The acrid scent of fire burnt the air, and thick tendrils of smoke came with every gust of chilly wind. A soft rain had begun to fall, and with it bits of soot that turned skin dark and stuck to the ground like snow. Thunder rolled through the clouds in the distance, which meant that the entire crime scene was about to become a mess. If he was going to find anything, it would have to be quick. But he’d only been here for a second, and after over a week without being on the field he was having trouble pulling himself together and figuring out where to start off.

Cooper had been visiting his parents at Godric’s Hollow, and explaining to his mother that there was no reason for her to continue to invade his house every sodding day –the kids would be going back to kindergarten soon, and meanwhile Snooky could take good care of them. He’d kept his tone as kind as he could, although little by little Victoria Evans had began to annoy him until he’d ended up yelling at her to shut up and stay out of his life, that he wanted nothing to do with them. When his mother had retorted that it was simply the grief speaking out, the Auror had been caught between hexing her or leaving. He’d ultimately turned on his heels, and with a staccato rhythm to his footsteps had stormed out of the large house, slamming the door behind him as he always had when he’d been a teenage.

The werewolf had stalked down the roads, searching for a place with to apparate back to the Ministry, his withdrawn wand emitting red sparks on its own, when the ground had suddenly quivered beneath his feet. Cooper had drawn to a stop, ears perked up, head cocked slightly sideways and lips pursed. Less than a second later, the Auror heard the loud blast and saw the tower of smoke that shot towards the sky. His heart skipped a beat, before he was off, running towards the source. Part of him felt danger and wanted to return the other way –but the Auror side of him told him to keep going.

He had skidded to a stop by the graveyard –which was now a mess of burning flames, headstones torn apart and that sodding acrid scent of smoke. Cooper’s first reaction had been to scent a patronus to the Ministry –the blue and green flames that made their presence shown here and there were magical, and made it clear that this was not the work of a muggle. And now, he stood, staring at the scene before him, and wondering just what had happened, as he waited for someone from the Ministry to show up and help.

Neville toed a book with his shoe and sighed. He had been over the living room again and again for two months now, nearly driving himself mad in the process, and he still hadn't found anything new. Half of the living room wall was gone, it looked as though the fireplace had exploded. There were scorch marks all over the ceiling and walls suggesting that the old witch had put up a fight before being hit by the spell that had her being cared for full time at St Mungo's. He knew he had been over every inch of the small cottage but he couldn't help himself. The case was going no where and it infuriated him beyond measure.

Augusta had moved to Godric's Hollow after Neville had moved out on his own, no longer needing the extra space. Despite it's past he always assumed the small village was safe for her, now he was kicking himself for not insisting on her moving to Hogsmeade with him.

Neville was stricken from his thoughts when a loud explosion rocked the otherwise quiet village. Wand up, Neville dashed out of the cottage throwing the door closed behind him and headed for the tendrils of smoke reaching up to the sky. A flash of silver suggested another wizard had sent out a patronus, off in the direction of London if Neville wasn't mistaken, likely calling to the rest of the MLE. Neville was just hoping they sent someone to deal with the muggle population of the village as well.

As he arrived on the scene he leaned heavily on his good leg. The dash over and the rain was causing havoc on his bad knee. He caught his breath and looked to the familiar figure already there, obviously the one to send out the distress call, "Evans, what's the situation?"

Sod.

It was just like Cooper to get involved in a case when he’d been supposed to be taking ten minutes off work to insist his parents stay out of his life. As the Auror stared at the crackling flames that did not seem deterred by the soft but unrelenting rain, he mentally cursed himself. Eyes narrowing, he quickly scanned the scene before him –his training finally kicking in without the bloke even realizing it-, making sure nobody was injured. From his current point of view, the cemetery seemed empty, which made figuring out why in the world somebody would have bothered to make it explode even more difficult. The werewolf’s wand was still in his hand, the smooth wood pressing into his palms and his fingers tightening around it: whoever had done this could still be nearby, hidden behind the near-by trees or laying low behind an upturned tomb. Though the wind was howling and the rain was whistling through particles of oxygen, for an instant all seemed quiet, as the man carefully gave the scene an in-depth once over. Earth was dug up and tossed around like filthy laundry, stones were broken –and the Auror had little doubt that, once he got closer, they’d find decaying bodies and bones revealed. But why?

Evans, what’s the situation?

