A/N: This one's a short chapter, but I don't want you to wait too long. Thanks again to all those who reviewed.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Assault
"I just can't believe Diana would do something like this!" exclaimed Tonks.
Ron and Harry had just finished giving a report of their theory with Hermione the previous night to a general assembly of the Auror force. Chief Atalanta was rather pleased with the new development, though Moody appeared to take in the news with less enthusiasm. He had known Mackenzie for a long time and trusted her for her years. He wasn't quite as vocal as Tonks, but Harry could tell, he was just as astounded.
But Mackenzie's involvement appeared plausible. She was the only living authority on elves. And according to Hermione's stock knowledge on the matter, elves have the power to transport a small child at will within short distances. It was part of their abilities that makes them perfect for taking care of children. If that happened to the missing children, they could easily have been taken somewhere from their homes to be transported by floo.
"It's our best lead Tonks," Moody said somberly. "We have to consider it. I'm sorry. I'm assigning the team to search Mackenzie's house. Round up any house elves you find, question them and bring them here for confinement."
"We can't do that, Moody," said Tonks. "Unless they consent to leave the house on their own, we can't make them."
"Well then, is there any way we can put wards around her house so any house elves there can't leave?" He turned to the members of the ARD present. They looked to each other in confusion.
"Isn't there anyone who knows how to keep the house elves in one place?" Atalanta barked.
The senior ARD members all shook their heads.
"Who worked on house elves before?" Atalanta continued.
The head of the division finally spoke up. "No one, Chief. Mackenzie was the only one. We never really thought of assigning anyone else. We didn't think it was important. We all thought it was rather silly she was spending so much time on house elves research."
Atalanta slapped a hand on her forehead in frustration. "Well then find out how! Good job, Weasley. Have your friend coordinate with ARD on what she knows about elves."
She gave out assignments to each team then dismissed them to meet with their own individual team leaders.
De Lancre caught a step beside Ron and Harry on the way to Moody's office.
"I was right, am I not?" he said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," said Harry.
"Did I not suggest before it was an inside job?"
"Oh, so you're taking the credit for this, even though it was ME who got the idea about the house elves," stormed Ron.
"Actually it was your friend, who thought of that, did you not say so before? And I pointed you in the proper direction. But you deserve credit and I concede. Congratulations," he said it without sarcasm, but Harry still wasn't convinced.
"Well then you better get used to congratulating me, Lancry," Ron snapped.
"I have no qualms about congratulating you, if you acknowledge me. Stop fighting me Weasley. We can do things better together. I do not like you, but you are my partner. I want to solve this case as much as you do. Work with me and we both benefit."
"That's exactly what I want to hear boys," Harry was startled to hear Moody behind them. He shot him and Ron a warning look.
"I know this will be difficult for you," Moody said as soon as all four of them were seated at his office. "I don't like it either. I've always trusted Diana and I still believe she's innocent. And if she is, I hope she's still alive. But we have to consider this and we have a job to do. We apparate in five minutes."
They returned to their cubicles to leave the non-essentials. Harry and Ron had just finished sending off a memo to ARD on Hermione's contact details, when they noticed Tonks' eyes glistening with tears in the next cubicle.
"Tonks, we're sorry. We didn't mean to accuse Mackenzie."
"It's okay," said Tonks. "It's part of the job. I just couldn't see her doing that to Philip. They were good friends all the way back to Hogwarts. And I just couldn't agree that she could harm muggle-borns. I know she's from an old pure blood family, but she has very tolerant views on muggles. She's always had muggle-born friends. Look at Edward, he's muggle-born and I'm half-blood."
"Well I hope you're right, Tonks," said Harry.
"Has Hermione gone back to India?"
"Just this morning," replied Ron. "Saw her off before we came in to work. But she'll be back soon for good. Just two more months before she finishes her study program."
"She should have been an Auror. She'd be great in ARD. Diana would have loved her as a junior trainee."
