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Chapter Two: Searching
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As Harry walked up the street and through the creaky gate, he noticed that in the daylight, the old house didn't seem quite so intimidating. Harry also remembered that this time there was not a wanted man hiding inside waiting to hurt him. Also, having his partner by his side re-assured him; nothing could take on two Aurors. The two men walked up the garden path together, not speaking. As they reached the front door, Harry turned round to ensure the street behind him was empty this time. If there was something still hiding inside the house, Harry wanted to be sure his concentration wouldn't be shattered again. Still unlocked, the door to the house swung open easily. The same stuffy odour as he had smelt last night wafted into his nostrils and he began to grip his wand tightly, half expecting to be attacked again. Daniel seemed to be laid back, as always.
"Lumos" Harry muttered, and immediately the house lit up, the light emanating from the tip of his wand. Everywhere he turned there was moth-eaten furniture, half submerged in dust, whilst cobwebs seemed to be strung like a giant mesh in the doorways. Daniel didn't seemed phased by this, and he began to sweep the floor and walls with his eyes.
In many ways, Harry admired his partner. During the war, Daniel had lost his wife and his best friend. Harry had been there when they had died, so had Daniel. After returning late home from the Three Broomsticks together, they had walked in to Daniels flat, only to find them both lying dead on the floor, and two Death Eaters standing over their bodies. Harry and Daniel had managed to stun the attackers, but then Harry had had to restrain Daniel from ripping their bodies to pieces with his bare hands, before Ministry officials had come to remove them. Then, the two men had only twenty, and trainee Aurors.
Now two years older and with the war over, Daniel had almost fully recovered. Harry no longer found his friend crying in the halls of the Ministry or sitting comatose in the office, his eyes reading the same three words over and over. It had been an amazing transformation, but Harry sometimes found himself envious of Daniel. Instead of beating his depression, Harry had locked it up and hidden it. Only in his sleep did it reveal itself. It was always the same picture of a tall, good-looking man with dark hair falling. Harry would always run over to the hole into which he had fallen, trying desperately to find his lost friend, consumed by a grief that would stay with him after he woke up, drenched in cold sweat.
"Harry, take a look at this." Daniel shouted from the other side of the room. Harry woke up from his thoughts and looked over to Daniel who was intently looking at something on the ground. Harry quickly walked over there and knelt beside him, staring down at the floor in front of them. There was a small red stain on the carpet.
"Looks like blood. We should take this back to the Ministry." Daniel concluded, quickly transfiguring a rat that was scurrying past him into a small glass vial. He then pointed his wand at the stain, and muttered "Fragillis Liquorium." The dried stain liquefied, and rose into the air, coaxed by Daniels wand. He then raised the vial with his spare hand and bottled the liquid, before replacing the sealed vial back into his pocket.
"Why would there be blood in the carpet?" Harry thought out loud. Daniel did not answer. Instead, he had stood up and was now walking intently towards the nearest doorway. Harry began to talk again, but this time Daniel raised his hand for silence. Harry raised his wand and followed Daniel to the doorway, unsure what had spooked his partner. The new room was even dustier than the last one. From the furniture it contained; several old chairs and a fireplace, Harry concluded it was probably a living room, although now mould had spread over the chairs, and the carpet would throw up huge clouds of dust after every step.
Harry beckoned Daniel over. "What?" he mouthed silently. Daniel turned his head to quickly survey the room. With his wand, he drew letters into the air. "Someone here." As soon as Harry saw the words light up, he readied himself for any attack. He felt the telltale surge of adrenaline make him ready to fight, but Daniel simply shook his head, before turning and gesturing Harry to start searching the room. Obligingly, Harry began to look behind the sofas, in a cupboard, but after a fruitless search he began to wonder whether Daniel had gone mad. Since neither of them had found anything remotely suspicious, save the dried blood, they began to leave the room.
