Harry Potter and the Wizards of Malta
Chapter 21.
He stared at the text message, re-reading it several times, and finally checked the number to make sure it originated from Hermione.
He thanked Charlie for the meal and immediately he made for the front door, leaving the Leaky Caldron and the sounds of cackling laughter for the noises commonly heard on the street on Saturday night. Exiting the main street and dodging down a dark alley, he mustered what concentration he had and disapparated in a pop and swirl of dust and smoke.
Slipping past a smiling Ministry night guard, he headed toward the detention level, his brain on auto pilot. Senses now were now frozen and rigid, and he didn't know what to think and wasn't quite sure how to feel. The woman had tried to kill him, but he was relieved that Lasaurus had not killed her. There was also an emotion very deep and almost buried that he tried to suppress, but he was actually eager to see her. The thought was probably twisted and he reminded himself to take no more lies from this woman.
Around the interrogation room on the detention level a small crowd was forming. By now all the Ministry employees had heard of the beautiful band leader and what she had almost done to the Ministry's best Auror. All eyes turned to him, and a wall of bodies moved out of the way as he approached the entryway. The interrogation room was actually a room within a room and a long hall circled the room with windows and two-way mirrors, each with views into the inside. Harry walked up to one window and paused to look inside. Penny was seated at a long table, her head bowed wearing an expression of defeat. He felt a wave of cold chills at the sight of her.
Kingsley turned first to take notice of him. Hermione was also in the room along with Ms Rosemarkie. Ms Rosemarkie was asking the questions and Hermione was scribbling down notes on parchment. Kingsley got up and Harry heard the door open.
"Evening Minister."
"Evening Harry," he said and then turned toward the window. "When Ms Rosemarkie and Hermione are finished I want you to go in."
Harry nodded. His gaze was still glued to the raven haired witch.
"How and where did we get her?" Harry asked at length.
"We finally spotted her outside her friends house – the ones you mentioned."
"Ah, yeah – Ace and Piper's"
"Yes, I believe so."
"Who actually picked her up?"
"Ron got her. He and Neville spotted her going into the house. They called for uniformed backup and waited a few minutes before going in."
"Did they have any problems?"
"No... It was a clean job," he said and glared at Harry.
Harry nodded.
"So how's the interview going? Have you explained the Ministry's position?" Harry asked.
"She's saying as little as she can. If she wants to get out of this with her life she'll have to convince the court she's given up each and every location of the hidden formulas."
"Have you explained this yet?"
"No. I'll leave that to you," Kingsley fired back. "And remind her she's still responsible for the deaths of three wizards."
Finally, Hermione and Ms Rosemarkie could be seen finishing up. On her way out Hermione paused.
"Harry, let's talk after," she said with beaming concentration.
He nodded at her and Kingsley and then drifted on to pause at the door. He swallowed hard, but the lump in his throat was still there. He twisted the knob and stepped into the room. There were uniformed guards at the end of the table. Penny sat slumping in the chair and didn't look up. When he sat down across from her, she canted her head to look through one eye.
"Hello Penny," he greeted, dryly.
She didn't answer but glared back. It was like the veil she had worn to hide her true character had finally been removed. And she didn't like it.
"Did you come here to poke at me – to make sport and have fun?"
Harry shook his head but wasn't sure if she noticed.
"I was ordered here. It might help you to know that."
"Well, it looks like you get the last laugh," she answered.
"I don't feel like laughing."
"Nor I," she replied, laconically.
"So... your statement – have you finished?" He canted his head toward Hermione and Ms Rosemarkie.
"No, but they'll be back. I've demanded a solicitor and I'm still waiting," she insisted.
"You're in trouble Penny. You better talk."
"To you Harry? Just to you? Hell, I'm sure the room is bugged," she spit out the reply.
"Okay, I'll start it off for you then. You used me – all along for protection against Lasaurus. Who by the way killed a Ministry Auror and damn near killed another. Two wizards of this mysterious Order are dead because of this and now a formula considered dangerous to humanity is out for someone to discover."
She sat there, slouching and sullen, seemingly unmoved.
