Storm Clouds Gather

on opposite ends
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CHAPTER ELEVEN.

The Auror’s Office was so packed and filled with people, Jisoo had wondered for a split second whether she had stumbled in the wrong office. Every single Auror that the Ministry had left seemed to be in the room, talking amongst and with each other in serious, grave voices and with troubled expressions. 

 

Jisoo knew some of them, but this is her first time seeing them ever since she came back a few days ago. When she spots Nayeon a few feet away, talking to someone with her eyebrows furrowed, Jisoo’s body automatically moves on its own as if it were dying to find out what had happened because it's clear that something has definitely happened. If the atmosphere in the room wasn’t enough evidence, then the conflicted look on Nayeon’s face was even more confirmation.

 

“Oh, Jisoo, you’re here,” she sounded genuinely surprised when she turned around as Jisoo grabbed her elbow. But Nayeon isn’t looking at her in the eye. “Jinyoung called for you in his office.”

 

“What’s going on?” Jisoo asks, even though some part of her knew Nayeon would probably just stay quiet. 

 

Nayeon wriggled out of Jisoo’s grasp and motioned to the hallway that lead to Jinyoung’s office, its black mahogany doors waiting for her. “He’ll explain everything. It’s... pretty urgent, so you better go now.” 

 

Jisoo nods once before heading towards the office of the Head of the Aurors. She does not miss the way some of them turn to her direction as she passes, or how their hushed whispers die down and their expression grow more solemn and dark. Surely they must have known Jisoo was back for a temporary time, but still, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that whatever was wrong or happening, she was somehow involved. 

 

Jinyoung sat behind his desk, his lips set in a thin line and his chin sitting on top of his clasped hands. Seulgi was also in the office and she was standing near the fireplace, looking down at the green flames with an unreadable expression. 

 

Jisoo stood in front of Jinyoung and raised an eyebrow, her heart thrumming with curiosity and fear at the same time. “What happened? Did another Auror die?” Her voice sounds distant and far away even to her own ears, like she was speaking from the top of a well and her ears were at the very bottom. 

 

“No,” Jinyoung merely shakes his head.

 

He doesn’t say anything more than that, which makes Jisoo feel even more nervous. “Then why is everybody so on edge?” 

 

Seulgi glances at her from behind her back, before exchanging a look with Jinyoung. She grabs a roll of paper that was sitting on top of the fireplace mantel and she hands it over to Jisoo. “This happened.”

 

Jisoo unfurls the newspaper roll and the front page headline hits her square in the chest; she almost forgot how to breathe.

 

BREAKING: INFAMOUS DEATH EATERS, KIM JOONHYUNG AND KIM TAEHA, FOUND DEAD. 

 

She could tell that the photo they used was an old one. Two familiar faces that she has seen only a handful of times stared up at her with identical cold expressions that were void of any signs of warmth, not even a small smile or a glint in the eyes. They looked so regal and serious, like no joke in the world could ever make them laugh or much less, smile. It’s hard to imagine that these two gave birth to such a cheeky boy with a smile that could outmatch the light of the sun.

 

Or, at least it used to. 

 

Jisoo never formally met them, so she doesn’t really know what to feel with this news. He would always evade questions about his family, particularly his parents, and she didn’t want to push because she knew it was a sensitive topic. She also knew how they didn’t like the notion of a muggle-born “tainting” their only pureblood son. She knew that they hated her guts deep down, but still, the news of their deaths is shocking. “Mr. and Mrs. Kim…” 

 

“Yes,” Jinyoung nods grimly. He looked distraught somehow, but wasn’t this good news for them? Two more Death Eaters they could cross off from the list, right? “They were found washed up along the banks of a fishing village.” 

 

But then again, these were Taehyung’s parents. And if his parents are dead now then who knows what he’s going to do next. He's going to be on a rampage. “How did they die? Did the Ministry do it? Did - did the Dark Lord…?”

 

“We had nothing to do with it, and we're not sure who did it.” Seulgi says from behind her, she’s looking down at the newspaper with a frown on her face. “They weren’t even tortured, no marks or scars or bruises or wounds. A clean kill. They were probably finished of by a killing curse.” 

