Chapter Eleven: The Search
It was with both trepidation and excitement that James found himself following Longbottom into the small set of dingy rooms that Lupin had briefly called home. He wasn’t really sure why he was doing this, except that he had promised Lily he would do everything he could to help her get justice for her friend. And it had been that thought that had led him to call Longbottom and request access to this place with one goal in mind.
He had to find whatever it was that everyone else was searching for. This object “ whatever it could be “ that Lupin had found during his mission, that he had apparently stolen… it meant something. He was sure of that.
The walls were charred black, and the air still reeked of smoke even though the fire had long since disappeared. James nearly choked on it when they first stepped through the doorway, and even once he regained his ability to breathe, his eyes still watered.
Longbottom led him quickly to Lupin’s bedroom. He had not been here before, but he had seen a few photographs of it in the newspaper. And although what he had seen in the newspaper had been neither organized nor particularly fancy, the destruction all around him was unexpected.
He looked at Longbottom. The Auror was gaping at the room, surprise written all over his features.
“I take it this is something new?” James asked quietly, his mind already rushing forward to figure out what the various implications of this could possibly be.
Longbottom nodded once.
The place had been ransacked. Some of the furniture had been charred by fire, no doubt causalities of the attack on Longbottom. But the rest of it…
The cabinet was on its side, the now door wrenched completely free of its hinges. It was partially burnt, and the charred remains were thrown to the other side of the room. The bed was torn apart, the lumpy mattress lying half on the floor, the ragged sheets piled on the ground, partially covering the dried bloodstains that had not yet been cleaned. A few floorboards had been ripped loose from the ground and tossed carelessly aside. One of the walls had a large hole in it, something that looked to James to be the effects of a particularly powerful Reductor curse.
Someone was looking for something.
“She must not have left,” James said. “After she attacked you, the witch… she must have stayed and… and looked around…”
“But what was she looking for?” Longbottom asked. James had only partially filled him in on the details of this particular problem. He’d been forced to tell Longbottom something, otherwise he would not have been able to convince the Auror to grant him access to the crime scene. But for some reason, he hadn’t wanted to tell Longbottom everything. He didn’t know why he hesitated, but something about the Auror bothered him.
“We don’t know,” James said finally. “Lupin didn’t tell anyone what it was he had found.”
Longbottom accepted this in silence. He began picking his way through the debris scattered about the floor of the room “ broken shards of glass from the mirror and torn strips of cloth from the sheets, all mixed together with fragments of wood and charcoal “ and scanned everything with a quick, practiced look.
James watched the Auror for a long moment. It was clear that Longbottom was investigating something, and James had no idea what it was. But the other wizard was a trained Auror, so he probably had quite a few talents that James knew nothing about.
Finally, Longbottom paused and pointed to the cabinet. “That was the first place they looked.”
James blinked. “How can you tell?”
He gestured to the ground. “Footprints. You see them?”
James squinted. There were several sets of tracks in the dust that were almost completely obscured by the destruction. The most recent, a faintly fresher set outlined in charcoal from the fire, were smaller than his own, small enough to belong to a woman.
“They start at the door and then cross to the cabinet,” Longbottom continued. He pulled out his wand and waved it once, murmuring a spell underneath his breath. The footprints in question instantly lit up, outlined in red light. Sure enough, the trail led directly from the door to the cabinet.
Longbottom waved his wand again, and another line of footprints were outlined in red. These led from the cabinet to the window. “I interrupted them, and they slipped out the window. While I was in the room, they came around and entered and attacked me.”
“Okay,” James agreed. “Then what?”
“The fire,” Longbottom said. “We fought, that led to some of the destruction. I remember using some pretty powerful spells.” He glanced thoughtfully at the hole in the wall. “That could have been caused by fighting.”
“But after you left?” James prompted. “After you escaped?”
Longbottom sighed. “They went back to the cabinet. That must have been when they pulled the door off all the way, because it was still partially attached when I was here last.” He pointed his wand at the ground, lighting up another set of footprints. “Then to the bed. The mattress was pulled off, and so were the sheets. Then…” He paused, squinting. “I’m not sure why, but it looks like then the sheets were torn. Ripped.”
James considered this for a moment. Tearing sheets would do no good if someone was looking for something. What could be hidden in such a thin piece of material?
But it could have been an act of rage, as though the person had not found what they were looking for and was furious about it. Or was that just wishful thinking? Was James just looking for that to be the answer because he didn’t want to be too late? He didn’t want the other side “ whoever they might be “ to have found the object first.