Slightly startled, Cooper glanced up, and for an instant couldn’t find the source of the voice –until his eyes fell on the Auror that had just arrived. “Longbottom,” He greeted, voice gruff, as he gave a curt nod. Sucking on his bottom lip, he gestured towards the scene with a soft jerk of his head. “I don’t know much more than you do,” A splinter of movement caught his attention, but as he whipped his eyes in the correct direction he watched an obviously shocked cat dart off into the trees. It was only now, as the burnt scent registered once again, that he realized the rain was beginning to chill him to the bone. Using his unoccupied hand, he tugged his red robes towards his chest. That morning, when he’d left for work, he hadn’t been certain why he’d put on the usual uniform –but now he was thankful: if he was about to process a scene, it was best that he looked official in his crimson robes. Especially once other departments started turning up, and interoffice agendas and rivalries came into play.

“I don’t see any casualties,” His tone matter of fact, Cooper checked his grip on his wand before taking a single step forwards, his eyes once again on the destruction before the two men. “But it’s one huge son of a gun of a crime scene,” He muttered, still not even sure where to begin. Did they even have a crime? “I heard the explosion from a distance and came running –sent my patronus off to the Ministry in the meantime. But, now…” His voice traveled off as he shrugged, and turned his attention back towards Longbottom. “If those flames weren’t blue and green, I wouldn’t even be sure we had a job to do.” But this was magical –and if it happened not to be an isolated event, they would have to be sure to process the bollocks out of this place.

Sod.

Zora was at headquarters, in the first few hours of the day shift.  The Auror floor was bustling with memos, voices and red robes coming and going.  And then, at 10:17am, Cooper Evans' Patronus arrived.

"Explosion in Godric's Hollow," his voice echoed from within the spectral wolf.  "Aurors and Obliviators, please respond!"

Level Two leapt into action.  And within a few seconds, the Office was flooded with new reports of the explosion as concerned citizens sent owls, sparks, and their own Patronuses to the Ministry.  Senior Aurors were shouting for someone to coordinate with the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. 

It was 10:28am by the time an Auror team was assembled and deployed, Auror Zora Roh among them.  She Apparated to Godric's Hollow.  She blinked as the rain and soot trickled down from the sky, sheilding her eyes from the hazy sunlight of an overcast morning.  The pillar of smoke wasn't easy to miss and she and her comrades raced down the cobbled streets.  Behind them followed the Apparition cracks of the Muggle Worth Excuse Committee and the Obliviators.[1]

"Evans!"  Roh announced herself as she came to settle nearby him.  She also recognized Neville Longbottom - good.  She'd heard he was capable. 

"Let's establish a perimeter, yea? Any wounded?"

The brightly colored flames indicated that this was no ordinary fire and might take more than ordinary means to extinguish it.  That, and who ever set it may still be nearby.

"Door to door, people! Obliviator and Auror pairs! We're looking for the caster, let's go!" she ordered the team, as she trotted around the outside of the fire.  Part of the graveyard was a crater.  She could make out broken tombstones and exhumed remains burning in the rain.

1.	Still plenty of room for anyone from that Dept to be involved!

Jane had been walking around Godric's Hollow expecting to seek a story out from someone. She had been taking photos of the area, knowing that it was always good to have pictures in one's artillery. Mostly, for when stories seemed short, she would go through her collection of pictures, and stick one in, even if it had been somewhere else, and even if the picture was completely unrelated.

It was then that she had heard the explosion, and Jane's heart leapt. An actual explosion? In the town that she just so happened to be visiting? This was going to be awesome. This story was going to make her famous! She jetted off towards the smoke, and as she approached, she noticed the aurors and the flames. Jane started to snap some pictures of the fire, and of the aurors nearby. Anything she could get a picture of, she would, knowing that it would mean there would be more to pick from later.

Jane then dashed after Neville when she noticed that he was there. "Longbottom! Mind to comment about the destruction of your town to the Prophet? Could this be a threat to you?" She shouted, running after him, fumbling with some parchment. "We have learned about your nan! Is there a possibility that this is a related attack? Do you believe you are being hunted?" She continued to yell, as she finally pulled out a quill, and caught up to him.

"A celebrity like you should probably be more careful, with mad people out to get you. Mind to tell me about who may be targeting you? A possible ex-lover?" Jane jumped to conclusions, knowing that drama with lovers always sold the papers. Especially with an explosion? That was just yelling revenge!

