The hotel Elanris was a thing of beauty. With nine floors, each lit with bright lights that shone for miles, it was the sight for many events. Weddings were held here, parties celebrated, dinners attended. One of those dinners was being held tonight, on the fourth floor in room 28F. Over a hundred people attended the ball that was held after wards, and everyone was enjoying themselves. Even the Minister of Magic himself had come, which was a rare event indeed. However, this was not the event that would be remembered for years to come. Of everyone in that room, there was one young woman who was loved by the people around her. She had left the party early, preferring to watch from the balcony.
Standing in the shadows of a dark alley, a cloaked figure waited. He had been waiting since dusk, but not once did he move. This was an important factor in his plan: remain unnoticed, until she came out. Standing silently, breathing slowly, his eyes glittered in the dim light coming from a flickering bulb above an old door. The music above him was beginning to shift from the loud band, to the quiet, melodic sounds of an orchestra. The music had no affect on the man. He felt himself tense up with excitement as his acute senses picked up the sound of footsteps on creaky stairs. This was the moment. This was when he would see if all that waiting was worth it. He starred at the door handle, willing it to turn. He almost let out a growl of pleasure when it began to twist. Light spilled into the alley, but he had wisely chosen a spot that would not be lit.
Out walked a woman, almost as if she had stepped out of a fairy-tale. Her dress reached just above the ground, not one piece of the fabric touching the ground. It was a mixture of color, making her stand out. Her red hair was piled into a neat hair do on her head, gracefully resting. Her green eyes were a surprising contrast, and they seemed to pierce the darkness. She wore next to no make-up, but her face was beautiful enough. She stood there for a moment, her eyes closed, taking in deep breaths. That was when the shadow moved.
He stepped lightly, careful not to disturb any of the trash on the ground. His cloak swirled around him, looking quite alive in the dim light. He stepped up behind her, and allowed himself a smile. To most people, it looked for like the face of a man who had lost his mind, and took pleasure in what was about to occur. They, however, were wrong. He hadn't lost his mind, and he did enjoy the torment of his victims. That moment was about to come.
As if he had made a slight sound, the woman's eyes flew open. She whipped around, her skirts swirling around her. The green eyes widened as they came in contact with the cold black ones. She let out a small gasp of surprise; she hadn't expected, nor seen, anyone out here. She took a step back, stumbling over empty bottles. The figure in black hadn't moved, and he could see the terror in both her eyes and face. Oh, yes. This was his favorite part. He stepped forward, and lifted his hands from his cloak, and raised them up. They glinted in the light as they fell.
~oOo~
Somewhere around midnight, the tavern door opened. As light spilled into the grimy street, so did the loud, boisterous music and the voices inside. Even standing quite aways away, the stench of sweat, greasy food, and beer drifted out. The street was empty because of this, so no one saw the sharply dressed man stumble out. He was dressed as if he had come from an important dinner, but his shirt and jacket were wrinkled, as well as his dress pants. The black shoes, polished that morning, were dusty. In his hands was a half empty bottle, and he had obviously had more than that, from the state of his walk. His black hair was tousled, and although he was drunk, his blue eyes were still focused. He walked, albeit crookedly, over to an upturned crate leaning against the building. He sank onto it, letting out a groan as he rested his achy limbs. He laid his head against the wall, closing his weary eyes. It had been a long day, and it hadn't helped that he was staying up this late.
He felt himself beginning to drift into unconsciousness, sleep trying to claim it's newest victim. After a few moments, he felt himself stir. Opening his eyes, he looked out into the street. There weren't many lights in this part of London, and where there were some, they were spaced unevenly. None worked well, which wasn't helping him. Something had woken him up, and he was determined to know. His blue eyes, now bright with suspicion, scanned the road and surrounding alleys. Out of the side of his vision, he saw something stir. He whipped around, starring at the spot. The shadow moved again, and he watched it move closer. His eyes widened as he heard the all to familiar cackle. That only belonged to one person.
