Darkest Desire

22. Escape Route (EDITED)

As dawn broke the next day, Aurora got ready in the wee hours of the morning, when the sun hadn't even risen yet and the grey and stormy clouds outside only served as a reminder that it was cold as fuck outside.

Dressing warmly in deep-coloured purple robes with a black cloak and a scarf wound around her neck and shoulders, Aurora snuck out of the castle before anyone was away, making her way over to the gates that indicated the end of Hogwarts schoolgrounds. From there, she walked to Hogsmeade, grabbing a cup of coffee at the local pub. It had just opened, and she was the first customer. Today was a day in which students from Hogwarts from their fourth year and above were allowed to go to the neighbouring village and spent some time away from School. Not a bad day to go run some errands herself. It would deflect any suspicion from her, and she could always claim she'd missed Fred and George in the hustle and bustle of students going to Hogsmeade if they were to ask about her whereabouts.

After finishing her coffee, Aurora apparated, preparing herself mentally for what she knew would be a long day.

She made several stops all throughout London that day, starting at the Leaky Cauldron, where she met one of her father's contacts and inquired about any interesting or peculiar news happening both locally and abroad. It was always useful to keep oneself informed about the state of the wizarding world, and it was often the strange and unexplained happenings that could provide one with some interesting information.

Next, she headed to the Ministry of Magic, where she called upon one of her own contacts, an acquaintance of Dimitri and Dominic who she'd gotten to know a few years back. She'd helped him out when he got into a little bit of trouble with some imported goods and hadn't fixed the appropriate paperwork. He was more than happy to grab a quick bite at a nearby magical pub and fill her in on the comings and goings at the Ministry, as long as she didn't poke too much or ask for confidential information.

Next was a wizarding shop somewhere in the lesser travelled parts of Diagon Alley. From the outside, the inconspicuous shop advertised magical remedies and herbs to help with things like insomnia, anxiety, stomach pains and other mild maladies that didn't require a tincture or potion to fix. What very few people knew, was that during the 1920's the shop had been a smuggling den for magical artefacts being smuggled into the country. As it so happened, the wizard who owned the shop also happened to own the muggle house adjacent to it on the other side of the street, in the muggle world. It was one of the few entrances into the wizarding world that the Ministry didn't know about. And Aurora wanted to know exactly who had come through there, and when.

She was completely beaten by the time she returned to Hogsmeade in the evening. Dead on her feet she looked up into the sky, only to see the moon appearing as dusk settled over the village. Darkness was quick to come, and Aurora hurried towards the castle with heavy feet.

But, on the bright side, she'd gotten what she wanted.

The information she had gathered was enough for a heavy feeling of unease to settle over her. Talking to her sources had made one thing abundantly clear: something was happening in the wizarding world. Something bad.

At the Ministry of Magic people had gone missing. In the muggle world there had been mysterious disappearances where it was clear magic was involved. Death Eaters had made their appearance after lying dormant for over a decade. Ministry officials were acting strange, while the Minister himself was going through an awful lot of trouble to make it seem as if everything was all right.

The most disturbing rumour of all was something that made Aurora shudder at just the thought of it. Something was happening in Albany. Something dark and evil was stirring in the shadows, moving in the night and present in hushed whispers and silent screams. It had taken a considerable amount of time and effort to get this information, and it was nothing more than the faintest rumour, an inkling of some villagers talking about evil spirits in the woods.......