Chapter 29: Notes

I had been trying to catch up on my orders, all the shipping. I restored my office wards and finally got my computer working again. I had been trying to get somewhere, anywhere in my research. I was hampered by my inability to sleep through the night. My ministry dreams were coming back with a vengeance now. Moody's dead stomping footsteps would pace back and forth at the foot of my bed. And then there was the room, that ministry room was everywhere I went in my dreams; in a warehouse in the woods, deep beneath my house, in the middle of endless tunnels. Longbottom's voice would ring in my head on waking, "I have a terrible memory, it would be so easy to just lock this room and forget…"

Fine for him, why couldn't I forget? I went in to the city to be away from the thoughts and dreams that seemed to be around every corner in my house, and there it was, the most exciting news the Seattle Diviner had to report in months. Elf Parts Ring Bust 3 Arrested. I had come in to the periodicals room to look up an article in Potions Monthly, but the headline caught my eye instead. It was front page news.

Early Wednesday morning a team of Canadian Aurors raided an abandoned school in Kastner, BC. A 23 year-old man and two goblins, 108 and 79, were arrested. Aurors discovered 5 house elves being held captive, who were pronounced in a stable condition. Evidence at the scene led the aurors to a mass grave site near Macallister. There, aurors discovered the body of a 21 year-old woman and many house elf remains. A Prince George Auror spokesman, Sergeant Bruce Preston, reported that 'we are still in the processing remains. Due to their condition, we are not able to give an accurate count of the victims of the ring. However, at this time we can estimate at least 40 individual remains.' The auror spokesman would not comment on the possibility of a connection between the ring and the mutilated elf delivered to the Vancouver Hospital last week. Based on the estimated number of remains, this may be the largest elf parts ring uncovered since the ban of 1895. Asked to comment on the scope of the ring, the auror spokesman said, 'our investigation is ongoing.'

The five, at least, had gotten out. There was no mention of the troll or Anno, but I already knew that Anno was dead, and suspected that the troll was as well. Obviously the aurors were keeping me well out of it. I supposed I could thank Shacklebolt for that.

I rifled through the stack of Vancouver Scryers. They had broken the story the day before, but there was only one more piece of information; the aurors had been led to Kastner by an anonymous tip. There I was. I read the articles again, trying to see between the lines, but there was nothing I didn't already know. So much for an escape from my thoughts. I left the papers and went home.

The rest of the day was no better; I couldn't focus on my research. One thing after another bothered me. Currently it was my pen nib. I was rifling through my desk drawer looking for a replacement when I unearthed my stack of protean notes. I laid them out in a row. My note to Lee, I could destroy that one. There was my note to Kob, also rubbish. My note to Amy, but this one had something new written on it: 'Need to speak to you, can you please come? AB.'

How long ago had that been written? I could let it sit, but instead I picked up my pen with the unsatisfactory nib and wrote a reply: 'Border closed to me.'

I didn't feel the card move until a few hours later when I was fixing dinner. She had answered, 'I can come across. You name the place.' I didn't answer straight away. I spent dinner turning the card over and over. Before washing up I wrote 'Momo's Café, Bellingham, 7 pm.'

It was a muggle café. Over the past few days, almost every time I tried to eat or purchase something in a wizarding establishment in Seattle, I found that my money was no good there. The bill would disappear and be paid before I finished or would even fail to show up. It was probably Nimmo's doing. As Kob said, elves will speak to elves. I shouldn't be surprised. Nimmo had already proven to be a great spreader of news. It saved me a bit of pocket money, but I wanted to avoid wizarding stores when possible. It was only a matter of time before someone noticed. I would have to speak to Nimmo.

So I dressed as Dr. Ramson, arrived on Dark wizard standard time and ordered, then sat with my coffee with my back to the wall, watching the door and the people with laptops and dates and novels. Amy arrived on Light wizard standard time, five minutes late, looking around for me. She didn't order, but came straight over and sat.

"Well, it's a relief." I must have looked puzzled. She went on.

"When I saw the headlines, I thought you must have gone to the authorities, but when there was no mention of you… I just didn't know if you had gotten out or not, or just stayed anonymous. When you answered my note, well, I'm glad you did."

"Have they questioned you?"

"No, should I expect them to?"

"It's possible, they'll talk to Kob and Avi soon enough if they haven't already."

"That's partially why I wrote. Do I need to – is there anything I shouldn't say? I want to be clear this time." I was reminded uncomfortably of my sharp words to her before, but she didn't seem angry now.

"No, they know about me."

"They know who you are?"

"One does. You should still call me Mark."

"You haven't been mentioned in the papers yet; they're going to keep you out of it?" I winced.

"So they tell me."

"There is something else." I waited.

"I need to get in touch with Avi, as soon as possible. I managed to get her on record as leaving the hospital voluntarily into family care, but her hand is still being held in stasis on the ward. If there's a chance we can re-attach it… I want to make sure she is aware of all her options, and not staying away out of fear for her safety."

"I don't think Kob will respond to a note from me."

"You don't know where he took her?" I considered.

"I may be able to get in touch with her through another party."

"Please do try. And please let me know if you hear anything. I want to give her a choice in this, if that makes any sense." She looked at me as if she was trying to decide what could or couldn't make sense to me.