"Hello, cousin." he said, spitting the last word out with disgust. Another surprising thing; the man was clearly drunk, yet his speech didn't slur once. The woman simply cackled again, oblivious to the fact that he didn't want her here. "And hello to you as well, dearest cousin." Her speech was a tad scratchy, and definitely left something to be desired. She wore a dark gray cloak, but the hood was down. Her black hair was worse than a rat's nest; it was filled with tangles, and looked like it hadn't been brushed, or washed for that matter, in days. Her equally black eyes were filled with a cold malice, and almost made the man sitting before her shiver.
With a sigh, he sat up. He glanced up at her. "Is there anything in particular that you wanted, or were you just coming to say hello?" He knew there was more to her visit, and he couldn't help but be curious. She stood silently for a moment, a smirk playing on her lips. Finally she answered his question with one of her own.
"Would I really come all this way just to talk to you?" she sneered. "And I have a million other cousins. Out of all of them, I want you to be dead the most." Her choice of words slightly surprised him. Although he knew that next to no one in his family had any love for him, he didn't think that they wanted him dead. He let out a short bark of laughter. Of course they wanted him dead, he thought. Many of them would benefit, since he was heir to the entire Black estate.
He stood up with another long sigh, this one of resignation. He reached for his wand, which was just inside his jacket pocket, when he was interrupted. "You won't need that." Looking up at the woman in surprise, he froze. He had thought that she would try to kill him by having a duel. Apparently this wasn't her plan. She reached inside her own pocket and brought out a small amulet. It held a circle of gold on the end, and he caught the glimpse of a creature on it.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked, gently swinging it back and forth. The man followed it with his eyes, studying it carefully. As he recognized the creature, his eyes widened. He knew exactly what it was. His cousin cackled again, and covered the gold circle with her hand, halting it mid-swing. "This is why you don't need your wand." she said. "I've finally come back to finish what I started." She uncovered it quickly, and held it up. Her cousin looked at it once, and then starred at her, his gaze cold and stoney.
~oOo~
Detective Arianna Underwood, or Ari to her friends, stood with her arms folded, having a starring contest with the man in front of her. She knew it was pointless, as he would never blink again, him being a statue and all, but she did it anyways. Her shoulder length blonde hair blew gently in the wind, and her green eyes were squinted in concentration. The man had been found early that morning, at around three AM. The bartender had just finished closing up, and had turned around to find himself face to face with it. Even though it had been dark, and the man was a stone gray color, he had been recognized immediately. The statue, now cold and unmoving, had once been the young Lord Sirius Black.
Sirius Black was a wealthy man from an even wealthier family. He had hundreds at his beck and call, yet preferred to do things himself. He only had a few house elves, and all they did was the cleaning and cooking. That was one of the many things that made the man popular among the poorer folk. He was also a man who cared not for the popular ways of the well lived. It preferred to live his own life, forge his own path.
Ari hadn't been surprised to find him in an alley of a filthy street. What she was surprised at, was the fact that he had been turned to stone. Only a few spells could do this, and they were easily counter-acted. Ari shook her head, finally turning away from the statue. She beckoned one of the police to her side, then pointed at the rock. "Take that to St. Mungo's and see if they can find a way to reverse the process." The man nodded, then motioned over two more men to help him. By the time the statue was making it's way to the hospital in an ambulance, Ari was already driving her car back to the office. She drove into the parking lot, and after searching for a good twenty minutes, parked. She got out of the car and walked to the front doors.
Ari walked to the elevator, and clambered over a large box marked 'WARNING: DRAGON'. She did so carefully, not knowing if the creature was sleeping or not. Finally reaching the ninth floor of the Ministry of Magic, she left the elevator and walked to her office. She entered her office and found a black folder sitting in the middle of her desk. Groaning she walked over to it. Black meant that there had been another murder, and she was exhausted already. With a sigh of resignation, she opened it.
Inside lay a black and white photo of a young woman. Ari recognized her right away, and was slightly surprised. It was Ms. Lily Evans, a woman who Ari knew for a fact didn't have any enemies. Lily was rich and popular since she used much of her money on groups who helped the needier part of London. Ari looked away from the photo, and glanced at where the murder had occurred. Once again, she was surprised. The crime scene was at the hotel Elanris, and it had the best security in all of London.
