The Final Letter - B. Nonymous
The Final Letter (an Epilogue)
Usual disclaimers apply - I'm just having fun.
Special thanks to Mrs. Nonymous for her fashion sense on the dress robes!
And check out Audrey's
drawing - Happy New Year! - that accompanies this story. It'll be obvious
why I'm pointing her work out as you read this story.
A thirty-something female with long brown hair held back by a scrunchy
materialized in the middle of what appeared to be a hotel suite. Several
people were conducting an investigation, complete with a dead body. Special
Agent Sophie Johnson knew immediately that it was an all-magical
investigation. The wands wielded by all of the investigators would have been
enough of a giveaway, but the empty can of Diet Coke in her hand would have
never set her down in the middle of a Muggle-run crime scene.
Sophie reoriented herself after the strain of a cross-country Portkey trip.
That a Bureau employee had made the eight-hop Apparation trip (crime-scene,
San Francisco, Reno, Denver, Des Moines, Chicago, Pittsburgh, New York, her
apartment in Boston) to find her at this hour suggested it was a dire
emergency.
Still, she was not pleased. She recognized a junior agent she had worked
with before on the West Coast. "Agent Cox, why have I been called to a crime
scene that is over two-thousand miles from my own jurisdiction?"
The young agent handling the scene glanced at the messenger as if to dismiss
him, then addressed Sophie. "Special Agent Johnson, I believe you may know
the deceased." He looked at the body being pored over by two more agents,
"Mr. Pettigrew was murdered - probably with the Killing Curse - while reading
a letter. It was sent by one Sirius Black... there's a picture of you in the
letter, Agent Johnson."
Sophie's jaw dropped. She had only met Sirius's recently-reformed Death
Eater friend "Wormtail" less than two months ago. He had been sent to serve
his sentence in America to reduce the chance of this very thing happening.
She immediately determined that she was in a patient's room at the Ukiah
Pensieve Therapy Center. It was a psychiatric hospital for wizards and
witches, and Pettigrew's first year of his twenty-year sentence was to be
spent at a psychiatric institution.
Agent Cox continued, "It was a total surprise attack - a real pro did
this. He... he's still smiling - like he never felt it. I guess the letter
was a pleasant one."
Sophie's curiosity took over. "Ed... may I see the letter? I'll use
Levitation on it, of course..."
"Go ahead, Special Agent. Forensics already combed the letter. Just put it
in an evidence bag when you're finished. The picture goes with the letter,
of course."
Sophie smirked. She had been teased by her fellow Boston Field Office
co-workers about "chaperoning a dance" for her Christmas vacation. The
Hogwarts New Year's Ball had been a sideshow, compared with seeing Sirius
again. She glanced at the picture.
It was a group-shot of six people, taken in front of four banners - one for
each Hogwarts house. Sophie herself was on the left of the photograph,
wearing somewhat form-fitting dress robes of deep burgundy, something she had
picked up at Ragland's Rack (where Ragland's Witch Wear sold their overstocks
and irregulars). Her normally well-behaved hair was up, thanks to a small
amount of Sleakeasy's. In this shot she smiled, and rolled her eyes
occasionally in impatience.
Next to her was Sirius Black - formerly the most wanted man in England's
magical community. He did not look the part of a fugitive any more, instead
opting for a classic-looking set of black silk dress robes, trimmed with
bands of navy blue velvet. His eyes kept alternating between the boy on his
left and Sophie. He had been cleared when Pettigrew confessed his
crimes.
Sophie had been assigned to monitor Sirius during a visit he had made to
America four months ago. Sometime during his one-month stay they realized
that they had fallen madly for each other. They had broached the subject of
how to solve their "Atlantic Ocean problem" during this last trip. She was
currently considering requesting a leave of absence in order to join the
latest incarnation of the American Wizarding Volunteer Brigade (or Awvees) to
aid Britain in their fight against Lord Voldemort.
Next to Sirius was the most famous boy in the whole wizarding world. The
legendary Harry Potter also happened to be Sirius's godson. Now that Sirius
was free, he had resumed his long-neglected role of being Harry's legal
guardian. Harry wore a look of surprise. His green eyes, which matched his
dark green dress robes, seemed full of the sort of mischief one would expect
from a sixteen-year-old boy. Sophie knew how surprising that was, given what
Sirius had told her about Harry and what his life was like. She also knew,
however, that a free Sirius was contributing greatly to Harry's apparent
ease.
On Harry's left was the other reason for his lighthearted mood. A red-headed
girl... Sophie had to grasp for the name... Ginny. The girl was mostly
paying attention to Harry, glancing at the camera the rest of the time. She
looked quite attractive in her charcoal gray robes, her hair pinned up and
accented with a thin sprig of rosemary twisting through the updo.
A step away from Ginny was her brother, Ron. Ron was also one of Harry's
best friends. He seemed awestruck to be where he was. The look on his face
either indicated that sense of awe, or a more focused look of concern about
his own date. His robes, slate-blue velvet trimmed in silver, ruffled ever
so slightly on his tall frame.
The final person in the picture still reminded Sophie of a young, but very
studious, version of herself. Hermione (her name was too unique to forget)
also wore her brown hair up. Ginny had confided to Sophie that it took far
more Sleakeasy's than her own to make it behave. Her thin, flowing robes of
silk in soft gray and silver suited her, however, and when she wasn't jabbing
Ron with her elbow to get his attention, she smiled for the camera.
After taking in the picture, Sophie read the very short letter from Sirius
to his friend.
Sophie teared up slightly, and then waved her wand to put both letter and
photograph in the evidence bag. She regained her composure quickly - it was
going to be a long night of identification and notifying those who would care
that Peter Pettigrew would never get a chance to finish proving that it
was never too late.
And that, folks, is it for Peter. No way would Voldie let him live, of
course. (I figured this out while writing chapters 9 and 10 of Mischief
Managed.) But at least he died happy, which is more than I think JKR might
have in store for him.
Thanks again for reading this, folks! Don't forget to see Audrey's
rendition of the picture Sirius sent Peter. And check the comments section
because I reply to people who leave reviews (and questions) for me there!
