* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 49: Rumour Has It
"Hey, Hermione! Have you heard the rumour?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at Sarah, one of the girls who worked at the DMLE reception, "I generally tend to steer clear of all rumours, so no."
"Well," Sarah said eagerly, "Rebecca from HR just told me that Viktor Krum has landed a big job here at the ministry."
That actually did catch Hermione's attention, "Really?"
"Uh-huh," Sarah replied, "Wouldn't it be great to have such a heartthrob working in the same building as us?"
That made Hermione laugh, "Sarah, it's a big building, and I highly doubt he'll be working in the DMLE."
Sarah's face fell, "Why? We have vacancies, don't we?"
"Yes, we have vacancies but none that a former Quidditch player would qualify for," Hermione pointed out.
"You don't know him; he might have really good grades too!" Sarah argued.
Hermione couldn't help the Draco-like smirk that came to her lips then, "Actually, it's because I know him that I know he did get good grades at school, but he will never work for the DMLE."
"How do you know him?" Sarah asked in disbelief.
"He's my ex," Hermione said calmly.
Before Sarah could say anything else or pick her jaw up off the floor, Hermione had scanned her wand and walked through the security gate towards her makeshift office. For some reason, that had felt very good, and she was intrigued to hear that Viktor was considering a job at the British Ministry. She knew that he had given up his Quidditch career, but she couldn't see the appeal of moving to Britain to retire.
"Morning, Hermione."
"Morning Bob," Hermione chirped as she stepped into the Auror office where she was serving her latest stint. She said good morning to at least ten more Aurors on her way to the desk she shared with Rachel in the back corner of the bullpen.
"Good morning, Rachel," Hermione said cheerfully as she sat down on her side of the desk.
Rachel, a mousy haired woman in her early-30's, looked up at Hermione sheepishly, "You're in an awfully good mood this morning."
"I had a good birthday over the weekend," Hermione said by way of explanation, "Draco bought me a kitten."
"God, that is so romantic," Rachel said bitterly, "It makes me want to vomit."
Hermione bit back an amused smile, Rachel had a dry sense of humour and was incredibly sarcastic, but Hermione thought she was brilliant.
"I called her Octavia," Hermione added as she slid a cardboard cup of coffee across the desk.
Rachel caught it without looking up and said, "Jesus Christ, I hope you don't get to name any children in the future."
"You should hear the baby names Draco likes," Hermione muttered under her breath, "Bloody Malfoy's and their star sign obsession."
Rachel ignored this comment and sipped her coffee loudly, "Well, since you are so cheerful this morning, you can do the rota," she said with a sarcastic grin, "Have fun!"
Hermione groaned as a heap of parchment was dumped in front of her. The rota consisted of scheduling four pairs of Aurors for night-shift every night of the week. It was almost impossible to organise because virtually every Auror had some night that they couldn't work for one reason or another, so scheduling everyone in could quite easily take her up to 2 pm.
However, there was one positive, Rachel was now in a great mood.
"I need to tell you guys something."
"That sounds way too serious for first thing on a Monday morning," Theo joked weakly.
"Coming from the guy who looks like he's had no sleep," Neville said. He shot Theo a sideways glance.
Theo rubbed his eyes, "I've been worried about Sadie, so I haven't been sleeping much. She's still really ill, and the healer who comes out to check her blood pressure is thinking about admitting her to St. Mungo's if the sickness doesn't get any better."
"Try not to worry too much," Draco said supportively, "It's probably just hyperemesis gravidarum."
Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco, "Fancy saying that in English, mate?"
"Extreme morning sickness," Draco said, he glared in Harry's direction, "To put it in layman's terms."
Theo ignored the banter between them, "Is it bad?"
"No, it just means she might need to stay in the hospital for a bit to rehydrate herself. It shouldn't last much longer than morning sickness, so it will taper off in a couple of weeks with any luck."