 

Jisoo looks up at Seulgi, then turns to Jinyoung and examines his facial expression. Something stirs in the back of her mind. Were the Kims part of their secret task? Why would the Dark Lord even kill them if he was in his right mind? Seulgi confirmed it herself that the Ministry had no intentions of striking down the Kims, then who else could have done it then? As far as she knows, their number one motive was capturing Death Eaters and stopping raids, apart from whatever the motive was for Seulgi and Jinyoung’s own confidential mission. None of the people in this Office would even dare use the killing curse. 

 

“They knew something, didn’t they?” Jisoo says, which makes Seulgi and Jinyoung finally look up at her. She can see that she said something worthwhile since they’ve now averted their undivided attention to her.

 

“What makes you think that?” Jinyoung asks. He’s being cautious at choosing his words. 

 

Jisoo shrugs. “They’re not exactly the Ministry’s priority right now, it’s their son we’re after right? The Aurors couldn’t have done it. And the killing curse, only the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord use it. Unless some other dark wizard is in the picture, which I doubt. So they were murdered by their own kin, but why?” She stares at them, eyes darting between the two before her. 

 

When neither of them speaks, Jisoo lets out a sigh. Her brain is trying to come up with a plausible theory, and all the dots are slowly connecting inside her head. 

 

“The Kims are benefactors to the Dark Lord’s cause. They provided the shelter and food for the Death Eaters and their last headquarters had been the Kim Manor before the Ministry raided it.” The words flow out of in a steady stream, her thoughts are racing as she tries to grab on to all the details that could fit her narrative. She has to be onto something, because Jinyoung and Seulgi remain stubbornly quiet. Her hands clutch onto the newspaper. “The Kims are also heads of the Kim Clan. Why would he kill the Kims when they’re easily the most reputable family he has control over? It’s not a very good tactical move to just kill them off like that. And they’re…. They’re Taehyung’s parents, surely it would cause a rift between him and his second in command if he killed his parents. Unless Taehyung has a heart of stone, which I presume is the case right now.” 

 

She’s on a roll, and she knows there’s some truth behind her words because Jinyoung looks away from her, unable to fully meet her eyes. “They’re the reason why Taehyung even joined the Death Eaters. If all members of the Kim Clan joined and supported his cause, the Dark Lord would pardon them for their betrayal from his last rise in power years ago. They must have done something to anger him then, to the point where he killed them.”

 

Seulgi suddenly clears , shattering Jisoo's momentum just when she had started to pick up. She looks at the other girl and raises an eyebrow. “That makes for a good speculation, Jisoo. But we’re not even sure if it really was the Dark Lord who did it.” 

 

“If the Ministry hadn’t done it then who did?” She counters. “Nobody seems to be jumping in joy that two influential Death Eaters are dead.”

 

“Because you said it yourself,” Seulgi says, obviously loosing patience over her. “They’re Taehyung’s parents. We’re afraid of what he’s going to do next, unless like what you said, he has a heart of stone. But I have my doubts about that. The Kims value loyalty, to their comrades and to their own family members. It’s why Taehyung had no choice but to join, you’re right. We all know he did it for his family. It's going to be madness.”

 

Jisoo throws the newspaper on Jinyoung’s table, he doesn’t even flinch. “But his parents are dead now, and who knows? Maybe some other members of his clan too.”

 

“If the Dark Lord did do it, then Taehyung is going to be conflicted.” Seulgi crosses her arms across her chest and stares at the newspaper where Mr. and Mrs. Kim were moving with subtle, gentle moves in the picture. “Will he remain loyal to the Dark Lord or will he grieve for his parents? Either options don’t seem good, we’ve seen how destructive and volatile he is when he’s in a good mood. I can just imagine that he’s going to burn the country to the ground soon enough."

 

“You-Know-Who wouldn’t kill them unless they betrayed him.” Jisoo is still pushing this, because she has a feeling that she’s right. Seulgi is trying to deny this and Jinyoung isn’t even saying anything so far. Why couldn't they just tell her that she was right? What more were they hiding from her? “They’re just too important to lose; they’ve been funding his army for years. Their whole clan is practically the nerves of the operation. Taehyung joined because his whole clan had been in it, and to kill the heads? Something is up. And you know what the Kims knew, don’t you?” It comes out as an accusation, as it should. Jisoo thinks she’s pieced something together in her head from the bread crumbs of clues she’s picked up over the past few days. 

