Ch 2: Crime

Diagon Alley, Two Days Ago (Day 1)

The afternoon Sun shone brightly on Diagon Alley. Being the busiest part of the day, the streets were teaming with folk jostling each other to get to their respective destinations. While it was nothing unusual for the wizards and witches gathered there, to Poppy; a little house elf, it was like navigating a labyrinth. Bernard Bigsley, her master; a tall, brown haired man with cold, dark eyes and an imposing scowl on his sharp featured face, was having no trouble getting through. But for poor Poppy; barely reaching the people's waists, it was a different matter altogether.

After what seemed like ages, she finally found her master frowning at her as she scuttled up to him on the doorstep of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. After shooting a withering glance at her, he tossed his heavy overcoat to her and went inside. Poppy recalled being told by her master that house-elves were not allowed to enter the Bank for goblins found them filthy and unreliable. Her big ears drooped as she wondered why everyone despised her kind when they always did their best to serve their masters. She had heard some talk of a witch in the Ministry who wanted elves to be freed from servitude, but she knew her master didn't believe in such nonsense and would never let her go free.

She watched a little girl in a pretty pink frock skip merrily into the Bank, looked down at her filthy rag and sighed. Trying not to think about things which would never come true, she took to observing her surroundings and her already golf-ball like eyes widened even further.

Walking up to her; clad in a gray overcoat, with messy jet black hair and green eyes behind round black spectacles, was Harry Potter himself!

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It had been a while since Harry Potter had walked past her into Gringotts but Poppy still couldn't believe her luck on having actually seen him. She had heard tales of the treatment elves received during the reign of The Dark Lord. A sense of joy had filled her on hearing of his demise by the hands of the man she had just had the honor to see.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard familiar footsteps approaching her and the voice of her master in conversation with another wizard. A little shiver went down her spine as she thought of the punishment she would receive for being slow in aiding her master. But just as the steps were about to reach the door, something strange happened. A distant wailing arose from somewhere below the ground. Definitely not human, it wasn't like anything she had ever heard before. But it sounded like some giant beast's plea for help, or a warning. Either way, it couldn't have been anything good.

"Must be the Ironbelly down in the dungeons. Probably being whipped again." Her master spoke in his usual monotonous voice.

The footsteps resumed and a portly man appeared out of the door followed by Mr. Bigsley, who was now carrying a heavy briefcase. He immediately threw the briefcase at Poppy and grunted, implying that she should wait for him ahead as he wanted a private word with the other gentleman.

Poppy lugged all the stuff away from them with visible difficulty while the two men shook each other's hands. Occupied with carrying the heavy things, she didn't notice that by now, the entire crowd seemed to have gathered together, gazing over at Gringotts due to the dragon's wailing which had intensified even more in the last few moments. Murmurs went up around her as the people wondered what was going on inside the building.

Just as they were deciding upon a probable cause, the wailing ended just as abruptly as it had begun. As if mimicking it, silence descended over the crowd as well. The air was thick with anticipation. Everyone was curious to know exactly what had happened yet none could provide an explanation.

Unable to get through, Poppy was just about to request a burly man in front of her to allow her to pass when her ears detected an isolated beep from somewhere far away. She had no idea what it was but a sense of dread filled her as she stopped, rooted to her spot for a brief moment. Fearing for the worst, she turned and was just able to see her master same as he had been before the building exploded into scarlet flames.

In a fraction of a second, she was launched a dozen feet away by the sheer force of the blast. She landed on the ground, the impact knocking the breath out of her lungs. Her mind was flushed with panic, running wildly, but her body was unable to move. Her limbs had already gone numb and blood was gushing from a wound on her forehead. Her eyes could see chunks of Gringotts launched high into the sky. Scream constantly echoed around her. The smell of burning flesh, metal and sulphur filled the air, making it difficult to breathe.

Her vision was getting blurred, her senses were getting dull and the screams felt more and more distant as she slowly drifted unconscious…