Ari groaned, then walked over to her closet. Pulling open the door, she grabbed her Speedbolt 500. it was the newest model of broomstick, and had cost her quite a fortune. Walking out the door, Ari made her way to the door marked Broom Take Off. She once again opened a door and slammed it shut. The room she had entered was free of furniture, and held only a rack of riding gear. Ari grabbed a pair of gloves as well as goggles. Putting them on, she walked to the end of the room, where there was no wall. It led straight out to the world beyond. Grinning, she jumped off of the platform. As she fell, the woman moved her broom to be underneath her, so when she pulled up at the last moment, she was sitting on the slim stick of wood. Ari zoomed to the next location, dreading what she would find.
~oOo~
The young witch landed in front of the flashing police lines. She walked through the lights, and made her way to the officer in charge. He was talking to another man, so she stood and waited for him to finish. While she waited, she looked around at the scene. From what she could see, there was no sign that anything had happened. There was no dead body, no blood, not even any people gathered around trying to get through to see Lily Evans. Shrugging, Ari turned back to the officer as he finished talking. He gave her a grim look, then jerked his thumb behind him to an alley that I hadn't noticed earlier.
"You'll find the murder scene in there, Miss. I'll warn you though, some of my strongest men grew weak in the knees when they saw what had happened." I gave him a strange look, raising an eyebrow. "I'm sure that I can handle it, officer." He shook his head, then turned and walked away. He was headed towards his squad car, and I turned as well, facing the alley. Taking a deep breath for what I might face, I made m way forward.
I wish I could say that I was unfazed by what I saw, but that would be lying. And I never lie. The scene before me was worse than anything I had ever encountered, and I had been in this business for over a decade now. I had seen gun wounds that made most people without an appitite, seen stab wounds, and splinches which had led to death. Splinching was probably one of the worst ways to die. It happened when you were distracted while trying to apparate, and it made you lose something as you left whatever place you were at. This, however, was much, much worse.
The alley, which already dirty and filled with trash, was made even more so by the scene before me. Blood was smeared across one of the walls, and I could tell it was still wet from the way it glistened. Body parts were all over the place, but what caught the blondes attentions the most was the head. It sat on the top of an overturned garbage can, and starred at her with empty green eyes. The bright red hair was splayed around the head, matted with blood. Ari turned away, her hand over her mouth and eyes closed tight. She had seen more than enough, and had lost her appetite. Ari hurried away from the crime scene, beginning to wish she hadn't eaten two donuts that morning.
~oOo~
Back at the Ministry of Magic, a plain manila folder flew above the heads of everyone in the hallway. The spell that enabled it to do so had been cast by someone in the Department of Investigations. The papers destination: the office of Detective A. S. Underwood. Flying through the mail slot, the folder landed on the woman's desk, and the enchantment faded. Ari's eyes fell on the folder, and she let out a moan, letting her tired head fall onto the desk. Without even looking at it, she waved her wand and sent the new arrival to a spot next to her desk, where there was already a tower of paperwork she had been told had to do with the murders.
Ever since the murders had been reported, which had been a few days ago, Ari had received a steady flood of folders, newspaper clippings, and more. Eventually she had to ask for some help moving them from her desk to the floor. It didn't help that most of the information had nothing to do with what had been found that morning. She had to interview a lot of the family members, but none had motives. The Black family were refusing her attempts to contact them, so there was no way of knowing who had done it. If any of them had, in fact, done the deed. Ari picked her head off of the desk, and glared at her assistant. Ms. Webster was a small woman, and her gray hair was pulled into a bun most of the time. Despite what her looks led people to believe, she was only in her late thirties. The woman looked up at Ari and gave a weak smile. Ari leaned back in her chair, leaning her head on the back.
