CHAPTER FOUR: MISSED CHANCES AND REALISED THINGS
A/N Whoo! I reliased that all of my apostraphies are fixed, so if you had trouble reading the past two chapters, they are fixed! Well, they are on my laptop at least...I just hope this chapter will work as well.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The squad of Aurors burst out of the thick canopied forest to find an isolated beach, small but a beautiful. And....
"Too peaceful." Remus growled, striding forwards, eyes scanning the ivory sand. It was true, the clear, blue waves lapped gnetly against the sun warmed sound as a slight breeze rustled the palm trees softly.
Patrick Ashtomn walked forwards, down to the very shore of the beach, his booted feet maiking soft depressiions in the sand. His eyes looked piercingly out to the ocean for a moment before he barked.
'Spread out, search the entire beach.'
The Aurors did so, sweating heavily in their navy auror robes. Remus, however, sat down where the search had started, and looked wonderingly across the beach.
'How do you do it, Black? Every time, gone, no clues.'
Sudenly a cry pierced the beach.
'SIR! COME QUICKLY!'
Rmeus sprang up off the ground, breaking into a runc towards the young Auror waving his hands in the signal that he had found an important something.
Remus and Patrick Ashtomn reached the Auror at the same time. and stared down at the sight.
A youn girl, a native, dark skinned and dark haired, perhaps four years of age, was lieing unconscious on the gorund, the waves lapping her body softly. A bandage, looking like it had been jury rigged off a piece of clothing was binding her leg , were splotches of red were starting to seep through.
As they stared, the young girl moaned softly and blearily opened her eyes. "Wha? What?Ó She said, confused, staring at the strnage ffaces around her.
Patrick Ashtomn bent down to be more on her level, he stared at her intently, placing a comforting hand on each of her shoulders.
"Are you okay, young Miss? What happened, who did this to you?"
Remus glanced up at the Head Auror sharply, realizing what he was implying. Perhaps Sirius had....
But the girl shook her head, whispering, "I was...playing wif tha stingrays, over there. "
She made a slight motion with her hand, off into the water.
"What? On your own?" The AurorÕs face was looking shocked.
The girls dark eyes found his cold grey ones.
"Yes, on my own."
*Flashback*
Sirius whirled around, whipping his wand out, and summoned the two children to him. Harry was openly crying, the tears making tracks down his face as he bawled.
"Pa-foo! Shes dead! Shes dead!"
"Hush, Leo! SheÕll be alright."
Sirius knelt down and conjured up a trip of material. Quickly, with furtive glances at the forest, he knew they were coming, he bound MaliÕs wound, they would heal her when the came.
"Mali! Mali! Listen to me!" Sirus muttered a spell as he said this, waking up the young girl. "Mali, you have to promise not to tell anyone about Harry! Okay? Nobody! And tell the village to do the same, please, remember, do not tell anyone about Harry"
Mali forwned in confusion, "Wh, why?Ó She whispered, paling from blood loss.
HarryÕs tousled head popped into her view,
"Mali, never forget meh, but don' tell any one abou' meh! Please, promise! IÕll visit you, and tell ya why later!"
Harry truly had no idea what was going on, but Padfoot had drilled him on what to do if he ever told Harry that they had to go. It meant that they had to leave, disappear, because the bad people had found them.
Mali smiled blearily, "I promise Harry."
Sirius stood and whirled his wand, muttering, the beach house shimmered out of view. He grabbed Harry and grasped the amulet around his neck.
The last thing Mali saw before losing consciousness agian was Harry and Sirius disppearing in a whirlwind of color.
*End Flashback*
Remus stood as two Aurors lifted Mali and carried her back to the village, then turned to face Patrick.
"Was he even here?" Remus sighed, scannign the empty beach once again. "He must have been, weÕll search the beach for any concealed sights." Patrick was practically smouldering with anger, Black had been there and they had missed him, and in doing so most probably let him injure a child. He growled deep in his throat and walked down to the other end of the beach.
"REVEALING CHARMS, I WANT THE WHOLE BEACH STRIPPED DOWN!" He hollered, venting his anger on the team of Aurors, who hurriedly whipped out their wands and began Ôstrippping downÕ the beach.
It didnÕt take too long.
It was Alastor Moody who discovered the beach house, having encountered some reistance to his charm, he had used a different one, highly illegal of course, but nobody cared when the beach house was revealed.
It was a simple affair. A wide, open veranda with a porch lolling carelessly in the wind, with a light wooden door swinging on itÕs hinges.
The first Auror who tried to enter, a young freckled woman with red hair pulled back into a bun, was thrown back ten metres with a loud bang, and lay still on the sandy beach, unconscious.
The house was approached with much more caution after that. The Aurors advanced in a strategic wedge, casting protection and disarming charms continuously in front of them as they passed through the house.
Once the entire house had been cleansed of traps, Patrick entered. His eyes picked up several things at once as he did a cursory search of the house. Everything was in its place, nothing had been packed, or even half packed, no draws left half open or tables and chairs overturned. He searched through the main bedroom, but found nothing other than the ordinary accesories to a bachelorÕs room.
Then he crossed the living room to the other door he had seen, he opened it and walked through it was a bedroom, but not a spare one, this one had been lived in. The bed was rumpled, clothes were strewn across the floor and toys -
His breath caught in his throat as he realised the implications to what he was seeing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N God, I hope this chapter turned out alright, the last ones have been a disaster what with all the html problems... Bah. Anyway, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers for telling me about the problem, I probably wouldnÕt have relaized for weeks if it werenÕt for you guys, hugs all around!
