Chapter 25 - It's very Bad Publicity

Remus sat with Emmeline in her room playing yatzy and talking while Regulus had a session with Dumbledore. He did not like being in the common room without Regulus, so when Emmeline had suggested they go sit in her room instead he had eagerly agreed. He laughed when Emmeline told a joke and she laughed with him. They had become quite good friends the past few weeks.

"My mum is visiting me tomorrow," she told him. "It's going to be nice. I haven't seen her in a while."

"Is your daddy coming too?"

The smile on Emmeline's face faded. "No. He's in prison. And I wouldn't want him here even if he weren't."

Remus looked a little uncomfortable at the mention of prison but asked curiously, "Why is he in prison?"

Emmeline looked at him, biting her lower lip. "He... he molested me. For years."

"O…oh," Remus said, rubbing his arm. He hesitated a little before speaking again. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," said Emmeline, eying Remus. "We don't have to talk about it."

"No, it's okay. Your… your own father?"

"Yes," said Emmeline in a small voice. "It's strange, isn't it? Parents are supposed to protect their children, not hurt them."

Remus nodded. "What… what did he do?" He couldn't help feeling curious. Emmeline was the first person he had talked to who had been molested. "If you don't mind. You don't have to tell me."

Certain that Remus was being sincere, Emmeline told him about her experience and answered all his questions. "Listen…" she said when she was done. "Don't tell anyone, yeah? Only Marlene knows, other than the staff, of course. I don't want the other patients to know either. And I don't want Regulus to know."

"Of course," nodded Remus. "I understand. I won't tell him, but Regulus would understand. I mean, he helped me when I told him."

Emmeline looked at him in confusion. "When you told him? What do you mean? Did you already know about me? And you told him?"

"N-no." Remus quickly shook his head. "I meaned… when I told him what happened to me." He looked down at his hands, embarrassed, although he figured he didn't need to be, since Emmeline and he were in the same boat.

"You were molested too?" asked Emmeline, only looking mildly surprised. "I knew you had been abused. Not necessarily sexually, but I could tell you had been abused in some way. It's easier to spot for someone who has tried it themselves." She gave Remus' shoulder a soft squeeze. "Who hurt you, Remus? If you want to tell me. You don't have to."

Remus swallowed. "The... the bad man."

"The bad man?"

"My stepfather. But I mostly just think of him as the bad man."

"Oh. I'm so sorry," said Emmeline. "Is he in prison now? For what he did to you?"

Remus shook his head. "No. I think maybe he's still in the house."

"You should press charges. He deserves it. I didn't want to do it at first, either. Not until I came here and they convinced me to do it. I was embarrassed and part of me wanted to protect him as well. But I'm glad he's locked up now."

Remus shook his head again. "No, that's not necessary. He can't hurt me no more." He turned his head and gazed out the window for a moment.

"That's okay, if that's how you feel," nodded Emmeline. "I guess it's different for everybody. But... I just hope it isn't because you're ashamed. I mean, I'm not surprised if you are. I think everybody who has been molested is ashamed. I know I still am. Not as much as in the beginning, but I don't think it will ever go away completely. I think you have to have tried it to truly understand."

Remus looked at her for a moment, thinking about what she had said. "Regulus tell me all the time not be ashamed. And Lily and Pandora. But I still am."

Emmeline nodded. "I know. It's not your fault, though. It never is. Adults have all the power. But I remember when I was so ashamed it made me sick. I was so terrified of telling someone because I was afraid they would be disgusted with me. On one hand I wanted to - I wanted to be saved - but another part of me didn't. And not just because I was scared of him. We don't have to talk about it anymore if you don't want to," said Emmeline when Remus didn't say anything for a while. "It's just if you want. It helps talking to someone who has gone through the same things. It did for me, even though she and I had nothing else in common."

"Who?" asked Remus curiously. "Who else did you talk to?"

"Rita. Yes, you look surprised because you wouldn't think an abuse victim would be so eager to have sex with everybody, would you? But I've learned that people react differently. Some abuse victims confuses sex with love, so they desperately try to get it. It's really sad. I always felt so sorry for her and how the others just thought she was a cheap tart."

o0o0o

"Hey, Lily, could you go let Sirius out?" asked Molly. "If he seems to have calmed down enough."

"Sure," smiled Lily.

Five minutes later she looked in through the little window and saw Sirius lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. He had been in there three days. Lily unlocked the door and stepped in. "Hey, Sirius," she smiled. "You up for joining the circus again?"

"Beats sitting in here," mumbled Sirius and got up. He seemed calm enough.

"You going to behave?"

"Sure. Whatever."

"And stay clear of Evan, alright? He isn't too happy with you and we don't want any more trouble. You're lucky he was the one who started the fight. Else, I don't think they would have let you stay. Regulus was very scared you would be sent away, so if for nothing else then at least for his sake keep yourself under control, will you?"

