Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading, reviewing, and following. Hope you enjoy!
Minerva flipped back and forth through a series of letters Dumbledore gave her. He had instructed her to keep them safe. Outside the wind was howling. It was nights like this that she missed her family's ancestral country home in Godric's Hollow.
Focus, Minerva. She told herself.
Dumbledore's letters were pertinent to the case at hand. They were an overview of the painstaking research Dumbledore had gathered regarding blood cult activities in the last 50 years. It included possible members and suspected activities and crimes. It even included a money trail, which to Minerva's disgust, led back to several prominent pureblood families, including her own.
However, the one thing missing from Dumbledore's research was a connection between the Pinelli family and any blood cult activities. It was widely known that the Malfoy and Pinelli families were close. They shared financial interests in a variety of vices including brothels, racing Hippogriffs, poaching Golden Snidgets, and other crimes. However, there was no link to connect Pinelli to blood cult activity. In fact, aside from recent events, the Pinelli family had always maintained a Pro-Muggle relations stance.
According to Dumbledore's research, there was a blood cult operating within the Army of Gellert Grindelwald. They were known to idolise the beliefs of Tannis Slytherin's Queen of the Serpent. It encouraged pureblood procreation via ritualistic orgies. Minerva's stomached turned. She hoped her parents hadn't been participants. Most of Grindelwald's followers had either been arrested or went silent following his downfall.
The most interesting part of Dumbledore's research was regarding the symbol found on the body of the slain Ministry informant. When it appeared in green it indicated followers. When it appeared in black it indicated something marked by the group, or to take claim for activities, including murder. To Minerva's extreme disgust, the mark was also used to mark recaptured blood traitors. There were directions on how to win over witches that had betrayed the cause of blood purity.
The preservation of blood purity is of the utmost importance. Blood superiority will come through numbers. Procreation of the wizarding race shall be the grand undoing of the mudblood scourge. Pureblood witches are to be protected, at all costs, from the traps of miscegenation.
Minerva shuddered. Dumbledore had only provided a snippet from their pureblood playbook. Minerva wasn't sure she wanted to see the rest of it. Dumbledore had obtained a copy of some blood purity literature after Grindelwald's downfall. They had planned another meeting in a few days but Minerva would have to find an excuse to leave London. Dumbledore claimed he had an informant on the inside and that, according to his informant, Noreen Watt's murder was a blood cult killing.
Shaking it out of her head, she left the sitting room and headed into her bedroom. Pulling back the covers she sunk down into the warm flannel sheets. With the snap of her fingers the lights went out. Within moments, she was asleep.
Across town, Tully McGonagall was opening a letter from the Department of Magical Records. He had requested Tom Riddle's educational records. He was shocked to see no post-Hogwarts education given his impressive Hogwarts record. Apparently Riddle had been a prefect, Head Boy, and had even been awarded a special commendation. He'd been a Slytherin and had earned high marks on his N.E.W.T.s. It struck Tully as odd that someone so talented would be working as a shop boy in Knockturn Alley.
Tully also noticed that Riddle's post-Hogwarts paper trail disappeared until a year ago when he emerged working in Knockturn Alley. That meant for five years Riddle was off the grid somehow - no employment in wizarding U.K., no education at any U.K. institution, not even a tax record.
Tully didn't have long to mull over his thoughts. He was interrupted by a sharp rap on the door. He hollered "come in" and instantly regretted doing so. It was Dolores. If only he had checked first, he could have cast a quick cleaning charm before she entered. He knew she would be disappointed in the state of his home.
"Hello dear," she said in her chirpy voice. "My, this place is a mess."
He stood up and met her in the foyer. She was dressed nicely, as usual, in a light pink suit with a matching hat. Tully envied how she always managed to be so well put together.
"I've got big news, darling," she smiled sweetly. "I've been promoted effective next Monday."
"That's wonderful!" He said as he planted a light kiss on her cheek.
"You'll smudge my makeup," she said shortly as she put her hand up to stop him.
The couple went into Tully's sitting room where Dolores was obviously perturbed by the numerous empty and half empty tumblers strewn about the room. She cast a quick cleansing charm before she sat down.
"I stopped by to see if we'd had any progress on the housing front?" She asked with a sickeningly sweet smile. "This wedding is growing ever closer. I'd like to know we have a home before everything is settled."