"How do you not have a boatload of work?" Ari asked in exasperation. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ms. Webster shrug. "I don't know, Ari. Maybe it's because I'm not the actual detective," she said. Ari groaned again, then sat up straight. Grabbing the new folder she flipped through it. The information was about Lord Black. It held a family tree, as well as some info on how each member felt about him. Ari was surprised to find that each member said around the same thing. They each loathed him for different reason, but all wanted him gone. Only three people said they wanted him dead. One was a cousin of his, and the others were his younger brother and mother. Ari arched an eyebrow, then reached for a folder that held more information on his family life. It said:
Lord Black had received the family fortune in March 1987, after his father died of too much brandy. He moved out of the house two months later, claiming that he wanted to start spending the money right away. After careful observation, we found that this was not the case. His brother, Lord Regulas Black had threatened his older brother's life. He said that Lord Black was unfit to inherit the fortune, and that he couldn't wait until his brother would die. This was because the younger Lord Black would inherit the money. Their mother sided with her younger son, since he was her favorite.
Ari nodded, a smile creeping onto her face. She finally had a lead. Standing up, she pulled her wand out of her top drawer. "Ms. Webster, could you please look into Lily Evans' death? I have to go and interrogate Lord Regulas Black." she told her assistant. Ms. Webster nodded, then watched as Ari apparated to the Black Mansion.
~oOo~
Ari slammed the door as she stalked out of the mansion. She held her wand in a tight grip, and glowered at everything she saw. She had heard rumors that the men of the Black family tried to woo women, but had never had to experience it until now. Lord Regulas had avoided her questions, instead continually commenting on the fact that she had 'well groomed hair' and 'a perfect body'. Unable to stand it a minute longer, she had stood up and jinxed him. His face had started growing pus-filled boils as she left the room. She smiled in satisfaction as she heard a shriek from behind her. She waved her wand, and soon found herself back in her office. Ms. Webster looked up from the paper she had been writing on. "Any news?" she asked. Ari shook her head, making her blonde hair twist around her face.
"None. Lord Regulas has too strong of an alibi, and his mother was in Paris, attending an important business dinner. I have no other leads on his Lord Black's murder." I said with a sigh. I sat on the edge of my desk, folded my arms, and glared at my window. After a moment, I looked back at Ms. Webster, and she seemed nervous. I raised an eyebrow, and she shuffled some papers together. After a moment, she spoke, still avoiding my gaze.
"I have some good news, and some bad news. Which would you like first?" I thought about it a moment, then replied. "Good news." I needed something to brighten my mood today. I watched as the grey haired woman shuffled her papers again, and she final looked up as she began to speak. I listened intently, a smile beginning to spread over my face.
"I searched through the documents about Ms. Evans, like you asked, and found some interesting news. She had been sent a note earlier saying that she would be murdered later that month. It was sent on the thirteenth of this month, so the person spoke true." Ari nodded slowly. The information sounded familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint where she had heard it before. Ms. Webster continued. "So, I drew the answer of who the murderer was." She hesitated, and Ari knew immediately that the next thing out of her assistant's mouth would be the bad news. And it was.
"The murderer was Fenair Greyback." She mumbled. The blonde detective cursed and kicked my desk. Fenair Greyback was number one on our most wanted list, and for more reasons than one. He was a killer for hire, and always got the job done. He was also a werewolf, and was the most dangerous since he had no loyalties. We had been after him for years, but never found him. Whenever someone had seen him, they reported it, and we sent agents out to get him. By the time they reached the location, he was long gone. Luckily, he had a way of letting us catch the killer. It seemed like he didn't want anyone to get with what they had asked him to do. Ari had been studying him for years, and he always left evidence. Sometimes it was a button from a one of a kind coat, or hair from the planners head.
Ms. Webster must've seen what Ari had been thinking, because she shook her head before the witch could ask. "There was no evidence found on the scene, so he did this himself. There was no person who hired him this time." Ari groaned again, and head her head in her hands. This day just got better and better, she thought. She walked around her desk and sat down in her swivel chair. "Do have any more news?" she asked her friend. Even though she couldn't see anything through her closed eyes, she could practically feel Ms. Webster shake her head. Ari groaned and opened her eyes. Suddenly, she sat up and opened her eyes. Turning quickly in her chair, she faced her desk. Searching through the mess of papers, she found what she was looking. She pulled it out, feeling proud of herself. It was the folder she had looked at earlier that morning, and it held information on the Black family tree. Ari scanned it quickly then pointed at the name that had caught her attention earlier: Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman was Lord Black's cousin, and was the only other person who said she wanted him dead.
