Bella's Discovery
Sunset had fallen on Salem, Massachusetts, and Bellatrix Lestrange couldn't have been happier. She had finally found it, the key to her success; the key to avenging the Dark Lord's death, and the key to her rebirth and rise to power as the greatest Dark witch of her age.
After the death of her Master some five years ago, she had shrunken back from the Wizarding world, leaving Britain behind and coming to Salem to elude capture from the Ministry Aurors and the famous Golden Trio. She found refuge in a small section of flats above a dingy wizard's only pub named The Witches Broom. It was, to the Muggle eye, a forlorn looking dress shop, long forgotten and out of business. Tucking the sacred book deep in the pockets of her flowing black robes, she pressed her palm to the glass of the window, muttered "Entrancio", and looking back to be sure she wasn't seen, stepped through the glass is if it were a sheet of water.
The entrance to the staircase leading up to her dark and dingy flat was much like that of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries in greater London. Perhaps it was the thought of Britain and the death of her master there, or the tingling sensation she received from walking through the entrance that caused her to shudder violently. But now, it was almost time to return, to finally mark her place in history, and follow through with the Dark Lord's plans of ridding the Wizarding world of those not worthy to wield a wand.
Upon first arriving in Salem, Bellatrix had discovered The Pickering House. The oldest house in Salem to continually be occupied by the same family. As the years progressed, she found that quite a few of the original Salem Witch Burnings happened at that very house. She had spied and watched the Pickering family closely. Odd sort of Muggles though they were, she could find nothing conspicuous about this centuries-old family. Until just last week that is, when the eldest of the Pickering children, Miss Ayla Pickering, was spotted in the attic window. Had Bellatrix not been spying from the bushes at the atrocious hour of three o'clock in the morning, she wouldn't have seen it. Finally, a break! she thought. After years of searching for clues, she knew it had to be there.
She had researched the book, this ancient guide to power for the last half-decade, hoping upon hope that the myths were true, that the rumors weren't just rumors. Knowing she'd find her answers buried deep within it's pages. And researching the Pickering family had been easy. They were an active bunch, those Muggles. Always out and about, hardly ever home, which gave the perfect opportunity to sneak into the home and search about. She was about to give up on the hunt for the ancient spellbook when she stumbled upon the eldest daughter's bedroom one stormy night. In which, she found an abundance of dark magical artifacts, hidden in the back of her large closet. And from there, she had been watching the girl most closely. The legends all told of the eldest family in Salem to be in possession of the book. And although it was denied, even after searching the house over the years, it hadn't been found.
Little did they know that the oldest of their children, Ayla, had stumbled upon the book two years ago, and had since been trying to harvest it's powers, only to come up short. She was, after all, just a Muggle.
When the time came for young Ayla at eighteen years old to head off to University, she decided to leave the book in it's ancestorial home. So late one night, after everyone had gone to sleep, she crept up the old attic stairs, and hid it beneath stacks of old boxes in a loose floorboard of the attic. Hoping that the book was safely hidden, she descended the stairs, back to her bedroom, and from that moment on, never thought of the book again.
It had been a hard job to procure the book over the next week, for every time she tried, it seemed one or more of the family were in the house. If it came to murder, she would do it. But she'd prefer to keep it simple, and not raise the alarm as to not lead the Aurors right to her front door.
Now, as Bellatrix walked through the door in her dark flat, and lit the rather dirty fireplace, she recalled the events of that evening, wishing it hadn't come to murder.
She walked to the front door, muttered "Alohomora" and heard the lock click. Turning the handle, she opened the door, walked straight into the finely decorated sitting room where the girl was. She stared at Bellatrix with shock.
"Who are you, w..what do you w..want?" she stammered.
"The book, you foolish girl," hissed Bellatrix.
"W..what book? I don't know what you.."
"SILENCE!" she cut her off. "I know about the book, now if you just hand it over, there will be no need for you to die. GIVE ME THE BOOK!" she demanded.
She couldn't very well take the book and expect the silly girl not to confide in someone. So in the end, it had to be done.
She pointed her wand at the crouching figure of the girl in the corner. "Avada Kedavra," she said casually, with a flick of her wrist. So many years of being a Death Eater had taught her not to feel. A blinding flash of brilliant green light ensued and the girl slumped into a heap.