Just as Harry went through the doorway, he saw something shimmer in the corner of the room. The disturbance lasted only for a moment, and then it was gone again. For most wizards, this would have been just a sign of over-work, but Harry recognised it. He turned back into the room and went to the corner. Raising his wand, he shot a harmless bolt of purple light into the floor. Instead of hitting the carpet and dissipating, the light seemed to ricochet off something, a few feet above the ground. Breathing heavily, Harry tentatively reached down to the corner and grasped his fingers together. He had something, something soft, something familiar in his hands. Instantly recognising an invisibility cloak, despite losing his over four years ago, he pulled it off what ever it was covering.
Harry gasped. It was a woman. She lay there prone, unmoving. Her breathing, now audible, was shallow and rasped. Harry gently rolled her onto her back, and to his horror there were deep gashes on her torso and her arms. Her robes had been slashed into pieces and stained a horrible, dark red. As Harry lifted up her robes he saw a large red stain on the carpet. There was so much blood everywhere that Harry was surprised she wasn't dead.
By now, Daniel had turned and was eying the area around the woman's body. "This is odd, have you ever seen a spell that would do this?" he asked tentatively. Harry shook his head sadly.
"We need to get her help. Go to St. Mungos, tell them to get a healer here right away." Daniel simply nodded, and with a crack he disappeared, leaving Harry alone with the unknown woman. Sighing, Harry gently brushed the hair away from her face. Her eyes were shut and her skin was near white, a small trickle of blood was slowly seeping from the corner of her mouth. Still, she was extremely good looking, Harry couldn't help but feel he had seen her somewhere before. The eerie silence of the house was soon broken by the appearance of several wizards dressed in white robes and the re-appearance of Daniel, now slightly out of breath. In an instant, the white robed men had taken the limp body of the woman, and once again Daniel and Harry were alone in the house. Now subdued, and with nothing left to do, they walked out of the house, slamming the door behind them.
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Author's Note : This is a work in progress, please review if you want to see more chapters!
Chapter Two: Searching
===================
As Harry walked up the street and through the creaky gate, he noticed that in the daylight, the old house didn't seem quite so intimidating. Harry also remembered that this time there was not a wanted man hiding inside waiting to hurt him. Also, having his partner by his side re-assured him; nothing could take on two Aurors. The two men walked up the garden path together, not speaking. As they reached the front door, Harry turned round to ensure the street behind him was empty this time. If there was something still hiding inside the house, Harry wanted to be sure his concentration wouldn't be shattered again. Still unlocked, the door to the house swung open easily. The same stuffy odour as he had smelt last night wafted into his nostrils and he began to grip his wand tightly, half expecting to be attacked again. Daniel seemed to be laid back, as always.
"Lumos" Harry muttered, and immediately the house lit up, the light emanating from the tip of his wand. Everywhere he turned there was moth-eaten furniture, half submerged in dust, whilst cobwebs seemed to be strung like a giant mesh in the doorways. Daniel didn't seemed phased by this, and he began to sweep the floor and walls with his eyes.
In many ways, Harry admired his partner. During the war, Daniel had lost his wife and his best friend. Harry had been there when they had died, so had Daniel. After returning late home from the Three Broomsticks together, they had walked in to Daniels flat, only to find them both lying dead on the floor, and two Death Eaters standing over their bodies. Harry and Daniel had managed to stun the attackers, but then Harry had had to restrain Daniel from ripping their bodies to pieces with his bare hands, before Ministry officials had come to remove them. Then, the two men had only twenty, and trainee Aurors.
Now two years older and with the war over, Daniel had almost fully recovered. Harry no longer found his friend crying in the halls of the Ministry or sitting comatose in the office, his eyes reading the same three words over and over. It had been an amazing transformation, but Harry sometimes found himself envious of Daniel. Instead of beating his depression, Harry had locked it up and hidden it. Only in his sleep did it reveal itself. It was always the same picture of a tall, good-looking man with dark hair falling. Harry would always run over to the hole into which he had fallen, trying desperately to find his lost friend, consumed by a grief that would stay with him after he woke up, drenched in cold sweat.
