Chapter Sixteen: Outside Assistance
Disclaimer: I don't own what JK. Rowling created. I created some things based off of her amazing work, but no where near as awesome as hers. So please don't sure me!!
Author Note: Yeah! My computer works again!! It scared us there for a few days and thankfully it didn't take as long as expected. Hope you all enjoy the next chapter, and look for a post in the next couple days. We're nearing the end here troops. Its kinda sad in a way, but also exciting. And I can't WAIT to begin posting the next installment of this story. Just wait till the sequel!!!
"Fred," Emma said placing her hand on her husband's arm. He turned and looked at her. "Kate has to be at Harry and Ginny's by seven."
"I know. We should hurry up." He replied. Emma stepped back into Flourish and Blotts, her blond hair moving gracefully in rhythm with her step. Within minutes, she reappeared with her strawberry blond daughter at her arm.
"But Muuumm! They only have three more!" Kate whined at her.
"Tomorrow, Katie." Emma replied. Kate stuck her lip out and crossed her arms.
"Come on, Kate." Fred said to her. "We've got to get to Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's."
"Dad, the book will be gone tomorrow."
"Then we'll order it." Fred said to her. Still pouting, Kate followed her parents through Diagon Alley. The street was largely congested for Halloween. Kate watched as young children ran after their parents, most likely on their way to Halloween parties. That is where she was headed. Every year all of the Weasley's gathered together for a Halloween party and this year it was at her Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry's house. Sure it would be fun, but her cousins Will, and Cameron (her Uncle Bill's sons), Mackenzie (her Uncle Charlie's daughter), and Philip (her Uncle Percy's son) were all going to be absent from the annual family festivities. They were all at Hogwarts, having a huge feast of their own. She couldn't wait till she was a Hogwarts. Her Uncles had told her so many amazing stories about the school and when they went there. She was most looking forward to Halloween at Hogwarts. She wanted to see trolls and goblets with fire coming out of them, and sleep overs in the Great Hall and Hogsmead visits and...
"Kate! Get down!" Her father's voice pulled her from her daydream world.
"Huh?" Kate turned to look at her father. There were three Death Eaters standing in front of them. Kate screamed as her mother fell onto the stone street after a flash of green light. Through her tear blurred eyes, she saw her father fall beside her mother. She heard a horrible, bone chilling laughter. Looking up she saw a black cloaked man.
"Avada Kadavra!" she heard him hiss. She shut her eyes and felt a cold rush over her. Then she remembered no more.
George Apparated moments later to the spot. The first thing he saw was a man searching his brother's body. But as soon as he had Apparated, the man saw that he was caught and Disapparated. George threw a spell at him but only hit the air. Harry Apparated seconds later but both men were too late. George bent down beside his brother's body and tears swelled in his eyes.
"George." Harry said kneeling beside him.
George looked up at his brother in law. "I'm out."
Harry looked at him. "George..."
"No Harry. I always said that once this job made me cry I would stop."
"George, leaving won't make anything better." Harry said. Around them Aurors were Apparating and assessing the scene.
"No Harry." George said. "This was my brother. This was my twin. We shared a womb. I can't." He stood up and started to walk down the street. "I'll turn in my badge and uniform to you tomorrow."
"George!" Harry called after him. But George Disapparated.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Six Years Later ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What is that?" Charlie asked. George didn't glance up from the letter he was reading.
"Hang on." he replied. A week earlier, an owl had arrived carrying a letter. The four adults eyed the owl curiously. After opening the envelope, Charlie and George recognized the clean cursive handwriting that belonged their their beloved sister in law. George opened the letter and began to read...
Dear George,
Everything is wonderful here. Well, as wonderful and normal as any of our holidays ever are. There is something that I need your inside help on. Stop smirking! I rarely ask for any help from anyone, so on this rare occasion I need you to be serious. I need information on a wizard named Kevin Brown. He was a Hogwarts student, 98'-06'. He was killed (supposedly) five years ago. Harry's cousin, Julie, married him. However, some of the other relatives have been asking about him as if he were still alive. The whole situation is just weird. There have also been some disturbing appearances of Death Eaters, or something similar to them. Harry doesn't think that they are Death Eaters because they don't have the same characteristics as Death Eaters. He says they don't move like Death Eaters and they don't have the same attack patterns or methods of Death Eaters. I haven't a clue to what that means, but its Harry and he's the resident expert on Death Eaters, so I guess what ever he says goes. Though sometimes I don't think I should listen to him, even if he is my Commanding Chief Officer, but that's beside the point. Anyway, this entire Kevin Brown issue is incredibly disturbing and frightening. So if you find anything, anything at all, please owl me back as soon as you can. I would like to get to the bottom of this whole thing so we can come home. I have this horrible gut feeling that something bad is going to happen. I haven't told Harry about my suspicions, but I think he's thinking along the same lines I am.
Everything else is fine. Abby and Andy still seem to think that American is in your mother's garden. They even got Julie's daughter, Kelsey, to play one of their Quidditch games. I swear, sometimes I don't know where they get their energy. It must be a Weasley thing! The poor things, having to live with Weasley blood in them!! (I'm only joking, George, no need to pull that face!)
