Thank you for your wonderful reviews, I'm glad you've been enjoying. And especially thank you for pointing out the things I have missed. Here's Chapter 2.

Chapter 2: Closer to Home

"Why wasn't there a clean-up crew for that mess?"

"She was a Squib; we've been pushed to our limits just monitoring those with magic, let alone important Muggle officials-"

"Do you realise what this means? It's too late to wipe their minds. It's too late to clean up anything that may have been left. The Muggles have already seen the destruction - they've started investigating it!"

"Minister, please calm down-"

"No, I will not calm down. Your department is supposed to clean up after murders - and you didn't! Do you have any idea how difficult this is going to be to keep under wraps? This is going to be one of those Muggle mysteries like the Flying Dutchman and the people who go missing because of the dragon reserves in the Bermuda Triangle. They aren't going to forget about it!"

"Like I said, she was a Squib. We don't-"

"Well, you bloody well do now! Don't let this happen again!"

"Yes, Minister."

-.-.-

Of all the samples she had been given from the RSPCA, not a single one was cat. Eliza rubbed her temples, fighting the urge not to scream at the computer in frustration. Every test came back the same: human female, AB Negative.

"Dear God," she muttered, trying to comprehend what the evidence was telling her. None of it made sense, and the more she tried to make it make sense, the more confused she became. Concerned it may have been a lab error, she had taken the samples directly to London, and supervised the DNA profiling herself - but it came up with the same results.

A tap on the window jerked her back to reality.

"Eliza, go home," her boss ordered. "You've nearly done a fourteen-hour shift."

"And I still can't make sense of these results," she muttered, frustrated. She rubbed her eyes, as though if they refocused what she was looking at would somehow become logical.

"The results aren't going to change in your sleep. Get home, get sleep. You've got a kid at home that needs some attention."

Eliza snorted. "God help me if she ever hears me refer to her a kid. Why are people obsessed with having children? Yeah, they're cute when they're little, but then it all goes downhill from there as far as I can tell."

"Wait 'til you have one of your own. Trust me, they are worth it."

"Like I have the time. I can't even keep my plants alive, let alone anything else. Haven't you noticed? I'm a coroner, there's no risk of killing someone already dead."

Her boss laughed and escorted her to the lifts, just in case she got 'distracted' again. "Well, stop doing these long hours. God only knows what other things you might discover. You know, beyond these walls there are actually people alive," he teased, waving as the lift doors closed.

"Very funny," Eliza muttered, glancing at the files that she had slipped into her bag. She smiled to herself.

-.-.-

Troy's car wasn't in the driveway, but the loud music greeting her as she pulled in told her (and everyone in a ten-mile radius) that Maddie was in her room. Her particular unintelligible style of 'doof doof' grated along her nerves, and she often wondered if that was the point. Inside, it was clear that Troy had been home, his suit jacket hanging in the entrance hall.

"Maddie!" Eliza uselessly tried shouting over the blaring sound. Failing that, she dashed up the stairs, entered her sister's room unnoticed, and pulled the plug on the stereo.

"Hey!" Maddie protested indignantly. "I was listening to that."

"So apparently was the rest of the neighbourhood. If you insist on making yourself deaf, wear headphones so the rest of us can at least hear ourselves think. Where's Troy?"

Maddie sat cross-legged on a swivel chair, browsing emails from friends. Her hair was sun-bleached, several shades lighter than Eliza's and Troy's colouring, and her skin was tanned several shades darker from playing lacrosse and football. She was already as tall as Eliza, but didn't share her stick-figure build; where Eliza's slenderness came from skipping meals and overworking herself, Maddie was a healthier shape with more muscle definition and curves. She took much better care of her body than Eliza did, who tended to treat hers as her own personal enemy, pushing it further than she knew she should.

