Post by Madame Marauder on Feb 4, 2006 12:54:08 GMT -5
It was a stormy night and Lance walked into the Hogs Head. He sat down and ordered a butter beer. That is when he realized that the person next to him was looking at him strangely. “Can I help you?” Lance asked.
Deanna Davis shook her head at the man she had been staring at and pushed her cowl from her face. The Hog's Head was pretty empty, so she had thought maybe this man was the person she was looking for.
"Not today... thanks. I have a message for a Lance Hearthro and I'm looking for him. I'm sorry for bothering you..."
She turned away. She truly didn't know Lance, but she had been told to pass a message to him. Deanna had no clue who he was or what he looked like. Staring was rude, and embarassing. Deanna hadn't meant to stare at anyone in particular. She shook her head and signaled to the barkeep to order a drink.
"Well, today is your lucky day, because I am him... Lance, I mean. So, what is the message?" Said Lance as he casually sipped his butterbeer. He wondered if it had anything to do with the dissaperence of one Emily Van Dreperon, a young whitch who had gone missing from Hogwarts about a day ago. All the Sr. Aurors were to busy, so Lance had been sent to investigate, because it was comonly none that Emilys parents were ex Deatheaters and her captors might be death eaters.
"You can rest easy, Van Dreperon has been found. Minerva McGonagall told me to pass that on," Deanna said quietly. "If you can make heads or tails of this..."
She shrugged as the barkeep had brought her drink. She thanked him before turning back to Lance.
"As I was saying, if you can make heads or tails of this, McGongall requested a quick response," Deanna finished.
She coccked her head and waited for a response.
"Well, a missing girl is a big thing... especially when the gals parents are so important to the minsitry... oh, I was not suposed to tell you that, keep it between us, OK? But did she say were she was found?"
A wry smile touched Deanna's lips.
"Dead, near Knockturn Alley. The dark mark had been branded across her face. We're fairly certain it was a death eater," Deanna said softly. "McGongall thinks it was her parents who did it, when their daughter refused to serve You-Know-Who. It is certainly suspicious, whatever the case."
Deanna sipped her drink casually, trying not to attract attention. She and Lance were a table apart and it felt like all eyes were already on them because they were talking over an empty space.
"Do you mind if I came over there? Talking to you from another table does look suspicious in itself..."
"No problem, but do you mind if I ask who you are?" asked Lance. It did not make sense to him... the 17 year old girl had been found dead near knocturn ally... but her parents were no longer death eaters! They had been helping the ministry! No, something was fishy here, and it wasn't the butterbeer. The first step was to find out exactly who this woman was, and who she worked for...
"Deanna Davis, pleasure to meet you," Deanna said, as she walked over to Lance's table. "Kingsley and Tonks talk about you often."
She extended a hand for a handshake and smiled warmly.
Lance took the girls hand, and shook is firmly. Was she really in the orader. There was only one way to find out.
"If you dont mind me asking, just as a precaution, how do the members of the orader of the pheonix comunticate with one another?" He asked. If she asnwered right, then they would need to plan what to do about the case. If she answered wrong, well then, it would have to be a quick memori wipe below the table.
"Patronus," she whispered so that only Lance could hear. "Would you like me to preform one to confirm that?"
Deanna smiled and drew her wand.
"Or do you believe me? I really think you should trust me, it just might cause attention if a patronus-lepord were to be conjured in the Hog's Head," Deanna told him.
Stepping in from the cold, wet night, Sophie removed her hood and squezed water from her hair. She took a seat alone at the bar, reading a letter and shaking her head. She couldn't believe Emily was missing, she had just visited with her at the last Hogsmeade visit from Hogwarts.
Wiping tears from her eyes she looked around and noticed two people conversing. She couldn't help but overhear that they were talking about a missing girl. They must know about Emily. As the woman stood to join the man at his table, she too gained some courage and after a minute or two stood and walked over. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude. But I'm Emily's friend, please tell me. Do you know if she's alright?" she interupted.
"S'cuse me, miss, but this is certainly a private talk and...." Deanna began.
She stopped to survey the girl who had just interrupted. Tears were in the intruders eyes and she had said Emily was her friend. Still, Deanna didn't trust easily when on Order business.
