Sailor Witches 12

Night Fright

The Death Eaters saw the Dark Mark and stopped dueling with the sailor scouts. They disaparated, leaving Avery behind.

"Come back!" Avery cried after them.

There were many popping sounds all around as ministry wizards started disparate to investigate who may have conjured the dark mark.

"Wait!" Madame indigo called after them. "Wait for me! I'm an Auror—you don't know the first thing to do!"

She groaned and forced Avery to his feet. She looked at the Dark Mark. "Who conjured the Dark Mark?" she demanded.

"I—I don't know!" he replied.

"Tell me!" She said furiously. "Who were the others? Where did they disparate too?"

"I told you, I don't know who conjured it!" Avery retorted. "I'm not saying anything. Let me go!"

Growling, she punched Avery in the face. "Maybe you'll talk later when you're chained to a chair!"

Avery fell down and she pushed him into the crowd. "Take him to Cornelius Fudge for questioning!"

Before they could reply, she disaparated. Sailor Rainbow bent down next to Sailor Moon.

"Is she all right?" Mars asked.

"Yeah, just stunned," Rainbow replied. "I'll use a coin to wake her up." She opened her brooch and took out the red coin. As she held it over Sailor Moon, sparkles flew to Sailor Moon and she started to wake up.

"What happened?" Sailor Moon asked.

"One of the guys stunned you," Rainbow told her. "You'll be all right."

The crowd of witches and wizards looked at the scouts, wondering if they should capture them or thank them.

"Let's go find Sailor Mercury," Sailor Jupiter said. "And find out what's going on over there." She pointed at the Dark Mark and the remaining scouts nodded in agreement, calling for Sailor Mercury.

--

"Who did it?" demanded Madame Indigo as she joined the others. "Who'd you find?"

"We don't know yet," Arthur replied. "We found these three here."

She stepped through to Harry, Ron and Hermione. They had looks of shock and confusion in their faces. Crouch was questioning them. Madame Indigo laughed.

"Barty, you don't honestly think they did it?" she inquired, nodding to the young wizard and witch. "They don't even no how to cast it."

"Then you question them then," he muttered. "This is supposed to be your expertise, Maura."

"Why thank you," she said and bent down in front of them. "Now, you three know I was an Auror?"

"Yeah," said Ron.

"Did you see who conjured the Dark Mark?" she asked.

"No," Ron answered.

"Did you see anything strange here?"

"Besides people running around?" said Harry. "No."

"We did hear something," said Hermione quickly. "Someone shouted an incantation."

Madame Indigo looked excited. "You did? Good job, Hermione. Do you remember what the voice sounded like?"

"Voice?" she asked and for the first time probably in her life, had a confused look on her face.

"Was it a man? Woman?"

"Man."

"Did he sound like he was from London or Surrey? Sussex?"

"What does this have to do with anything?" Crouch asked.

"I remember exactly what all the Death Eaters sound like," Madame Indigo said over her shoulder. "If Hermione can tell me what the voice sounded like, I may be able to figure out who conjured the Dark Mark so I'd appreciate it if none of you interrupt me?" She looked back at Hermione and smiled. "What was his voice like, dear?"

"Well, it sounded deep." She said, trying to remember. "And rough."

"Who does that sound like?" inquired Crouch.

"Crabbe or Goyle," Madame Indigo replied. "They have deep voices. But I think they were with the others. Do you know where the voice came from?"

"Over there," Hermione pointed through the trees. "Behind us."

Madame Indigo stood up and looked at the crowd of Ministry wizards and witches. "Maybe your Stunning Spells hit someone," she said. "I'll take a look." Madame Indigo walked through the woods with her wand outstretched. She turned around, expecting someone to jump at her. After years of working as an Auror and having Alastor Moody for her partner, learned that constant vigilance was the most important thing an Auror can possess.

She looked down and expecting to see a Death Eater sprawled on the ground, she found something else.

"A house elf?" she cried in surprise. She turned around and called through the trees for the others. "Over here! I found something!"

She bent down to pick up the wand in the elf's hand. "Now this is something I've never seen before."

"What'd you find, Maura?" Arthur inquired as he walked through with the others.

"A house elf," she answered. "She had this wand in her hand."

