Chapter 119: Amelia Bones! Part-2
{Head Office, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, British Ministry of Magic}
{5th Oct 1991}
{Amelia Bones POV}
Amelia slumped back into her chair as she closed her eyes. The fatigue was piling on top of her, and it's been over a month since Sirius's escape. Just yesterday, she had to endure Fudge's useless yelling and berating of her capabilities when the man himself was responsible for cutting down the auror numbers.
'What was he expecting was going to happen when he cuts off the funding of my department every year. Now we barely have enough Aurors active in the field who not only need to maintain security and deal with the sudden increased crime rate, but at the same time, he expects the department to search through the entire magical Britain completely... setting aside for the fact that Sirius could be hiding in the muggle world. They would be none the wiser.'
The headache and conflict she was feeling were something she couldn't ignore. She hated Sirius Black with a passion. Before his initial incarceration, she had been a trainee auror under him. She had learned a lot about being an auror and justice from him, and to one day see him brought back chained and screaming had robbed her of a sense of innocence that was left during the war.
The sweet whispers that now were just twisted memories, small moments that were now buried deep. The desire to see him once again locked up, all while trying to ignore all of these memories and feelings of rage, had been hard on her.
'Now, though, although the muggles are cooperating, it would be too easy for someone like Black to hide in there. Even though we cover most of the locations with the magic detection artifact, Black knows exactly how this works,' Amelia thought. She debated sending squads to some blackholes outside the artifact's range. Some new towns that have popped up after the artifact was created might be her only clue.
The problem is that she simply doesn't have enough manpower to cover these holes in the net. Even if she used all of her resources, it would take her Aurors around a year, maybe even two, to comb through these blind spots.
'I should send an estimated budget to the minister. If the funds improve, I can authorize double shifts, and we can maybe redu—' Amelia said as the bracelet she was wearing suddenly vibrated before it started becoming hotter. The temperature change was swift, and although it was not enough to burn her skin, she could feel the discomfort if she didn't see the message.
'Why is she sending me a message right now though? Well, it is Saturday, so she won't have any classes. Is something wrong?' The thought, once it popped into her mind, didn't go away. She stood up from her desk and walked toward the fireplace.
"Bones Manor," She spoke clearly before throwing the floo powder into the fire, and then quickly she walked into it.
...
The journey was short and disorienting, like always, but when she stepped out of the fireplace, she made sure to put her wait on to counteract the slight spin that came with floo travel. Her thoughts were still stuck, wondering and worsening as she thought about what might possibly be wrong for Susan to send a message during the day.
Not for the first time, she criticized the size of the manor. All the unnecessary space made it take her a few minutes to reach her room. A parchment was sitting on her desk, and she quickly rushed to it. She pressed her wand at the parchment and pushed some mana into it.
...
'''Aunty!!! Rigel Black contacted me today, seeking your help. Apparently, he knows where Sirius Black is hiding. He is requesting a meeting with you, and I told him you would likely meet him tomorrow. Tell me if you want something arranged.'''
...
The words that emerged from the parchment were shocking. A wave of relief passed through her at the fact that Susan was safe and then at the fact that there had finally been a breakthrough.
'Of course, Rigel Black is the perfect POI. Although I expected this to happen, the chances of it were low. Plus, Dumbledore insisted on Aurors not having any operational authority inside the Castle grounds, like always. Now, though, this might be a chance...' Amelia thought. Since it had taken her barely a couple of minutes to reach the message, Susan would likely be waiting for a response. She sat down on her chair and picked up a quill.
The words flowed onto the parchment as she began writing, after finishing her message she put the tip of her wand back onto the bottom end of the paper and pulsed a wave of her mana. As she watched the disappearing words, she started planning for both responses.
...
''' Does he want to meet me in my capacity as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement right away or just as an advisory meeting for now?'''
...
'My approach would change drastically depending on the option. If he wants to meet me in my official capacity, it will take a while. I would have to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops and involve both Fudge and Dumbledore.'
The vibration once again caught her attention as she put her wand back onto the parchment. A slight annoyance rippled through her as she sighed.
...
'''...I forgot to ask...'''
...
She could just imagine the sheepish look on Susan's face as she read her reply. Still, that meant that the choice was up to her since the boy didn't specify his request.
'I could go now since it is a weekend. I should go through Sprout's fireplace if I don't want to tangle with Dumbledore.'
'''Alright, I'll be outside the common room in half an hour. Don't reply'''
...
After writing and sending the message, she closed the parchment and walked back to her fireplace. Strategies for ensuring Rigel's cooperation went through her mind as she once again arrived at the fireplace in the living room.
'Should I send a patronus first to warn her? No time is sensitive on this, If the boy knows where Black is then we need to move quickly.'
"Sprout's Office" Amelia shouted before she walked through the fireplace.
As she entered Pomona Sprout's office in Hufflepuff, anxiety and a faint hope emerged in her heart. The head of the Hufflepuff house raised an eyebrow at her.
'Yeah, I was hoping she won't be here...'
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AN—As some of you may have noticed, I changed the background story for Amelia a little, or maybe I inserted some of it since she was not a well-known character in the story!
P.S- 50+ Chapters on P.atreon!
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