Thoughts of Finding the Innocent
Mr. and Mrs. Black,
We are re-opening the case involving the disappearance of Rebecca Grates due to evidences stating she may still be alive. We would very much appreciate it if you'd come down the station for some questioning.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Sincerely, A. Peterson
Ministry of Magic, Department of Missing People
Over the years I had accepted things that most people wouldn't be able to accept. Things that would put most people in an infirmary for life. My parents had passed away by the time I was 14. Most of my friends where dead/missing/ or in Azkaban by my 20th birthday. My husband getting placed in Azkaban for murdering our two best friends tore me apart. After all that, it was safe to say I was going a bit insane. So I packed up and headed to North America where I wouldn't be found. And after 15 years of hiding I had finally come out. I was with the love of my life and relatively happy.
My mouth gapped slightly when I read the letter. Becca Grates. One of my best friends. Not dead. The idea was absolute ludicrous of course, but it opened a hole in my heart that had been closed for a long time. I turned around to find Maybelle the cat scratching lightly at my skirt.
I bent down and smiled at her.
"Where's Sirius?" I asked her.
The cat seemed to grin back at me. It stuck its tail up and pranced around the room toward the stairs.
I followed her holding a treat behind my back. She led me down the stairs to the bedroom. Meowing, she hopped up on the bed and hissed at the big lump rolled in the comforter.
"What did I ever do to that stupid cat?" Came a muffled voice from under the comforter.
"Well… you steal my attention from her and also you're a bum, but mostly the fact that you're partly a dog."
Sirius growled, "Gezz that's mean. Besides, dogs are way better than cats!"
"Okay I give up I don't have time to argue with you."
He looked at me seriously (NPI) "What is it?"
"Read this." I pulled the letter from my pocket and passed it to him.
He looked it over and seemed just as shocked as I was
"Bec…"
"Yeah, I know you. Do you think it's just some cruel joke?"
"I don't know. I'll find out though, and you better believe I'll knock the hell out of the dumb ass that thinks this is funny."
I bit my lip, thinking of the baby. What if Becca survived? What if she escaped for the sake of her baby? What if she had the same problem with it that I had? My head was ringing with things she needed to stay alive for.
"So you want to go down for questioning?" He asked smiling, "Bet the ministry would be rather surprised to find me there after everything."
I smirked back, "Yeah…"
I linked arms with my husband and walked down the hallway looking smugly at everyone that doubted him for even a second. Walking into the questioning part of the building, we sat down. The secretary gazed at us from under her glasses and winced when she realized who it was.
I had one of those undeniable urges to laugh and point at her yelling, "I was right, you were wrong ha ha ha ha ha!" I was pretty positive I'd be kicked out of the office though so I restrained myself, settling for another smug look her way.
Meanwhile Sirius just ignored it. I think he'd gotten use to people staring at him. He more than qualified as someone people stared at back in Hogwarts. He was, after all, one of the "Hottest guys" in our yearbook.
I was still amazed at how cool he could look even when people pointed and whispered.
I knew I'd married this guy for something…
"What's up?" A voice interrupted my daydream, "Thinking about me?"
I looked over at Sirius and nodded with a grin and wink.
"Your seer skills are amazing; I really think you should become Professor Trelawney's bitch or something."
Sirius, cringing at the prospect while I was ready to laugh my arse off until-
"Mr. and Mrs. Black, you can go in now."
We looked up to the bimbo secretary.
"Alright," Came Sirius's strong and steady voice.
I nodded as we got up and walked into the small interrogating room.
The same bastard auror that questioned me last time was regrettably, still here.
"Ah Mrs. Black I believe we have met before."
I shone my best fake smile and shook his hand,
"Yes, I believe we have."
"You were a bit younger though, I see you've grown." He looked suggestively down at my top half.
I could feel the annoyance radiating off Sirius as he shook the man's hand, obviously trying to crush the man's fingers off. I glared a hole through the wall.
"Questions?" Sirius asked. The fact that he wasn't too happy was evident in his voice.
"Oh yes, please sit." The auror gestured to the hard, plastic, ass-numbing chairs that were used almost everywhere.
We sat down as he took a seat behind the table smirking at us. I had seriously doubted that this guy was on the good side.
"Have you had any communication with Rebecca Grates over the past 15 years?"
"We both thought she had passed." Sirius answered for the both of us while I nodded in agreement.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," I clarified, "We haven't seen her since that day 15 years ago."
"What's this 'evidence she may be alive' then?" Sirius questioned.
"Well… as long as you don't go blabbing this to the newspapers. A letter was sent to her mother, it was from a death eater. We think this particular death eater either has her hostage and she's been forced to flee for her safety or it just a prank joke in which case we need to find out who the letter was from and charge them."