Longbottom stared hard at James. “It would help if I knew what anything more about what they were looking for,” he said bluntly. There was something in his tone that set James on edge, as though the Auror was accusing him of lying or withholding information. He could not explain the unease, but he was still certain that Longbottom knew something important, either about Lupin or Lily. Or Lestrange.
Although he had no idea what that something could be.
“I really don’t have anything else to tell you,” he said firmly. And he wasn’t lying about that, he didn’t have any other details about this supposedly important object.
Longbottom didn’t press the issue. Instead, he said, “After the bed, the floorboards were torn up.” Another set of footprints lit up, and James followed them as they wound from the bed to the holes in the floor. “And then the mirror was smashed,” Longbottom added, “with some kind of spell. Not sure what, though.”
“Smashing the mirror and tearing apart the sheets wouldn’t help anyone locate this… thing,” James said.
“No, they wouldn’t,” Longbottom agreed. He didn’t say anything else.
They were silent for a while, and James continued to look around the room, trying desperately to think. Had they found what they were looking for?
And what were they looking for?
He thought of Lily. He had promised her he would get justice for Lupin, and at the time it had seemed like such an important promise to make. And maybe it was still important now, but he couldn’t quite figure out how he was going to do it. And she had stared at him with actual warmth in his eyes, and she had smiled and thanked him…
He wasn’t ready to fail.
But what was he supposed to do now?
He remembered, also, the way she had looked at him, sad and lonely and resigned, when she informed him that she did not have friends, only enemies. That she had not spoken to Longbottom in years…
He glanced at the Auror.
“Do you think Lily killed Lupin?”
Longbottom started, and turned wide eyes to James. He regained his composure fairly quickly, however, and said, “It is hard to imagine that she would. I know she loved him. But… well, I don’t know. The evidence against her is rather strong.”
“Evidence Lestrange will no doubt embellish,” James muttered.
Longbottom’s lip curled into a sneer as his fingers tightened into fists. “Yes,” he said. The look of disgust on his features was so intense that it took James by surprise. But then it was gone, quickly hidden beneath an emotionless façade, and James wondered vaguely if he had imagined the entire thing.
But no… he had seen real hatred in Longbottom’s eyes.
Clearly, the Auror did not think much of Rodolphus Lestrange.
“The first time we spoke, you said that you had not spoken to Lily in three years. That you did not return her letter after she wrote to you informing you of Lupin’s departure. And that you did not speak to Lupin, either.”
Longbottom gave him a scrutinizing look. “That’s right,” he agreed slowly. “And… well… nobody spoke to Remus. We didn’t know where he was. But what does my relationship with Lily have to do with anything?” And this time, there was a definite accusation in his voice. This time, he was clearly angry at James for bringing up this particular subject.
“I’m just trying to understand a bit more about the relationship between Lily and Lupin. I thought perhaps knowing more about your relationship with both of them could help…”
“Do you think Lily killed Remus?” Longbottom interrupted sharply.
“No,” James answered automatically, not even pausing to think. He couldn’t think that, not after her impassioned plea to find out the truth, to get justice for her friend. It had been so clear how much she had cared about him, how much his death had hurt her… no, he could not believe that she had killed Remus Lupin.
He didn’t know how anyone who listened to her could believe that.
Longbottom turned away. “I’ve already told you everything I could about their relationship. I’m not sure what else to say.”
“What about Malfoy?” James asked. It had been the one subject that Longbottom had refused to talk about in their first meeting. But the Auror had implied that a lot of the fallout between himself and Lily had revolved around that trial… Why? What had happened then?
“What about him?” Longbottom snapped, suddenly irritable.
James knew this was sensitive ground. Still, he had to ask, “Do you think she killed him?”
“Everyone does,” Longbottom answered simply. “Ask anyone, Mr. Potter, and if they know anything at all about that trial, if they remembered Malfoy’s death, they will tell you that she killed him.”
“I’m not asking about everyone,” James replied. “I’m asking about you.”
Longbottom gave a thin-lipped smile. “I’m one person. What difference does my opinion make? I can’t outweigh the rest of the world.”
“No, but it seems to me like you could stand by her more,” James answered evenly. “She might have appreciated that.”
He knew he really had no right to lecture Longbottom on friendship, but he could not help the flicker of anger in his chest. Why had the Auror allowed public opinion to shape his friendship? James couldn’t imagine Sirius or Marlene allowing someone else’s ideas to turn them against their friends. Sirius in particular “ though he was rash, reckless, and often immature “ would die before he permitted anyone to ruin their friendship.