Tully shifted uncomfortably. His heart was focused on the case, not finding a home. He apologised but she looked disappointed.
"That's too bad," she said. "I was going to ask to stay but I see you've got a lot of work to do since you are so wrapped up in this case you can't even bother to look for one teensy weensy house with your beloved."
Tully stared at her blankly. This was the most frustrating part of their relationship. Dolores used sex to get what she wanted. Truth be told, after a yearlong courtship and months of engagement, they'd only made love a handful of times. Tully was ready to admit he was sexually frustrated. He found Dolores attractive and wanted to love her, physically and emotionally, but Dolores kept them at a distance.
"I'm meeting with the executor of the Jameson Greengrass estate to inquire about their country home," Tully spit out quickly, remembering Potter's suggestion. To his surprise, it worked. Her beady eyes widened with greed at the thought of living in a home formerly owned by the Greengrass family. It was the type of upscale home befitting a Ministry official. It was the start of the life Dolores had worked for.
Dolores moved to sit next to him. She ran her hand along his arm.
"I knew you wouldn't fail me darling," she said softly. "Hard work deserves to be rewarded."
She planted a light kiss on his nose and smiled as she unbuttoned the top button on his shirt. Tully laid his head back. It had been so long since they had shared any intimate time together.
"Dolores," he said as he brushed a piece of hair from her face. "Sweet pea, come to bed with me. I've missed you."
"Clean up your bedroom first," she said sternly as she sat back away from him. "You mustn't use silly pet names. Darling or dear will suffice."
Tully groaned internally. They were right back to it.
Back at Minerva's, there was a dark figure glancing at the letter Dumbledore had left her. He'd been observing her home for several days. He'd finally felt comfortable enough to attempt entering, and he was glad he did. That meddling Dumbledore had been watching his activities. That meant someone was leaking information to Dumbledore. He would have to find the leak and stop it. Unfortunately, Dumbledore hadn't mentioned his source.
Tom Riddle sat down and glanced around at his surroundings. There were no photographs of the Black Family, but there were plenty of pictures of the disturbing Ministry scum she associated with. Riddle couldn't wait for the day that the likes of the Weasley, Bones, and McKinnon families paid for their crimes against blood. There was also a photograph of her, several other veterans, and Yaxley. It looked to be taken shortly after the Great Wizarding War.
He shuddered with excitement at the thought that she was seeing Yaxley. His heart swelled with pride for the man. Yaxley, a champion of the pureblood cause, would receive a hero's welcome from Riddle upon their next meeting. When Malfoy had first introduced Yaxley, Riddle had been sceptical. However, he was ready to admit he was wrong. "Keep them pure" was a key component of Riddle's philosophy. It meant keeping pureblood women within the pureblood community. Whether Yaxley had done so knowingly or by chance, he'd scored a victory for Riddle.
However, Riddle recalled his visit to her partner, McGonagall. She appeared quite frequently in his mind. It was typical for people closely associated with one another to feature prominently in the thoughts of one another. However, Riddle suspected there was more to it, but he couldn't be sure.
One way to find out. He smiled to himself and slipped silently through the shadows into Minerva's bedroom. He reminded himself to congratulate Yaxley the next time he saw him. She was quite a prize for the pureblood cause, he admitted, as he observed her sleeping.
With a soundless flick of his wand he was inside her mind. She rolled over onto her side and Riddle was having some difficultly accessing her thoughts. He waved his hand and she rolled onto her back. Her breathing relaxed and he faced no additional barriers.
Tully was laughing. His smile was wide. They were at the annual Ministry Yule Spectacular. This was their first year together as partners. It had been a rocky start. Tully had been unsure of working with such a young Auror, but Minerva had quickly proven herself a competent partner. She had managed to track down his service photograph from his time during the war. She'd had it framed with his war medals that had been sitting lose in his desk. It was thoughtful present.
The source of their laughter was Tully's gift to Minerva. Earlier that day he had been scrambling to find a present for his girlfriend at the time. He stumbled into a gift shop along Diagon Alley and purchased her gift. While there, he noticed a cat toy that squeaked. He thought it would be a great gag gift for his partner. He had the shop arrange wrapping the gifts, and had brought them along for the evening.
Moments earlier, Minerva had unwrapped her gift and quickly replaced the lid before anyone could see the contents. She looked embarrassed.
