The day had started quite abruptly and far earlier than usual. Harry had awoken to the sound of his phone ringing. It was not even five in the morning when he had fumbled through his den and to his desk to answer it. On the other end, a patrol officer informed him of an attack that had taken place...
In Guildford.
Harry's heart skipped a beat when given the address. The assault had occurred only blocks from Salt Box Road and the official residence of Gerald Davis. Magical Law Enforcement Patrol had officers working undercover within muggle law enforcement departments in order to keep an eye out for incidents with magical involvement.
That morning, the Guildford Police Department had been alerted to the presence of a body on the north end of Tangley Lane. Upon arrival at scene, an undercover witch determined that there was probable cause for suspicion that a magical creature had been the reason of the attack.
She had immediately called for backup from Magical Law Enforcement who responded quickly to aid in the obliviation of the muggles involved and in securing the area through the use of the 'cave inimicum' spell along with 'repello muggletum' to dissuade any non-magicals from coming around.
Harry, being the current head auror of the investigations department, was next to be notified. Knowing that his partner was married to an officer in the Department of the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, the woman on the phone had asked Harry to have Hermione accompany them as well when he informed Ron.
The three, startled by the suddenness of the day's beginning, threw themselves together and apparated to Guildford as close to the crime scene as possible. Tangley Lane seemed as quiet as Salt Box Road had stayed when they arrived around an hour later. The sun had only just started to rise.
A man, not much older than the trio themselves was standing on the sidewalk beside a stop sign where the Lane ended. He was wearing brown slacks and a white button down shirt with a business style black jacket over. He watched Harry and the others as they approached.
''Good morning,'' he tipped an imaginary hat at the aurors. ''you must be Hermione Granger,'' he smiled, ''I've heard good things.''
'Thank you,'' Hermione replied. ''It's a pleasure to meet you.''
''This is Timothy Zudd,'' Ron spoke, mostly to his wife.
The woman nodded before jumping right into work, ''You think a magical creature made the attack?''
''Well, that's what you and the aurors will determine,'' the man turned, leading the way down the road, ''but it doesn't appear to be the work of any spell or potion.''
''Has the body been identified?'' Harry asked.
Timothy took a few more paces before stopping and turning back to face the group. ''It's here,'' he said, pulling out his wand, the other three doing the same.
They simultaneously used their weapons to cast disillusionment charms upon themselves before stepping inside of the barrier hiding the crime scene and the other officers from prying eyes. The disillusionment charm didn't make them invisible; it worked to make them more chameleon like. When they were done, Timothy began talking again.
''We have. We're doing what we can to keep the victim's identity a secret until more is known and Minister Shackelbolt can release an official statement. You'll understand in a moment.''
Harry, Ron, and Hermione all took the man's words with much concern. Usually when this was the case, the victim was a prominent member of society, whether magical or muggle. That or a member of previously feuding groups such as different families or races who shared a hatred for each other and had acted upon those feelings before.
As they pierced the wall of energy, three other officers appeared. There was a witch and a wizard standing side by side, hovering over the victim and another man taking photographs.
Harry found his heart racing as he approached them, barely catching their attention as his eyes rested on the white-haired man dressed in black laying there on the ground, motionless.
His stomach sank.
The wizard was definitely well known in the magical world. Lucius Malfoy lay with his formal clothes torn and tattered and still wet with his blood. His throat was slashed open in four deep cuts, painting the white skin around it red. His signature cane had been thrust into one eye and stood straight upward from it, otherwise undamaged.
The aurors and their partner stood in shock as the view sunk into their senses. Harry found himself staring into the death eater's uninjured eye which rested facing the sky, devoid of all life.
Hermione was the first to crouch beside the slain death eater, gathering her wand and using her witchcraft to carefully move the broken skin on his neck and studying the wounds.
Harry turned to the man and woman already on site, ''Have you found anything else?''
