Reena looked at herself in the mirror before leaving for work. Her
countenance was blank and the happy sparkle that had been in her eyes for
the past few weeks was gone. It wasn't likely that anyone would notice the
downward change in her mood. All she had to do was throw herself in her
work. The aurors were not satisfied with the list she had given them, so
she still had plenty of work. Around mid-morning, there was a knock on
Reena's office door.
"Who is it?" she asked without stopping what she was writing.
"Lupin" a voice replied.
Reena stopped writing. She hesitated to answer because she did want Remus to tell her something had happened to Sirius.
"Come in " she answer.
The door opened and Remus walked in. He sat in a chair opposite of Reena's desk. He looked tired, but seemed to be his usual calm.
"How are you doing?" Remus asked gently.
"I'm feeling very well, how are you?" Reena answered without stopping her writing.
Remus didn't believe her. Over the years, his wolfish side had heightened some of his senses. He could tell when people felt fear, discomfort, and when they lied. He could plainly tell that Reena was lying.
"I'm serious Reena. You were very open when we were friends," Remus warned.
"What do you mean 'when we were friends'?" Don't you consider us friends anymore?" she asked very confusedly.
"I don't know Reena. Friends don't lie to each other," Remus said.
"I'm sorry Remus, but I need some time. I've never dealt well when the people I love go away. This time is no different, even if I'm older," she explained without looking at him.
"I understand Reena. Maybe I could distract you from your work for just a minute. I think I've come up with a way to find Peter."
At the last sentence, Reena looked up. If they could find Peter, it would be the ticket to Sirius' freedom. She stared intently at Remus.
"How? And how can I help you?" Reena asked without letting her excitement to seep into her voice.
"We never thought of using a summoning charm. I need help making it more powerful. The other problem is finding a piece of Peter's hair or something like it," Remus explained.
"Why not use his finger. His mother should still have it," Reena suggested.
"Mrs. Pettigrew died about 6 years ago. She had 5 other children, all of whom might have inherited it. They may not want to part with it," Remus warned.
"Are you suggesting that I use my position in the Ministry to forcefully take his finger?" Reena asked, amused.
"I didn't ask anything, but know that you mention it, you might as well try," Remus answered, equally amused.
"Fine. After we get the finger, we'll try to find out how we can amplify the charm," Reena said.
"That's what I had in mind," Remus said as he stood to leave. As he walked to the door, he turned and said, "Don't worry about Snuffles. He'll be all right and back before you know it."
Reena went back to her work. The pair of Aurors, Alberts and Knatter, were very demanding. They hadn't been satisfied with the first list of names she had given them, the second list would bring the total to 53 persons. She grabbed the list and walked to the Aurors Department.
Alberts and Knatter's office walls were covered in charts that had people's names, how they had been connected with the Death Eaters before the fall of Voldemort, how they were cleared, when they joined the Ministry, and how they could be tied to the recent rise in Dark Magic. Out of the 27 names Reena had given them, they were certain they could arrest at least 12 people. They were desperate for names so they could make more connections. A knock at the door sent their hopes flying for more names.
"I've got 26 more names for you," Reena informed them.
"It's about time. I though all the Cabinet members had access to files like these," Knatter said irately.
'Well they don't. So be patient," Reena said hotly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting some more coffee. Want any?" Knatter asked, as if he didn't really want to get anyone else some coffee.
"No thanks," Alberts said. "I'm just going to ask Delton some things."
Knatter left and Alberts closed the door. He pointed to a chair where Reena could sit.
"How are you Miss Delton?" Alberts asked politely.
"Quite well, thank you," Reena lied.
"Did you know we had leads that Sirius is in London?" Alberts asked.
"Really? Well, isn't that something," Reena said blankly.
"It is quite something. Whoever catches him will be quite famous,' Alberts informed her, as if she was a child.
"I take it you don't believe Professor Dumbledore," Reena said without emotion.
"Quite the contrary. You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to believe the professor," Alberts said wistfully.
"So believe him. The man is a genius and doesn't go around spewing random things," Reena said defensively.
"I think you misunderstood me. I believe Dumbledore. Do you know how the Fidelious Charm works?" Alberts asked.
"Yes" Reena answered quickly.
"Do you know what happens if the secret keeper betrays the people he's hiding?" Alberts asked.
"No" Reena said quickly.
"The betrayer develops a mark, always in a visible place. That's how the charm was developed in the Middle Ages. The mark appears on the betrayer's face, neck, or hands. When Sirius was taken to Azkaban, he didn't have the mark. I checked him myself after he was in prison. That means he couldn't have betrayed the Potters," Alberts explained.
