The Simple House of Duffrey

(44) The Office of Misinformation

The Ministry was quiet as a mouse as it should be. Far away from here up north in that castle students would be taking their end of year exams today, at least that was according to Corbet. I didn't give a damn about kids but sometimes they ended up being worth something. We took the Visitor entrance which had been hit with a silence charm. Except for the whir of the elevator and three buttons which lightly plinked out into a bowl the whole front room was silent.

The large fountain past the hall of floo networks was probably loud enough to block out the sounds as we approached. Tonight, there were three of us or really two and a half. I didn't want to work with Thurman he gave me the creeps ever since 'the accident' but we had a job. I guess I was the muscle since I had no ties to anything either. The three of us under hoods stalked as quietly as possible past everything.

We were told the information we were sent for would be in one of two places on the same floor. I would be heading into the office of Mr. Beardsley and Corbet and Thurman would be tackling the Wizengamot files. The elevator squeaked ominously and then under another silence charm tried to announce us. I treaded left down the halls to the private offices and the other two went north.

I was sloppily knocking things off the man's desk, as I ran through the names in his files and pulled out large chunks. Most of what I was finding was estate matters but it wasn't my place to understand. I had been warned that Corbet's information was much more important so that I shouldn't leave them behind at any costs. Rubbish, I thought! They would leave me at the drop of a galleon. Not finding much else, I grabbed my load and barreled out the door.

"Who's that there?" came a voice from the other side of the floor. He must have spotted the other two. The man was large like myself but didn't have that dangerous look to him. I probably wouldn't need to draw my wand on just a desk pusher. He however had no trouble raising his and repeating his request. The closer I got the more intense it was getting. We were only told to collect information but given Thurman's condition that might be too difficult a task. With blood drops trailing from his sleeve, he raised his blackthorn wand and said "Imperio".

With the nightguard in sight Thurman flew into one of his new rages. One fat man sitting alone in the Ministry was less of a threat and more like a cat toy in his broken mind. When I reached Corbet's side the first curse had easily been deflected, that had only gotten Thurman more excited. I recognized the man fighting back as Devin Duffrey, he wasn't an auror or anything but he was trying his best. Corbet was still trying to unlock the files while papers and splinters of wood blew up around him.

"Damnitt Thurman!" he said as a flying curse rebounded striking his good arm. I handed him my papers and physically tore the file drawer open. Sometimes wizards overlooked the draw of brute strength, or maybe that joke my Mother used to tell me about Troll blood was real. Right now, we just needed to get out of here. It looked as though Thurman was more than trying to keep this toady from pulling the alarm he intended to kill.

Devin aimed a well-placed shocker curse directly at the elevator where the thing shattered the lights and sent it falling two stories, unusable. It also tripped the Ministry alarm but he had taken a loss. With his body turned sidelong, Thurman hit him twice. Once with a disarming spell and second with a flesh-render. With blood now oozing out his side I knew our companion would be lost. Devin was unable to hold himself up anymore and fell back onto the floor.

"Crucio, Crucio, Crucio!!" said Thurman advancing on the man. Each time he wrenched and moved I could hear bones cracking and more blood spurting. Below us the sounds of the floos activating as many auror's and officers must have been called for a break in.

"He triggered it" I yelled at Thurman. "Just hurry and finish the job so we can get out". Thurman looked back just in time for Devin to come to his senses. Without uttering a word and bleeding immensely he reached towards his wand. It flew into his hand from nearly a foot away and he had just enough power to throw a stun at us.