Taste of Youth

“You do understand the gravity of the situation I hope.”

Moody had his arms crossed, his face stern staring at Ebenezar and me from across his desk table. We were called in on a Friday, Eben was pulled from the dorms that they keep the trainees and me from my dorm room by McGonagall in the middle of the night. Lena was leaning against a file cabinet to our right frowning deeply. Ebenezar glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and then glanced back at Moody looking confused.

“Sir, I don’t understand.” Ebenezar said, “What situation are we referring to?”

“The Ministry has decided to do a test run of our trainee’s capabilities.” Lena told him glowering as she pushed off the file cabinet and began to pace, “Auror Moody and I don’t agree with this study, but we were compelled by the Head to do as the Minister wished. You two are the most capable of the entire program, which is why you were chosen.”

“I don’t mean to interrupt,” I said putting up my hands, “but what is it that we were chosen for?”

“A mission. The two of you will be preforming a raid on a home tonight.”

“It’s not normally an Auror’s job to do raids.” I frowned, “Why is it different this time?”

Moody made a rumbling noise than could have been a laugh had he not been the man he was, “Observant this one. There is the high chance that these people are Death Eaters who will not take lightly to being raided, Rein. You are being sent in order to make sure that the inspectors are safe.”

“So we’re playing bodyguard.” Ebenezar frowned deeply.

“Yes, it’s that exactly.” Lena looked upset, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

“Tell your gut to shut up, Delano. No one in this room has a choice.” Moody growled thumping his foot on the ground and roaming his brown eyes over Ebenezar and me, “Keep your guard up and stick to the inspectors. If a fight breaks out, do not stay. You fight and move, get out as fast as possible. You won’t have the upper-hand of knowing the ground.”

“Yes, sir.” Ebenezar and I spoke at the same time pushing up from the chairs we were sitting in.

Lena looked worried, “The inspectors are in the hallway. “

We nodded and waited for Moody to stand and stomp by us before following. Lena called my name after Moody and Ebenezar had left the room. I turned toward her the door still slightly open and the handle in my hand. For the single heart beat that we gazed at each other I noticed for the first time how tired Lena looked, how worn.

“Be careful.”

I smiled trying to ignore the faint hint of vulnerability in her eyes, “Of course.”

The path to the house was ridiculously long, it took nearly fifteen minutes to get up to the home. The land around the house was expansive and immaculately groomed. According to the small man walking in front of us, this house and the multiple acres around it belonged to the Selwynn family. Ebenezar had taken on a very Moody-like attitude since we’d left the Ministry building. His face was blank and hard, an underlaying menace to it, he looked solid and very much like an Auror. It felt safer to have him walking there next to me glancing about the grounds as we moved.

“What is it that you’re searching for in here?” I asked the stout inspector as we came up the front stairs.

“A young witch who went missing last week.”

The words rung in my head as loud as the doorbell that boomed inside the house. I shivered and loosened my wand from my sleeve so the tip rested against my palm. The door remained unopened for a few more minutes and the tiny inspector slammed on the door a few times calling out for the owner of the house. Silence reined and the inspector removed his wand and unlocked the door with a smooth swish of the length of wood.

“Mr. and Mrs. Selwynn! This is Inspector Reeves from the Ministry! I need you to come out and stay in sight!”

The home was dark the only visible light coming from was I assumed to be a fire place in the drawing room to the right. The inspector called out a few more times with no response. The silence of the house sent chills up my spine, my wand slipped into my palm and my grip tightened on it. Eben and I sent each other a wary look, I caught the sight of his wand in his hand as well.

There was a flicker of movement on the second floor and Ebenezar and I moved at the same time as a blast of brilliant green went off. Eben tackled down the inspector and I threw myself into the drawing room. There was a shout and another spell hit just next to my head, a pretty blond woman aiming her wand at me with a wild look in her dark eyes. I threw a spell at a painting hanging just above her head. It slammed down clipping the womans shoulder and sending her next spell off target, the flash hitting just to the left of my legs.

