Darkness swept through the rolling hills of Abernathy Forest, making the skin on Theo's arms crawl with dread. The moon was barely hanging in the sky making it hard to see where you were stepping without a well cast Lumos. Branches broke under untrained feet and leaves shuffled underfoot. Labored breathing came from Theo's right as Aberforth Dumbledore flanked Justin Finch-Fletchy, their lead Auror. Professor Flitwick and Lee Jordan making up the rest of Theo's designated team, each of them with wands at the ready. Another team of people were checking a circumference around the area.
Over the next hill and across a small stream, Theo knew there would be a small hunting cabin. His father had taken him here as a boy once, before his mother had passed. Malfoy's and LeStrange's, Rowle's and Carrow's all used this cabin as a way of escape from their wives. Hermione Granger was thorugh in her investigation.
The cabin was destitute and falling in ruin from the outside. But the enchantments set around the border kept muggles away and made it look uninviting and dangerous to explore. The inside, would probably still be immaculate and ready for men to relax away from the prying eyes of old manor wives and estate madames. And every couple of decades so, even used to hide mistresses from the claws of the Pureblooded wives who felt scorned and ridiculed. The cabin had two stories, but it was cramped and compact, the ground floor being the focus of the cabin itself.
Theo had actually forgotten about the little cabin. He had been here once when he was 5 and quickly realized it wasn't really for hunting and it wasn't for Theo. Men just sat around discussing politics and complaining about women, drinking scotch and smoking cigars that smelled like mouldy wood. It was a hide out or a childs play house fir grown men more than a hunting cabin.
The wards around the cabin were complex, but Flitwick made light work of it. His wand flicking and jabbing at the air in front of him, looking for a hole in the seemingly flawless protection bubble. Theo and Aberforth checked over the surrounding woods, looking for recent activity and disturbances of the forest floor where someone may have Apperated. Finding nothing, they returned to Flitwick's side as he dropped the heavy wards.
Lee pushed the door open slowly, wand tight in his hand with a heavy Lumos on the tip, scanning the area. Aberforth sent forth a spell that checked for living heartbeats to see if anyone was there, but the blue ball of light confirmed that the spell found no one. Just to be safe, they picked their way through the main room. Lee checked the kitchen to see if fresh food had been brought in recently and Flitwick checked the rooms downstairs. While Aberforth peeked into the library to see if any thing looked interesting, Theo headed up stairs to check the two small bedrooms.
The light at the end of his wand flickered as his anxiety spiked, sweat beading across his forehead. This place gave him the creeps. Every inch was clean, not a cobweb in sight but the sounds of his wingtips across the wood floors made the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. It felt like someone was watching him, breathing on his neck, but he knew it was all in his head, Aberforth's spell wouldn't lie. But it still gave Theo pause, thinking that maybe Dolohov or Macnair would pop around the corner at anytime.
Humming to himself to calm his nerves, he peered into the first bedroom. Heavy drapes covered the window and a twin sized bed took up most of the room. A dresser sat next to it but nothing looked out of place. No footprints on the floor, no dust on the dresser, no one hiding under the bed. He knew that checking under the bed was childish but...hey, better safe than sorry.
He left the smaller room to check the master, quietly closing the door before heading down the hall. Lee met him in the hall and with a quick nod, they went together. Lee's wand twitched in his grasp, letting Theo know that he wasn't the only one feeling skittish, weary. Lee pushed open the door, floor groaning under his sneakers. Lee's shoes slide him gracefully to the left, while Theo shuffled right.
There was a large canopied bed, dressed in satin in the middle of the room, a giant wardrobe, two end tables and a reading lamp. Lee headed for the ensuite, scanning the bathroom for anything out of the ordinary so Theo took the wardrobe. It was made of dark mahogany wood with doors that clasped together in order keep them closed. Theo reached out his fingers to grasp the gold plated clasp but fear curled up his spine. Theo knew it was important to look through everything but he was a Slytherin deep down. His own self preservation was important. Theo took a deep cleaning breath. Determination was more important right now.
The clasp felt freezing to the touch and Theo noticed that the air around the wardrobe felt as cold as winter. His breaths coming out in little puffs of air that he could see in front of his face. He slide the clasp open slowly, before it flicked open as if at it's own accord. He felt Lee come up behind him, and the wardrobe pulled open.
The face of Eloise Midgen looked back at Theo, her cold dead eyes making his skin crawl. His dinner rolled in his stomach unpleasantly. Swallowing the bile that crept up his throat, he looked the poor girl over.
Other than a white sheet draped across her midriff, she was naked from head to toe. Strange bruises covered her arms and between her fingers. Blood puddled beneath her cramped body that someone had pushed into the wardrobe, her arms and legs sprawled around her unnaturally bent and broken. The spell that kept her cold had broken when Theo opened the door making the smell bearable but the blood was now leaking out of her and over the lip of the wardrobe to puddle near Theo's feet.
Lee was gagging behind him and it took every ounce of Theo's strength not to do the same and muddle the crime scene. Flicking his wand, his Patronus burst forth from the tip. A large polar bear materialized out of the mist and Theo sent the bear off to tell Granger what they had found, Lee yelling for their companions as it left.
Blaise's footsteps echoed off the high walls of the drawing room of Goyle Manor. He knew Goyle's mother might be around here somewhere and he had hoped to catch her unawares if she was.
Dahlia Goyle was a ugly woman, broad and wide like her son. Her face looked pinched and unpleasant every time he had met her causing him to think she smelled something foul and rotten all the time. Her son had been far from pleasant when they went to school together but he supposed that after you watched your best mate die an unkindly death, it would cause you to rethink your life. Goyle had been building an Orphanage for war affected children in his childhood home when it became rightfully his with his father's Azkaban life sentence. People could grow and change. Too bad the poor man was dead.