Send our love to Caroline and your girls. Abby is constantly asking where Caila and Tara are. We all can't wait to come home, but some things need to be sorted out still.
Love From,
Hermione
"I researched Kevin Brown." George said as he finished the letter for the hundredth time.
"And?" Charlie asked.
"Well, everything checked out like she said. He died five years ago in front of the Ministry buildings." George reported. "Its just.."
"Just what?"
"You know....... Charlie, I've seen him before." George said looking at his older brother.
"You have?" Charlie asked. "When?"
"Six years ago. In Diagon Alley."
Charlie raised a confused eyebrow at his brother. "And this means.....?"
"He killed Fred." George stated. "I saw him when I Apparated to the scene."
"Are you serious?" Charlie asked sitting down next to his brother.
"Yup. I wrote Hermione this morning. I found a picture of him in the files on his death. I recognized his face, I'll never forget that face." George paused. "And I don't think he's dead either." Charlie gaped at him.
"What?!" Charlie exclaimed.
George solemnly nodded his head.
"Is there anything we can do?" Charlie asked.
"I've already owled Hermione." George replied. "I told her that the pattern that Fred, Emma and Kate were killed in doesn't fit in the normal Death Eater characteristics. It seems more similar to these cloaked figures that Harry keeps dealing with in America."
"Do you think anything is going to happen?" Charlie asked. "Harry can protect them, canÕt he?"
"Harry is an amazing Auror." George said. "It was a privilege to work along side him as a colleague and an equal. He is amazing. But, I don't know. If those attacks in America have anything to do with Kevin Brown, then I doubt it."
"Do you think we should do something? Inform the American Minister or send someone over or something?" Charlie asked.
"If something happens then Hermione will write us. I asked her to in my response."
"What if something happens to Hermione?"
"Someone would have to be pretty stupid to mess with Hermione. With both Harry and Ron on her side, I personally wouldn't want to be on the end of their wrath." George paused. "And I don't know what you expect us to do. You work with dragons. Still. And I got out of the Auror line of work years ago. For this exact reason."
Charlie looked disbelieving at his younger brother. "George, honestly. You're an Unspeakable. Don't try and deny it. We all know. True you can't exactly speak of exactly what you do, but I can tell from they way you are that you don't have a desk job."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" George asked his brother.
"You wouldn't have bruises from a desk job. Caroline wouldn't tell Elizabeth about the nightmares you have if you had just a desk job."
"Caroline tells Elizabeth about my nightmares?" George asked.
"Yup. And my wife tells me."
"So?" George defended himself. "Do you have a point?"
"Yes, actually I do." Charlie replied. "Don't think for one second that I ever believed that story about working for Zonko's after you pulled out of the Aurors. I saw right thought that. You've been an Unspeakable since then. And with your background they wouldn't put you in a safe respectable desk job."
"My background?" George asked.
"Your knowledge of explosives from your days at Hogwarts. You also fought in the Great War against Voldemort. You were an Auror. They don't put people like you in a desk job."
"People like me?"
"Why do you insist on repeating what I say in the form of a question?" Charlie asked.
George laughed. "You sounded like Hermione for a moment there!"
Charlie rolled his eyes but was grateful to hear his brother laugh.
"Yes, people like you. You have too much energy and too much life in you to make you sit in an office."
George bowed his head. "I don't have it anymore."
"Have what?"
"Life, energy in me." George said looking up. "It died along with Fred."
"Fred wouldn't have wanted you to be that way." Charlie said. "He wouldn't have wanted you to stop, well, having fun."
"It doesn't matter." George said turning away.
"Yes it does. Fred was an Unspeakable too. He made it fun."
"Yeah and he was investigating the same dark wizard who killed him and his family."
Charlie paused and took in what his brother had just said. He swallowed and glanced down at his hands. He knew not to push his younger brother anymore. Loosing Fred had been hard on all of them, but hardest for George. The two were extremely close, as most people could tell. But loosing Fred was like loosing a part of George as well.
"So we wait for Hermione to write us back?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah, pretty much." George said. The two brothers avoided eye contact. George brought his glass of Firewhisky to his mouth and almost choked as he realized something.
"Hermione mentioned something about Julie and Kevin's daughter, Kelsey. Something about Abby and Andy playing with her."
"Julie and Kevin had a daughter?" Charlie asked.
"Yeah." George flipped through a file till he found the paper he was looking for. "Name: Kevin Lewis Brown. Parents: Lewis Brown, muggle and Clarinda Malfoy, witch."
"That little girl has Potter and Malfoy blood?" Charlie asked.
"It seems that way. It says that Clarinda was Lucuis' sister."
"That's going to be one powerful little girl." Charlie commented.
George looked at his brother. "If Kevin Brown is alive, then he'll want this little girl."
"I'll get my coat." Charlie said.
"And grab mine too." George said putting the folder back on the table. He stood up and walked over to the fireplace. Taking a handful of powder he cried into the fire the first name that came to mind.
"Bill Weasley!"
~~~~~~~~Meanwhile...~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Andrew's plan was to formulate a small army. He wanted to take on Kevin's hideout swift and smoothly. But Harry disagreed completely. He wanted spells flying heroics. Neither man could have their way and they were very content on arguing about it until ten men Appatated into the room, making them cease their argument and goggle in amazement.