Valkyrie sighed as she waited beside the doors. The girl with dark hair who had ratted on the D.A. was waiting too, but she hadn't said anything to Valkyrie, and Valkyrie hadn't said anything to her. The rest of the, now disbanded, D.A. were in the room she was waiting in front of. They were in detention. With Umbridge. That meant blood quills. A lot of Kenspeckle, after much debate and puppy-dog-looks from Valkyrie, had agreed to treat them. They just didn't know it yet.
Valkyrie was sure there would be disgruntled sounds of pain emanating from the room, but the doors were too thick to hear anything through. They'd been in detention for nearly an hour, which was about the length of time Valkyrie had been considering going in there and punching Umbridge square in the face.
"You're getting very aggressive lately."
'This time I have a reason.'
"Of course you do. She insulted us. Us! That surely deserves a punishment. What do you think? Broken bones, ripped out tongue…"
'Boiled in a vat of acid, maybe.'
"I love it. Or, you could let me out and I'd just turn her blood to acid myself. That would hurt. A lot."
'That old trick again. You're really unimaginative.'
"I am you."
'Not really, because I am brilliant, and you're a real pain in the-' The doors opened, and Valkyrie stood up straight, pulling the students aside as they came through and looking at their wounds. A very small boy, possibly no more than a second year, looked like he had been crying for some time.
"It's ok," Valkyrie said soothingly "I have a friend who's going to patch this right up for you. He'll take away the pain."
Harry was the last out, and he shot a cold look towards the dark haired girl, who was still stood, quietly waiting.
"Harry," Valkyrie said to him before he could walk off "Kenspeckle can help. He has healing herbs that'll take away the pain. For everyone." Harry thought about it for a moment, and then nodded.
"Yeah, alright." Valkyrie nodded and led the way towards the hospital wing, opening the doors herself. Kenspeckle looked to have been glowering, but at the sight of Valkyrie he smiled slightly.
"Miss Cain. What do we have here?"
"The friends I told you about Kenspeckle. The ones who've had to use the blood quills." Kenspeckle scowled again.
"Such an unsophisticated way or torturing someone. It's ridiculous."
"I agree." Valkyrie nodded as the students filed in "And it's been used on students as young as twelve."
"Horrible woman." Kenspeckle muttered as he shuffled over to a shelf and brought down several large jars of green paste as well as rolls of bandages. When he turned around again, the hospital wing was nearly full of students.
"There's a lot." He muttered under his breathe. Valkyrie rolled her eyes.
"Please Kenspeckle?" He looked up at her, and scowled.
"Fine. But I can't do this all the time, young lady."
"Great. Ok guys, single file. C'mon." They shuffled into a line and one by one held out their hand and allowed Kenspeckle to dab on some of the paste and bandage the hand lightly before sending them away. Madam Pomfrey emerged from her office and hurried over to help, looking slightly stressed as she did so. Valkyrie wasn't surprised, it must have been strange to spend all that time training to be a nurse, and then finding a completely new way of healing people. Valkyrie waited for them to finish. She stood by the doors, and as each student passed she told them to return to their common rooms before they were caught wandering the corridors. The less they could be accused of, the better.
When Ron was done, he didn't leave, and instead chose to stand a little further away from Valkyrie, but close enough for people to see he was waiting with her. He didn't say anything. Hermione was done shortly afterwards, and joined them, rubbing her hand over the bandage lightly.
"He's a friend of yours?" She asked.
"Mm," Valkyrie nodded in agreement "Kenspeckle Grouse, one of the best doctors the Sanctuary had, before he died."
"It's a good thing you brought him back." Ron said absentmindedly. Valkyrie shifted her weight uncomfortably.
"I didn't. She did."
"Well, yeah, but…"
"Be quite Ron." Hermione sighed. Harry was the last to be done, and walked over to them slowly as Kenspeckle put away the jars and Madam Pomfrey put away the bandages.
"Thanks Kenspeckle." Valkyrie called, and he grunted a 'yes' before they left. She close3d the doors behind them.
"So, when is Umbridge kicking you out?" Ron asked.