I stared up at the guy, still not pleased with him. Sirius nodded his head in an understanding way, but I still felt the annoyance radiating off him.
Becca, trapped for 15 years with a Death Eater. It didn't seem possible that she could live through that. She was strong I knew that. Just the way her life was before the war though, she didn't have a care in the world. I didn't know, even with her being the strong person she was if she would be able to survive that. Also, what would have happened to her baby?
Should I tell this man she was pregnant? I thought, my head pounding. It could be a start to the investigation. The chances of her being found alive though, were very slim. Should I keep the secret memories of one of my best friends hidden or should I expose them and have it spread over the media? Remus would be devastated if he found out I had kept it from him. God knows I had to do something.
"Could I speck to a female auror please?"
The man looked at me, stunned obviously that I had spoken.
His eyes narrowed at me, "I am the auror on this case, therefore you will speak to me if you have any information regarding Miss. Grates."
"Look this is a very personal thing regarding Becca and I don't want it spread all over the news. I would like to discuss it with someone who can relate before I allow Becca's memory to be destroyed by the media." I was sure I had tears in my eyes because the guy nodded his head, still unhappy with the idea but didn't want me to cry over it. I think the fact that Sirius was glaring daggers at him helped a bit too…
Five minutes later, Sirius and the rude auror had gone and I was sitting across from a lady that looked to be a few years older than I was.
She smiled warmly, "I'm sorry about Alex, he seems to be in a rotten mood today."
I snorted and nodded, "I'm sorry to bug you but I really wanted to discuss this with someone decent before it was all over the media."
The lady nodded in understanding.
"You see, the day she was supposedly 'murdered' was the day I had coffee with her in the afternoon, as per our regular schedule and she told me something…"
I trailed off as the lady nodded along
'Well this is it' I thought, looking into the auror's eyes I said it, "Becca Grates was pregnant."
The lady didn't look extremely shocked, a bit surprised though.
"Who was the baby's father?" She questioned.
"Remus Lupin as far as I know." I told her staring off into space.
"Are you sure?"
"Pretty sure…"
The lady nodded swiftly.
"So would this be important to the case?" I asked.
"Yes, but I'll do my best to keep it from the press."
I thanked her and went home with Sirius.
I sat awkwardly on the couch. Sirius was staring at me, trying to catch my gaze, which was firmly planted on the plush peach carpet.
"You know I'll find out sooner or later…"
"I know."
"Did Becca cheat on Remus?" He questioned.
I didn't answer.
"Okay I understand that you want to keep her me
mory safe, but Riley, keeping something a deep dark secret… Well it'll eventually come out."
I took a pillow off the couch and stuffed my head in it.
"What are you doing?" He asked. I could detect mild amusement in his voice.
"Attempting to suffocate myself," I said my voice muffled with the pillow.
He walked over and pulled the pillow away, finally catching my gaze. We locked eyes for what seemed like ages, passing messages with our facial expressions.
I stuck my tongue out. He raised an eyebrow suggestively and I winked at him.
He pinned me on the couch, smirking down at me.
I growled at him trying to knee him in the crotch but totally not succeeding other than making him lean down and-
The doorbell rang.
"Fu-"
I fell off the couch as he went to the door.
Remus walked in. I remembered why I had called him to come over and stopped laughing.
Getting up I sat on the couch and gestured for him to sit down.
Sirius came in and raised his eyebrow as if to ask if I wanted him to stay. I shook my head slightly and he smiled warmly at me, trying to reassure me it was going to be fine.
I smiled back.
"What's up, Ri? Siri?"
"I have something to tell you Remus."
He raised his eyebrow but sat down and nodded.
Sirius walked out of the room.
Remus seemed to realize something wasn't right because he frowned.
I started, "Well you see Remus, before Becca… well before she disappeared…"
He nodded, "Yeah?"
"Um… I was talking to her on that last day, we were having our normal tea at 3:00…"
"Get to it Riley."
"She said she was pregnant!" I burst out, unable to keep it in any longer.
His face showed no emotion until…
Hey people!
Ahaha a cliffhanger! Obviously I wasn't thinking of Remus/Tonks when I was writing this…. I'm not quite sure I'm going to involve that or not. I'll probably just continue ignoring the 6th book although a Remus/Tonks/Becca love triangle would be pretty awesome. Lol. No, I think that would make that a bit more of a drama and I don't want a whole bunch of soap opera crap. TeeHee. By the way don't assume Becca is alive because I still haven't got the plot totally worked out although you know what it's basically about now. Next chapter will be up ASAP.
Luv Nikki