"That's a clause three of the Code of Wand Use broken," Mr. Diggory said as he approached Madame Indigo. "No non-human creature is permitted to carry or use a wand."

"I know, Amos," Madame Indigo said lazily.

With a pop, Ludo Bagman Apparated next to Mr. Weasley. He didn't look the same as he did during the match.

"Hello, Ludo," said Madame Indigo.

"Hi," he said, spinning around and looking up at the Dark Mark. "The Dark Mark!" he almost stepped on Winky and Madame Indigo had to steady him out of the way. "Who did it? Did you get them? Barty! What's going on?"

Crouch didn't say anything.

"Where have you been, Barty? Why weren't you at the match? Your elf was saving you a seat too—gulping gargoyles!" he looked at Winky. "What happened to her?"

"I have been busy, Ludo," Crouch answered jerkily, "and my elf has been stunned."

"Stunned? By you lot, you mean? But why--?"

"I doubt she was the one who conjured it," said Madame Indigo.

"But you found her," Diggory reminded.

"Hermione said the voice was deep," Madame Indigo insisted. "Since when do elves have deep voices?" She eyed everyone as if they didn't know what the heck they were doing. In a way, they were clueless since they weren't trained to hunt down Dark Wizards. That was an Auror's job. "Maybe the elf found it and just picked it up so she could return it to the owner." She held it out to inspect it. "Let's see, looks like eleven and a half inches, Holly but no idea what the core could be."

"That's my wand!" Harry exclaimed. "Wand's eleven and a half inches and made out of holly."

"And the core?" Madame Indigo asked as she handed it back to him.

"Phoenix Feather," he answered.

"Ah." She smiled. "Must be a powerful wand then. Good wand, Harry."

"Oh, so you did conjure it then?" Crouch inquired.

"A confession?" Amos added. "You threw it aside after you conjured the Dark Mark?"

"No!" Harry shouted. "I couldn't have—I lost it!"

"Barty, Amos, please, shut up!" Madame Indigo hissed. "Harry Potter conjure the dark mark? Now that's even more unbelievable than Winky! Please."

The others looked at Madame Indigo and she began to question Harry. "Harry, when was the last time you had your wand on you?"

"Um," Harry scratched his head. "I'm not sure."

"Please, try to remember," she insisted, "I know it was an exciting night but this is important."

"Didn't you bring it with you to the match?" Hermione asked him.

"Wait—yeah, yeah I did," Harry recalled.

"When did you notice it was missing?" she asked.

"When the riot started," he answered, "we were running in the woods for cover and I was going to take my wand so I could see where we were going and I saw it was gone. I must've dropped it."

"Do you know if you had it with you after the match?" Madame Indigo inquired.

"I'm not sure," Harry said as he felt a horrible sinking in his stomach. How long has he been without his wand?

"So somewhere between the match and the riot, your wand has been missing?"

He nodded.

"Interesting," she said. "Who sat behind you?"

"Uh, Winky," he mumbled.

"Ah ha!" Mr. Diggory exclaimed. "She must've stolen it."

"Amos, please," said Indigo impatiently. "Who else? The Malfoys right?"

"Yeah, they were with Fudge," said Ron.

"Draco could've done it," Harry said.

"Doesn't he have a wand of his own?" Madame Indigo asked, pacing the ground. "It could've have been anyone in that top box, Harry, that could've taken the wand. Someone we didn't see. I think, Harry, someone may have come underneath an invisibility cloak, someone who doesn't like you, sat behind you and stolen your wand. Then the person had told the other Death Eaters to have a bit of fun with the muggles and he'd conjure the dark mark to let them know when to stop. Perhaps our friend is still about."

"That's quite an assumption," Bagman breathed, amazed.

"Well, you get to assume lots of things having Moody as your partner," she said, looking around. "I can really use that magical eye of his right about now."

"Let's ask the elf if she saw anything," Mr. Diggory stated. He pointed his wand at Winky and said, "Ennervate!"

Winky's eyes blinked a few times and she lay there for a while before sitting up. She looked at Mr. Diggory's feet and looked up at everyone and finally the dark mark. She let out a gasp and burst into tears.

"Elf!" Mr. Diggory said strictly. "Do you know who I am? I'm a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures!"

