Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.
Carl Sagon
Chapter 4- A Run In With Lupin
Drip, drip, drip. The sound of the leaky bathroom faucet was driving Misty up the wall. That is if you could call it a bathroom. It was more like a house elf's worst nightmare. Pink calcium deposits crept all up the wet walls and the bath tub looked like someone had died in it. Misty would rather throw up a thousand times than wash her hair in the wash tup so the grimy sink had had to do.
Misty laid sprawled out on the moth eaten bed without moving a muscle. Her wet hair was slowly forming a water mark on the white cotton sheet's and her clothes were the same she had worn all day; black dress and black boots. She just sat listening to the dribble of the faucet. She wanted to get up and stuff it with a rag and stop the racket but the fatigue had stopped her. She hadn't felt this tired in twelve years when she used to work as a contract auror for hire. Her muscles ached, her eyes hurt, but worst of all was this little voice that kept telling her that mabie the Ministry got it all wrong. Mabie Sirius was an innocent man. Could be this be the reason why Kingsley had lied to her this morning? Or could Black be controlling the order using the Imperious curse. Another option was that he was feeding Voldemort information about the order's whereabouts and their plans to stop him from regaining power.
Misty sat up suddenly and strode over by the sink in the bathroom and stuffed it with a purple rag she had found on her bed along with a complementary chocolate frog. She sighed deeply, content with the peace, and walked over to a tiny desk in the room. She faced a charcoal black owl perched on a mound of books and gave it a quick nibble on her finger.
"Remind me to never ever get a room in the Leaky Cauldron again, Taika. I don't care if there is no place else in the world for me to go. This is just degrading." she said to the owl.
Taika hooted as if to agree and began to fall asleep with it's head under it's wing. Misty sat down in the chair in front of the desk roughly and it gave a terrible squeak. It then lowered almost down to the ground. Misty sprang up and knocked the chair away savagely.
"Piece of shit chair!" she exclaimed while waving her wand to produce a sturdier one. She hesitated before she sat down on the new chair gently. She pulled out a roll of parchment from her green bag and began writing a letter to Kingsley. She should at least give him some idea of what happed today.
Kingsley,
I took head to your tip about the Tibet sighting but I felt it would be wiser to start off where he first left. Not Askaban of course but at Hogwarts, where he escaped. I had a successful interview with Professor Severus Snape and I may have gotten a few hard core leads. Of course they may be no good but it would be prudent to at least check them out. I know that you and the Minister don't approve of this method but this is the only way I know how to work. You knew when you hired me that I use rather unorthodox methods of searching for persons and you did say that I must use any means necessary. I assure you that I will get the job done one way or the other so not a worry. I'll be in contact.
Gypsy
Misty skimmed over her letter and evidently satisfied with the result, tore it off from the rest of the roll. She folded it up and tied it with string to Taika's leg.
"Take this to Kingsley immediately. Even if he is with his wife in bed with the covers over their head just get it to him. Ok?"
Taika hooted and took off in the twilight. Misty glanced at the clock overhead and saw that it was two twenty-one in the morning. I really need to get some sleep, she thought while pulling the map Kingsley gave her, notes, and the quill she forgot to give back to Snape. She smiled ironically, he's probably going to hold that one against me for the next five years. She reached in to her bag and pulled out her hunter green cloak. She began pulling all the items that were kept in there. As she pulled out her small change purse she cursed herself for not taking more from her and Sergio's vault. She was apprehensive of how she was going to eat during this pursual.
"I'll work it how somehow." she yawned.
Misty removed her boots and threw them across the room with a thud. She tugged off her dress and removed her bra. Or her daily womanly torture as she liked to think of it. She took her abnormally large bag and dumped all of the contents on the half rotted floor. She picked up a white cotton slip dress and climbed in to bed.
Why did you have to be the one to become a ruthless murderer, she mused while drifting off to sleep.
