The Psychic Runaway

Chapter 2- A Thorn in Her Rose

If Harry didn't quickly find a wall to support himself with, he would've fainted within the minute. Emily was the culprit?! The disbelief and the chaos in which everything tried to connect and be solved flooded his brain, overwhelming him enough to render him silent. Perhaps the biggest questions he had were motive and personality. Emily had never once acted out of character when they were together, yet Forthright's testimony seemed to make Emily either a victim of dual personalities or a mistress of disguise. There was also the question of motive. Why would Emily steal from Forthright? Unless there was something that Forthright didn't reveal yet in her account, there was nothing whatsoever that could tie Emily to the supposed crime. This conclusion (along with his new yet already fierce dislike for the detective) led him to suspect foul play here, and not the kind Slytherins were infamous for during Quidditch.

Just then Harry's thought pattern was interrupted by Forthright addressing him. "What's the matter, boy? You look like you haven't left a coal mine since you were born," Forthright said, looking at him with both disbelief and suspicion.

Harry became startled at her words. "I do? I don't mean to- it's just that I, erm, I can't believe that someone so young could commit such terrible acts," Harry replied half-truthfully as he passed around the picture.

This answer seemed to satisfy Forthright, for she nodded in agreement. "Neither can I. I would've thought that after all I did to save her, the little brat would at least be able to show me some gratitude." This statement lit a spark in Harry's mind. "Save her? From what?" he inquired.

Forthright scoffed in response. "From a terrible life with a pathetic excuse for a man, that's what. Poor little girl- she lost her whole family just last year, and all in one night too. We don't know yet either who the murderers were or why her family's deaths were carried out. But at any rate Emily became the last in her family, although if Reeling Remus (who was apparently with her that night, thank the Lord) didn't save her from the butcherhouse Emily would've become as lifeless as the rest." The name Remus struck a chord with Harry. The only Remus he knew was Lupin. But it couldn't be him, right? Harry wondered. I mean, Forthright's a Muggle. She couldn't possibly know a Remus Lupin. And besides,Remus might be an odd name, but there could still be Remuses somewhere in England. This conclusion seemed a little far-fetched, but considering that Forthright referred to the man as Reeling Remus for the rest of the night, it was the only thing that Harry could fall back on.

"Because the loonybird was her legal godfather, we at the office had no objections to fulfilling his claim to her whatsoever," Forthright began, thanking Petunia for her kindness as Petunia offered her a seat in the living room and a cup of tea. "However, our state of mind quickly morphed once we made our precautionary inspection. The interior was uncomfortably cramped, and furnished in a manner where you couldn't tell what was dirt and what was paint. The outside was horrendous- broken windows, rotting planks, rusty doorhinges. You would've almost thought no one had lived there for centuries. Reeling Remus wasn't spectacular either- he seemed to shake as much as a drunkard in relapse. He was scruffy like a wolf, with not only scratches on his face and dark circles under his eyes, but with a beard so thick you could hide London in it. Just absolutely horrible- and yet Emily saw something in him that made her fight for him with all she had. It drove me mad trying to figure out what- he was mentally unstable, looked like a homeless man, and spent any penny they scraped for on drinks. Certainly no one in their right mind would even dream of associating with that kind of man. But it wasn't until after I won custody that I found out the reason- the two of them were a perfect match in mental stability. I swear Emily was crazy enough to be his DNA double- always glum and moody; always refusing to spend any time with me, instead holing herself up for hours in her room. She even made weird noises in the night, which if I didn't know better sounded like she was talking to herself."

"But even with all that, the girl seemed harmless," Forthright continued, somehow able to carry the bitterness in her voice throughout the entire revelation. "All the torment she had gone through could torture anyone with a soul. But most people would just shake their heads and leave her to be as damned to hell as Reeling Remus was. Most, except me- I was the only one who saw past the strangeness and saw a small, helpless, misfortunate little girl. As a result I felt it my civic duty- my life's mission- to lift the lunatic's curse off her little mind and heal any damage Reeling Remus had somehow gotten to inflict so far. But apparently it was too late- Reeling Remus had warped Emily to the point of desiring bloodshed, a desire that I didn't discover until it was too late."

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"It was late in the evening- almost to the very hour we're presently in," Forthright began. "I was sipping some late-night tea in my study over a good book. I had just about finished the chapter when a scream rang out, coming from my unfortunate niece's chamber. Normally I'd be concerned, just like any other parent would be-"

Here Forthright paused to thank Petunia for a refill of tea, covering up Harry's snort of disbelief of Forthright's statement. Normally Harry wasn't the kind to judge people before he learned more about them, but Forthright was quickly becoming one of the rare people Harry had so far met in his life that proved dislikeable within the hour. Just like Malfoy, Snape, and Umbridge, there was something unpleasant about this detective that immediately drew out Harry's negative side. Perhaps it was the fact that Forthright had rudely barged in the house instead of waiting for Harry to let her posse inside. Perhaps it was the eeriely calm way Forthright was delivering this story- no one could relate something this mentally-scarring and not express some distress. Or perhaps it was because the detective seemed just plain unpleasant.But whatever the cause, Harry found himself disliking this woman more and more by the minute. In fact, he would've gladly liked to see her leave that very instant. However, Forthright had more within her tale to tell, which both extended her presence in the house for a bit longer (to Harry's chagrin) and added more mystery to the mystery.