"I was after Lasaurus. Now things have changed," he continued. "Now Kingsley has ordered me off and he's content to pin all this on you."
"It sounds like things are wrapped up then. So why are you here," she asked in a voice so soft he could barely hear.
"To convince you to help yourself. To make you understand that Kingsley is charging you for this whole thing. All of it."
She glared back hard. "To help myself or to help you – besides, I'm not responsible for all of this."
"It doesn't matter, you'll be charged for it."
"Well, to hell with him."
"No, it may be to hell with you. If you don't reveal the locations of all those copies – it's going to cost you your life. Do you understand.?"
She looked away stoically, unmoved and didn't reply.
"Do you understand Penny – it's a death sentence."
"I understand, but I want a solicitor Harry. That's the law."
"You'll get one tomorrow," he replied and both sat in silence for an uncomfortable time.
"They said you never returned to your flat. Why was that?"
At length she looked up.
"I went back for you Harry. I couldn't leave you there. I realized that I couldn't go through with it. When I got there you were gone. I don't know how you did it, but you were gone and I knew the whole world would know."
"You didn't know I survived," he replied.
"You're a survivor. I knew you were alive."
"You'll understand if I don't believe you."
"You can believe what you like."
He shook and bowed his head.
"So why didn't you get out of the country? Why the hell did you stay here?"
"It was the band. I was trying to make some last minute arrangements when your lot showed up. I didn't want to leave them without a thing. I decided to leave the band to Ace, and it took a while to make the proper arrangements."
"Well, in doing so you may have cooked your goose."
"I'm done talking with you Harry. You understand – I'm done," She glared back with fire in the silvery eyes.
"Have it your way then. Just remember what I told you. If Kingsley has his way you'll be executed or rot in Azkaban."
He rose from the chair, keeping his eyes on her in a fixed gaze. She never looked up. He turned toward the door and left the room.
Standing eagerly outside the door, Hermione was waiting with her notebook in hand.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow," he instructed, bitterly.
"Sure Harry, but if you got anything – we need to know tonight," she argued.
"I didn't get anything. So we'll talk tomorrow – okay?"
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
On the third call for breakfast Harry finally slipped on a dressing gown and went downstairs to see what Kreacher was making a fuss over. He'd almost never got to sleep and when he finally did it felt like Kreacher was croaking and calling for breakfast a few minutes later. At least there was coffee. He had almost finished the first cup before he noticed to morning paper and the front page headlines.
Entertainer Arrested
Entertainer Penny Penthane, better known by her stage name Electra,
was arrested by Ministry officials today at a London residence.
Miss Penthane was charged in connection with the death of
Ministry Auror Jerry Atwell and attempted murder of Ron Weasley and
Harry Potter. She was found to be in possession of stolen and
restricted alchemy potions that the Ministry would only describe
as a level five offense.
Miss Penthane who had been on tour had recently returned to London.
Ministry officials would not comment on the exact charges but did go on
to say the punishment could be extremely severe.
Ministry Aurors Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom were at the scene
of the arrest when Miss Penthane...
Harry threw the paper down with the same disgust he would from one of Rita Skeeter's articles. Although the woman had tried to kill him it failed to warm him to these exaggerated and trumped up charges. The bastard Lasaurus was the one who did the killing and Kingsley was content to see him free. It smacked of good PR for the Ministry and nothing more.
Kreacher, it appeared, was also on a mission to fatten him up. He had rashers, sausage, and scrambled eggs piled up in small mountains. Now pecking at his kitchen window was the Ministry Owl with a message in his beak.
Harry exchanged a small slice of rasher for the message and closed the kitchen window. The message, as expected, was from Hermione.
Harry,
Sorry to bother you on your
day off, but we need to go over your
conversation with Miss Penthane.
Hermione.
