"It's confirmed, sir. Twelve skulls, we were able to identify seven as wanted Death Eaters: Pettigrew, Avery, Fangwood, Yaxley, Nezinsky, Jugson, Selwyn."
"And Thomas?"
"One among them, sir."
"Then the other four skulls?"
"One of them seems to be the child's mother, the other three were probably muggles, sir."
"His mother? How—?"
"As far as we can figure, sir, Nezinsky managed to kill the woman before she died. We have her wand, and it seems she got out an entrail-expelling curse before snuffing it."
"Did the child see anything?"
"Therese has been trying to talk to the boy, but he's said nothing useful. He won't stop asking after the skulls."
"Have you found any bodies? Any indication of their remains? It can't have been that long since the boy's mother died—bodies do not simply disappear, Fendrick."
"Yes, sir, but no bodies, sir. We haven't recovered even a finger from the grounds. McCarthy unearthed a coffin, but it had no body, sir. In fact, it was full of dead insects and a few children's toys. He said that he also found a rotted core of an apple."
Bifflingsblock looked around as though the situation in which he found himself gave him great displeasure.
"Right. Tell them to keep looking and report back as soon as they've found something. I'm going to inform Kerbungle that we've got the Death Eaters."
"Isn't it a bit misleading to tell him that, sir?"
"Well, we found them dead, haven't we?"
"Yes, sir. But the circumstances of their demise—"
"Details. Potter can take care of the paperwork. Tell him I'm assigning the rest of this case to him, and that I want a thorough job. No stone unturned until he gets to the bottom of this business. That ought to teach him not to disobey my direct orders."
"Sir."
"I fancy an Order of Merlin will be in order for the team that brought to justice the last of the Death Eaters."
"What about the child, sir?"
"What about the child?"
"Shouldn't we take him to St. Mungo's –it's possible that he was injured. He certainly isn't normal, sir."
"I should think not. Painting skulls, speaking to them like living companions. I've seen a lot of things, Fendrick, but I will say that in all my years as an auror, I've never seen any child as strange as the boy. I'd bet he'd give You-Know-Who a run for his money."
"He is a wizard, sir."
"Of course I knew that! That house has pockets of magic lingering, especially in the boy's room."
"But if the mother was a muggle and by all accounts a widower—"
"Makes you wonder who the father is. Was. Although, it could be a muggleborn. The father couldn't stand the witchcraft and left them, or they left him."
"Yet the skulls of the Death Eaters—"
"Yes, it makes you wonder. But, leave it to Potter. He'll figure this all out, or I'll eat my commission. We've other things to do, Fendrick. Busy day tomorrow. Take the boy to St. Mungo's and tell Potter it's on his shoulders now."
"Yes, sir."
"He ought to be happy to get this assignment, to put an end to last of You-Know-Who's legacy. It'll be a closed case for all of us."
"I certainly hope so, sir."