"Ms. Webster, could you search for the folder about Lord Black and his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange?" Ari asked. Her friend nodded, and after looking through the tower of folders, handed her one labeled 'Black and Lestrange Duel'. The duel had happened two years ago, and Lord Black had won because of a lucky shot. He was near death when he had sent it. Ari examined the rest of the article, and found that there was a quote said by Bellatrix about her cousin. She had said, "I would've finished off that piece of gutter filth if it wasn't for that last spell. I will finish him off, and no one will expect it." Ari nodded, now knowing exactly who the killer was. She already knew where Bellatrix lived, since it was mentioned on the family tree, so she knew where to go.
"Ms. Webster, I'll need backup when Bellatrix confesses. Send maybe, twelve agents to help with the arresting." Ari told her assistant. Ms. Webster nodded, and turned to leave the room. She walked out the door, and Ari sighed. Now for the hard part, she thought. Grabbing her wand again, Ari apparated to the street that was on the paper.
~oOo~
Starring up at the house in front of her, Ari shivered. She had found herself on a street that looked like no one had lived there in years. The houses were dark, filled with cobwebs that you could see from the street, and most had no windows left unbroken. If anything, Bellatrix's house was worse. It was painted the darkest black ever, the windows were closed and the blinds drawn. Even the lawn itself was foreboding. The grass was obviously dead, and the trees were bare, even though they should have been filled with green leaves. She shivered again, then opened the gate, wincing as it creaked loudly. She walked up the steps to the black door. Starring at the door knocker, which was a very detailed replica of an Acromantula (giant spider), Ari picked it up and let it land back on the door with a thud.
The door opened, and Ari looked down into the eyes of a scarred looking house elf. Ari smiled a little, trying to erase the creatures fear. "I'm here to see your mistress, Bellatrix Black?" She told the small creature, then smiled as the door opened wider, letting her in. the detective turned around to thanks the elf, but she had already disappeared. Ari shrugged then turned . . . and found herself face to face with who she came to see. The blonde witch stumbled back a bit in shock, since she hadn't heard Bellatrix approach. She watched as the black haired woman smirked, seeming to enjoy her shock.
Ari cleared her throat, then stated why she was here. "I'm here, Mrs. Lestrange, to ask you some question about your cousin Lord Black's death." She shrugged, then motioned Ari to follow her. Ari did, and even though the house was grim and seemed to push away visitors, she had to admire it. The portraits were of her ancestors, and the frames were elaborately carved. Vases filled with long-dead flowers had small, almost minute, pictures painted on them. The hard-wood floors were polished, and she could literally see her reflection in them. Ari looked up as She heard the sound of a door opening. Bellatrix had opened a door that she hadn't seen earlier. It led the way into a sitting room, and the detective walked in, with the murderer behind her. The chairs were black with dark grey lace covering them. The coffee table sitting in the middle was a dark mahogany brown. Ari sat down, suddenly nervous. She was alone, in a dark house on an abandoned street, with a murderer and no back-up.
"You said you had questions." Bellatrix said nastily, interrupting Ari's train of thought. Ari nodded, then started asking her questions. As the black-haired witch answered them, the blonde wrote them down in her notebook.
"Where were you on March 29, 1889?" Ari asked. The woman in front of her shrugged, as if it was unimportant. "I was out running some errands." Ari's eyebrow arched up. It was odd for a person with house elves to run her own errands.
"What errands were those?" "Taking care of some long overdue business." This was what Ari had been waiting for. "And what was that?" "Oh, just catching up with my cousin." She answered, once again making it seem unimportant. Ari could feel herself growing frustrated, but kept a cool, calm outer mask on her face.
"And what cousin was that?" Bellatrix gave the witch a cold smile, which never reached her eyes. "You know who." She responded simply. Ari nodded, knowing exactly who it was. "Bellatrix Lestrange, I hereby accuse you of murdering Lord Sirius Black." Ari said, standing up. She reached for her wand, preparing to freeze the murderer. But the black haired witch was faster.
"Avada Kedavra!" she shouted. The green flash filled the room, and where the blonde detective had been standing, there was nothing. Now, lying on the floor with blood dribbling down her temple, Ari lay, never to move again.