Auror Academy

Thursday- Crimes or Mysteries

"I'm so tired, might go back to bed for half an hour since our class is delay-" Maisie's sentence died in her mouth as she looked up to see Alderwood standing there. She was hoping that her punishment would have been forgotten.
Saying goodbye to her friends, she followed him, this time down a few different corridors. They reached a wooden door with a gold plaque bearing Harry Potter - Head Auror. This was Auror Potter's office. Alderwood reached his fist up to knock, but paused as they heard voices.
"I'm fine, Kingsley, really."
Kingsley Shacklebolt - the Minister?
"If you keep saying that, then I won't trust you when you are fine. As well as almost losing a leg-"
"It wasn't that bad," Potter interrupted.
The door hadn't closed properly, allowing anyone to overhear their conversation.
"If Thomas hadn't been there, you could have died as well. However, my concern is how it was possible. The flashback-"
"I can handle them," Potter insisted angrily.
This Thomas person must've been with Auror Potter when he hurt himself. She wondered if he was another Auror... and what was Minister Shacklebolt saying about a flashback?
"Go," Alderwood hissed agressively towards Maisie.
She ran for it, knowing she'd already heard too much. She was determined to stay as far away from Alderwood as she possibly could from now on. Maybe he would knock the door and let Auror Potter and Minister Shacklebolt know that they were being overheard.
When she arrived back at the cafeteria, her friends were still there.
"Maisie!" Amaris said in surprise, "How come you're back so early?"
"Did you get reported?" asked Hannah.
She took a seat, catching her breath from her run back.
"Not exactly. Potter was in his office with the Minister. They were talking and they'd left the door open, Alderwood didn't do anything and we just... stood there."
"Brilliant! So how do we sneak in?" Clara asked.
"Sneak in? Where are we sneaking?"
"Technically we wouldn't have to sneak in... With my hearing all we need to do is stand outside," Amaris replied. "I mean, what?" she added in surprise, the well behaved girl realizing she'd agreed to sneaking into the Head Auror's office.
"We don't want to get caught there so let's make sure we plan first," Ariana said reasonably.
"So, Amaris listens, I'll be lookout. Clara, you could do the sneaking in because it's always good to have a backup pla-" Hannah began assigning roles but was quickly interrupted by Maisie.
"NO! I mean, we can't, I'm sorry. First of all, we'd be arrested, and secondly, it was really private stuff."
"Brilliant, I've always wanted to see Azkaban. School trip, anyone?" Clara said with a huge smile on her face.
"Yeah, it's wrong," Hannah said in a low voice, looking up at them as if she was a detective, "but what if he's hiding something?"
"He may have secrets, but some secrets are important to keep," Amaris answered.
"Secrets could make a great story," said Hannah.
Maisie explained everything that she'd heard while outside Potter's office.
"The Minister of Magic is here? Like actually here?" Hannah asked.
"Yes, Hannah, the Minister works in the Ministry," Clara replied.
"Oh, yeah, he works here. I forgot."
"So... who is this Auror Thomas?" Ari asked.
"We could try looking in the Auror Awards cabinet?" Hannah suggested.
"That's genius," said Adara.
"And legal," Maisie replied.
They arrived at the huge glass cabinet containing pictures and awards from the current day, and back through generations of Ministry Aurors.
"Wait, stop!" Ari said, freezing.
"What did you find?" Adara asked.
"That guy is really hot," Ari giggled, pointing to a yellowing picture of a young man with a very muscular body.
"What does the name say?" Hannah said, looking closer, "Alastor... Moody," she read slowly.
"It's Alastor Mad-Eye Moody," Clara burst out with laughter, noticing another picture of the same man probably forty years later, looking rather worse for wear and missing a leg, an eye and half a nose.
"Thomas, remember we're looking for an Auror Thomas, someone who is young enough to still be in service and not dead," Maisie emphasized, glancing at Ari.
"So whoever helped Auror Potter is an Auror and a Healer?" Amaris asked.
"Must be," Maisie replied, "From the way the Minister was talking to Potter, it wasn't a simple cutting curse. I'd say either a cursed knife or-"
"I seem to be stuck," a voice said from behind them. Twilfitt was casually staring at a wall, seemingly without much care that he had somehow jammed his fluorescent orange robes in the purple fabric covered wall opposite.
"Oh, hi, Twilfitt," Amaris said politely.
"Ignotus, is it?" Ari asked.
"Ignatius Twilfitt, actually. It's an old family name, all twelve of my great grandfathers were called it. Also, more importantly, I am stuck. Can you please help?" Twilfitt pointed out, gesturing towards his robe.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, of course!" Amaris stepped forward immediately.
Clara turned back towards the glass cabinet when Twilfitt was freed. "Thomas, Thomas, Thomas, I can't find any Auror Thomas," she said, scanning the shelves, "Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed, causing the others to stare, "Come and look at this, wow, he was hot."
The others crowded around as Clara pointed out a picture of an around eighteen year old Auror Potter, which was clearly a candid photo taken at the same time as some of the much more awkward professional images, which had "I don't want to be here" etched all over his face. This photo however had him laughing and smiling at something out of frame, as if a light had been switched on. He wore tailored Auror robes, very different from the slouched t-shirts and worn out jeans he'd appeared in every day of the Auror Academy.
"I bet you can't find a hotter wizard than this," Clara said to her friends, gesturing to the picture.
"Actually, I can," Twilfitt replied from behind them.
"You think?" Clara turned around, "Go on then, find him."
Twilfitt led them round a corner to a portrait of an old-ish man with facial scars and an odd shaped mouth.
"There."
"You've got to be joking," Clara answered.
"He is undeniably more attractive than Auror Potter."
"Him? That guy?" Adara asked skeptically.
"Remus John Lupin, wasn't the best looking up until his final few years but those wrinkles really began to frame his face," Twilfitt replied.
"Twilfitt, you have really odd taste sometimes," said Maisie.
"But Harry Potter is by far, the better choice. Let's vote on it, those for Potter please-"
Everyone but Twilfitt raised their hands.
"See?" she told him.
"I can't understand why you don't see it, I mean, look at him, much the better partner," he assured.
"Look at HIM," Clara pointed towards the image of Harry, "that jawline, the dark messy hair, the cutest awkwardness you could ever see. It's right there."
"Why don't we agree to disagree," Twilfitt suggested.
"I disagree to disagree. I'm a Gryffindor! Well... I would be anyway, if I wasn't homeschooled," retorted Clara.
"Is this going to be happening all day or can we get back to solving the crime?" Hannah asked.
"Crime? What crime?" Ari asked interestedly.
"There's no crime, Hannah just wants to turn this into one of her detective stories," Maisie answered.
"So, why don't we get back to the serious matter - who's hotter, Auror Potter or Mr R J Lupin? Maybe next you'll be proclaiming your love for the barman at the Hog's Head," Clara looked at Twilfitt.
"No, he's a little too old for me, but I do agree he has some good features. A long beard is never a bad thing," Twilfitt added, considering it.