"Do you like it?" Tully teased. "It was just a gag." He added as he saw the colour of her face.
"Um, thank you," she said, "but I'm not really sure that's appropriate."
He felt a little disappointed. He hadn't meant to offend her. He only wanted to provide her with a laugh. He was totally unaware that his girlfriend, four tables over, was unwrapping a cat toy. She walked over the Tully's table and politely gave him the box.
"I don't think this is going to work out," she said. "I'm sorry."
Tully looked confused and little heartbroken. He wasn't used to getting dumped. He'd bought her a very fashionable and rather expensive chemise. As she walked away he shrugged. His plans for the evening were looking bleak and he wasn't sure if the gift was returnable. He thought, perhaps, his partner might be able to enlighten him.
He opened the gift box and started laughing hysterically.
"Black," he laughed, "Open your present."
"I don't think so," she responded looking horrified.
"Look!" He said holding up the cat toy. He made it squeak and she shook her head.
"What?" She said annoyed. "Is that supposed to be funny?"
"It was supposed to be for you," he choked out. His eyes were watering from laughing too hard.
It took Minerva a moment to put the evidence together, but when she did she started laughing without regard for the formal setting.
The memory faded and Riddle, feeling more comfortable, sat down on the edge of the bed. He shifted through a variety of memories. He was particularly curious about Miss Black. From the moment she entered his shop, he was certain she was the witch he had met on the battlefield during the war. He was trying to access older memories but it wasn't like searching in a book. He had to roam around through a string of thoughts that would lead him to trigger war memories. He was getting closer. The memories were starting to get older.
"Come on," he whispered.
Minerva sat up, awakened by the sound, and found herself face to face with Tom Riddle. Riddle wasn't expecting her sudden reaction. He fell backwards off the bed. Minerva was shocked to find an intruder in her house. She rolled to the opposite side of the bed and summoned her wand.
"Who are you?" She demanded pointing her wand at the man on the floor. It was dark, and without her glasses she couldn't see clearly. Riddle exhaled and backed toward the door.
"Who are you?" She demanded again as she advanced on him.
"Obliviate!" He shouted. Her quick martial magic skills allowed her to counter the spell. But Riddle used the moment to make his escape into the sitting room. He quickly drew his mask over his face and waited for her to emerge. She ran out after him, glasses on this time.
They exchanged spells for a few moments and that act in itself confirmed his suspicion, she was the witch he'd met on the battlefield.
She was concerned. He was using dark spells, very dark spells. This was no ordinary intruder. He cast a severing charm, which she rolled to avoid, and it hit the shelves on the wall causing books and pictures to go flying. As she regained her footing, he cast a curse to cause the dying fire in the fireplace to spill out onto the floor.
He used the moment to make his escape. Within seconds, he vanished into the thin air and burst out her window, shattering glass across the floor. Minerva tried to put out the fire, but the curse was spreading too quickly. She'd lost her glasses when she'd rolled to avoid his severing charm. She ran to the desk, but Dumbledore's letters were gone. The fire had now encased all of the walls. With a deafening crash, a support beam collapsed in the hallway, blocking her escape.
Minerva glanced up at the mantle. She grabbed a pinch of floo powder and jumped. She had choked heavily on the smoke while escaping. She wasn't sure if the floo had taken her to the right place.
It was dark, she didn't have her glasses, and she was quite stunned from her duel. She stumbled out of the fireplace and into a small table.
"Ouch!" She said in a hoarse whisper.
The table fell and the crash of glass hitting the wood floor resounded through the row house. Within seconds, there was a light on and Tully McGonagall, wand drawn, came rushing down the stairs in a tartan dressing gown.
"Who the hell's there?" he said sleepily.
"Stupefy!" A high voice cried from behind Tully. Dolores, wearing a bright, fluffy pink dressing gown with fuzzy adornments, had followed Tully down the stairs.
Minerva quickly dodged the spell and retaliated by disarming her opponent.
"Minerva," Tully said he realised it was his partner. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Fire," she said breathing heavily. Her duel with the mysterious intruder had left her out of breath.
"What?" He asked as he approached her.
"An intruder took the letter," she said clutching her side. He'd managed to get a nice slicing curse into her abdomen. It was bleeding heavily and had already soaked through her nightclothes.
