Chapter 3: Murder at the Manor
Everyone was bustling about the coming party. Elizabeth was decorating the mansion, and it was looking even more splendid than it ever had before. Sirius was preparing a speech, and Harry thought it funny to watch him talking to himself in the mirror. Cate was coordinating wardrobes. Asking everyone if they preferred the red, or the green, or the blue.. Harry wandered about alone, occasionally accompanied by Cate. He didn't know what to make of everything, so he walked around, trying to find a secret passageway or something.
The Weasleys were coming, and bringing Hermione. It was all going to be great fun, but he imagined the shock of the country and world, to see that Elizabeth, who had been dead for quite some time was back.
" Harry. Oooh this is great! I can't wait!" Cate danced around the staircase. " The whole country is coming. " Do Ron and Hermione think it's a birthday party for us?"
" Yeah, and Sirius." Harry grinned. It was the end of July. Cate's birthday was the day before his, the 30th. Sirius's birthday fell on July 20th, and Harry's of course on the 31st.
" We only have to wait one more day! Wanna play Quidditch with me to pass the time, I have to go and get a professional contract sometime again too, so I can play again next year, you know. I need practice!"
" Well, you always beat me. So I don't know if it's much of a practice.."
" Sure it is! I think you would have an easy time getting one too. Know any teams that need a new Seeker?" Cate said, pretty much skipping to the basement.
" Ask Ron, he'd probably know. He knows loads about Quidditch. Does your mum plan on playing again?"
" I don't think she is, but I'll ask Ron tomorrow. Is his whole family coming?"
" I think."
" Good, Fred and George owe me a game too. They said sometime before the term started they'd beat me at something. So I'll give them a shot too."
" I don't think you parents want us in the basement the whole time. I mean, hey, it's sort of an important event."
" Oh yeah, I forgot, I'll be dressed up." She said with a grin. No one knew what she planned to wear. But she always grinned when it was mentioned.
" So what do you have planned? Are you planning to look better than you did at Christmas last year?"
" Are you inquiring that I, Catherine Elizabeth Black, am going to put on a show for everyone to look at?"
" Well, everyone looks at you anyways, so."
" Okay, enough of that, you'll see!"
* * *
After what seemed forever, the night finally arrived. The manor was splendid looking, and there was a smell of delicious food from the kitchens. As usual, Cate was last to appear. Harry figured her planned this, because she was always the best dressed up. The beauty of the manor's marble staircase and candlelight had a nice effect too.
" Catie!" Sirius hollered up the stairs. " People are going to get here before you're ready! Can you hurry please?!"
" I'm coming, I'm coming!" She shouted back. Seconds later she appeared in the middle of the stairs, as she could apparate. Silk scarlet robes trimmed with darker red velvet were simply beautiful. She managed to get her hair braided up neatly and elegantly. But she couldn't conceal her energy and slid down the banister.
" You look. Well, I can't really find words for it." Harry whispered.
" Thank-you. I like that color on you. Brings out your eyes." She replied softly.
Elizabeth spent her time in the master bedroom upstairs; she wasn't supposed to be seen yet. Sirius greeted people at the door, and Harry and Cate stood at the staircase, watching important people walk by. Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore, and even a few foreign ministers showed up. They smiled and waved at Cate and Harry, who waved back pleasantly. But when the Weasleys arrived, they couldn't sit still any longer.
" Gracious! You're the one who lives here?" Mrs.Weasley said to Cate.
" Yep. Black Manor, welcome, I hope you have fun tonight, and you can visit us any old time, it gets kind of lonely here all by ourselves!" Cate smiled.
" We certainly will. Harry dear, Ron and Hermione are right behind me, someplace in this crowd."
" I see them." Harry said. Behind a well-dressed woman, Ron and Hermione were hustling along, scanning the crowd.
" Harry! There you are!" Ron said, standing on tiptoe. " Blimey, you guys live here?"
" Yeah, come on, up here on the balcony, there are too many people." Harry said, and he, Cate, Ron, and Hermione all climbed the stairs to a large indoor balcony.
