He dragged his gaze from Ginny to the side table. Ahh. There. He picked up the tiny broomstick and pocketed it. If this was what was wrong with her, then he knew just who'd be able to tell him.
Early next morning, John zoomed by the vast numbers of floo connections until a familiar sitting room filled his vision. He stepped out into the ancestral home of the Blacks. A most unwelcome sight immediately greeted him.
"What are you doing here, Potter?"
Alexandra Black, winner of his personal award for most-frustrating-Slytherin, and fellow Tri-wizard champion, sat in a high-back chair, reading a thick and ancient-looking tome. The last time he'd seen this witch, they'd been trading curses in the maze. As much as he hated admitting it, it had only been by luck that he'd won that little skirmish.
"Alex." His tone was cool.
She narrowed her eyes. "Don't call me that."
"I'll call you what I want."
She looked surprised by the retort. Then her eyes narrowed. "What's got you so full of yourself? Not that it matters. Almost all Potters are pathetic."
"Whatever, I'm here to see your Dad. Where is he?"
"Why?"
"That's not your business."
"Maybe I want to make it my business. After all, you want to know where my Dad is."
He clenched his teeth. "What do you want?"
She smiled. "How about a book swap from the Potter library?"
"Are you out of your mind!" he all but screamed. He got a control of himself. "All I want to know is where your Dad is. How about a box of chocolate frogs?"
She stared at him for a whole two seconds, before laughing. "Wow, I really don't know how you two are related. You have all the political understanding of a typical Gryffindor brick, Potter."
He hated this. Even when she was ten—or almost ten—she still had that sharp tongue and unerring ability to get under his skin. Seeing her this young again made him wonder where the little girl who'd played 'wizards and witches' with him, Ginny, and Ron had gone.
"What's all this shouting?" Lord Sirius Black marched out of a side room, wearing full auror uniform.
Oh, thank Merlin.
Alex huffed.
"Oh, morning, John. You're here early. I was about to head into the office."
"Padfoot, I've got a problem. Can I talk you about it? It's kinda to do with your work."
Sirius eyes turned sharp and flashed him a questioning look. "Sure thing. This an at-the-office kind of thing? Do your parents know?"
"Yeah, and no. It's kinda sensitive. I need the input of my favourite Godfather."
"Hah!" Sirius barked. "Alright then, Pup. See you there." He hesitantly turned to Alexandra before stepping into the floo. He cleared his throat, and tugged his collar. "Err. Be good, Alex."
Alex lowered her head. "Yes, my Lord Black."
Sirius grimaced and turned away again.
He waited for Sirius to floo away, before stepping in, turning, and smirking at the doll-like dark witch.
She growled back.
John landed firmly on his feet in the auror department. He followed his godfather to his office. The early birds were just starting to arrive. There weren't many of them, but then, there weren't many aurors, just twenty-six. They were the elite — the best. In a country of only twenty thousand, you couldn't expect there to be a massive standing army to battle the likes of Voldemort. They dealt with dark wizards. Regular law enforcement was handled by DMLE security wizards.
Sirius landed in his large chair, spread his legs, planted his large hands firmly on his knees, leaned forward, and looked him square in the eyes. "Alright kiddo. What's up?"
"You know how Ginny's been acting oddly recently?"
Sirius's expression turned pensive. "She does seem more distant."
"You know how the Weasleys are"—he hesitated—"not exactly the most well off?"
"Yes."
"Yesterday, I noticed Ginny was wearing this." He brought out the hair-clip and handed it to Sirius. "It's a limited edition, Nimbus 1700 broomstick that can be shrunk and used as a hair-clip. They cost one hundred Galleons. That's two and a half times more than a standard Nimbus 1700."
Sirius whistled and examined the hair clip up close, turning it this way and that. "And you nabbed it from her?"
"I want to make sure there's nothing on it that might be affecting her behaviour. I know how you always say to be on the watch for things that don't add up."
"That I do." Sirius rubbed his short beard. "Fine, we'll take a look at it and see what's what. But next time, I advise you to bring this sort of thing to me before you start grabbing things. If this really does have dark magic on it there's no telling what it might have been able to do to you. Besides, I don't think I have to remind you that until you handed it to me under suspicion of being a dark artefact, what you did was legally theft."
John shrugged. "Sure thing."
Sirius stood, placed the hairpin broomstick on the desk, and started waving his wand and muttering under his breath. The wand waving and muttering went on for a while. A second wizard was called in, who also waved his wand around and muttered. A conversation was held. More wand waving and muttering. Then, Sirius's eyes looked mildly shocked. Then confused. Then worried. Sirius looked sidelong at him before shaking his head, as though getting rid of a thought.
"Well, Pup, the broom's clean. That doesn't mean there isn't anything suspicious going on though. I'd like to know if Molly and Arthur know someone is gifting their little girl really expensive presents."
John sighed. Half relieved that Ginny wasn't under possession, half frustrated that his only lead had come up dead. "So, we don't know anything more then?"
Sirius looked uncomfortable. "Well, not quite. We did crack the passcode to un-shrink the broomstick."
"Well?"
"Whoever gave Ginny the broomstick could be anyone, really. But we know he may be called Harry."
John's face blanked. "What?"
"The passcode is 'Harry's Awesome Broomstick'."
Harry. His breathing sped up. Images of his scrawny, evil Slytherin brother shot through his head. His adrenaline raced. That slimy little bastard. How dare he cosy up to HIS Ginny. Ginny who he loved. He stilled. Harry meant evil, which meant dark magic. Ginny could be enslaved. Love potions, hate potions, there were so many things. Confundus charms, compulsion charms, legilimency, the imperius curse, possession. HIS Ginny on the floor of the chamber, soul being drained, body cold as death. How dare that bastard! He'd rip him to pieces. Break every bone in his body. No, that wasn't nearly enough. Skele-gro, then break them all again, and again, and again.
His thoughts ran far ahead of anything his rational mind told him his brother was capable of. His hands clenched and unclenched.
"Err. You okay there, Pup?"
He fought for control, passed his emotions through his occlumency exercises, and forced a sliver of rational thought into the saddle of his consciousness. He took a deep breath, and his eyes hardened.
"Yes, Sirius. I need to speak to my parents — now."
.
.
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