She was losing a lot of blood. Minerva caught herself on an end table before collapsing. She took her hand off her wound and held it out to look at the blood.
Tully didn't hesitate. He sent a Patronus to track down Commissioner Urquart and one to Moody, who was stationed on overnight duty.
"Darling," Dolores said as she approached the two. "May I see you?"
Tully shot her a nasty look. This certainly wasn't the time. However, Minerva waved him off.
"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly.
Tully and Dolores retreated to the kitchen where Minerva could overhear their argument.
"WHY DID SHE COME HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT- IN A DRESSING GOWN SO SHORT I THINK IT COULD PASS AS A TEA COSY?" Dolores yelled.
Minerva felt guilty. She hadn't meant to disturb her partner, or to upset his soon-to-be wife. She was losing blood and dazed and for some reason Tully was on her mind. It was how partners operated in an emergency.
Minerva jumped as Moody entered the home unannounced.
"OH GREAT! THE WHOLE GANG'S HERE!" Dolores shouted as Moody burst in.
Tully and Moody laid Minerva back on the davenport. She was bleeding all over her partner's furniture. Tully lifted up her dressing gown to reveal a long gash, roughly six inches long and over an inch deep. Moody began to field dress the wound, but they would have to move her to a professional healer. While they were trying to stop the bleeding, Dolores came down stairs fully dressed, snapped her goodbyes, and slammed the door on her way out.
"I got him," Minerva hissed as Moody used a ripped shirt to try and stop the bleeding.
"Quiet," Moody insisted.
"I hit him," she said trying to focus on anything but her own wounds. "I hit him with a mark."
"I think I'm in love," Moody winked trying to lighten the mood, "Good girl."
A mark was a charm used by Aurors to mark suspects during altercations. It caused a large blue line to appear on the subject's arm and remain there for 48 hours. If the suspect escaped, they could use the mark to locate them later. It was impossible to remove the mark by charms, potions, or even makeup.
"Now we just need a suspect," Tully said. "We can't just go traipsing through Knockturn Alley asking everyone to hold their hand out."
"It was a man," Minerva said. "He was pale. Short dark hair. Just under six feet."
"Thanks," Tully said. "I'll go round up the hundreds of wizards that fit that description."
"You'll start with Master Declan Holver," said a familiar voice.
"Am I the Leaky Cauldron?" Tully exclaimed as Potter walked in through the front door and handed Tully a warrant for Master Declan Holver's residence.
"Sorry," Potter said. "It was open and I was informed this was an emergency."
Tully shrugged and waved him in. Potter immediately went over to the davenport where Moody was having little progress with Minerva's wound. Potter took over from Moody and grabbed Minerva's hand. He pulled off his jacket and laid it over Minerva's exposed legs.
"Thank you," she said with a shiver.
Why didn't I think of that? Tully said internally as he kicked himself for not coming up with the idea. It was obvious she was freezing.
Moments later, Commissioner Urquart arrived with a trained Auror medic who saw to patching up Minerva. Tully and the others retreated into the kitchen to discuss their next move. After updating Urquart on the situation at hand, he agreed that executing the search warrant on Holver would be their best course of action. In addition, he was sending out an all-points bulletin to be on the lookout for a marked suspect.
Several moments later, Minerva entered and Urquart began to question her on the earlier incident. He also informed her that a team was already on site at her home searching for evidence.
"I woke up and there was an intruder on my bed," she explained.
"What was he doing?" Urquart asked clinically.
"He was inside me," Minerva said with an appalled look.
Tully tightened his fists. Moody cocked his head. Potter stood up angrily.
"I mean inside my head," she corrected herself, realising how her prior statement could be misconstrued. Potter sat back down and released a sigh of relief.
"Do you remember what you were thinking?" Urquart asked concerned.
"Nothing relating to the case," she said surely. "The Ministry Yule Party from a few years ago."
"You're sure?" Urquart asked in a low tone.
Minerva nodded and asserted that she was positive there were no case-sensitive memories viewed.
Minister Urquart left to check on the progress if the investigation at Minerva's flat. Moody, who was on overnight, left to return to the office. Potter, Tully, and Minerva were left in the small kitchen. Minerva shuddered.
"Let's get you home," Potter said as he set his hand on her shoulder. Tully cocked an eyebrow at this assertion.
