Healed & Broken (HP) {Book 4 of the Wild & Free Series}

1. A New Beginning

TEEN GIRL MISSING, SUPECTED DEAD
Warwickshire's Police Office is asking for the public's help in the search for a missing girl.

Yara Gloomy — 15 years old at the time, now 16 years old — was last seen at 6:30 P.M. on Monday the 16th of July. She was last seen at Witnam Orphanage, in Witnam.

Gloomy is described as an energetic, optimistic child. She has tortoiseshell hair and green eyes (see picture below).

We ask the public to report any sightings of this girl to Warwickshire's Police Office.

I looked down at the fragment in the news paper. It was now two weeks since we had last seen Yara.

I threw away the news paper in one of the corners of my room, next to the pile of books. All of my clothes laid in another heap in another corner; the curtains in front of the windows were closed; there were a few pillows scattered around the room; and above all, it was very dirty.

I glanced at my bed, where Lucy was sleeping. She didn't look better than me: her hair was untended for and hung in loose strands over her face; her eyes, now closed, were surrounded with dark circles and if they had been open, they would be red and puffy.

Yeah, Lucy and I had a rough time.

Suddenly, Lucy began to moan in her sleep and twitched slightly. I walked over to her and shook her shoulders lightly.

"Lucy, wake up," I whispered. Lucy moaned and turned her back to me.

"Wake up," I said louder. Lucy's eyes shot open and she looked at me, tears streaming down her face.

"She was with us again, Liana," she whispered, blinking. "I dreamt it."

"I know," I shushed and pulled her close. "She'll come back." But I didn't believe my own words.

Lucy eventually went back to sleep again. I stared out of the window; the full moon floated high in the sky, it's moonlight enlightening the dark path that lead to the orphanage. Dark clouds were surrounding the moon, but they didn't block out the light.

I knew that the dark clouds wouldn't disappear with the moon; they would stay until the sun would rise and set again.

These were dark times; Dumbledore said it, the Daily Prophet said it and Rufus Scrimgeour, our new Minister of Magic, said it.

There had already been four incidents; one Muggle bridge had collapsed, there had been two mass murders involving some Ministry witches and wizards and there had also been sightings of a giant, roaming a Muggle village.

All four incidents were caused by Death Eaters, the Daily Prophet reported. Voldemort's grasp on the Wizarding Community was now so strong that even Muggles began to suspect something.

I looked around and my eye fell on a smile pile of unsend letters. I walked over to it and grabbed the first one, to George;

Hi George,

I've received your owl. Indeed, I am not doing very well. The only reason I am holding myself together is because of Lucy; she has broken already and I can't afford to lose my mind myself, because I have to take care of her alone, now that Yara isn't there to help me. Lucy had always been very sensitive, as you'll probably know by now.