Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing related to Harry Potter (as I'm sure you already know). If I did, I wouldn't be posting it here but be selling it in the real world for mullah like its rightful owner is doing. sigh I do, however, own the plot and any characters that you do not recognize. Well, I do unless someone comes along and brings it to my attention that I unknowingly stole from someone else, but yeah.
Author's Note: This is my fist real attempt at a story. I know I posted another part of one, and I really did have a plan for it, but this has more potential I believe. I actually know where I'm going with this story. Ok, that's all for now except that I hope you like it! Read on!
Laughter and singing seemed to follow her as she made her way home that crisp, fall evening. Despite the giddiness that seemed to surround her, however, Ginny had felt an eerie prickling sensation come over her. Something was defiantly wrong, she could feel it. Thus she found herself leaving the happy company of her friends and walking quickly and uncomfortably home. She had to see her family and make sure she was just imagining things. However, as she grew closer and closer to home a sense of dread came over her and she knew that she wasn't just imagining things. You could always hear the sounds of her boisterous family from this distance, a mere twenty feet away; especially with the whole family home for the Christmas holidays. She rounded the last bend in the road and came upon a dark house. Surely this was not her lively, happy home; no this was some crazy abandoned house or something. She was fast on her way from uneasiness and dread headed straight toward nervousness and downright fear. She couldn't remember hearing of anything like this happening since Voldemort had been eliminated about a year ago. Looking at the once happy home, Ginny knew she didn't want to enter it and find what awaited her; however she also knew she couldn't stand outside forever and avoid it. Taking a deep breath and trying to still her shaking hands, Ginny slowly walked up to the front door and brought her hand up to the doorknob. It was cold, and unlocked she found as she turned it and heard the familiar creaking sound of the door opening. Although that was slightly comforting in some strange way (weren't creaking doors supposed to scare people?) what she saw inside was not. Nothing. Everything was just as spick and span in their living room as when she had left it hours ago, except now nobody was about. She began to make her way through the living room, leaving the door open a crack, listening and looking around. She took in the worn, multicolored couch she had grown up sitting on, listening to all the excitement around her, and the lack of people around it at this point in time. Then there was the overstuffed arm chair her father always read the evening paper from. To her left, the Christmas tree they had decorated a few nights ago sparkled brightly atop many colorful presents. Still nothing though. She continued into the kitchen and finally found something, or rather someone. She didn't just find them either, she practically tripped over them. Ginny had to turn her head quickly to compose herself before she threw up. There was so much blood! When she felt a little better, she was able to look again.
"Mum!" she cried, finally recognizing who it was. Molly Weasley was sprawled out on her back on the kitchen floor caked in blood and who knows what else. Her features were twisted so much that she was hardly recognizable; it was a look of intense pain. "Oh, Mum! Are you alright? Can you hear me? Mum?" Ginny cried, throwing herself down by her mother's side. Ginny felt her eyes begin to fill with tears and blinked rapidly so that she could see better. They began to trickle softly down her face as she held her mum's hand. It was incredibly cold and she realized that her mother would not be answering her again. Ginny allowed herself to cry for a few minutes before pulling herself together enough to get up and decide what to do.
"I can't just sit here crying all day. I have to do something, I have to get help," she mumbled as she picked herself up, "What happened? Why? Why would someone want to take my mum from me?" Her voice rose with each step she took back into the living room. She managed to wipe enough tears away to start a fire and find the floo powder. She pulled a handful out, dropping the bag on the floor thoughtlessly, and threw it into the fire wishing that when she stepped into the flames they might actually swallow her up. "Ministry of Magic!" she yelled, surprisingly clearly, stepping into the flames. Alas, they refused to head her wish and she soon found herself tumbling out onto the floor of the building she had visited many times as a little girl. Her mum used to bring her up here to watch her dad "in action' when she was lonely with her brothers away at school. These thoughts brought a fresh wave of tears as she tried to brush the soot off of her clothes. Who cares about a little soot anymore, anyway. She thought giving up her fight against the soot infesting her clothes.
