Chapter 2: First Meetings
Emerald eyes.
A avid shade of green, that she couldn't help but stare at. What were the chances that the unknown man she was being forced to marry would have eyes bearing her favorite color?
"Ms. Greengrass I presume, a pleasure to meet you" the man said. Daphne pulled the cloak thrown around her body a bit tighter. The cold wind was blowing hard through the open door, making her shiver.
She was faintly aware of his motions as the young man kissed her knuckles, with a perfect bow. His hair was so messy, spiking up here and there. Rather than make him look untidy, it sort of added to his boyish looks. Round glassed spectacles adored his face, his lips quirking in amusement, was it?
Daphne snapped. The small tint of pink that had blossomed on her face disappeared, her face morphing into a mask of indifference. She was acutely aware of the temperature around her dropping by a few degrees.
"The pleasure is mine Lord Potter" she replied in a clipped tone, "Do come in" she stepped aside to allow her future-husband into the house.
She watched as him kiss her mother's knuckled as per tradition, before firmly shaking his hands with her father. He was dressed in a fancy pair of robes. Not Acromantula, but it didn't look cheap either. He was pretty lean, but Daphne easily guessed that his robes were a size larger than the perfect fit. Why would he design his robes that way?
For some unknown reason, Daphne couldn't help but feel intrigued by his presence. Realizing that she was standing frozen by the door, she walked in slowly following her fiance and parents. She concentrated hard on her fiance, using her Aura sight to examine his magical core. One of her rare talents, that none knew, save for her mentor, Croaker. It was one of the few abilities that the head of the DoM had helped her control and manipulate.
A shining sphere of Emerald green greeted her gifted sight. She scoffed wondering how it is that one could have the same Aura color as their eyes. Shifting her thoughts she concentrated on the magic before her. She had to admit that his core was large, much more than average. it was disappointing to note that he was nowhere near her level.
Her magical core was still the larger one. But she was pleased with what she saw. While a persons core size wasn't everything, she didn't want her future husband to be weak. She idly wondered whether he knew to duel, it wouldn't do any good for the husband of an Unspeakable to not know how to fight. It would be her duty to raise his skill standards to at least a moderately acceptable level.
"Daphne" her father called in a soft voice.
She looked up to see all three of them staring at her, "Oh, forgive my momentary lack of attention Lord Potter" Daphne couldn't help but feel stupid having been caught staring at Potter's back.
"There is no need to be formal, you can just call me Harry" he replied with a friendly smile.
Daphne plastered a huge fake smile on her face, "Ummm … look at the time, shouldn't we be leaving Lord Potter" she replied completely ignoring his last statement. She was being a tad bit rude, Daphne knew that. Inviting a person inside your home and asking them to rush out before even offering them a seat and a drink was outright disrespectful. She needed to see how he would react. Furthermore she had no intention to hold the first ever conversation with her betrothed in front of her parents.
"Alright then, another time maybe, I'll be able to taste your delicious tea Lady Greengrass" Potter didn't even bat an eye to her obvious rudeness. She was surprised at his go with the flow. Daphne wasn't able to detect even the scantiest amount of anger in his eyes.
"Shall we head out Ms. Greengrass" he asked her, that thrice damned smile still in place.
Her own phony faced smile surfaced, "If you would follow me Mr. Potter" she replied, kissing her dad on the cheek, giving her mom a nod before following her fiance as he held the front door open for her.
Daphne tapped the cloak around her with a finger, wandlessly casting a warming charm. The cold air was biting into her skin. She saw Potter nod politely at her father before closing the door. They walked silently, side by side, past the wards before Potter offered her his arm. Seeing his expectant look and after a few moments of consideration, she relented. Daphne Greengrass did not trust anyone to side-apparate her properly.
Together they dis-apparated with a loud Crack. They reappeared at the Diagon Alley Apparation point with an even louder one. Daphne sniffed disdainfully at the lack of skill displayed in Apparition. Silent Apparition was not easy, but it was doable with a half descent amount of concentration, that her fiance seemed to lack.