Cooper’s eyes settled on Longbottom’s injured leg for a fraction of a second, before returning to that bloke’s face. He had often wondered how the man got about his job when his physical condition wasn’t one hundred percent top notch –and the question hounded him once again now, as he faced the possibility of working a crime scene with only the help of the other man. The werewolf didn’t doubt Neville’s skills, but in their line of work even the most minor of imperfections could be chaotic. Pursing his lips just slightly, he wondered why nobody had yet arrived at the scene from the Ministry, having received his patronus. It had only been a couple of minutes, and of course there was the possibility that they were sending out instructions and preparing at that very instant, but Cooper wished they would just hurry the sod up and be here already. Turning his back on Longbottom, his eyes once again registered the destruction before him. “We need to get to work.” Already they’d made a violent mistake by taking these few seconds to chat, when they could have proven vital to the investigation. If the suspect had still been around when Cooper arrived, chances were he was now long gone –and the werewolf had allowed him the chance to get away.

Evans.

Cooper had barely had a chance to lift a foot to step forwards, when he heard his surname being called out behind him: the cavalry had arrived. Despite the current situation, the Auror was tempted to smile as he watched Roh approach him –with a large group of wizard from various departments behind her. The sound of their footsteps against pavement and then grass might have been the most welcome thing he’d heard all morning. “Roh,” He greeted, keeping his face somber and professional as he turned his attention back to the scene of the crime, standing shoulder to shoulder with the other woman. “No wounded as far as I can tell, but I haven’t done a proper examination yet,” He answered as, with a quick jerk of his wand he pried a long piece of tape from one end of the graveyard to the other –it was the best type of perimeter he could think of.

As Roh barked out orders, Cooper dallied a second at the fact that she was taking control. But he had been the one to flinch and hesitate. Nobody would blame him, considering recent events, but he still mentally kicked himself. From the corner of his eyes, Coop watched an obliviator place a cigarette between his lips. Growling, the werewolf approached in two long steps and jerked it from the bloke’s lips. “Not only are you on the sodding job,” Cooper placed the fag behind the Obliviator’s ear. “But any embers could contaminate evidence.” Stepping back, he placed a hand on each hip and noticed people hesitating just as he had. But he wasn’t here to simply play nice –if he had to be a hypocrite, he would be. “YOU HEARD ROH!” He yelled. “PAIR UP AND GET TO WORK.”

The Auror took notice of a reporter, camera in hand, nagging Longbottom with questions –but just as he pondered on helping get rid of the woman, a loud groaning echoed in his ears: as he turned, almost as if in slow motion, he saw a tree, its bark on fire, start to topple forwards. “WATCH OUT!” Though there was nobody close to the tree, as it crashed into the ground with a loud crack, embers of fire flitted into the air and were blown around by the wind. “WE NEED TO GET THIS FIRE OUT IMMEDIATELY!”

Neville nodded to Evans, it was clear the other Auror had arrived only shortly before he had and was still getting the lay of things. Thankfully the destruction seemed localized and had yet to spread to the Church that shared it's yard. He raised his wand ready to fire off a few spells that would protect and cordon off the area. Though the arrival of the rest of the ministry team brought him up short and a small part of him felt like he was coming across as out of practice for having hesitated.

As Roh instructed a perimeter be set up and Evans sectioned off the area with tape, Neville cast a spell of his own, "impervius." Hopefully it would keep any evidence on the scene from getting ruined by the rain which looked like it was going to get worse before it got better.

The officials on scene started to pair up and an eager looking young Obliviator bee-lined it for Neville. It wasn't the first time a fresh faced rookie tried to get their chance to meet a bonafide War Hero. Neville wished they wouldn't, he hated being treated like he was something special and often asked Harry for advice on how to deal with it. Unfortunately it soon became clear that the rookie was going to be the least of his problems.

Neville felt himself go red as the attractive reporter started to go off on him with a barrage of questions. He was pretty sure he winced when she called him a celebrity and found himself really wishing she hadn't mentioned his grandmother. It was bad enough the press was already on the scene, the last thing they needed was some over sensationalized piece about how it was all an elaborate scheme to do him in.

The rookie was practically bouncing at his side, eager to see how he would respond. He gave Jane a polite smile before turning directly to the young lad, "Why don't you go see who else needs your help? I can take this from here." Looking completely crestfallen the young man reluctantly retreated and Neville found himself reluctantly giving the reporter his full attention in return.

"At this time the Auror office is unable to make a statement without further investigation. There is nothing to make us believe this is related to the attack on my Grandmother, or that I am being hunted or targeted personally in any way." He glanced back to the coloured flames adding as an after thought, "Hannah would never have done anything like this anyway." He winced with a groan realizing he had just said that last part out loud and almost wished he had kept the rookie around to work a little Obliviator magic for him.