"Harry, take a look at this." Daniel shouted from the other side of the room. Harry woke up from his thoughts and looked over to Daniel who was intently looking at something on the ground. Harry quickly walked over there and knelt beside him, staring down at the floor in front of them. There was a small red stain on the carpet.
"Looks like blood. We should take this back to the Ministry." Daniel concluded, quickly transfiguring a rat that was scurrying past him into a small glass vial. He then pointed his wand at the stain, and muttered "Fragillis Liquorium." The dried stain liquefied, and rose into the air, coaxed by Daniels wand. He then raised the vial with his spare hand and bottled the liquid, before replacing the sealed vial back into his pocket.
"Why would there be blood in the carpet?" Harry thought out loud. Daniel did not answer. Instead, he had stood up and was now walking intently towards the nearest doorway. Harry began to talk again, but this time Daniel raised his hand for silence. Harry raised his wand and followed Daniel to the doorway, unsure what had spooked his partner. The new room was even dustier than the last one. From the furniture it contained; several old chairs and a fireplace, Harry concluded it was probably a living room, although now mould had spread over the chairs, and the carpet would throw up huge clouds of dust after every step.
Harry beckoned Daniel over. "What?" he mouthed silently. Daniel turned his head to quickly survey the room. With his wand, he drew letters into the air. "Someone here." As soon as Harry saw the words light up, he readied himself for any attack. He felt the telltale surge of adrenaline make him ready to fight, but Daniel simply shook his head, before turning and gesturing Harry to start searching the room. Obligingly, Harry began to look behind the sofas, in a cupboard, but after a fruitless search he began to wonder whether Daniel had gone mad. Since neither of them had found anything remotely suspicious, save the dried blood, they began to leave the room.
Just as Harry went through the doorway, he saw something shimmer in the corner of the room. The disturbance lasted only for a moment, and then it was gone again. For most wizards, this would have been just a sign of over-work, but Harry recognised it. He turned back into the room and went to the corner. Raising his wand, he shot a harmless bolt of purple light into the floor. Instead of hitting the carpet and dissipating, the light seemed to ricochet off something, a few feet above the ground. Breathing heavily, Harry tentatively reached down to the corner and grasped his fingers together. He had something, something soft, something familiar in his hands. Instantly recognising an invisibility cloak, despite losing his over four years ago, he pulled it off what ever it was covering.
Harry gasped. It was a woman. She lay there prone, unmoving. Her breathing, now audible, was shallow and rasped. Harry gently rolled her onto her back, and to his horror there were deep gashes on her torso and her arms. Her robes had been slashed into pieces and stained a horrible, dark red. As Harry lifted up her robes he saw a large red stain on the carpet. There was so much blood everywhere that Harry was surprised she wasn't dead.
By now, Daniel had turned and was eying the area around the woman's body. "This is odd, have you ever seen a spell that would do this?" he asked tentatively. Harry shook his head sadly.
"We need to get her help. Go to St. Mungos, tell them to get a healer here right away." Daniel simply nodded, and with a crack he disappeared, leaving Harry alone with the unknown woman. Sighing, Harry gently brushed the hair away from her face. Her eyes were shut and her skin was near white, a small trickle of blood was slowly seeping from the corner of her mouth. Still, she was extremely good looking, Harry couldn't help but feel he had seen her somewhere before. The eerie silence of the house was soon broken by the appearance of several wizards dressed in white robes and the re-appearance of Daniel, now slightly out of breath. In an instant, the white robed men had taken the limp body of the woman, and once again Daniel and Harry were alone in the house. Now subdued, and with nothing left to do, they walked out of the house, slamming the door behind them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Note : This is a work in progress, please review if you want to see more chapters!