As the new dawn broke Misty could hear birds singing and see the purple sky slowly run pink and finally a soft blue. She sat up in the bed and rubbed her eyes to rid herself of the sleep that had accumulated during the night. Misty never slept more than four hours a night, it had been this way as long as she could remember .She sighed deeply and got off the bed to search for some clothes. She looked around at the disaster around her and started to hunt for her red robes. When she found her blood colored robes she looked back at the even greater disorder. That's going to be fun to put back in my bag, she thought. After twenty minutes Misty was finished dressing and decided to leave her bag at the room. I'll only be gone three hours at the most, she thought. She walked out the door and locked the door with a wave of her wand while simultaneously pulling her hair into a low bun. She passed by a maid reprimanding her broom and caught a look at her hair in the mirror.
"I look hot." she said out loud staring at the disarray that was her hair for today. She stared down the stairs to the bar when a thought struck her.
"Excuse me. Do you know a cheap place where I can get breakfast?" she asked the maid before she ventured into another room to clean.
"Well, there's Asgoth's Street Shop in Diagon Ally." the maid responded quietly.
"I've never heard of it. Is it new?" Misty asked.
"Not really. It came about two years or so." the maid said.
"Oh. Ok. Thanks by the way." Misty said.
Misty advanced down the stairs excited to try something new. At the bottom the steep stairway she saw the bar was filled with very strange beings. She was sure that anyone of them might just eat her right then and there so she stepped outside to where a brick wall stood. She used to know the sequence of taps on the wall that caused the wall to reveal the alley when she was still in school but after sixteen years she had forgotten it. She pulled out her wand out of her burgundy robes and was tapping it on random brick when a man behind her softly chuckled. She spun around to see a medium sized man with sandy brown hair. But he had premature grey in his hair and he looked a bit pale. He couldn't be older than I am, she thought while sizing him up. She didn't like people she didn't know laughing at her.
"I think I can help you there." he said with a warm smile. He strode forward and tapped the bricks in a flash. Misty now remembered the sequence perfectly now, much to her own avail.
The bricks opened up to reveal Diagon Ally and Misty actually gasped at the sight. She looked at the busy street and was blown away at how everyone was being at least civil to each other. She loved the loud noises and the active nature here at this place. It had been quite a bit of time since she had been allowed to go out in to the real world and go to wizard shops. Misty thought bitterly of the time she spent in her house not allowed to leave for any reason at all. She pushed these memories quickly out of her head as she traveled to Asgoth's Street Shop.
"Wait!" she called to the man who had assisted her.
"Yes?" he called.
"You wouldn't happen to know where an Asgoth's Street Shop is do you?" she asked praying that he was familiar with the shop.
"In fact, I was just going over there to get some breakfast." he said. He walked over to where she was, dodging a few kids running around much to their mother's dismay.
"Great. So you think I could follow your lead?" she asked.
"Of course." he said. The man held out his arm to her and she took it amazed at his chivalry. He reminded her of someone she had seen before but it was escaping her at the moment. She looked at his face and noticed that he was a handsome fellow. That is if you disregarded the lines that were creased in to his face. She wondered what caused him so much worry. When her curiosity had peaked she grew bold.
"So do you have......." She jumped over a spilled cauldron that was eating away at a stack of books.
"a name stranger?" she finished out of breath. He smiled at her with amusement and put his arms around her to guide her threw the crowd.
"Lupin. Remus Lupin, actually." he answered after a pause. He now looked a little worried.
"Huh.." she thought of who she knew by that name but a face didn't pop up.
"And your name?" he asked clearly relieved.
"Misty Lewis." she said simply hoping he might shed some light on the familiarity.
"Lovely name." he said while guiding her to a stand that had two long line of people.
Misty could smell the aroma of eggs, bacon, and biscuits. Her stomach growled hungrily. Lupin got in the left line and she got in the right line when something struck her. Lupin, he's from Hogwarts, she thought. He was one of Sirius' friends. That's it, she thought happily. She stole a glance at him and saw that he was staring at her. Just when she was going to ask him if he had a moment to speak with her he spoke up.
"Hey listen, do you want to mabie go to lunch this afternoon?" he asked at lightning speed.
"Are you hitting on me, Mr. Lupin?" she asked surprised. The line moved up for her.