"So what do you do Ms. Greengrass?" Harry asked.
"I work as an Unspeakable as my parents may have told you, at the Department of Mysteries" Daphne replied stoically.
"That's neat, you must've been very talented to have been selected. I hear that only one or two get selected every five years"
"True, but it was a welcome surprise" Daphne admitted, a bit of her ego growing at the praise. "You yourself must be pretty talented Lord Pott-"
"Its Harry, or just Potter, no need to be so formal Ms. Greengrass" he interrupted her.
"Potter then, in Charms, seeing as you are a healer. They train only the best at St. Mungos" Daphne queried.
"True, I do love Charms. I find it quite fascinating that there is a Charm for everything and anything you might want to do. I've always wanted to be a Doctor, a muggle Healer I mean, ever since I was a kid" Harry shrugged, the smile never leaving his face.
"You grew up in the muggle world?" Daphne asked curiously inwardly reeling. The future Lord of an Anicent and Noble House was brought up in a muggle environment? The very idea seemed ludicrous to her.
"I was sent to my aunt and uncle, after my parents died. I didn't even know that I was supposed to go to Hogwarts until I turned eleven and received my Hogwarts letter" there was a hardened glint in his eyes and along with the mention of 'Aunt's home' instantly made Daphne suspicious. Why would he not just call it his home? There was a story there.
"I myself have never been to the muggle world" Daphne admitted. She didn't want to be the one to start a conversation, but she would do anything prevent an uncomfortable silence.
"Really" Potter seemed surprised, "I should take you sometime. It's marvelous"
"Somehow I doubt it is Potter" she replied. She had no interest of venturing into the muggle world, no matter how marvelous it sounded to her fiance.
"You say that you have never been outside before, then how do you get to judge. Have you ever been to a movie Ms. Greengrass?" Potter asked.
"What's a mo-vie?" Daphne had heard that word somewhere before.
"Well, I don't want to ruin the surprise, so … you'll have to find out I suppose" Potter replied mysteriously. Daphne shot him an annoyed look.
"Most purebloods don't venture into the muggle world" she said instead.
"Most purebloods don't get into the Department of Mysteries Ms. Greengrass. Did you know that? Most of the Unspeakables are half-bloods with a few muggleborns, and only a very little number of them are purebloods such as yourself" Potter replied.
Daphne couldn't help but be suspicious instantly. How did Potter get to know such statistics? It sounded like classified data that even she wouldn't be able to access. Daphne's next question was halted thanks to a huge fire that came into their view.
Looking at the frown on Potter's face Daphne followed him as they rushed towards the source of commotion.
" … -me out of nowhere. They dragged him out all beaten and bloody" the Aurors had set up a perimeter around the area.
Auror Moody was questioning the shop owner opposite to the burning building while the rest of the Aurors were trying to put out the humongous fire that seemed to engulf the shop, failing miserably. From the outside it was pretty clear that anything that was not completely destroyed by the fire wouldn't be worth half a knut.
"Any faces that ya recognized lad?" the grizzly Auror questioned.
"N-No M-Moody sir. There were t-three in total. Two were wearing masks and the other was F-Fenrir G-Greyback, just as I said before to your partner" the obviously sacred man stuttered.
Another Death Eater attack, Daphne frowned; it was the third attack on a Diagon Alley resident in the past week. The raids were getting more spontaneous and regular. She saw Potter looking around intensely making her wonder where he stood in this conflict.
'It better not be with that self styled Dark Lord' she thought viciously.
Potter motioned her to move on. They were still a good ten minutes from the restaurant. She nodded seeing that there wasn't anything that they could do to help and the DMLE couldn't.
"No one seems to have sustained any injuries" Potter said, his tone sounding relieved.
"Except for the shop owner" Daphne murmured. She noticed Potter grimace out of the corner of her eyes.
"What are your thoughts?" she asked suddenly motioning towards the scene behind their back.
"I think that people need to be more careful" Potter replied.
