The Unseen

The dark room was quiet and foreboding. The only light present was a single candle that cast an eerie glow on several bookshelves and a staircase on the right. A light layer of dust covered the books and folders on the shelves. It seemed the room had not been used for many, many years. It was absolutely silent, except for a few faint noises in the distance.

Suddenly, the room's uncanny peace was interrupted by the crash of a man falling down the steps. He collided with one of the bookshelves at the foot of the stairs, knocking several documents and books to the floor.

"Argh, man! Could you be any more clumsy!" came a man's voice from the top of the stairs. The distant noises now became clearer; they were incantations being shouted.

The awkward man did not answer; he merely picked himself up and dusted off by the candlelight as if he was determined to ignore the other man.

"Come on, Dolohov, this is no time for rudeness, we nearly got killed up there! You should be thanking me, you know! I saved your ass up there!" the other man said as he came down the stairs into the room.

Dolohov turned to face him. "I'm not clumsy; I just fell! People fall everyday and it doesn't mean nothin'! So shut the bloody hell up, Rookwood, and help me put this stuff back on the shelf here."

Rookwood reluctantly walked over to help him. As he did, he first noticed the room they had stumbled upon. It seemed to befuddle him. "Dolohov, has the Dark Lord ever mentioned this room to you? Because I have never seen it, even though I used to work here..." He continued to stare around.

Dolohov didn't seem to have noticed. "Do you honestly think I give a damn? Oof, this one's heavy...Oh--"

The contents of a manila file folder spilled onto the floor. Hundreds of papers fluttered around the two men. The front of the folder flipped revealing a tiny ink inscription.

"You fool, Dolohov! It'll be a miracle if no one hears that!" Rookwood looked as though he wanted to kill him. "First you fall down the stairs, and now you cause a racket the Minister of Magic could hear!"

It was as though Dolohov did not hear him; he was reading the inscription very carefully.

"...and now I'm going to have to go back to Azkaban and--what ARE you doing?" Rookwood watched as Dolohov frantically scurried around on his hands and knees while snatching all the papers up off the ground.

He handed Rookwood the manila folder. "Read the inscription carefully," he said. Rookwood read it, then he re-read it, his eyes becoming wider and wider with every word. He turned to Dolohov. "This is huge...!"

Still scurrying, he answered, "I know. Now come and help me with these papers. We need every last one."

Rookwood immediately dropped the folder and went over to help Dolohov. In the top right corner, written in black ink were the words:

TOP SECRET FILE OF:

Auror Z.L.M. 16

Secret Operative for Ministry