"May I help you?" a pleasant voice said from behind Ginny. She turned to see an older lady sitting behind the marble receptionist's desk. She looked to be in her fifties with short blonde hair that was highlighted with grey. She couldn't have been very tall as the large, half-circle desk seemed to swallow her. Ginny recognized her immediately as Mrs. Higgins, the woman who had been there all those times Ginny had visited as a young girl. "Oh my dear; Ginny what's wrong?" Mrs. Higgins cried upon noticing the state Ginny was in. She stood up quickly, nearly toppling her chair, and rushed around the desk to where Ginny was still standing in front of the fireplace. "Come sit down over here," she said putting her arm around Ginny to guide her over to a very comfortable looking couch that was part of a small sitting area in the middle of the room, "and tell me what has happened to make you so upset," Ginny obliged and sat down beside Mrs. Higgins on the couch. She swiped the back of her hand across her face in order to rid it of the tears still residing there but not to much avail. She took a deep breath and began to try to explain. "I was out with my friends tonight and when I came back home the house was very dark," She began, sniffling some. "So I went inside and," deep breath, "my mum was lying on the kitchen floor," more tears began flowing from her eyes and she had to pause to regain her voice. "She was covered in so much blood and she wasn't breathing." The older woman gasped and jumped up, "Oh, my dear! We need to get someone over there quickly." She rushed over to the fireplace beside her desk (not the one Ginny had fallen out of a few minutes ago) and threw some floo powder in. Falling to her knees, she stuck her head into the fire and began talking furiously. A few moments later she was back fully in the room with Ginny. She pried herself off the floor and walked back to where Ginny was still sobbing. Sitting back down beside her, she put her arm around her to soothe the poor girl. "There, there my dear," she cooed, "There are aurors and mediwitches rushing to your home this instant. Everything will be alright." While thankful for Mrs. Higgins' help, Ginny couldn't help but think that everything was not going to be alright and so she continued to sob into Mrs. Higgins shoulder desperately hoping she was mistaken.
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Fifteen aurors, wands at the ready, stood outside the Burrow preparing to enter. Four mediwitches stood behind them also fingering wands and waiting to be told what to do.
"Alright, the six of you on the right head around back in case someone's still inside," whispered Albert McGee, the eldest and most experienced, which in turn, put him in charge. "The rest of you come with me and be ready for anything; we're not sure what's going, or went, on in there." Without waiting for a response he began creeping up the front steps soundlessly, the rest of his men falling into position behind him. Noticing the door was cracked, he pushed it open slowly, and winced as it creaked loudly. So much for entering unnoticed, McGee thought bitterly. Once through the door he saw exactly what Ginny had encountered not long ago, an empty living room. Motioning to his men to follow, McGee crossed the living room and into the kitchen where he discovered what they had been called for, Molly Weasley out cold. What McGee also saw startled and disturbed him. Arthur Weasley was bound to the wall across from Molly also covered in massive amounts of blood. He was positioned in a way that lead McGee to believe he had been made to watch his wife's suffering. "Search the rest of the house," McGee bellowed and four men hurried towards the stairwell leading from the kitchen up to all the bedrooms while the other four spread out downstairs searching the study and other family rooms. The six that McGee had sent around back were searching the backyard although McGee knew it was in vain. Whoever had done this obviously knew what he, or she, was doing and would not be hanging around.
"Uh, Boss," one of the newer aurors whose name McGee had yet to learn called from the stairwell, "You might want to see this." McGee groaned inwardly, but made his way over to the young man nonetheless. What McGee saw were two more bodies, which he believed were Fred and George Weasley although he couldn't be sure, laid out on the stairs. It seemed to McGee that they had heard the commotion in the kitchen and had tried to come to their parents' rescue. Obviously though, the murderer had gotten to them first.
"Search the rest of the upstairs," McGee directed, "The Weasley's have four more boys. Find them now." The four men started up the stairs carefully avoiding the bodies while McGee headed into the living room to sit down. He needed a moment to collect himself before he could finish the search. He had known the Weasley's, having occasionally worked with Arthur Weasley, and had even spent a few evenings in their humble home. One of the men who had been searching the downstairs, Harding he believed his name was, found him there, sitting on the couch and staring into space.