"Meaning?" Daphne asked.
"It's obvious that the person back there has somehow managed to offend You-know-who, which I think that he should have striven to avoid" Potter clarified.
"Are you implying that people should bend over to accommodate Voldemort?" Daphne asked, curbing the anger in her voice.
"What else do you propose Ms. Greengrass? Would you want to spite a Dark Lord?" said Potter.
"The Dark Lord uses fear to manipulate people, Potter. He knows that if the common folk start flinging out spells at the Death Eaters his propaganda would be over within a day" Daphne replied tersely.
"How can you expect a common man, a shopkeeper, a business man, a clerk, etc to go up against Death Eaters who know powerful magic? That is hardly fair Ms. Greengrass"
"That is why there is a class called DADA at Hogwarts"
"Which was and is a class attended equally by Death Eaters and innocents alike"
"Strength in numbers Potter, for if there are ten Death Eaters causing trouble in a street of fifty people; I suggest that we take them down"
"If people start mass fighting on the streets then what are the Auror's for Ms. Greengrass?" Potter sounded amused.
"The Auror's have shown their incompetence through the years Potter" Daphne shot back.
"Then the people should know better and elect a better Minister the next time. You just cannot expect common people to fight. They live in a society governed by a Government that they pay taxes to in return for safety, security and growth"
"What? No that's no-"
"Auror's are paid to ensure the safety of the common people, from the taxes that the people pay. Civil War between a very small minority and the government is not something that they should be bothered about. This war should be the Ministry's headache. Frankly speaking though, if the appropriate measures had been takes, this war would've been over long ago"
"Civil-War is too extreme of a word to describe the current climate" Daphne replied heatedly, "and if the Ministry is corrupt and is making stupid decisions due to bribes and cowardice then they deserve to face the consequences" Daphne replied angrily.
"What else do we call Voldemort's crusade. A small minority revolting against the ruling government is indeed a Civil war. And let me tell you, people like that shopkeeper we saw earlier are the unfortunate victims" Potter replied, "Also it is not the Ministry that is suffering, but the honest and hardworking people who live here who had put their faith in the ministry"
Daphne sighed, "I would still say that I'm irritated with the sheeple"
"How can you be, when the people in power are elected by the Wizegamot? The common people the British society have no part in the election and yet it is they who suffer the consequences of the Ministry's mistakes such as Voldemort" Daphne noticed the small coloring of Potter's eyes. Was it anger?
"Wrapping up the Ministry, let's say that Diagon Alley gets attacked right now. What would you do?" Daphne asked throwing him a challenging look. Instead of making him reveal things, Daphne went with straight away asking his opinion.
"I'd call the Auror's. It's not my job to fight maniacs and bloodthirsty animals"
Potter's reply disappointed Daphne more than she had imagined. She had wanted a husband who would at least be a little bit passionate about his country. Potter seemed apathetic to both Voldmeort and the Ministry. He didn't seem to care much for anyone else. He seemed hell bent on remaining a bystander, like the most of magical Britain.
Daphne once again studied Potter first glance and to her eyes, there seemed to be an aura of softness, fragility that hung about his entire frame. No one would look twice at him, as he looked so much like a face in the passing crowd. A handsome one, but still not a face associated with anything mysterious or in some agenda. Character wise, he was polite, respectful, patient, which made her doubt whether he had ever been in a fight. Not even those childish squabbles, or some sort of teenage rebellion.
If he told her that he hadn't cast a single offensive spell in his entire life, she would believe him a hundred percent.
Even his face looked, young. The way his locks of hair spiked in every direction, looking as though he had just climbed out of bed, his ever polite smiling face. He looked as though he was still in Hogwarts, or just out of Hogwarts. The way he wore robes a size larger covering his entire frame, giving him the look of a having a slim body, not scrawny but thin.
Carefree would be the correct word. It definitely was not the face people wore in these troubled times
No, Harry Potter was not a fighter. In fact he looked the farthest from a real fighter and Daphne could homestly not blame him for wanting to call the Auror's instead of taking a direct approach.