"Something about a hot date." Maddie shrugged, not particularly interested, spinning her chair. "So am I going to be spending the entire holidays stuck in this house? In all fairness, it's not fair - I mean, you don't have to say cooped up in this house, and at least you have something to do during the day-"

"Mum sent you here because you got caught shoplifting." Eliza folded her arms, not about to back down from being sassed at.

"Mum sent me here because Steve's kids don't like sharing and set me up." Maddie gave her a sour look. "Troy used to be a cop, you practically are a cop, why would I do something as stupid as shoplift earrings when" - she pulled her hair back to reveal her ears - "I don't even have pierced ears? I've seen enough lobes torn during matches not to do something that stupid. Strangely enough, though, they were the same pair that Lottie" - her tone was pure venom - "had been trying to make me buy her with Mum's credit card when we were shopping for school supplies."

Eliza sighed. She knew that their half-sisters were little shits. It was why and Troy had moved out as soon as they could afford to. Steve moved in barely a week after their father was buried, and he was very good at pushing their mother's existing kids to the side once they had children of their own: three girls. The eldest, Lottie - who was only a year younger than Maddie - was the worst of them, the main reason they rarely visited their mother. She couldn't dismiss this accusation, as there was a very good chance that it was true, and accusing her of lying would only stir more trouble.

"We'll talk about it later when Troy gets home from chasing skirts."

As much as she loved her brother, she had no illusions. He was sweet, but there were usually only three things on his mind outside of family and work: women, sex, and how to combine them. He wasn't looking to settle down any time soon, wasn't interested in the commitment of having someone other than family living with him. He was enjoying what he called 'the good life'. Fast job, fast women, fast car.

Her older brother Corey, on the other hand... no one would ever say it, but he was the brains of the two, completing a law degree and now working as a glorified ambulance chaser. He'd stuck it out staying at home with their mother as long as he could, wanting to ensure his education could carry him the rest of his life, before he met his now-wife with a baby on the way. As much as she cared about him, staying in the same room with him for more than a few hours almost always ended in a shouting match that shook the house. He thought she was throwing her medical career, and she thought he was a pompous ass.

He was also the only one still convinced that Maddie was in truth Steve's child, and not their father's despite the fact she had none of Steve's traits and he refused to 'claim' her, which strained their relationship further.

The phone rang as she went back to the kitchen.

"Eliza? Eliza, it's Antoinette." Corey's wife sounded half-hysterical. "Is Corey there?"

"No, is everything okay?" Eliza was genuinely concerned. The complications she had been having with the pregnancy seemed endless. "Do you need me to come around? Isn't he supposed to be away on business?"

"He was supposed to come home this morning... I've tried calling him all day, but I can't seem to get hold of him, and no one at the office said they knew anything about a business trip," she sobbed. "I think he's cheating on me!"

Eliza sighed. "Honey, I doubt it, he's crazy about you and the baby," she reassured her, silently cursing him. While she didn't believe for a moment he would cheat with his morally superior attitude, he still had to know what would be running through his wife's head. "Maybe... maybe it wasn't work business, he's been wanting to open his own office-"

"You don't understand," Antoinette sniffed. "The past few months he's changed, he's been getting all these letters and keeps them locked away - and when he is home, he spends hours in his office. Whenever I try and talk to him, it's like he isn't even listening, and he won't tell me where he's going when I know he shouldn't be working."

"Anne, please calm down, listen to me. Troy mentioned that he had been talking about some big secret surprise thing, maybe he is just trying to organise something for you." Corey had also tried calling her, leaving a cryptic message about this big secret thing, but she had been wrist-deep in someone's stomach at the time and had procrastinated when it came to calling him back. "I'm sure he's fine."

"I wish I could be so sure... he always lets me know if something is going to delay him, or when he will be home..." She had calmed down a little, but there were still little sobbing gasps on the other end of the phone.

"Would you like to come around and wait here?" Eliza offered. At least if she was here, she would have some distraction, and the chances of complications with the baby would be lessened.

"No, I… I think it's best I should wait here, just in case. I guess... should I tell the police?"

