The Inquisitor's Son

Part Thirty-Six: Still At the Warehouse

The bile rose in her throat again as she scrambled to vomit into the toilet next to her. It didn't matter how many baths she took because none would remove the stench of death that had seeped into her skin. She could brush her teeth and use potions to clean her breath, but the vomit was permanent in her mouth. She felt sick as she replayed the whole thing in her head again. She got up from the bathroom floor and washed her face and hands.

When she emerged, she saw him reading the newspapers. She knew it was one of his favorite pastimes along with torturing her. She stared blankly as she sunk into a nearby armchair. Her hands were on her lap as she sat in a state of heightened alertness. Slowly, she relaxed only to be jolted out of it. "Crucio." Pain shot through her body as she seized up and screamed at the same time. He never lowered the newspaper. She crumpled onto the floor when he was done. "One more to go," he said, lowering the newspaper only to turn the page.

"Who else?" she gasped. "There's no one else. You've killed them all." Her voice was struggling as she nearly cried.

"We killed them," he mildly corrected, "but he's alive. They're about to crown him The New Boy Who Lived."

"He's just a child," she whispered, only able to look at the floor. She didn't bother to try and get up. If she had, he'd take away her ability to move again.

He said, "So were those girls. You killed them." His voice was almost glib like he was discussing the latest Quidditch matches.

"Then you finish them," she practically begged. "I got it wrong the first time."

"No, you'll do it," he insisted as she got up. "But without your wand."

Her eyes widened as she realized that he had used her own wand on her. She knew that instant that he had meant to finish her off as well. She didn't know if she should thank God that it was nearly over or not because he only took the wands when he was done with someone. Her time was nearly up.

***

Scorpius was more than stunned than anyone once the memory had faded to white on the wall. "What was that?" he exploded as he got to his feet.

Harry replied, "I had a theory and it's starting to look right."

"Draco Malfoy took down Greyback," breathed Teddy. "But everyone knows it was the Inquisitor who did it—" He stopped mid-sentence as he stared at his godfather. His eyes bugged out a bit as he declared, "He was the Inquisitor."

"Who the Bloody Hell was the Inquisitor?!" demanded Scorpius.

His voice at that moment sounded so much like his father's that it caught Harry and Ron off guard. Teddy was shocked. "I've never heard you swear before," he told Scorpius.

Ron said, "Not that you don't have the right to, but for right now we need to confirm more before we tell you more about Harry's theory."

Harry interjected, "The Inquisitor was thought to be an urban myth. The underbelly of our society claimed that there was a person who captured Death Eaters and other dark wizards out of our jurisdiction and sometimes in. They are so afraid of him that so far we never had any actual evidence of the Inquisitor's existence beyond just a few accounts."

"But why is this the first time I've heard of the Inquisitor?" asked Scorpius.

"This is something out a Muggle comic book," said Ron as he looked around. "Hugo loves those things. His granddad, Hermione's father, takes us to the cinema to the moving pictures. I must say I rather like them myself. Well, maybe not Spider-man. I just can't get into that one."

Teddy agreed, "Batman. This is more like Batman. Or Zorro, but that's not really comics."

"Enough," Harry cut them off to avoid confusing Scorpius further.

Scorpius looked at a loss. "He never told me about anything," he muttered.

"He never intended for people to know," said Harry.

Scorpius said, "That means there are more suspects doesn't it?"

"Yes," answered Ron, now re-focused at the task at hand. "Your father had no shortage of enemies both old and new."

"That's not helping, Ron," snapped Teddy.

Scorpius shook his head, "It's all right, Teddy. Mr. Weasley's right."

"Didn't Lucius say that the Inquisitor killed his son?" asked Ron.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow at this. He hadn't had direct contact with his grandfather in almost a year. He said, "He gave you the lead, didn't he, Mr. Potter?"

Harry nodded. There was very little point in keeping it a secret. "Your grandfather has stonewalled us better than you. I caught him coming out of the courthouse and I followed up on the lead."

"But why didn't he say that his son was the Inquisitor?" insisted Ron.

"Lucius wouldn't just tell you straight out," snarled Scorpius. "He knew. He knew all along. He likes playing games like this with people, even if it involves his dead son."

"Um…not to add more questions, but the Inquisitor went after Death Eaters, wouldn't that have made family gatherings awkward?" asked Teddy.

Scorpius groaned. "It does explain why Draco and his father didn't get along for almost twenty years after the war," shrugged Harry. "It was a conflict of interest. We wouldn't know for sure until we review everything." Scorpius, who had sat down along the course of the conversation, stood up again. He had had enough of the warehouse and his father's numerous secrets. "You don't mind if we take more of a look, do you?"

"Do whatever you want," muttered Scorpius. "I need some air."

Teddy was about to go after him, but Harry stopped him, "Give him a couple of minutes to mull it over, Teddy."

Ron gave a low whistle as he got up. "This is overwhelming for a kid to process. What do we do first?"