They finally arrived at Sunshade Restaurant, in a comfortable silence. Said place was situated at one end of Diagon Alley, bordering Nightwall alley.
Potter opened the door, holding it for her to pass before following her inside.
A waiter dressed in the finest of Acromantula robes greeted them with a bow. "Reservation's for Greengrass and Potter."
"Ah, this way Miss Greengrass, Mr. Potter" he led the way to a secluded table, near the window.
She took off the heavy cloak, her beautiful blue dress visible underneath. She noticed Potter's eyes dip towards her cleavage for the briefest of seconds before it returned back to her face. He helped her into her seat, making her hide a scowl that threatened to surface, before settling on the opposite seat.
Glancing down at the menu, she ordered her usual favorite. She had after all been here quite a few times with her parents and Astoria. She observed Potter looking at the menu was interest taking some time.
Twenty minutes of casual conversation later they were digging into their meals.
"So, Miss Greengrass, you never mentioned anything about yourself" Potter said after some time.
"My interests?" she questioned.
"Other than your job at the DoM" Potter prodded.
"I love to dance" she said after a moment's hesitation, a true smile grazing her features before it disappeared.
Potter smiled, "I myself know just enough to not give my partner sore feet afterwards."
"I also like flying" Daphne admitted after a few seconds.
"Now that's something you don't hear every day. Hogwarts Slytherin team, I think was the stereotypical one?"
"Yes" Daphne scowled, "Thanks to some idiots in the past, girls have never been allowed on board the Slytherin Quidditch team"
"Another aspect that has caused the magical society to be backward" Potter concluded.
"Yes, but Slytherin also did win the Quidditch cup five times out of my seven years at Hogwarts" Daphne reluctantly admitted.
"That's not a good argument for favoring men over woman" Potter said with a laugh.
Daphne couldn't help but feel pleased. In the Wizarding world, woman had very little rights to the point that they were almost puppets to the Head of the House. She got the distinct feeling that Potter would never exercise that particular power. Not that he could control her. She would never bend to anyone, no matter what the scenario or who it was.
"Professor Snape said the same thing when Tracey and I went to him in our third year. In fact his ex-" Daphne stopped when her ears picked up a huge noise coming from the entrance. People who had been sitting calmly in their seats were running towards the entrance, all manner of etiquette forgotten.
Daphne turned her head to see a huge flash, reporters and the press. A glance back told her that Potter was also staring towards the commotion, though he visibly winced when a female screeched in high pitch. Daphne stared with interest when two Auror's cleared the crowd; roughly she might add, to make way for two people … Neville Longbottom and his fiancée Ginevra Weasley.
She shook her head in pity. Why did people pander so much to the boy-who-lived? She would never know. She watched as the couple took a seat at the far end of the restaurant, the manager shooing away nearly everyone without a reservation. The other diners in the hall returned to their seats, but the way each and every one of them craned their necks to have a look at the newest Senior Auror made Daphne grimace in disgust.
Potter was wearing an amused look and seemed to be looking at her.
"Longbottom" she simply stated, "Your ex-dorm mate if I'm right?"
"Yes he was" Harry admitted, "He and Weasley were thick as thieves along with Granger"
Daphne shook her head, "Somehow I get the idea that you don't know more than I do, about their yearly supposed death defying stunts."
"They were very popular in the Gryffindor, Neville already being the Boy-Who-Lived and the Seeker of the Quidditch team, Weasley the Keeper and Prefect, and Granger for being the academic prodigy" Daphne almost scowled at the mention of Granger. The girl was very intellectual, with a lot of brain, but Hermione Granger could never hope to compete with Daphne Greengrass in terms of magical power and actual manipulation of magic.
"You don't seem impressed though?" she queried.
"I didn't know them much on a personal basis, so I really haven't got anything to be impressed about" Potter admitted, "though 'Impressed' is a pretty strong word and can be interpreted into a multitude of things"
"Oh?" Daphne liked the angle Potter was presenting, "And in what context did you assume I mentioned the pretty strong word"
"I'm not a fan Ms. Greengrass. There are very few people whom I respect" Potter looked serious for the first time.