Before his blunder could be fully realized he heard Evans cry out. With his instincts kicking in Neville wrapped his arms around the reporter shielding her from whatever disaster had caused the other Auror to call out. He felt the ground shake a moment as the large tree crashed. Neville straightened himself, more worried about an innocent's well being than what could have been perceived as an embarrassing moment, "You alright Miss . . .?"

Vivian had almost spilt her coffee when Evans' Patronus showed itself in the middle of Level Two. There was an explosion in Godric's Hollow, and that small bit of information had Aurors moving real fast. People were rushing about, as they had been before, but this time there was a new purpose for some of them. Vivian filed away the unfinished paperwork that she'd had out and pulled her hair up into a ponytail before apparating into Godric's Hollow.

She arrived just in time to hear a rather loud cracking noise and looked up to see a tree falling. It wasn't going to hit her, not by a long shot, but she backed away just in case. The wood groaned as it fell and then hit the ground rather triumphantly. Red hot embers shot up into the sky and rained down on the possible crime scene. Oh, this was going to be a long day.

Her wand in hand, she started directing spells to put out the fire as other Aurors and Obliviators were pairing up and getting ready to go door to door. "Aguamenti!" She shouted, a stream of cool water immediately started pouring from the tip of her wand. The fire smoldered and hissed as she attempted to put it out. This would be more useful had it been a smaller fire, it would take a while to put out a fire this big with just water. Hopefully they could contain this into one spot and get everything situated.

She caught the sight of Neville and some reporter girl, who he had obviously knocked over in order to protect her. What the hell was she thinking? Some of the new Daily Prophet reporters were getting dumber by the minute. Who in their right mind runs up to an Auror in the middle of preventing a crisis?

Vivian had her fair share of run-ins with the reporter kind, apparently they liked targeting the fairer half of the Auror's when possible, or at least they liked trying to question the only female on scene when possible. They were the second targets usually, right after War Heroes.

"Evans!" She shouted from the opposite side of the burning tree. "We're going to need more people on this fire!"

That much was obvious, but saying it out loud attracted the attention of a few who didn't yet have a job to do. Mainly a few trainees. "Aim for the base of the fire, cut off it's oxygen supply." She ordered sternly, directing the Aurors-to-be in the art of putting out fires. This wasn't part of their normal job description, at least Callen didn't think that it was. But who knows, once you signed your life away to the Aurors, there was no telling what they would have you do.

Jane continued to bounce along eagerly awaiting answers. This was what she lived for. Her attention was no longer on the fire still burning. She already got her pictures, which meant the fire was completely not her worry. Now, it was all about Neville, and the chances of his own flame. This was what sold, not an over-reported fire. That stuff was boring.

"At this time the Auror office is unable to make a statement without further investigation. There is nothing to make us believe this is related to the attack on my Grandmother, or that I am being hunted or targeted personally in any way." ..."Hannah would never have done anything like this anyway."

Jane rolled her eyes at his first comment. Of course he had to give the boring statement. And of course, he couldn't lead into some scandal that would put Jane forever on the map. Nope. He just squashed all hopes at a juicy story. The second part though, sent Jane's quill a flutter. Hannah, Hannah, Hannah. Which Hannah could it be? Was there a chance she did it? Who broke up with who? Jane jotted it down, with a little squeal of delight.

Just as she went to tackle him with more questions, he tackled her, shielding her from the toppling tree. "Woah!" She said, like an over excited young boy.

"You alright Miss . . .?"

"Hunter. Jane Hunter." She said standing up and smiling. "That was bloody brilliant. I'm going to put you back on the map!" She held out her hands, spreading them apart while reciting her new title. "'Heroic war hero heroically saves reporter from falling burning tree!' Good title, right? or there's the 'Longbottom saves reporter from impounding doom! People realize heroes still have heroic in them!'"

She fixed her hair. "Mr. Longbottom, is there anyway I can get you to pose with a burning log over your head? Maybe show off how strong and manly you are?" This would go great. Maybe, if she asked nicely, she could get it shirtless. Now that would help pay back the back rent she owed to her roommates.

Zora was running around the perimeter of the cemetery fire, prioritizing finding some witness to the beginning of the fire while others were working to shut down the blaze.  But she could hear that it wasn't going so smoothly.

"Water isn't working!  Augamenti's not doing it!"

