Spells and Handcuffs (Remus Lupin)

Broken

My brain stuttered for a moment and my eyes took in more light than I expected, every part of me went on pause while my thoughts catch up.

"That's impossible" gasped Sirius. He was white as chalk. His eyes and his mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise, and although he was staring straight at me he appeared not to notice me at all.

"Does that mean I killed someone? "I said, shifting my gaze in panic from Remus to Sirius, hoping one of them would say that this was some kind of a joke.

"No," Remus said firmly. "We just found out what the last spell was done by your wand. Not that you did it. " His voice trembled slightly at his last words.

I could feel it, building like an unstoppable snowball in the pit of my stomach. The Panic. I couldn't think of anything else. The next step was my heart starting to beat harder and faster, adrenaline levels rose, my brain started to fire out negative thoughts. I started pacing or moving around irrationally. The arguments in my head got so fast and so disturbing that my brain shut down my body. My heart felt like it was going to explode.

"Come, Ash. Relax." Remus approached me, his eyes focused on me and he looked paler than usual. "The spell itself means nothing. Let's go downstairs, have some tea, and discuss everything calmly. "

His strong arms wrapped around me and gave me a little peace. The three of us went down to the kitchen, and my uncle started making tea. Remus sat down next to me in a chair, still hugging me.

"Don't panic," he whispered soothingly, "We'll find out what happened to you in the last two days."

"Here's the tea." Sirius handed me the glass, dismantling the table, which was cluttered with plates, parchments, and a quill. At the top of the pile was the new Daily Prophet.

"Thank you," I said, watching him. Out of the corner of my eye, something caught my attention. "Stop... Give me the newspaper. "

And I saw what caught my eye. The headline on the front page of the newspaper - Bertha Jorkins found dead. A picture of a 30-year-old slightly plump woman waving carelessly at the camera changed to a picture of the same woman, but dead, lying on frozen ground, with a pale horror on her face. My heart was pounding in my chest. This woman looked so familiar. I flipped through the pages to find details of what had happened and read.

Bertha Jorkins, a 36-year-old employee of the Ministry of Magic, was found dead.

She was discovered last night by the wizard A.V. who walked his Puffskein. Bertha Jorkins was an employee of the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Games and Sports and was declared missing in the summer. Her relatives knew that she had been in Albania. Details and causes of her death and murder are unknown. The crime department is expected to take over the case. The readers of Daily Prophet who want to visit Broxbourne Woods for a walk should know that it may be fenced and inaccessible, as it is inspected by criminologists.

"Broxbourne Woods..." I repeated aloud. Remus had read the news with me. "I was in Broxbourne Woods this morning. Could it be a coincidence? "

The thoughts were accelerating inside my head. I wanted them to slow so I could breathe but they wouldn't. My breaths came in gasps and I felt like I will blackout. My heart was hammering inside my chest as it belongs to a rabbit running for its skin. The room spined and I tried to make everything slow to something my brain and body can cope with. I felt so sick. Like a flash, memories came in front of my eyes.

I was in a basement. Everything was dark. A light came only a little from the door at the end of the room. When my eyes got used to the darkness, I saw a man's body lying on his face near me. I tried to feel his pulse. Barely perceptible. I tried to turn him over to see who he was. But I couldn't. Emptiness followed again.