 

“Jisoo, enough.” Jinyoung’s deep voice cuts through her thoughts. He’s glaring at her. “Please, can you focus on your mission and we’ll focus on ours. We’re all just worried that with this news, Taehyung might become more unstable and continue to terrorize the country, which is why I called you in here in the first place. Have you had any leads yet?”

 

Jisoo’s prior plan of telling him about her deal with the Confederation’s spy goes down the drain. He was already angry and stressed as it is, adding Johnny to the mix would most probably not yield good results because as far as she knew, he was pissed with the Confederation as well. She thinks it’s best to keep it to herself for now. 

 

But what exactly can she tell him then? The closest she’s been to capturing Taehyung is putting trace charms and tracking spells over some caves at a muggle mining village. Her report was a complete joke and waste of time now that she thought about it. It’s leading her to nothing. 

 

“Not yet,” she finally speaks and this time, it’s her who’s avoiding their eyes as she suddenly feels small. Her confidence deflating in an instant until there's nothing much left of it by the next passing second. “I’m still working on it.” 

 

“We’ve got our eyes out on Taehyung, don’t worry.” He says, though the disappointment in his voice is something Jisoo catches on quickly. “We’re going to be on high alert, everyone in the Ministry. As soon as you find something, tell me.”

 

Jisoo can only nod. 

 

Seulgi gives her one last glance before Jinyoung dismiss her out of his office. 

 

She walks out, feeling lost and a complete failure. She tried to think of what she had accomplished today, and what she said earlier in the office. At least she had puzzle pieces to a bigger picture she has yet to unravel and solve, though these pieces don’t quite fit together just yet. She might have to look for more clues. Then there was the wonky alliance with Johnny, which she might need now more than ever. 

 

The Dark Lord can’t possibly stay on a low profile forever, that’s just not in his nature. He’d have to take matters in his own hands sooner or later and Jisoo just hopes that by the time she can even capture Taehyung, if she ever does, it won’t be too late to stop him and his army.

 

 

"How could he have known?"

 

Long, red nails tap against the surface of his desk. She's too busy pondering, her mind still stuck on their current problem to even notice that her hair still resembles a bird's nest and the top three buttons of her blouse were still open. Her eyes are burning, but not with passion and desire anymore. They're burning with despise and hatred. 

 

Jinyoung moves away from the fireplace and reaches out to button her blouse up. "Fix your hair," he mutters, fingers grazing against the cloth of her blouse. Those spoken words alone gives him away. He's trying to avoid discussing the problem with her. This was urgent and serious, he knows, but he's got enough on his plate already. 

 

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chichus
072223. new update, chapter 29 is up!

Comments

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jisooluvs
#1
Chapter 34: YOU' RE LYINGGGGGGGGG
chickenwing_ac #2
Chapter 34: i am beyond shocked at the ending and so i glad i decided to check for any updates tdy 😭
jisooluvs
#3
Chapter 33: WAITING IS MY PASSION PRAYING
Twinjung88
1057 streak #4
Chapter 33: Bona don't leave Jisoo 😭😭😭
Bserius6 #5
Chapter 25: update please 😭😭😭
jisooluvs
#6
Chapter 32: THE WAY MY JAW DROPPPEDDDD NAURRRRR
_petal_ #7
Chapter 32: Ahhhh....not Jungkook as well.
Twinjung88
1057 streak #8
Chapter 32: Man I still can't believe Nayeon did that...Oh my I kinda knew it the moment Jungkook said he will go with her to the next horcrux that he will betray/leave her... And I think Hoseok or Jennie will free Tae...
_Vante #9
Chapter 31: I like the way this story is going but maybe that's because I am a er for angst and stuff. Keep up the good work and hoping to see the next chapters as quickly as possible.
Twinjung88
1057 streak #10
Chapter 31: That's not fair Tae why only Jisoo have to swear? What about you? So if the dark lord controlled you and ordered you to kill her she won't be able to defend herself?