Reena sat and contemplated the information. She was in a state of disbelief. She didn't think that any other member of LAV, including Sirius' old Auror partner, would believe his innocence.
"Thank you," Reena said as she shook Alberts' hand.
"Any time," he replied as she left. *
Reena rapped her knuckles on the door of Mrs. Patricia Sellers, Peter's eldest sister. A woman in her late 40's opened the door.
"Yes?" she asked impatiently.
"Hello Mrs. Sellers. My name is Reena Delton. I am a Cabinet Member with the Ministry of Magic. May I please come in?" Reena said politely. This was the standard line Ministry members gave when they wanted something.
"Yes, of course," Mrs. Sellers said, less impatiently.
Mrs. Sellers led Reena to a crowded room with lots of sofas and chairs.
"Mrs. Sellers, I'm here to ask you about your brother Peter," Reena said gently.
"Peter? You know he's dead?" Mrs. Sellers said quietly.
"Yes I do. My question is about the finger your mother was given after he received his Order of Merlin," Reena explained.
"I don't have the finger. My brother Perry does. He was very close to Peter," Mrs. Sellers told Reena.
"Where may I find Perry?" Reena inquired.
"He lives outside of Manchester. He works for a Muggle. I'm not quite sure what he does," Mrs. Sellers said to Reena.
"A Muggle? Well, I will try to find him. Do you know the address where he works?" Reena asked.
"Yes. He left something . . . a business card he called it. Let me get it for you," Mrs. Sellers said.
She returned with a business card. Perry Pettigrew, vice-president, Darby Textiles. It had the address of his employment and work telephone number. She thanked Mrs. Sellers and left. Reena apparated to her office. She left her robe there so she could appear like a Muggle wearing a pantsuit.
Reena apparated in an alley a few blocks away from the office building that was listed on the card. The building was a typical glass box structure. A receptionist in the lobby made eye contact with Reena.
"May I help you?" the receptionist asked cheerfully.
"Where are the Darby Textiles offices?" Reena asked politely.
"Floors 6 through 12," the receptionist answered.
Reena found the elevators and pushed the button for the 6th floor. The 3 other people in the elevator looked at Reena. By the way she dressed and carried herself, they thought she must be a business executive. Then they saw how young she looked and concluded that she must be an intern of some kind. The elevator stopped at the 6th floor. The office was very busy, but there was another receptionist sitting at a desk across from the elevators.
"Where is Mr. Pettigrew's office?" Reena asked.
"12th floor," the receptionist answerd back.
So back into the elevators Reena went. The doors opened to a much quieter floor. Yet another receptionist sat behind a desk across from the elevators. Reena concluded that the 12th floor was the office floor for executives at Darby Textiles.
"Excuse me, where is Mr. Pettigrew's office?" Reena asked again.
"Third door to the left, office 1209," the receptionist answered.
Reena found office 1209, but a secretary was sitting out side the office at her desk.
"May I see Mr. Pettigrew?" Reena asked.
"Do you have an appointment?" the secretary asked, with the knowledge that Reena didn't.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't," Reena replied very politely.
"May I ask what business you'd like to see Mr. Pettigrew?" the secretary asked.
"It's regarding Mr.Pettigrew's family business," Reena replied, once again very poliely.
"One moment please."
The secretary picked up the telephone and spoke in a hushed voice. She put down the phone and turned to Reena.
"You may go in," the secretary aid quickly.
Reena opened the door and closed it behind her. Initially, she was surprised by the size of Mr. Pettigrew's office. She estimated it was roughly the size of her flat. She saw Mr. Pettigrew sitting at a desk by the window. He looked up as she closed the door.
"How may I help you?" Perry Pettigrew asked.
""Hello Mr. Pettigrew. My name is Reena Delton and I'm a member of the Cabinet in the Ministry of Magic. May I speak with you briefly?" Reena introduced herself.
"What does the Ministry want with me? I hope I haven't done anything wrong," Perry Pettigrew chuckled
"No. I was wondering if you could help us with an investigation. Is it possible if we could borrow Peter's finger? We understand it is in your possession," Reena told him.
Perry's round rosy face lost its color.
"An investigation? Sirius Black killed my brother and now he's running out free. I don't see why you would need Peter's finger," Perry said sharply.
"it would help greatly in our investigation. New developments in charms really could help in addition to your brother's finger," Reena explained ambiguously.
