My Godfather

Chapter XXXI: A Second Chance

"This is bad, very bad." Regulus said as he stared at the scene before him. There were bodies strewn all over the place like broken dolls, some of the furniture was broken and the walls were cracked. Bloody and broken bodies lay around while others had been killed by the killing curse. Eleven bodies, eleven murders. Blood streaked the walls, there were pools of blood on the floor and the entire bar was filled with the smell of death.

"And we have no leads whatsoever?" His brother asked one of the newer Aurors. The man was young, in his early to mid-twenties. It was his first week out of Auror training. Although he was burly and strong-faced, he appeared rather unnerved by the sight before him. All the training in the academy wasn't enough to prepare you for what lay in wait in the real world, unless you were born and raised a Black. In that case, it was a completely different scenario.

"No, sir. Nothing other than this. We took it down before word spread and the locals panicked." He held up a picture and Sirius took it from him and his brows pulled together into a frown as he stared at it. "What is it?" Regulus asked. His brother held out the picture and Regulus almost dropped it when he saw it: someone had cast the Dark mark.

"The Dark Mark clears things up a bit. This is obviously a death eater's job. Probably more than one. Judging by the state if this place, the people who did this were angry. Whatever may be the reason, they were angry. What better way to vent than to slaughter innocent people?" There was a bitter undertone in Sirius' voice. The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair, clearly frustrated.

"Kingsley, get the bodies to the morgue and tell Davies to examine them. He'll have to track the spells and the wand that performed them. That should narrow it down. Also, make sure that the news reporters don't contaminate the crime scene. The last thing I need is that Skeeter woman scouring the place." He told the new Auror. "Yes, sir." Kingsley and two others began to round up the bodies while Sirius analysed the place.

This was an angry, reckless and impulsive killing. The murderer hadn't thought about the consequences that would follow. He/ she/they had been blinded by rage and had acted rashly. "I talked to the owner as well. She was sorely shaken and afraid. She had to leave early so she asked the bartender to close the place when it was closing time. She came here today morning and found the entire place thrashed. The poor lady panicked and fire called the aurors. That's all we have so far." Said Regulus.

"We should be able to find out more once Davies is done with examining the bodies. What I want to know is what angered the person so much that he and to murder a bar full of people in order to pacify himself?" Sirius was far more disturbed than he was letting on. If this was a death eater attack, it definitely called for immediate action. His concern was Harry. "We're going to find the bastard who did this and we'll make sure that no one even thinks of trying something like this again."

A couple of hours later, the wand expert, Davies, had finished his analysis. "It's nothing new, actually. A few cruciatus, some hexes and the killing curse." He told the Aurors. "Anything else?" Sirius enquired. "Yes. It was a one-man job. All the curses were fired from a single wand." Sirius raised an eyebrow, silently asking the obvious question. "Ten and a half inches, unicorn core and birch wood."

Well, the rest of the job was simple. "I'll just write a letter to Garrick, asking him about the wand's owner. That old genius remembers every single wand he's ever sold." Said Sirius. And so that was done.

The auror's seal was enough to inform Ollivander that it was an official request. The old wandmaker's reply came in quickly with just two words in the letter. "Well, who is it?" Regulus asked impatiently when he saw Sirius glaring at the letter.

"Walden Macnair."

Regulus frowned, trying to recollect the details about that name. He had definitely heard it when he'd been a death eater. He remembered Macnair. That bastard had always been grovelling before the Dark Lord, vying for his approval. He had been fiercely loyal, obeying every command unquestioningly. "He was a part of the inner circle."