"Respect is earned, true, I agree Potter" Daphne lifted her chin up looking straight into his emerald eyes.
The serious look vanished and a cheeky smile surfaced on his handsome face. Daphne turned towards her desert not wanting to look at his face. Blushing was not on the menu and she had been caught off guard.
"Three dead and that's just this week. This is not good Albus" Moody growled.
A full blown Order of the Phoenix meeting was in progress. Auror's, Teachers, Ministry workers, Curse Breakers, Unspeakables, etc made the Order of the Phoenix a very diverse group of Light Wizards. Oh, escaped convicts and werewolves were also in attendance.
"What do you propose Alastor. Diagon Alley is humongous and we do not have nearly the amount of manpower to scout its entire area. The perimeter alone had us working day and night" Albus Dumbledore replied with a weary sigh.
"What about the citizens?" Arthur Weasley said suddenly. His entire family was in the Order. Even his precious daughter had stubbornly put her foot down last year. She had insisted that through her Quidditch connections she might be able to influence some sort of foreign support which had caught Dumbledore's attention. The old wizened wizard was always on the lookout for recruits.
"The citizens? What is it with them?" came Molly's confused reply.
"No, What I meant was that if we were able to recruit some people, say Fortescue in the main alley, and someone like that in every street. I mean not as an official member of the Order, but as the eyes and the ears to any attack or so-"
"A Protean Charm. I can apply it to the galleons the same way I did during our fifth year" Hermione Granger replied excitedly, catching on to the thought, "I mean we could put some location charms that would activate as soon the person wishes to inform us. We could be there in seconds"
"That could work" Albus Dumbledore replied, a twinkle appearing in his deep blue eyes.
"It could also leave us ambushed Albus. I tell ya, it just takes one black sheep to get a lot of us killed with a nicely laid trap. Aye" said Moody.
"Must you always be so damned paranoid Mad-Eye" Sirius Black said with a chuckle. He looked pretty okay after spending nearly twelve years in Azkaban. The sessions of therapy offered by one of Bill Weasley's foreign associates had done a lot of good to the Lord Black's mental state. The haunted look in his eyes was still present however.
"But Mad-Eye has a point Padfoot. It is an avenue that Voldemort won't be able to resist exploiting" Remus said in his usual deep but thoughtful tone. Nearly everyone flinched at the name of the Dark Lord.
"Then I suggest we employ more of the Order's forces" Minerva McGonagall put in.
"Pooling the entire Order to such a state is exactly what Voldemort wants. I'll talk to Amelia and see if I can corroborate something. A co-effort from the DMLE and the Order should be enough in making Tom back off. Now then, any news on your part Severus?" Dumbledore gestured to Snape.
The old man sighed wearily seeing the sneer surfacing on Sirius Black's face. Seeing the matching sneer on Severus's face he couldn't help but feel irritated that the two men still snarled and clawed at each other.
"The Dark Lord has planned an assault on St. Mungos, sometime this week. He wasn't exactly forthcoming on the details but it is a sure event" Snape replied with usual sneer.
"Any particular targets?" Kingsley asked.
"None, but I think that the Dark Lord has to have an agenda. He wouldn't attack a place of Healing unless he had an ulterior motive" Snape replied to the Head Auror.
"Then I suggest we make a timetable of patrols to keep us alert. I suggest that everyone keep their communication mirrors close by for backup which would be essential if there is an attack" Dumbledore replied.
"I suggest three Order members patrol at any time Albus. There are very few Auror's, all of them inexperienced at St. Mungos" Moody was quick to get in.
"I agree, it's just for a week so we should be able to manage" Arthur agreed.
"So be it. Alastor, I hope you can take care of organizing the patrols?"