Knowing that she was about to be drilled because of disobedience Winky rocked backward and forward, breathing sharply.

"As you see, elf, the Dark Mark was conjured here a short while ago," Mr. Diggory went on. "And you were discovered moments later, right beneath it! An explanation, if you please!"

"I—I—I is not doing it, sir!" Winky cried. "I is not knowing how, sir!"

"We found you with Harry Potter's wand in your hand!" Mr. Diggory yelled. "He has been without it after the match until now. You were sitting behind him—weren't you?"

"No, no!" she sobbed. "I is not doing magic, sir! I is…I is…just picking it up, sir! I is not making the Dark Mark, sir, I is not knowing how!"

"We'll, we'll soon see," Mr. Diggory said, "There is a simple way of discovering the last spell a wand performed, elf, did you know that?"

Madame Indigo sighed and rubbed her head.

"Harry, can I see your wand for a minute?" he asked Harry, turning around.

Harry paused and then walked to Mr. Diggory with his wand out. Mr. Diggory pressed the tip of his to Harry's and said, "Prior Incantato!"

There was a horrified gasp from Hermione's throat and Indigo 'hmmed' as a skull and snake hissed over the bridge to the two wands.

"Deletrius!" in a wisp of smoke, the skull and snake disappeared.

"So," Mr. Diggory said, looking at Winky.

"I is not doing it! Winky squealed. "I is not, I is not, I is not knowing how! I is a good elf, I isn't using wands, I isn't knowing how!"

"You've been caught red-handed, elf!" Mr. Diggory shouted. "Caught with the guilty wand in our hand!"

"Amos," Mr. Weasley said, clearing his throat, "Think about it…precious few inwards know how to do that spell…Where would she have learned it?"

"Perhaps Amos is suggesting," Mr. Crouch muttered angrily, "that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark mark?"

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Amos said, "Mr. Crouch…not…not at all…"

"You have now come very close to accusing the two people in this clearing who are least likely to conjure that Mark!" Mr. Crouch snapped. "Harry Potter—and myself! I supposed you are familiar with the boy's story,, Amos?"

"Of course—everyone knows—" Mr. Diggory mumbled.

"And I trust you remember the many proofs I have given, over a long career, that I despise and detest the Dark Arts and those who practice them? Mr. Crouch yelled and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of their sockets.

"Mr. Crouch, I—I never suggested you had anything to do with it!" Amos Diggory said in shock.

"If you accuse my elf, you accuse me, Diggory!" shouted Mr. Crouch. "Where else would she have learned to conjure it?"

"She—she might've picked it up anywhere---"

"Precisely, Amos," Mr. Weasley nodded, "She might have picked it up anywhere…Winky?" his voice went pleasant and he turned to the elf. But used to all the shouts, she flinched. "Where exactly did you find Harry's wand?"

"I—I is finding it…finding it there, sir.." she answered quietly, "there…in the trees, sir…"

"You see, Amos?" Mr. Weasley asked. "Whoever conjured the Mark could have Disapparated right after they'd done it, leaving Harry's wand behind. A cleaver thing to do, not suing their own wand, which could have betrayed them. And Winky here had the misfortune to come across the wand moments later and pick it up."

"If he did, Disparate," Indigo said, looking around. "I bet he's still hiding in the trees, watching us try to work out an explanation. They like to see the terror on our faces."

"Maybe the elf had only been a few feet away from the real culprit!" Mr. Diggory said quickly, "Elf? Did you see anyone?"

With a gulp and moving her eyes around Mr. Diggory, Ludo Bagman and to her master, she said softly, "I is seeing no one, sir…no one…"

"Amos," Mr. Crouch said briskly, "I am fully aware that, in the ordinary course of events, you would want to take Winky into your department for questioning. I ask you, however, to allow me to deal with her."

"She is your elf, after all," Indigo sighed.

"You may rest assured that she will be punished," said Mr. Crouch.

"M-m-master," Winky stuttered, gazing up to her master tearfully, "M-master-master, p-p-please."

"Winky has behaved tonight in a manner I would have not believed possible," he said. "I told her to remain in the tent. I told her to stay there while I went to sort out the trouble. And I find that she disobeyed me. This means clothes."