"They won't be able to do anything for forty-eight hours, but I will talk to some friends at the station if it will help you feel better."

"Yes, that... that would be good if you could, thank you."

"I don't think it's a good idea for you to be on your own. Can your sister stay with you, or someone?"

"I - I don't know. I know it's probably nothing to worry about, but I just get so damned emotional." The sobs returned. "And I don't know what to think anymore," Antoinette cried. "I just want to get back to normal."

Eliza sighed. "Get your sister to stay with you tonight. You could use the company, and if you stress this baby into labour she knows what to do. I will talk to the police for you. Just stay calm, and relax."

"Oh-oak-ay."

By the time Eliza got Antoinette settled, it was getting dark. She left a message with the station, as well as with Troy - along with a request to bring home dinner. She was furious at Corey, he should've known better. Known what this kind of stress could do to Antoinette. No doubt he was off with some old college friends on some stupid week-long pub crawl in Amsterdam. She pulled out her files, needing distraction from the thoughts.

She sat at the kitchen counter, evidence notes and crime scene photos strewn across it, and tried to make sense of where and how the mix-up could have possibly occurred. Maddie was still in her room, and the music was still blasting but somewhat quieter than before. She frowned at the pictures of the dead cats and read the notes, comparing the photos of the necropsy. A lock clicked somewhere behind her.

"Dinner!" was the magic word which floated up the stairs and turned the music off, followed by the thudding of feet down the stairs.

Maddie burst into the kitchen, immediately fishing for her order amongst the Chinese takeaway containers. "Eww. . .do you have to bring that stuff home with you?" She grabbed a picture of one of the dead cats in morbid curiosity. Troy snatched it out of her hands and handed it back to Eliza, then opened the fridge, looking for some beers.

"Could I-?"

"No," they answered in unison, ignoring Maddie's scowl as she stalked back up the stairs with her dinner.

Troy grabbed the seat next to Eliza to get a better view. "This looks fun," he commented, twisting a cap off with his wrist and handing the bottle to his sister. "Anything new from Antoinette?"

"Her sister's with her. I'll check in on her tomorrow."

"Let me, I've got the day off. Besides, I can call him a jerk just as well as you can, and when he does get home, I think it's best that I have that chat with him instead of you." He gave her a warning look not to try and gouge out Corey's eyes the next time she saw him.

"He can be such an idiot sometimes-" Eliza raised her voice, but Troy cut her off.

"And I will tell him that. If he needs a good slap upside the head, I will do it. Your relationship is strained enough as it is. He will turn up, and I will deal with him." The look he gave her now made it clear the discussion was over. He studied the evidence. "This the one that was all over the news this morning?" he asked, already knowing the answer as he opened his own beer.

"Mm-hmm," was her only reply as she sipped.

"Makes me glad I'm not a cop anymore - I would not like being the one stuck on this case." He scanned through the photos. "Mum called, she won't be there on Saturday." He said, trying to make the news off hand.

This Saturday was the anniversary of the accident that killed their father, and very nearly killed her too.

"Of course she's not going to come," Eliza scoffed. "She got what she wanted from Dad, his life insurance."

They all knew she had been cheating on their father; the wedding with Steve was only six months after the funeral and Maddie's birth. Steve never claimed to be Maddie's father, because she was born before their father died and they were pretending the affair was still secret. As she got older, it was clear to Steve that she wasn't his daughter. She had the same dark curly hair and brown eyes as the rest of the Raveien children.

"Hey, that looks like Tivoli," Troy commented, picking up one of the photos of Mrs. Figg's large cats.

"Tivoli?" Eliza asked.

"Yeah, Dad's cat - great big old furry mess, don't you remember?" he asked, holding up the picture. Eliza shook her head. "It didn't really like other people, temperamental lil' shit."

"You know there are still some gaps from before the accident. But I thought Mum was allergic to cats?"

