The next morning, almost everyone woke up feeling refreshed. As soon as Bob got up, he went to check on Chuck, who was already sitting up, awake.
"Hey Chuck, how are you feeling?" he asked
Chuck grimaced. "Not the greatest. You didn't tell me that regrowing bones was so painful! I barely slept."
"If I had told you that, I don't think you would have drank the potion. Here, let me see how the progress is coming," Bob said as he sat down on the edge of the bed.
He palpated the areas where the bones had regrown. Chuck had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming.
"What the hell was that for?!" he demanded
"I had to see if the bones had regrown, which they have. You'll likely still be in pain for a day or so, but I can easily make a pain relieving potion," Bob said as he stood up.
Within the next few minutes, everyone else had woken up and Bob began working on breakfast. Amelia stood up and stretched.
"Hey Bob, what day is it?" she asked, walking into the kitchen, where eggs and toast were cooking themselves.
"It's Friday. Why?" he asked as he conjured several glasses of orange juice. He took a bottle out of a cabinet and poured something in one of the drinks.
"Well if it's Friday, I have to go to work tomorrow. I have to open," she said and Bob stared at her.
"Seriously?" he asked
She nodded. "Well, I have to make a living somehow, don't I?"
"Yeah, I guess. We'll talk about it over breakfast. Carry these into the living room, and make sure Chuck gets the one in your left hand," he said and she took a few glasses of orange juice into the living room.
Once everyone had their breakfast, Amelia brought up the fact that she had to work the next day, and much like Bob, everyone thought that that was absolutely ridiculous.
"You can't be serious, Amelia. After what we did to Beckett, we're probably the most wanted people in the city!" Seb exclaimed
"I don't doubt that, Seb, but like I told Bob, I have to make a living somehow. Besides, I have an idea," she replied.
"So I work in a grocery store and we have a little cafe attached to it. I have to work from six in the morning until about 4 in the afternoon. What I was thinking is that I'll go to work like normal and you guys can come sit in the cafe while I'm at work. There could be two people sitting in opposite ends of the cafe at all times. You guys can switch out every hour or so. That way, there will always be someone with me while I'm at work," she finished.
Everyone seemed to consider this for a moment.
"I think that's a fine idea. That will work," Bob said.
The rest of the day passed slowly. Everyone did something just to try and keep them occupied. David tried to keep himself occupied by starting a pillow fight with Pierre, but had to stop when he nearly fell on top of Chuck. Bob shouted at him for a while and threatened him with the Full Body Bind Curse. Scared of Bob's wrath, the Airbender sat down on the couch next to Seb and stayed quiet for a long time.
Amelia was playing cards with Jeff and Chuck was trying to sleep.
The next day, Amelia woke up around 5:00 a.m. She woke Bob up and he accompanied her to her apartment so she could shower and get ready for work. She was ready to go by 5:45. She went with Bob back to his apartment. It had been decided that Seb and Bob would take the first shift. Before leaving, Bob wrote down Patrick's cell phone number on a piece of paper and left it on the coffee table.
Bob Apparated the three of them to the grocery store. It took Amelia about a half hour to set up. Afterward, she let the two of them in and they took their places in the cafe. Once the baristas arrived, both men got something to eat and drink. Bob conjured up a newspaper and pretended to read. Seb busied himself on his cell phone.
For most of the day, everything was going well. There had been no disturbances and Amelia had been fairly busy. Just as the clock was approaching 4:00 p.m., a group of police officers entered the store. This was nothing new. The police station wasn't too far from the store.
"Welcome to Organic Natural Grocery," Amelia chirped with a smile.
The group of five officers walked over to her checkout counter.
"Are you Amelia Clearwater?" asked one of the men
"Yes, that's me. Why?" Amelia replied as she cast a glance into the cafe where Bob and Pierre were sitting
"Amelia Clearwater, you are under arrest for obstruction of justice," another man said.
"Oh really? And who ordered my arrest?" she asked, though she already knew the answer
"William Beckett," said the first man.
"Well," she laughed, "If you think that I'm going to come quietly, you've got another thing coming."
Using her demonic speed, she leapt over the counter just as the officers opened fire! She was protected by a barrier of earth from Pierre. As she ran to the cafe, he ripped up the concrete slabs that made up the floor and shot them at the officers, who had to duck to avoid being hit.
"Pierre, take Amelia and get out of here!" Bob ordered
As the officers fired another round, Bob protected them all with a Shield Charm. Pierre grabbed Amelia's hand and ran out of the store, back towards the apartment. Some of the officers gave chase, and Pierre used his Earthbending to cause some concrete from one of the many tall buildings to fall to the ground, temporarily stopping them.
Before they could do anything else, Amelia felt someone grab her arm and turn on the spot. She felt that familiar feeling of falling through space and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was standing in Bob's apartment with Bob and Pierre. She immediately sensed that something was wrong. The beds that Bob had conjured were gone. The whole place looked like it hadn't been inhabited for years.
