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ATHENA HAD SAID BYE TO REMUS AN HOUR AGO yet his voice was still contained inside her mind like a good luck charm. Now she was sat in Dumbledore's office as he ran through the precautions. She just presumed that Aurora was listening as her mind was too busy worrying about everything else to pay attention to what the man was saying.
Aurora was obviously paying a lot more attention, she always did this. Her hands were clasped on her lap with precision and she gazed at Dumbledore as though everything he was saying was of up most importance, which Athena presumed that it was.
Her mind was pinpointed onto the image of the door as she imagined herself walking up the steps and taking hold of the handle. Guesses of what was inside were soaring like birds and pecking at her brain. Her main guess was that Archer was hiding out there.
Archer may be a death eater but that didn't mean that Athena didn't want to see him again. She wanted to know who she wasn't supposed to trust. Rena hadn't been taking these words to heart because as far as she knew, she could trust most people.
The people she had confided a lot in were her sister, Remus and Sirius. Kennedy knew quite a bit but Athena already knew she was a death eater, maybe Archer wasn't aware that Athena knew this. Nevertheless she would like to find out for sure.
"I think that is everything" Dumbledore smiled politely, standing up from behind his desk. Aurora did the same and with definite more precision than Athena who just carelessly scrambled up, grateful to finally be going.
"You can use floo powder but don't travel directly to the house just in case"
"Where should we arrive professor?" Asked Aurora,
"You know the area better than I do, are there any wizarding locations?"
"Yeah there was that one pub about half a mile out" Athena nodded remembering the times she'd walked past it.
"Perfect" Dumbledore smiled, "be careful and remember do not engage with danger, contact the order if there is anything unusual that could link to Voldemort's plans"
"Yes Professor" Aurora nodded as she stepped over to the fireplace, taking a handful of green powder she raised her head before calling out her destination.
"White–house pub" Aurora spoke clearly. In the next second she was engulfed in green flames. The fire place was left empty meaning that Athena could take her turn.
"Miss Sinistra" Dumbledore turned to her. Athena paused worried that he knew that she hadn't been paying attention.
"Be safe" he smiled slightly,
"I will be" Athena nodded as she followed the steps taken by her sister.
Her feet landed in an old stone fireplace. The pub was nearly empty apart from a few family's having lunch and a few drunks lying on the bar.
Aurora was standing straight looking around as though hoping to spot a clue to why they were here. Athena moved forward, alerting her sister that she had made it.
"Come on then, no time to waste" Aurora smiled as she began to pace out of the pub.
The air around was familiar. The trees were taller, the bricks were worn down and the river was higher but this was definitely the village she'd grown up in.
"Weird being back here" Aurora frowned,
"Did you know the house had been rebuilt?"
"No I didn't" Aurora shrugged, "I guess it would have to have been... muggles wouldn't like to keep a burnt out house in their neighbourhood"
"What do you think we're going to find?" Asked Athena,
"You saw the vision not me" said Aurora.
"Yes but I didn't see further then reaching out for the handle, you're the smart one"
"We're both smart, if I had to guess I'd say that Voldemort had been using it for a hideout"
"What if he's there now?" Athena murmured,
"Then we leave and call the order" Aurora told her, "were you not listening to Dumbledore?"
"Of course I was" lied Athena, "just thought you might have a different plan"
"Of course not" Aurora laughed, "I'm not an idiot, people stay alive by listening to Dumbledore".
Athena found herself wishing that that she'd just payed attention as they continued to walk down into the village.
"Oh look Rory it's the bridge" Athena called in excitement as she hurried ahead of her sister. For some reason as a child, Athena used to love this bridge. It was made of stone and curved over the river. The river.
Athena had missed the river, all the times that she'd waded through it, all the times her and Remus had thrown sticks off the bridge to see who's would win the race. Everything brought back memories of a time when Athena didn't have as many worries, when the weight of the war wasn't resting on her shoulders.
"Good times" Aurora just smiled simply as she walked over it. Athena wanted to stay and relish in these emotions forever but she had something more important to do. After taking one last look at the river below, she moved to follow her sister over the bridge.
Athena's estate looked just as she remembered it. There was a small cobbled yard in the centre with a few picnic benches and potted plants. In a round formation sat the houses. There were ten of them, four stood alone where six of them were attached to a partner.
Rosemary cottage was one of the ones which stood alone and backed onto the river behind it. Athena remembered waking up to the sound of running water. The two sisters walked into the estate and headed towards the oak front door when they heard a call from behind them.
Athena turned to see someone she hadn't seen since she was nine years old. One of the Sinistra's old neighbours Mrs Cattaway. She was one of those people who had always been old. Athena couldn't imagine her being younger than seventy with her flyaway grey hair and rose patterned apron. She was gardening her petunias in the front garden.
