Something Wicked This Way Comes
march 15th, 1977, 6:32 a.m.
The dark mark hovers above Hogsmeade ominously when a tall, scowling auror apparates onto the scene. Upon spotting her, clamoring reporters rush over.
She rakes a frustrated hand through her blonde shag and grumbles under her breath, “It’s way too early for all of this shit.”
The cameras flash the way strikes of lightning do before thunder arrives, exacerbating the sense of dread already pooling in her stomach. She clears her throat, there’s no way to ever get used to the media circus, but if there’s one thing she’s learned over the years it's that you must never let your guard down. Ooze confidence and authority, or else they'll smell the stench of your incompetence from miles away and pounce, eager for the next angle.
“Witches, wizards, follow me!” She taps her neck with her wand to amplify her voice and leads the way to a shimmering force field.
“This crime scene is now under investigation by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The only people allowed within this force field will be the Aurors conducting the investigation and the healers tending to the victims.” The reporters all seem to have questions on the tips of their tongues and their prey locked on sight. "Once we have concluded our preliminary investigation, we will report to the rest of you on a need-to-know basis. Capiche?”
Just as the auror begins to turn her heel, a seemingly eager, violet-eyed reporter thrusts a pad of paper toward her. The words I’m Gideon’s replacement are scrawled in neat cursive that vanishes as soon she sees it.
"Very well, follow me."
As they walk towards the force field, the girl leans in and whispers, “Auror McKinnon, my name is Hestia Sinclaire, and I’ve been sent by the department.”
The department implied is the Department of Mysteries. Those shifty fellows only ever send an Unspeakable, usually in the form of Gideon Prewett, if something big is at play. What lies within the force field is clearly no small matter. The unspeakable’s presence is unsettling.
“What happened to Gideon?”
“He’s been promoted.”
“To what?”
With a tight-lipped grin, she said, “You and I both know that’s classified.”
"Of course," McKinnon rolls her eyes and makes a grand, sweeping gesture to the force field. “After you, Gideon Jr."
With that, they pass through the hazy iridescence and are greeted with pure chaos on the other side. Healers are apparating cots of witches and wizards back to St. Mungo’s. Many with missing limbs or profuse bleeding. But the minute that McKinnon made her presence known, all eyes land on her in reverence. Now, she's the highest-ranking officer on the scene.
“They look at you like you're a god,” Hestia notes as her calculating eyes flit about them.
“That’s because Alice is one,” a handsome, broad-shouldered auror with an easy smile strides up to them and extends a hand to shake. “Frank Longbottom.”
“This is Hestia Sinclaire, the new Gideon,” Alice says in a bored, detached drawl while scanning the scene. “Now, watch and learn Gideon Jr.,” she looks at Frank pointedly. "Longbottom, what have you got for me?”
“Very well, this way,” he leads them past the businesses that were within the blast radius, the closest ones being Gladrags, Scrivenshafts, some of Zonko’s, and Dervish and Banges; the majority affected were three residential cottages across from the street.
“So far, we’ve got a singed note, a blood splatter, and a wand without its owner. Each was found near the epicenter of the blast.”
The lower-level Aurors asked routine questions, now they have to read between the lines, and figure out the true course of the evening’s events. Alice asks, “Have we figured out whose wand it was?”
“Not yet, but we’ve taken fingerprints and blood tests. All we need is old Ollivander to sort things out for us.”
“And the blood test, did it come out conclusive?”
“Yes,” his voice grew tight, and his gaze darts away from her.
“Who was it, Frank?” Hestia looks between both of them quickly.
He doesn’t respond immediately, and this hesitation gives Alice pause. When she turns to look at him, Frank’s face has her heart sinking to her stomach.
“You’re not gonna like this…”
november 9, 1976, 6:33 p.m. (126 days before)
The Great Hall was cacophonous that evening. Students were chattering away about the upcoming Quidditch match and groaning about their exams. Others were stuffing their faces with the divine goodness the kitchen elves had concocted. A tall, swan-like blonde with the name McKinnon emblazoned on her Quidditch kit strode up to a group of three sixth-year Gryffindor girls --one brunette, one redhead, and one raven-haired-- who were all in the midst of scarfing down their meal.
“Girls! Guess who’s got a hot date for tonight?” the Quidditch player wiggled her eyebrows at the group as she took her seat beside a doe-eyed brunette.
