you're another coat of red in hell.
kill this child to make sure I'd raise him well.
on a concrete road to recovery
cause I'm knocking over every cone
in front of me.

September 5th 2PM Monday

I don't usually take baths in the middle of the afternoon but when Khalida suggested a relaxing soak in her huge bathtub I just couldn't resist. I closed my eyes and leaned back, letting the water rise up and blanket me in its warmth. The last few weeks had been difficult and stressful. It's amazing how effective something as simple as hot water is at relieving tension.

I could faintly hear a small tapping noise which I attempted to ignore by sinking further into the water. The tapping turned into a loud banging a moment later and I couldn't help but growl.

"What is it Khalida?" I snapped, "I'm trying to relax here!" A moment of silence followed my outburst before Khalida called out from behind the door.

"Your phone was ringing so I picked it up! Do you want me to bring it in?"

"Did you ask who it is?" There was a silent pause once again.

"He says his name is Officer Michael Wilkes," she replied.

"Be right there!" I called out quickly.

My feet almost slipped out from underneath me as I pulled myself out of the tub. I hurriedly wrapped a towel around myself and opened the door. Khalida was standing on the other side holding one hand over my cell phone. She handed me the phone without saying a word and then walked off down the hallway. I watched her go and waited until she was around the corner before lifting the cell to my ear.

"Hello Officer Wilkes," I greeted him anxiously, "How are you?"

"I'm fine Miss Riddle," he answered stiffly which immediately put me on edge, "Are you still in London?"

"Yes," I replied hesitantly, "Is there some kind of problem?" He ignored my question and asked one of his own.

"Did your father's friend make it back to London okay?" he asked. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

"He made it back okay," I said as I sat down on the edge of the tub.

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Just yesterday," I replied, "Can you just tell me what's going on? Why are you asking so many questions about Draco?" Wilkes sighed loudly.

"I hate to have to tell you this Miss Riddle," he said seriously, "especially after everything that you've been through."

"Just tell me," I whispered as I clutched the edge of my towel tightly.

"There was a fire at your home last night," he explained solemnly, "We're still investigating how the fire started. It was a very big fire Miss Riddle, by the time emergency personnel arrived it was too late to do anything."

"Too…late…" I stuttered disbelievingly.

"I'm sorry Jenny," Officer Wilkes said sadly, "The house is gone."

"Gone?" I stammered, "As in completely gone…as in nothing left at all?"

"I'm so sorry. We did everything we could but we weren't able to save it."

"I understand," I replied quietly.

Everything was gone. That's what he was telling me and my brain believed him but my heart and soul were screaming that it must be a lie. All of my possessions, meager as they may be, were gone forever. Mementos burned away and memories reduced to ash.

"I hate to be the bearer of more bad news," he began but I quickly interrupted him.

"What now? Was my dog shot or runover or something?" I asked sarcastically, "He is the only thing I have left after all."

"No, nothing like that," he said quickly, "but I think it's something you should know." "There have been a few disturbances around Crystal Lake Cemetery in Edina," he explained.

"Crystal Lake," I exclaimed, "That's where my father is buried! What kind of disturbances?"

"Nothing major yet," he admitted, "I talked to the caretaker and he said that it appears someone's tried to break during the night four times in the last two weeks. We don't have any substantial evidence to connect the attempts to the incidents involving your home but it does seem like too much of a coincidence."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked angrily.

"I've got one of my men watching the place every night," he stated, "There's not much more I can do besides that."

"I understand," I admitted, "I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm just a little stressed at the moment."

"No problem at all," Wilkes stated firmly, "I understand completely and I just wish there was more I could do." I thought about his comment for a moment. Perhaps there was something he could do.

"There is a favor I'd like to ask you," I said hopefully. "I'm trying to find out my mother's maiden name," I explained, "She passed away when I was born and my father never mentioned it to me. Her name was Oriel Elita Riddle and she had a sister, named Adrienne Jordane."

"I'll see what I can do," he offered, "It shouldn't be too hard, I'll just check the public records. Do you know if they were married here in Minnesota?"

"I'm not sure," I said sadly, "I think so."

"You said her sister's name was Adrienne Jordane," he said thoughtfully, "Is Jordane her last name or her middle name?" I was taken aback for a moment because I hadn't really thought about it.

"I assume it was her last name, but I'm not sure about that either," I admitted, "I don't even know if she's alive or not. My father never mentioned her."

