Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of JK Rowling's wonderful characters and world.

Warnings: Violent/ traumatic scenes if you are sensitive, please don't read. This is rated M for a reason, if you aren't sure you should be reading it check the ratings guidelines or alternatively check out the other Iron Girl Ruby. She has written a T rated story called Wizards Soulmate, less dark but just as much interesting.

EMERALD

Prologue - Daydreams of Lamb stew

The sun had just set over London and the city was coming to life with the excitement and intrigue only night can bring. The air was full of noise as the daily rush of commuters filled, trains, tubes, cars, buses and taxis to head back to their suburban homes. It was that odd time in the beginning of the evening between many people leaving the city to return home and the younger masses filling the currently empty bars and clubs.

While the muggles of London prepared to rest in their homes or go out for the night, the wizarding world of London did the same. The younger families headed to their homes after long days of shopping preparing for the start of the new Hogwarts year in a few weeks time and the younger crowd went to get ready for their nights out in Diagon Alley. The only noticeable difference between the two worlds at that moment was the lack of crowding in the streets of wizarding London. Almost all of the commuters traveled home by floo powder. The only exceptions were those workers going for a last minute shop before heading home or those who were heading to a place they did not want the floo network to know about. The witches and wizards who traveled in secret during the night knew all the dark passageways and alleys running through London.

Bartholomew Mayfair was one of those people. Average height, average hair, average eyes, nothing extraordinary except for the almost skeletal appearance. A man once more heavily set was now so thin his skin was wrapped around his bones like paper, he looked so frail, as though he had no strength and could be blown over by the wind and yet he was currently hurrying down a dark twisting alley that ran almost a mile through wizarding and muggle London. His destination was one he had traveled to most nights over the past year and a place he hated going.

He mused on the job that he was neck deep in. It was the toughest case he had ever taken on. None of his co-workers at Nott & Co. law firm had been envious of his latest case. Latest wasn't even the correct term, Bartholomew thought with a grimace. The case had been ongoing for nearly a year. His client was a celebrated healer at St Mungo's who had been dodging accusations of corrupt behaviour and malpractice for years. The current accusation against him was of malpractice resulting in the deaths of two of his patients almost five years ago. The healer was a close friend of his boss Theodore Nott and had demanded Mr Nott provide them with the firm's best lawyer. Bartholomew was the best lawyer in wizarding London but recently he had been wishing he wasn't.

He didn't want the case, had never wanted it and just hoped it would end soon but the trial earlier today had been heading in the direction of his client being found guilty. He knew his client was guilty and although part of him wanted to just let the healer be sent to Azkaban for the crime they committed he knew he couldn't. For the fate that awaited Bartholomew would be far worse than Azkaban.

Bartholomew's pace slowed as dread filled him at the thought of what would happen should he fail to get the doctor of the hook. He stopped and bent slightly placing his hands on his knees, taking deep breaths. He was only 45, hardly old in the wizarding world but his body was as frail as a 110 year old from the stress of this case. He couldn't remember the last time he had eaten more than a few mouthfuls of the warm delicious home cooked meal his daughter made him every night for when he came home. He smiled at the thought of his darling Isabelle, so much like her mother.

He stood straight and started to step forward, determined to get the meeting with Nott over with quickly so he could get home to his daughter. Perhaps i'll even be able to eat more than a few mouthfuls of whatever Iz has made tonight. I hope it's stew, maybe lamb. Iz bought some lamb the other day from- his thought was cut off mid sentence as the life drained from his eyes and his body fell to the ground.

Up high on top of the alley wall perched like a cat sat his killer. She cast a spell to remove any traces of the killing spell she had used on him. With that done she stood up and stretched her back. From the top of the wall she looked at the view of wizarding and muggle London, she had work to do. Bartholomew Mayfair was just the start. The justice system had failed and now she would bring justice to all those that had avoided it.

Author's Note:

Hi my names Emerald. I'm one half of IronGirls. The other half is Ruby. At the moment we are currently writing separate stories with the intention to collab in the future. I hope you enjoyed the prologue of my story Never Forgotten and Never Forgiven. I posted a different version of this story a long time ago on a different account but it went in a direction where I didn't know how to complete it so I just left it unfinished at quite near the start of the story, deleted it from the site and left fanfiction altogether. However the story always stuck with me and the plot has become more defined and so now I'm back and chapter 1 will be up soon.

If you would like to let me know what you think of it please review. Constructive criticism is always welcome, flames are not. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this it means a lot.