Feldcroft

She stood in front of the small house. To be very honest it was two huts joined into one

She was supposed to do something here for "John". That is of course if he really was John. She didn't really want to proceed with this, but something compelled her to do so. The sun was bearing down on her harder than it had any right to do so. Another compulsion followed and Alice sweated quite hard as she struggled not to put one foot in front of another to climb the steps.

"You, ok?" A distant voice said, but Alice didn't register it. She was too busy staring slack-jawed at the hut's inviting door. All her problems would be over if she just entered the house. The exhaustion, the sun, the pain, and the fear – it would all go away. All she had to do was just go.

"Oi! You in there?!" The voice yelled louder this time before snapping fingers in front of her. The voice's owner shook her rapidly and it was as if a spell over her had broken. Alice came to her senses and glanced towards the owner.

It was a boy. Almost as old as her, only taller than her. A lifetime of working around the sun had given him a brownish tan but it was his eyes that took her aback. He looked fierce and wary as if he was ready to counter Alice and subdue her at a moment's notice. He vigorously shook her by the shoulder again, ruining her hairstyle and causing her spectacles to fall down her nose.

"Why you little-" Alice grunted and kicked the boy in the shin.

"Ouch!" The boy yelped holding up his shin while hopping on one foot. "That hurt, you psycho!"

"Well!" Alice stammered before yelling, "You made my head all woozy!"

"I was trying to get your attention moron!" The boy yelled back. "Do you break everyone's shin who tries to do that?"

"Do you give everyone a nosebleed when trying to gain their attention!" Alice said.

His pain fading, the boy placed his foot back down and glared at her down his nose. A perfect imitation of aristocratic disdain. Obviously, the boy was from the aristocratic he was trying to be. His clothes were off than Alice's in terms of style and fit. The only difference was, his were clean while hers were filthy.

"What are you doing here anyway?" The boy asked. "I am pretty sure I have never seen you before."

"Why? Is it a crime to visit hamlets? Am I a muggle?" Alice shot back in quick succession and the boy rubbed his temples in frustration.

"No, it's just that I would have remembered somebody as annoying as you hanging around Feldcroft." The boy said.

"Uh-huh. Says the boy who harasses little girls." Alice said. "Creep!"

"Stalker!" The boy shot back.

"Weirdo!" Alice said.

"Harpy!" The boy said.

They glared at each other, ready to cry havoc and let loose the hounds of war. The sound of massive pops going around broke them from their childish tantrum.

"Official Auror Business!" The first voice yelled. The boy's eyes fearfully widened at that and out of instinct, he tried to run. Alice stood frozen, not understanding why the boy was running away from the magical police. The boy broke his pace and looked back in confusion as to why Alice wasn't running away from the Aurors. He quickly ran towards her, grabbed her by the arm, and bolted. The taller and heavier boy easily dragged Alice alongside him.

"Are you mad?!" He yelled over the pace. "Why weren't you running?"

"I ain't done nothing! Why should I fear them!" Alice.

"Shrill and stupid." The boy shouted back, and Alice rolled her eyes. The duo ran across the cobbled road, over the earthy ground where the road ended, and across vast untamed fields of wildflowers and grass. Nearing a patch of upturned Earth beside a massive tree that clearly looked unnatural, he pushed her into a ditch and jumped after her.

Exhausted after their long sprint across the trek, the two lay gasping on the cool Earth. Alice wished she could separate the feet from the rest of her body just so that they would stop aching. The cool wind blew through the trees and their body temperature dropped, bringing some much-needed relief. When they had sufficiently recovered, an uncomfortable silence brewed between the duo as they stared at each other. The boy took the initiative, "The name's Theodore by the way. Theodore Nott."

"Alice." She simply said she was not keen on giving her surname to unfamiliar people. Who knows if this Theodore could be of a similar nature to that "John" fellow. However, Theodore did catch her omission and raised a questioning eyebrow at that, but Alice still didn't budge.

Smart boy. Alice thought.

"Right," Theodore said and crossed his arms. He looked at Alice as if expecting something and it was Alice's turn to raise an eyebrow.

"Well?" Theodore asked.

"Well, what?" Alice replied.

"Mind telling me what you were doing outside of that house? I have lived here all my life. I am very confident it didn't belong to you." Theodore said.

"Who knows? Maybe the owner was a relative of mine and I simply wanted to visit." Alice said.