"How do you know so much about pregnancy, exactly?" Neville asked Draco, "I mean, you're an Auror, not a bloody Healer."
Harry shot Draco a knowing look, "You might as well tell him, Theo and I both know, and it's going to come out eventually."
Draco stiffened up slightly, "Fine," he said reluctantly. He looked away from Neville and said, "Pansy was pregnant when she died."
"Oh," Neville realised. His eyes widened, "That…that makes sense…that's why you acted so strange towards the end of the war."
Draco nodded, "Yeah, I was trying to protect her and the baby."
"Shit," Neville sighed, "I'm sorry, man."
Draco shrugged, "It's in the past. Anyway, Harry, what were you going to say?"
"Oh yeah," Harry recalled as they came to a stop outside the lecture hall, "Daphne and I are doing a trial run this week to see if we can cope with looking after Teddy full-time. He's staying with us all week, and if it goes well, we're going ahead with the adoption. I just figured you guys should know in case I'm tired or I seem distracted."
"Wow," Theo said, "That's big news. I mean, I knew you were planning on adopting Teddy, but I didn't realise you were thinking about doing it now."
Harry shrugged, "You don't really think about when you're going to become a parent. It just sort of happens."
"You'll find out all about that soon, mate," Neville joked as he patted Theo on the back, "All the sleepless nights."
"And screaming sessions," Harry added in amusement.
"Before he gets there, he has to get through Sadie's cravings first," Draco joked. He smirked in Theo's direction.
"Don't even get me started on that," Theo muttered as they walked into the lecture hall together, "On Saturday night, she sent me to something called a Tesco Extra at 3 am to get her a jar of pickled onions, seriously guys, it was 3 am!"
"So, what do you have for me today?"
"A cursed mirror, we're heading up north today. Do you like the north?" Bill asked conversationally as he swept Daphne out of the door she had just come in.
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, that depends on how far north. I guess the lake district is okay if you like white water rafting and that sort of thing."
"Oh no, much further north than that," Bill chirped, "So far north it will take a ferry to get us there, it might even be an overnight trip."
"Well, that might be an issue because we're looking after Teddy this week. I'll need to check that Harry's okay to watch him on his own if this needs to be an overnight trip," Daphne said, "And if it's that far, are we even staying in Britain?"
"Yep, we are going to the lovely Shetland isles," Bill said happily, "Clear air, beautiful scenery, ah…what a wonderful place Lerwick is."
"Right," Daphne said slowly, "I can tell you're really in love with the whole quaint Scottish charm thing, but can I send Harry a message before we go, please?"
Bill was pulled from his reverie, "Oh yes, of course. I'll meet you out back by the apparition point."
As he started to walk away, Daphne conjured up a Patronus and sent a message to Harry with it, "Hey Harry. Bill and I have a case in Lerwick up in Shetland, and I might have to stay overnight to break it. Just let me know if you're going to be okay on your own with Teddy because I can come back and leave Bill to deal with it if you aren't. Speak to you later. Bye."
Once the message was recorded, her Patronus shot away in a burst of light, and Daphne rushed to catch up with Bill outside.
"So, a cursed mirror?"
"Uh-huh," Bill mused, "It is an ancient, fascinating case. I can't wait!"
"Do you want to give me the cliff notes?" Daphne asked.
Bill shot her a grin, "Oh, don't worry, Daphne, we have a 6-hour ferry trip to discuss the nitty, gritty details!"
Daphne rolled her eyes and muttered sarcastically, "Fantastic."
"So it looks like I'm going solo for my first night of Operation Can Teddy Live With Us," Harry whispered to Neville while they pretended to take notes in the back of disguise class.
"Has Daphne given up already?" He joked.
"No, she just sent me a message. That's why I had to run out," Harry replied, "She might need to stay overnight on her latest job if she and Bill can't solve it today."
Neville raised an eyebrow at him, "Are they doing foreign jobs already?"
