Emily Potter - Book 7 - The Deathly Hallows

Chapter 17: What We Owe to Each Other

The bell rang against the hardwood door of the pub, calling everyone's attention to Martina as she entered, her hands angrily swiping down her hood from her head. Annabeth, Carlotta, and Anabella exchanged looks, knowing all too well that the girl had reached the end of the investigation. Daphne and Blaise looked onward to the girl, her left nostril flaring despite her cool demeanor that she had worn to pose as a calm individual. Even her stride proved similar to a bull with her forehead tilted forward.

"I know that there were two men – one cockney accent, one Scottish." Martina dwelled, wanting to kick herself for not being quick enough to stop Emily's abduction. "They left their stench in the backyard. Filth, tobacco smoke, and fire whiskey. And, there were marks on the floor – it's clear that they apparated."

"Gwen can track them," Carlotta suggested. "We have to exert every force we have to find her."

"We don't know who these men are, I'm not so sure they're plain snatchers." Martina said. "For all we know, those are the people the bald man sent to capture us. Or Merlin forbid that they actually had been tipped off that one of the Potters was here."

Carlotta remained cold and stony in her eyes, her jaw had clenched tight as if biting down on rocks. "As I said, we have to exert every force we have to find her. What you have said gives us all the more reason." Her focus moved to the two Slytherins, "It's a good thing Emily does not look like herself. We can only hope she sustains the charm – "

Blaise's elbow bore deep into Daphne's side, urging her to speak up. "Now that you mention that," The blonde said, slowly withdrawing a wand from the burgundy satchel. "I was looking for my toothbrush – I didn't even notice that she put her wand here. Emily must have snuck it in with the Horcrux."

"Christ." Annabeth cursed, her feet dropping from the wooden legs of her seat. "It doesn't matter, right? She knows wandless magic. If Potter had brought it with her, the damn thing would have given her identity away."

Once they found out Emily's kidnapping, the entire group stayed the night at the inn above the pub. Daphne had even paid the bartender to close the entire establishment for their privacy. It was mostly Martina, Kiara, and Gwen that were tasked with going further with the case since they were proven gifted in hunting; Gwen, on the other hand, had another talent to give.

"We need to find her brother and his friends first," The half-Mogwai said to Daphne and Blaise. "Do you have anything that Emily has of her brother?" Daphne quickly submerged both arms into the bag, soon pulling herself out of the opening with a worn-out leather bifold wallet in tow. "She brought very little things with her – it's not necessarily from Harry, but it's a photo of them together." She showcased a creased polaroid of the young twins to the group, earning a nod from Gwen. "It's better than nothing."

Blaise frowned, trying to glue together what it was exactly that girl would be doing with the photograph. Gwen grinned toothy a smile, snatching away the picture from Daphne's fingers. "I'd be communicating with spirits – Or demons, it helps with tracking their whereabouts. Contacting them would enable me to see things from their point of view, I tried it earlier with Emily's wand, but I suspect that whoever took her, settled her into a sealed-off place where no magic is allowed."

"Oh. So, what you're about to do is technically magic?"

"Yeah." She chirped. "I'd be using both sides of my parentage; it improves my clairvoyance, you know?" Gwen paused, looking at the young Harry in the photograph. "I think at least Daphne or Blaise should go with us. It would shave off some anxiety if Potter saw someone he knows rather than a group of strangers claiming that his sister is missing."