--
Meanwhile, back in London, Harry Potter was at his desk, reading a note that Ron had sent him. Hedwig had turned up ten minutes ago, carrying it and pecking his finger. "Alright, alright, I'll open it now," he said. She always could sense his procrastination. Immediately he noticed Ron Weasley's untidy scrawl. The note read:
Harry,
Hoping you can break away from your busy Auror business for lunch. We haven't had a guy day in ages. It'll be all Quidditch talk and women. And none of that wedding stuff they're always going on about. Owl back and let me know.
Ron.
Harry gave a little smile at his best friend's note. It truly had been ages since they had a chance to talk, just the two of them. Recently all conversations were dominated with talk of weddings (and everything a wedding entails), books, babies, and whatever else the girls could cook up to keep the guys completely bored whenever they got together. After scratching out a hurried reply of "yes" to Ron's lunch invitation, he gathered up his briefcase and headed off towards the lift. After hearing the all-too-familiar voice of "Level One: Atrium" of the Ministry Witch whom announced the floors, he stepped out and flooed off to meet Ron.
The atmosphere in the Leaky Cauldron was warm and inviting as always. Tom, the toothless bartender and proprietor of the ever popular pub was behind the bar, cleaning glasses when Harry stepped out of the grate.
"'Ello there 'arry!" called Tom.
"Hello Tom, keeping well I hope?" Harry returned as he brushed the ashes from his cloak.
"As well as always," he replied with a toothless grin. Harry looked up just in time to see Ron walking through the door that led out to the entrance of Diagon Alley.
After ordering the largest cheeseburger and chips that Tom had to offer along with two butterbeers, Ron and Harry commenced in talk of the up and coming Quidditch World Cup, in which Ron would be star Keeper for the Chudley Cannons. After the war on Voldemort, Harry had decided to follow his dream of becoming an Auror, while Ron had taken his improved Keeper skills and tried out for the Cannons. After much training from them both, they had risen to the top of their selected careers. Having also received their NEWTS, Order of Merlin First Class, and numerous awards from every magazine, association, club and business in the magical community, they had nothing to do but start their new lives.
Ron had popped the question to Hermione last year at Christmas at the Burrow while Harry had done the same, some three weeks before to Ginny, at yet another gathering, this time for her birthday at the Burrow. Both had said yes, and Mrs. Weasley was simply over the moon with joy. Luna had been giving the girls pointers on wedding plans, since she and Neville had married not one year after the battle of Hogwarts. They were now expecting their first child. Neville, who had taken up the post of Herbology teacher after Professor Sprout retired, and Luna who had been made Editor of the Quibbler after her father retired as well, had decided to move to Hogsmeade, and in such, moved the Quibbler Head office as well, to be closer to Hogwarts. Ginny was now the writer of a popular Quibbler article for witches titled "The Worldly Witch," an informative article for the hard working witch with no time on her hands.
Harry finished off the rest of his chips and took a sip of his butterbeer as Ron explained the plans for Hermione's new bookshop in Hogsmeade. Adventures, Hermione had aptly named it (she said, because reading a new book, was like taking an adventure through your own mind), resided in Diagon Alley. She had opened the first shop some two years prior, and it had done extremely well, so the only logical reasoning was to open it's twin, in Hogsmeade.
"I thought today was 'guy's day,' you know, no talk of books, babies or weddings?" Harry said with a grin.
"It is, but it seems to be the only thing I've heard for the past six months. I wish the bloody thing would just open for business already," Ron replied.
"Hey, I've got an idea, how about we have a guy's night out this Saturday, maybe go to The Sleeping Dragon for some drinks? We could invite Neville, Seamus and Dean to come along too," Harry said.
The Sleeping Dragon (which was Draco's name in Latin) had opened it's doors some six months prior, and was flourishing. It was a very popular pub for the Hogwarts students on weekends, and even more popular for hard working career men as themselves to unwind and relax.
"Yeah, sounds great. I'll owl the guy's later and let them know," Ron said, grinning.
"Sounds good. Anyways, I hate to do it, but I really should get back to the Ministry, I have a meeting with Kingsley in a half an hour," Harry said, standing up and retrieving his cloak and briefcase from the chair beside him.
"Yeah, I should get back too, Hermione will be home soon, no doubt with more wedding plans or bookstore information to bore me with," Ron said in an exasperated tone.
"I know the feeling mate, Ginny will surely do the same when she gets home from work. But in another month, the wedding will be here and gone, and we can finally relax and enjoy the women we love," Harry replied with a broad smile.
"Right you are, mate, see you later!"
Harry stepped into the fireplace, with a handful of floo powder, exclaimed "Ministry of Magic!" and with a swirl of emerald green flames, he was back to work.