Chapter Thirty-Six: Wizard's Turnabout

May and Trucy found a young boy standing outside of one of the cottages across Lush Jungle. They knew it had to be Scorpius Malfoy. She could tell by his frilly clothes and bleach blonde hair that he wasn't a local in Alola. Trucy wasn't impressed at being woken up in the early hours of the morning, but came along with May to meet up with Scorpius Malfoy.

Thalassa would not have been able to carry all three of them towards the detention centre, so Scorpius called for a taxi to take them to the detention centre. As they walked together to talk to Draco Malfoy's cell, May had asked the boy what she knew about the case. To her surprise, Scorpius was helpful and told him all that he knew.

"Her name was Cho Oak," Scorpius said. "She's Professor Samson Oak's daughter-in-law. I don't know much about her, but I know she went to the same school at my dad. They hardly spoke at school, my father had no reason to kill her."

"What were you and your father doing during the time that Cho Oak died?"

"We were in the hotel room." Scorpius sounded as if he was out of breath. "We were just getting ready for bed and then muggles came in and arrested him."

"Who are the muggles?"

"They're people who can't do magic," Scorpius explained. "You should know, you're friends with Trucy Wright!"

"What do you know about Mrs. Oak's death?" May asked.

"She was found in a bathroom," Scorpius said. "My dad wouldn't go into a girl's bathroom to kill her."

"Why would they arrest him?" Trucy asked. "If she was found in the girl's bathroom, then it would be be safe to assume that the culprit was a woman."

"Dad!" Scorpius cried out as he saw his father behind the glass wall. "I got a lawyer is here to see you."

"Go back to the hotel," Draco demanded to his son. "It's too late for you to be up at this hour."

"I won't be able to sleep," Scorpius retorted. "I'm staying here."

Just as they were about to approach Draco, the guard intervened. "Only one person in at a time."

Scorpius frowned and lowered his head. Trucy patted his back. "Let's go outside," she suggested. "Let May talk to him and then you can go next."

Trucy escorted Scorpius outside. Knowing Trucy, she would have bought Scorpius a hot beverage of his choice. The first thing she saw as she took her seat in front of her client was a broken man. He looked just like an older version of his son. He had a look about him that suggested that he was a menace. Maybe it was true, but being a menace was different than being a murderer. All murders are menaces, but not all menaces are murderers.

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes... Who are you?"

"I'm May Maple," she told him. "I'll be representing you in court."

"My lawyer?" May nodded. Draco didn't seem happy, but he didn't seem upset either. He spoke again. "Who hired you?"

"Your son."

"He's just a boy." Draco shook his head and buried his head in his hands. "He's only sixteen."

"Is there any other family Scorpius can stay with?"

Draco sobbed. "I'm his only family... He's got friends back home, but that's about it."

"Is there somebody he can contact?"

Draco nodded. "Potter, knowing him he's already told them."

"Then let's go on about the victim, Cho Oak...what do you know about her?"

"She went to my school."

"How well did you know her?"

"Not much," Draco admitted. "We hardly spoke."

Not once did he look into May's eyes. His eyes swirled all over the place. He couldn't keep still. His hands shaking hands caused his table to vibrate.

"Is there any chance that you and Mrs. Oak might have crossed paths?"

Draco shook his head. "Maybe, I don't know what she looks like now."

At that point, May could no longer continue her interview. Draco stood up and kicked the chair on the floor and then curled up into a ball. A mental breakdown was May's diagnosis. It took her back to the time Ash was convicted. Looking at Draco's wt eyes brought her back to dark times that she would rather forget.

The burning rays of the sun was enough to make everyone sweat buckets. May frantically waved a fan over her face as she stepped into the girl's bathroom outside Lush Jungle. The final resting place of Cho Oak. They had already removed her body and the forensics wouldn't let her through. Detective Gary Oak inspected every cubicle, one by one, opening the doors looking for unusual items. So far, he was having no luck.