The girls chattered along happily, and Harry and Ron watched the crowd. Ron could pick out most of the people, and he explained who they were to Harry. Every now and then there were a few people that stuck out in a crowd, but Harry noticed a woman with dark brown hair and eyes, who was wearing sleek, tight black robes. She didn't smile, but she was very pretty. Her dark eyes scanned the crowd, and landed on Harry. Harry quickly threw his glance away.
" Ron, who is she? That woman in black- - right there." He pointed once she had turned away.
" I dunno, I've never seen her before. She's young, and she can't have been graduated long. Maybe she's a foreign?"
" Maybe, but she looks a little suspicious. Cate, do you know who she is?" Harry asked on.
" Sorry Harry, no idea, I haven't seen her before either." Cate answered. Hermione shrugged to show that she didn't' know either. " I'm sure she's just a guest, like all the other ones. Ooohhh. Look! She's talking to Snape! Look at Snape.. He likes her!" Cate giggled now.
" I didn't know he would show. I thought he hated Sirius." Ron said.
" Well, he does, but he probably didn't want to be left out. Everyone is here." Cate pointed out.
" Oh well. he's in for a surprise." Harry grinned.
" Oh will you tell us already?" Hermione sighed. " You two have been talking about it all night. Please?"
" Nope." Cate said, smiling so bright, that her face really did light up.
After much begging, Harry and Cate didn't say a thing. But he banquet dinner was starting. Sirius disappeared off into a room, and returned, seated at the head of the table by Harry and Cate, with an empty seat by Harry. Cate smiled at Harry, who smiled at her, and Sirius grinned at the both of them, glancing at the nearest door. He cleared his throat.
" Good evening all ladies and gentlemen. I am warmed that you travel far, or not so far from your homes to join us tonight. And alas, I have not wasted your time, for it is more than just a large birthday party for Harry and Cate. I believe you all know Cate? Yes, well, anyways, to get to the point. I hope that you all remember the beloved Elizabeth Retton. I won't go into a sappy story, but just this is."
" A dedication?" Someone in the crowd offered.
" No, much more than that. This is in her honor, but." Sirius grinned. " I can't go on being all serious. I never was one for sentimental speeches. Lizzie, come here darling."
Elizabeth stepped out, shaking her head at the awful speech. People stared and raised eyebrows. Some just stared, because she was veela, dark haired of course. Cate was only part, so she didn't have quite the effect her mother did. But Harry wasn't paying attention to her, he was watching that same woman who was dressed in black. This was the first time he had seen her make an expression of any kind at all. It was a surprised expression, and a look of slight disdain. But she recovered quickly and stared at Elizabeth, as if trying to determine if it really was her.
Even Dumbledore checked it out, and proved to the whole load of people that it was indeed Elizabeth. Harry was still watching the woman. She snuck quietly out of the dining hall, and he nudged Cate and pointed. Cate nodded to Ron and Hermione, and the followed her, as good as they could tell, so they weren't caught. Then, Cate in the lead, they turned into the second floor sitting room. Cate gasped and screamed bloody murder. There were two dead men in the room.
" Run!" She breathed. " Downstairs, before she kills us!"
Everyone on the main floor had heard her scream. She reached her parents and Dumbledore first, and grabbed Sirius by the hand and pulled him to the room, the whole crowd following.
" Good God- - they're dead! Cate, do you know what happened?"
" No, but we followed the psycho lady-"
" Psycho lady? Calm down. Just take a breath Catie."
" Well, this woman in black robes, dark brown hair, eyes that were almost black. Did you see her? Well, we followed her- and this is what she led to, and she's gone." Harry said for her.
" Do you know who she was?" Dumbledore asked, looking lost in thought. " These are two of the Ministy's top Unspeakables."
They discussed the matter for a while, and everyone was sent home. Dumbledore stayed the night with the shaky Sirius, Elizabeth, Cate, and Harry. It was beginning to get a little scary, what if she never left the mansion???