Longbottom sighed. “It was seven years ago, and it is not relevant to this trial. Let’s just focus on trying to figure out why Remus was killed.”
James shrugged and acquiesced, albeit a bit reluctantly.
“So… we don’t know if this… this object… was found?” Marlene asked, chewing her lower lip, her brows furrowed in concentration.
James slumped against the wooden desk chair and shrugged. “We don’t really know much of anything,” he admitted reluctantly. He had not been particularly pleased with the results of the day, but he could not deny that Auror Longbottom had done everything possible to determine the result of the search at Lupin’s home. But without knowing who it was that had done the searching of what exactly they were looking for…
He had come back to his office to find Sirius waiting for him, eager to hear the news. The other wizard was clearly spoiling for some sort of adventure, and James’ client was certainly providing intrigue and mystery. But whether or not this would turn into anything other than a wild goose chase was still anyone’s guess.
Sirius was leaning against the wall. He’d been pacing during James’ recounting of the tale, and now was apparently trying to search through the story for clues. But James had already been over it in his head many times “ not to mention the fact that he had actually been in the ransacked house “ and he had no answers.
Sirius wouldn’t find any, either.
“But if it wasn’t at Lupin’s house,” Sirius said finally, “where would it be? It has to be there. He’s just hidden it really well.”
“Or it was found,” Marlene pointed out. She looked between the two wizards and elaborated, “Whoever was searching for it might have found it early on and then destroyed the bedroom to make it look like they hadn’t found it. Or… or something like that.”
“If it was easy to find, the Aurors would have found it the first time they were at the place,” Sirius argued. “When they were moving Lupin’s body out and looking for clues…”
“But how hard would they really have looked?” Marlene argued. “Evans was standing over Lupin’s body, covered in his blood. They must have already assumed she was guilty, so why would they look for more evidence beyond what was absolutely necessary to make the case?”
“Because it was Moody leading the team,” James answered. “And he doesn’t do things halfway.”
There was a silence, and neither Sirius nor Marlene could argue with that comment. If this object was easy to find, Moody would have found it.
James rubbed his eyes. The other possibility was that Lily had found it when she discovered Lupin’s body. Would she have hidden it somewhere? But… that didn’t make sense. The Aurors had said she was practically incoherent when they found her, and so she would definitely not have been thinking clearly enough to locate this object and hide it. And even if she had, why would she then come back to the room and stand over Lupin’s body? Why wouldn’t she have left?
Besides, he was fairly certain she had been entirely honest when she said she had no idea what it was Lupin had found. She’d lied in the past, but it seemed like she was telling him the truth now. She didn’t know why he had been killed and she didn’t know what it was he had stolen, so she couldn’t have been the one to move it.
And the witch who had attacked Longbottom had obviously believed that it was still hidden in Lupin’s home.
Which meant that it was either currently in the hands of the enemy “ this Voldemort, possibly “ or it had been hidden far too well for the unknown witch to find.
They were back where they had started, with absolutely nothing.
“The trial starts tomorrow,” Sirius said after a long pause. “Are you ready? Lestrange will be out for blood.”
“Merlin, mate, are you trying to make me worried?” James demanded.
Sirius gave him a wolfish grin in reply.
James rolled his eyes and looked over at Marlene. “Did you get the robes for Lily?”
“Yes,” Marlene answered, “and I’ll make sure they get delivered to her before the trial. I just hope she’s smart enough to realize she needs to wear them.”
James opened his mouth to defend Lily, and then stopped. Marlene had a point, everything her knew about his client indicated that she wouldn’t care about this trial, or about how others perceived her, enough to make any great efforts. But she had not argued with him when he had told her that Marlene had picked out clothing for her, so that was a good sign.
“Did you know that in the Muggle court system each side has to share information?” James said after a moment.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“It’s called… disclosure. Or discourse. Or discovery. I don’t know, something like that,” James explained, waiving one hand in a casual manner. “Each side can request documents and written answers to certain questions before the trial. I think you might even have to disclose who your witnesses are.”
“But… but then you know everything ahead of time,” Sirius protested, shaking his head as though it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard.
“Maybe it is supposed to make things more equal,” Marlene said thoughtfully. “Or to make sure that each side can prepare for the trial properly. Or to cut back on wasted time at the trial by getting some information ahead of time.” She frowned thoughtfully at James. “It is an interesting idea. It would help us if we knew who Lestrange was going to call for a witness.”