"Of course I understand," I said sharply.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that you were the one…" she stopped like she was holding herself back. "I want to thank you for answering my note. It was more than a relief. I want to stay in touch. Will you let me know about Avi?" I nodded.

"Do you know the condition of the other five?" she asked.

"Only what I've seen in the papers. So they weren't taken to Vancouver Hospital?"

"There's a Healers' Center in Prince George, they must be there. You saved them." I didn't have her certainty. Did I save them, or did Kob's bringing my letter to Shacklebolt save them?

"Thank you, Mark." I stayed seated as she left. I took out my protean note to Shacklebolt and began to write. If Avi was on the hospital records as being voluntarily released, Amy's job shouldn't be in jeopardy for assisting her exit. I didn't need to hold her name back.

'Need to contact Avi per Hlr. Banks Vanc. Hosp. Pass message ASAP.' There was no immediate reply. Of course, it would be the middle of the night in England.

It didn't stop him from calling me when it was the middle of the night my time. I was sleeping in the office again after a dream in which Jody's body was trying to tunnel her way through the pile of logs around the clearing. I had to go in after her, though I was sure it would collapse and bury us both forever. It felt like I had just managed to drift off on my narrow office couch when the phone jarred me awake. The desk light was still on. The clock read 2:25. I grabbed the receiver on the third ring.

"Good morning!" Shacklebolt's voice was bright.

"It's bloody two!"

"Is it? You said ASAP, and since I'm your message boy now, I thought I'd better jump to it." I couldn't manage anything more intelligent than a grunt.

"I've got someone here to speak to you…" I wasn't really listening.

"How did you get this number?"

"If you're going to keep yourself off the Floo network, I have to contact you somehow." That wasn't really an answer. He went on, "so I contacted Miss. Bulstrode. She's not very happy about you calling her 'that little shit.'" What was he talking about? I felt muddled, at a disadvantage. Typical auror tactic, to wake you up in the middle of the night then keep you wrong-footed.

"What?" I managed.

"You awake, Snape? I don't know where you stashed Avi, and Bulstrode says she won't tell me without your permission. Bloody typical. Here she is." There was a click as someone picked up an extension.

"Hello, sir." It was Bulstrode's guarded voice. I shoved a couple of books off my office chair and sat down. Of course she was the one who sent Kob to me. Of course. There had been more than one person I had trusted with my life that last year, after all. I had just assumed… I tried to get my voice in order.

"What is the meaning of this, Miss. Bulstrode?"

"Your standing orders, sir. I am to take care of things here, in your absence, and pass information to the Order as necessary, at my discretion," she recited in her plodding way.

"And just how is passing the job on to me 'taking care of things there'?"

"You were better placed to look for them… and I can't stand working with hobs, those voices give me a headache," she admitted, sounding a bit apologetic.

"You give me a headache. How did you know where to find me?"

"Kob found you."

"You knew I was alive."

"Obvious, whole house knows." The scorn was heavy in her voice.

"Obvious?"

"Idiot ministry said Eaters took your body, but all the Eater kids say their parents said no." I could hear Shacklebolt sigh on the line.

"Thank you, Shacklebolt," I said.

"That wasn't my doing," he replied.

"Besides," Bulstrode went on, "how many life-debts does Potter owe you now? He said himself that he walked away and let you die. Everyone in the house kept an eye on him. Perfect health, not even a sniffle." She sounded regretful. "So, obvious."

I addressed the little shit. "Bulstrode," I ordered, "you are to contact the elf Avi as quickly as possible, through Kob if necessary, and pass on the message that Healer Banks at Vancouver Hospital wishes to see her at once. The healers think that there may be a chance to repair her hand."

"Sir," she said. I noticed that it wasn't a 'yes,sir.'

"What?"

"The house wants a favor."

"They imagine that I owe them a favor?"

"Yes." I didn't have anything to say to that, unfortunately. Bulstrode continued. "Maxwell died in November." I was surprised at the impact of the words on me. The fat ancient snake had already been firmly ensconced in the common room terrarium years before I started school. There were rumors that a student had bought him on the Maxwell Street Dark Market on a summer trip to the states in the 1920's then smuggled him into the school, but there was no way a rattlesnake would naturally live so long. I don't know why I felt nostalgic for a beast whose greatest talent was not moving for hours on end. I wondered how long it took them to notice he had expired.

"The kids could use something to take care of," she went on, sounding sentimental herself. Bulstrode sentimental? It must be the end of days. Well, she was probably right.

"I'll see what I can do."

"The message will be passed today," she said in return. There was a click as she hung up her extension. All business, that was more like her.

"Fine," I muttered to the empty line. But Shacklebolt was still there. "There's another message to pass."

"I do seem to be your message boy."

"For Hoke. I had a –" dream wouldn't do, "-thought. Tell him, regarding the painted square, Jody said 'they make tunnels.'"

"He'll know what you're talking about, I suppose." I could hear him writing. "We still have some matters to discuss, but it needs to be in person, and not when it's two in the morning on your end." I sighed. I doubted there was a way I could get out of this.

Will ten am on Tuesday, April tenth be convenient?" he asked.

"Convenient?"

"April tenth it is, then. Sweet dreams."

"Sod – " I began, but the click came before I finished "- off!" I hung up on the dial tone.

XXX

A/N: Of course the Slytherin common room has a snake mascot, it's obvious. RIP Maxwell Street Market

One more chapter to come. Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think!