"She is. Didn't matter. Dad never gave up Tivoli, he loved that cat, and for some reason she never had an allergic reaction to it. Didn't stop her from hating it though," Troy said matter-of-factly, taking another sip.

"What happened to it? I don't remember it being there after I came out of hospital."

"Nah, he died a few years before Dad. He wanted to get another, but Mum refused. Tivoli freaked her out a bit, probably because he was such a grump."

"Do you remember what kind of cat?"

"Nope - but this is the first time I've seen any that look like him." He finished the beer and left the empty bottle on the counter. Eliza eyeballed him until he put it in the trash. "You should get some shut-eye, you've got work in a few hours."

"And you?"

"I had a snooze this morning. . .and afternoon." He smiled at her wickedly, waggling his brows at her, rewarded with the empty bottle being jokingly tossed at him. "You really should try it, it will do you a world of good."

Eliza poked her tongue out at him. "Well, seeing as you have tomorrow off, you can make arrangements with Maddie for her to be entertained over the holidays." She smiled, putting the documents into neat piles on the counter. "And you can come up with ways to ensure she doesn't get a whole world of good."

That night, she lay awake thinking of the accident that had killed her father. She could only remember snippets of it, but she filled in the rest with the accident report.

It was the holidays. Troy camped with a friend's family, and Corey shopped with Mum for new school uniforms, because he'd grown a good foot in a few months. She was eleven years old, and Dad was taking her to London. She sat in the front seat, windows down, enjoying an ice cream as he told her stories of adventure and excitement.

A speeding red station wagon ran a red light at an intersection and crashed into the driver's side door with enough force to roll the car on its side. Her father died on impact, and Eliza was trapped for an hour while they tried to get her free. Two months in the hospital and another six months of rehab led her to an almost full recovery, apart from some memory loss, scarring, and a few reconstructions.

She looked at the scars along her arms - shining in the moonlight - before rolling over, hoping everything was okay with her brother.

-.-.-

Eliza heard the sound of an approaching ambulance. It took a few moments to realise it was her beeper. She glanced at her alarm, which was flashing zeros; she cursed and sat up to check her messages.

"'Liza, it's Jan'. I'm still waiting on that report, and the C.I.'s are asking where you are. I'm guessing you're sleeping."

Another beep.

Her phone rang. "Doctor Raveien," she answered, slightly breathless, knowing that the pink horizon put her late.

"'Liza, it's Jan'. Where are you?"

"Blackout last night killed the clock, on my way to the office now," she replied, pulling on the nearest clean pair of pants.

"Don't bother," Janice said. "Meet me at the crime scene - Stoke Park, Guildford." It sounded like she was already on the freeway.

Eliza grabbed a shirt. "Twenty minutes. Did you-?"

"Yes, I have your kit." Janice answered the unfinished question.

"Thanks."

-.-.-

Half an hour later, Eliza was led to the crime scene by the usual advertisement: yellow tape and flashing lights. She showed her ID and hailed the detectives. "Sorry I'm late, what have we got?" She took her kit from Janice and put on gloves. "Please don't tell me it's another one," she said, following them to the body.

"Definitely not another one," Janice replied. "Kids found him when their ball went into the bushes over there." She pointed to the thicket they were heading toward.

"This one is more like a roll of Life Savers. Male, no ID," Lloyd added, holding a tissue over his mouth.

Eliza was about to ask what he meant when she saw, and her heart skipped a few beats. She dropped the kit and ran to the scene barf bucket. It was no wonder all the cops were in the clearing, it had been ages since she had seen a body in such condition. What she could only speculate as some sort of wire or garrotte had been wrapped around him so tightly, he had been sliced to the bone. But there was more. That short glimpse had been enough to tell her exactly who he was.

"You okay? I've never seen you barf at a scene," Janice said, looking worried.

"I can't take this case, that's my brother," Eliza replied weakly, her whole body shaking as she used the tree to support her.

"Oh my god, Troy?" Janice asked, completely mortified.

"Corey," she replied and vomited again.

