I uploaded Ch13 to my Doc Manager and forgot to actually upload it, so here's both in one day. Happy Valentine's folks!
"Sirius, this doesn't make any sense. Dumbledore said that You-Know-Who and his followers killed Marlene and her entire family two years ago."
"Dumbledore has said a lot of things. I know Marlene when I see her, Xenophilius."
"I don't doubt it. I would know my Pandora anywhere. And from what I remember of Marlene, it makes perfect sense that she would be going after Death Eaters who haven't been prosecuted, especially if they're the reason she looks the way she does. But how is she even alive?"
"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."
"Sirius…" Frank started gently.
Frank, Sirius and Augusta were in the Lovegood's living room with the newspaper in Sirius' hand, and Sirius was pacing the floor while Frank, Augusta and Xenophilius looked up at him from the couch. Part of Xenophilius was almost worried Sirius would pace a hole in his floor from how distressed he looked, but he also knew that was just an expression and wasn't based in reality … right?
"Sirius, think about this rationally. If that really is Marlene –"
"It is! She is! I know Marlene when I see her!" Sirius yelled.
" – if it is Marlene," Frank cut him off in a stern voice, and Sirius looked angry. "Why hasn't she come to us? Why hasn't she contacted Dumbledore, or you, or somebody? Why would she be in hiding?"
"Maybe she has contacted Dumbledore and he just hasn't told us." Xenophilius offered. "When is the last time any of us heard from him anyways?"
"Yesterday." Frank said bluntly. "He sent Alice a Christmas greeting and specifically left me and Mum out of it. It was rather humorous actually."
"Can I just get some support here?" Sirius demanded. "I need to find her! I know it's her!"
"Sirius, I want to help you, but I don't think it's her." Frank stood up. He looked at Augusta. "Mum?"
Augusta looked at her son, then looked back at Sirius' distressed face. "I think he's right, Frank."
"How could it possibly be her?" Frank countered. "She would have spoken to someone by now, wouldn't she?"
"Who knows what they've done to her?" Augusta replied. "Maybe she is too hurt, physically or mentally. Maybe she feels like she can't speak to anyone."
"That's ridiculous." Frank scoffed. "She would know we're still here. It doesn't make any sense that she wouldn't find us."
"I don't care what does or doesn't make sense." Sirius cut in. "I'm going to find her, whether or not you help me, Frank."
Frank looked at Sirius, then sighed. "I'll help you. I'll always be there, no matter what, you know that. But I think it's pointless."
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody hated office work. If there was ever anything he hated more than someone using the darker sides of magic to harm rather than help people, it was office work.
But here he was, in the office he once shared with Rufus Scrimgeour, doing more paperwork because the new Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Amelia Bones, told everyone under her jurisdiction, especially the Aurors, to essentially 're-apply' for their positions, with new paperwork and a re-assessment of their abilities.
It wasn't as though Mad-Eye disagreed with that idea. In fact, he thought it was a rather clever plan, mostly to weed out folks who should have retired years ago. Off the top of his head, he could think of several Aurors who ought to not be in the field anymore. There were always consulting positions after all.
And he liked the idea of Rufus Scrimgeour being the new Head Auror, too. Since the idiotic Barty Crouch Senior had been demoted from his position and Amelia Bones had been promoted from Head Auror to take his place, there had been some speculation as to who would take hers. Many people suspected it would be Mad-Eye himself, and he had even been approached for the position. But he had refused, and he had even been the one to recommend Scrimgeour for the position, though Scrimgeour would never know it. He had worked with the man closely for several years and he had respect for Scrimgeour's boldness, his bluntness, his stubbornness, and his vigilance.
Despite his respect for Scrimgeour and his willingness to carry out Amelia's plan to its fullest, it was a welcomed interruption when there was a knock on Mad-Eye's door and one of Scrimgeour's assistants poked her head in to tell him that he had visitors.
Mad-Eye sat back in his chair, silently appreciating the break for his quill hand, and grumbled for her to let them in.
To his surprise, Frank Longbottom and Sirius Black stepped into his office. It wasn't necessarily a surprise to see them, as they had seen each other a lot in the last several years, but they both weren't a fan of coming into the office scene either. Frank hated office work as much as Mad-Eye did when he was still a full-time Auror, and Sirius wasn't even officially an Auror.
"What can I do for you kids?" Mad-Eye raised an eyebrow at them without getting out of his chair. "And what does it have to do with the Prophet in your pocket?"
Sirius pulled it out and showed him the picture. "You know anything about this?"
"Sure do." Mad-Eye said with a simple glance. "That's the woman who's been killing unprosecuted Death Eaters in her spare time. I wish I was with her, I think they've all been let off easy."
"Sirius thinks it's Marlene McKinnon for some reason." Frank stated, and Sirius shot him a glare. "But that's not possible, right sir?"