Where Cho Oak's body was found was shaped in white tape. There was no sign of blood but the way the body was shaped appeared very bizarre. The rim where the legs would have been were slimmer than the rest of the body, which made May think that maybe she had a her legs crossed. Her head seemed twisted. But without looking at the body, May only had assumptions.

"Morning Gary," May said as she crouched over the tape.

"Morning May."

"Looks like Mrs. Oak died pretty strangely."

Gary nodded. "We're not quite sure what killed her. She was strangled, but the forensics believe that she was strangled after she was killed."

"Why would the assailant strange her if she was already dead?" Gary shrugged his shoulders. Then May, quickly found a solution. "Unless, the killer was trying to frame somebody."

"When we found Cho''s body," Gary explained, getting out a tube filled with wrestling vines. "We found these vines around her neck. Now we're not sure what these vines are or where they're from. But I can tell you for sure that this isn't a pokémon."

"Could that be what killed Cho?" May asked.

"We're not sure. I can't say for sure. They're investigating her body as we speak."

"Why was Draco Malfoy arrested?"

"He's got a bad record," Gary said. "He and Cho went to the same school. They were both Quiddich Seekers for their team. As far as I know, Cho and Draco never got on. Cho mentioned him a lot in family meetings, but it was all bad stuff. As it stands, Draco is the only one in Alola with a reason to kill Cho."

"So you think he killed her because they didn't like each other at school?"

"Cho was a big supporter of Harry Potter," Gary explained. "A really famous wizard. Draco Malfoy came from a wealthy and ancient clan of wizards. Harry and Draco hated each other at school. Draco's most likely trying to start a revolution."

May lowered her head. She couldn't believe it. She didn't want to believe it. She knew that something was off about Draco Malfoy the very moment she laid eyes on him, but she didn't think for one moment that he would be a murderer. Draco was still Scorpius' father regardless of what he had done in the past. She had promised Scorpius that she would clear his name.

"What's wrong May?"

"Is there anybody else you know who has a grudge against Cho?"

Gary shook his head. "Everybody loved her. She was kind, gentle and sweet. She was great with pokémon and children."

"So what have you found so far?" May asked, wanting to get back on topic. She wanted to shout at Gary and declare Draco innocent, but she couldn't without no evidence. "Any clues?"

"Nothing..." Gary admitted. "When we found Cho's body there was nothing in her pockets and she didn't even have a handbag either."

"So she could have been robbed?"

"I don't think so," Gary said. "There was no sign of struggling."

"Do you think she was killed by magic?"

Gary shrugged his shoulders. "Who knows. All I know is that it's going to be a long wait for the autopsy report."

"How come?"

"Her death is rather unusual. Since it's unexpected, we have to investigate by default."

"If that's the case can you be so sure that she was murdered?" May thought that she was getting somewhere. "Could she have been killed by a spell or been poisoned."

"I can't say for sure."

"If that's the case then you've got no case against Draco Malfoy."

"The circumstantial evidence of his guilt is overwhelming."

"But without hardcore evidence you don't have a case."

"Don't tell me that you're defending that swine?"

"Of course I am."

"You get some odd clients don't ya?"

May clenched her fists and stormed out.

"Hey! Where ya going?"

"To Lush Jungle!"

May wandered deep into the tropical trees of Lush Jungle. Whoever tried to frame Draco might have left some discarded evidence somewhere. She didn't know where she was going at first, she wouldn't have been surprised if she was going round in circles but she continued on her search. She used Blaziken to protect her from any wild pokemon who tried to attack, Then bingo! A little tent, a bonfire and fallen bottles.

"Hello?" May said, calmly.

No response. May opened the tent cover and saw a pale woman's face popping out of the sleeping bag. The woman didn't notice May as she rolled over towards the back of the tent and began to snore. May wasn't sure weather to wake her up or not. Glancing over at the empty bottles on the floor and sniffing the alcoholic stench, she walked away from the tent. She shook her head. "Nope, just a homeless drunk lives here."