I scrambled back out the room aiming a stunning spell at the womans chest as I did. Ebenezar shouted from somewhere upstairs and the inspector was sprinting out the front of the door. I shouted out for Ebenezar and a loud scream was the only response. I glanced at the inspectors retreating back and rushed up the stairs my partners life far more endangered than the cowardly little mans.

I found Eben battling two wizards in a hallway a few paces from the stairs. A witch slammed out a door and nearly took my down as I came up. She screamed something down the stairs and took a blind swing at my face, I caught her arm the way Leon taught me and twisted slamming my foot down on the back of her calf. She jerked crying out as she slammed to the ground, I pointed my wand at her head and fired off a hex to keep her down. She twitched once and didn’t move anymore. Eben shouted again, this yell laced with pure unbridled agony.

I sprinted down to him firing another hex at one of the men to keep him from killing Eben while he was still on the ground. Eben was still screaming, the wizard I wasn’t fighting still having whatever spell that was torturing my partner going. I broke off my battle for a second to hit the man with a spell I’d learned from Lena to cause severe damage to his eyes and mess with the nerves about his face and hands. The man screamed, the wretched sound making my stomach twist. He stumbled back and collapsing on the ground clutching his face. I lost track of both the man I’d injured and Eben in my own fight. Unfortunately I was not doing well having more experience in healing than fighting.

“Down!”

I dropped at Eben’s order, a flash of brilliant green hitting the wizard square in the chest. He flew back hitting the wall at the end of the hallway with a dull thud and crumpled to the floor no longer mobile. Eben helped me up and pressed his finger to his lips, motioning toward the stairs. We moved together as silently as possible, Eben was limping faintly and I was holding my bleeding wand arm up.

We searched the rooms of the house one by one before we heard it. A faint sound was coming from the behind a painting in the library on the third floor. The painting moved after Eben threatened its occupant with a burning of the whole house to reveal a tiny room. A girl was huddled in the corner, her face and clothes dirty and traces of blood smeared dry and flaking along her brow. She flinched when the light of our wands hit her whimpering weakly. She was no older than the first years at Hogwarts and had bruises as well as angry looking welts on her arms and legs.

I lowered my wand slowly and spoke softly to the girl, “It’s okay, it’s okay. We’re here to help. My names Luciana and this is Auror Liddel. Come with us, we’ll get you taken care of okay?”

“Auror’s?” She breathed weakly.

“This man here is. I’m a Healer. Will you come with us?”

“You’re here to take me home? Back to my mummy?”

“Yeah, we’re here to take you home, to get you back to your mom.”

After I said those words she scurried out of the room and into my arms crying. I rocked back and slipped to my knees in order to get a good hold on her. The poor thing was terribly thin and shaking from head to toe, Eben urged us in a soft voice to hurry, we needed to leave. There was a crash from down stairs and the girl cried out clutching on to me. Eben turned toward the door wand raised and put himself in front of me and the girl covering us should anyone come through the door.

“Liddel, Rein, you in there?” Moody’s voice traveled through the door but neither Eben or myself relaxed our hold.

“We’re here!” I called out, “What were the first words you said to Ebenezar and I?”

“I said, ‘The names Moody. I’ll be your mentor from here on out.’ Did you find Ariana Weatherly?”

“She’s here!”Eben called out, “Hurt, Luce too.”

Moody came in through the doorway, one more Auror behind him along with Lena. Eben lowered his wand and slumped against one of the plush couches in the room holding his leg. Lena went to him quickly and fixed him up just as fast. Ariana wouldn’t let go of me to be healed so Lena put a temporary bandage on my arm and I managed to get Ariana to loosen her hold on me enough to get a quick check. She didn't have any wounds that couldn't wait until we were entirely safe so Lena let her stay attached to me.

Moody and Lena Apperated the three of us back to the Ministry and settled us in Lena’s office. We waited there for a good long while, Eben turning out to be quite the charmer and keeping Ariana laughing until Lena’s shouts traveled through the door. I raised an eyebrow at the girl and my partner.