He chuckled at the use of 'Miss Penthane'. They were already objectifying the woman, he thought. He thought about Penny's story and shook his head. Did she really go back for him? Although he couldn't allow himself to trust her any further, it would make a huge difference if she were telling the truth. But there was no way to know if she were telling the truth. It was almost a cinch that she had connections to the underground. It was possible she'd heard through the rumor mill that he had found a way to escape. But how? The Ministry had taken every precaution to keep his discovery a secret. And surely, no one had known of his stay at the Burrow. He searched his foggy memory for any detail that would prove her was story was true but could find nothing. It was possible Mundungus might be able to help. The dodgy wizard was privy to all kinds of covert information in the underground. While this type of intelligence couldn't prove Penny's story it might help her credentials a bit. And right now, the raven haired witch needed all the help she could get.
Saying to hell with meeting Hermione at the Ministry, he decided instead to find Aberforth Dumbledore at the Hogs Head Inn. If anyone could find a way to contact Mundungus, Aberforth should be able to do it. Besides, a visit at the Hogsmeade might do him some good.
He dressed quickly into jeans and a tennis shirt. Thrown over that was a lightweight casual jacket with two wand pockets. Before disappearing out the back door, he thanked Kreacher for the huge breakfast and apologized for not eating it all. A few minutes later, and always thankful for apparition, he was walking the streets of Hogsmeade and thinking of old schooldays.
Schooldays, he'd almost forgotten them lately, but Hogsmeade and the break from work had made him reminiscent. He wondered too about Ginny. She'd visited at the hospital but he was almost out of it when she dropped by. He remembered very little of her visit and she disappeared a few days later to resume her Quidditch schedule. There had been a guy playing with the Chudley Cannons she was reportedly seeing. But that had been months ago. Maybe a talk with Ron could shed some light on the situation.
A splendid view of the castle was towering in the background as he pushed on toward the Hogs Head Inn. There were reports that McGonagall was still having problems with too many ghosts. School was probably out of of session now and a visit might be fun. He even entertained a visit to the prefects bathroom and sharing a bubblebath with Myrtle. She was talkative with the ghosts from Scabior's gang. She might have heard some ghostly gossip on Lasaurus. He swore after the last case he'd never take her for granted again. But it was always difficult to predict the mood of the overly emotional spirit.
The Hogs Head Inn was coming up and looked just as bad and in need of repair as it did when he and Ron dropped by a year ago. The sign over the door, once suspended by two chains, was hanging by one chain and badly needed paint. The windows were grey with soot and grime as usual. Taking hold of the worn slick iron door handle and pulling hard, the door resisted with with squeaks and squeals. As good as a bell and cheaper too, the noise alerted Aberforth who came shuffling around the corner of the bar.
Harry had been to zoos that smelled better than this and several goats scampered out the back.
"Harry Potter," exclaimed the burly wizard. "What brings you to Hogsmeade – I know it's not the beer," he went on rhetorically.
"No. Of course not. But I think I'll have one all the same."
"Suit yourself," he replied with a smile and grabbed a brown ceramic mug from under the bar. He filled it full and knocked off the excess foam and slid it to Harry. Digging a few coins from his pocket, Harry slid the money toward the burly wizard who, as always, slid it right back.
"You must be here on business then," Aberforth went on. "Haven't read of anything big in the Daily Prophet. It must be something new."
"Your not reading at all Aberforth – it's all over the morning paper."
Aberforth grunted something unintelligible and reached under the bar and pulled out a fresh copy. Holding the paper at arms length, the burly wizard read the headlines without glasses.
"The entertainer Penny Penthane, huh – are you mixed up in this?"
"There's a wizard involved – named Lasaurus. He's been around a long time with the help of the red tincture. Very dangerous and uses division and old magic."
Aberforth quickly drew a stern face.
"Sounds like a man to stay the hell away from."
"He killed a Ministry Auror."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said and pulled a face. "But he still sounds like a man to avoid."
"Well, I can't do that."
"Can't you? Are you sure about that? As long as I've known you Harry Potter – you're always looking for a way to get yourself killed."
"Sorry, but that's what Aurors do," defended Harry.
"Noooo they don't," he said and raised an index finger for emphasis. "And I've known quite a few. Aurors do what they can do. That's all the one's that manage to stay alive ever do. But they knew where to draw the line. And sometimes it's best to go around it rather than cross it. You ought to try it sometimes," he went on proudly.
"Well, maybe I will. But if I feel compelled to find the man? Do you know of him?"