“What do you reckon, Mary?” a prefect with startling green eyes and auburn hair nudged the girl with the jet-black hair beside her. “I bet your arse it's Mr. Mystery Man again.”
“I bet your arse that it’s Sirius Black,” Mary teased. “It’s always smarmy fuckers like him. Marlene’s only broken up with him, I dunno three or four times. What’s a fifth to her?”
“Lily and Mary, you’ve never been further from the truth,” she flashed an enigmatic grin and twisted her pasta around her fork. “And besides, Sirius Black is ancient history I’m not in the mood for repeating. Again.”
“Just how ancient is that history, by the way,” the brunette beside Marlene smirked. “Cos I was in the lavatories the other day, and I overheard Sadie Greenwood talking to Anna Casterly about how talented he is with his…”
When she curled her fingers suggestively, the whole group erupted in laughter. Which garnered more than a few curious looks from the students around them. Lily almost choked on her pumpkin juice after a few not-so-gentle pats on the back from Mary. She wheezed incredulously, “And what? You thought why not give Black a whirl?”
“More like a ride,” Mary snorted. “Em, in all honesty, if you were to even step within ten paces of that boy, the most you’d get out of that encounter would be a venereal disease.”
Mary and Lily dissolved into giggles, but Marlene bumped her shoulders with Em and leaned in.
“They’re right, but if you ask me, the only one of that lot worth a damn thing is Potter.” Marlene spared a knowing glance to Lily, who was already tensing up at the mere mention of him. “And no Lily, he did not pay me to say that nor did I lose a bet.”
“What about Lupin?” Mary cocked her head to the side. “He’s a decent sort.”
“All Lupin does is brood, which is good if you’re into that sort of thing, I suppose.” Marlene shrugged and continued, “But I’ve known James for ages, he’s got a big heart, and he’s the biggest bloody romantic---”
“Oh, we know, Marlene,” Mary groaned. “Remember last year when he filled our entire dorm with lilies and singing Valentine cards? I couldn’t stop sneezing for weeks.”
“So he went a little overboard…”
“Overboard doesn’t begin to cut it,” Lily said, the girls all exchanged looks as Lily stabbed her salad with her fork. James Potter was the last person she wanted to think about, but not for the reason most people would think. “I’m glad he’s moved on since I started dating Doc.”
“Merlin, Lily, if I had dishy boys like that fawning all over me,” Em sighed wistfully, twirling a curl around her finger. “I don’t know what I’d do with myself. I’d be positively overwhelmed.”
“Calling Potter dishy is generous,” Lily remarked.
“Oh come off it, you may not like his personality, but you’ve got to admit he got really fit over the summer. Puberty hit that boy like a freight train.”
“I’ve only got one boy on my mind, and his name is Caradoc Dearborn.”
“Alright there, Saint Lily,” Mary teased and ran a hand through her hair, Lily had helped her dye to look like her rock star idol Joan Jett. “I’ve definitely seen you marveling at the state of Professor Starling's fabulous bum.”
Lily’s cheeks flush, “Merlin, that was one time! And he was helping out Bertram Aubrey with his Patronus paper, bending over his desk and practically sticking his bum in my face.”
“I could hardly blame you for that one, Lily,” Marlene looks up from her food at the sound of his name and pipes in. “That man is a stone-cold fox.”
“Oh, I reckon he’s really good with his fingers,” Em smirks at the girls.
“Do tell?” Marlene arches an eyebrow.
“Yeah, it’s all in the way he holds his wand, all that bloody precision y’know?”
“Good god, Em,” Lily pinched the bridge of her nose. “You really need to get laid.”
“Is it that obvious?” She looked around the group with wide eyes.
In complete unison, the girls all said, “Yes!”
7:48 pm
Marlene primped her curls in front of the mirror, marveling at the way Lily’s newest hair potion had worked. Her hair was voluminous and feathered in a way that was all the rage with the models in Witch Weekly. Lily really was a genius.
There wasn’t anyone else in the dorms except for Em, who was napping after an Herbology Club meeting. Sneakily, Marlene slipped out the note that had been burning in her pocket.
Meet me at our spot.
Be there at 8.
XO
She let out a girlish squeak and held the note tightly against her chest as if the note could disappear at any moment. He had signed his note with kisses and hugs, he never did that, that had to mean something right? Probably not. Her mystery man was an inscrutable sort. He would play her hot and cold, but she knew deep down he cared for her, he just didn’t say it much. He couldn’t.