“We can guess,” James answered. “One of the Aurors who dealt with Lupin’s body, maybe someone who can speak about Lily’s relationship with Lupin…”
“But I don’t get it,” Sirius protested, still clearly thinking about the Muggle courts. “What sorts of questions can they ask in this… whatever it is called?”
James shrugged. “I’m not really sure. I think they can ask for or about anything that is relevant to the case. Anything that might be evidence.”
“Anything?”
“Well… maybe not anything,” James answered, narrowing his eyes as he tried to remember what little he knew of Muggles. He had never been particularly interested in Muggle systems, not like all the people who took Muggle Studies at Howarts. But after becoming a barrister, he had found himself slightly more interested in how the nonmagical world dealt with crime.
“There have to be some things that are protected,” Marlene agreed.
“I think there is solicitor-client privilege,” James said slowly. “Solicitors don’t have to reveal things that their clients said to them. And the same might be true for doctors. You know, like Muggle healers. They don’t have to reveal what patients told them. And maybe spouses don’t have to…” He trailed off, shaking his head slowly. “I don’t remember all the cases. But there are some things that can stay secret.”
“But everything else… people know it ahead of time?” Sirius demanded. “Weird.”
“They’re Muggles,” Marlene said. “They don’t have magic. Maybe they just need extra time to figure things out?”
“But we don’t use magic in the courtroom,” Sirius protested. “During the trial, we’re practically like Muggles. Besides, if you know what the other side knows, how can you beat them at the trial? They’re ready for you, they know everything you’ll do. You don’t have the element of surprise.”
“Maybe they don’t care about winning,” Marlene offer, although it sounded like a strange, and definitely faulty, suggestion almost as soon as the words had left her mouth.
“Of course they care about winning,” Sirius scoffed, disregarding her comment with a wave of his hand. “How can they not? What matters more than winning?”
James considered this, and then found himself wondering what Lily would think of the conversation. How would she explain the differences between the two methods? Was she able to comprehend why Muggles would have built their justice system like this? It seemed so strange, like a complete waste of time and effort when everything would come out at the trial anyway…
But would she think that it was witches and wizards that had the wrong idea?
He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. He had to admit that, at least in this one instance, he liked the Muggle way. Lestrange wasn’t going to play by the rules, and he didn’t like not knowing what the other wizard had planned.
“The war is starting, Albus.”
Albus Dumbledore glanced up from his seat behind his desk at the man who had entered. He knew the Auror had been coming to meet him, the castle’s wards had alerted him as soon as the man had stepped through the gates. And he had known all along that this meeting would come, and it would be time to make a decision.
But the heaviness of that decision weighed down on him.
Alastor Moody, however, did not seem to care about that heaviness. He was a man of action, and he knew that the time had come for that action. Lupin’s death had indicated that, but even more disturbing was the news of why he had been murdered.
This object…
It worried them both. Something important enough to kill over, and yet neither knew what or where it was.
Dumbledore rose to his feet, glancing once around the circular room that had been his office for years. He had done his best to protect the students of this school from the evil that existed in the outside world, but now that a war was coming, he had to turn his attention away from focusing only on those who lived within these walls.
“We can’t trust the Ministry,” Dumbledore said gravely. “Not as long as Lestrange continues to wield so much influence.”
Moody gave a curt nod of agreement. “It is time to reassemble the Order of the Phoenix,” he said.
Dumbledore sighed and removed his half-moon spectacles. He pinched the bridge of his nose and tried not to think about all of the brave men and women “ like Remus Lupin “ who would be risking and possibly sacrificing their lives to fight a war against an evil he had created.
Well… no. He had not created Lord Voldemort. But he had not been able to stop him, either, back when he was younger and could have been more easily defeated, and so found it difficult to let go of some of the responsibility.
Who knew if their enemy was even human anymore?
“Are you going to invite Potter?” Moody asked.
“Not yet,” Dumbledore answered. “I want to see what he does now. I want to see if he…” He paused, replaced his spectacles. It was difficult to explain to anyone how he picked those he asked to join the Order. They had to be willing, of course, and to want to bring about an end to the darkness that was slowly seeping into their world. But it was more than that, and it was more than just the requirement of bravery and courage and strength.
“If he understands that there is much more at stake than just beating Lestrange?” Moody supplied.
Dumbledore nodded. In the end, they had to understand that these were things worth dying for.