Still a big thanks to all who continue to review. It will no longer be dark in my world as long as the reviews keep slowly trickling in. Imagine how it may be if the reviews POURED in! It would be...like...the second coming or something! lol.
CLUE HUNT
The Moon
O, look at the moon!
She is shining up there;
O mother, she looks
Like a lamp in the air.
Last week she was smaller,
And shaped like a bow;
But now she’s grown bigger,
And round as an O.
Pretty moon, pretty moon,
How you shine on the door,
And make it all bright
On my nursery floor!
And there is a star
Close by you, and maybe
That small twinkling star
Is your little baby.
-Eliza Lee Follen
Harry stood in Cornelius Fudge’s living room. The room was untouched from the day Harry had found Fudge dead. Now, it was up to him and Tonks to look for clues.
“I think it would be a good idea to start in the bedroom. Lots of people keep their personal possessions and deepest secrets in there,” Tonks said, a hand on her hip and hair done up in green spikes. Harry raised an eyebrow at her before heading to the staircase that led upstairs.
Fudge had been living alone for the last year, ever since his wife had died. The house seemed slightly disheveled with the absence of a woman. Dust softly covered all of the flat surfaces and the rooms smelled slightly musty, like they could use a good airing out.
Fudge’s room was also rather messed up. Various garments were tossed on the unmade bed and straight back chairs. Tonks got on her hands and knees and looked under the bed, while Harry headed straight to a desk across the room.
“Hmm,” Tonks said, reaching her arm under the bed and trying to pull something out. “From what I can tell so far, Fudge hasn’t cleaned under here in probably a couple decades. The dust bunnies are atrocious; lots of odd socks too. But there’s a box here.”
Harry riffled through papers.
“Well, here’re some Daily Prophet articles about the captured Death Eaters. Let’s see…yeah, it mentions Bellatrix and Lucius. Crabbe…Goyle…”
Tonks began to cough as she dragged the box out from under the bed, activating a hazy cloud of dust. She lifted the lid after wiping her watering eyes.
“More newspaper articles,” she said with a sniff. “Uh, Crouch’s conviction and a ton of others. It looks like he’s kept the article of every conviction since Voldemort started. Why would he do that?”
“For reference maybe?”
“Maybe. But does this tell anything about why someone would want to kill Fudge?”
“I know a lot of people who would have preferred him dead a couple of years ago.”
“Harry, be serious.”
“No, I am serious.”
Tonks shook her head in disgust.
“I don’t think someone would murder Cornelius Fudge just because of the bad decisions he made. After all, what about the Dark Mark over the house? Everything points to the murderer being a Death Eater.”
“Not just any Death Eater. It has to be Wormtail!” Harry said through gritted teeth.
Tonks didn’t pay attention to that comment. She was staring down at the box of newspaper clippings, her mouth slightly open.
“Maybe it wasn’t a Death Eater,” she said slowly.
“Oh, come on! I thought you just said that the Dark Mark meant that the murderer was a Death Eater!”
“No, no. I mean, maybe it was someone who is mad at Fudge because of the trials.”
“Huh?”
“Maybe it’s someone who’s mad because a close friend or family member was killed or put into Azkaban because of Fudge. They’re kind of seeking revenge, if you know what I mean.”
Harry nodded slowly. “Yeah, I get what you’re saying. Well, that just about puts most of the pure blooded families on our list. That hasn’t really gotten us anywhere.”
Tonks sighed, carefully setting the articles back in the box and closing the lid.
“Maybe we should take this with us just in case.”
“Sure,” Harry replied, going back to searching through Fudge’s desk. “Whoa, wait a minute. Look what I found,” he said after opening one of the desk drawers. Tonks got up and walked over to Harry.
“What is it? Looks like a spider web, or a”“
“Family tree,” Harry interrupted. “See.” He pointed at the top of the paper. In minuscule handwriting was the heading The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. “This looks oddly familiar…wait! I remember. It was in Sirius’s house, remember? He showed it to me. How he’s related to Bellatrix and you.”
Tonks was oddly quiet.
“What’s the matter?”
“Oh, nothing. Well, maybe. Its just…I don’t really try and look at my family tree as often as I can. It kind of freaks me out to know that more than half of the people I’ve hunted down are related to me. What I want to know is why Fudge has it here. And how did he get it. I mean, the only people that I know of that had a copy of the family tree were my grandma and Sirius’s mum. Its not like they go up to the Minister of Magic and say ‘Gee, Fudge ol’ pal. How’d you like a copy of the ol’ family tree? Might help you track down a couple of my grandchildren’.” Tonks gave a wry chuckle. Harry sighed.
“I don’t know. But maybe it could help us a little. Let’s take it back with us.”
Later that afternoon Harry was knocking on the Weasley’s front door. Molly opened it and smiled.
“Ah, Harry! Here for Lily, I suppose?”
“Yes, I am,” Harry replied.
“Come in, come in! Hermione and Ginny are here. Won’t you stay for a cup of tea?”
“Sure,” Harry shrugged.
Molly led him into the fancy parlor where Hermione was seated on the Victorian chaise lounge and Ginny on the floor with Lily. Hermione stood.
“Harry! Great to see you!” she cried as she ran over and hugged him.
“Congratulations on the big news,” Harry said, his eyes twinkling. “I’m really happy for you.”
“Ack, so am I!” Molly said from the parlor doorway, taking a handkerchief from her pocket and dabbing her eyes. “I’ll be back in a jiffy with the tea,” she added as she walked away.
“Has she been like that all day?” Harry asked.
“Ever since she found out,” Hermione chuckled. “Keeps babbling on about being a grandmother.”
Harry bent down and swept Lily into his arms.
“Harry, did you hear the news?” Ginny said, standing up. Harry looked questioningly from Ginny to Hermione.
“No…”
“Oh, its all over the papers. Viktor Krum was bit by a werewolf!”
“No way!” Harry cried. “That’s horrible!”
“I know,” Hermione said sadly. “I feel so sorry for him.”
“How?” Harry asked.
“Well, Krum’s been working in the Auror Department recently in Bulgaria, you know. He was trying to hunt down this werewolf that’s been storming cities and stuff and, well, it got him. I suppose the good thing is that he did manage to capture it.”
Just then Molly returned with the tea.
“Oh, you’re not telling him about Viktor Krum, now are you? Harry’s got enough on his mind as it is,” she said briskly.
“Yes, Harry, how’s it going with your search for Wormtail?” Hermione asked.
“Without event,” Harry sighed.
The usual friendly conversation followed as Harry downed his tea. Finally when Lily began to yawn, he decided to leave.
Once at home, Harry got Lily to bed. Then he got into bed himself. Luna wasn’t home yet, and ultimately he fell asleep.
Reviewism of the day:
Minerva McGonagall:
"'A REVIEW? Really, Dumbledore, you think you can explain all this in a REVIEW? These people will never understand him! He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!"