to learn,” he said.
“Not to prove anything.”
Talia watched the exchange with renewed attention.
Zoe nodded.
“Very well,” she said.
“Dismissed.”
The officers began to stand, murmuring amongst themselves.
Their stares at Harry remained intense, full of unspoken questions.
Angela approached him.
“Looks like we’re partners now,” she said.
Harry inclined his head.
“It’ll be a pleasure, Officer.”
Tim walked past them, pausing for a moment.
“Just a heads-up,” he said quietly.
“Here, nobody hides behind a resume.”
Harry replied without hesitation.
“Neither do I intend to.”
Tim nodded once and walked away.
Talia was the last to speak.
“Whoever you are…” she said.
“Mid-Wilshire will find out.”
Harry watched the three TOs walk away.
For the first time since entering the precinct, he felt something different from the weight of the past.
Expectation.
He adjusted his uniform.
Los Angeles had no idea what it had just agreed to.
And Harry Potter knew that, sooner or later, that incomplete file would cease to be just paper.
pat/SHADOWGHOST07
Full story over there