Harry shook his head, "No, the jobs in Shetland. I thought the same as you, but I guess Shetland is further north than we think it is."
"So you're cool with Daphne bunking with Bill overnight?" Neville asked quietly.
"Bill is like a brother to me, and he's married to a bloody Veela. I don't think I have to worry about him straying," Harry whispered, "And Daphne has high-class tastes. She isn't going to leave me for a Weasley."
Neville sniggered under his breath, "Harsh, but you're right."
Harry shot him a smirk, "Don't suppose you fancy coming over tonight and helping me babysit?"
Neville chuckled, "I was waiting for you to ask me that. What's in it for me?"
"The knowledge of knowing you did the right thing and that you're a loved and appreciated friend?" Harry quipped.
Neville snorted, "Fair enough. Yeah, I'll come over."
"Is there a reason why you're forcing me to endure a 6-hour ferry trip when I'm a witch who is perfectly capable of apparating?" Daphne asked Bill dryly as she looked out over the choppy North Sea.
"Daphne Greengrass, if I didn't know better, I would say you look seasick," Bill said far too cheerfully and with a smirk that he was failing to hide.
Daphne shot him an unimpressed look, "Bill, for reasons that you do not need to know about, I am in a foul mood today, and yes, I do get seasick, so could you just cut the bullshit and tell me A. What's going on? And B. Why you're so happy about it?"
Bill dropped the overly cheery attitude and nodded, "Fair enough, do you want to talk about your issues?"
"No," Daphne replied shortly.
"Alright, the reason I'm so happy is because I have wanted to go back to Shetland for years. I had my first ever solo curse-breaking case there, I stayed on the island for two weeks, and I fell in love with it. I tried to persuade Fleur to go there for our honeymoon, but she couldn't understand why I wanted to go somewhere cold and wet in autumn."
Daphne smiled slightly, "I can see her point of view."
"So I'm excited to be going back," Bill concluded, "And as for why we're on the ferry, this ferry is run by the wizarding family who owns the cursed mirror that we're going to investigate. The family is split over the issue, some want the mirror investigated, and others want to leave things as they are, so I thought we might be able to wheedle some information during the trip across. If I had known that you got seasick, I would have let you apparate ahead."
"It's fine, but I'm apparating back," Daphne said firmly, "So what's the story behind this mirror then?"
"According to the woman who contacted us, it tries to kill anyone who looks into it after sunset," Bill explained in an undertone, "The mirror has been in the family for years, and everyone knows to cover it with a heavy sheet every evening, but last night, her son heard knocking coming from inside the mirror so he took the sheet off and his own reflection tried to pull him into the mirror. He got away, but the event has traumatised him. His mother wants answers, and she wants the mirror out of the family house, but her sister isn't in agreement."
"Uh, why the hell not? The mirror could have killed her nephew," Daphne pointed out.
"I know," Bill agreed, "But apparently the mirror is around 300 years old and has always been in the house. They think removing it might bring some sort of curse crashing down on them."
"It sounds like the mirror already is cursed, though," Daphne said.
"Yes, but it is possible that the curse on the mirror has a built-in fail-safe meaning that-"
"If we break the curse, another curse will be triggered," Daphne finished with a nod, "Like a booby trap."
"Exactly," Bill said, "That's why we need to tread carefully and talk to every member of the family before we proceed on this one."
"Hence the ferry trip," Daphne sighed, "Who could cast such a dark, powerful curse like that anyway?"
"The magic behind it isn't that complicated," Bill admitted, "It's probably some sort of modified mirror image spell. But the history behind the mirror and its age imply that it won't be that simple when it comes to breaking the curse."
"Right," Daphne said as she got to her feet a little shakily, "Who are we questioning first then?"
"The captain of our little boat," Bill said, he got up and clapped his hand on her back, "The seasickness will wear off after half an hour or so."
"Will it?" Daphne asked, hopefully.
Bill shrugged, "If it doesn't, you'll be throwing up over the side of the boat for the next 6 hours."