"Bob, where is everyone?" she asked, scared
Bob shrugged. He raised his wand and said "Homenum revelio." Nothing happened.
"Stay here," Bob said as he drew his wand. He went from room to room, looking for any sign of their friends or anything that deviated from normal.
While he did this, Amelia noticed a small tapping sound coming from the window. She looked over to the window and saw a brown speckled owl sitting on the ledge, tapping on the glass.
"I didn't know that you could find owls in urban Chicago," Pierre remarked.
"You usually can't," Amelia replied as she walked closer. "Hey Bob, I think you'd better come check this out."
Bob reappeared in seconds.
"What's wrong?" he asked
Amelia pointed to the owl at the window. Bob opened the window and the owl hopped on the ledge. He dropped a letter into Bob's outstretched hands. The owl then flew away.
"Who is it from?" Pierre asked
Bob opened the letter and immediately Patrick's voice filled the room.
"Hey Bob, this is Patrick. I sent my owl to deliver this letter to you. Seb called me earlier saying that some police officers had been knocking on your door, asking for Amelia. I don't know why they're looking for her or how they found your place, so to be safe, I Apparated everyone to my place. I'd suggest you pack your things and come over right away. Also, I'd advise against using the Floo Network because they're probably watching all the fireplaces, since they obviously know you're a wizard. See you soon."
The letter tore itself apart. Bob cussed loudly.
"What's wrong?" Amelia asked, worried
"There's no way that anyone should have been able to find out where my apartment is! It's completely unplottable and undetectable!" he fumed
"Oh man, that's not good," Pierre said.
"Well, there's nothing that can be done now," Bob said as he conjured up several suitcases and began filling them with clothes, potions ingredients and other necessities.
"I'm going to take you guys to Patrick's. Carry these bags," Bob said as he grabbed Pierre and Amelia's arms.
He turned on the spot and once again, Amelia closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was standing outside what appeared to be an abandoned old house.
"This is where Patrick lives?" she asked, amazed that someone like him would live in such squalor.
"That's just a charm placed on the building," Bob said as he knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" asked a voice from inside
"Robert Bryar, Order of Merlin, Third Class. I bring with me two guests," Bob replied.
"Tell me Robert, what grade did I receive on my Potions N.E.W.T.?"
"Outstanding, of course," Bob said.
After that, a door appeared and Bob led the other two through it.
Everyone else was in a large den, where there was a warm fire burning in a grand fireplace. Patrick was sitting in a cushy chair next to the fireplace and everyone else was seated around him, talking.
"Hey guys, everything okay?" Patrick asked
"We could be asking the same of you. You really had us worried when we came back and there was no one at the apartment," Amelia replied.
"I'm sorry, but I had to get everyone to safety. There wasn't any time to explain," Patrick said.
Amelia nodded. She set down the bags that Bob had given her and Pierre and went to join Jeff and David on the couch. Pierre sat on a chair next to Seb.
"Aren't you going to join us?" Jeff asked Bob
Bob shook his head. "I'll be right back."
With that, he turned on the spot and Disapparated. If the police wanted to come search his apartment, so be it.
After about twenty minutes, Bob returned with more stuff.
"Where did you go?" Seb asked
"Back to my apartment. If the police wanted to search my apartment so badly, I figured I'd let them. Of course, I also left them a few surprise curses for the hell of it," Bob replied with a smirk.
"So, why did Patrick bring us here? What's so dangerous about the police knowing where you live?" David asked
For a moment, Bob looked like he wanted to strangle the poor Airbender/vampire hybrid. Before he could say anything, Patrick interjected.
"Well David, you see, Bob and I are obviously very powerful wizards. We don't want any of our enemies, namely Beckett, knowing where we live because that would make it too easy for him to attack us. In order to protect ourselves, we used some pretty powerful magic to make where we lived unplottable on any map, Muggle or otherwise. We also made it virtually undetectable to anyone but ourselves. In my case, anyone who approaches this house will only see the remains of a burned out house and a 'No Trespassing' sign. In Bob's case, he hid the door to his apartment. Besides Apparating directly in and out of the apartment, the only other way in is through a series of taps on the wall with a wizard's wand. That's why it really surprised me when I got Sebastien's call today. I have no idea how the police managed to find Bob's apartment," Patrick explained.
"Also, one of the Charms that's placed on my apartment is called the Fidelius Charm, and each one of you, since you all know where I live, are now the Secret-Keepers, meaning that the secret of the location is embedded in your soul. The only way that someone who doesn't know where I live can find out the location is if one of the Secret Keepers...tells them," Bob said and his voice trailed off.