Everyone was bustling about the coming party. Elizabeth was decorating the mansion, and it was looking even more splendid than it ever had before. Sirius was preparing a speech, and Harry thought it funny to watch him talking to himself in the mirror. Cate was coordinating wardrobes. Asking everyone if they preferred the red, or the green, or the blue.. Harry wandered about alone, occasionally accompanied by Cate. He didn't know what to make of everything, so he walked around, trying to find a secret passageway or something.
The Weasleys were coming, and bringing Hermione. It was all going to be great fun, but he imagined the shock of the country and world, to see that Elizabeth, who had been dead for quite some time was back.
" Harry. Oooh this is great! I can't wait!" Cate danced around the staircase. " The whole country is coming. " Do Ron and Hermione think it's a birthday party for us?"
" Yeah, and Sirius." Harry grinned. It was the end of July. Cate's birthday was the day before his, the 30th. Sirius's birthday fell on July 20th, and Harry's of course on the 31st.
" We only have to wait one more day! Wanna play Quidditch with me to pass the time, I have to go and get a professional contract sometime again too, so I can play again next year, you know. I need practice!"
" Well, you always beat me. So I don't know if it's much of a practice.."
" Sure it is! I think you would have an easy time getting one too. Know any teams that need a new Seeker?" Cate said, pretty much skipping to the basement.
" Ask Ron, he'd probably know. He knows loads about Quidditch. Does your mum plan on playing again?"
" I don't think she is, but I'll ask Ron tomorrow. Is his whole family coming?"
" I think."
" Good, Fred and George owe me a game too. They said sometime before the term started they'd beat me at something. So I'll give them a shot too."
" I don't think you parents want us in the basement the whole time. I mean, hey, it's sort of an important event."
" Oh yeah, I forgot, I'll be dressed up." She said with a grin. No one knew what she planned to wear. But she always grinned when it was mentioned.
" So what do you have planned? Are you planning to look better than you did at Christmas last year?"
" Are you inquiring that I, Catherine Elizabeth Black, am going to put on a show for everyone to look at?"
" Well, everyone looks at you anyways, so."
" Okay, enough of that, you'll see!"
* * *
After what seemed forever, the night finally arrived. The manor was splendid looking, and there was a smell of delicious food from the kitchens. As usual, Cate was last to appear. Harry figured her planned this, because she was always the best dressed up. The beauty of the manor's marble staircase and candlelight had a nice effect too.
" Catie!" Sirius hollered up the stairs. " People are going to get here before you're ready! Can you hurry please?!"
" I'm coming, I'm coming!" She shouted back. Seconds later she appeared in the middle of the stairs, as she could apparate. Silk scarlet robes trimmed with darker red velvet were simply beautiful. She managed to get her hair braided up neatly and elegantly. But she couldn't conceal her energy and slid down the banister.
" You look. Well, I can't really find words for it." Harry whispered.
" Thank-you. I like that color on you. Brings out your eyes." She replied softly.
Elizabeth spent her time in the master bedroom upstairs; she wasn't supposed to be seen yet. Sirius greeted people at the door, and Harry and Cate stood at the staircase, watching important people walk by. Cornelius Fudge, Albus Dumbledore, and even a few foreign ministers showed up. They smiled and waved at Cate and Harry, who waved back pleasantly. But when the Weasleys arrived, they couldn't sit still any longer.
" Gracious! You're the one who lives here?" Mrs.Weasley said to Cate.
" Yep. Black Manor, welcome, I hope you have fun tonight, and you can visit us any old time, it gets kind of lonely here all by ourselves!" Cate smiled.
" We certainly will. Harry dear, Ron and Hermione are right behind me, someplace in this crowd."
" I see them." Harry said. Behind a well-dressed woman, Ron and Hermione were hustling along, scanning the crowd.
" Harry! There you are!" Ron said, standing on tiptoe. " Blimey, you guys live here?"
" Yeah, come on, up here on the balcony, there are too many people." Harry said, and he, Cate, Ron, and Hermione all climbed the stairs to a large indoor balcony.