Sirius looked at her, biting his lip. "Okay," he nodded. "I will."

o0o0o

Next morning Lily knew something was wrong even before she turned down the road to the asylum. And sure enough - there was an ambulance and two police cars sitting out front, the blue lights blinking from one of the cars. Lily practically threw her car at the sidewalk and ran to the entrance, her heart in her throat.

Pomona was standing giving a detective her statement with tears running down her face. Clearly, she was very affected by what had happened. A gurney was rolled by with a body bag on it and the coroner continued out the door without a word.

"What happened? Who is it?" asked Lily frantically.

"It's..." Pomona started but was interrupted by two police officers dragging Sirius towards the exit.

"Let the fuck go of me! I didn't do nothing!" Sirius screamed.

Pomona turned to Lily again. "It's Evan. They found him strangled in his room. They believe Sirius did it because he told Evan he would kill him the other day. God... I just can't believe it..."

Lily felt a rush of relief wash over her. She probably should be ashamed, but she was just so grateful it wasn't Remus or Regulus in that body bag.

"I DIDN'T DO SHITE!" yelled Sirius. "I'M NOT A MURDERER!"

"Except that you tried to kill him a few days ago," said one of the officers escorting him.

"I didn't! We just had a disagreement!"

A few meters away from them most of the patients had gathered, Remus and Regulus included. Lily hurried over to the two. "Are you okay?"

Regulus looked sick, his face nearly grey. "They've taken Sirius..."

"I'm sure they will release him soon. Just because he's violent doesn't make him a killer. He beats people up - he doesn't stage murders."

o0o0o

The atmosphere in the common room was tense, to put it mildly. People were scared. If someone could overpower Evan, who was big and strong, then nobody was safe.

"It's someone really strong. It must be one of the guards," said Natalie.

"Thorfinn," said Marlene bitterly. She was quite upset over Sirius' arrest. "He's mean and he's got it in for Sirius. I bet he's trying to frame Sirius, strangling Evan right after Sirius had choked him during that fight."

"But it was Antonin who told the police. I heard it," said Peter. "He told them about that and also about that time at the breakfast table where Sirius said he would cut his throat. And he took it out of context. He didn't tell that Sirius was just responding to Evan making fun of Regulus cutting himself. He wants Sirius to take the blame."

Miles shook his head. "I keep telling you – Thorfinn or Antonin are too obvious. It's someone keeping a low profile. A top professional agent."

"Why don't you shut up about your bloody conspiracies, you little freak?" spat Avery. "The killer would have done us all a favour by taking you out instead!"

"Hey!" said James. "Leave my mate alone! Are you feeling guilty about Evan, is that why you're lashing out? Why was he alone in his room, anyway? You were his roommate!"

Avery was about to say something but since everyone was looking at him and he had lost his usual backup, he settled on a "Fuck you, four-eyes".

James sighed and leaned back. "I hope they let Sirius out soon. I already miss him."

"But what if it is him?" said Lucinda. "The police took him for a reason."

"Sirius isn't strong enough to have overpowered Evan," said Natalie. "Perhaps beat him in a fight, but not hold down and strangle him. No, it has to be a guard. Or Hagrid. But he's just so kind and harmless. It's hard to imagine."

"Kingsley too. He's a nice bloke," said James. "Even though I make a lot of trouble for him I can tell he likes me. He's not mean like Thorfinn."

"So it's Thorfinn or Dawlish," nodded Natalie.

"It could be anyone from the whole hospital, pointed out Lucinda. "The staff from the other wards all have keys, don't they?"

Regulus suddenly got up and left. He found Kingsley in the corridor by the main entrance. "I need to speak to the police," he said.

The guard looked at him in surprise. "There's a detective talking to Doctor Dumbledore right now in his office..."

Regulus turned to go to the doctor's office, but Kingsley stopped him. "Wait a second - you can't just barge in. Let's go together, yes?"

Kingsley knocked on the door a minute later. When Dumbledore replied Kingsley stuck his head in. "I have Regulus here. He wishes to speak to the police. Shall I tell him to wait in the common room?"

"No – by all means let him in," said the detective.

"Sirius had nothing to do with Evan's murder. Or any of them," said Regulus as soon as he had stepped inside.

The detective looked a little surprised and raised an eyebrow. "What makes you so sure?"

"Because he's not a murderer! He's my brother and I know him best. He has a hot temper but he's a good person and would never kill anyone. The only reason in the world I can think of would be to save my life. And that's not exactly the case here."

"Oh, he's your brother?" the detective said, nodding to himself and looking like he didn't think Regulus could be taken seriously.

"You don't know him!" said Regulus agitatedly.