"I'm not giving you Peter's finger. That's all I have left of him. You're not getting it, end of discussion. I'm very busy if you please," he said rather rudely.
~ I'm begging for Reviews!!!!
"Who is it?" she asked without stopping what she was writing.
"Lupin" a voice replied.
Reena stopped writing. She hesitated to answer because she did want Remus to tell her something had happened to Sirius.
"Come in " she answer.
The door opened and Remus walked in. He sat in a chair opposite of Reena's desk. He looked tired, but seemed to be his usual calm.
"How are you doing?" Remus asked gently.
"I'm feeling very well, how are you?" Reena answered without stopping her writing.
Remus didn't believe her. Over the years, his wolfish side had heightened some of his senses. He could tell when people felt fear, discomfort, and when they lied. He could plainly tell that Reena was lying.
"I'm serious Reena. You were very open when we were friends," Remus warned.
"What do you mean 'when we were friends'?" Don't you consider us friends anymore?" she asked very confusedly.
"I don't know Reena. Friends don't lie to each other," Remus said.
"I'm sorry Remus, but I need some time. I've never dealt well when the people I love go away. This time is no different, even if I'm older," she explained without looking at him.
"I understand Reena. Maybe I could distract you from your work for just a minute. I think I've come up with a way to find Peter."
At the last sentence, Reena looked up. If they could find Peter, it would be the ticket to Sirius' freedom. She stared intently at Remus.
"How? And how can I help you?" Reena asked without letting her excitement to seep into her voice.
"We never thought of using a summoning charm. I need help making it more powerful. The other problem is finding a piece of Peter's hair or something like it," Remus explained.
"Why not use his finger. His mother should still have it," Reena suggested.
"Mrs. Pettigrew died about 6 years ago. She had 5 other children, all of whom might have inherited it. They may not want to part with it," Remus warned.
"Are you suggesting that I use my position in the Ministry to forcefully take his finger?" Reena asked, amused.
"I didn't ask anything, but know that you mention it, you might as well try," Remus answered, equally amused.
"Fine. After we get the finger, we'll try to find out how we can amplify the charm," Reena said.
"That's what I had in mind," Remus said as he stood to leave. As he walked to the door, he turned and said, "Don't worry about Snuffles. He'll be all right and back before you know it."
Reena went back to her work. The pair of Aurors, Alberts and Knatter, were very demanding. They hadn't been satisfied with the first list of names she had given them, the second list would bring the total to 53 persons. She grabbed the list and walked to the Aurors Department.
Alberts and Knatter's office walls were covered in charts that had people's names, how they had been connected with the Death Eaters before the fall of Voldemort, how they were cleared, when they joined the Ministry, and how they could be tied to the recent rise in Dark Magic. Out of the 27 names Reena had given them, they were certain they could arrest at least 12 people. They were desperate for names so they could make more connections. A knock at the door sent their hopes flying for more names.
"I've got 26 more names for you," Reena informed them.
"It's about time. I though all the Cabinet members had access to files like these," Knatter said irately.
'Well they don't. So be patient," Reena said hotly.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm getting some more coffee. Want any?" Knatter asked, as if he didn't really want to get anyone else some coffee.
"No thanks," Alberts said. "I'm just going to ask Delton some things."
Knatter left and Alberts closed the door. He pointed to a chair where Reena could sit.
"How are you Miss Delton?" Alberts asked politely.
"Quite well, thank you," Reena lied.
"Did you know we had leads that Sirius is in London?" Alberts asked.
"Really? Well, isn't that something," Reena said blankly.
"It is quite something. Whoever catches him will be quite famous,' Alberts informed her, as if she was a child.
"I take it you don't believe Professor Dumbledore," Reena said without emotion.
"Quite the contrary. You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to believe the professor," Alberts said wistfully.
"So believe him. The man is a genius and doesn't go around spewing random things," Reena said defensively.
"I think you misunderstood me. I believe Dumbledore. Do you know how the Fidelious Charm works?" Alberts asked.
"Yes" Reena answered quickly.
"Do you know what happens if the secret keeper betrays the people he's hiding?" Alberts asked.
"No" Reena said quickly.
"The betrayer develops a mark, always in a visible place. That's how the charm was developed in the Middle Ages. The mark appears on the betrayer's face, neck, or hands. When Sirius was taken to Azkaban, he didn't have the mark. I checked him myself after he was in prison. That means he couldn't have betrayed the Potters," Alberts explained.
Reena sat and contemplated the information. She was in a state of disbelief. She didn't think that any other member of LAV, including Sirius' old Auror partner, would believe his innocence.