May's senses became enlightened the sound of a pikachu. May followed the electric sparks and found Ash and Pikachu training together in the woods. "Hey!" May cried out.

Ash looked up. "May! Where have you been?"

"Something happened at work," May said.

"You're working on another case?" Ash had his hands on his hips. "May, you gotta learn to say no. Forget about work for once and spend some time with me."

"I wish I could," May admitted. "But I'm a defence attorney, I can't leave innocent people with nobody to defend them."

"You mean that Malfoy dude?"

"Who told you?"

"Gary told me. He murdered Cho Oak."

May folded her arms and sighed. "Gary needs to be careful. Telling you this stuff could be breeching confidentiality. He could get fired."

"I think he'll be fine," Ash said. "He's doing his best to make sure that Malfoy gets brought down."

"So when are you going to battle Hades?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "When I feel ready."

May noticed a black bulging book on the log where Ash's handbag is. She marched over to the book and picked it up. She struggled to pick the book up even with both of her arms. "Ash, what's this book?"

"Oh somebody gave it to me."

"Who?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "Some old guy with jet black hair and a black cloak. He had bright wings though as if he was an angel. He glowed as well. It was weird."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"Not much," Ash replied. "All he did was throw that book in my hand and left."

"Is that all? He must have said something to you."

Ash nodded. "He told me to turn to page 394."

The book slipped out of May's hands. "I can't even lift the book up let alone open a page in it."

"Hey!" May heard Trucy call from the bushes ahead. "Hermione Granger is coming."

"Who is she?" Ash asked. "I've never heard of her. Is she some famous model or something.

Trucy shook her head. "She's the minister of magic for the United Kingdom. They're headquarters is in London. Hermione is one of my idols. She's the most famous witch of our time."

"Have you met her?"

"I've just seen her in person, but never really spoken to her."

"What would bring her here in Alola?" Ash asked.

"Draco Malfoy's dad used to work for the ministry of magic."

"How do you know?" Ash asked. "Gary never told me that."

"A lot has happened in the wizarding world," Trucy explained. "Things that they try to keep only between witches and wizards themselves."

"Wait, Draco told me his son was his only family," May said.

"That's right, most of his family are dead," Trucy said. "He's got a cousin in prison and a sister-in-law that he hardly sees."

"Any brothers or sisters?" Ash asked.

"No, " Trucy responded. "I've been looking at his family tree. He's got a cousin, which is the one May was talking about. There's some distant cousins, but that's about it. His wife, father and mother all died within a few years of each other."

"That sounds sad," May said.

"So it's just him and Scorpius then?" Ash asked.

"Looks like it." Trucy replied.

"I feel sorry for him," May admitted. "Hearing all of that. I really want to help him."

"I'm off," Ash said, sprinting deeper in the forest. "Gotta catch up on my training. See ya later." He ran so fast, May didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.

"I think we should talk to Hermione Granger," Trucy suggested. "She knows him quite well, but not in a good way."

"Not in a good way?"

"Draco Malfoy used to pick on her and her friends at school?"

"Sounds pathetic."

"You know what little boys are like when they're at school... But people change: they grow up."

May nodded. "I know too much..."

"Bullying is a common issue that witches and wizards go through, even more so than people who don't study magic."

"Bullying is bad regardless of who goes through it," Ash reminded them both.

"I know." May took a deep breath, admiring the fact that Ash and Trucy were showing conflict towards each other. "It just makes me feel a little less sorry for Malfoy."

"Would Hermione be here?"

"There she is, " Trucy replied, pointing at a woman and two men strolling round the woods. "She's with her husband and friend, Harry Potter."

"Harry Potter..."

"Yeah, he's a real star in magic. He's one of the most famous wizards since Merlin."

"I think we should go and talk to them."

"Who's who?" May whispered to Trucy as she began to approach them.

"The guy with red hair is Ron Weasley: Hermione's husband. The other guy with the glasses and lightning bolt scar is Harry Potter."

Harry gulped, walking at a more slower pace than the other two. "I can't believe that Cho's actually dead."