"Get the memories back to HQ," said Harry. "I want a full inventory by the end of business today. Get as many people down here as possible, if you have to, Ron."

"What about me?" asked Teddy.

Harry glanced at him. "Take Scorpius back to my house and tell his grandmother what we have. She gave me some insight on Lucius. She didn't let on that she knew anything about this."

"Those women are hard to read," agreed Teddy. He looked a bit ill at the prospect. "How am I going to tell her? Oh, what fun this will be." Teddy's skin changed from his regular skin tone to something paler, almost as pale as Scorpius.

"You can do it. Practice on Scorpius," said Harry.

"Yeah," said Teddy.

"Everything is to be kept quiet," said Harry to Ron. "This is probably the biggest news to come out in years."

"You mean since Voldemort?"

"Yes. I'm going to have a word with Lucius Malfoy," answered Harry. "I think I know how to talk to him now."

Teddy waited a couple of minutes, or he tried to, before he went outside to talk to Scorpius. He found him leaning against the side of the building. "You know your father was a hero in my book," ventured Teddy gingerly. "He took down the werewolf who attacked my dad in the first place. Your dad is the reason why I've been able to sleep at night. If he were around, I'd thank him for what he did." Scorpius said nothing as Teddy joined him. "Let me tell you what I know about the Inquisitor. It's mostly rumor, but some of it might be true."

"It's all right. You don't have to," said Scorpius softly. "I was just thinking about all the times he went away. My mum worried a lot, but he always came back. I never understood until now. She knew, too, but she didn't say anything."

"When I was growing up, I would ask questions about my parents because I never got to know them," said Teddy. "It took years before Harry could tell me how they died. When he finally told me, I understood why he didn't do it earlier. He was trying to protect me. Your parents were doing that, too."

"You don't get it, Teddy," whispered Scorpius. "I thought I knew my dad, but it turns out I didn't know him at all."

"No, you only knew a few sides of him, Score," Teddy reassured him. "From what I've heard about your dad, he was a pretty complicated person. He was good and bad. You only saw the good. That's all he let you see. He used his bad side to do good work, but that's obviously not what he wanted people to know about him."

"Why didn't he let on? Why didn't he take credit for it?" asked Scorpius.

"I don't know," replied Teddy.

***

Teddy and Scorpius returned to the Potters' house sometime later. Scorpius didn't feel up for talking to anyone at that point. He had a lot to think about. Everything he had thought about his father had been thrown into a tailspin. He couldn't understand what was going on. Teddy left without telling Ginny or anyone anything and went straight to Manderlay to talk to his aunt.

Scorpius started to play his violin, which was heard from the outside. Ginny had a visit from Hermione and Angelina. They watched as she came back from inside the house with her arms folded over her chest. She had a worried look on her face. "I couldn't get anything out of Teddy," she said simply as she re-took her seat at the outdoor table.

The Aurors were good at keeping things quiet until they were ready to give out information. Harry's influence insured it. The children were playing with their broomsticks, practicing Quidditch. It didn't seem right that one child be left out, even if he had chosen to be. Ginny was worried about Scorpius as much as any mother should be. "He'll talk when he's ready," Hermione assured her.

"You weren't here when it happened," said Ginny, referring to the horrible night when the latest murders had happened. "It was just as bad as Harry. I know he's putting up a front like Harry did. Harry is keeping his eye on him all the time now. But when he goes back to school, what will happen?"

"Neville will take over," answered Angelina. "It takes a village to raise a child. Fred said that Scorpius is strong. He's amazed that he's been able to put up a front for so long."

"I never thought something like this would ever happen again," said Ginny. "Harry wouldn't have wished this on his worst enemy." The sound of the music halted all activity.

James was the first one to touch down on the ground. "Malfoy's back, isn't he?" he asked.

"I wonder where Dad took him," said Albus. Scorpius hadn't told him exactly what was going on.

Louis was with James for the practice. He shrugged as he joined them, "Malfoy's a bit weird. I mean all that stuff in the papers. He gave away all that money he inherited from his aunt and uncle. The papers figured it out."

"He gives more than he spends," snorted Albus. "Imagine trying to use money that you inherited because your family was murdered. He has a hard time even letting anyone use his parents' things. He would rather use his father's broom than the Mach."

"I guess it would be hard to spend that money," admitted James. "Al, what did he see that made him scream like that?"

"If he wanted you to know, he'd tell you," replied Albus without a hint of smugness. "And don't ask again or I'll tell Mum and Dad."

Lily was partly listening to them as Roxanne walked beside her. She could hear the violin. She hadn't seen him much and he wasn't avoiding her gaze much longer, yet he might as well have been on another planet. She didn't know how she could help him. Roxanne didn't know how to help her.

Hugo, Rose, and Louis were the only ones who weren't burdened by anything. James wanted to know what was going. Albus and Lily were worried about Scorpius. "I just wish that Malfoy wouldn't put on that violin music," said James. "It's so sad. I guess playing his mum's albums help."

"He's not playing an album. He's playing the violin," clarified Fred. "You know the instrument with strings with a bow."