Many working to put out the strange blue-green fire were discovering the same thing, and shouting their findings to their colleagues.  A dousing of water would momentarily quell a flame, but it would spring to life again once the water was diverted elsewhere.

"Shite and bother!"  Of course water wouldn't work - that would be her lucky day, wouldn't it? 

"Flame Freeze!" she shouted.  "Flame Freeze!" [1]  It might not put it out, but it could stop the damage and buy them some time. 

1.	The Flame Freezing Charm

This was beginning to be a bigger catastrophe with each second that sped by, and Cooper couldn’t help but wonder if he couldn’t have maintained its reach at a much shorter length if he’ been quicker to act. That wasn’t the best line of thought at the moment, however –for starters, it was highly unlikely he would have been able to do anything to stop this on his own, and for seconds what was done was done, and now he had to focus on stopping this. As burning embers joined the ash and smoke that flitted through the atmosphere, Cooper narrowed his eyes and wrinkled his nose at the toxic scent. The sound of his name had him glancing up, as Callen shout out a sentence that almost made him groan. “You don’t say,” He growled between tight teeth, as he once again tightened his grip of his wand and pointed it. But he could already tell that the efforts were going to be in vain –and the shouted words of a few Auror Trainees confirmed it: aguamenti simply wasn’t sodding working, and there was obviously no sodding way this could get any worse. “Damn it,” He exclaimed, his brain working a bit too quick as he tried to think of a solution.

It was Zora that shouted out an idea that might just work. Cooper might have taken an instant to give an appraising nod, but now was not the time for being grateful. “Try it out!” He ordered to those who were closest to him, before lifting his own wand and pointing it at the tree that was close to becoming nothing but flames. As he spoke the spell, the immense heat that surrounded him seemed to diminish. Suddenly, he felt nothing but a light, summer breeze across his flesh. But the werewolf had barely the chance to sigh, before the flames were roaring once again and the air felt like it was burning around him. Sweat dallying against his skin, Cooper swore loudly, tossing his arms into the air. “It isn’t working either, Roh!” He yelled, kicking at the ground.

EVANS!

His name was being over used today, as apparently people thought he could be stretched into being on top of everything at once. Turning, he watched as one Auror Trainee fought to pull a dark, struggling shape out of the crater that was now the cemetery. “Oh sod,” He whispered, fearing the worst as he immediately forgot everything else. Running over, Cooper skid the last two meters, not at all giving a damn that his bum and his crimson robes were now covered in dirt as well as soot. Reaching forward, he let his hands curl around the –surprisingly furry- shape and heaved, pulling what turned out to be a dog to salvation. The animal was alive, obviously, but appeared to be in some type of pain. “A freaking bloody ruddy dog,” He swore, as he pushed into a standing position and stared angrily at the trainee. “A dog is not our biggest worry at the moment,” He snapped, before once again throwing his hands into the air with a sigh. “Somebody see about saving the sodding mut,” He exclaimed before stalking back towards Callen. A few Ministry workers were still trying to use water –to no effect.

“We need to at least keep this from spreading,” He commented, half thinking out loud and half hoping Callen could have an answer. He’d never face anything like this –fires were easy; you put them out and that was it. He’d never found himself in front of a fire that refused to be diminished. Bracing his hands on his hips, he winced at the sensation of dirt finding its way under his nails –until it gave him an idea and his face broke into a small smile. “DIRT!” He turned around, his words no longer directed at anyone in particular. “WE NEED TO TOSS DIRT ON THE FLAMES!” After all, dirt was known for killing fires. There was no way to know it would work, but there was no loss in trying.

It took everything within him not to cringe. He may have been able to clumsily talk his way out of not showing up in the pProphet and shifting the story more towards the Aurors and their efforts to quell the fire and figure out who did it. Now though, there was no denying he was going to end up front and center. At least if the little red head had anything to do about it. He suddenly wished she didn't and mentally reamed himself for acting so unnecessarily courageous. All it would have taken was a quick look over his shoulder to figure out where the tree was falling but his instincts and training had taken over instead. Something he was surely going to pay for now.

Neville stood still as a stone trying not to give the woman anything else. The last thing he needed was a blush, a biting of the lips, a nervous chuckle, anything to show just how uncomfortable he was in this situation. Despite his efforts against the Death Eaters, his final attack against the Dark Lord, enduring a flaming hat and then years of rigorous training to be an Auror there were two words Neville would never have used to describe himself and those were strong and manly.