"She already did."
"Then why are you still here?" Hermione was the one to speak this time.
"We couldn't leave you behind with her, could we? Who knows what she's capable of? We're staying under official Sanctuary business now." There was a moment of silence.
"You didn't have to lie to Umbridge for me, you know." Harry said quietly, making Valkyrie look at him out of the corner of her eye "But, thanks."
"No problem." They rounded a corner and Skulduggery was leant up against a wall, a brown file under one arm.
"I'll catch up with you guys later." Valkyrie muttered, and split off from the group, rounded the corner to meet him. He started walking, and she fell into step beside him.
"What is it?" She asked. He handed her the case file. She opened it.
"Bartholomew Crouch Junior? Who's this?"
"The man who taught Harry and the others last year. He was the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"So why is Umbridge it now?"
"It seems Mr Crouch was a follower of Voldemort, and disguised himself in order to enter the castle. He managed to fool everyone for the entire year, until at the very end. By that time Cedric was already dead. However, it was Mr Crouch who activated a certain object, and turned it into something like a portal, in the Third Task. This object transferred Harry and Cedric to Voldemort's lair, where Cedric was killed. It seems Crouch was also behind the bewitching of another student in the task from a foreign school that forced him to take out the other competitors. Harry saved Cedric from said student, which was why Cedric was with him when they got a hold of the portal."
"So, what, we just find this Crouch guy?"
"He's dead."
"… oh. Bummer."
"I'd use a different, more amazing word, but yes. It is, indeed, a bummer."
"You sound funny when you say that."
"I am amazingly amusing."
"No, stupid funny."
"That's just insulting."
"Obviously." Valkyrie looked at the file again, flicking through the pages. Seems the Crouch guy had already been in prison when he'd broken out and escaped, with the help of his dad, Crouch senior. "So, what's the point of this file?"
"There were witnesses who heard Crouch's testimony before he was killed."
"He was killed?"
"I said that."
"No, you said he died."
"I think you're mistaken."
"No, you definitely said died."
"A person so perfect has to make mistakes once in a while."
"Oh of course," Valkyrie rolled her eyes. "Who killed him?"
"It was a very vicious creature known as a dementor. It sucked out his soul the moment it got in the room with him, killing him instantly."
"Gross."
"Indeed."
"So, who heard the testimony?"
"Harry, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape."
"Who all support Dumbledore so the ministry will claim criminal co-operation."
"Exactly."
"So, we have nothing?"
"No, this proves, to us at least, that Voldemort was, beyond all doubt, the reason behind the murder."
"But we already knew that."
"Well now it is undeniable."
"It already was."
"Your argument is pointless. We are now absolutely positive it was Voldemort."
"We already were!"
"Be quiet Valkyrie, I'm speculating." Valkyrie groaned as she passed the file back to him. They passed McGonagall in the corridor, who gave them a quick nod, which they returned.
"So, now what?" Valkyrie asked.
"We need to focus on finding Voldemort."
"Ok, any idea how we do that?"
"There's been a string of mortal murders around a particular area in the countryside."
"So, that could be anyone."
"That's what I thought until I heard of the manners of their deaths – each identical."
"Which was…?"
"They all died of fright." There was a pause.
"Seriously? Because I know the guy's ugly, but really that ugly?"
"No Valkyrie. The killing curse performed by wizards displays no symptoms, the entire body just stops. It has been called 'dying of fright' by the normal communities that have no knowledge of either of the magic worlds."
"So it's a wizard killer. That shortens it down. Still doesn't mean it'sVoldemort."
"Indeed, until you hear the location of the area where these events have occurred."
"I wish you wouldn't keep on stopping your sentences midway, just tell me."
"Voldemort's father's house. Tom Riddle Senior."
"Which definitely narrows it down."
"It does."
"So, that's where he is?"
"That's our only lead so far."
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow. I'm organising the transportation tonight."
"Ok. When will we be back?"
"As soon as possible. If we don't catch him while we're there." Valkyrie agreed with a nod.
"If we don't catch him."