"You could stay here," Tully suggested. "Seeing as how you are already here."
Minerva responded by raising her eyebrow at his suggestion.
"I think I'd like to return to my own home, thank you," Minerva responded.
"Total loss," Potter told her plainly. "Urquart informed us while you were with the medic. I'm sorry."
Minerva sighed, smiled, and leaned back in her chair. She closed her eyes and said nothing. Neither Tully nor Potter was quite sure what to say in response. Tully wanted to say he was sorry, but he knew it wouldn't change anything. The clock ticked slowly as time passed and seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke.
"What are you thinking?" Potter finally asked.
Damn he's good! Tully thought.
Minerva hesitated before responding.
"Nine years ago I started over," she said with her eyes still closed. "And now I do it again."
Tully didn't know much about the details regarding Minerva's separation from the Black family, but he knew the gist of the situation. Minerva had a falling out with her family. Her political views and career choice were part of the disagreement. She left home with nothing. She had spent the last decade building a life for herself that had now gone up in flames. His heart broke and he wished he could help. Minerva was like family.
"Excuse me, gentlemen," she said as she stood up suddenly. Tully and Potter both stood at the same time. Potter insisted that she sit back down while Tully grabbed her a drink of water.
"I would really just like to get some proper clothes on," Minerva said in a far away tone.
Tully jumped up a little too eagerly and left the room. He raced up the stairs into his bedroom. He opened the closet and scanned quickly through his suit coats for anything that might be suitable. Next, he tore open his dresser to find anything that might work. He was ripping through his jumpers when he noticed a pink flash from the corner of the room.
On a small chair in the corner was cocktail dress Dolores had left at his home for special occasions. Tully grinned as he grabbed it. He held up and twirled until he caught himself in the mirror.
He ran back downstairs quickly and held out the dress with a toothy grin. Minerva Black would never pout, but the look on her face was as close to pout as it ever would be. She grudgingly accepted the offering and left to put it on.
Transfiguring clothing was tricky. Although Minerva was quite skilled at the subject, transfiguring clothes was not simple. Every change weakened the item. Over time, the changes to the item would decay and it would return to its original state. The more changes made, the faster the rate of decay. Changing a hemline or a neckline would usually last about a day. Changing sleeves or colour would last a few hours at most. Minerva wasn't quite sure how long she'd have before finding suitable clothing. She was also exhausted and reluctant to attempt complex transfigurations in that state. Lastly, she'd lost her glasses and didn't trust her eyesight.
She squinted hard to see her handiwork in the mirror. Dolores was much shorter than Minerva. She'd spent most her efforts extending the length of the dress. She brought the neckline up and added sleeves. She was glad she looked. Her hair was a mess. A quick snap of her fingers, and her curls calmed themselves. She pinched her cheeks to add some colour to her face and resigned herself that it would have to do.
Minerva entered the kitchen to find Tully and Potter sitting in an uncomfortable silence. The only sound was the clock ticking on the wall. Tully was staring at the table and Potter was staring at the cupboards along the wall.
"Thank you," Minerva said stoically. "You furniture is cleaned. And I will return the dress in the morning."
"Are you ready to leave?" Potter asked as he rose from his chair.
"Thank you," Minerva repeated. "But I think I'd like to be alone right now."
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Potter protested lightly. Tully looked up at him with a scowl.
"She just said she wanted to be alone," Tully snapped, happy he'd finally gained the upper hand. "Can't you respect that?" Then he added, "You can take my room. I'll sleep downstairs."
Potter rounded on Tully with an equally frustrated glare.
"Do you hear yourself?" He snapped. "She said she wanted to be alone," he said mimicking the other wizard.
"Black, I didn't mean-" Tully tried to explain. But as he turned back to the doorway, both wizards realised she was gone.
"Now look what you've done," Tully said showing his exasperation.
"What I've done?" Potter countered rounding on the man. Tully made for the door but Potter stopped him. "Let her go."
Tully turned and glared at Potter but said nothing. Potter eased his grip on the older wizard.
"It's what she does," he said trying to make Tully understand.
"She shouldn't be alone right now," Tully said as he stared down the younger and smaller wizard.
"I know you care about her," Potter said. "But you don't know what she needs right now."