"Great," Daphne muttered under her breath, "Just bloody great."
"So the captain's nephew – woah, are you still being sick?"
Daphne groaned from her spot, leaning over the railing of the boat, "Do you want to ask me any other stupid questions?"
Bill grimaced, "Sorry, Daphne-"
"Cut the crap, Bill, how long till we're there?' Daphne asked groggily.
Bill glanced up ahead, "Well, I can see the land, so less than half an hour I'd wager."
"Good," Daphne groaned as she leaned over the boat to throw up once more.
"Seriously, how do you have anything left to throw up?"
"I don't fucking know Bill," Daphne snapped, "Maybe next time you could tell me there was a choice before shoving me onto a goddamn ferry!"
Bill did have the courtesy to look sheepish, "Yeah, I am sorry about that, Daphne. Will I just brief you when we're on dry land?"
"That's the best idea you've had all day," Daphne replied dryly and sarcastically.
"Hey Hermione, have you heard-"
"Viktor Krum is coming to work for us?" Hermione guessed when Wayne Hopkins, who she had gone to school with, walked into her office, "Yes, I have. Why is everybody so excited about that?"
Wayne shrugged, "Because he's a heartthrob, I guess?"
"God, not you too," Hermione chuckled, "Everyone is going crazy over the news. The poor guy doesn't stand a chance when he gets here."
"You went to the Yule Ball with him," Wayne remembered.
"Uh-huh," Hermione agreed, she sipped her coffee, "Are you going somewhere with that thought?"
"No, just remembering," Wayne said, "Anyway, I just popped in with the floo reports that Auror Finch asked for."
"I'll see he gets them. See you later, Wayne," Hermione said.
As Wayne left the office, Rachel whistled, "You dated Viktor Krum? Oh, Hermione, I didn't think you had it in you…I mean, did you have it in you?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Rachel, I was 14."
"So?"
"So no," Hermione said bluntly, "I went to the Yule Ball with him, I taught him some English, and I kissed him a few times. That was it. He's a sweet guy though, I wrote to him for a few years, and I had a dance with him at Bill and Fleur's wedding."
"So you pined after him for years and years," Rachel smirked, "And now he's joining us."
"He's joining the ministry, Rachel," Hermione said irritably, "It's a big building, and I did not pine after him! I do not do pining."
A snort sounded from behind her.
Hermione spun around to see Harry standing there.
"What is that supposed to mean? And what are you doing here?"
"You don't pine? You pined after Draco for years, and I am a trainee Auror, which does allow me access to the DMLE," Harry smirked.
Hermione scoffed, "I never pined after Draco. Is that what he thinks? He's delusional."
"No, that's what I think," Harry said with an amused look, "Anyway, I'm here to see Auror Finch. Is he about?"
Hermione frowned, "He's on his lunch…does this have anything to do with the floo records he requested this morning?"
"Maybe," Harry replied cryptically.
"Harry…"
"It's above your clearance level, sorry, Mione," Harry said. He shot her a boyish grin, "I'll go find him in the food court."
Before Hermione could question him any further, he had gone. Hermione groaned and sat down. It wasn't often that she couldn't get information out of Harry.
As it was, Harry found the Auror he was looking for on his way out of the DMLE.
"Ah, Auror Finch, I was just looking for you."
Auror Finch was a thin, greying man with a bald patch. He smiled warmly at Harry, "Ah Trainee Auror Potter, we spoke via floo yesterday, didn't we?"
"We did," Harry agreed, "Did you get those reports I asked about?"
"They were due in late this morning, so they probably arrived while I was on lunch," Finch replied, "Take a seat in my cubicle, and I will be with you as soon as possible."
He led Harry along the corridor and through the maze of cubicles. Harry sat down at Finch's; his partner's seat was vacant, so he didn't have to attempt to make small talk. It felt odd to think that in a few short years, this would be where he and Neville spent their days.