Aberforth grabbed his silvery white beard with furrowed brows.
"No, I generally don't see that kind of punter in here. But if I do, I'll let you know."
"Thanks, Aberforth."
Aberforth nodded. "Don't mention it."
"By the way – have you seen Mundungas lately?"
"Is he mixed up in this?" he asked with squinted eyes and his raised his bushy thick brows.
Harry shook his head. "No. I just needed to ask him some questions – about anything he might have heard," he clarified.
"I see. Well, he's overdue – should be stopping in any day now."
"It's kind of urgent and I really need to talk with him."
"Oh. Well, I'll send him an Owl then."
Harry turned up the brown mug and finished the beer. He set it back down on the bar with a resounding slap.
"Thanks. Good to see you again. Take care Aberforth."
"You do the same Harry Potter. And you think about what I told you."
Leaving the Hogs Head Inn without looking back, it never failed to amaze Harry just how Aberforth was so different from his brother. After the sober warning, Harry's light and airy mood took a back seat to melancholy. The last thing he felt like doing now was entertaining Myrtle.
With enough time to meet with Hermione, he grabbed the seldom used mobile and texted the ambitious witch to meet him at the Ministry. She agreed and after another quick glance around Hogsmeade, he was off again and saying good afternoon to the Ministry security guard a few minutes later.
He took the lift and found himself, subconsciously, stepping softly in the quiet halls. The light in Hermione's office was already bright and Hermione was seated at her desk and digging through a pile of papers.
"It's a shame to work on a day off," he quipped.
"Yes, but the hearing's tomorrow, so we better have our ducks in a row."
Harry took the uncomfortable wooden chair in front of her desk. It took a little while to get used to seeing Hermione dressed casually in jeans at work. After a minute or so, she finally had a pile of parchment and quill arrayed for work.
"So what do we need?" he asked.
"I need a statement from you – on what you got on Penny."
"Like I said before, there's not much new, and I need more time."
"There is no more time Harry. Kingsley wants the hearing tomorrow morning."
"I need to speak with Mundungas. And I'll need to talk to her again too."
"What the hell for Harry?"
"To check her story."
"I thought you said she didn't tell you anything."
"She said she came back for me, and that's how she knew I got out. That's why she went into hiding immediately."
"Well of course she did Harry. She's been lying to you from the get go – why stop now?" she exclaimed, her face beginning to flush.
"I just feel we should check it out – that's all."
"Well, I don't see how we can. Certainly not by tomorrow," she said, her magically straightened hair growing bushier by the moment.
"Look, Kingsley wants to pin this whole thing on her. Not that I really care, but all I'm saying is this: if she didn't kill anyone and she did indeed come back for me, and she hasn't used the formula to make red tincture, then what did she really do? She tried to solve a puzzle left to her by her mother – that's one way of looking at it."
"So this whole thing is a big mistake then," she cried incredulously.
"No, of course not," he explained. "I'm just saying the truth lies somewhere between the two extremes."
"That's mental Harry. This woman almost killed you in one of the most nefarious plans I've ever heard of, and you want to give her a break?"
"Look, I know she didn't treat me right, but it was Lasaurus who killed Jerry – not Penny. And those wizards that died knew what they were doing when they opposed the Ministry. And now Kingsley wants to give Lasaurus a break – that not right. It's simply not right."
"You want to go after him don't you."
"You're damned right I do."
She shook her head as if explaining to a child.
"You'll need to take your ego out of the equation Harry. You haven't fully recovered yet and Kingsley's looking out after you and you're too thick to see it."
"May be – but it smells like a compromise and I don't like it."
"Look Harry, if we try to do the right thing one hundred percent of the time we might fail the magical community entirely. If we can do what's right ninety percent of the time, then we've served them reasonably well. The Ministry is still very weak from the war and we need every wand we can get to make this thing work. If you go get yourself killed, then where will that leave us?"
There was a long pause by both sides.
"I still need time to talk with Mundungas and Penny – again."
"I'll need to talk to Kingsley," she replied with exaggerated dictum.
