Victoire Weasley

18. Clues

Note: Summer has finally started and the busiest school year of my life has finally ended.  I will now return to finishing this story and I would like to immensely thank everyone who supported me patiently throughout the past chapter-less months.  I did, however, lose my original plan for the story, so I have some new planning to do in order to come up with another one.  Enjoy!

______________________________________________

Harry's P.O.V

        Ron and I sullenly walked through the once loud and cheerful hallways of my previous home--Hogwarts.  Although festive Christmas decorations twinkled pleasantly in our direction, they seemed fake; as if they were covering up a terrible secret, one that McGonagall's assault had been an omen of.  Ron was unusually quiet, especially for having had a glass or two of firewhiskey.  He could sober up quickly when it mattered.

        The only sound that could be heard in the hallway was the sound of our heels against the stone flooring.  The portraits were unusually quiet, and the suits of armour seemed to understand that now was not the time for Christmas caroling.  The few students that had still been partying had been ordered to halt their celebrations and return to their dorms immediately, which only enforced the menacing silence.

        The doors to the infirmary were standing ajar and concerned voices floated into the hallway.  We stepped inside and were greeted with worried faces.  Several people from the department were there, and even staff from St. Mungo's had come.  They seemed to be arguing with the other Aurors regarding where McGonagall should be housed.

      "We need to understand how this happened.  Madam McGonagall stays here in case she remembers anything of significance," Cole, a friend from the Ministry, said in a frustrating tone.

      "Yes, well, Madam McGonagall needs intensive and good care, which can only be given at St. Mungo's," said a very small woman before him, her arms crossed and her face red from arguing.

       Cole looked around and seemed relieved when he laid eyes on us, "Ah, Harry!  Could you please explain to Mary here that we need McGonagall for only a little while longer,"

       The little woman turned to me with a glare, "No, stop it all of you.  We--"

       Ron approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Give us only a moment."  The woman silenced down as he lead her away from Cole.

       Cole sighed as he watched them step away and turned to me, "Alright, come here." He said and guided me to the bed I hadn't yet looked at--and wished I hadn't.

        The sight of such a skilled, hardy woman lying unconscious before me chilled my body to its core.  A grimace of surprise was still plastered on her face, despite her closed eyes.  Cole remained quiet, waiting for me to speak.  I tore my gaze from the still body and met Cole's eyes, "Do you know how this happened?"

      "We don't yet have any witnesses.  She was found near the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest.  We still haven't ruled out the possibility that a magical creature had something to do with it, but, it's just that, no documented magical creature from within the forest assault a person in such a--a strange manner and--"

      "Cole!" A voice came from the doors as a woman rushed in, Helena, as I recognized her, "And Harry," She acknowledged me, "We just recently found two witnesses." She stepped aside, revealing two small girls--one which seemed vaguely familiar--in either their first or second year at Hogwarts.

        I stepped forward to the awestricken girls.  Both seemed to be shaking with fear--one seemed almost distant from reality, perhaps lost in the memory of seeing McGonagall get attacked.  The other one--the familiar girl--seemed to be consoling her friend.  There was something strange about her.