"No!" Winky cried, groveling at Mr. Crouch's feet, grabbing his ankles "No, master! Not clothes, not clothes."

"But she was frightened!" Hermione yelled. "Your elf's scared of heights, and those wizards in masks were levitating people! You can't blame her for wanting to t out of their way!"

"I have no use for a house-elf who disobeys me," Crouch said as he looked at Hermione. "I have no use for a servant who forgets what is due to her master, and to her master's reputation."

"Are you sure, Barty?" Indigo asked. "She's never disobeyed you before, has she?"

"It doesn't matter," Crouch muttered.

"Very well," she said. "I think we've got as much information as we could get, but I'd like to search the woods first. Maybe I can find some clues."

"That isn't necessary, Maura," Crouch said. "I doubt whoever conjured it is still here."

"Barty," she said, firmly, "I am not going back to my tent until I search the woods."

"Maura, who do you expect to find?" Mr. Weasley asked. "They must've disaparated and if they haven't, you shouldn't look around. Especially if you think they're using an invisibility cloak."

"Are you saying I'm too old, Arthur?" Madame Indigo demanded, looking at Mr. Weasley with an icy glare.

"No," Mr. Weasley answered quickly.

"Have you forgotten that I caught over half the Death Eaters in Azkaban?"

"No, of course not," he said. "If the person is invisible, how will you find him without Moody?"

"I'll find him," she insisted. "Go on, Arthur, your son looks tired."

"No I'm not," Ron began.

"Yeah, I'd better get them back," Mr. Weasley sighed.

"And Harry," Madame Indigo said sternly, "you keep a good eye on your wand. You don't want a wand like that landing in the wrong hands."

"I will," Harry said, keeping his hand tight around it.

Everyone started to walk back to the camping site and Madame Indigo looked at Barty and Winky.

"I'm sorry, Barty," she said. "I'm sure this is the least thing you expected so close to the Triwizard Tournament, isn't it?"

"Yes," he said.

"Do you want any help with anything?" she asked.

"No," he said. "Go ahead and do your search if you want to but you won't find anybody, you know that don't you?"

"As an Auror, I have to at least have a look around." She told him, "Good night, Barty." She turned on her heel and walked deeper into the forest. When she was well out of sight, Barty knelt over the ground, lifted his arm, grasped the air and pulled his arm away, revealing a man lying on the ground.

"What in the hell were you thinking?"

--

"I think I got all the fires out," Sailor Mercury told the others. "And if I don't, the ministry's already on it."

"Good," said Sailor Moon.

"Where's Madame Indigo?" she asked.

"She went to investigate whoever did that thing," Sailor Jupiter answered, pointing at the Dark Mark.

"By herself?"

"There were other people that went," Sailor Mars said.

"Hey, the ministry is coming back!" Sailor Venus cried, pointing at Mr. Weasley.

"Let's go and help Madame Indigo," Sailor Rainbow said. "She can tell us what that means and maybe we'll find whoever did it."

"Good idea," Sailor Mercury said, taking out her computer, "I'll search for her."

She waited for a signal. "There she is…let's go."

--

"Al, where are ye when I need ye?" Madame Indigo sighed as she held out her illuminated wand over the grass. "Right, Death Eater—if yer out here I will find ye. Ye can't hide!"

She heard a leaf being scrunched and she turned around quickly. "Stupefy!" There was a thump and she went to go investigate what she had stunned. When she made her discovery, she grunted angrily and hit her fist on a tree. "Damn, it's a stupid deer."

"Madame Indigo?" called Sailor Rainbow's voice. "Where are ye?"

"Sailor Rainbow?" Madame Indigo mumbled.

The scouts gasped for air as they ran toward here. "We thought we could help you," Sailor Jupiter said.

"That is very nice of ye, thanks." Madame Indigo smiled. "Are the muggles all right?"

"Think so," Sailor Mars said.

"Did you find anything, Madame Indigo?" Sailor Rainbow asked. "Who…who put that thing in the air?"

"We don't know for certain," Madame Indigo replied. "The ministry made a dead end. For a while they suspected Harry Potter and then a house elf."

"Wait, if that thing's evil then why--," Sailor Venus began.