"Oh like you do!" Tully exclaimed wildly. Perhaps it was his lack of sleep, or argument with Dolores, or even his dislike of Potter, but he wasn't going to hold back any longer. He sneered, "I know about you two. She's right there in front of you and somehow you can't bring yourself to make your relationship public. Is it the fallout with her family? What, is she not good enough for the likes of you?"
"I would love nothing more than to dedicate my every waking moment to making that woman happy," Potter responded without blinking. "You don't know anything about us." Tully was breathing heavily, anger rising within his chest.
"And you know even less about her," he added as he threw his coat over his shoulder and walked out. "Do her a favour and let her be."
Tully slunk down his kitchen chair and let his arms rest at his sides. He thought of nothing besides the overwhelming sense of unease in his gut. He was unsure of everything. He'd manage to anger his fiancee. Worse, his uncontrolled emotion had managed to drive his partner to solitude in her hour of need.
Several blocks away Minerva was walking with no particular direction. Her arms were crossed as she tried to keep out the cold. She wanted to be away from everyone. She would have to return to the office in a few hours. In addition, she would need to find more suitable clothing for the fall weather. The wind had picked up and was blowing leaves in spirals down the deserted street.
After what felt like ages she began to recognise buildings. Her feet had led her to the Ministry. Subconscious-Minerva was all business. She kept an extra pair of trousers and a blouse at the office. She would need to file her formal report on the incident.
Several hours later, Tully entered the office to find Minerva nowhere in sight. He threw his trench in the corner and placed his hat on the desk. The dress he'd lent her lay neatly over the back of his chair, returned to its original state. He ran his hand along the fabric of the dress. He had expected to find her here, pouring over case notes or sweating out a detailed-rich report.
He sat down on the top of his desk and flipped casually to a page in his case notes. He'd been researching the shop clerk, Tom Riddle, since their encounter in Knockturn Alley. Something in Riddle's stare had struck a chord with Tully. Unfortunately, he'd had little success. He had a meeting set up later that morning with Professor Slughorn. He hadn't told Slughorn the full reason for their meeting; only that Tully needed his help with an ongoing investigation.
There was a quick knock before the door opened and Potter stepped inside. He had a small file clasped in his hand. He looked agitated as he threw the file on Tully's desk.
"What's this?" Tully said calmly.
"Declan Holver," Potter replied.
"But there's nothing here," Tully said confused as he glanced at the file. There were a few times his named appeared on a register for purchasing rare items from an apothecary. There was also a record from Mulpepper's (a shop in Knockturn Alley) for a one-year lease on a small flat. Tully was right, there was nothing to go on.
"Holver's flat is the same address that shop boy gave you as his own," Potter explained. "We've been had."
"I'm sorry," Tully replied.
"Urquart is assigning you and Black to head back to arrest that shop boy," Potter explained. "Take Bones and Moody as backup. Hopefully he can lead us to Borgin and Burke."
"No," Tully said. "I am sorry. I am sorry for what I said to you this morning."
"No need," Potter said dismissively.
"I mean it," Tully pressed. "I care about my partner. I want her to be happy. You're a lovely fellow."
"Thank you," Potter said accepting Tully's apology. "Now maybe you can get her to go along with that idea."
"Well this is odd," Minerva said as she entered the office to find Tully and Potter. She gave them a moment's glance and then walked over to her desk. She began stuffing papers into a folder, pretending they weren't there.
Potter filled her in on the situation. They would be arresting Tom Riddle for disrupting their investigation. They needed to find Borgin and Burke, and most importantly the necklace, before anyone was hurt. It would take some time for the arrest warrant to clear. The group would meet again at ten o'clock to carry out the warrant. This would give Tully just enough time to meet with Slughorn.
Ten minutes later, Tully was heading toward Limehouse Library. He didn't want anyone knowing about his meeting with Slughorn yet. The library was often used as a meeting point for Aurors to speak with informants. It was considered a secure location. Tully was crossing a street when a familiar voice caught his attention.
"What are you doing here?" Minerva said matching his pace.
"I could ask you the same question," he retorted. "I have a meeting with a source."
"As do I," she responded as they walked through the doorway into the library.
Right inside the door, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Slughorn were chatting amiably at a small table. Slughorn waved enthusiastically as he saw Tully and Minerva enter the library.
"Why didn't you tell me you were meeting with Dumbledore?" Tully whispered to his partner while forcing a small smile and returning Slughorn's wave.