"I'll see what I can do," Wilkes replied, "but I can't make any promises. Is there anything that your father might have said that would help? Maybe some other family he mentioned?"

"No," I answered in a defeated tone, "He never talked about any of his relatives or my mom's. My friend Khalida mentioned something though that could possibly be helpful. She said that my mother's name is French and so is her sister's. Do you think that could help?" There was silence on the other end of the line as Wilkes considered my question.

"Any information is helpful," he stated sternly, "So if you remember anything else then give me a call and if I come up with any answers for you I'll let you know."

"Sounds good," I replied. "One more thing though. Please don't let anything happen to my father's body," I pleaded, "If something were to happen to him I don't know what I would do." I was dying to explain to him just how important my father really is but held myself back.

"I promise you Miss Riddle," he said earnestly, "Nothing will happen to your father on my watch."

"Thank you," I said gratefully.

"Stay safe Miss Riddle."

My legs felt like they were made of jello as I attempted to walk out of the bathroom. I still had nothing more than a towel wrapped around me as I searched for Khalida. I found her lying on the couch reading a copy of The Quibbler. She glanced up at me casually as I entered the room. She did a double take as she noticed my wet hair dripping water onto the floor and the damp towel wrapped around me.

"We've got to call Dumbledore," I stuttered before she could say anything.

The living room was cold and I pulled my meager covering around me tighter as I sat down on the couch. I mumbled my thanks as Khalida wrapped a blanket around me. I suddenly felt ill again and I couldn't help wondering if I wasn't coming down with something.

"What's wrong?" Khalida asked in concern. I just shook my head in reply and pointed at the fireplace.

Khalida sighed in frustration as she lit the fireplace and threw in a handful of floo powder. "Albus Dumbledore's office!" she called out loudly and then she stuck her head into flames. I couldn't hear what the headmaster was saying but I could hear Khalida. She asked Dumbledore to step through and then backed away from the fireplace. A moment later the fire turned green once again and the old man stepped through.

I couldn't help but shake nervously under his gaze. There was something about his eyes that made me feel as if he could see all of my secrets and all of my most private thoughts.

"Is there a problem Miss Riddle?" he asked with a frown. "You look ill. Perhaps I should send Madam Pomfrey over to give you a checkup."

"No," I stammered, "I'm fine. This isn't about me anyway, it's about my father." Dumbledore gave me a puzzled look in return and it was a little disconcerting seeing a man who always knew everything look so confused.

"What would you have me do?" he asked. I looked up at him and something stirred within me as emerald green met twinkling blue.

"Bring him home," I replied sadly and his eyes widened in surprise for a moment before his expression changed to one of understanding. "Someone," I said slowly, "is trying to take his body from the cemetery, someone doesn't want him going back to Hogwarts."

"But why?" Khalida asked.

"Who knows?" I replied in a defeated tone, "Why did they burn my house to the ground?" Khalida and Dumbledore both gasped in surprise.

"The situation has become more serious then," Dumbledore said while shaking his head sadly.

"No," I said firmly, "the situation was serious to begin with and now we're running out of time." Dumbledore turned and headed toward the fireplace.

"I will contact the appropriate authorities and get the wheels turning," he said as he grabbed a handful of floo powder out of the vase on the mantle, "Be prepared to leave the day after tomorrow."

"That doesn't give us much time to prepare," Khalida stated, "Who knows what we'll be up against when we get there?"

"We will have to make do," Dumbledore replied, "Someone is a few steps ahead of us and I don't like playing catch-up." Dumbledore threw the floo powder into the fire. "Bumblebee!" he called out and then stepped into the flames. Khalida and I both turned to each other with matching confused expressions on our faces.

"Bumblebee?" I asked incredulously.

"It's what his name means in old English," she explained with a shrug.

"It doesn't really fit him, does it?" I asked and Khalida shook her head.

"I'm sorry about your home," Khalida said quickly.

"It's alright," I said with a sigh, "I didn't have much to go home to anyway."

"At least you'll be able to see your father again soon," she said brightly.

"Yep," I replied dejectedly, "Let's just hope when the time comes he's happy to see me again."

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I know this is a short chapter but I promise the next chapter will be a rather long one. The story is going to start moving much faster from here. Secrets will be revealed, mysteries will be solved and new questions will be asked.

Next Chapter: Draco and Jenny head to Gringotts and out to dinner for their first official date. One of them is slightly bitter when it comes to things like love, the other is totally inexperienced. Will it be a relaxing evening out or a disaster of epic proportion? I guess you'll just have to wait and see.