Blaise's team found her in the dining room having tea as if she didn't feel her wards allowing the men to enter. Maybe she didn't, he thought. Oliver Wood, Anthony Goldstein and Dedalus Diggle pointed their wands at the beastly woman, while Blaise took a seat at her right hand.
"Dahlia, nice to see you," he drawled. He looked around at the room noticing the new wallpaper, friendly looking portraits and grand table that could sit 20 comfortably. "I like what you've done with the place."
Madam Goyle's face pinched in that unpleasant way of hers, ignoring the other men in the room and brought her dainty tea cup to her over painted red lips. "My son thought himself clever building somewhere to house filth and scum. I will be putting it to rights now that he is gone." She took a sip of her tea and pursed her lips. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zabini? I don't remember inviting you or your friends over for tea."
"It seems, that I am missing something. A very important something, and it's come to my attention that you may know where it is. I would like it back." Blaise made himself a cup of English Breakfast, one sugar and relaxed into his chair.
"Oh?" she raised one bushy eyebrow and set her cup down," and what would that be?"
"My wife. And a couple extra."
"And what would I want with your wife, Zabini? Surely you know that it is unbecoming of a lady to diddle in carnal pleasures with other ladies."
"And surely you know that no one would ever willingly want to 'diddle' with you unless forced anyway." He took a long draw of his cup before setting it down politely.
"Explain to me why you are here," she said forcefully. Her hands were shaking with anger and a smile bloomed on Blaise's face.
"As I said, I'm looking for my wife. Also, as it happens, I'm looking for your daughter-in-law."
"I don't know where she is, I haven't seen her in days." She told him quickly.
"Funny, because a friend of mine, who happens to work for the DMLE, tracked Cho's magical signature from a little owl she got and it seems she sent it from here. And she is the brightest witch of her age you know. Highly doubt she is wrong."
Blaise pushed back his chair as Robins snuck behind Madam Goyle, wand pointed menacingly.
Madam Goyle's wand fell into her hand from where it was hidden inside her long sleeve and she thrust it in Blaise's face.
"I don't have her. She isn't here, and I haven't seen her. You'll get nothing out of me."
"That's where you are wrong, Dahlia. I always get what I want. And right now, I want the truth." Blaise smiled as her wand was taken and her arms bound.
The Goyle Dower house had seen better days. Goyle's mother had seemed to be moving important newer furniture in and older pieces out. I mean really...who needed two three tea tables when you live alone? Either way, it was like stepping in the Room of Hidden Things. Tables stacked on other tables and portraits of squat bearded men who yelled constantly, littered the floor. George had a hard time maneuvering through the furniture unscathed while Hagrid seemed to be making every piece fall.
Seamus, Michael Cornor and a man named Sturgis Podemore had gone ahead while George and Hagrid fell behind, looking for either Madam Goyle or Cho Chang or information about where they could be. The search thus far was not going to way George thought it would.
George and Hagrid came upon a little kitchen set off to the side of the main room that seemed to be in better shape than the rest of the house. Clean and seemingly untouched by Madam Goyle. But the room itself was empty of life. Except for a pot boiling on the stove. Someone was here, just not seen.
George flicked off the flame under the pot and waited. Sure enough, with a tiny 'pop' a little house elf, clad in only a tea towel, appeared to check on her pot heating on the stove. The little thing squeaked before trying to flee behind a cabinet door. But George flicked his wand and sent the elf upside down in the air, tea towel flopping down into the elf's scared face.
"Hello," George told her calmly. "My names George and this is my friend, Hagrid. May I ask yours?"
"Yip, sirs," she squeaked at him.
"It's nice to meet you, Yip. I'm looking for some people and I hoped maybe you could help."
Yip pulled at her towel, trying to cover herself back up with one arm while the other tugged on her long ear. "What kinds of peoples?", she asked.
"Some ladies."
"Likes the kinds of ladies Mistress has for teas?" she blinked at George.
"Maybe, Yip. Can you tell me which ladies your Mistress invites over usually?"
"Can Yip gets downs now?" she asked him, eyeing Hagrid.
George set the tiny elf on the countertop where she could meet his eye, while she played with her fingers.
"Mistress use to haves the Madams comes over. Madam Malfoy, Madam Lestrange, Madam Crabbe. Buts she be not having thems over no more. Now she has the daughter in law and the Madam Bulstrode and the Madam Ivanov comes to teas." she got down close to George's ear and whispered," I don't likes the Madam Ivanov. She is nots refined. She makes messes."
"What kind of messes?" he asked her. He didn't know any Ivanov's from school or from when Durmstrang came for the Triwizard Cup but Hermione could probably look it up.
"She leaves bloods all overs the bathroom sinks and makes Yip clean its," George's face went ghost white, "She leaves tubes in the basements floor and muggle stuffs on the stairs. Mistress Cho never leaves a mess. I like Mistress Cho."
"I'm sure she is fantastic, Yip." Seamus had finally made it to the kitchen, shrugging his shoulders to say they had found nothing. "Yip, could you tell me what tubes and muggle stuff you're talking about that Madam Ivanov leaves around?"
Yip popped away but was back before the sound had echoed completely around the room. Long clear wires hung from her thin fingers and potions glasses of what looked like blood. Pouches of thin metal pipes, no bigger than the tip of a quill were clutched in her free hand.
"Theses what she leaves around sometimes. She brings thems from the basement with the locked rooms and takes thems some where else."