His eyes widened and his mouth opened in shock. Whatever he realized, Patrick must have realized it, too. They both looked at David. Bob walked over and grabbed David by the arm, pulling him up and, pointing his wand directly at his heart.
Seb jumped up immediately.
"Bob, what the hell are you doing?!" he asked
"Something that should have been done days ago. I can't believe I didn't notice it until now!" Bob replied angrily
"Patrick, you're not really going to let him do this, are you?" Amelia asked, horrified
Patrick shook his head sadly. "Sorry, Amelia, but I agree with Bob on this one. It's got to be done."
Seb growled and walked towards Bob, ready to defend his friend. Pierre and Jeff stood up as well.
"Bob, let him go," Seb said, his voice deadly.
"Yeah Bob, let me go!" David shouted, which caused Bob to drive the tip of his wand into David's chest harder.
"Not another word, or I'll kill you," Bob said quietly.
"I swear to God, Bob, you'd better let him go or - " Seb started before Bob interrupted him.
"Shut up, Seb! Honestly, are you so blind that you can't see what's right in front of you?! This isn't David!" he yelled
"What are you talking about? Of course that's David," Pierre remarked.
"Oh really? Is it? Seb, do me a favor and smell him. Does he smell like David?" Bob asked
Unsure, Sebastien stepped closer to David and smelled his neck. He sniffed a few times before the realization dawned on him. He looked up at Bob, his eyes wide.
"Well, Seb? Does that smell like David?"
Seb shook his head slowly. "No, it doesn't. It doesn't smell like him at all. It smells like," he started, pausing to take another whiff, "Like the Dandies' mansion!"
Everyone was shocked.
David laughed nervously.
"What are you talking about, Bob? It's me!"
"Oh, save it! Whoever you are, I admit, your technique is admirable. To have gone unnoticed for almost four days when you were surrounded by a Lycan, the demon of Hell, and a wizard such as myself...I almost can't believe it. But whoever you are, your time ends now!" Bob stated forcefully
He threw David to the ground, but before he could do anything, David lashed out with Airbending, making Bob fall to the ground. As David got up and tried to run, Patrick shot a curse at him that made his legs lock together. He fell to the ground, unable to get back up. Bob got to his feet and he and Patrick stood over David.
"Now, whoever you are, I'm sure that keeping up this charade for four days has exhausted you. With a few curses, you'll be talking in no time," Bob declared.
He pointed his wand at David and said, "Crucio."
At once, David's limbs seized up and he screamed in pain. Pierre and Jeff, still believing that it was David, stepped forward to try to help. Patrick turned on them, his wand aimed at them.
"Not another step," he said.
After a few moments, a curious thing happened. David disappeared, or rather, transformed into something else. Sitting on the floor in front of them now was the Australian vampire!
"Just as I thought. Very clever, but not clever enough," Bob mused.
"I certainly fooled you, didn't I?" the vampire replied with a grin
Bob said the word "Crucio" again and the vampires limbs seized up, causing him to groan in pain. After a moment, Bob stopped using the curse and turned to look at everyone else in the room.
"You see guys, this is how the police knew where my apartment was. They probably tortured the real David into revealing where I lived and then Beckett tipped off the police. I'm guessing that David is probably being held at the mansion?"
"Wow, Bryar, your knowledge knows no limits," he replied sarcastically.
Before Bob could do anything, Patrick wheeled around and fired off a Stinging Hex at the vampire. It left a large welt on the side of his face.
"But how did you know?" Sebastien asked
"Well, ever since we got back from that fight with the Dandies, I noticed some strange behavior from David, with the weirdest being that he never drank any blood in the four days that I saw him. I know you guys told me he's only a half-vampire, but he would have still needed to drink blood regardless. When Patrick sent the letter explaining what happened, I knew that someone must have given away the secret," Bob explained.
"But why David? Why not someone else?" Chuck asked
"Because David is a relatively young vampire, meaning that his scent and mannerisms were probably easiest to copy. Besides, a vampire like him," he said, pointing to Michael, "would only be able to copy a vampire's scent, not a human or a demon's, which is why I'm assuming he chose David."
"Big deal, so you figured out how I did it. Doesn't matter though, because I'll go back to William and tell him where you are and he'll destroy you," the vampire spoke up.
Bob smiled a cruel smile at the vampire. "You'd think that, wouldn't you? No no, I'm afraid we can't do that. I think before we release you to William, we're going to have some fun with Memory Charms!"
Bob and Patrick stood before the vampire and cast several Memory Removing Charms on him, with Bob throwing in an additional hex or two when he got bored.
Once they were satisfied with their work, they sent him back off to the mansion.
"There, we did good. I think he'll be lucky if he can remember his own name, let alone the location of Patrick's house," Bob remarked and Patrick nodded.
After that, the whole place was full of unease and tension. Several attempts were made to talk, but nothing came of it. Everyone decided to retire early that night in light of the day's events.