Sagacious - h.p

-PROLOGUE

"Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect"

-Luna Lovegood

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With the passing event of the third Triwizard tournament task, resulting in the tragic death of Cedric Diggory, rumours were beginning to circulate. How could a 17-year-old wizard return from a seemingly normal task dead when he was standing to compete in the maze merely hours before? Despite the claims from Harry Potter himself, many chose to deny the rising of He-who-must-not-be-named once again; if they remained oblivious then he couldn't be back then, could he?

Although many weren't affected due to their ignorance, believing the lies that the Daily Prophet were spewing, members of The Order of The Phoenix had been sent on missions by Dumbledore all summer long. Even with the concerning news of the prophecy, mainly aurors connected with The Order were completing sweeps of areas suspected of Death Eater activity.

That's how Nymphadora Tonks found herself in the company of Mad-eye Moody, standing around a kilometre away from a derelict-looking building placed on the fields of Rivington in Lancashire. Sightings of masked figures had been spotted by a squib farmer over the hill on several occasions whilst herding his sheep.

The building wasn't exactly large, looking to be the size of a standard room in a house. Bricks were barely holding the structure together, rotted by ivy over the years. Some even appearing to be missing, leaving holes in the walls. A corrugated metal roofing sheet was placed on top, somehow managing to stay attached despite the windy afternoon.

"Right, you're aware of the plan, yes?" the croaky voice of Mad-eye broke the silence.

"Yep, go in. Don't leave any evidence of entry. Quick sweep of the area. Check for anything strange. In and out," replied Tonks.

A short walk later, the witch accompanied by the wizard entered the hut, stepping onto the dirty concrete flooring which was covered in a thick layer of dust. Existing footprints were easily spotted, making it clear that around two figures had been present at the scene recently.

"Remember Nymphadora, constant vigilance."

"Don't call me Nymphador-ahh!"

Pivoting around on his metal leg to look at the commotion, Mad-eye found Tonks sprawled over the floor near the corner of the room, pink hair sticking out in all directions portraying her tumble.

"What did I say? Constant vigilance!" he exclaimed in a harsh whisper.

"It's not my fault, I tripped over something!" she replied back at the same volume.

Alastor's magical eye whizzed around in his socket, taking in their surroundings, eventually landing on the area next to where Tonks lay. Limping over to the corner with the aid of his stick, he did a little kick in the general direction, resulting in contact with an invisible source.

Pointing his wand at the corner, he whispered in his gravelly voice, "Homenum Revelio..."

Tonks couldn't believe her eyes. Slowly but surely, a figure revealed itself. Dry ginger hair fell down the girl's back where she lay on the floor. Pale skin, almost translucent, was littered with freckles and scars. Filthy clothes covered her body, although not concealing the congealed blood covering a recent wound on her arm. The only indication of life was the slight rising and falling of her chest, along with the faint breaths released from her lips.

"Blimey Mad-eye..."

"We need to get her to headquarters, now."

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AN- Hi, and welcome to Sagacious! This is the first fanfic I have decided to pursue after having the general plot idea stuck in my head for days. Constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated as long as it isn't rude in any shape or form. I don't put up with people's shit sorry lol : ))

[written- 06/04/2021]