"Lance, what say you, should we tell this girl anything? It's your mission; your call," Deanna said turning her attention to Lance.
"I'm sorry," Sophie apologized, tears still running down her face, "Either your not ready to tell me or I'm not ready to know. I guess I'll go home in case an owl comes with more news. I'm sure I'll see you around." She wiped her tears as she raised her hood and once again walked through the door, back into the storm.
Deanna stood up. She hated to turn someone away like that. She told Lance to wait for her there and she'd be back soon. She followed the girl out into the rain.
"Wait!" she called. "Wait...."
Deanna's walk quickened to a run to catch up with the girl.
Natalie Sparrow wiped the counter clean with a clean cloth before noticed the custormers infront of her, without drinks. With a smile, she asked "May I help you?"
She had a tape recorder hidden in the pocket of her apron, which was on and now recording so that she can tape conversations with bar patrons. This was because she is a spy for the Order and is recording the suspicous conversations between her customers, to see who is friend and who is foe.
Lil looked up, startled to see the barmaid in front of her. "No, I-I'm fine," she said softly. "Just a hard week, you know? Besides, I don't drink."
Natalie noticed another young woman walk in. She had a lot of muscle for her small frame, and her short hair was wet and stuck to her face.
"Sorry I'm late," she said as she cast a feeble Hot Air Charm. She swore under her breath and tried again. "Got held up at work. So, what did I miss?"
In the mean time, Lance had ran after Diana into the rain. He new the girl that she had run after. She had been in Van's file... a possible, but non lickly suspect, as witnesses say that they both liked the same boy last year in Hogwarts. Lance ran into the runny street, looking for Deana and the girl. He found them conversing under a tree on the side of the road.
"So, you knew Emily personally... and you were friends?" Deanna asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Did you know anyone liable to hurt her? Who?"
Deanna waited for the girl to answer. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lance running toward her. She signaled to him to join them.
"Yes, we were in Ravenclaw together," Sophie answered, feeling the drips of water falling on her hood from the branches of the tree they had stepped under for shelter, "I don't know anyone really who would heard her. Her parents friends thought she was backwards, I don't really know why. She would come visit me at Zonkos on Hogsmeade weekends."
By the time she had finished Lance was standing with them under the tree. She stared at them both worry in her eyes. "So, have you found her? How is she?"
"Answer me this, first," Deanna said slowly. "What's your name?"
"I'm Sophie, Sophie McKinsley. I live here in Hogsmeade," Sophie said, before asking, "Who are you?" She felt she could now ask without being pushy or nosey. "And you to sir, who are you both? Are you her parents friends?"
Deanna laughed harshly, bitterly.
"Parents friends? No... Field reasearchers.... We're researching your friend's disappearance," Deanna said softly. She cast a glance to Lance before continuing. "And Emily's recent death."
"No, she can't be," Sophie said in quiet disbelief. She turned and leaned her head on the tree. After a moment she yelled, "No." She began to sob and turned to them and whispered, tears streaming down her face, "She was my best friend." When she finished speaking, she fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry Miss McKinsley, but it's better you find out this way than after searching for her for before learning the truth. My condolences," Deanna said, awkwardly.
It wasn't her loss, but Sophie's anguish permeated the air. Deanna shuddered and a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky. Lance still said nothing. But the rain began pouring down.
"Why don't we all go back inside?" Deanna suggest quietly. The rain will make us all catch cold. Besides, we can talk more over a nice warm cup of butterbeer."
She half-smiled and turned back towards the Hog's Head.
Sophie was staring at the mud puddle in front of her face, she wiped her face with her hands. She stood again followed Deanna and Lance back to the Hog's Head, only saying, "OK" as a reply.
The wind had picked up and the storm was getting stronger. Deanna drew her cowl over her head as protection from the rain. When she, Lance and Sophie entered the Hog's Head, she threw the cowl aside and wrung her hair out.
"Well, folks," she said as the reseated themselves at the table Deanna and Lance had been at fifteen minutes before. "Looks like the rain may just keep us indoors for awhile, though this case cannot be ignored."
She nodded to Lance and sighed.