''Only his wand. There,'' the wizard pointed to the other side of the body. About a foot or so away, Lucius Malfoy's wand lay, completely intact. ''Nothing else. No prints, no markings, no stray items,'' the man continued. ''The wand confirmed his identity.''
Then the witch chimed in, ''We've already tested the vicinity for any remnant of magical essence as well. They also yielded no results. Someone has done well in covering up.''
''Which is confusing,'' Timothy had joined the conversation. ''It would take a wizard or another very intelligent magical creature to perform spells to successfully cover their presence. But,'' he looked down to where Hermione had began studying the eye holding Lucius' cane, ''That wasn't done by a wand, was it?''
Hermione shook her head and stood, ''No, it's impossible to remove every trace of energy from wounds as grave as this...'' she finally looked from the body to the other wizards. ''Yet, there's nothing there either. It had to have been done by a beast or being or...''
''Or what?'' Ron pushed when his wife trailed off.
''Or someone's bare hands. Bare, mind you,'' she added, ''Meaning without a wand. Maybe some sort of knife?''
''A muggle couldn't have covered their essence from the scene and why would a wizard not use their wand?'' the other witch pointed.
''Lucius was far too strong to be overtaken by a muggle or by in unarmed wizard anyway,'' Harry agreed. ''However, if a wizard attacked him, he could have used his wand to disarm him and then used some sort of other weapon to actually kill him.''
''Yeah, maybe even to confuse law enforcement,'' Timothy said. ''Or to make the attack more personal.''
''Hermione? Does it match any non human creature that you know?'' Ron asked.
His wife shook her head, ''It's similar to a werewolf, but no full moon last night...''
The sun had almost finished rising as the group quieted in contemplation of the scene they gazed upon. Harry's eyes were on the wand. It was as if Lucius dropped it when whatever it was attacked him. Or he had been disarmed just as his murderer approached. However, the fact that it remained untouched pointed to the idea of a beast having killed him. Anyone who would have taken the time to destroy him so brutally would have likely broken his wand as well.
The auror left the group, walking around Lucius' body and stood above the sleek, black wand. Bending his knees to kneel, he took his own from within his robes and aimed its tip so that it almost touched the one of the deceased.
''Priori incantato,'' Harry whispered.
A gold thread produced by the auror's wand leapt to the deatheater's, which shined momentarily around it as the echo of Lucius Malfoy's voice could be heard yelling, 'avada kedavra.'
The reverse spell that Harry had used was meant to show a shadow of the spell last used by a wand. 'Avada kedavra.' Harry was well acquainted with the unforgivable curse. Whoever or whatever had attacked him, Lucius planned on killing them himself.
Harry stood, turning to Timothy, ''We have a visit to make. Do you need us here any longer?''
''No, I believe we are good. We'll be leaving as soon as Granger is finished,'' the wizard answered.
''Right,'' Hermione nodded at him before looking toward her husband. ''I will catch up with you later.''
Harry and Ron then joined up behind the others, heading out from under the magical shield. Both headed down Tangley Lane, and toward Salt Box Road.
''Do you think he'll be home?'' Ron asked when out of ear shot of the others.
''I don't know,'' Harry answered. ''I can't even say if he killed Lucius himself, though I'm sure he was involved.''
''What about that other guy, Brad?'' Ron thought. ''Gerald could have held Lucius and had his friend murder him. Might explain the confusion about the wounds.''
Harry shrugged. They had made it to house 14 on Salt Box smoothly and quickly. There was light shining in the downstairs window while the second floor was dark. It was almost seven am when the aurors stepped up to the door and knocked.
A moment later the door swung open. Harry expected to see Oliver behind it, but instead all he saw was an empty hallway. The light was coming from the den. The aurors took out their wands, lifting them into defensive poses before going inside.
The two walked carefully down the hall, stopping to watch the staircase for a while to be sure nobody was there. Everything was still except for what sounded like music playing in the background. They went into the room that had become the usual meeting place with Gerald.
