The Last Horcrux

Delphi's House

Remus had been having a good day. Phoenix was sleeping better, that was part of it. She had only woken up once last night and drifted easily back to sleep after nursing. He'd kept Gavin home from school, and he'd enjoyed the chance to spend a little time with him. Gav was such a good kid. He'd entertained himself in the morning with his comics and notepads and come out to the greenhouse in the afternoon. He wasn't much interested in the plants but he'd kept Phoenix entertained, playing peek-a-boo and tickling her until she chortled with laughter. It was a grey, leaden skied kind of day, but inside it was cozy and warm. Remus made beef stew for supper and the delicious smell filled the house.

He was just starting to wonder what was keeping Sev and Oakley when Sev burst through the door. His eyes were wild, his cape askew.

"Oakley's missing," he said.

********

Gavin was upstairs, lying on his bed. He was supposed to be doing his homework, but he was giving Biscuit a good scratching instead. Biscuit lay on his back with his paws in the air and wagged his tail appreciatively. When they heard raised voices in the kitchen, they snuck downstairs and listened at the kitchen door.

"I don't know," Mr. Sev was saying angrily. "Eltanin must have planned this, taken him! We should have been more careful!"

"Maybe it's just a misunderstanding," said Mr. Moony. His voice was gentle, but Gavin could hear the tight worry underneath it.

"I should have investigated him more closely! There was always something dodgy about him!"

"He never said anything about where they live?"

"No!" said Mr. Sev. "And I never even tried to find out. Just watched him fly off in that damned thestral carriage like a bloody idiot! And now he's got my son!"

"What about Madame Marple? She must have an address for Delphi. Where does she send the bills?"

"She looked," said Mr. Sev. "That was the first thing that I thought of. The only address listed is a post office box in Hogsmeade."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"They could be anywhere," said Mr Moony.

"Where do we even begin to look?" said Mr Sev.

Gavin stepped into the kitchen. "What happened?" he asked.

"Oakley went to Delphi's house without our permission," said Mr. Moony. "You don't know anything about it, do you Gav?"

"No...ooo," said Gavin slowly. "I mean he did want to go to Delphi's. He talked about it all the time."

"Did he say anything else?" asked Mr. Moony gently. "Did he say anything about where Delphi lived, or what her house was like?"

"He made it sound like it was a big castle of some sort. And she had a pet augurey. I know he wanted to see that."

"Ring any bells?" asked Mr. Moony, looking at Mr. Sev. Mr. Sev just shook his head in frustration.

"We need to get the Order together," said Mr. Moony, decisively. "Maybe somebody knows something. Augureys are rare. That might be a clue to help us figure out where he is." Mr. Sev looked terrible, his eyes looked huge in his pale face. He put his head in his hands.

"I've failed him," Mr. Sev moaned. "I should have been more careful."

"Nonsense!" said Mr. Moony. "We'll find him. Let's get to work. Owl Harry to get everyone together at Grimmauld Place." He put an arm around Mr. Sev and kissed his cheek. "It'll be all right," he said.