"If this is an informal visit, boy, don't be calling me sir." Mad-Eye growled at him.
"Sorry, Moody." Frank nodded. He almost forgot he wasn't here on Auror business, and he was suddenly reminded that he hadn't finished the paperwork Owled to him by Scrimgeour yet.
"I suppose it's possible." Mad-Eye continued. "We never technically found her."
"You didn't?" Frank sounded surprised, but Sirius remained silent.
"No. I was in the party that investigated the McKinnon's house after the attack, and we found every body except hers. We figured that the Death Eaters had taken her to… Well, do what they do to young women."
"From the look of the photo, they probably did." Sirius muttered to nobody in particular.
Mad-Eye looked at the picture again. "What makes you think this is Marlene, boy? It doesn't much look like her, and that's not her name, either."
"But it is! Marlene is technically a blend of two names, one of them being Maria. And McKinnon is a Scottish name, Anglicised from Mac Fhionghuin, but the Irish translation is Findgaine. Marlene always told me that if she could change her name, it would be Maria. And her mother is Irish, so if she was going to re-translate her name she would use something that was close to her. She's doing this because she wants to be found. She wants me to find her. I know it!"
"Slow down, Sirius. If she wanted you to find her so badly, she would have come to find you. Merlin knows you've been in the Prophet enough yourself, or Gellert, or Harry, or all of you." Frank pointed out. "She would have no problem figuring out where to look, since she knows where your house is."
"She might not know she wants me to find her. Maybe she's doing it subconsciously. Maybe Mum is right and she's feeling self-conscious about how different she looks –"
"Did you just call my mother 'Mum'?"
" – and maybe she wants help with what she's doing, and maybe she wants me to come find her so that we can do it together –" Sirius ignored Frank, or perhaps didn't hear him at all.
"Sirius." Mad-Eye interrupted his ramble in a stern tone. "You're speaking a whole bundle of nonsense right now. But if you think it's her, I can help you find her."
"Please?" Sirius asked with wide eyes. "I need to find her. I need to see her. I know it's her, I just know it's her, please –"
"Boy, I just said I'd do it, don't make me change my mind." Mad-Eye gritted his teeth. "I'll get Shacklebolt to assist me. Do you or do you not want Rufus Scrimgeour in on this? I can keep it outside his knowledge if you want me to."
Sirius hesitated so briefly that nobody really took notice. "Yes. I trust him."
Mad-Eye nodded. "Good. It's easier when you trust the wizard in charge. I trust Scrimgeour more than I trusted Crouch. And it'll be easier to find her if I get his permission to use office time to search."
Sirius nearly burst into tears. "Thank you, Moody. You have no idea –"
"I understand this better than you think I do, Sirius. I know what it's like to lose someone."
Sirius could only nod; he didn't know much about Mad-Eye's early life or personal life, and neither did almost anybody else. He had no idea to whom Mad-Eye was referring, and he had a feeling that now was not the time to ask.
Mad-Eye stood up, his magical blue eye fixated on his office door. "It's nearly time for my break, and Scrimgeour is coming to talk to me anyways. If you two choose to stay, you can tell Scrimgeour about your situation yourselves."
Sirius nodded again. "I think we should." He stepped away from being directly in front of the door just as he and Frank heard the heavy footfalls of the Head Auror.
As Scrimgeour stepped in, surprised to see more than just Mad-Eye in the office, and Sirius eagerly greeted him, Frank leaned down to Mad-Eye to whisper quickly. "Do you really believe him that it's Marlene?"
"Not the time, Frank. And yes, I do."
Frank sighed as Sirius launched into his wild theory to the Head Auror. To his surprise, Scrimgeour looked intrigued, as though he was swallowing up everything that Sirius was saying.
"We'll look into it, I promise, Sirius. Mad-Eye, are you willing to take a team on this?" Scrimgeour asked.
Mad-Eye nodded. "I want Shacklebolt."
"He's been doing a lot of missions lately, since he was the first one to get his paperwork back to me, but I'll talk to him. Anyone else?"
He glanced at Frank. "Longbottom?"
Instead of looking at Scrimgeour or Mad-Eye, Frank looked at Sirius as he nodded. "Yes, sir."
"I'm going to need your paperwork by tomorrow morning if you're going to be doing this heavy of a mission, gentlemen." Scrimgeour turned to Sirius. "And if you decide you do want to become an official Auror, let me know, Sirius. We'd be happy to have you."
Sirius would have flushed had he not already known that Scrimgeour thought more highly of him than he deserved because he was a Black. "Of course, sir."
Scrimgeour's eyes crinkled at the sides as he smirked. "You don't work for me yet, so there's no need to call me sir." He looked at the paper one more time. "If you really believe this is Marlene, then I believe you. I know you two were close. We'll find her, Sirius."
A/N: I know the last chapter might have been a bit confusing but it will all make sense soon, I hope! Stay safe folks.