"Mrs Cattaway!" Aurora beamed as she walked away from the house and over to the woman, "it's good to see you, how are you?"
"Oh you know me dear, I'm as fit as a fiddle" the woman smiled, "gosh it's been years, what are you two doing back here... you've changed so much"
"We heard the house wasn't inhabited so we thought we'd take a look... memories you know"
"Oh that's a lovely thought dear but the house is locked" Mrs Cattaway smiled, "but you're lucky you ran into me because I'm looking after the key for the landlord"
Athena knew that Mrs Cattaway was a muggle and would have no idea that Athena and Aurora didn't need a key to get into a house.
"Thank you that would be very helpful" Aurora smiled as she watched the old woman bustle back into her home,
"I swear she expired ten years ago" Athena muttered,
"Shut up Rena" her sister rolled her eyes, "Mrs Cattaway was always lovely to us"
The woman came back out of her house holding up a key.
"Thank you" Aurora smiled as she took the silver key from the woman,
"You know it's strange that you two are coming back as well"
"As well?" Aurora frowned just as she was about to turn away,
"Yes I've seen a few of your relatives this week. I recognised them from when they used to visit you"
"I didn't know any of them had been back" Aurora murmured, "who did you see and... what were they doing?"
"Well I saw your uncle, he came around a few times when you were younger... very charming man"
"Dacre" Athena muttered as she turned to her house,
"Yes and he was with a young boy, could have been his son but I didn't recognise him"
Athena was staring at her sister who was still tuned into the words of Mrs Cattaway,
"You saw our uncle with a young child?"
"When I say young he was definitely a teenager... very tall as well"
"They visited the house?" Aurora asked.
"Yes they went inside... I didn't give them a key so I presumed they must have been interested in buying... probably got a key from an estate agency"
"Yes probably" Aurora nodded,
"How long were they there for"
"About an hour but when they left they ran into your aunt"
"Honey?" Athena asked,
"I never knew her name dear, lovely curls"
"Yes that's Aunt Honey" Aurora nodded, "so they met up?"
"Yes in a way... they started having a fight in the street"
"A fight?" Athena gasped,
"My exact reaction, very uncivilised"
"As in an argument fight or a physical fight?" Aurora continued to enquire.
"An argument but I couldn't head what they were saying" Mrs Cattaway smiled, "very loud but almost muffled"
Athena presumed they must have used some sort of charm so eavesdroppers (such as Mrs Cattaway) wouldn't be able to hear.
"How did it end?"
"It calmed down and then they went back into the house, presumably to talk somewhere more quiet"
"Thank you Mrs Cattaway, we'll leave you to your gardening"
"You're welcome dears, feel free to pop by anytime"
Athena and Aurora walked away from the woman and immediately shot each other hesitant glances,
"Dacre was here" Athena stated, "and Archer"
"Arguing with Honey" Aurora nodded, "Honey is supposed to be on a business trip in Manchester for the ministry, why was she here?"
"What do you think they were arguing about?"
"The more important question is that why did Honey not contact the order when she saw Dacre... that's first procedure"
"Maybe she wanted to talk to him first" Athena suggested, "didn't they used to get on?"
"Yes until Dacre betrayed Honey to Voldemort" said Aurora, "that's not just something you forget"
"Maybe that's what they were arguing about then"
The two sisters walked towards the house and Athena watched tentatively as Athena placed the key in the front door and turned it.
The house looked different now it had been rebuilt. The kitchen was the same shape and size yet the stone floor was now tiled and the walls were a cream rather than the previous orange that Mary had loved so much. Just seeing it sent sparks of fire flashing before Athena's vision as she remembered what happened.
"Shall we go upstairs?" Athena murmured. Her sister was walking ahead with her wand outstretched as she looked carefully around,
"Not yet we have to check the whole house, Dacre and Archer could still be here" Aurora told her.
Athena nodded as she followed into the living room. The sofas weren't the past brown leather but instead a cream fabric. It had been decorated despite no one living in it. Apparently this was something muggles did to increase the prize of their houses.
As Aurora walked around the living room, Athena ducked away into the dining room. The wooden staircase looked the same, clambering up to the next floor. Athena shouldn't go without her sister yet curiosity got the better of her. If it was her uncle and cousin, they wouldn't kill her.
She walked up the stairs onto the familiar landing. Someone had definitely been living there, as she stuck her head into her parents old room she could see that the bed hadn't been made. Athena walked further into her old bedroom, it was the smallest apart from Archer's attic room.
The bed was the same and the shelves were still built into the wall. In the corner sat a chair that hadn't belonged to her but the view out the window over the village was still the same. There had never been any curtains on that window when Athena had grown up, every night she would place a blanket over it. Now however light purple shades covered the small square from view.