Janice's instincts took over. "OK, Lloyd, call the C.I and let him know we need another M.E. to take this one. Eliza, come with me to the paramedics," she ordered, holding the bucket and supporting Eliza over to the ambulances. As they entered the clearing, flashing bulbs exploded, the media taking pictures of anything and everything. "Constable, get rid of those cameras, now!" she told the nearest officer, putting herself between Eliza and the frenzy.

Lloyd came over to check on Eliza,

"He was alive. Oh, God." Eliza snatched the bucket back. "So much blood, he had to be alive when they did that to him," she managed to say, sitting on the bed inside the ambulance. "His wife - she called last night, she was so sure something was wrong, but I just thought it was her hormones." And the tears started. "Oh God, how am I going to tell her?"

Janice put a blanket around Eliza's shoulders and handed her some tissues. "I will be right back, okay? Just stay here, I need to find out what the C.I can arrange. Stay here." She asked a paramedic to supervise her.

Eliza's heart was beating so hard and fast it felt like it would burst out of her ribcage.

Lloyd came over to check on her. "I'm so sorry about that comment, we had no idea," he sincerely apologised. "They are calling around for another M.E. to take this one. Were you close?" he asked sympathetically.

"You're interviewing me now?" she snapped at him. He had only been transferred to Surrey a few weeks ago, and while it was logical for him to ask questions, it still hurt like hell.

"No, god no, nothing like that," he said quickly. "I just meant… Well, I have two sisters. Don't see much of them these days..."

Eliza felt bad for snapping at him. "Sorry…" she muttered, pulling the blankets tighter around her.

"Don't stress." He gave her a small smile to let her know there were no hard feelings. "Is there anything I can get for you, or something?"

Eliza shook her head as her mobile started to ring. She pulled it out and saw Troy's name flashing. She burst back into tears.

"Do you want me to take it? I have some experience informing next-of-kin," he offered. Eliza said nothing in-between the sobs, but handed him the ringing phone.

"Elle, hey, you left your files on the table," Troy's voice passed through the phone.

"Hi, this is Detective Lloyd. Uh, Eliza isn't really in any state to talk at the moment," he said a little awkwardly. He jumped out of the ambulance to find some privacy.

"Wrist-deep in a body? Not surprised to hear that. Tell her it's her brother Troy," Troy joked, followed by the slurp of a morning coffee.

"Sir, I think it's best to come here, as quickly as possible."

"I'll drop them off after my coffee." Troy sounded a little annoyed. After all, he wasn't the one who forgot them.

"No, something… something has come up, your brother…"

Troy nearly dropped the cup. "No."

He didn't want to believe it any more than Eliza did, but he knew that she wouldn't have made a mistake identifying him.

"I'm sorry. I can arrange to have a car pick you up, and-"

"It will be quicker if I drive, where are you?"

"We're at Stoke Park, Guildford. She has already identified him."

"I'm on my way."

Troy hung up the phone and stared at it for a moment. He thought of calling Antoinette, but thought better of it. This wasn't something you told your brother's wife over the phone, especially in her condition. He grabbed his coat and keys. "Maddie! Maddie!"

"What?" she strolled down the stairs still in her pyjamas, completely dishevelled.

"You're staying home today."

"But you said-" she started protesting, but she was cut off.

"Maddie, Corey's body was found."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. "I'll get dressed," she said, making to run back up the stairs.

"I don't want you at the scene; Eliza would kill me if I brought you. Just stay home; I don't want you wondering around today."

"What if Mum or Antoinette calls again?"

"You say nothing. You tell them to call me, but you do not under any circumstances tell them about Corey. Am I clear?"

"Yes," she mumbled.

"One of us will be back in a few hours - stay home," he ordered, locking the door and running to the car. "What the fuck have you gone and done?" he whispered angrily. He didn't want to know what he would find. All he knew was that if Eliza couldn't tell him herself, it was bad.

