Spells and Handcuffs (Remus Lupin)

Suprise

The morning found me asleep at the table. A Muggle map of London and the surrounding area, especially Broxbourne Woods, was open in front of me. My memories began to return slowly. I remembered walking from the basement where I was locked to the woods for a very short time. So, the place where I was imprisoned had to be very close to the forest. There weren't many houses in the area, so it wouldn't take me long to find the right one. If I could go back to the Ministry, I would very easily check on the wizard families in the area and eliminate most of the houses. But I had written to Percy that I would take a long unpaid leave for health reasons and could not show up for work. It bothered me to leave him alone at such a busy time, but I couldn't imagine translating letters until I knew someone had used me and killed Bertha Jorkins.

I ran through the list of houses and checking off the ones which I would check today. I set aside the wizard robes that would be suspicious and put on a gray jacket with a large collar, comfortable black jeans, and boots. I gathered my hair carelessly in a ponytail. 

I apparated behind some bushes, along a narrow path in the Cheshunt area near Broxbourne Wood. The place was nice, the properties - expensive. Both the Muggle and Wizard families who lived here had to be rich. Most of the yards were large and well maintained, there were no people on the street. It was a weekday, and probably most of the owners had gone out to work.

The nearest building was a huge mansion. It was red brick and not nearly so old at first look. Most likely the owner had thought himself worthy of being gentry, yet hadn't the title or the social status. The old money looked down on him as classless "new money" and he'd felt the need to show them his importance. The walls grew from the manicured lawn into an abode so large it had "wings" and more windows than a casual glance could count. Everything about it said expensively built, inside and out. I approached the fence. There was a security booth in front of the gate. A huge sign said it was a government building, seized in the raids and put to use for surveillance and military operations. I had to remove it from my list. I must have been looking for a wizard mansion, invisible to the Muggles. Who could live here? It had to be some old pureblood family to be able to maintain a property here.

I continued down the street, but all the houses seemed too ordinary or obviously belonging to Muggles. I was missing something and I couldn't say what. None of these houses seemed familiar to me. And I was so sure I was in this area a few days ago.

A voice suddenly startled me and tore me from my thoughts. "Excuse me, miss, are you looking for something?" It was the guard of one of the mansions. He was young, with blond hair and friendly eyes.

"Thank you for asking," I smiled at him. An idea came to me. "I work as a restorer and architect of old houses. They gave me coordinates that there was such property here and I could help. But I went around and did not find such a house. They all look good to me and need no repairs. Can you think of a similar property in the area that would use my services? " I played casually with a lock of my hair, still smiling at the boy. God, I wasn't good at this.

"I don't know." He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. "Actually, the only property like this is the mansion near the forest. It is located a little further down the street. There is no other house around it. But it may not be about it. It is dangerous to approach because it can collapse at any moment. And to be honest, I get chills from the house, especially in the evening. It was as if it were inhabited by ghosts ...", and he shivered slightly.

That was it. Many wizarding families bewitched their houses to look abandoned to the Muggles. I thanked the guards, promising him not to get too close to the house, but just to look at it from a distance. I reached its crumbling stone fence. There were signs warning of danger and not to cross. At first look, the manor was decayed. The bricks were crumbled and the windows were given in to the winds long before. The roof lets in more rain than it kept out. The oak floors lay strewn with leaves and debris, the staircase swept up toward an upper landing that had fallen away.

"Revelio" I whispered softly and swung my wand. The ruined building disappeared before my eyes, and in its place stood a tall and beautiful house. The Manor grew out of the manicured lawn like an infant castle. Its nascent stone walls were a pale grey and were barren of the moss or ivy that clung to the walls of the older homes in the area. Its large oak door was double wide and was sheltered under a wide porch supported by stone pillars. The driveway was grandiose, sweeping into a wide circle in front of the dwelling with an ornate fountain in the center.

That was it. I was locked in the basement of this house a few days ago. I walked around the fence but saw no signs of life inside. She was probably protected by more spells, and it would be difficult for me to enter. I had to come up with a plan to find out who lived inside and be able to get in. I couldn't apparate inside. All wizard houses didn't allow this to happen. If I tried to jump the fence, some protective spell would probably alert those inside that I was trying to enter. And I didn't want that to happen before I learned more about the inhabitants.

I had to hide somewhere around and wait. But this was not an easy task either. I couldn't turn in my Animagus form, as a big black wolf would definitely catch the eye. I snorted. Why wasn't I something more inconspicuous - a pigeon or a stray cat for example? I wasn't good at invisibility spells. No matter how hard I tried, they didn't last long or some leg or arm remained visible to the eye. Remus was a master at them and would hide us both if he was here. My heart pounded. My thoughts kept bringing me back to him. It was painful. I shook my head in an attempt to banish my thoughts of him. I didn't need that now.

As I looked around the fence, I noticed in the distance a man approaching the house. I managed to hide behind a sharp-leaved gel bush nearby and was able to watch him from a small gap in the leaves. The man was still a long way off, but from the fluttering black robe, I could tell at once that he was definitely not a muggle. I narrowed my eyes in an attempt to see him well, but without success. He had to get closer.

The man's gait was uneven like his legs were different lengths. He teetered as he walked, wobbling from side to side, with every step looking as if he were about to stumble. I lost sight of him for a while, as a large tree blocked my view of the road and the place where the man was. When he stepped out of the blind spot, I could see what my subconscious was telling me already. This man was none other than my boss, Barty Crouch. He was limping, the gait that was smooth during our last meeting was faltering and uneven. His hair was ragged, loose hair falling over his features that contorted with effort.

As I tried to recover from the shock, the door opened and he disappeared behind the fence. I couldn't see him anymore, most likely because of the protective spells around the house. My heart was still pounding in my chest. This must have been Crouch's mansion. It was possible. They were an old pureblood wizarding family. My boss did not show up for work under the pretext that he was seriously ill. Did it have anything to do with the letter he had given me? It said that someone was controlling him, that he was losing his mind, that he was forgetting. Just like me. Who else was involved? His son was mentioned in his letter. But Sirius claimed he was dead. What about the Dark Lord? Was it possible?

I stood for a long time, hidden in the bushes, hoping someone would show up. But that never happened. The sun had begun to set and a cold wind was swirling around me. I wrapped myself more tightly in my jacket, cursing that I had no idea what I was going to do from now on. I couldn't stand in those bushes forever, waiting for something to happen. Maybe I should go back to my tent and look in my books for a way to sneak in unnoticed. I could also ask the security guard if he knew the details around the house or if he had noticed anything strange. Not that I could trust the Muggles' senses, but still. Just as I decided to get out of the bushes, I noticed a barely noticeable movement near me. Something rustled in the bushes. Rat. Disgusting, I shuddered.

To my surprise, the next moment I heard someone's spell and I didn't have time to react. How I didn't learn to play it safe...