She didn't respond verbally. Rather, she cocked her head and met his gaze. He realised he shouldn't have asked that question considering he'd kept his meeting with Slughorn a secret. He suddenly felt quite guilty about keeping his investigation into Tom Riddle a secret from his partner. He trusted her completely and she would probably be a valuable asset to his research. He decided he would tell her after his meeting with Slughorn.
"Well, well, well," Slughorn smiled as he greeted the pair. "It is so nice to see you two again. How may be of assistance?"
"I'd like to speak to you in private, Professor," Tully said in a serious tone. The two men headed off to the upper floor of the library. Slughorn had been more than eager to respond to Tully's invitation. Tully was hoping that Slughorn could provide some insight into Tom Riddle's background and, most importantly, where he'd been for the last five years. However, Tully was disappointed. When questioned, Professor Slughorn drew quiet and seemed uncomfortable discussing the former student.
"I haven't really kept in touch with him," Slughorn whispered.
Tully continued to press Slughorn for information, but the man was not keen on sharing. He did tell Tully that Riddle was a student of his, a brilliant student, but a little strange. He did not confess to knowing if Riddle had any experience or training in Legilimency.
Downstairs his partner was having considerably more luck with her meeting. Dumbledore was upset, but unsurprising, to learn that the information had been stolen. His eyes never lost his twinkle, even as he discussed the severity of the situation. He filled Minerva in on some of the individuals he'd been watching and their activities.
According to Dumbledore's source, there was a man working for someone known as "The Dark Lord." This man was an assassin. By Dumbledore's count this same killer had already murdered four people across Europe in the last five years. Each time the same strange symbol of a skull and snake was found at the murder scene on the victim.
Minerva asked Dumbledore if he knew anything about Tom Riddle. She didn't provide any details, but Dumbledore's eyes clouded over at the mention of his name.
"He's dangerous," Dumbledore said.
Minerva asked Dumbledore if he knew any specifics, but Dumbledore wasn't giving in.
"Another time, perhaps," Dumbledore said coyly. "But be careful speaking with him. He's a gifted legilimens."
As they left the library, Minerva felt a chill at Dumbledore's words. Tully was feeling equally uneasy. Slughorn had given him little to go on. One clue Slughorn gave Tully was a list of former students Tom Riddle had been close with at Hogwarts. After questioning Riddle, Tully would track down the names on the list.
An hour later they were preparing to arrest Tom Riddle. Carrying out arrest warrants in Knockturn Alley was always a crapshoot. It was a part of wizarding London that wasn't Ministry-friendly territory. A simple arrest could turn into a large-scale shootout if not handled properly. The Ministry was taking no chances with Riddle's arrest warrant.
Moody had been responsible for developing the plan. Bones and Moody, being the most agile team, would lead the arrest. Minerva and Tully would cover the backdoor. Two other Aurors from the homicide division would be waiting out front as backup. Moody had even pulled Kingsley Shacklebolt from the vice subdivision to stand by undercover outside the shop.
Moody and Bones didn't hesitate when entering. There were several patrons in and around the shop. It was certainly more crowded than it had been the first time the Aurors had been there.
"Mister Riddle, if you would please raise your hands above your head," Moody said steadily.
"Of course," Riddle said calmly. He raised his hands slowly. In a flash, Moody was hit with a stunner from behind. One of the patrons in the shop had fired the spell. Bones got him bound with a quick binding spell. As she turned to snag Riddle, she realised he was already gone.
In a small alley behind the shop, Minerva and Tully were at the ready when Riddle burst through the backdoor. Instead of running, he lunged at Tully and knocked him into the wall. Tully instantly felt Riddle inside of his mind. It was cold and uncomfortable.
Minerva grabbed Riddle over his arms and pulled him off Tully. She slammed his face against the wall.
"Tom Riddle you are under arrest for interfering with an official investigation of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she said harshly. "Do you understand?"
Riddle didn't respond.
"Black," Tully said as he recovered. He was pointing at Riddle's arm. The sleeve of his robe had been pulled up during scuffle to reveal a large blue stain. Riddle was marked.
"Tom Riddle you are under arrest for assault on an officer of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement," she added. "Do you understand?"
Riddle smiled as if he understood completely and was proud of his actions.
"You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence," Minerva explained.