"Really?" asked Louis. "I guess he would know how to play."

"You know we know more about Malfoy these past days because of the newspapers," pointed out Rose.

Albus shook his head, "They don't know anything about him. Nothing that counts anyway."

Rose glared at Albus. She wanted to know what was going on, too, but not as badly as James. She felt like her cousin had been usurped by a trespasser. She thought that Malfoy wasn't completely truthful and didn't present himself in a truthful way. Or she felt that she should be trusted as well and not just Albus. It was hard to say.

The music stopped abruptly and Ginny stood up right away with Hermione following her. The reason why was because Scorpius was headed downstairs. He was coming through the door as they were coming inside. "I was thirsty, Mrs. Potter," he said. He attempted to smile, but failed. Instead he said, "Hello Mrs. Weasley."

"Hello," said Hermione as Scorpius went to help himself to some water.

"Have you eaten anything?" asked Ginny.

Scorpius shook his head, "I'm not hungry, Mrs. Potter."

Ginny gave him an exasperated look similar to the ones he was used to getting from his grandmother and aunt. "Why didn't Harry think of feeding you?"

"Or Ron?" chimed in Hermione. "Although, I'm not surprised."

"They didn't ask," shrugged Scorpius.

"Men, they don't think of these things," sighed Ginny.

Scorpius said, "You don't have to worry, Mrs. Potter. I'm fine."

Ginny ignored him as she prepared him something to eat. Hermione took the glass that Scorpius was holding away from him. She went to get him some lemonade. Scorpius had lost this round. Why were women always so intent on feeding him? He was forced to sit down and eat a sandwich and drink some juice before he was allowed to leave.

By then, the other children were coming in along with Angelina. "Hello Scorpius," greeted Albus.

"Hello," said Scorpius as he finished the juice. "Everyone."

"Where's Teddy?" asked James. "I thought he was with you."

"He went to talk to my grandmother," replied Scorpius.

"Did you get yourself into more trouble with her?" asked James with a bit of a smirk.

"No, my father did," answered Scorpius. He suddenly found the tabletop fascinating and refused to look up at anyone. "So, Rose, did you finish up all of the homework?"

"Yes," replied Rose smoothly.

"That last problem that Professor Vector put was a bit tricky, but I'm sure you worked it out," said Scorpius mildly.

"Well, I still have to work on it," admitted Rose. "Why did you finish it?"

"Yes, of course," replied Scorpius. "Do you need some help, Weasley?"

Rose's lips formed a firm line as she shook her head. "But, you said you needed help," pointed out Hugo.

"Shut it," she snapped at her younger brother.

"She was up really late until she gave up," continued Hugo. "She was going over her notes again and again, saying she must have missed something that Professor Vector had said."

"I have the notes from the class," offered Scorpius. "I don't know if you'd be able to read them though."

"Your handwriting isn't as bad as Fred's chicken scratch," said Albus.

"That's not what I meant," said Scorpius. He got up. "I'll show you."

Rose glared at her brother. "You are so dead. I don't when, but you'll get it."

"Rose, please don't threaten your brother," warned Hermione. She was rather curious about Scorpius' notes. She had offered Rose help, but her daughter had stubbornly refused. Rose pointed out that there were some kids who didn't need help from their parents.

Scorpius came back and handed over his notebook. Rose grabbed it out of his hand and opened it. "I can't read this," she declared. "It's got musical notes all over it."

"Oh, that's the wrong notebook. That's my Ancient Runes' notebook," said Scorpius. "Hang on, I'll be right back."

Rose flipped through the notebook. "You're not even paying attention in Ancient Runes, Malfoy. How are you passing the class?" she asked.

Scorpius returned with the correct notebook and answered, "Because I use them as mnemonic devices. I mean the music. I've been able to read music since I was about five. My mum taught me."

"That's why you were humming during the final!" exclaimed Rose.

Scorpius asked, "I was humming? I don't remember humming."

"Yes, you were. That's cheating."

"No, it's not. It's just using what I have. You are a grade grubber, Weasley."

The stunned silence in the room that followed was profound. There was a sharp intake of air from Hugo as he hid behind his mother. James started laughing, "I never heard anyone describe you so well Rosie."

Rose's nostrils flared at that point. "I am not a grade grubber, Malfoy," she seethed.

"Yes, you are," said Scorpius with infuriating calm. "That's why you can't just see the answers in Vector's class. Showing work is a waste of time. Only the answer matters in the real world, Weasley."

"You aren't smarter than me."

"I never said I was, but if you want to settle this, I'll give you the chance to." Scorpius didn't say he needed the distraction.

Author's Note: I came back from London about two weeks ago, so I've been trying to get everything is getting settled again. I had lots of catch up at work. This chapter was a bit harder to write. I did want to do this upcoming part. Scorpius can be annoying as hell, if he intends to be. Harry and Ron continue with the investigation. Harry has another conversation with Lucius Malfoy. Some people are out there guessing who the two people are.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Him and all of the original characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Please use this story with my permission.