"Exactly," Madame Indigo replied. "They disaparated without me. There was no one that knew who how to handle the situation. They all in different departments—Arthur works with muggles—Amos with magical creatures—I don't think they knew what they were doing. Harry and his friends heard the incitation. Said the voice was deep. We found Winky—Mr. Crouch's house elf. She was found with Harry's wand."

"But—a house elf can't conjure it, right?" Sailor Rainbow asked. "They're not even supposed to use wands."

"Did ye girls notice anything strange at match last night?" Madame Indigo inquired. "In the top box or anything?"

"I don't think so," said Sailor Mercury said. "We were all watching the game."

"Harry Potter told me his wand was missing," she replied. "Someone probably stole it."

"The Malfoys were sitting behind him," said Sailor Rainbow with relish.

"I know," Madame Indigo nodded, "but I seriously think he still Harry's wand and I don't' think didn't conjured the Dark Mark. No, he was surely one of the Death Eaters torturing the muggles."

"We'll help you look," Sailor Mercury said, turning on her VR Scanner. She looked around for anyone walking around. "She gasped. I see someone!"

"Who does it look like?" Madame Indigo inquired.

"I don't know—I'll zoom in," she said as she zoomed in. "I don't believe it—it's Mr. Bagman!"

"Mr. Bagman, conjure the Dark Mark?" Sailor Venus inquired.

"He was suspected of being a Death Eater once," Madame Indigo said. "Where is he?"

Sailor Mercury pointed through the trees. "There, he's sitting down at a tree right now."

"Lead the way," said Madame Indigo and she with the other scouts, followed Sailor Mercury.

They found Bagman sitting against a tree, trying to sleep. Madame Indigo walked up to him and tapped him to get him to wake up.

"Maura?" he inquired. "What are you still doing out here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing, Ludo," she said. "Ye were looking very skittish earlier. Not yourself."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry, Ludo, but as it's my orders," she said, pushing him against the tree and lifting up his sleeve to look at his left for arm.

"Maura, you know I wouldn't!" he exclaimed.

Seeing that the Dark Mark wasn't on his arm, she stepped back.

"Sorry, Ludo," Madame Indigo sighed. "I know. I just had to see. But what the hell are ye doing out here anyway?"

"Well, I—I," he mumbled. "I have kind of a problem."

"A gambling problem, maybe?" Madame Indigo inquired.

"No I don't!" he shouted.

"You lost a few bets last night, Ludo? Madame Indigo asked. "And hiding from everyone because you can't pay?"

"Hey--," Sailor Rainbow began and Venus stepped on her foot.

"Lucky guess," Ludo mumbled.

"Ye have to quit gambling, Ludo," Madame Indigo insisted. "Before you lose more than a couple of Galleons."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Like, I don't know," she said, tapping her lip. "Ye job!"

He laughed as if she told him a joke. "Oh, Maura, I don't gamble that much!"

"Good," she sighed. "Now go and get some rest. Ye look awful."

Ludo looked at the Sailor Scouts and grinned.

"The sailor scouts," he said, holding his chin. "I should've placed a bet about this…"

"Ludo!" Madame Indigo shouted and he flinched.

"Sorry!" he said and he disaparated.

"He owes me money!" Sailor Rainbow shouted.

"Worry about that later," Madame Indigo said. "Let's look around a bit more and go back."

"Madame Indigo," said Sailor Mercury, "can you take us right under the Dark Mark so I can scan it?"

"Good thinking, Sailor Mercury," Madame Indigo nodded. "This way."

"This place looks kind of creepy," Sailor Moon said. "Was it like this in your dream, Mars?"

"Yeah," Mars replied.

"Yer dream!" Madame Indigo exclaimed, "You saw the Dark Mark in your dream?"
"Yes," Sailor Mars replied. "But I didn't see who made it. Sorry."

"I see," Madame Indigo sighed and led them to the spot where they found Winky. "Here we are. This was were we found Winky with Harry's wand."

"Yes," Mercury said, scanning the ground. She could see the outline of a house elf were Winky had been lying. "I see. She wasn't alone either."

"She wasn't?" Madame Indigo asked with the others.

Mercury squatted down and put her hand down on the ground, where she saw the outline of a man lay. "Who was this guy?"

To Be Continued