Out of the Shadows and Into the Dark

Angus hated nights like this. Winter nights with miserable weather. Several inches of snow were on the ground and now they'd had just enough warm weather to make the brick streets of Knockturn and Diagon Alley icy and slippery. He had narrowly missed his man again! How many times would he miss this idiot? But the wintery skies tonight defied allowing any starlight. They were pitch black, and as the stores closed for the night, the street got darker and darker, one shop at a time.

He dashed across the ice hoping he would not skid and fall and break something. He had tall thick black winter boots that hugged the brick streets and seemed to be keeping some traction on the ice. He had put on thick black jeans, a dark sweater, his long leather duster that helped him blend into the darkness, and his hat. His pockets on the inside of the duster were loaded with shrunken supplies that could be reconstituted with a quick flick of his wand. When one went on a manhunt in the winter, it did not do to be without supplies.

He stopped short in the darkened doroway around the corner. He listened to water dripping off the metal spouting above him in a steady drip, drip, drip. He glanced down to see a hole in the brick filling with water. But in the dim light, his eye caught sight of a sparkle. He knelt down to see what it was that was sparkling in this poor light.

Ugh... how Sophia hated the winter time, not cause it was cold but it was harder in heck to see where you were going at night because of snow blowing every where. Sophia knew she should be at home right now, but honestly Sophia was about to head to Sparks to get some cheesecake before heading home for the day. Walking down the narrow path of Diagon Alley the snow crunched under her feet as she walked but it soon turned into ice much to her dismay. "Ugh... I can't wait intil spring time!"Sophia thought to herself but then again winter time had it's good and down sides. For one, Sophia was able to stay out longer without worrying about the sun baking her into ashes.

Walking slowly that way she didn't fall she knew that was going to be alittle hard seeing how she was faster then humans and she was clumsy at times. Not to mention with it being so dark so was barely able to see in front of her anyways. As she rounded the alleyway of Sparks she was about to open the door she she slipped and fell. "Oh this is so stupid!"said Sophia as she gotten her wand out of the inside pocket of her jacket. "Lumos."said Sophia softly as it gave her alittle light to see where she was going. Hearing footsteps not to far from her Sophia froze in her tracks shaking slightly.

Deciding to move alittle Sophia looked around for anyone that could be around her but she didn't see anyone around. "Maybe it's just the wind."said Sophia to herself as she walked into Sparks and gotten her cheesecake and deciding to head straight home. Taken a short cut back to the portal Sophia stopped dead in her tracks as she seen a man standing in a darkened doorway. He looked to be looking for something but Sophia didn't know what and she was sure she didn't want to know. Unable to move Sophia looked at the man with fear in her eyes. Sophia was wear a black short with a long sleeve black short with her traveling black traveling cloak over it with black boots.

"Nox," Angus commanded, sufficiently putting out the light from Sophia's wand. In the pitch black darkness he snatched her quickly and drew her against him in the doorway. "Khaat would prefer that you not be caught by the man I'm chasing tonight," he said to her softly. "Sorry about that, Soph. It's Angus. But I'm chasing a man who would like to murder Khaat and Robert. And I couldn 't let either of us be seen, and he's much to dangerous for you to be out on your own. He's done his homework. He would know you mean a great deal to Robert and to Khaat. He can't be far, so I can't let him use you as bait. And thank you for not wearing perfume. Werewolves have keen senses of smell--especially those who can transfigure at will. He'd trace us here in a heartbeat."

He was silent, thinking he heard something. But it appeared to be gone. "Accio," he said very softly, summoning the shiny bit on the ground to his hand. It was a key. And it had something written on the key fob, but he couldn't see what it said in the dark. "Hm. Interesting. That might help me. Do you have anyone you can stay with tonight? If not, I might have to insist you come with me until I have time to impose you into staying with Khaat and Brian for the night. With a little luck, I'll put this werewolf out of business by morning. Maybe."

Sophia gasped as she felt someone snatch her up quickly and drew her close to them. Although she had a feleling that the man who grabbed her wasn't going to hurt her. "What man, who is he?"Sophia asked him softly. Sophia nodded and listened to Angus story. "So... I'm guessing he's more dangerous then Barker ever was right?"Sophia asked him softly. She didn't know if that was possible, Barker scared her and just by thinking of him sent chills down her back. "Your welcome, but wouldn't he smell me seeing how I'm a vampire or can werewolves smell vampires?"Sophia asked him softly. "I know we can smell them, but I don't know if they can smell us."said Sophia softly.

As Sophia looked at the key she wondered where it came from. "Where does that go to Angus?"Sophia asked him softly as she looked at the key. Sophia shook her head. "No one, I mean I have my place but I'm sure he knows where I live and stuff."said Sophia softly. "I have a question if I may ask it, why is he after Khaat and Robert?"Sophia asked him softly.

"Felix Barker had a boss before he went to work for Grindelwald. The werewolf I"m chasing tossed Barker's boss out of his own company. He makes Barker look like a warmup act. I do not want you messed up with him. You would be far safer with Khaat tonight. The reason he is out after Khaat is that he was made a werewolf by Fenrir Grayback, the same way that Khaat's uncle was. And--Grayback has convinced this numbskull that men like Robert Lupin are responsible for keeping the human race blind to how much more powerful and better off they would be if all humans were actually werewolves.

"Not only that, but Robert has been steadily cutting into his income by raiding this man's company and putting them out of business, one raid at a time. Soph, they kidnap wizard children and sell them to wealthy muggles for the right price. To the wizards it means unlimited amounts of cash. To the muggles it means unlimited amount of power over other muggles. To Robert and Khaat and Brian, it means they will give their lives if they have to, in order to return those kids to their families. Its how I met Robert in the first place. Rescuing kids.