As always, if this chapter isnÕt written to your contentment, or you have ideas to change it or for the story ahead, please review and tell me, and IÕll see if I can work on it or whatever. Okay, till next chapter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N Whoo! I reliased that all of my apostraphies are fixed, so if you had trouble reading the past two chapters, they are fixed! Well, they are on my laptop at least...I just hope this chapter will work as well.....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The squad of Aurors burst out of the thick canopied forest to find an isolated beach, small but a beautiful. And....
"Too peaceful." Remus growled, striding forwards, eyes scanning the ivory sand. It was true, the clear, blue waves lapped gnetly against the sun warmed sound as a slight breeze rustled the palm trees softly.
Patrick Ashtomn walked forwards, down to the very shore of the beach, his booted feet maiking soft depressiions in the sand. His eyes looked piercingly out to the ocean for a moment before he barked.
'Spread out, search the entire beach.'
The Aurors did so, sweating heavily in their navy auror robes. Remus, however, sat down where the search had started, and looked wonderingly across the beach.
'How do you do it, Black? Every time, gone, no clues.'
Sudenly a cry pierced the beach.
'SIR! COME QUICKLY!'
Rmeus sprang up off the ground, breaking into a runc towards the young Auror waving his hands in the signal that he had found an important something.
Remus and Patrick Ashtomn reached the Auror at the same time. and stared down at the sight.
A youn girl, a native, dark skinned and dark haired, perhaps four years of age, was lieing unconscious on the gorund, the waves lapping her body softly. A bandage, looking like it had been jury rigged off a piece of clothing was binding her leg , were splotches of red were starting to seep through.
As they stared, the young girl moaned softly and blearily opened her eyes. "Wha? What?Ó She said, confused, staring at the strnage ffaces around her.
Patrick Ashtomn bent down to be more on her level, he stared at her intently, placing a comforting hand on each of her shoulders.
"Are you okay, young Miss? What happened, who did this to you?"
Remus glanced up at the Head Auror sharply, realizing what he was implying. Perhaps Sirius had....
But the girl shook her head, whispering, "I was...playing wif tha stingrays, over there. "
She made a slight motion with her hand, off into the water.
"What? On your own?" The AurorÕs face was looking shocked.
The girls dark eyes found his cold grey ones.
"Yes, on my own."
*Flashback*
Sirius whirled around, whipping his wand out, and summoned the two children to him. Harry was openly crying, the tears making tracks down his face as he bawled.
"Pa-foo! Shes dead! Shes dead!"
"Hush, Leo! SheÕll be alright."
Sirius knelt down and conjured up a trip of material. Quickly, with furtive glances at the forest, he knew they were coming, he bound MaliÕs wound, they would heal her when the came.
"Mali! Mali! Listen to me!" Sirus muttered a spell as he said this, waking up the young girl. "Mali, you have to promise not to tell anyone about Harry! Okay? Nobody! And tell the village to do the same, please, remember, do not tell anyone about Harry"
Mali forwned in confusion, "Wh, why?Ó She whispered, paling from blood loss.
HarryÕs tousled head popped into her view,
"Mali, never forget meh, but don' tell any one abou' meh! Please, promise! IÕll visit you, and tell ya why later!"
Harry truly had no idea what was going on, but Padfoot had drilled him on what to do if he ever told Harry that they had to go. It meant that they had to leave, disappear, because the bad people had found them.
Mali smiled blearily, "I promise Harry."
Sirius stood and whirled his wand, muttering, the beach house shimmered out of view. He grabbed Harry and grasped the amulet around his neck.
The last thing Mali saw before losing consciousness agian was Harry and Sirius disppearing in a whirlwind of color.
*End Flashback*
Remus stood as two Aurors lifted Mali and carried her back to the village, then turned to face Patrick.
"Was he even here?" Remus sighed, scannign the empty beach once again. "He must have been, weÕll search the beach for any concealed sights." Patrick was practically smouldering with anger, Black had been there and they had missed him, and in doing so most probably let him injure a child. He growled deep in his throat and walked down to the other end of the beach.
"REVEALING CHARMS, I WANT THE WHOLE BEACH STRIPPED DOWN!" He hollered, venting his anger on the team of Aurors, who hurriedly whipped out their wands and began Ôstrippping downÕ the beach.
It didnÕt take too long.
It was Alastor Moody who discovered the beach house, having encountered some reistance to his charm, he had used a different one, highly illegal of course, but nobody cared when the beach house was revealed.
It was a simple affair. A wide, open veranda with a porch lolling carelessly in the wind, with a light wooden door swinging on itÕs hinges.
The first Auror who tried to enter, a young freckled woman with red hair pulled back into a bun, was thrown back ten metres with a loud bang, and lay still on the sandy beach, unconscious.
The house was approached with much more caution after that. The Aurors advanced in a strategic wedge, casting protection and disarming charms continuously in front of them as they passed through the house.
Once the entire house had been cleansed of traps, Patrick entered. His eyes picked up several things at once as he did a cursory search of the house. Everything was in its place, nothing had been packed, or even half packed, no draws left half open or tables and chairs overturned. He searched through the main bedroom, but found nothing other than the ordinary accesories to a bachelorÕs room.
Then he crossed the living room to the other door he had seen, he opened it and walked through it was a bedroom, but not a spare one, this one had been lived in. The bed was rumpled, clothes were strewn across the floor and toys -
His breath caught in his throat as he realised the implications to what he was seeing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N God, I hope this chapter turned out alright, the last ones have been a disaster what with all the html problems... Bah. Anyway, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers for telling me about the problem, I probably wouldnÕt have relaized for weeks if it werenÕt for you guys, hugs all around!
As always, if this chapter isnÕt written to your contentment, or you have ideas to change it or for the story ahead, please review and tell me, and IÕll see if I can work on it or whatever. Okay, till next chapter!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~