"Aye, Albus"
"Good, Ms. Vance would it be possible for you to do extra shifts at work this week. It would mean an extra Order member at St. Mungos" Dumbledore requested the head healer of St. Mungos, Emmeline Vance.
"That's will be easy Headmaster, I have a newbie that I need to instruct"
"Oh? Any chance that he or she may be interested in joining our cause?" Dumbledore knew that recruits for the Order were hard to find these days.
"Ummm … he's not much of a fighter Headmaster from what I have seen. He's a pretty gentle kind of guy; I don't think that he can handle the heat of being in the Order"
"That's perfectly fine Ms. Vance. We could use an extra Healer being around to help after missions. Who is this person?"
"Harry Potter. He jo-"
"Wait! Harry? Harry is back and no one told me" Sirius yelled, jumping from his seat.
"Rest easy Black. You're a mass murderer in the eyes of your arrogant godson. He'll probably set the Dementors on you before you utter a single word" Snape sneered.
"Shut up Snivellous, no one asked for your opinion, ya great greasy git" Sirius snarled.
"Gentleman please" Dumbledore said forcefully, allowing a bit of his magic into his voice making the two men back off.
"As I was saying, he joined a week ago" Emmeline said looking at Dumbledore, a bit unsettled over the argument between the two men.
"Did he say where he has been all this time?" Sirius questioned eagerly.
"No, actually his certificates as a qualified Healer bore the ICW mark. So I don't even know the country or hospital he practiced at. In fact I don't even know who he apprenticed under" Emmeline felt sad that she couldn't give the man more on his godson.
Everyone in the room knew and felt bad about Sirius Black's frustration. All of them were pretty much understanding to the fact that his life his royally sucked. Twelve years in Azkaban for mass muder of muggles and then the rest of the time cooped up in a house he hated with passion. Though Sirius Black was one of the best duelists on the Order he was rarely sent out on missions. He could hardly take a normal stroll across the road what with the muggles too on the lookout for the unofficial Lord Black.
For the longest time around five years back, Sirius had been begging to let one Harry Potter into their fold. The man was desperate to meet his godson. Unfortunately, during that time, the ministry was on a rampage against Dumbledore and Neville Longbottom making it impractical to take such a risk. After things had cooled down, the green eyes boy had literally disappeared from the face of the Earth. Literally no one knew where he had gone. Dumbledore had given up searching in order to train the Prophesied child against the Dark Lord.
"Interesting, Mr. Potter was just above average in his performance before the O.W.L.S if I remember correctly" McGonagall mused, "He left Hogwarts after taking his O.W.L.S so I never got a copy of his O.W.L results"
"It is possible that he may have transferred to another school Professor" Hermione Granger piped up. The assistant of the Head of International Magical Cooperation was praised as the brightest witch of her generation. She was also the brains of the Golden Trio.
"Why would he do that? Hogwarts is the best there is" Ronald Weasley, young Auror and best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived, said in return.
"Thank you Mr. Weasley, but I doubt that Mr. Potter joined another school for that would require a sighed case of withdrawal from the Headmaster and I have no memory of Mr. Potter approaching me"
"Then Headmaster, it is fairly obvious that he has never taken his N.E.W.T's" Hermione Granger was quick to get in, "Though you were saying that he is a qualified healer" Hermione turned towards Emmeline with a confused look.
"If I had the Potter fortune then I wouldn't have taken the N.E.W.T's either" Ronald Weasley lacked tact in general.
Many around the table made disapproving noises, as Granger slapped him on the head.
"Any other information that might make the Potter look less suspicious Granger" Moody growled.
"Mad-Eye! Are you insane? This is the son of Lily and James we're talking about. How could you even suggest my godson being suspicious?" Sirius growled.
"Your lack of caution and everlasting presence of brash stupidity never ceases to amuse me Black" Snape sneered, "Just because he's Potter's son doesn't mean that we have to run around him begging to join us."
"Well, it's an improvement to having a Death Muncher in the Organization isn't it?" Sirius shot back.
The table collectively groaned at the birth of another round of insults.
