The missing boys ✔

Part 11: The Grindylow

There were several virtues that Fletch lacked, sympathy, honesty, and fairness to name a few. Despite his many flaws no one could ever say that he was a fool. He'd known something was fishy the moment the two kids had come around asking for work and he'd done some investigating after they went to bed. It struck him as odd that two boys around the age of nine had come to him at the same time that a pair of nine year olds had gone missing from their homes. The pair looked nothing like the kids in the papers, sure, but looks could be altered.

Fletch ran over what he knew again and again and eventually decided that he'd have to pull the truth out of Renette. With that thought in his mind he grabbed his cloak and walked out of the pub, past the gruff men and women who were fishing out sickles to buy "just one more" fire whiskey.

He stormed across the street to knock on the bookshop door but there was no answer. Fletch figured Renette had gone to sleep, so naturally he chose to knock louder. After five minutes she thundered downstairs in wrinkled clothes to open the door.

"What?" the woman hissed, pointing her wand at his face.

"You need to tell me about those boys I'm keeping in my attic, Renette," growled Fletch.

The woman blanched and looked up and down the street before muttering a quick "obliviate." Fletch didn't have a chance to dodge with Renette's wand in his face and his eyes went glassy. All memories of reading the paper and his suspicions about the boys' identities flew from his mind and he stood there with a blank scowl on his face.

"It's good to know the boys have turned such a profit," said Renette as if they were having a conversation.

"Huh? Oh yes, a unicorn tail. Dung's share will go to paying you back. I'd better get back to the pub and finish up those documents for the boys."

"Good idea. Though it's probably best to keep them out of sight until everything is settled, it would be a shame if someone else saw what good workers they are and challenged your custody."

"No, that would be bad," Fletch said, looking annoyed at the very idea.

"I'll let you get back to your place if that's all you had to say to me. Do your patrons a favor though and lay off the firewhiskey, alright? You reek!"

The last of the uncertainty left Fletch's face as he instantly attributed his confusion to drunkenness and he turned and walked back to his bar without another word.

Renette shut the door to her shop. She wondered briefly if she'd done the right thing before shrugging off the concern. She didn't move to Knockturn Alley because she had wisest moral compass, after all.

The following morning, Fletch woke up feeling he'd forgotten something important. Attributing it to the need to start on falsifying documents for the boys he moved through the closed bar to his office and got started.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dear Mum, Dad, and Everyone else,

I saw in the paper that you reported me missing, but I'm not missing at all, in fact, I'm doing great. I left a letter on the clock explaining everything; did you not find it? Well in any case you can call off the search, because I'm doing quite well. I've found a new place to live and I've even made a friend! Scabbers is also doing well, so tell Percy not to worry. I'll write again soon. Cheers!