He needed to do something and do it quickly. He needed her satiated and he needed to get back to work, "Look Miss Hunter," He pulled at the neck of his robes hating how tight they felt against his throat, "How about you come round later, we'll have a cup of tea, you can get that interview of yours -"

“WE NEED TO TOSS DIRT ON THE FLAMES!”

He glanced back to the frantic group of Aurors trying to contain the magical flames, "But for now I need to be doing my job."

There was an instant reaction to his words, but truth was that finding a way to move a large amount of dirt from one location to the other wasn’t that easy of a task –even with magic: it was possible, but not lacking in any complications. Cooper felt dirt against his flesh, sweat staining his skin and the annoying need to take a shower, but was awkwardly aware that there were other matters to take care of at present. “Sod it,” He growled, as he twisted his wand, pointing it towards a small mountain of dirt: levitating it wasn’t the easiest way to go, and only one thing came to mind –so with a quick chant, a spell falling from his lips, a gust of wind moved the mud into nearby flames. For an instant, the fire seemed to dwindle –but it was only an instant, and then it was roaring all over again.

A chance existed that it simply wasn’t enough dirt, but it was slim. “NEVER MIND!” He yelled, feeling incompetent. There had to be another way to deal with this. Cooper kicked at a pebble as he growled, mind whirling into action as he tried to think of another solution. “Longbottom, get your sodding arse over here and work!” He glanced at the man, slightly annoyed by the reporter but deeply pleased that Neville was already trying to get away from her.

Agents from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes were finally arriving in full force, dressed as they often did in these situations - basic muggle-coded attire.  A witch ran past Zora in a tuxedo jacket, and she saw a group of agents in matching turquoise wind-breakers casting something Zora didn't recognize. 

'Stop! Cease! Hold!'  A short man with fluffy sideburns and no hair at all above his ears ran from Auror to Auror - anyone who was trying to stop the fire by drawing up sod and dirt from the ground.  He flashed a badge in their faces - a supervisor from Magical Accidents.

'You're desecrating a cemetery! A protected magically historical site! Cease at once and let us handle this! My people on the fire, your people on security!'

Zora rolled her eyes at what was probably only the beginning of an inter-departmental coordination nightmare and trotted over to Evans.  "Level Three's calling us off, Cooper.  They don't want us touching the fire.  What do you think? Get our wands on finding the source of this? There's a perimeter but we're going to need to go door-to-door."

Anxious as she was, the Level Three bloke was probably right - Aurors weren't bloody firefighters, they were investigators.  Plus, their bright ideas weren't working, were they?  Even as she spoke to Cooper, she could see that the Accidents people had erected a shimmering sort of wall and that the fire was being pressed back from one corner at least.

“A dog is not our biggest worry at the moment. Somebody see about saving the sodding mut.”

Eha scowled right back at the irate Auror Evans, her face stained with as much soot and dirt as his. How was she supposed to know it was a dog? She'd seen the black shape squirming by the crater's edge and thought the worst, as Evans had. The fact that it was a dog -- a live dog -- and not an incinerated child, dwarf, house-elf, or goblin was a damn good thing.

As Evans dashed off  the pup tried to stand but fell over when it tried to put weight on its right front paw. Eha scooped the dog off the ground, balanced it on her hip and the elbow crook of her off-hand, and backed off, her wand raised towards the flames. Wildly, she wished that Aurors had cars or trunks or something that came with them to the scene. There was nowhere to put the creature where it would stay out of the way, and she wasn't even sure if you could do side-along apparation with a pet.

Luckily, before any of them could get too deep into the firefight, the D.o.M.A.C. finally arrived, surrounding the blaze and calling the aurors off. Eha gratefully lowered her wand and wrapped the arm around the dog to better support it. She'd been trained to fight wizards, not fire. Let someone with more of the proper sense take control for a while.

Aurors Roh and Evans congregated nearby, moving on from the accident to the investigation. With canine in arm, Eha crossed the yard to speak with Auror Roh. 

"One casualty to report, ma'am," she said, since Evans already knew of the dog. She braced the puppy on her shoulder and shifted so Roh could clearly see it. "Not sure what's wrong with the paw, but it smells like it's been burned. What do you recommend -- back to Headquarters, or should I contact Level Four?"

She frowned at the dog. She was no canine expert, but she got the feeling that it was acting much too quiet and calm for near-fatal injury. It didn't struggle against her hold. It didn't growl. It didn't even whimper. And those red eyes... "What do you suppose it was even doing here, at this time of night?"