After a few minutes, Finch returned with a report in hand, "The report is missing some information because we lost a lot when Voldemort took over, but there are bits and pieces in here. I can't just hand it over to you, you being a Trainee and all, but we can go through it together."
Harry nodded, "I just need you to understand that this is personal. What is in this report cannot become public knowledge."
"From the moment you asked for a favour, I knew it was going to be personal," Finch admitted, "Harry Potter does not tend to ask for favours."
Harry smiled slightly, "That is true."
"And it didn't take a genius to figure out who it's for, you asking for the floo calls going in and out of Greengrass house and all," Finch added.
Harry smiled sheepishly, "So how many calls were made that month?"
"Six," Finch replied, he flipped open the report, "It seems the master of the house at that time was Phineas Greengrass."
Harry nodded, "His brother Cygnus and his wife were in hiding."
"So of those six calls, four were to Lareina Greengrass," Finch said, "His brother's wife."
"Do you have transcripts?" Harry asked tentatively.
"Two were too corrupted to pull transcripts from," Finch admitted, "But the guys in the DMT managed to pull two. Here they are…."
Harry took a shaky breath and looked at the two transcripts in front of him.
"Phineas: Just run away, leave him in the safe house and come with me.
Lareina: I cannot just run away with you, Phineas! What about my daughters? I have to think of them.
Phineas: Bring them with you then.
Lareina: You know that Daphne will never do that. Despite everything I have told her, she still holds out hope that her father can be saved. If I run away with you, what happens after the war when Cygnus can come after us again?
Phineas: He will not come after us, Lareina! He will never kill you because he loves you too, just not as much as I do. You know that he did not set that fire with the intention of killing you.
Lareina: I just cannot run off and leave him. I hate loose ends, Phineas.
Phineas: So what do you suggest we do, kill him?
Lareina: It might be best for all of us.
Phineas: For Heaven's sake Lareina, I was being sarcastic!
Lareina: You said you loved me more than life itself. You said that you would do anything for me.
Phineas: When I said that, I never thought you would ask me to kill your husband.
Lareina: Then we do it together.
Phineas: We will discuss this in person at a later date, Lareina. Think about what you have just said. Those are some very serious requests."
"Shit," Harry muttered as he flipped the page, "She was right."
Finch remained silent as Harry read the second transcript.
"Lareina: It will happen tonight. Cygnus thinks that we have informed on his location to the Death Eaters. Come to the house in a black cloak with a mask and do it.
Phineas: Lareina, are you sure you want to go through with this?
Lareina: If you truly want us to be happy, we have to take him out of the equation Phineas. He will never know that it was you; he will simply think that the Dark Lord has grown tired of trying to recruit him.
Phineas: Lareina, I beg you to reconsider.
Lareina: I shall not! And if you back out, it will be clear to me that you do not love me as you say you do.
Phineas: [sigh] I shall do it."
"Oh shit," Harry muttered, he pushed the transcripts over, "You've read them?"
Finch nodded, "I need to arrest your girlfriend's mother, I'm sorry, but these records show that she has committed a serious crime."
"I know," Harry said quickly, "But please don't do it just yet. Let my fiancé explain to her sister first, let her bring in the letters she has so that you have all the evidence you need for a clean arrest and trial."
Finch sighed, "You know I shouldn't."
"I just need a week, please, Finch," Harry begged.
Finch nodded stiffly, "One week, but if she escapes or if you fail to bring that evidence in, then I have to arrest you for obstruction of justice."
Harry nodded fiercely, "I completely understand that, and thank you so much."
"Do you feel better now?"
Daphne nodded and took a slow sip of water. She still looked very pale and was a little shaky on her feet, but now that she was back on dry land, she had stopped throwing up.
"So I found out lots while you were throwing up," Bill said, for which he was glared at, "The captain of the boat is very superstitious as most sailors are. His mother is the sister who does not want to get rid of the mirror."