"You and I are meant to find out what led up to Emily's death, Lance. McGonagall said so before my departure. As to Miss McKinsley... I'm not sure her place in all this. But she needs what little facts we can spare," Deanna said softer than before. "Miss McKinsley, your friend was found near Knockturn Alley, dead with the dark mark branded across her face. It seems the Death Eaters are getting bolder in the way they mark their victims. In any case, it's all very patchy. It's known her parents were once Death Eaters themselves and no one's heard from them since three days before their daughter's disappearance. They still haven't made contact. Are you in touch with them or any of Emily's family members?"
Dana sat back in her chair in the dodgy pub, simply watching the group of three enter through the front door. She'd seen Lance before, but she wasn't very friendly or socialable with any of her colleagues. Pulling out her wand, she quietly Disillusioned herself, not wanting to be discovered.
When Sophie didn't respond, Deanna's face hardened.
"Miss McKinsely, any information on Emily you can spare could be crucial to our research," she said a bit louder. "Please, I know her death is difficult to accept, but Lance and I need all we can find out. You can remain anonymus if it's any help."
"I'm talk to her parents every now and then. They are the ones that sent me the letter that said she was missing. Also, she has an older brother who I'm... well lets say were seeing each other. He left Hogwarts two years ago. His name is Edward, but usually just Eddie. He doesn't speak with his parents. They had a row when he was deciding what to do with his life and told him that he could do do what they said or leave." She took a drink when she finished, looking at a spot where she thought she had just seen a person but she just saw wall.
"Eddie... Does he know? Where can we find him?" Deanna asked anxiously. She inhaled deeply before continuing. "And her parents?"
"Eddie's abroad on business for the Ministry. He probably doesn't know. He'll be back tomarrow. Now her parents are probably at their home. They hardly ever travel except in the summer," Sophie was still shaking and a few tears still streamed trails down her cheeks. "Eddie will blame himself for being gone. He was very protective of her. I don't know how we could tell him." She looked up at the clock then exclaimed, "Oh, I'm very sorry, but no matter how I feel, I must work in the morning. Goodnight both of you. No doubt I will run into you later. I'll be out and about Hogsmead so I'll probably run into you." Waving goodbye, she Apparated to her home.
That's where we left off.
Deanna Davis shook her head at the man she had been staring at and pushed her cowl from her face. The Hog's Head was pretty empty, so she had thought maybe this man was the person she was looking for.
"Not today... thanks. I have a message for a Lance Hearthro and I'm looking for him. I'm sorry for bothering you..."
She turned away. She truly didn't know Lance, but she had been told to pass a message to him. Deanna had no clue who he was or what he looked like. Staring was rude, and embarassing. Deanna hadn't meant to stare at anyone in particular. She shook her head and signaled to the barkeep to order a drink.
"Well, today is your lucky day, because I am him... Lance, I mean. So, what is the message?" Said Lance as he casually sipped his butterbeer. He wondered if it had anything to do with the dissaperence of one Emily Van Dreperon, a young whitch who had gone missing from Hogwarts about a day ago. All the Sr. Aurors were to busy, so Lance had been sent to investigate, because it was comonly none that Emilys parents were ex Deatheaters and her captors might be death eaters.
"You can rest easy, Van Dreperon has been found. Minerva McGonagall told me to pass that on," Deanna said quietly. "If you can make heads or tails of this..."
She shrugged as the barkeep had brought her drink. She thanked him before turning back to Lance.
"As I was saying, if you can make heads or tails of this, McGongall requested a quick response," Deanna finished.
She coccked her head and waited for a response.
"Well, a missing girl is a big thing... especially when the gals parents are so important to the minsitry... oh, I was not suposed to tell you that, keep it between us, OK? But did she say were she was found?"
A wry smile touched Deanna's lips.
"Dead, near Knockturn Alley. The dark mark had been branded across her face. We're fairly certain it was a death eater," Deanna said softly. "McGongall thinks it was her parents who did it, when their daughter refused to serve You-Know-Who. It is certainly suspicious, whatever the case."
Deanna sipped her drink casually, trying not to attract attention. She and Lance were a table apart and it felt like all eyes were already on them because they were talking over an empty space.
"Do you mind if I came over there? Talking to you from another table does look suspicious in itself..."