Their spot was by the lake. It was the easiest spot to rendezvous, far from prying eyes and off-limits for students. Marlene used a passageway through the kitchens that Sirius had shown her once, which made it easier to get to.
Their affair was as forbidden as they come, hence all the sneaking around. He could lose his job and well, her father would cover it up like he usually did with the minister’s scandals. Mycroft McKinnon was a powerful pureblood and Ministry official with a wealth of contacts who could make any scandal disappear.
And she wasn’t willing for that to happen just yet, but knowing her father, he would find out one way or another.
It was funny to think that her father had been the one to introduce them at a gala for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. That night her sister, Alice, was being awarded some sort of medal of valor. Her father and mother were bragging to anyone that’d listen.
And while she was proud of Alice that night, she had also been insufferably bored. She ended up taking sips from James Potter’s flask of firewhiskey to make things a little more interesting. They were leaning on the balcony of the Rosier manor, far off from the dancing and the hollow pleasantries.
“Thanks for keeping me company, mate,” she looked up at James, he had somehow surpassed her in height that summer. “I know how much you hate these things.”
“Well, I know how your parents get when Little Miss Perfect give them something new to brag about.” He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and gave her a lopsided grin, “And I couldn’t very well leave you hanging out to dry.”
“Are your parents still in Romania?” she nudged his shoulder.
“Yeah, their team found a rare Hungarian horntail, and they’re trying to reunite it with its mother, and I mean it’s fucking awesome what they’re doing… it’s just…”
“Lonely?” she passed him the flask, and he took another swig.
“Sometimes, but Sirius has been around a lot, and so have the others. So it's not so bad.”
“But it is bad enough that you’ll relegate yourself to mingling amongst the pureblood elite?”
“Pretty much, yeah.” He laughed slightly, but there was a trace of sorrow on the edge of his smile. “It’s a little pathetic, isn’t it?”
“A little bit but we can be pathetic together.”
“Cheers to that.”
Marlene found her focus drawn back inside, watching members of high society dance to a string quartet, it was romantic she supposed. What she hadn’t noticed was her mother, Siobhan, making a beeline toward her, and neither had James who had been too lost in his own thoughts.
The sound of her mother’s Irish brogue sobered her up, “There you are, love, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. We’ve got someone really interesting to introduce you to…” She trailed off and marched up to James, taking his flask. “Stay sharp, James, you’re representing your family.”
“I’ll have you known, Siobhan,” James slurred. “I’m on my very best behavior.”
While her mom lectured James, Marlene began to sneak away into the ballroom. She took to sticking to the elegant walls and sipping champagne. It was easier for her to observe the lay of the land, it was the Seeker in her she supposed.
As she was people-watching, her eyes met those of a man approaching the waiter who had just provided him with another champagne flute. Swiftly, he downed the liquid and dragged a hand across his five o’clock shadow, highlighting his sharp jawline. He let out a ragged exhale, one which spoke of the exhaustion of speaking to the dullest of high society.
“You look just as bored as I feel,” Marlene raised her glass, feeling quite bold. Losing track of the number of drinks she’d had wasn’t such a good idea.
“How could you tell?”
Her eyes flit to his immaculate, tailored dress robes and the badges of honor resting on his lapel. “For an auror, you don’t seem all that skilled at hiding your emotions.”
“Oh, believe me, I am.” He bit back a rueful smirk, “But everyone has their limits.”
“I wonder what got to you first?” She stepped closer and looked up at him through her lashes. “The tales of their glory days or the absurd pureblood propaganda?”
“Definitely the latter,” his voice dropped to a low register. It dawned on her that this was a man she was flirting with, a real man, not some pubescent teenage boy. The thought of which sent a thrill down her spine. By the looks of it, it seemed as though he’d been barely out of Hogwarts. “I’m a muggleborn so this isn't usually my scene, but I’m guessing this isn’t your first go around?”
“I’m a McKinnon, my mother started taking me to all sorts of balls, galas, and charity events as soon as could walk.”
His eyebrows rose in recognition. Her family was one of the most respected in the Wizarding World. However, the weight her name carried didn’t register with her until moments like these.
“Alice did mention she had a sister,” he said, setting his flute atop a table nearby and hers as well. “She talks nonstop about you, about how brilliant you are, all the time…”
“I reckon she does,” Marlene averted her eyes and fiddled with the straps of the purple dress her mother had selected for her.