"And they've arrested Malfoy for it," Ron said in horror. "He always was an arsehole."

"Do you think he actually did it?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry admitted. "He doesn't have it in him to kill."

"It wouldn't surprise me." Ron was still not convinced.

"We can't jump to conclusions," Hermione snapped. "The muggle police force have no evidence that it's him."

"Hello!" Trucy said.

"Oh hello there." Harry jumped and turned behind him. His other friends stopped. Harry placed his hands in his pocket. "Uhm... nice day isn't it?"

"Wait, I know you: you're Trucy Wright."

"And you're Ron Weasley."

"My dad knows your dad, always says good stuff about him," Ron added. "Anyway this my wife, Hermione. Well you know her, she's the minister of magic. And this is Harry, we've been best mates since school."

"Pleasure," Hermione said, shaking Trucy's hand.

"And this is my friend May, she's defending Malfoy in court."

"We were wondering if we could ask you some questions."

"Sure." Harry admitted.

The five of them left Lush Jungle and went to the nearest pokémon centre where they gathered round two leather sofas

"So how do you know Mr. Malfoy?" May asked the trio.

"We all went to school with him," Hermione responded.

"What did you think of Mr. Malfoy when you first met him?"

"I thought he was a right git."

"And Mr. Weasley, what do you think of him now?"

"I still think he's a right foul git."

"Right..." It wasn't what May wanted to hear.

"I don't even know why you bother with him," Ron admitted. "He's always been a nasty piece of work."

"Ron!" Hermione bashed his shoulder with the palm of a book.

He shrugged his shoulders as Harry sat there with his mouth closed. "What!"

"It's Miss Maple's job to make sure that Malfoy doesn't get sent down for a crime he doesn't commit."

"After everything he's done: it wouldn't surprise me if he did kill Cho."

"Malfoy might be a jerk at times," Harry said. "Actually he's a jerk most of the time but he isn't a murderer."

"Harry! Don't stand up for that prick."

"Ronald! Stop it!"

"I haven't done anything."

"If you carry on like this, you'll become a suspect."

"They can't suspect me."

"Anybody can be a suspect," Harry explained to Ron. "We have to remain calm."

"So what brings all of you here?" Trucy asked.

"There's a witchcraft convention," Hermione said with a smile. "We were invited."

May leaned over the table. "Can you tell me more about this convention?"

"The convention was in Aether Paradise!" Hermione explained in as much detail as possible. She sounded like an audio encyclopedia. "Thousands of witches and wizards attended this event. They have a really big market and arenas to play Quiddich and duel. Entry is free, but it's invite only."

"And was Cho invited too?" May asked.

"I assume so," Harry asked. "She did live here. I mean, I've never heard from her since we left school."

"Was Draco Malfoy a guest?" Trucy asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know."

"Is there anyone else you know who had a grudge against Cho Oak?"

"Not that I know off," Hermione added.

"No," Harry said firmly shaking his head.

Ron shook his shoulders. "I don't think so."

"Okay then, thanks for your time."

Trucy and May ended the interview with a handful of hope. There had been a convention for wizards. There's a high chance the victim and defendant could have been in the convention. More questions to ask her client later on. Despite the lead, she still wasn't anywhere closer to finding the truth as she was yesterday.

May suddenly halted as soon as she left the pokémon centre. "Strange..."

"What's strange?" Trucy said.

"It's strange that Hermione Granger is married to Ron Weasley and yet, she insists on using her maiden name."

"You think that could mean something?"

"I can't leave it, it could be a lead."

"I don't see anything wrong or suspicious of it at all."

"Why is that?"

"Look at the Fey clan: I'm pretty sure most of the woman have been married, and they've all chosen to keep their maiden names after marriage."

"I guess you're right, I was just getting desperate for a lead. This case isn't going off to a good start."

"Hey! It's still early days yet."

"I mean we've got evidence and no witnesses: it could go either way."

"You'll pull this off: I know you will."

"That's if people stop meddling with time that is."