"Sir," Harding called as he entered the living room, causing McGee to look up at him, startled out of his revere. "Sir, one of the other boys was found dead in the study. We believe him to be the youngest; Ronald I think he's called." Harding reported.
"Yes Ron, that's his name. Alright, I'll be along in a minute. Have the other three been found?" McGee asked, not looking at Harding, but at the wall beside him.
"I'm not certain, sir. There are still men upstairs." Harding replied.
"Alright; well go see if you can find out what they've discovered." McGee ordered, standing up and heading towards the study.
"Yes sir," Harding called to McGee's retreating back. "Yes sir," he mumbled leaving the room himself to go check on the other men. He made his way up the stairs also avoiding the still bodies of Fred and George Wesley, and trying not to look at them while he was at it. He would never get used to seeing grown men lying in a pool of their own blood no matter how many of the cases he worked. When he came to the first landing he found a door to a bedroom with the body of yet another of the Weasley's sons sprawled in the doorway. He decided to call to the other men rather than continue up the stairs and more than likely come across two other bodies. "Hey!" he hollered, "You guys upstairs, have you found the other two boys."
"Yes" came the reply, "But we thought there were three more,"
"One's downstairs," Harding called back, "Come on back down." This done, Harding started back downstairs to find McGee, not bothering to wait for the other men. He once again passed the bodies of the twins and resolved to find someone to clean them up. Back downstairs he began the search for McGee to report what he had learned. He, of course, headed first for the study which had been McGee's destination the last Harding had heard. Upon reaching the doorway to the study, he found McGee examining the desk where the youngest male Weasley's, Ron he believed McGee had said he was called, body was sprawled. "Sir," he called, causing McGee to glance up from his investigating, "The rest of the bodies have been found upstairs."
"Alright," McGee replied solemnly, turning away from Ron's body, "It appears we have no need for mediwitches after all."
"It does seem that way, sir," Harding agreed, moving out of the way as McGee brushed past him, apparently headed back to the living room. With nothing else to do, Harding followed, expecting more orders. He had worked with McGee enough times to know not to say anything else. The older man would get to him eventually, when he was ready, and rushing him would only cause unneeded tension.
"Assemble everyone in the living room," McGee finally said when they had returned to the living room. He still wasn't looking at Harding, but at the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen. Harding wondered if he ever looked at the person he was speaking to, or rather ordering around. He wisely did not comment on his thoughts, however, and instead moved to follow McGee's instructions.
"Yes sir," He answered, once again finding himself speaking to McGee's back. He found the men who had been upstairs just reaching the first landing and passed the order on to them before heading back downstairs. He then sought out the other men who had been downstairs and sent them to McGee also. The backyard was his final stop, but when he opened the back door he saw no one. "McGee is assembling everyone in the living room!" he hollered, figuring that the best course of action for finding the rest of the team. Sure enough he saw figures emerge from behind bushes and trees. He stepped back as the aurors and mediwitches headed in the back door and closed it to follow them when he was sure everyone was inside. When he reached the living room again, he found it full of every team member but him. When McGee saw him enter, he began to speak.
"It appears we are too late to save any of the people here. The only thing we can do now is to find the person, or persons, who did this. Mediwitches, you may return to the ministry as it does not appear we will be in need of your services. Everyone else, I want this place examined carefully. If there has been any evidence left, any mistake at all, I want it found. My guess is that you will found nothing as this clearly looks like the job of a professional, but look anyway. When we have gathered all the evidence we can, I want this place cleaned up and the bodies brought back to the ministry. When the young Ms. Weasley returns I do not want her to find any blood or anything else to suggest something horrible has happened here." He paused as he looked around at the faces of his team staring back at him. "Get to work, now." He watched everyone scurry around to get to follow his orders and sighed heavily when the room was again empty. This was going to be one tough case.
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Well, that's the first part! Do you like it, hate it, really don't care? Please review and let me know. Tell me if I should continue it or burry it where it can never be unearthed again.
