Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 41: A Killer on the Loose
Ministry of Magic, Morgue Department.
Inside a small, cold room, Auror Moody and his new partner, Tonks, were looking at the dead girl on the table.
In front of them was the healer in charge, giving them the report.
It was routine to check the deceased for potions in cases like these; however, they would only look for dark curses if they suspected the possibility of murder.
The healer frowned when Moody requested to do this. "What makes you think this girl was murdered?"
" Other than many years of experience in the field?. The fact that her friends were obliviated hours before her death. " Moody responded while his artificial eye scanned over the girl. "Now move aside. This will only take a moment to check."
The healer looked annoyed but still relented to the request. After all, he had no real reason to refuse a non-invasive test. "Very well, but don't take long. Her family has already been notified and will arrive here soon."
"Are they taking her away already? The investigation is still in progress," Tonks told the healer.
This one looked back at her. "Unless you can find a way to prove that this girl was killed, then I cannot deny the parents the right to take their daughter and give her a proper burial. They should be able to do as they wish."
The door of the morgue then opened suddenly with a loud creak.
Tonks and the healer immediately turned their attention to the new arrival, suspecting it was the family of the deceased, but instead they found themselves staring at none other than Albus Dumbledore.
"Excuse my tardiness, I had some matters to discuss with the other professors before I could leave the castle."
"Headmaster? What are you…?" Tonks moved her eyes to her mentor.
Moody must have sent a message when she wasn't paying attention.
"Mister Dumbledore, it's been a while," the healer greeted him. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit? I thought the Aurors were handling things from here…"
"I called him," Moody finally spoke before turning around to look at the old wizard, while his hand remained firmly grasped on his staff. "I have just finished with my initial tests…"
"And…?" Dumbledore approached, carrying a somber expression. "Don't tell me that this student was actually…"
"I managed to catch it barely in time, before the traces of the curse completely dispelled," Moody revealed. "But I'm sure of it now."
Dumbledore's eyes became sharp. "She was cursed…"
"What kind of curse? Can you tell from the scans?" Tonks asked.
Moody nodded. "I have no doubts about this. Miss Chang was under the effects of the Imperius Curse until the moment of her death."
They all gasped.
"Someone used an Unforgivable Curse in my school?!" Dumbledore exclaimed.
"By Merlin!" The healer covered his mouth.
"Who would do such a terrible thing?" Tonks looked completely shocked.
She had met her fair share of nasty students during her seven years of education at Hogwarts, but she could not imagine any child being able to employ such a nasty and dark curse on another student. "Could it have been a professor?"
Dumbledore's eyes immediately snapped her way, making her very uncomfortable.
"What I mean is…could there be another impostor?" She looked for a moment at Moody. Her mentor had been impersonated by a Death Eater for most of the year.
Dumbledore was quick to shut down the possibility. "After the last incident, I personally checked every single one of the school personnel. I will vouch for all of them being who they claim to be. And they would never do something like this…"
"It is very likely that this was done by a student," Moody said.
"What makes you say that?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yesterday afternoon, Miss Chang was passing the time with two of her friends in a resting area on the seventh floor. This was the last moment anyone saw her. The two friends claim to have suddenly fallen asleep and then had a hard time remembering any details. There were signs of an Obliviation Charm being used on them."
"You think that whoever approached them yesterday afternoon is the killer. It would make sense for it to be a student…I could consult the paintings," Dumbledore said.
"If this is going to become a murder investigation…" the healer began. "Now I'm going to have to change my report, and inform the parents that they cannot take their daughter away just yet." He sighed.
"I can speak with the parents if you want me to. I have met with Miss Chang's father a few times," Dumbledore suggested.
"That would really help. Thank you, Mister Dumbledore."
"What about us? Are we going to be in charge of this case? Don't we need to inform Madam Bones?" Tonks asked Moody.
"I'll send her a message a bit later. For now, I want to return to the castle. Now that we are sure about what happened, we need to comb the entire school in search of clues and interrogate more of the students. See if they know who could possibly have a grudge with the victim. There is much to do. Are you ready for it?" Moody asked.
"Yes, sir," Tonks responded with a lot of energy. "If there is a killer on the loose inside Hogwarts, we need to catch them immediately."
Dumbledore groaned. The mere idea repulsed him and turned his stomach.
'Who could this person be?…how can something like this happen?…' He felt so tired.
<><><><><><><><>
As this meeting was taking place at the Ministry, someone else had just died very close to Hogwarts Castle.
Harry Potter stood naked and covered in blood.
All that remained of the other boy was a large bloodstain that was slowly being soaked into the ground and some chunks of flesh spread around the area.
Harry was now reviewing the results of the ritual he had just performed.
His green eyes were shining with an eerie light, and he was now able to see all the details in the nearby trees and plants, despite the lack of his glasses.
The muscles on his body had grown and become more defined, making him look incredibly fit.
"This feels…fantastic!" He said with excitement.
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