"I must say I agree with Regulus," said Doctor Dumbledore. "I do not find it likely that Sirius it the culprit. He is a hot-head and the only times he has hurt somebody was in the heat of the moment. Correct me if I'm wrong - I am no homicide detective - but aren't these crimes likely to have been committed by a cool, calculated person?"

The detective took a long look at Doctor Dumbledore and sighed. "He has not been charged with anything yet, merely taken in for interrogation."

"Evan had threatened people many times as well," said Regulus. "And he obviously wasn't the killer. Do you think Sirius would be so stupid as to tell Evan with everybody hearing it that he would kill him - and then do it?"

"Thank you for your input, young man," said the detective, his gaze telling Regulus that it was time for him to leave.

o0o0o

Lily came into the common room spotting Severus sitting by his usual window, but this time not alone. Caradoc was sitting talking with him. She went over a little later when Caradoc had gone to the bathroom. "You like your new roommate, I see," she smiled.

Severus bit his lip. "I guess I do," he mumbled.

"That's it? You guess?" said Lily, sitting down. "Aren't you glad to have found another friend or wouldn't you call him that?"

Severus rubbed his arm and sighed. "I guess I would. But I feel a little guilty; like I'm abandoning Barty when I talk to Caradoc."

"Don't feel like that, Severus. If Barty is a real friend he doesn't mind sharing you. It's selfish wanting to keep someone for themselves. So don't think about that. It's good to have more than one friend. You just hold on to Caradoc, you hear me?"

Severus chewed on his lip and seemed to think a lot about what she was saying. Then he nodded.

"How is studying going? Ready for another exam soon?"

Severus shook his head. "Haven't been reading much lately. It's hard to focus with so much going on. The murders and all that."

Lily sighed. "I understand. Let's hope it's all over soon."

o0o0o

Doctor Crouch arrived at the ward accompanied by the hospital's CEO, Cornelius Fudge. They gathered in the meeting room with Dumbledore and Molly.

"To what do we owe the pleasure, Cornelius?" asked Dumbledore, shaking the CEO's hand.

"Well..." said the man and sat down. "As we all know the hospital is in a difficult situation. We must figure out what to do."

Dumbledore folded his hands and peeped over the edge of his half-moon spectacles. "We have done everything we can do to make sure that the patients are safe. We have employed extra guards and night watches, and all patients have roommates now. No one is allowed to be alone at any time."

"I don't know if that will cut it anymore. The word has gotten out... the news... people are talking," said Fudge, wringing his hands. "It's very bad publicity for the hospital."

"We have to close the ward," said Doctor Crouch, sounding as if he had said this to Fudge many times.

"But that sends the wrong message..."

"The wrong message? That we take the situation seriously?" said Crouch.

"Why don't we take a breather and see where things go? We don't know for sure that we even have a serial killer," said Fudge.

"Take off those blinders," Crouch said. "We have four dead patients in the timespan of just a few months. What else is it – mass suicide?"

"The police said suicide could only be ruled out in two of the cases…" said Fudge.

"Cornelius," said Dumbledore calmly. "We are only talking about closing the ward - not the whole hospital. I do believe it might be the responsible thing to do. At least for a period of time."

"Well, you're not the CEO, so the decision is not yours!" snapped Fudge. "You're just an employee!"

Dumbledore held up appeasing hands, a soft smile on his lips. "Indeed," he assured Fudge. "Which decision would you like to make, then?"

"Let us wait and see. The safety measures have been upped, as you said yourself. I'm sure the police will find the culprit soon. Besides, if we close the ward, how can they catch him?"

"You want to use the patients as bait?" said Molly angrily.

"No, of course not," said the CEO. "I am thinking of the patients' best interest. What will happen to them if we close? Do you want to throw them on the street?"

"Of course not!" said Molly. "Half have already been taken home or moved to other hospitals by their parents. As for the rest... Can't we move them to other wards?"

"We are nearly completely full, unfortunately," said Crouch. "We could probably accommodate a few. And the patients who aren't in too serious a condition could be sent home."

Fudge eyed Crouch. "I hear Black has been arrested, so there is a good chance that they have already caught the culprit. I think it would be hasty to close the ward when we might actually have solved the problem already."

Molly snorted. "Of course he is not the killer!"

"He is the most violent patient on the ward, is he not? Bartemius has told me of several episodes that in both his and my opinion should have sent him to jail!" said Fudge, starting to get angry.

"Sirius has problems but he is a good boy at heart!" said Molly, raising her voice as well.

Dumbledore got to his feet raising his hands calmingly. "Please sit back down, Molly, and let us all take a breath. Now - Cornelius - I agree with Molly, not just about the boy having a good heart, but as a psychiatrist I can tell you that if Sirius were a killer, the murders would be violent and impulsive, which is clearly not the case here."

"That man is worse than Crouch," said Molly to Dumbledore when the meeting was over, with nothing having been decided other than putting the decision off for another few days. "At least Crouch acknowledges there is a problem."