"That is all under the impression that Potter is willing to join the Order" Hermione put in.
"What do you mean Ms. Granger? Are you insinuating that Mr. Potter won't be interested in joining the Order?" Dumbledore asked quickly, to change to topic back to a potential recruit. James and Lily had been valuable to the Order. The donations that James Potter had offered from the Potter family vault had funded the Order well. The fact that the son of James and Lily Potter was bound to be powerful was just a bonus.
"That is likely Professor. From what I have seen during the first five years, Potter is someone who sticks to the background. I've never seen him interact with anyone save for a few. I have very few memories of him from our time at Hogwarts that even his face is kind of blurry to me now" Granger looked a bit confused.
Dumbledore steeled his fingers in thought. The seat of House Potter had been inactive in the Wizegamot for the past two decades. The Potter's were a very ancient house. They held a lot of influence among the neutral families. It would go a long way in tipping the war into their favor. If the young Potter had indeed ascended to the title of Lord, then he would see the young man in two days at the Wizengamot meeting.
"Headmaster, recruiting and maintaining an arrogant boy who hasn't even taken his N.E.W.T's and has probably failed his O.W.L.S is a burden that the Order just cannot accomadate" Snape drawled.
"Shut up Snivellous!" Sirius was getting irriatted with the slander Snape was throwing against his godson, "Albus, allow me to talk to Harry. It's my right and I'm sure that he'll be happy to know his godfather."
"A Godfather whom he thinks betrayed both his own parents and those of the Boy-Who-Lived" Dumbledore replied with a heavy tone, "Please Sirius, let Ms. Vance get to know the boy before she throws the offer of invitation. I'll try to talk to young Harry at the Wizengamot gathering this week, if he is there."
"Now, is there anything else anyone would want to share?" Dumbeldore asked looking round the table.
"Aye Albus, I was saving it for last" Moody replied, "Mulciber was found unconscious, knocked out in an alleyway near Knockturn Alley"
The blunt last statement took everyone off guard. "But … he hasn't been spotted in months since we put up the wanted posters?" Nymphadora Tonks blurted out.
"How?" Dumbledore asked looking at Moody.
"No idea Albus. He's in the ministry holding cells right now. His shoulder bones were shattered when we found him. No spell that I know of, Dark or Light does that Albus. He also had a major concussion; I reckon a stunning spell to the head, and a shattered wrist."
"We've been after him for months. It's a lucky break" Ron was happy to acknowledge, "Neville will be pleased"
"It would be even better if we could get him to testify that his brother, the Lord of House Mulciber is a Death Eater" Bill Weasley couldn't help but thinking out loud.
"The Dark houses would throw a tantrum if one of their own was to be questioned under Veritaserum, even if said scumbag is a wanted Death Eater" Moody scowled.
"But who is it that put him there?" Hermione asked.
"No idea lassy. He was found by some Ministry bloke who lives nearby. The man saw the wanted poster and alerted the Auror's" Moody said.
The rest of the meeting dissolved with various other petty issues, Voldemort's growing power, resources for the Order, etc. They talked about increasing the training of the Boy-Who-Lived, other contacts and refugee protections before dispersing.
Dumbledore met Moody outside, alone after the meeting, a talk between old friends.
"Alastor I would like you to find out anything and everything you can from Mr. Mulciber. Use Veritaserum, if you must"
"Aye, will do Albus, was gonna do it anyway" Moody replied, preparing to Apparate away.
"Also" Moody paused, "Do find out all that you can on Mr. Potter. It wouldn't do to be sorry later on"
"Constant Vigilance, Albus" Moody replied, "I'll look into it, but do remember that he is the son of my prized student"
"I will Alastor, but please," Dumbledore paused, "I'm not leaving anything to chance this time"
A/N:
How's that for a second chapter. Hope you guys like it.
Hey, What do you guys think of my other story, 'In a Flash'? Is it good or ... I'll update it by the end of this month.
Other than that, PM any mistakes that you may find in this chapter.
Review your thoughts!