"Yes. Yes." Theodore sneered, "Little Red Riding Hood wandering through the forest to visit her grandma's house – only to find herself a …."

"A werewolf's lunch," Alice said and smirked in triumphant.

"Hmph. Well, at least you are not an annoying muggle-born sightseeing." Theodore sneered again.

"If you are trying to check people, might I suggest not asking questions from Hogwarts: A Legacy?" Alice sneered back at just the same intensity, "Do try harder dear."

"I don't know. Freaks and morons are good at spying. Who even knows what you are?" Theodore said.

"Whatever I am, at least I am not a poser," Alice said and Theodore blushed in embarrassment at that. "If you do want to play prince and king, do try and wear decent clothes."

Theodore once again gives her that disdainful look of a disgusted aristocrat, "There is nothing fake about me. The Nott family has lived for generations in England, long before the ministry was even formed."

"Uh-huh." Alice said, "Then why are you dressed like a street urchin from Diagon Alley?"

Theodore said nothing and turned away.

"Yeah. That's what I thought, a poser." Alice said and struck out her tongue at him.

"Oh please. Do try and act like a civil witch. How old are you, 5?" Theodore asked.

"Still better than being a poser," Alice said.

"I. AM. Not. !" Theodore seethed.

"You are so," Alice said.

"Am not," Theodore said.

"You are," Alice said.

"Am not!" Theodore yelled.

"Am not" Alice said.

"I am so." Theodore took the bait before he placed his hands in front of his mouth, realizing he had lost the round. Alice meanwhile laughed at her wit and even harder once Theodore turned his face away and struck his nose in the air.

"It does not befit the Nott heir to engage in such childish frivolity," Theodore said.

"Oh, my frivolity. Such big words milord. Let me get the royal carriage to get you home at once, milord." Alice mocked in a babyish voice. Theodore got up, dusted himself, and looked down at her.

"It's my lord, not milord. If you are going to play the part of being one of us, do try to speak English properly." Theodore said. Alice merely blew a raspberry at him, making him sigh. She struck her hand out towards him, making Theodore stare at her.

"Well, noble boy," Alice said. "Do your thing."

"W-what?" Theodore asked.

"Well, weren't you taught to respect ladies lordling? Courtesy & decorum 101 dictates that the man should help a lady up whenever required." Alice said and shook her hand in his face. "Unless of course you really aren't the Nott heir and are just some poser."

Theodore's eyes visibly twitched at that, but he forced a sickly sweet smile and mockingly bowed, "Of course my lady." He grabbed her hand and viciously yanked.

"Ow!" Alice yelped as her shoulder almost dislocated as she was hauled to her feet. Alice glared at him, but Theodore merely smiled at that, "You are welcome, my lady."

"Whatever," Alice said before looking at him suspiciously. "Why did you run away from the Aurors?"

"Why didn't you run?" Theodore countered.

"Why should I?" Alice baited. "It's not like I have done anything criminal."

Theodore laughed. "Trust me, those pigs don't need a reason to take you in. Depending on the arresting officer, he probably needed to shake you down for money. If you didn't pay, he would've locked you up for the weekend."

Lovely. The coppers here are just as bad as the muggles. Alice thought.

"What were you doing in front of that house?" Theodore asked.

Touche Theodore. Question for question. Alice thought. It was good to see at least the boys here weren't as dumb as Vernon and Dudley. Or obese for that matter.

"Running errands for someone." Alice sighed and Theodore narrowed his eyes.

"Running errands for whom?" Theodore said.

"I don't know." Alice lied. "Somebody needed something done. They paid good galleons. I agreed."

"Trust me, whoever put you up to this, is no friend of yours," Theodore said. "That house is cursed. Any who try to occupy or enter it have died painful deaths."

Alice involuntarily shivered. "Who was the original owner?"

"I don't know. Just that it was a dark wizard." Theodore shrugged.

He was a death eater you buffoon. Alice thought as she knew Theodore was lying to her.

"Well then," Theodore said as he clapped his hands. "I should get going. My grandparents will be looking for me."

Alice nodded as the boy turned to walk the path back to Feldcroft. A rapid chittering sound emitted from the forest area surrounding them. Theodore paused and turned to look at Alice behind him.

"You heard that too?" Alice asked quietly and Theodore, death pale, slowly nodded.

"Whisper quiet." He mouthed to Alice who nodded. Looking around, Theodore gathered a few rocks meanwhile Alice crouches down and gets as near to him as possible.

"What is it?" Alice whispered.

