Heroes Assemble!

Come One, Come All!

The envelope itself was relatively plain, lying as it was just inside her door. What it held, though, was anything but commonplace.

The parchment was thick, rich and of the finest quality that one could buy. The edges and corners were embellished with gold-leaf, enhancing the richness and importance of the invitation. For invitation was what it was.

Harry James Potter
and
Daisy Louise Johnson

Request the pleasure of your company at their wedding

Thereafter followed the details of where and when the invitees were to meet. Really, the only unusual part of the invitation was the statement that the guests would be transported to a secret location for the actual wedding and reception and that accommodation would be provided for those wishing to stay a few days.

The fact that the wedding was to be held in exactly eight days didn't leave much time for the guests to make arrangements.

"I knew that you and Daisy were engaged, but a little more notice would have been nice, Harry," Hermione groused to her invitation.

But then, this was Harry and if his middle name hadn't been James, then it would have been 'impulsive' or 'reckless' or 'jumping in without thinking'; she'd known that for years. Still, this was Harry, her best friend and there was absolutely no way that she was going to miss his wedding.

Her brain went into overdrive as she created a mental list of all the things that she'd need to do in order to be there: arrange time off work; pack; get a portkey to New York City; get a gift. That last one pulled her up short. What should she get? Harry'd always been happy with anything really, no matter how small, he'd cherished it all; a side-effect of his upbringing. But this was his wedding, it needed to be something special.

Even as she was considering options, Hermione was grabbing up her purse and heading for her front door. There were simply too many things to do in too short a time for her to leave starting them all until tomorrow.

ooo00ooo

The place where Francine found herself wasn't anything fancy. Nor was it what one might consider a 'traditional' hideout. It wasn't an old abandoned warehouse or derelict building or even a basement under a legitimate business.

No, where they'd gathered was Jack's apartment in a middle-class part of Queens. It was on the third floor, contained two bedrooms plus a bathroom, lounge, kitchen and even a small balcony. Never would anyone suspect that this was the 'headquarters' of a criminal gang. Which, when Francine thought about it, actually made it the perfect place for them to discuss their latest caper and to plan their next heist.

"Look at it!" Danny breathed, unzipping the bag and holding the sides open for the five of them around the table to see.

Inside the old, leather bag were dozens and dozens of pieces of jewellery. Necklaces, rings, watches, earrings, bracelets and bangles, cufflinks ... all of it of the finest quality and incredibly expensive.

"That is some haul," Glen whistled.

"And just the start," Gavin grinned. "With Francine here on our side, nothing's gonna stop us!"

Jack bustled to the side cabinet before quickly returning with a bottle of scotch and five glasses. It didn't take long for the glasses to be filled and for everyone to have one.

"To Francine! Saviour of our butts!" Glen exclaimed, raising his glass.

"To Francine, electro-whizz extraordinaire!" Danny agreed.

"To Francine, our Electro!" Gavin cheered.

"Electro!" the other three men echoed before all of them drank.