"No problem, but do you mind if I ask who you are?" asked Lance. It did not make sense to him... the 17 year old girl had been found dead near knocturn ally... but her parents were no longer death eaters! They had been helping the ministry! No, something was fishy here, and it wasn't the butterbeer. The first step was to find out exactly who this woman was, and who she worked for...
"Deanna Davis, pleasure to meet you," Deanna said, as she walked over to Lance's table. "Kingsley and Tonks talk about you often."
She extended a hand for a handshake and smiled warmly.
Lance took the girls hand, and shook is firmly. Was she really in the orader. There was only one way to find out.
"If you dont mind me asking, just as a precaution, how do the members of the orader of the pheonix comunticate with one another?" He asked. If she asnwered right, then they would need to plan what to do about the case. If she answered wrong, well then, it would have to be a quick memori wipe below the table.
"Patronus," she whispered so that only Lance could hear. "Would you like me to preform one to confirm that?"
Deanna smiled and drew her wand.
"Or do you believe me? I really think you should trust me, it just might cause attention if a patronus-lepord were to be conjured in the Hog's Head," Deanna told him.
Stepping in from the cold, wet night, Sophie removed her hood and squezed water from her hair. She took a seat alone at the bar, reading a letter and shaking her head. She couldn't believe Emily was missing, she had just visited with her at the last Hogsmeade visit from Hogwarts.
Wiping tears from her eyes she looked around and noticed two people conversing. She couldn't help but overhear that they were talking about a missing girl. They must know about Emily. As the woman stood to join the man at his table, she too gained some courage and after a minute or two stood and walked over. "Excuse me, I don't mean to be rude. But I'm Emily's friend, please tell me. Do you know if she's alright?" she interupted.
"S'cuse me, miss, but this is certainly a private talk and...." Deanna began.
She stopped to survey the girl who had just interrupted. Tears were in the intruders eyes and she had said Emily was her friend. Still, Deanna didn't trust easily when on Order business.
"Lance, what say you, should we tell this girl anything? It's your mission; your call," Deanna said turning her attention to Lance.
"I'm sorry," Sophie apologized, tears still running down her face, "Either your not ready to tell me or I'm not ready to know. I guess I'll go home in case an owl comes with more news. I'm sure I'll see you around." She wiped her tears as she raised her hood and once again walked through the door, back into the storm.
Deanna stood up. She hated to turn someone away like that. She told Lance to wait for her there and she'd be back soon. She followed the girl out into the rain.
"Wait!" she called. "Wait...."
Deanna's walk quickened to a run to catch up with the girl.
Natalie Sparrow wiped the counter clean with a clean cloth before noticed the custormers infront of her, without drinks. With a smile, she asked "May I help you?"
She had a tape recorder hidden in the pocket of her apron, which was on and now recording so that she can tape conversations with bar patrons. This was because she is a spy for the Order and is recording the suspicous conversations between her customers, to see who is friend and who is foe.
Lil looked up, startled to see the barmaid in front of her. "No, I-I'm fine," she said softly. "Just a hard week, you know? Besides, I don't drink."
Natalie noticed another young woman walk in. She had a lot of muscle for her small frame, and her short hair was wet and stuck to her face.
"Sorry I'm late," she said as she cast a feeble Hot Air Charm. She swore under her breath and tried again. "Got held up at work. So, what did I miss?"
In the mean time, Lance had ran after Diana into the rain. He new the girl that she had run after. She had been in Van's file... a possible, but non lickly suspect, as witnesses say that they both liked the same boy last year in Hogwarts. Lance ran into the runny street, looking for Deana and the girl. He found them conversing under a tree on the side of the road.
"So, you knew Emily personally... and you were friends?" Deanna asked for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "Did you know anyone liable to hurt her? Who?"
Deanna waited for the girl to answer. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Lance running toward her. She signaled to him to join them.
"Yes, we were in Ravenclaw together," Sophie answered, feeling the drips of water falling on her hood from the branches of the tree they had stepped under for shelter, "I don't know anyone really who would heard her. Her parents friends thought she was backwards, I don't really know why. She would come visit me at Zonkos on Hogsmeade weekends."