"Acromantula," Theodore mumbled. "They can sense sound. Quiet."

Alice pretended to understand what that term meant and just stood there uncomfortably as Theodore gathered rocks. Suddenly, the ground near them started to burrow inwards, and Theodore panicked.

"RUN!" He roared and Alice didn't need to be dragged this time as she sprinted alongside Theodore. Her feet quickened her pace as she just caught the barest glimpse of the predator chasing them. It was a large spider, almost the size of a German shepherd. Normal spiders were bad enough, she didn't fancy a tango with something that large and abominable.

Unfortunately, the duo didn't see a near-translucent web wire that the spider had placed over there. They fell with a sickening crunch on the hard ground and the spider's chittering grew in intensity. To his credit, Theodore didn't panic and started tossing the rocks at the spider.

"Run!" He shouted. "I will hold him off! Go to the village and get help!"

Alice took a few steps in the opposite direction but stopped once she heard Theodore's shrieks. The spider had jumped and knocked him down once again. Making a split-second decision, Alice started to toss rocks of her own at the creature. One of the rocks struck the spider's many eyes and it hissed angrily and decided Alice would make for a better supper opportunity. It knocked Alice to the ground and raised itself above to plunge its stinger into her body.

"Oh no you don't!" Theodore grunted as he pulled at the spider's back legs and heaved at it with all his childish might. The spider skidded back just enough to allow Alice to use her arms. She pulled out John's wand. She didn't know any spells. Much less spelling that would work on an acromantula.

Not knowing what to do and with Theodore at his limit, she pointed her wand at the spider's eyes and roared, "LUMOS!"

She poured every ounce of magic she had in that spell. Every ounce of fury and desperation was poured to fuel the spell. The wand became alit, brighter than muggle air torches.

He he he see Alice? If you put the glass on the ants, they burn! He he he

Very funny, Dudley.

The beam of light focused, becoming a concentrated ray that zeroed in on the Acromantula's eyes. It pierced through the spider's eyes, burning through the soft, sensitive tissue with the heat of a thousand suns. The creature screamed. Smoke began to rise from its face as the light carved its way through the spider's head, leaving behind blackened, charred remains.

Theodore watched in stunned silence, his grip on the spider's leg slackening as the creature writhed in agony. It slowly fell slack and then turned upside down with legs wrapped into itself.

The forest was silent once more, the only sound the heavy breathing of Alice and Theodore.

Theodore was the first to break the silence. "Alice…" he began, his voice hoarse with disbelief. "What… what did you just do?"

Alice shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "I… I don't know. I just… did it."

They both stood there, staring at the smoking carcass of the Acromantula. The forest around them was still dark, but it no longer felt as menacing. The danger had passed, and they were alive. He took one look at her wand and said,

"You better hide that. Children aren't supposed to do magic, remember?"

Her mind was still hazy from the magical feat, "Why?"

Theodore looked at her in bewilderment before saying, "Because it's illegal, and the trace? Also, I'm pretty sure you stole that wand. The Aurors are already breaking the doors down, you better hide that thing."

Alice didn't say anything but pocketed the wand in her jeans. In her stemming panic, neither child witnessed a figure observing them from the dark. Pulling out a wand, it whispered, "Confundus!" and Alice stirred for a bit before resuming activity as normal.

Barty Crouch Senior

Bartemius Crouch Senior was miserable. He had been miserable for a very long time, but tonight was one of the days he felt particularly bad. 20th June. A day of infamy that had changed everything for him in a single moment. Today was the day Igor Karkaroff had surrendered Barty Crouch Jr, his son and heir, to the Aurors in exchange for clemency.

He cursed that day for existing. He cursed himself for joining the Auror Corps. He cursed himself for marrying his wife. He cursed the night he consummated the marriage that led to the creation of that wretched offspring of his. Once, he was the shining star of the law enforcement. The father of HIT squads who combatted Death Eaters, vampires, werewolves, and all manner of dark filth without fear or remorse that plagued their society in general. His reign as the next minister of magic was all but guaranteed. Only for it all to be undone in a single day.

Now he was a beat Auror. Forced to salute a holier than thou Amelia Bones who had never even fought a Death Eater to a final duel.