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
He tried, but he couldn't completely ignore what Hermione had told him. What bothered the most was the part about not being fully recovered. She had a point there. But there was something that he knew that Hermione and Shacklebolt did not know, and Beollan was only suspicious of. He had a connection to the black wand that was so strong that even he had trouble believing. Not to mention the power of the Holly wand that had saved his hide numerous times.
So the first thing on Monday morning, Harry stopped to check on Beollan. Beollan listened to Harry explain the concerns of Hermione and Kingsley and agreed that a little practice bout was long overdue. The practice session went as Harry thought it would; it was very close. Beollan steadily found a way to get the better of him and the dark Birch wand bailed his arse out, nearly every time.
"A little more practice," Beollan said, "and you should be back to full strength."
He knew the wizard was being overly kind. He thanked his old dueling partner and hit the showers before returning to the Auror office. It was too close to lunch to have any hope of finding Ron in the Auror office. He sat there and gazed at the old pile of crosswords laying on the floor and thought of better times. The next bit of business would involve talking to Penny again, if the bitter witch would allow it. He had hoped Mundungas would arrange a meeting first but the dodgy wizard was never dependable.
Before the thought cleared his mind, a little interoffice memo came flying by and then nose dived for his desk.
'Mundungas Fletcher is waiting in the Atrium to meet with you.'
It was signed by Emilia Thornewurst, the Atrium Concierge. Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair he went immediately to the Atrium to find Ms Thornewurst. As he neared the concierge, the little dodgy wizard was shifting weight to and fro and looking for all the world to be very nervous. The Ministry, after all, stood for a side of the law that Mundungas was not always able to embrace.
"Thank you," he said to Ms Thornewurst. "Come with me Mundungas. We'll talk in a room over here."
They managed a few dozen paces and found a public meeting room around the first corner. Mundungas was sweating profusely as Harry opened the door to a spacious and deserted conference room.
"Take a load off Mundungas," Harry instructed and pointed to a chair. Mundungas nodded and fell into a leather padded office chair. Harry took a seat opposite from him and smiled to assuage the dodgy wizard's fears.
"Just a few questions Mundungas. That's all I need."
"Sure Harry... but your questions are never easy."
"You don't mind helping the Ministry do you?"
"No, but helping the Ministry means I got to rat on someone else don't it?"
Harry laughed. "No, it's not like that."
"Good," he exclaimed and exhaled deeply.
"No Mundungas, what I need is this. You know Penny Penthane – stage name Electra?"
"Sure, who doesn't?" he replied, and curled one side if his mouth into a smile.
"Well, I need to know who her contacts are in the criminal underground," Harry explained.
"I wouldn't know to begin Harry?" he protested.
"The Crab Man knew of her and those blokes she sent to stop Lasaurus. She had to know someone to do that. Who are her connections?. Whose her friends around the criminal circuits? Those are the kind of things I need to know."
Mundungas sat there with a puzzled look and scratching his dirty scalp.
"I don't know Harry. I have a bad feeling about this."
"Just ask questions Mundungas. To the right people. You can do that."
"Okay, I'll try," Mundungas announced and looked toward Harry for permission to leave.
"Oh by the way," Harry said and paused. "Anything you can find on Lasaurus – the guy she was trying to get rid of. Hermione's been breaking her arse for weeks doing research, but an opinion from the street might be better."
Mundungas nodded and rose as Harry did. They shook hands and Mundungas looked relieved to be leaving.
After a short goodbye to Mundungas, Harry hit the canteen for a spot of lunch. Upon returning to the Auror office he noticed an interoffice memo. The note was from Hermione and simply said:
You've got until Wednesday.
Kingsley is leaving town but will be back Wednesday.
Be ready when he gets back.
The note was brief and cold. This was so typical of Hermione whenever she was angry. It would be best to wait, he reassured himself. This business of taking the easy way out and throwing the book at Penny was the way the Ministry had done business in the past. But it would not be this way in the future, he promised himself. No, things in the future would be different. And tomorrow would be another day.
‡‡‡‡‡‡‡
The next morning brought no news from Mundungas. Harry paced around the Auror office wondering what to do next. He really knew what he had to do but still paced around just the same. Ron was out trying to dig up anything new and Hermione was silently prodding away in her office. It was time to talk with Penny again. There was no reason to put it off any longer.