"And what does he think then?"
"Well, he told me all about the story behind the mirror. Apparently, it's been in the family for 300 years and has a spooky history. Way back, the master reportedly had an affair with a maid. That maid then fell completely in love with the master and wanted him to leave his wife for her. Of course, the master had only wanted something on the side, so he was having none of that. Out of spite, the maid then poisoned the master's wife and their two children. They all died, and apparently, their spirits were trapped in the mirror."
"Is that even possible?" Daphne asked.
Bill shrugged, "Well, it's debatable. There is an old superstition that you ought to cover up all the mirrors in the house when someone dies so that their spirit doesn't get trapped, but it doesn't hold much truth or every time someone died in a house, we'd have a haunted mirror."
"Right, I sense a but?" Daphne prompted.
Bill smiled, "But…the maid could have been a witch. If that was the case, then it could have affected the tale in two ways. Either she did poison them and then trapped their spirits in a mirror with some seriously dark magic or, and I hope it's this option, she did not kill them. She just trapped them in the mirror with an entrapment spell."
Daphne frowned, "So if it was an entrapment spell, wouldn't they have just died in the mirror?"
Bill shook his head, "They would have been frozen as they were at the time."
Realisation shone in Daphne's eyes, "Which is why they appear to pull other people into the mirror…they are actually trying to pull themselves out."
"Correct," Bill said, "Now for your next question."
"Why do you hope it's that option?" Daphne asked.
"Because if it's the first option, this case is going to be a lot harder than I thought," Bill replied, "The magic required to trap dead souls is very dark. To do so, the maid would have had to kill them violently to rip the spirit from the body. Then she would have to trap that soul in an object, in this case, a mirror."
Daphne frowned, "So the mirror would be a Horcrux."
Bill frowned down at her, "How do you know what a Horcrux is?"
Daphne raised an eyebrow at him, "Marrying Harry Potter, destroyer of Horcruxes. My best friend is dating Neville Longbottom, who beheaded a Horcrux with a giant sword."
"Fair point," Bill remarked, "And yes, it is rather like a Horcrux, I suppose. When a soul, or part of a soul in the case of a Horcrux, is trapped within an object, the object can take on a life of its own."
"Why does that make the case more difficult?" Daphne asked, "If the mirror is a Horcrux, can't we just kill it with basilisk venom or fiendfyre?"
Bill stopped in his tracks and stood in front of her, "Right. How do you know that much about Horcruxes? Because all the Prophet ever published was that there were Horcruxes involved."
"I know the whole story," Daphne admitted, "I know how many there were, what they all were and who destroyed which ones. I also know how Harry miraculously survived the forest that night."
Bill frowned, "You can't mean…."
Daphne nodded, "Harry was a Horcrux, an accidental one. Voldemort's soul was so unstable that when he tried to kill an innocent baby that night, it ripped apart. A shard attached itself to Harry, and when Harry sacrificed himself for love that night in the forbidden forest, the part of Voldemort inside him died, but he came back. Then Neville beheaded the snake, which was the final Horcrux, so that when Harry duelled Voldemort for the last time in the final battle-"
"-He would die for good," Bill finished, "Blimey, that boys been through more than any man could take."
Daphne nodded, "It's not common knowledge, so please, keep it to yourself."
"I will," Bill promised her. He stepped away and began to walk along the road once more, "And no, by the way, it isn't as simple as just destroying the mirror to kill a Horcrux. This is not a corrupted soul; it is a whole soul. If we destroy the mirror or possibly even just break the curse on the mirror, then the souls escape, and after years of entrapment, they would become very dangerous poltergeists."
Daphne sighed, "So what if it's the second option? What happens if we break the curse on the mirror?"
"The people who were trapped there, come out," Bill replied, "Although they will be whole physically, they will be warped mentally. I would expect them all to live out their days in the mental health ward of St. Mungo's."
"So either way, it doesn't have a happy ending," Daphne concluded.
