Blood of the Moon {Remus Lupin}

Chapter 11

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Auriga walked into the estate agent's, named H.P Williamsons, and a bell tinkled as she opened the door. A witch in saffron yellow robes approached her with a smile plastered onto her face. "My name's Cassandra. How can I help you today?" she asked sweetly, and Auriga's nerves cooled a little bit.

"I'm looking to buy a house?" Auriga asked, rather than said, "No more than twenty thousand galleons though."

"Of course, come and have a seat," Cassandra said, indicating a desk. Auriga graciously accepted and looked around at the others in the room. There were four other people working there, two of them talking to people looking for a house, and two of them were scribbling away with their quills, glancing up at folders every now and then.

"Cup of tea?" Cassandra asked.

"Yes, please," Auriga said. Cassandra waved her wand and a tea tray floated over with a premade cup of tea.

"So," Cassandra began, "Are you a first time buyer?"

"Uh, yes, I am," Auriga said.

"OK, so we've got some really great mortgage schemes-" Cassandra began, but Auriga interrupted her.

"I've already sorted a mortgage with Gringotts," Auriga said, "Twenty thousand, with a two thousand deposit."

"Right," Cassandra said cheerily, "Well that saves me a job. What kind of thing were you looking for?"

Auriga thought for a moment. "Just a small place," she decided, "One or two bedrooms. I've always liked the look of Cornwall."

Cassandra began rifling through some folders and presenting various houses to her, with pictures and floorplans. One in particular caught her eye and she made a viewing appointment for the following day after work.

*****

Auriga flopped down in her armchair at her new home and lit the fire, looking around. It would be two weeks on Saturday since she ran away. She'd conjured some classy yet comfortable furniture, utilising the transfiguration NEWT she'd earned. It was Thursday night and she'd been living in Cornwall for four days now, having taken Monday off work to move in. Tom had been lovely, offering to help and all, but it wasn't like she had much to move. Three sets of robes and a wedding dress. It was more a case of decorating, which had taken the whole day, but Auriga thought she'd done rather a good job.

It was a modest cottage on a road that was so close to the beach all she had to do was peer out her front door and there was the sparkling blue water. The community was predominantly muggle, which was sweet in a childish sort of way, but there were definitely some wizarding families dotted among them. She could tell by the way some of the houses - including her own - were avoided by the muggle children that played in the street, almost as if they couldn't see them.

The house itself was very small. You entered into the living room that Auriga had filled with a sofa and two matching squashy armchairs and had one door leading off to the corridor. There was a broom cupboard under the stairs, perfect for cloaks, and a small kitchen to the right. Upstairs there was a pristine white bathroom, a front facing master bedroom that she'd decorated in shades of sand, teal and periwinkle blue, and a plain spare bedroom that was decorated in white and oak.

Auriga hung her cloak in the cupboard and waved her wand to get two knives to begin slicing some chicken she was going to have for tea when there was a knock on the door. Auriga opened it to see two men she recognised as Aurors from the Ministry, but realised she'd never actually spoken to them. "How may I help you, gentlemen?" she asked, flashing her charming smile.

"Miss Auriga Malfoy?" the taller one in front asked. She nodded in response. "I'm Auror Woodburn and this is Auror Jacobs. You've been filed as a missing person."

"Have I really?" she asked, slightly amused. Maybe Augustus did care about her. "Well, I suppose you'd better come in." She held the door open and they both had to stoop to avoid brushing their heads on the low ceiling. "Cup of tea?" she asked, and they both nodded. "Have a seat," she said, heading into the kitchen to get the tea tray.

Auriga returned a few minutes later with a tray hovering in front of her, to see them both conferring quietly on the sofa. She sat herself down elegantly in her armchair, and flicked her wand, preparing three cups. "So, tell me," Auriga said taking a sip, "What's all this fuss about?"

"We had a report filed a week ago last Sunday," Jacobs said, "It seems your family was in a state of distress. Said you'd fled from the wedding and they had no idea where you'd gone. We interviewed everyone - your parents, your in-laws, your brother, your fiance."

"Ex-fiance," Auriga corrected before letting him carry on.

"Yeah, well. They've offered up quite a hefty sum for your safe return," Jacobs continued, "So we got to work on it. It wasn't too hard to track you down, to be honest."

"I didn't make it hard," she pointed out, "I've been into Gringotts frequently. My ex-fiance works there, so you'd think he'd have seen me. And I go into work three floors below you everyday."

"I spoke to Mr Malfoy earlier today," Woodburn said, changing the subject, "He's under the impression you haven't been receiving any owls."

"Oh, I've been receiving them," Auriga said, thinking guiltily of the stack of parchment in her kitchen, "I just haven't been replying."

"And why's that?" Jacobs asked her, sipping his tea.

"Look," she said pointedly, placing her teacup down on the coffee table, "You've seen me, and you know I'm safe. You can go back and tell them that. Case closed."

Jacobs tugged at his ear, looking nervous. "Your family have demanded your return," Woodburn said, "Your father and ex-fiance have been coming in daily for updates."

"Well, sometimes I want doesn't get," Auriga said, and Jacobs looked amused, "You can tell them I'm safe. If you want, you can tell them where I am and that they're welcome to visit." She drained the last of her tea, "And you can tell them I'm going to Malfoy Manor at some point this weekend to clear out my things. My trunk was packed anyway."

Auriga stood up and opened the door, indicating for them to leave, "Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I'm sorry I've been such a bother."

"No worry at all, Miss Malfoy," Jacobs said as he walked past.

"Thank you for the tea," Woodburn said following suit.

Auriga shut and locked the door behind her, heaving a huge sigh. What a mess.