-.-.-

The Chief Inspector came in person with the new M.E., to check on Eliza. The paramedics gave her a sedative to calm her down, and Janice worked the scene, making sure that she had sight of the ambulance the whole time. He arrived just in time to let Troy in, who looked like he was about to beat the officer keeping him on the right side of the tape senseless.

"Your sister's this way." He led Troy to the ambulance.

Troy raced in to hug her. She only made small whimpering sobs. "It's okay, I'm here, you're okay," he reassured her, tears slowly running down his cheeks.

"A-Antoi-ette, sh-he..." Eliza hiccupped.

His heart ached. The last time she had been like this was when he'd told her about their dad when she finally came to. "I'll take care of it. You just relax, okay? I'll be right back, I promise."

The sedatives didn't take long to kick in, and Eliza sobbed into an exhausted heap.

Troy let her be, quietly closing the doors so that she could have some peace. "Can I see him?"

Janice shook her head. "I know you're his brother, but. . .Jesus, take it from me, you don't really want to." She ran her fingers through her hair.

"Is it that bad? What happened?"

"We don't know yet... all we know is it's one sick fuck who's responsible." Troy's stomach turned as he imagined possibilities. "Eliza said that his wife said he was missing?"

"I was about to head over there before I called Elle; she was afraid he was having an affair." He tried to laugh, but it came out as a sob. "I know she has to know. . .but I don't have a clue how to tell her, there's been so many problems with the baby - I don't think it's safe to tell her. . ."

"I can tell her. I'll make sure we have an ambulance on stand-by."

"No. . .I'll tell her, she deserves that much." He fought to keep his mind focused; there would be time for mourning later. Right now, there were more important things, and it was clear Eliza was in no state to handle it. He looked over at where the media was gathered. "How long before it hits the news?"

"She's already heard if it's the radio, but we haven't released his identity."

"Can we go now then?"

She nodded and led him to her car.

-.-.-

Lloyd took Eliza home. She didn't say anything the whole trip, just staring vacantly out the window as cars passed. He didn't press her for conversation, leaving her with her grief to sort out things as she needed to. When they arrived, Maddie was waiting on the doorstep, but she avoided Eliza and retreated to the staircase.

"I'll wait with you." Eliza was about to protest, but he raised his hands defensively. "It's orders. They want to make sure that you and your sister are safe."

She didn't know what to make of that comment, so she allowed him to bundle her up in the lounge room.

Maddie stared through the railing.

"Maddie, come here." Eliza held her arms out, inviting her for a hug. She knew why she was being so reserved, afraid that she might shoulder the blame in the tragedy. She was the youngest, and one of the reasons for the strained relationship.

She ran to her sister's arms, crying. "I'm sorry," she sobbed over and over.

Lloyd put a box of tissues on the coffee table.

"It's not your fault," Eliza assured her, moving so that she could look at her. "He was a stubborn twat," she smiled through her tears.

"Do y-you th-ink he ca-re-d ab-bout me?"

"He did care about you… he just… he didn't know how to show it." At least she hoped a part of him did. There was no sense upsetting her with the likely truth, and she prayed she would never know otherwise. Maddie had spent most of her childhood trying to understand why he didn't like her, or snapped if she tried to play with him. She spent years trying to win him over, never disheartened by the obstacles he threw her way. She was just a little sister looking for her brother's approval. Now it was too late.

Troy arrived a little later with Janice, both of them looking battle-weary. "Antoinette is at the hospital, Mum's with her. They're going to keep her for observation for a few days."

Despite it only being ten in the morning, he got a beer from the fridge and didn't waste any time to finish it.

"Eliza, I need to have a chat with you." Janice motioned for her to come into the privacy of the hall. She spotted a box with a lock next to the doorway. "How are you holding up?" she asked wearily.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. There was no denying any of it, but it just felt so surreal.

Janice unlocked the box and handed it to her. "We're not taking any chances," she said as Eliza opened the box, revealing a gun. "Don't tell me you don't know how to use it, I've seen you squeezing them off in the lab," she interjected before Eliza could start protesting.