“Although, it’s a shame that…” his index finger tilted her chin to meet his gaze again, and she found a heady storm brewing in his hazel blue eyes. “She never mentioned how lovely you were.”
Her chest heaved with surprise, she hadn’t felt attracted to anyone this way, not since Sirius. She felt at a loss for words until she blurted out, “I know a place!”
“You know a place?” He repeated slowly, bemused.
She regained her composure enough to say, “I know a place where we could… speak, erm, privately. "
His hand drifted from her jaw and trailed down the slope of her neck to grab her hand. “Lead the way.”
She took his hand, weaving between people to find a hidden exit. She had been to many a summer soiree at the Rosiers to know a few secret passages. They walked down the hall from the ballroom to a little library, Marlene instinctively walked up to a frayed green book and pulled, and he followed and shut the door behind him.
They had found themselves in an empty study swathed in baroque red velvet and soft candlelight. The auror wasted no time in drawing Marlene into a heated, passionate kiss, slowly walking her back until she was against a mahogany desk. Gently, he reached to unfasten the corset of her dress, but she came up for air and pushed him back.
“I just realized that I don’t even know your name,” she sighed, beaming at him. “My name is Marlene.”
He let out a soft chuckle and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, “You can call me, Kit.”
march 15th, 1977, 7:19 a.m.
“We just interrogated Four-eyes,” Alice ordered, flipping for the next student file on the sterile metallic table they transfigured. “Bring in Red.”
Staring back at her was the pristine student history of one kiss-arse prefect who also so happened to be the roommate of her sister.
Hestia finished resetting the recording equipment for another round, undoubtedly prepared to take their findings over to her superiors.
“Of course, right away.” One of the lower-level Aurors, Benjy Something, gave Alice and Frank a solemn nod punctuating his exit.
Once the rookie was out of earshot, Longbottom began to softly snicker. When she turned to look at him, he had his hands behind his head and his biceps were bulging, not that she noticed or anything. “What?”
“I was just thinking about when we were trainees, so eager to please.”
“And always going to the Cauldron after a long day.”
“Those were the days.”
“It’s crazy how fast life can change within a handful of years.”
“It’s definitely been a while since we’ve had a Hogwarts case.”
“Too soon.”
Before Longbottom could respond, Fenwick opened the storage room door with Red. She looked like she had been through hell and back, blood was splattered all over her uniform, she had scraped knuckles, and her right arm was in a sling. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw them, it was a normal reaction all things considered.
“Take a seat,” Longbottom cut through the silence.
The girl shuffled to the candy-adorned seat across from them, Starling detected a slight limp and perhaps an abdominal wound by the way she was slightly hunched as she walked.
McKinnon’s eyes flicked to the file for the girl’s name.
“Miss Evans, we’re the Aurors on this case,” she motioned to herself and Longbottom. “My name is Alice McKinnon and this is Frank Longbottom, we’ve got a few questions for you about tonight. You are under no circumstances allowed to lie during this interview or else you may have to stand trial before Wizengamot, and nobody wants that to happen, so if you cooperate this process will be easier. Hestia, here, will be administering a small dose of veritaserum. This is a normal part of our procedure and is completely safe. Is everything clear?”
“Crystal.”
Hestia proceeds to use a dropper to suction some of the veritaserum, and squeezes the dose onto the girl’s tongue. The girl swallows thickly, full of uncertainty.
“Fantastic,” Alice goes on without an ounce of enthusiasm. “So your boyfriend was telling me-“
She cut her off with a soft, exasperated sigh. “For the record, he’s not my boyfriend...”
“Sure, he isn’t,” Frank mutters under his breath.
Alice arches an eyebrow, “Specs was telling me how it all went down, but I obviously need your side of the story.”
“Of course, anything you need to know.” The girl flinches at how quickly her answer is blurted out. She has a fractured look in her eyes, as though she had seen things that night that had shaken her to her core.
“I’m glad you said that because I’d like to know for starters what your little group was doing in Hogsmeade in the first place.”
She shifts in her seat and begins to fiddle with the silver charm necklace delicately resting on her collarbones. “Well, it’s a complicated story…”
“We can do this all day, Miss Evans,” Longbottom shrugs, lighting up a cigarette with the tip of his wand. “It’s your choice.”
They stare at each other until she finally gives in.
She sighs, "Alright, alright, I guess you can say it all began back when Marlene was first attacked."