By the time she had finished Lance was standing with them under the tree. She stared at them both worry in her eyes. "So, have you found her? How is she?"
"Answer me this, first," Deanna said slowly. "What's your name?"
"I'm Sophie, Sophie McKinsley. I live here in Hogsmeade," Sophie said, before asking, "Who are you?" She felt she could now ask without being pushy or nosey. "And you to sir, who are you both? Are you her parents friends?"
Deanna laughed harshly, bitterly.
"Parents friends? No... Field reasearchers.... We're researching your friend's disappearance," Deanna said softly. She cast a glance to Lance before continuing. "And Emily's recent death."
"No, she can't be," Sophie said in quiet disbelief. She turned and leaned her head on the tree. After a moment she yelled, "No." She began to sob and turned to them and whispered, tears streaming down her face, "She was my best friend." When she finished speaking, she fell to the ground.
"I'm sorry Miss McKinsley, but it's better you find out this way than after searching for her for before learning the truth. My condolences," Deanna said, awkwardly.
It wasn't her loss, but Sophie's anguish permeated the air. Deanna shuddered and a bolt of lightning flashed in the sky. Lance still said nothing. But the rain began pouring down.
"Why don't we all go back inside?" Deanna suggest quietly. The rain will make us all catch cold. Besides, we can talk more over a nice warm cup of butterbeer."
She half-smiled and turned back towards the Hog's Head.
Sophie was staring at the mud puddle in front of her face, she wiped her face with her hands. She stood again followed Deanna and Lance back to the Hog's Head, only saying, "OK" as a reply.
The wind had picked up and the storm was getting stronger. Deanna drew her cowl over her head as protection from the rain. When she, Lance and Sophie entered the Hog's Head, she threw the cowl aside and wrung her hair out.
"Well, folks," she said as the reseated themselves at the table Deanna and Lance had been at fifteen minutes before. "Looks like the rain may just keep us indoors for awhile, though this case cannot be ignored."
She nodded to Lance and sighed.
"You and I are meant to find out what led up to Emily's death, Lance. McGonagall said so before my departure. As to Miss McKinsley... I'm not sure her place in all this. But she needs what little facts we can spare," Deanna said softer than before. "Miss McKinsley, your friend was found near Knockturn Alley, dead with the dark mark branded across her face. It seems the Death Eaters are getting bolder in the way they mark their victims. In any case, it's all very patchy. It's known her parents were once Death Eaters themselves and no one's heard from them since three days before their daughter's disappearance. They still haven't made contact. Are you in touch with them or any of Emily's family members?"
Dana sat back in her chair in the dodgy pub, simply watching the group of three enter through the front door. She'd seen Lance before, but she wasn't very friendly or socialable with any of her colleagues. Pulling out her wand, she quietly Disillusioned herself, not wanting to be discovered.
When Sophie didn't respond, Deanna's face hardened.
"Miss McKinsely, any information on Emily you can spare could be crucial to our research," she said a bit louder. "Please, I know her death is difficult to accept, but Lance and I need all we can find out. You can remain anonymus if it's any help."
"I'm talk to her parents every now and then. They are the ones that sent me the letter that said she was missing. Also, she has an older brother who I'm... well lets say were seeing each other. He left Hogwarts two years ago. His name is Edward, but usually just Eddie. He doesn't speak with his parents. They had a row when he was deciding what to do with his life and told him that he could do do what they said or leave." She took a drink when she finished, looking at a spot where she thought she had just seen a person but she just saw wall.
"Eddie... Does he know? Where can we find him?" Deanna asked anxiously. She inhaled deeply before continuing. "And her parents?"
"Eddie's abroad on business for the Ministry. He probably doesn't know. He'll be back tomarrow. Now her parents are probably at their home. They hardly ever travel except in the summer," Sophie was still shaking and a few tears still streamed trails down her cheeks. "Eddie will blame himself for being gone. He was very protective of her. I don't know how we could tell him." She looked up at the clock then exclaimed, "Oh, I'm very sorry, but no matter how I feel, I must work in the morning. Goodnight both of you. No doubt I will run into you later. I'll be out and about Hogsmead so I'll probably run into you." Waving goodbye, she Apparated to her home.
That's where we left off.