"I thought I was asking you out." he said jokingly. Misty thought this would be a prime time to ask him some questions.
"All right Mr. Lupin. I will meet you here at one." she said and shook his hand respectfully. The line moved up a little for Lupin.
"Sounds good." he said happily.
"NEXT!" the man Misty could only assume was Asgoth yelled. Lupin rushed forward and took his order. When he got it he smiled at Misty and left her there standing in line. The woman with a gigantic blue hat moved out of the way, leaving her in front of Asgoth.
"What do you want?" he asked gruffly.
"I want two eggs, two sausages, and one biscuit. And do you have coffee?" she asked.
"Yes." he replied impatiently.
"Then a coffee too."
"That's seven sickles." he said. Misty reached into her robes but felt nothing but her wand.
"Ah, shit." she exclaimed.
Misty was wandering about in the alleyways around Diagon Ally all morning after her unfortunate incident with Mr. Asgoth. It was just the thing to put her in a right state. Before she had known it she found herself in Knockturn Ally of all places. She looked in the windows of the dark stores and saw many things that were not uncommon to be found in her house. Or actually her husbands house. He had always dictated who and what came into his house and that had always been the way it was.
She continued to deviate from where she knew was safe until she came across a store respectfully called Milandro's Blood Items. She figured that if the Ministry wouldn't protest that the sign really would have said "pure" blood items and she smiled. She could barely see through filthy window but could make out that they carried mostly potion ingredients, ingredients that were sure to be illegal. While she contemplated going in for a look around she heard a muffled scream of a man over the next corner. Misty's curiosity peaked. She decided to see what the commotion was all about. She stepped forward silently and walked over to where the corner turned in to a tiny dead-end. In this place she could see about five or so men surrounding a much smaller man who it seamed made the cry. He was balding and was a little bit overweight. He gave Misty the impression of someone who could be pushed around easily.
Misty shifted her foot unconsciously to get a better view and she instantly knew that it was a mistake. The men turned around quick as a hare. They glared at the spot where she was hiding around the bend. He breath came out in odd puffs and gasps for air as she heard one of the men say something with a high voice.
"Come out. We know where you are and you won't be able to escape our grasp so just come out now."
"Yeah, we won't hurt you.......that bad." came low voice.
She could hear their footsteps on the stone ground as they ventured closer to where she was. She was at a loss for what to do and she glanced around to check if anyone was around to help her. No one of course was. She hesitated before sprinting back up the alleyway at full speed. She passed by the store she looked in before and turned a corner faster than she had ever gone. She could hear her own pounding steps as they collided with stone ground. But she could not hear anyone else's steps for that matter. Misty began to worry and she sped by another bend. A man with yellow and black teeth jumped out at her, grabbing her waist and turning her around to face him.
"Now lassie, you aren't going anywhere." he said blowing his putrid breath over her face.
She coughed and with some very fast thinking kicked him with all her strength between his legs. He fell over clutching himself and tears threatening to come down. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something but Misty sped off again before she could hear it. In the distance she could hear the laughter of some children and she ran off toward the sound hoping another surprise would not fall upon her. She continued to sprint down the road until she saw the crowd from Diagon Ally appear. Hope surged through her body like a tidal wave and she ran in to crowd like it was her own family. She sighed in relief and looked back at the small alley behind her. She could she five men in black cloaks look at her and then suddenly change their course and walk in the opposite direction. That was entirely too close, she thought as she milled her way through the busy people with a giant grin on her face. I'm getting careless in my age, she continued at the thought that she was getting old. Me, old? Na!
Mist decided to take a seat at an outside picnic table with a yellow umbrella above it. She looked up and saw that it was Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Haven't been here in ages, she thought looking up at the shop. She thought that mabie that she could go back to th Leaky Cauldron and go get her money. But the thought was dismissed when she realized that that's were they would be looking for her first.
Misty saw a group of kids tailing a young mother, tugging against her robes. They were begging her to take them to the ice cream shop. Tears formed in her eyes and she glanced down at her stomach, rubbing it gently. A tear came down a formed a mark on her blood red robes making it appear black.