Bill shook his head, "No, it doesn't, I'm afraid."
As they stood in front of a large, grand country house, Bill said, "So I will lead the negotiation-"
"-Why don't I take this one?"
Bill frowned, "Daphne, I am sure you are more than capable, but this is a sensitive case. Not everyone involved wants us to investigate this curse."
"I am aware of that, but I am very good at negotiating," Daphne replied, "My mother always wanted me to join the Department of Magical Co-operation, and I helped negotiate a few big deals for the family business."
Bill opened his mouth to say something but then thought better of it and shut it again, "Alright, you can lead this one, but if I feel like I need to, then I will jump in and take over."
"Deal," Daphne said smoothly. They continued their walk up the path and knocked on the front door.
There was a slight wait, then a rustling sound from behind the door. When it swung open, a middle-aged woman in a sweatshirt looked at them disapprovingly.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. I am Daphne Greengrass, and this is my colleague, William Weasley. We're the curse breakers from Gringotts that you sent for."
"My sister sent for you," The woman spat, "And it was a wasted trip. You are not going anywhere near that mirror!"
Before she could slam the door shut on them, Daphne stopped her, "Ma'am, we may not touch that mirror. We need your permission to do so for a start, but we do want to come in and have a discussion with you about it. We cannot do anything to it if you do not want us to, but we need to log that there may be a dangerous cursed object in your house. It's the law."
The woman sighed but opened the door fully again, "Fine, come in."
Daphne and Bill stepped into the house. The woman, who spoke with a broad Scottish accent, shouted, "Julie, get your arse down here! The curse breakers you sent for want to talk to us."
There was a loud clatter upstairs, then a younger woman with dark brown hair appeared at the bottom of the steps, "You came! Oh, thank Merlin, you came!"
Bill smiled, "We came as soon as we could. I'm Bill, we spoke via floo yesterday, and this is my colleague Daphne Greengrass."
"Pleasure to meet you," Daphne said politely.
"And you," Julie said, "Come into the breakfast room, and we can talk over a pot of tea."
There was a slightly awkward silence while they waited for the tea. It was clear that the two sisters were very divided over what should happen to the mirror.
"Shall we begin?" Daphne asked when everyone had a cup of tea in their hands.
The older sister, whose name they did not know, just grunted.
"I would like to start by saying that we are not here to force either of you to do anything with the mirror," Daphne said calmly, "Before we could even think about touching it, we would need to quickly look at it and run a diagnostic charm or two. That would tell us exactly what was going on with it. After we had done that, it would be up to the two of you to decide what we did next."
"How do we know we can even trust you?" The older sister asked.
"Marianne, they are from Gringotts," Julie hissed, "They are hardly charlatans!"
Daphne raised her hands, "I understand your concern, ma'am. It is an old, invaluable family heirloom. I promise that nothing we will do to identify the curse, if there is one, will harm the mirror."
Marianne frowned at them, "And you won't do anything to it? Even if you do find a curse?"
"Not without permission from both of you, written permission if you so wish," Daphne promised, "We were brought here by your sister, but we are impartial on this matter. We are not privately contracted; we provide a free and informative service. All that we can do is advise you. If you choose to go against our advice, that is entirely up to yourself."
Marianne huffed thoughtfully, then nodded, "Fine, you can run your diagnostic charms."
"But not until the morning," Julie cut in. She glanced out of the window, "The sun will set in less than an hour. It always sets early here in the winter."
Daphne looked at the darkening sky and sighed.
"I am sorry," Julie said apologetically, "We can offer you a meal and a bed for the night while you wait. Did you have somewhere you needed to be on the mainland?"
"No," Daphne said with a sad smile, "My fiancé and I are adopting our godson and tonight was his first night staying with us, but I am sure he will manage just fine on his own. We appreciate your offer of a meal and a bed for the night, and we will get straight to work in the morning."
* ~ TBC ~ *