Harry's Future

Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Harry sat in his office staring at the photograph of his family that Ginny had arranged for. Sensitive to his mood the figures in the picture looked back at him with expressions of concern. Abagail was nowhere to be seen. The fingers of Harry's right hand were tapping out a restless tattoo as his eyes drifted to the clock that was just reaching seven in the evening. Milligan was due with a report on what his investigators had found out so far on who was responsible for the destruction of the paintings that Abagail had created for the Minister to highlight his campaign for species equality. If anyone had been in the room with him they would have felt noticeably warmer than if they were in the hallway outside, or in any other part of the building. Harry was about to get up to go looking for his chief of investigations when the tall lanky wizard appeared in the doorway. 

"Well?" Harry asked pointedly. 

"We don't have him, but we do have his trail. When he left by the Floo Network there was a witch at the fireplace next to him who heard him say the name of a small shop in Knockturn Alley that we've had some issues with but never were able to close up. We interviewed the owner. He confirmed a wizard in a full length gray cloak that matched what the witch thought she saw entered the shop through the fireplace and then fled. After some digging along the alley we found a couple of witnesses that thought they recognized the guy. We have half a dozen investigators checking out where he might be hiding," Milligan finished. 

"Who is he?" Harry asked quietly. 

"He was identified as one Pontificus Lestrange," Milligan replied. 

Harry bolted upright in his chair at the sound of the last name. 

"Lestrange?" 

"Apparently he's some cousin or other of Rudolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix's husband. From what we can figure he's a pretty down and out pureblood that holds to the old ways. It seems to fit the bill," Milligan said. 

"It certainly does. I tend to forget that there were plenty of family members of the Death Eaters still around after Riddle fell. Alright, get his name and description out to everyone and make sure they understand I want him in one piece," Harry said quietly. "How long he stays that way is another matter." 

"Chief," Milligan chided gently. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. But I can still think it," Harry said angrily. 

Milligan nodded and left. Harry let out a long breath and left the office. He hadn't noticed the beads of sweat that had formed on Milligan's forehead while he was standing in the office. He entered the lobby where the damaged canvasses were roped off. He could only shake his head as he Disapparated to his front porch. Kreacher opened the door and looked at his employer with large, sad, liquid eyes but said nothing. As Harry hung up his robes Ginny hurried down the corridor. 

"Harry, for crying out loud, what happened? I got a message from Mum that said someone had ruined Abagail's paintings? How could that happen?" 

"Apparently, a wizard came through the Floo Network with a container of some kind of liquid. He threw it on the paintings and then fled through a fireplace. The liquid dissolved all the paint and about half the canvass. Milligan's people have a line on him and they're after him. Some character named Pontificus Lestrange," Harry told his wife. 

"Lestrange? Death Eaters?" she said horrified. 

"I don't think so. Milligan said he was some cousin or something. He's apparently a pureblood but with no money or family connections. They're on his trail so I'm hoping we'll have him soon," Harry concluded, feeling tired after a long, emotional day.