As such, he was here in this miserable, poverty-stricken hamlet hunting for the last of Voldemort's death eaters. A particularly nasty fellow by the name of Augustus Finch. Augustus was a man who had been identified by Severus Snape and Igor Karkaroff to be a death eater in a sworn deposition. Not only that, the whorseon was a vampire who had pledged the service of his coven to the Dark Lord in exchange for amnesty and crowning him defacto king of the undeath in service to the Dark Lord. What little personality portrait had been painted by the Aurors told him that the Dark Lord took particular delight in pitting him and Fenrir Greyback against each other.

Such is the manner that the Dark Lord spent his time when he was bored from terrorizing poor sods too stupid to think critically.

An anonymous intelligence tip-off had suggested that Augustus Finch had a safe house somewhere in this hamlet. Eager to prove that she was not just a product of nepotism, Amelia Bones had ordered the entire hamlet to be turned upside down in search of Augustus Finch. Hell, even the retired legend, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody, had been bought back from retirement in a lucrative per-hour contract to hunt the vampire.

The bushes around him rustled and Barty was already on guard. He might've been old with dulled reflexes, but his mind was still sharp. Conjuring a protective shield around himself, Barty shouted, "Official Auror Business! I know you are there! Show yourself!"

None appeared. But whoever it was, was very amateur. They made a lot of noise and didn't have concealment charms to hide themselves.

"Accio!" Crouch said and two kids were immediately yanked from their hiding spots and thrown before him. Internally Crouch breathed a relief sigh at them being mere brats and not a hostile dark mage. Outside he maintained a stern demeanor as he glared down at the terrified-looking children.

"Children! What are you doing outside? Haven't you heard that the ministry has imposed a curfew on this hamlet? All members are to remain indoors unless told otherwise by the Aurors." Barty said.

The kids looked terrified, but he could tell the girl was less worried than the boy. He wondered why that was.

"Mind telling me what you were doing out there?" Barty asked. "Oh, and before that, your names."

"Lilith, sir." The girl introduced herself, but the boy didn't, instead preferring to look away. Crouch tapped his foot on the ground expectantly.

"Quickly young man, we haven't got all day!" Crouch ordered.

"Theodore Nott, sir." He said and Crouch couldn't help but let a full-blown sneer engulf his face. No wonder the brat was so hesitant to drop his name. After all, it was HIT that had seen his wretched parents thrown to Azkaban.

"Why am I not surprised to see you breaking the law, Mr. Nott. Undoubtedly, you have been raised to believe that you are above such trivial things." Crouch said.

Theodore balled his fists in anger but didn't rise to the bait, "No sir."

"Right." Crouch said, "Mind telling me what you were doing out there?"

Both kids said nothing, and Theodore now looked as if he was about to wet himself. Thinking on her feet, Alice let her inner charm school flow out at a maximum level.

There is nothing more powerful than a right whisper placed in the right ear at the right time. Yuri had told her. As such, you must always be aware of the power of the word. It wasn't too long ago that an Austrian painter convinced the world to launch an industrial-scale genocide on their neighbors.

"We were kidnapped and ran away near the forest to hide!" Alice whimpered, letting tears flood her eyes. "We ran and ran, and it was so painful… And …. And"

"And then what?" Crouch boredly asked. This was most likely a lie.

She heaved as she struggled to gain her breath. "We got attacked by an acromantula!"

Theodore eagerly nodded as Alice narrated her tale.

"Right. And what did your attacker look like?' Crouch asked.

"He was tall, blonde, and had pale yellow eyes." She said.

Ok. Interesting. Crouch thought. That description wasn't too different from their suspect's.

"Any idea where he kept you?" Crouch asked.

"Yes!" Alice said, "Theo knows. He knows this place really well."

Theodore looked like he was choking at the prospect of having to talk to an Auror but relented under Alice's probes. "The old place near the Robinsons. The one with the dead herbology patch and dull blue door. 34, I think is the building name."

Crouch nodded, "Very well. Scram back to your parents. But know this, if it turns out to be false, I will be having words with you again."

Machinations

"The kids were telling the truth, sir. There is a dead acromantula almost a kilometer down the road. A baby one to be honest." Adam said.

"Huh. That would explain why they weren't spider food by now." Crouch said as the political machinations in his mind grew to a greater fervor. If the kids were truthful about the spider, odds are they were telling the truth about the hideout. If the hideout was true, they would have a great clue as to the whereabouts of Augustus.

If he could get one up over the rest of them, it might just be the start of a last hurrah Crouch was looking for in life before retiring. It would certainly be a great blow to Bones if he was the one who caught Augustus instead of her protégé, Rufus Scrimgeour. He turned to his protégé, Adam, and asked,

"Adam. We are about to piss off some very powerful people in the department. Now is a good time to confirm your loyalty." Crouch said.