"Why?"

Janice looked uneasy. "It's just in case."

"In case what?"

"In case… in case it was a message," she finally surrendered.

"What? It's a completely different profile-"

"Eliza, he was killed yesterday morning. The news showed footage of the place, including the cat being taken by animal control. One of the techs said they found evidence - Eliza, we can't take the risk that this isn't somehow connected. The C.I.'s assigning protective detail for the three of you."

Eliza leaned against the wall for support. This was more than she could handle in such a short space. "He's dead because of me?" What about Troy and Maddie, what about everyone else she knew?

"We aren't saying that, this is just a precaution." The ground below her feet didn't feel as solid as he it had earlier, and Janice caught her as she swayed. "Come on, let's get you seated." She led Eliza back to the lounge room. "We'd best be off. . .I'll stop by with something for you to eat a little later, I don't think any of you will be much in the mood for cooking."

-.-.-

Eliza sat at the kitchen table with Troy and a steaming mug of tea, the silence deafening.

"I'll go check on Antoinette tomorrow," Troy said. "I'll take Maddie with me. It would do her some good to get out of the house, I think you could use some alone time."

"I really should go with you."

"No. If you come, they will ask questions and you will feel like you owe them an explanation. Mum is going to want every detail, and when she looks at you, she won't see her daughter who lost a brother - she will see a coroner who in her mind owes her answers and will demand details. You don't need that stress right now, not with everything else that's going on." His protective instincts had kicked in, and there was no getting around them.

"I couldn't tell them much anyway; it's like trying to hold on to a dream after you've woken up… I'm not sure if it's shock or what it is, but I'm not even sure of what I saw…"

"Elle, don't think about it, from what I heard it's not something you want to remember." He cleared away the few slices of pizza left over from dinner. It was well past midnight, and Maddie had retired early, leaving them to discuss the adult side of the incident.

"My old professor is doing the autopsy," she informed, and Troy raised an eyebrow. "He sent me a message the other day; he's heading up a conference about these deaths on Friday. When he heard about Corey, he offered to take the lead on it."

"Are you still going on Friday?"

Eliza sighed. "If it were any other cases, I wouldn't, but I've been pushing for this kind of conference for over a month."

"I'm sure they can send someone else who can fill you in?"

"It's not like that, the idea is that we have everyone there sharing information. It's an opportunity to find out if my theories fit with the deaths in other districts. I know… I know Corey has just died… but unless we find a reason for these deaths, they'll just keep coming…"

"And what if someone did kill Corey to get to you? Don't you think that attending an event like that will just add to your danger, not to mention ours?"

"It's just as likely that he sued the wrong person. I'm not going to blame myself for his death until I have a reason to."

-.-.-

That morning, Harry received a short letter from Hermione.

'Professor McGonagall's missing. She had a meeting with Mrs. Figg and never came back. Please don't do anything rash, Remus is making arrangements to come and get you after the police have finished canvasing the neighbourhood - he doesn't want to draw unnecessary attention to you. Hang tight, we'll be touch.'

So he waited. The police asked the family some questions, and near as he could tell they believed him when he said that he had seen nothing and wasn't aware there had been a problem until the sirens alerted the neighbourhood. Petunia was all too happy to serve the detectives tea, and find out as many details as she could to spread along the grapevine.However, she was thoroughly disappointed when they repeatedly ignored her questions.

Now a second letter came.

'We found her, she's in rough shape. Apparently the Muggles found her, treated her as a cat, and they left her in a cage. The sedatives wore off quickly, but she had to Apparate as one. Everyone here is on edge. Apparently the Muggles found DNA. The wizards don't understand what the repercussions will be, and are fighting about what to do about it. Stay put, I'll keep you informed. Love, Hermione.'

-.-.-

Thank you for reading. Please give a short message telling what you think, and if you have any suggestions for improvement or plots that you would like to see.