Redemption (Dudley Dursley)

XXXII. Escapade.

The first address was a complete failure. Harry had enlisted three other Aurors to help him out in the ambush. They didn't have much time. The entire operation had to be executed perfectly. One false move and they will let the cat out of the bag and there is no doubt Kyra will step in with another one of her plans. Now, they knew they could not allow themselves to be trapped anymore. They don't have much leverage, but it's the only opening that has showed in her goal. Nothing could be done wrong.

The first was a bungalow near Newcastle, which didn't surprise them much. She kept out of everything, so it made sense she stayed far away from everything. From the second they entered, they knew the place had been abandoned a long time ago. Some parts of the wooden floor were rotting, moth eaten holes in curtains, and a distinct scent of damp. Despite this, they searched the place thoroughly in case she had just placed a charm to give the illusion of the place being abandoned.

Like they suspected, they came up empty handed. The only thing they did find was a photo album that showed a young girl. The second address was no better. This one was a much larger house but far from mansion-sized, and it was just as abandoned as the first. Still, they left not a single cushion unturned. Nothing of interest was found. By this point, Harry was beginning to lose hope and he was cursing himself silently for trusting any word to come out of Draco Malfoy's mouth. He'd set him up beforehand, so the possibility he was doing it again was lingering in the back of his mind.

Despite this, they moved on to the third and final address. When he caught site of the street, he almost laughed out loud. Knockturn Alley. It didn't surprise him in the slightest. If anything, it amused him. Then he stopped in his tracks. Was this where she first began to convert to the bad side? Tom had lived here at one point, and they had come across a few of his followers still lurking in the shadows of the street. Or maybe it was due to her upbringing. Maybe it was a mixture of both. But it was too big of a coincidence to throw out of the window.

At first, nothing caught their attention that seemed out of the ordinary. But then it clicked. It was ordinary. Nothing was rotting, nothing looked like it had been abandoned. Harry's eyes widened as he looked to one of his companions, audibly stating this one realisation. They all paused now in stunned silence. They had struck gold. This had been her latest residence. For all they know, she may have only left a few hours prior. If there was one place they were going to find something out, there was no doubt in their minds they would find it here.

But Harry still didn't get his hopes up. They may be one step further than they had been but with her track record she was probably a few more steps ahead. How had she gone under the radar for so long? A few things were seized but they still had nothing on her current whereabouts. And if they didn't know where she was, they had no idea where Felicity was. Harry froze at this realisation. He'd finally noticed the fault in her plan. If they can coax Kyra away with no notice, they will be able to find her. And if she panics enough, she may leave without Felicity- allowing her a possibility of escape.

It was certainly risky, there was no denying that. But it was a breakthrough. They left for their own respective offices after this and proceeded to send whatever they had for analysis to see if anything else could be found. He then decided to seek out Hermione who luckily was on her break currently. He relayed his theory to her and her eyes widened, clearly annoyed she had not noticed it sooner herself.

"Well, we now know Draco wasn't lying to us. Which means we know where she is, but whether Felicity is there is the problem."

He sighed loudly at this.

"She's been hiding in Malfoy Manor the whole time. Just waiting out in the open knowing that is the last place someone will look."

She nodded softly as well.