"I am with you, sir," Adam replied without hesitation and Crouch nodded.

Dumb fuck. Crouch thought as he faked a proud smile. The fool was too blinded by the hero worship of the old Crouch to care for his career by aligning his stars with Madam Bones. Oh well, if all turned well and good, he would see if the boy could be taken care of.

Tracing

Barty walked past the blue door before he felt an uneasy feeling. Something was wrong here. He retraced his steps and felt the same uneasy feeling.

"Sir?" Adam asked at the bizarre behavior. Then it hit Crouch like a ton of bricks, it was a compulsion! Probably laid by Adam to force people to ignore his hideout. The compulsion's hold over his mind weakened and he smiled triumphantly. Pointing his wand at the door, he said, "Finite Incatatem."

The illusion instantly shattered, and Adam could only say, "Whoa" as he too could see the door now. Nodding proudly to himself, Crouch motioned for Adam to come from the back while he took the main door.

"Alohomora," he said as the door opened and he sneaked in quietly. Meanwhile, Adam approached from the opposite end and through a window. They scanned the entire house and found it to be empty. With a gesture, Crouch ordered him to search the building.

"Aparecium" Adam cast and a ring on a side table was highlighted.

"Port key," Crouch said, and Adam nodded as he gingerly levitated it between them.

"Can you trace it?" Crouch asked.

"I can try, sir," Adam said and after a few moments he had the location. "It's a two-way portkey. Here and between wherever Augustus is right now."

Crouch eyed the blood vials and jugs on the cabinet opposite him with revulsion, "He is probably parched and wanted to get in here for a quick drink."

"Shall I go inform Mad-Eye, sir?" Adam asked and Crouch glared at him as he if he had blasphemed against God.

"No, we keep this in-house. Summon the HIT. It's time we get some credit thrown our way." Crouch said and Adam nodded.

Big Beasts in The Cage

Augustus lay sprawled on the cold, stone floor of the shop, his ferocious bloodhound now reduced to a whimpering mouse. He could barely move, every attempt sending jolts of pain through his entire being. His throat was parched, his fangs aching with hunger, but he knew he couldn't feed, not now, not in his condition. He was hanging on by a thread, hoping, praying that the portkey he had arranged would activate soon. It was his only chance of escape.

Soon he would find their master. And when he returned, he would rip Lucius Malfoy limb from limb. Or maybe he would first have fun with his beautiful wife while Lucius watched chained up from the sides. Then he would sink his fangs in the slippery fuck.

The faint clink of the door, barely audible, sent a wave of dread crashing through him. His blood ran cold, colder than it had ever been in life or death.

"REDUCTO!"

The door didn't simply open—it was blown apart with a deafening crash, wood splintering and flying across the room like deadly shrapnel. Augustus snarled, baring his fangs and unsheathing his claws, ready to tear at his attackers with what little strength he had left.

But before he could even move, a series of powerful Bombarda spells hit him in rapid succession. The force of the explosions knocked him off his feet, sending him crashing through the wall and into the storeroom beyond.

Blinding light flooded the room, so bright it hurt his eyes. He growled, trying to shield his face, but then the stunners came, one after another, each one sapping more of his strength until he couldn't even muster the will to snarl. His body was a puppet with its strings cut, limp and unresponsive.

The ropes came next, thick and unyielding, wrapping around him with a speed and precision that spoke of practiced skill. "Incarcerous," a voice commanded, and Augustus felt the ropes tighten around him, binding him so tightly he could barely breathe, let alone move.

A few seconds passed and Augustus's vision began to clear, and he saw the figure who had just entered the room. A man who had become the bane of Death Eaters back in the day stood smiling at him like an old friend.

"Missed us, did you?" Crouch's voice was smooth, almost conversational, but there was an edge to it, a steely resolve that brooked no defiance. "I can assure you, we at HIT really missed you. Come now, we have a lot to talk about. Let's take this conversation someplace private, hm?"

Augustus's vision began to blur, darkness creeping in at the edges. He could barely keep his eyes open, the exhaustion and blood loss finally taking their toll. Crouch's voice was the last thing he heard as consciousness slipped away.

"There's a black site in Aranshire. Lock him up. I have a few questions before Mad-Eye takes him." Crouch orders and the men comply.