"I dont know if he can smell you or not, but I would imagine so. However, right now, he's on the run from me. Otherwise I'd have caught him by now. As for the key, I have a sneaky feeling I know exactly what that's to. Robert got a tip around Christmas time that there was a code book someplace. One that gave locations of something. I suspect its either other locations around the world where kids are being auctioned off or locations of bank accounts in other countries where they funnel their money. At any rate, I think it is well worth my time to find out where the lock is that this key goes to and see what secret it is holding. "

Sophia nodded at his story. "So what are you going to do are you going to haunt him down and kill him?"Sophia asked him softly. Sophia's eyes widened when he said that he makes Barker look like a warm up act. Sophia knew that had to be pretty bad seeing how he knew what Barker could and was willing to do to people. Sophia didn't think there could be anyone worse then Barker but boy she was wrong extremely wrong indeed. "So he's convince that Robert is the bad guy when he's stupid to know it was Greyback own doing?"Sophia asked him softly shaking his head.

"How thick can people get now days?"Sophia asked him softly as she shook her head and listened to more of his story. "So... does the ministry know about this? If they even care that is."said Sophia dully rolling her eyes at the thought of the ministry. Ever since they gotten a new minister to her the ministry has been going down hill since then. "Where is the world going to?"Sophia asked herself softly as she shook her head and sighed sadly. "So they been taken kids for ages, like I asked before how come the ministry doesn't know about it?"Sophia asked him.

"I was just asking I don't want to cause you any trouble if he can smell me."said Sophia softly as she stopped dead in her tracks. Wrinkling her nose she put her black traveling cloak over her nose. "Ugh... that smell is horrible!"said Sophia covering her nose. "Do you smell it?"Sophia asked him softly as she looked around to see where the smell was coming from. "You don't think it's him that I'm smelling do you?"Sophia asked him softly. If it was Sophia could be a big help and a major help to him by helping him catch this werewolf if she could smell him.

"Greyback offers a rather enticing salespitch. He always has. He's an odd bird to begin with. He has managed to reach a point where he can remain in a partially transformed state. That allows him to think and speak like a human but to have the power of a werewolf. And he offers to turn anyone who wants to learn how to do that for themselves and he lures them with the promise of power. In the end, what he ends up doing is recruiting followers that will align with him. Greyback believes that being human is subpar. Not enough. Being supernaturally powerful is all he cares about. So yes, if I need to hunt this werewolf down and kill him I will. I am, though, after whatever it is he is pursuing. And, right now this key interests me far more.

"I would guess he can smell you, just as you can smell him. But for some reason, he had no interest in a confrontation with me, so that might well work for us at the moment. It might be very helpful. I won't ask you to go with me, though, because it may promise to be incredibly dangerous." He knew she might be very, very helpful, but he also did not want to put her in harm's way.

Sophia shook her head at Angus answer and sighed. "So he's trying to make more followers but for what?"Sophia asked him softly. "Why can't Greyback ever do anything for himself instead of having other people do his dirty bloody coward!"said Sophia angrily. "I heard Naomi Greyback has a pack of her own kind of werewolves or something."said Sophia softly. "I don't know if her father told her to do that but she has them or so I heard from friends."said Sophia. "Not only is she a Greyback but she is or used to be with Barker."said Sophia.

Sophia looked at him and nodded. "I think I can smell him, your lucky you can't smell him he smells horrible like a wet dog!"said Sophia still wrinkling her nose. "Why isn't he coming after you if he knows your after him?"Sophia asked him softly. Sophia sighed when he said he wasn't going to ask her to come with him. "Why not? I can be a very big help to you and I want to help haunt down this idiot that's after Khaat and Robert!"said Sophia. Sophia knew she could get hurt and Angus as well as the Lupin family wouldn't stand for it if they could help it. Sophia also knew if Khaat knew about this she would insist that Sophia didn't have anything to do with it but she wanted to help even if it meant she got hurt in the process.

"He has this twisted notion that we all need to be werewolves just like him. He thinks it isn't good enough to just be human. People who are that weird just want power for the sake of it, and they don't care what they do to get it. I know a bit about Naomi. Well, what I know is largely from Khaat. Naomi posed as being a victim of Barker's while Khaat was his hostage the first time. She appears to be as twisted as her father is. I cant tell you why he isn't doubling back to come and get me...except that werewolves have more speed than a human. It is possible that whatever he is chasing is more important to him than I am and perhaps he thinks that he can simply outrun me. So that tells me that I might well find whatever he's doing tonight to be very valuable.

"I also know a bit about you too. Khaat and Robert know you're a strong young woman and a fighter. So, if you chosse to come along, then I'm good with it." He looked out into the street and saw nothing. "If I were him, I'l be putting distance between him and me. The last I saw, he was heading off that way." He pointed down the street to his left. "I think if we keep sharp then it might be worth trying. The worst we can do is fizzle out and not pick up his trail, right?"

Sophia nodded. "So what do you think he's haunting if he isn't after you?"Sophia asked him softly. Surely if the werewolf knew Angus was after him wouldn't he be go after him as well? "What does he know your even after him?"Sophia asked him once again. If he didn't this was good for then Angus could get him without him knowing. "I think he might be attacking more people tonight, I don't know why but I have a weird feeling that's what he doing."said Sophia. "Wait aren't vampire stronger then werewolves though or are they the same?"Sophia asked him softly not sure if that was true. She heard that they were but she wasn't sure if it was true or not.

Sophia smiled at his comment about her being strong and fighter. "I choose to come with you, I can help you a great deal."said Sophia softly but honestly. Sophia looked to the left and wrinkled her nose and nodded. "Yup he went this way I can smell him."said Sophia. "Lets just hope we don't lose him, I don't think we will were on pretty good track with him."said Sophia.