Flood of Secrets

Jack Brown crept down Privet Drive, and without hesitation, hid in the shadows of the bushes on #4.

It was early morning, and the residents of #4 were surely going to be awake soon, so Jack did his best to remain quiet, until his sidekick, Marilyn Dawson arrived.

Soon, there she was, striding down Privet Drive, with her long black hair tied up in a braid, and her slim body in a smart-looking navy blue suit.

She spotted Jack, and hurried over, her heels clicking as she went.

When she had sat down next to him, Jack spoke.

"Marilyn, you look nice this morning."

She turned to look into his eyes. They were dark brown, while hers a deep blue.

Marilyn smiled, and her eyebrows twitched.

Then, she spoke. Her voice was like a melody to Jack; every word a beautifully sung note, every breath like an instrument playing softly. Her candy-apple red lips moved, and Jack strained to hear every syllable.

"Jack, darling, we're not here to talk about me, remember? Even though it is a lovely subject... we're here, as you might notice, to find the Potter boy, and bring him to the Ministry!"

Jack stopped staring at Marilyn, and now focused on the new issue.

Yes, of course they were here to find the boy, but he had only wanted to gaze into Marilyn's eyes... forever.

But, he knew it wasn't possible. Not until he sprang the question on her. You know what question it is... come on, you've got to know!

He wanted to ask her to marry him.

Jack was only eighteen. He had just graduated from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry last year, and he was a proud Auror. The only distraction from his job was his colleague, beautiful Marilyn Dawson, who had been in the same year as him, only in Ravenclaw. Jack had been in Gryffindor.

At that exact moment, a van turned onto Privet Drive.

On it's side was written Rose's Floral Service.

Jack stared. Why would someone be ordering flowers at seven o'clock in the morning?

The van stopped two houses down from #4, and a chubby man with bleached blonde hair scrambled out; while, on the other side, an old woman, with a very bright pink dress on, stepped out gracefully.

Marilyn glanced at Jack.

Why were they here? Were they Muggles, or Dark wizards in disguise?

Marilyn had always been taught to look for the bad in things, and try to make it good.

The man went around to the back of the van, and opened the back doors.

The woman went up to the door of #6 and rang the bell.

A few minutes later, a woman wearing a white robe stepped onto the porch.

"What is it?" she demanded, rubbing her hazel eyes.

"Here are the flowers you ordered, honey," the old woman replied kindly.

"What flowers? I didn't order any stupid flowers! Let me get my husband, excuse me..." the young woman squealed, and she rushed back inside.

The man with the bleached hair called up to the old woman, "Ann! What kinda' flowers did she order, eh? We's got tons of 'em back 'ere!"

Ann turned around angrily.

"Shh, Robert! Don't call me Ann, stupid, you're supposed to call me Rose!" she breathed, and ran back down to the van.

She then started talking in an angry whisper.

Jack and Marilyn couldn't here what she was saying, but they knew she was pretty angry with him.

Suddenly, the door to #6 opened again, and the young woman stepped back out again.

Ann/Rose noticed, and carefully went back up the walk.

"Yes? Where is your husband, sweetie?"

"Um, I can't find him. But, I don't think he ordered any flowers, and I'm sure I didn't. What kind were they anyway?" she asked, curious.

"Oh, uh, they were... what were they, Robert?" Ann/Rose called down to the man.

"Uh, they were some lilies!" Robert called back.

"Lilies, dear. Lilies."

"Oh."

The young woman stood there, thinking hard, Jack could see.

She finally spoke: "Well, I am rather fond of lilies... um, how much would they be?"

Ann/Rose looked startled. She obviously didn't think that the woman would buy any.

"Uh, let me consult my list... what did you say your name was, darling?" Ann/Rose wondered.

"Danielle Hathaway," she replied briskly, but immediately regretted telling her name to people she didn't know, even if they did claim she had ordered flowers from them. She had never even heard of Rose's Floral Service, anyway.

"Hathaway... Danielle Hathaway... ah, here it is!" Ann/Rose exclaimed happily.

"How much?" Danielle asked again.

"Twenty pounds."

"Twenty pounds?!?" Danielle gasped.

Ann/Rose nodded.

"Yes, honey. I'm afraid they are a bit expensive... I'm sorry, is that too much? How about I make it fifteen pounds?"

Danielle calmed down a bit, and finally nodded.

"Fine. Fifteen pounds it is...."

She went inside to get the money.

Jack watched Ann/Rose look around at the surrounding houses.

Then, slowly, yet gracefully, she glided into the house behind Danielle.

Marilyn gasped.

"What does that Ann character thinks she's doing?!?" she demanded, and jumped to her feet, "she's probably going to rob the place, that's what!"

Jack stared after her, as Marilyn swept through the bushes surrounding #4, and carefully made her way to #6.

Jack grimaced, and followed.

They could get that Potter boy later.

Knowing Marilyn, she'd most likely want to stick with this case, because, after all, she always did.

Meanwhile, up in one of the bedrooms of #4, Harry Potter was watching all this out his window.