Harry and Ron just shrugged.
They met Moody at the atrium. "Just a reminder: house elves can be powerful when they want to be. Nobody knows the extent of it so be careful. Ask them nicely to come and if not proceed with questioning. If they refuse, we leave and guard the perimeter. Prepare for an assault just in case."
They apparated into an area just outside of London. It appeared to be a quiet muggle neighborhood. Tonks led them to a small side street and tapped her wand on a pillar between two houses when no muggles were in sight. There appeared a golden door that Tonks knocked on. There was no answer and she knocked again. After the third knock, she whispered a quick "Alohomora" and the door slid open.
"That was easy," she said.
Inside Harry and Ron discovered a large house, much like Grimmauld Place, but this one was well maintained and had a lively air to it.
"She lives alone?" asked Ron.
"Yes," said Tonks. "She has a brother but he's a squib so he prefers to stay in a muggle house back in Scotland. They're the last two living members of their family. Most of them died out in the first war fighting Voldemort." Tonks emphasized the last statement. "Diana's always invited me here."
"Split up," said Moody. "Look for any information you can find, especially about her research on house elves."
Tonks and Kelley took the upper floors of the east wing, Harry, Ron and de Lancre took right. Moody checked the lower floors and the basement. Harry and Ron found their first stop to be a large library. So far, it seemed deserted like the rest of the house.
"Good place to start," said Ron. "This will take a while."
"You can start Weasley, I will check on the other rooms."
"You're going to leave me here to do all the work?"
"I will come back to help. I only need to secure the area. You do not want us attacked unexpectedly, do you?"
"Then I'll come with you," said Harry.
De Lancre held a hand. "It will take us forever if you do not start that. I will be quick." He took off.
"He's right, Ron."
"Yeah, but he's out there checking for elves and we're here checking books. Where's the fun in that?"
"Let's just get started, if he's not back in fifteen minutes we follow him."
There were hundreds of books on the shelves and for a moment it was a bit disorienting. Everything was neat and orderly like the rest of the house and the library. But as they searched around at her books, they couldn't find any single material on elves.
"Shouldn't she have a lot of books on house elves if she was so interested in them?" Harry asked.
"Yes, unless of course someone got here first and cleared them out."
"TONKS! What are you doing!"
"That's Edward! Come on, he may be in trouble!" said Ron and they quickly took off running to the east wing. De Lancre came running next to them. But the next sound they heard made them both stop in their tracks:
"CRUCIO!"
The chilling voice was horribly familiar and in the next instant Kelley's screams could be heard reverberating into the entire house. They followed the sound to a long corridor with a dozen doors and there the screams abruptly stopped.
"Where are they?" asked de Lancre.
"I don't know. EDWARD? TONKS?"
No response. "Take that side, I'll take the other," said Ron.
"Be careful," replied his partner.
Harry and Ron took down the first door. It was an empty bedroom. They blasted open the next two. Both were empty.
"AVADA—"
"STUPEFY!" they heard de Lancre shout. They rushed back across the hall and saw Tonks just as she collapsed unconscious to the floor from de Lancre's spell. Harry and Ron rushed to her while de Lancre made a beeline towards Kelley who lay crumpled in a fetal position a few meters away.
"Stay away from her!" he shouted.
"What did you do!" Harry demanded.
"She tried to kill Kelley!" de Lancre turned Kelley over and pointed his wand at him. "Enervate!"
De Lancre shook him. "Kelley? Enervate! Weasley, 'elp me! 'e eez not waking!"
Harry's and Ron's heart was racing but they were beside de Lancre in a flash. Harry found a faint pulse. Kelley was already turning blue. De Lancre administered a respiratory spell. There was a clunk, clunk of wood on the floor and Moody came running in as fast as he could. "What happened?"
"Get 'elp, quick!" de Lancre shouted. "If I release zhis spell, 'e will die!"