The girls chattered along happily, and Harry and Ron watched the crowd. Ron could pick out most of the people, and he explained who they were to Harry. Every now and then there were a few people that stuck out in a crowd, but Harry noticed a woman with dark brown hair and eyes, who was wearing sleek, tight black robes. She didn't smile, but she was very pretty. Her dark eyes scanned the crowd, and landed on Harry. Harry quickly threw his glance away.
" Ron, who is she? That woman in black- - right there." He pointed once she had turned away.
" I dunno, I've never seen her before. She's young, and she can't have been graduated long. Maybe she's a foreign?"
" Maybe, but she looks a little suspicious. Cate, do you know who she is?" Harry asked on.
" Sorry Harry, no idea, I haven't seen her before either." Cate answered. Hermione shrugged to show that she didn't' know either. " I'm sure she's just a guest, like all the other ones. Ooohhh. Look! She's talking to Snape! Look at Snape.. He likes her!" Cate giggled now.
" I didn't know he would show. I thought he hated Sirius." Ron said.
" Well, he does, but he probably didn't want to be left out. Everyone is here." Cate pointed out.
" Oh well. he's in for a surprise." Harry grinned.
" Oh will you tell us already?" Hermione sighed. " You two have been talking about it all night. Please?"
" Nope." Cate said, smiling so bright, that her face really did light up.
After much begging, Harry and Cate didn't say a thing. But he banquet dinner was starting. Sirius disappeared off into a room, and returned, seated at the head of the table by Harry and Cate, with an empty seat by Harry. Cate smiled at Harry, who smiled at her, and Sirius grinned at the both of them, glancing at the nearest door. He cleared his throat.
" Good evening all ladies and gentlemen. I am warmed that you travel far, or not so far from your homes to join us tonight. And alas, I have not wasted your time, for it is more than just a large birthday party for Harry and Cate. I believe you all know Cate? Yes, well, anyways, to get to the point. I hope that you all remember the beloved Elizabeth Retton. I won't go into a sappy story, but just this is."
" A dedication?" Someone in the crowd offered.
" No, much more than that. This is in her honor, but." Sirius grinned. " I can't go on being all serious. I never was one for sentimental speeches. Lizzie, come here darling."
Elizabeth stepped out, shaking her head at the awful speech. People stared and raised eyebrows. Some just stared, because she was veela, dark haired of course. Cate was only part, so she didn't have quite the effect her mother did. But Harry wasn't paying attention to her, he was watching that same woman who was dressed in black. This was the first time he had seen her make an expression of any kind at all. It was a surprised expression, and a look of slight disdain. But she recovered quickly and stared at Elizabeth, as if trying to determine if it really was her.
Even Dumbledore checked it out, and proved to the whole load of people that it was indeed Elizabeth. Harry was still watching the woman. She snuck quietly out of the dining hall, and he nudged Cate and pointed. Cate nodded to Ron and Hermione, and the followed her, as good as they could tell, so they weren't caught. Then, Cate in the lead, they turned into the second floor sitting room. Cate gasped and screamed bloody murder. There were two dead men in the room.
" Run!" She breathed. " Downstairs, before she kills us!"
Everyone on the main floor had heard her scream. She reached her parents and Dumbledore first, and grabbed Sirius by the hand and pulled him to the room, the whole crowd following.
" Good God- - they're dead! Cate, do you know what happened?"
" No, but we followed the psycho lady-"
" Psycho lady? Calm down. Just take a breath Catie."
" Well, this woman in black robes, dark brown hair, eyes that were almost black. Did you see her? Well, we followed her- and this is what she led to, and she's gone." Harry said for her.
" Do you know who she was?" Dumbledore asked, looking lost in thought. " These are two of the Ministy's top Unspeakables."
They discussed the matter for a while, and everyone was sent home. Dumbledore stayed the night with the shaky Sirius, Elizabeth, Cate, and Harry. It was beginning to get a little scary, what if she never left the mansion???