Chapter 177 - – Hook, Line, and Sinker Ⅲ (1/2)

”Sara!” Cried out the voice of Percius Clements as he abandoned the muggles on the hill and ran in the direction of the dark mark in the night sky.

Running down the grassy slope in the dimly night sky the figure of Percius stumbled several times but did not stop as he raced towards where his partner has last been seen. Suddenly, he froze at seeing at rounding the slope to see a weeping child. With deliberate slowness, his eyes dart to the side as he almost falls to the side feeling all the breath in his lungs leave him feeling faint. There on her back and still was the corpse of his closest friend and partner for the last ten years.

”Sara,” Percius croaked as if still expecting an answer. The night seems eerily silent despite the voices in the distance and the crackle of fire being extinguished. Numbly he stumbles forward until he falls onto his knees before the corpse of his partner. Gently reaching over with trembling fingers, he closes her eyes and closes his eyes as tears gather under his lids. Blinking his tears away, he suddenly comes too at a particularly loud sob.

Percius glances over at the tear-streaked child and suddenly feels a dash of guilt and shame at having ignored the frightened child in his grief. ”There, there, now,' Percius whispered as the child threw itself into his arms and loudly continued to sob. Holding the child tenderly in his arms, he gently rubs soothing circles on the boy's back. Rising to his feet, he turns and takes a startled step back at seeing the twisted half-man, and half-beast creature in the dim moonlight.

”Lumos,” Percius murmured as he raised his wand high for a closer look. Instantly his eyes widen in recognition of the half-twisted face as that of Fenrir Grayback. Percius lets out a sad cry of triumph, before turning away and spotting the corpse of a muggle man some distance away with his neck having been torn open.

”Can you tell me, what your name is?” Percius lightly asked as he walked back up the slope making sure to keep his shoulder in the boy's view lest the child gazed upon the corpses again.

”David McGregor,” the boy sniffed as he clung tightly to Percius's neck.

”Thank you, David,” Percius gently murmured. ”And how old are you?”

”I'm six years old.”

”Oh, my, you're quite big for your age.”

”That's what my daddy says,” David burst into tears again. ”My daddy's gone; the bad man got him.”

”Your daddy?” Percius mumbled as he recalled the dead muggle man on the floor. A muggle father had challenged a werewolf for his son's life. And that was far braver than most wizards and for that, he was to be commended for.

”What's your daddy's name, son?”

”Dougal McGregor,” David sniffed.

”Well, he was very brave in protecting you,” Percius said as they reached the top of the slope. In the distance, auror's and other arriving department members can be seen aiding the wounded and beginning the reconstruction of the town of what can be salvaged. While others began the arduous process of forging a credible story.

”Mm, the lady who saved me is too,” David whispered. ”-But another baddie got her from behind.”

”Did he know?” Percius said with an angry gleam in his eyes.

”A-huh, he did. But she still protected me with magic,” David said with awe as his teary blue eyes widened. ”Was the bad man, a werewolf?”

”Yes,” Percius honestly said as the little boy would have his memories erased soon of the incident.

”Are you going to erase my memories?” David suddenly asked.