Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all associated characters belongs to the talented J.K. Rowling. This chapter takes one line from the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The song "Heroes and Thieves" belongs to Vanessa Carlton.
Prologue
When disaster, it strikes on a daily basis
I'm looking for wisdom in all the wrong places…
Heroes and thieves at my door
I can't seem to tell them apart anymore
-Vanessa Carlton
"Do you have your wand close by?" Parthenia Malkin asked, looking up at the chartreuse dress robes she was hemming. Her eyes were filled with worry, her wrinkled forehead more creased than usual. Busy though she was, Madame Malkin was like a second mother to her newest employee.
Alicia Spinnet pulled the willow-wood wand from her pocket, twirling it around her fingers gracefully. "Very good dear. Now get home, and make sure you put up extra wards. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night Parthenia!" Alicia replied. "Stay safe!"
Pulling open the wooden shop door, she exited the building quickly so the older woman would not get cold.
Wrapping her robes tighter around her shoulders, her fingers not straying far from her wand, Alicia observed the lonely, deserted Diagon Alley. Few, if any, shops remained open after Flourish & Blotts and Fortescue's had been destroyed by the Dementors. Even the bright colors and glimmering lights of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes had dimmed substantially. Alicia gave Parthenia a lot of credit- the old woman was brave to continue opening her shop ever day, not to mention keeping her on as an employee.
It was late March, practically April, but the presence of the Dementors within the shopping center , in addition to the generally damp, depressing weather, caused her to shiver ever time she stepped outside her house. Not that that was a frequent occurrence these days. Being muggle-born, she walked around with a target on her back. She risked it nonetheless- she was determined to keep some semblance of a normal life.
She power-walked towards the safe point for apparition, the noise of crumpled paper brushing the pavement and empty tin cans being blown in the wind making her jump. The burnt wooden remnants of what were once the walls of Flourish and Blotts cast eerie shadows. It was everything she'd experienced watching old horror movies with her parents as a child.
Stop being so paranoid, woman, she scolded herself. Keep your head down- no one will know who you are.
Good advice, except that a soft, scuffling noise on the pavement convinced her there was very good reason to be neurotic. Turning her head just slightly to glance behind, she saw nothing but rain drenched pavement.
You're alright, no one is behind you. Just two blocks to the apparition point, and you're home free. The voice in her head was not doing much to comfort her as she heard the noise again. It's a cat. Just a cat. A completely harmless—
"Little Miss Alicia, I see your eyebrows are back to their normal size."
The voice that broke through the darkness was deep and gravely, the speaker vaguely familiar. She stopped in her path. Time had passed since she heard the voice, and she struggled to put a name to it. One thing she knew for certain: it was not a friend.
She never had a chance to turn and see who stood behind her. Alicia couldn't discern the man's whispered words, but she felt the sting of the spell hitting her back. Her mind went blank, all her worldly concerns and worries gone.
O O O
The hardwood floor was cool to the touch, easing the pain that coursed slowly through her body. As Alicia tried to pick herself up off the ground, she found that ever bone felt broken, every inch of skin bruised. Her head was throbbing. She was neither bound nor restrained.
"What the hell just happened?" she whispered, finding her wand in her pocket.
It seemed odd that someone would attack her, and then leave her free to wander with her wand. Using all her strength, she stood, finding that her robes were gone. The pink argyle polo she wore beneath was stuck to her skin, and looking down, she found it stained with dried blood.
She wasn't sure where she was, but she felt as if she'd been here before. "Lumos," she commanded, and a dim yellow light encompassed the room.
There was no mistaking the atrociously bright, neon-pink wall pain and the small shrine to David Beckham and Pele. The room was her childhood room, in the house her parents had purchased in Gaddley when they married.
"Oh shit!" she breathed, frightened. Ignoring the searing pain, she forced herself to walk. Stumbling from the room, she grasped at the wall with one hand, wand poised to attack anything that stood in her way. There was no possible way that someone could have brought her to this house. It was impossible.
It was supposed to be protected- a safe haven for her muggle family. She was the secret keeper, the only person in the magical world that her parents and three younger siblings could trust. No one but Mr. Weasley, who had helped her complete the complicated spells, knew.
"Mum?" she said shakily, holding onto the wall as she moved toward her parent's room. "Dad?" There was no response.
Entering the dark room, she approached her parents' bed. Both her mother and father lay on their back, arms straight at their side, eyes shut. The stillness in the room seemed like it should go unbroken, but Alicia ignored the feeling. Shaking her father's shoulder, she waited and silently prayed to God, to Merlin, to whatever deity would listen that her father would sit up and ask why she was being so ridiculous.
