I SPY || 𝕝𝕦𝕔𝕚𝕦𝕤 𝕞𝕒𝕝𝕗𝕠𝕪

Chapter 38. Crazy Mad-Eye Moody

Harry tried his best to bring Astrid back to the castle, back to safety, he tried to help her to her feet, lift her, drag her... But she was a dead weight, buried into a tight ball, her face hidden beneath a mop of blonde hair. The only movement she made was the gentle shaking of her silent cries.

            Harry returned to the castle, alone, where a large dark mark hung in the sky above the astronomy tower... above where Dumbledore lay motionless in the stone courtyard. Harry pushed his way through a crowd of students, gathered around the shocking scene, and keeling by Dumbledores side he moved some stray hairs from the wizards face lovingly. Taking the horcrux they had ventured to get that night from Dumbledores hand he slipped it into his pocket and lay a sad hand on the dead-man's chest. Staff and students looked on in sadness, heartbroken by the tragic loss of the brilliant headmaster. Ginny dropped to her knees beside the boy-who-lived and pulled him into a tight embrace. Minerva, filled with overwhelming sadness, but also anger, raised her wand to the sky and illuminated its tip, causing a small break of light to appear through the mouth of the dark mark. Madam Pomfrey soon joined her, raising her own wand, and then Luna shared the same idea, raising her own wand and pointing it to the dark stormy sky. Ron and other students soon joined in too, and before long all wands in the courtyard were raised solemnly, their collective shining light breaking and dissolving the dark mark above them.

            "Potter," Minerva sighed sadly, crouching to the boy who sobbed silently into Ginny's shoulder. Harry looked up with teary eyes.

            "Astrid... P-Professor Moody... she needs you," Harry choked out.

            "Where?" Minerva asked, scanning the crowd of students for Astrids face.

            "Hagrid's hut... they took Everly," Harry exhaled.

            Minerva put Professor Flitwick in charge of the courtyard, and sent Ron and Hermione with Hagrid to go alert the portraits in Dumbledores office of his murder, which they soon passed onto members of the Order.

            Minerva then scurried out of the school gates and through the Forbidden Forest, tramping plants and fauna she hitched up her skirt and hurried in the direction of the burning hut.

            "Professor Moody?!" Minerva called out worriedly when she emerged from the tree line. "Professor Moody?! Astrid?!" Minerva called out. Just then she spotted a curled-up figure in the grass, illuminated by the orange glow of the fire. Minerva approached cautiously at first, and upon seeing the tangled mop of blonde waves upon Astrids head she broke into a run, arriving behind Astrid she threw herself around the girl, her arms encompassing her. She absorbed Astrid's shakes and cries, and leant her face lovingly against the girls back.

            "Oh my dear, oh you poor girl," Minerva whispered with a sob.

            "They took her," Astrid choked out from below a mass of tangled hair.

            "I know... I know... don't you worry, we will get her back, we will, somehow," A tear escaped Minerva's eye as she made a promise that she wasn't entirely sure she could keep.

            "What am I to do?" Astrid asked, raising her head she turned to the older woman, with red eyes and mascara-stained cheeks she sniffled.

            "Don't fret dear, come... let us go back to the castle, we will figure things out from there my dear," Minerva whispered as she brushed down Astrid's wild hair, but the girl shook her head.

            "No," the blonde choked out.

            "Come, you must, you can't stay here," Minerva pleaded, pulling Astrid to her feet. Astrid complied and allowed Minerva to wrap a comforting arm around her shoulder, and escort her back to the castle.