"Thank you," Reena said as she shook Alberts' hand.
"Any time," he replied as she left. *
Reena rapped her knuckles on the door of Mrs. Patricia Sellers, Peter's eldest sister. A woman in her late 40's opened the door.
"Yes?" she asked impatiently.
"Hello Mrs. Sellers. My name is Reena Delton. I am a Cabinet Member with the Ministry of Magic. May I please come in?" Reena said politely. This was the standard line Ministry members gave when they wanted something.
"Yes, of course," Mrs. Sellers said, less impatiently.
Mrs. Sellers led Reena to a crowded room with lots of sofas and chairs.
"Mrs. Sellers, I'm here to ask you about your brother Peter," Reena said gently.
"Peter? You know he's dead?" Mrs. Sellers said quietly.
"Yes I do. My question is about the finger your mother was given after he received his Order of Merlin," Reena explained.
"I don't have the finger. My brother Perry does. He was very close to Peter," Mrs. Sellers told Reena.
"Where may I find Perry?" Reena inquired.
"He lives outside of Manchester. He works for a Muggle. I'm not quite sure what he does," Mrs. Sellers said to Reena.
"A Muggle? Well, I will try to find him. Do you know the address where he works?" Reena asked.
"Yes. He left something . . . a business card he called it. Let me get it for you," Mrs. Sellers said.
She returned with a business card. Perry Pettigrew, vice-president, Darby Textiles. It had the address of his employment and work telephone number. She thanked Mrs. Sellers and left. Reena apparated to her office. She left her robe there so she could appear like a Muggle wearing a pantsuit.
Reena apparated in an alley a few blocks away from the office building that was listed on the card. The building was a typical glass box structure. A receptionist in the lobby made eye contact with Reena.
"May I help you?" the receptionist asked cheerfully.
"Where are the Darby Textiles offices?" Reena asked politely.
"Floors 6 through 12," the receptionist answered.
Reena found the elevators and pushed the button for the 6th floor. The 3 other people in the elevator looked at Reena. By the way she dressed and carried herself, they thought she must be a business executive. Then they saw how young she looked and concluded that she must be an intern of some kind. The elevator stopped at the 6th floor. The office was very busy, but there was another receptionist sitting at a desk across from the elevators.
"Where is Mr. Pettigrew's office?" Reena asked.
"12th floor," the receptionist answerd back.
So back into the elevators Reena went. The doors opened to a much quieter floor. Yet another receptionist sat behind a desk across from the elevators. Reena concluded that the 12th floor was the office floor for executives at Darby Textiles.
"Excuse me, where is Mr. Pettigrew's office?" Reena asked again.
"Third door to the left, office 1209," the receptionist answered.
Reena found office 1209, but a secretary was sitting out side the office at her desk.
"May I see Mr. Pettigrew?" Reena asked.
"Do you have an appointment?" the secretary asked, with the knowledge that Reena didn't.
"No, I'm sorry, I don't," Reena replied very politely.
"May I ask what business you'd like to see Mr. Pettigrew?" the secretary asked.
"It's regarding Mr.Pettigrew's family business," Reena replied, once again very poliely.
"One moment please."
The secretary picked up the telephone and spoke in a hushed voice. She put down the phone and turned to Reena.
"You may go in," the secretary aid quickly.
Reena opened the door and closed it behind her. Initially, she was surprised by the size of Mr. Pettigrew's office. She estimated it was roughly the size of her flat. She saw Mr. Pettigrew sitting at a desk by the window. He looked up as she closed the door.
"How may I help you?" Perry Pettigrew asked.
""Hello Mr. Pettigrew. My name is Reena Delton and I'm a member of the Cabinet in the Ministry of Magic. May I speak with you briefly?" Reena introduced herself.
"What does the Ministry want with me? I hope I haven't done anything wrong," Perry Pettigrew chuckled
"No. I was wondering if you could help us with an investigation. Is it possible if we could borrow Peter's finger? We understand it is in your possession," Reena told him.
Perry's round rosy face lost its color.
"An investigation? Sirius Black killed my brother and now he's running out free. I don't see why you would need Peter's finger," Perry said sharply.
"it would help greatly in our investigation. New developments in charms really could help in addition to your brother's finger," Reena explained ambiguously.
"I'm not giving you Peter's finger. That's all I have left of him. You're not getting it, end of discussion. I'm very busy if you please," he said rather rudely.
~ I'm begging for Reviews!!!!