He didn't.
"Daddy?" Her whisper came out more a whimper, and she tried to collect herself. She reached across the bed to her mother, shaking her as well. Nothing.
Holding back tears, her thoughts went to her siblings. They wouldn't hurt them. They're too young; they're barely out of grammar school! Her attempts at rationalization did little to soothe her. If this was the work of the enemy, there was little hope left for any of them.
Moving faster, biting down hard on her lip to keep from shrieking in agony, she entered the oldest, Kyle's, room. The tele was turned on, a late night movie she didn't recognize playing. Race cars and building blocks lay scattered and forgotten on the floor.
On the bed, the three children were laying on top of the blankets. Kyle held the hands of little Evan and Julie. None of them were breathing. She wanted to cry, to sit at their bedside and hold them, but she was in shock.
"WHERE ARE YOU? GET OUT HERE YOU SON OF A BITCH!" she screamed, waving her wand wildly. "Come out here and face me!"
A tall figure emerged from behind the closet door, the television casting just enough light to discern his figure from the darkness of the wall.
"Why?" she managed to say, feeling faint. She'd lost too much blood.
"It was too easy," the man said. "My mater demands we target muggle-borns, and you were always an easy target Spinnet. I seem to remember an incident in the library our sixth year…"
In that instant, she recognized the man who'd killed her family. "Miles Bletchley," she whispered, attempting to remain calm.
"The one and only love. You always were my favorite Gryffindor."
"How did you get in my house?" she demanded, refusing to let herself quake in fear. Her wand was pointed directly at him.
"That's the most fun of this whole game," he replied nonchalantly, as if they were conversing about the weather. "You let me in!"
She knew she was gaping in confusion. "Oh dear, Alicia, you're not quite understanding this, are you? Let me put it simply. The curse I hit you with outside Madame Malkin's? It was the Imperius curse. You should be familiar with it, after that incident with Mad-Eye Moody our fifth year. Once I had you under my control, it was just a matter of asking you to bring me home. You complied with my request quite willingly, and then stood by my side as I killed your family. Quite an ingenious plan, my master will be so very happy."
"So now what, Bletchley? You kill me too?"
Silently, she wished he would. She had no idea how she was remaining so collected. The truth of the matter was clear: she'd been weak, had allowed her family to become a target. Her own greed to preserve a normal life in the wizarding world had caused their deaths. Now, death would be welcome for her as well.
He laughed, long and loud, a psychotic laugh that would resonate in her ears for year to come. "No, no Alicia. That would be too simple. No, my punishment for you is much worse. You get to live with the guilt! Their blood is on your hands. You let me in, you didn't stop me. They're dead because you're too weak Alicia. Crucio!"
The curse hit her in the center of her chest, and she fell to the ground, her body contorting and twisting. Never before had she felt such burning pain. Streching, shaking, pulling, her body moved in ways that seemed impossible. Then, with one last convulsion, she hit the ground. Bletchley was gone.
On the floor next to her lay her wand. Lifting her arm tentatively, she grasped the smooth wood. "Expecto patronum," she whispered faintly, concentrating hard on the day she'd met four of her five best friends. It was her first day at Hogwarts; the first time she'd seen the Weasley twins pull a prank on the unsuspecting Percy.
From the tip of her wand, a wisp of a gazelle emerged. "Find Fred and George," she whispered. "Tell them to come find me…"
O O O
"Meanwhile, in Gaddley, a Muggle family of five has been found dead in their home…" Lee Jordan's strong voice drifted into the living room of Fred and George's flat from over the radio. In the kitchen, Angelina heard a cup drop, and a gasp from Katie.
Alicia's tears, which had been uncontrollable since they found her, now turned into loud sobs. Angelina moved to her side.
"Shh… they're in a better place now, sweets," she cooed, pulling her best friend into a hug while trying to avoid irritating any of her injuries. "Katie, turn off the radio. I think we can miss this edition of Potterwatch."
Katie nodded, and bustled off to do as Angelina asked.
"Don't worry, 'Leesh. Your secret is safe with us. No one will know what happened tonight. I promise."
Hey there everyone! This is my first attempt at a longer Harry Potter fic. The idea for this story has been rolling around in my head ever since I first read the Potterwatch scene in Deathly Hallows. Any constructive criticism that you can offer is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much for taking the time to read. The next installment will be coming soon!
All the best! Jac