She walked back out onto the landing and headed towards the other set of stairs. As she looked up towards the door she remembered her vision. Walking towards it with her arm outstretched, it seemed weird actually being here after thinking about it so much.
Aurora could be heard downstairs still pacing about and checking every corner as though she was going to find something. Athena knew that was pointless, whatever they were looking for was behind this door. That's why there were here after all.
Athena began to climb as she stretched her hand out in front of her. Anticipation built as she gripped onto the handle. This has been all that she'd seen. Now she had no idea what was going to be behind the door.
She took a deep breath before turning the handle and pushing it open. The attic had been displayed as a bedroom almost exactly how she had remembered it. As Athena's eyes landed on the bed she noticed that someone was sleeping in it. There were curls pouring out over the sheet.
"Aunt Honey?" Athena frowned. Why was her aunt staying here? She had expected to find Archer or Dacre but definitely not Honey. Honey had a family, kids and definitely a home to stay in. As well as that she was supposed to be in Manchester right now not in Rosemary cottage.
"Honey" Athena repeated as she sat slightly on the bed and shook her aunts shoulder. As she did so she noticed how cold her aunts skin felt to the touch, how ridged she seemed. Athena froze as she pulled her shoulder back. Honey moved now onto her back and as Athena stared at her she felt part of her soul leave her body.
Honey's eyes were lost, she was looking at the ceiling but seeing nothing. Her skin was pale with a slight green tinge and her expression was one of shock.
"No" Athena shook her head, "no"
"Rena I told you we would do upstairs together!" Aurora called as she paced up onto the landing, "Rena what is it?"
She could hear her sisters footsteps behind her and a second later she heard a loud yell.
This was the confirmation she needed, Athena couldn't deny it anymore. Aunt Honey was dead.
"I–I need to... message... patronus... order" Aurora murmured as she stepped back a few paces.
Athena couldn't take her eyes off the lifeless image of her aunt just staring up at the ceiling. She had children, children who now wouldn't have a mother. Athena had no idea how that would feel.
"Backup at Rosemary cottage, Honey is.. Honey is dead" Aurora stated. Out of her wand burst the silvery shape of a sparrow that soared through the wall of the house and disappeared.
"Athena come on" Aurora murmured,
"I want to stay with her" Aurora shook her head as she placed her hand on top of Honey's. Her skin was so cold, too cold, deathly cold.
"Rena don't do this to yourself" Aurora murmured, "come on the order is coming"
Athena sighed before she moved the covers over her aunts head so she didn't have to stare at her lost expression anymore.
"Dacre must have killed her" Athena murmured, "his own sister"
"I told you he's a psychopath" said Aurora as they walked down the stairs. A faint pop sounded in the back garden as they hurried into the dining room. The back door opened as two figures stepped into the house. It was Alastor Moody followed by Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Honey's dead?" Moody asked immediately, "how long?"
"Sometime this week, we heard from our old neighbour that she saw Dacre and Archer having an argument with Honey in the street before"
"What day was that?" Moody asked,
"She didn't say" Aurora continued, "she lives across the street... Mrs Cattaway, she's out gardening"
"Shacklebolt go ask her when she saw this" Moody informed his co worker, "just tell her there's been a murder and that you're a police officer"
"Will do Alister" Kingsley nodded as he walked out of the house.
"So Dacre has been here, was the he the one who—"
"Yes" Athena interrupted in certainty,
"We think so" Aurora nodded.
"He's been staying here then, makes sense" Moody nodded, "spotted anything else?"
"Yes actually" Aurora nodded as she walked over to one of the dining room cabinets and opened it up. Inside sat a large cauldron and a bunch of jars of some sludge substance.
"Polyjuice potion" Moody frowned, "Dacre is pretending to be someone else?"
"That's what I thought" Aurora nodded, "but in that case he could be anyone"
"We should start asking questions that only we would know the answer to" Moody grunted, "that way we can be sure he isn't infiltrating the order"
"I thought he was insane?" Athena asked and both Aurora and Moody turned to her,
"Your point?"
"Wouldn't it be difficult for him to act sane... so he wouldn't be noticed"
"He may be crazy but that doesn't mean he can't act" Moody added, "we need to keep our eyes out"
"We should go" Aurora murmured, "if that's ok... I don't want to keep her here"
"Of course not... I'm sorry for your loss" Moody added before he stumped away up the stairs.
"Right come on, we'll apperate to Hogsmeade—"
"I don't want to go back to the school, I want to go home" Athena shook her head, "it's the last week before Easter... can't I just go home earlier"
"Of course you can" Aurora nodded, "we should tell mum and dad what's happened anyway"
"Right" Athena nodded, her hands still shaking as she took hold of her sisters hand and felt her pull away.
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A/n
Words - 2962
Published - 15th February 2021