July 7, 2012
Charlie and I were met at the portkey by Ron, Rosie, and Pitch who was happily riding on Rosie's shoulder. Rosie had been kind enough to animal sit for us while Charlie and I were in America. The child seemed to have a real gift with animals, she'd told us many times that she was going to work with magical creatures when she grew up, like Uncle Charlie. After the appropriate greetings and hugs were exchanged, Pitch moved himself from Rosie's shoulder to mine by climbing up my arm. "He's a very good rat," Rosie informed me, with all authority. "Although, I could tell he really missed you. I followed all your instructions, Auntie Glinda, we fed him, and Binks, and made sure that they had plenty of water. Pitch didn't seem to mind the big habitat you bought him, at all. Although, I did catch Binks trying to get in a few times. He meowed a lot. I think he wanted to cuddle with Pitch. Imagine that, a cat and a rat who're best friends. It's quite brilliant, actually."
"Habitat?" Charlie commented. "Wow, that's a big word."
"Mummy taught me," Rosie explained, "when she saw Pitch's new house, she saoid that it was much too big to be merely a cage."
"Ah," I said.
"Mione's been teaching her big words just for fun." Ron explained, sounding a bit exasperated.
"Yeah," Charlie chuckled,"that sounds like Hermione."
"She just bought me my first copy of Hogwarts:a History." Rosie added,"it's quite fascenating."
Charlie Picked Rosie up and put her on his shoulders. "Are you sure you're only six?"
"Of course," she answered him. "You know I turned six on March the third, Uncle Charlie, you were at my birthday party."
"Very true, I was."
"Actually Charlie,will you take Rosie into Diagon Alley? " Ron asked, somewhat sheepishly. "I promised Rosie a trip to Magical menagerie. Harry and I need to borrow Glinda for a little while, just some auror business."
"You're not putting her into Danger again?" Chalrie asked, tersely. "We've been back in England for less that twenty minutes and already, you're trying to kill my girlfriend. Every time she gets involved with you lot, her life's in jeopardy."
"Nothing like that,"Ron assured him. "Harry and the minister want her opinion on some evidence we've cpollected in our latest case." He sounded somewhat nervous.
"That's rubbish, Ron. You never were a very good liar. What's going on?"
"Harry and the minister need to talk to Glinda about the current case, It's really important." Ron pulled me aside out of Rosie's hearing. "We really do need to talk to you, we have three bodies in St. Mungo's. They're muggles."
"Muggles, why isn't Scotland Yard involved?"
"They were found in Knockturn Alley, three days ago."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Harry thinks that you might be able to help us."
"Allright," I said, I turned to Rosie and the somewhat fuming Charlie. "I'm going to go see if I can help the aurors. Rosie can you watch Pitch for just a little while longer? Why don't you two take him to see Mrs. Switch? "
"Just be careful, love, last time you tried to help Harry and Ron, peope tried to kill you." He leaned over slightly to kiss me, and Rosie giggled.
"Come one, Uncle Charlie. Let's go to Magical Menagerie. You're almost out of owl nuts, by the way. Are we going to ride your motorcycle?"
"No, your mother would hex my boll-erm-elbows. We'll take the floo downstairs."
"Uncle Charlie, you almost said a bad word."
"I know, I'm sorry. Let's go get the floo."
Ron and I joined Charlie and Rosie at the lift. "We'll take the floo straight to St Mungo's," Ron explained. "Harry and Kingsley will be waiting for us."
"Why are you going to St Mungo's?" Charlie asked.
"The evidence we need her to look at is in the basement at St. Mungo's," Ron explained.
"That's the morgue," Charlie scowled, as Ron tried to hush him, indicating the little pair of ears riding on Charlie's shoulders.
"It's all right," Rosie assured us, "Daddy, I know you and Auntie Glinda have to go look at corpses."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Thanks for your help, Glinda," Harry greeted me in the lobby of St. Mungo's with a brotherly kiss on the cheek.
Kingsley shook my hand and said. "We really appreciate this, you've delt with cases like these before? Harry explained that you've worked with muggle victims."
"Sure, any thing I can do to help, and yes, I've delt with muggle victims."
"We've got three bodies in the basement," Harry explained. "We think it might be a family."
"A family?" I asked, as we headed towards the lifts.
"Two adults and a child, the adults are a man and a woman, both appear to be in their thirties, the child is a boy, about ten, we think. We've not identified them, yet. By their clothes, and such we've assumed they're muggles. They were found outside in back of Borgin and Burkes." Harry handed me a folder with crime scene photos and witness statements. As, I flipped through the file, the lift stopped, and we'd reached the basement morgue."
Author's note: Well, here's the new story arc, hope you enjoy what's to come. I'll try to keep the updates more regular now.