OMAKE to Summer Nights

by daled73

At the end of Chapter 2, Harry, Hermione, the Drs Granger, and the mysterious uncle are nastily disrespected by the Detective Constable who responded to the police call. If "Mr. Arthur Williams" is more than he seems, a nasty rebuke is likely to "roll downhill" as such things are inclined to do. If you haven't read "Summer Nights" by LeQuin, do so first.

OMAKE to "Summer Nights" by LeQuin [ s/12457527/1/Summer-Nights]

"Detective Constable Michael Stokes reporting as ordered Chief Detective Superintendent."

The Chief Super looked at the man who was standing at rigid attention such as he had never stood since leaving the Royal Army. He allowed his eyes to bore into the man with all the warmth of someone inspecting a noxious substance on the sole of his shoe.

As the silence drew out DC Stokes could feel the sweat running down his back. He had been peremptorily summoned by the most senior detective of his entire police force, with no warning, and no idea why he was here. The longer the silence continued, the worse matters looked.

"Well Constable, what do you have to say for yourself; more importantly, why should you leave here as a member of the Constabulary?"

DC Stokes gulped as silently as he could manage. "Begging your pardon, Chief Detective Superintendent," he managed not to stammer, "but I have no idea to what you are referring."

"DC Stokes, did you or did you not, respond to a call to the Foxhills Resort a week or so ago?"

"Sir, yes sir."

"And how do you explain your actions there, and the words you exchanged with Mr. Arthur Williams and Dr. Granger and his family?"

"Sir, they were clearly in league with a known criminal, and had called us out on a false report and were slandering an upstanding family of the town ... Sir."

"Humm." Somehow that did NOT sound promising to the now furiously sweating DC, whose dress uniform was growing lank and sticky.

"Mr. Williams, he refuses to use his title by the way, may only be four hundred and seventy third in line to the Throne, until that next royal nibbling is born anyway, but he IS in line to the throne, and he IS unhappy. When he is unhappy, being a favorite if distant cousin of the Queen, Her Majesty is unhappy."

"Have you ever heard the Queen described as 'England's Mum' Constable?"

Constable Stokes limited himself to a shaky head nod.

"I spent a bit of time in the "colonies" and over there their so called "down home folk" have a saying "When Momma ain't happy, ain't NOBODY happy."

"And now it is your turn to be unhappy. You are going back into uniform with the latest batch of recruits, and with this blot on your copybook you had better never put so much as a hair out of line or you won't be working in any police force in the UK. Should if you ever chance to see Mr. Potter, that "known criminal" again, you best be spit and polish professional, because I have been informed that he is the Earl of Godrickston, a title I am not familiar with, but Her Majesty is. If he had not put in something of a good word for you then you would be leaving here, looking for new employment, today. Dismissed."