The stereo was playing heavy metal music at a comfortable level, not quietly, but also not too loudly. There was nobody in the room and no disruption either. Everything seemed in its usual place.
Then the sound of plates clanking against each other sounded at the far end of the room from the area Harry had learned to be the kitchen on their previous visit.
The two aurors stepped carefully past the chairs near the center of the room and into the incave that acted as a tiny hall. Suddenly, Gerald appeared from the nearly hidden room opposite where Harry stood. The aurors stretched their arms out instantly, pointing lightly glowing wands mere inches from the dark wizard's face and torso.
''Fuck. Calm down,'' Gerald ordered in his signature disinterested attitude.
He was dressed plainly in black jeans and a black T-shirt displaying a band name that sounded only vaguely familiar to Harry. His hair was unkempt as was usual, but nothing else about his appearance looked disheveled. He was holding two steaming cups in his hands in front of him. One was a mug, presumably filled with coffee and the other looked to be hot tea.
When the aurors remained in their stances, the wizard raised an eyebrow, ''Can I get through or...'' he asked sardonically.
Harry loosened the grip on his wand and backed out of the way with Ron, who kept his wand ready though slightly lowered.
Gerald continued his way into the den and to the red couch he had been sitting on during their first meeting. The aurors followed, but did not sit. Instead they watched the white-haired wizard as he set his coffee mug on the little table in front of him, staying leaned forward as he sipped from his tea.
''Up late, aren't you?'' Harry spoke, remembering Oliver saying he was night person.
''Up early,'' Gerald corrected, resting his tea in his lap and looking up at the auror. ''Brad's flight landed in London earlier this morning. Ollie went to meet him and bring him here so he wouldn't have to travel alone.''
''I see,'' Harry murmured, watching the man on the couch turn his attention to Ron who, though more relaxed, had kept his wand out.
''Can I help you?'' Gerald looked down to the redheads wand.
Ron glanced at Harry before completely lowering his wand. Gerald took his eyes from him then and took another sip of tea.
''Just checking in,'' Harry said. ''We were in the neighborhood.''
''Doing what?'' Gerald was looking at him again.
Harry stared back, letting a few moments pass in silence as he attempted to read the man. He seemed to be unusually complacent...like his mind was entirely elsewhere. His face remained stern and his eyes were glossed over as if he'd been drinking. But it could have also been from not getting enough sleep.
''There was an attack on Tangley Lane,'' Harry informed. ''A man was killed.''
''I'm sorry to hear that,'' Gerald's expression didn't waver, but his next words were thick, ''My condolences to the family.''
''It appears to have been a beast that killed him,'' Harry continued. ''You three might want to be careful for a while until we get things sorted out.''
The music that had been playing changed songs then. Drums and guitar sounded for a few seconds before Gerald threw his left hand in the air, ''I love this song,'' he said, completely ignoring the auror as he twisted his wrist to turn the volume up remotely.
''It's in this wake
that I find myself
losing the will to resume this hell.
When every breath is a dying wish,
It's harder to follow the point of this...''
The dark wizard sang along with the other musician. His voice reaching a deep pitch that seemed to contrast with the soft youthfulness of his appearance. Harry once again found it easy to sympathize with the man.
Gerald sang with emotion equally strong to the sorrowful lyrics he spoke. The vision of the scars on his chest flashed in Harry's mind and he thought about what was known of the wizard's past as well as wondering what else the man had endured.
But this was no time to be gentle. Lucius Malfoy was dead just outside Gerald's home directly after the deatheater had been threatened by the singer.
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a bustle in the hallway.
''GER!'' a strange man's voice could barely be heard calling out over the stereo. ''THE FUCK ARE YOU, MAN?''
AUTHOR'S NOTE:: The song Gerald is singing is 'Fading Away' by Demon Hunter. The song actually released in 2007, but I really wanted to use it, so I altered time so that it came out in 2001 instead. BAHAHA! Croaker will be after me next for time-crimes XD