| The Return By Kacey This story fragment was originally written as an Advanced Writer's Association activity - the task being to write an amazing, gobstopping introductory paragraph. Mickey Webb sighed as he paused, his hand on the door to the purposefully unremarkable pub, feeling as if opening that door would cost him greatly. He knew it would be awkward; few could understand his decision and they would be suspicious of his sudden decision to return after so many years, even though he intended on making his visit as short as possible. Many would be reluctant to speak to him, but he knew that he had to try, it was his last chance at finding a witness. The hardest thing of all would not be the reactions of those who had, and hadn't, known him alike; it would be facing the world he had left behind, and the regrets he sometimes felt at giving up everything that life had offered. As a child it had been his escape, the only way he could get away from his parent's constant fighting. But it had never given him the "normal" life he had wanted. He had that now, or as close as he could get, but he still sometimes felt something missing.. With a sigh he pushed open the door to The Leaky Cauldron and walked inside, taking in the familiar scene of the dark and smoky bar. He shoved his hands into his pockets and smiling nervously at the witches and wizards, regular customers and visitors alike, in an array of costumes: from Muggle clothes - often odd looking fashions in the nature of the poorly chosen imitation of "normal" human dress - to the brightly colored crushed velvet robes and the pointed black hats that characterized the Wizarding world's regular garb. He felt self-consciously out of place in his brown leather jacket, untucked white shirt and dark pants. He felt oddly conscious of the warrant card in his wallet that marked him as someone from another world. His authority would mean little here and he keenly felt the absence of the wand he had surrended when he'd left Hogwarts and the Wizarding world. Despite his plans to get in and out as soon as possible he felt his instincts telling him to try and blend in a little more. If he was going to have to ask someone to let him through to Diagon Alley he might as well buy a drink first. He approached the bar and then remembered with a stinging realization that the ten and twenty pound notes in his pocket were useless here. He sighed. He was nervous and he felt thirsty. Alcohol, albeit from the Wizarding world, would have been a comfort. He was about to start asking questions when he heard someone else, another man judging from the heavy footfalls of boots, approach from behind. "Mickey?" a familiar voice asked, to his surprise. It was the last voice he had expected to hear at that moment. "Sir?" Mickey gasped in shock and turned around to face his DI. Stony-faced as ever, the tall rusty haired man regarded Mickey with the most subtle expressions of surprise. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I could ask you the same thing," Mickey returned. He would have never guessed.. Cullen of all people.. surely not? ************************************** For anyone not familiar with the universe this story is set in the world of Harry Potter. |