He took the lift down to the detention cells and stopped to check in with the cell supervisor for the female detention area. She was large woman and always wearing a stern countenance.
"Yes sir."
"Miss Penthane – can I see her?"
At first the woman looked puzzled, but then something registered in her head and he smiled as if it was the most natural request.
"Of course sir. Just a minute," she replied and disappeared into the bowels of the detention area. A few minutes later the woman emerged and wave Harry into a conference area.
"There's a small room over here. You two can talk in there," she explained.
Harry thanked the supervisor and entered a small guest room. Penny was seated at a small table in the rear corner of the room. The raven black hair was tied behind her, inconspicuously. She was wearing cheap plastic flip-flops and loose grey prison dungarees. A secondary guard stood in the opposite corner of the room and tried to make it look like she wasn't eavesdropping.
"Good morning Penny."
"Harry..."
He was relieved that she didn't look any worse than she did.
"You look nice," he added and she laughed convulsively as if coughing something up.
"You're always the gentleman Harry. What brings you down to this shit hole."
"You," he replied and she look puzzled.
She shook her head, disbelievingly.
"Did you come to tell me how dead I'm going to be – huh? Or how I'll rot away in Azkaban?"
Harry ignored the bitter cracks and tried to clear his mind to concentrate on what he had to say.
"No, I didn't. You seem quick with the answers. Why do you think I'm here?"
"I don't know and I really don't give a fuck Harry. I thought I made that clear."
"I hope you can mind your attitude – you won't get anywhere with that."
"I'm not getting anywhere anyway."
"Penny... things may not be that bad. I'm trying to help. You said you came back for me. Can you say something to make me believe it?"
She sat there, still and unmoving as if numbed by the question. Slowly, she cracked a wry smile.
"I'm not sure that I can – after all the lies I've told you?"
"If you say something that sounds like the truth – I might."
Finally, she smiled faintly.
"I went back in," she said and looked him eye to eye. "Not really sure what to expect." She paused. "When I got around the corner and the wandlight hit the wall, I could tell. You were gone."
"What else?" he asked and rolled his shoulders into a shrug.
"The shackles – they were still hanging on the wall, not broken or taken apart – all bloody too, like you just pulled your hands through them," she added and pulled a face.
"That was it then – there was nothing else. My clothes and wands were gone," he questioned, nonchalantly.
She paused to consider the last.
"No... your clothes were still there – thought that was a little odd. I kicked through them, but it was just clothes."
He nodded and then sat still.
"Well, what you say seems to prove you came back."
"You finally got that sorted, did you?"
"For sure, but then you could've come back to make sure I was dead."
"Yeah," she said and then shook her head, "but why would I do that. No, I was relieved that you were gone and that I hadn't committed murder."
There was a long silence.
"As I've said before, Kingsley wants to drop the book on you, but I'll try and help. I've pushed to extend the investigation," he went on.
When she looked back, her eyes were not as dull and listless. Her facial expression was not as pale and sallow.
He made a few encouraging remarks that failed to find home and then left. He trudged toward the upper level and the Auror office. Had she really come back to set him free? There would never be a way to know for sure, but she made a good case for it and it worked to her credit. As Harry saw it, she deserved some time in Azkaban, maybe a year or two at the most. But nothing like what Kingsley was pushing for.
When he got back to the cubicle there was a note on his desk written on yellowed parchment. It looked like Owl Post and he guessed it was from Mundungas. He broke the crude wax seal and began to read.
Potter
Your Ministry must be desperate to release this rubbish to the press.
Penny should not be held accountable for all of this.
No more than your friend Hannah from the Leaky Cauldron
or Mundungas who asks too many questions.
If you want to see these two alive again then bring Penny
to the Roundhouse tomorrow at noon. You know the place.
Come alone wizard and bring me my daughter unharmed.
Lasaurus.
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A/N: Flattering comments from michael - finally. :)
Many grats for the new follows and favs - and of course, thanks for reading and don't forget to review.