"-but seeing as how my niece had made noises like that many times before," Forthright continued, "I wasn't too concerned. Alas, that was a large mistake on my part, for barely a minute passed before she burst into the study, even more wild and ferocious-looking than usual."

" 'You horrid wench!' she screamed, eyes ablaze with anger. 'How dare you mistreat me like this! You've wronged me for the last time!' I naturally became a bit worried and curious, and so I asked her to give a calm and reasonable explanation for her accusations. How she responded, however, was far from calm and reasonable, for she simply screamed again and lunged at me hard enough to knock me to the ground. We tussled, I trying to get close enough to the phone to call my units. When I broke free to do so, however, my niece pulled out a .44 Magnum* and pointed it at me."

"Now mind you, I've been trained in such a thorough manner that by the time that gun was pointed at my face I would've knocked it out of her hand and pinned her down to the ground, all with time to spare. However, for some unexplained reason, Emily instilled such a deep fear in me that I couldn't move, a fear that worsened when she vowed 'At long last- my family will get revenge!' At first, I started to hope that she'd miraculously come to her senses. After all, hope is at times a powerful thing. However, when I saw her finger start to draw back I came to my senses, and realized that it was going to be the end. At least, it was until my lawyer, Mr. Peabody, jumped her and pinned her down."

"At first Peabody had come to discuss some legal matters with me. But after he saw Emily cornering me Peabody instantly came to my rescue, in that he spooked her and firmly pinned her down to the ground. Since I knew Peabody to be a man of strength, that moment left me free to get my tranquilizer. But upon my return Peabody was unconscious on the floor, my locket (previously on the table by my chair) was gone, and one of the windows was broken. This evidence led me to only one conclusion- Emily had jumped out the window, and needed to be captured and brought back to me immediately. Of course, that was a week ago, and to my chagrin I haven't fulfilled my duty yet, although I can say I've at least been able to track her down to this area."

This caused a little ripple of fear amoung the Dursleys, an effect which Forthright quickly attempted to suppress. "Oh don't be alarmed, please. Everything's under control, and if I have my way there will be an arrest tonight."

This answer seemed to satisfy, even please the Dursleys. But Harry was still left with a good amount of contempt and doubt. He was even starting to get angry- there was no way, just no way whatsoever that Emily was that crazy. Forthright must've done something to provoke such a sweet and shy hottie, and something autrocious. He also didn't buy Emily having a gun with her- if Emily was as miserly and disinclined to leave her chambers as Forthright claimed, then how could she have gotten one? Certainly not from Lupin (whom Harry was by now convinced to be the man Forthright had just defamed)- if all his money was indeed geered toward booze, therefore leaving no money to an indeed dark and dingy house's upkeep, then there was certainly no money around to buy even the least expensive handgun. And what if Peabody was not there to discuss business? What if they were trying to ambush her into doing something against Emily's will? All these questions created a storm of fury within Harry's brain, begging to be answered and for the truth- the real truth- to be revealed.

Apparently Emily and Harry's states of mind were more alike than he first supposed. No sooner did Forthright finish her tale than Emily's furious voice rang down into the room. "How dare you insult me! If anyone needs to be arrested, Amelia, it should be YOU!" This defamation was immediately followed by a loud crash (as well as the sound of someone running and slamming a door) as Petunia's prized white pitcher whizzed dangerously close to Forthright's ear, smashing against the wall.

The Dursleys sprung into a panic, jittering nonstop nonsense. Detective Forthright, suddenly afflicted by alternating flashes of red and a pale white color, hopped out of her chair and began barking furiously at her cohorts. "Silvins! Radio headquarters at once! Preston and Ives, block off any and all escape routes! Curry, Fletcher, Scoby! Bring out the dogs! And Jenkins, Pikley, and Bailey! Get off the damn cruiseship and don't let her escape! I will assist any way possible, and remember boys- take her down ALIVE!" With that, she dashed off to follow the latter trio upstairs to make the arrest, fatefully choosing to search Harry's room first.

Or at least, try to search it. Harry bounded after the crew lightening quick, his heart fluttering off the Richter scale. He wasn't entirely sure what he planned to do after getting to his room, but the fear Harry had of Emily being put in harm's way caused an urgency in him to get there immediately and save her, even if it meant Forthright's fury. That's why, before the cops could get inside, Harry spread himself out in front of his door and refused to budge even an inch. At first Forthright tried to rationalize with him, but then she quickly began threatening to take action. "Do you know what the penalty is for helping criminals escape, boy?!" she raged. When this didn't work, she pulled out a small Glock .36**, and dared to point it right in Harry's line of vision. "Move out of the way this instant, you dense little ninny, or my Nellie here will wipe that guilt clear off your sorry face!"

At this Harry's nerves started to throb again. "Like I give a damn about your gun," Harry retorted furiously. There's no way I'm going to let you tear up my perfectly neat room just to make someone's life a living hell again, and that's final." Apparently Forthright had by that moment no more patience left to spare, for no sooner did he finish speaking than she practically threw Harry aside and kicked open the door. The policemen then barged in to find ------------------

*End Chapter 2*