Chapter 22

Rita Skeeter slammed the door of her flat. She had had a very long day. The knowledge that Alexis had killed Kane and was now hiding out in her flat weighed heavily upon her. On top of that, her editor had screamed her down for not having the scoop regarding Snape's arrest and subsequent release. He had threatened to sack her if she didn't have a sensational story first thing in the morning about the arrest, the romance of Snape and Granger, or better yet, who killed Andrew Kane.

As she made her way through her sitting room, dropping her cloak and bag as she went, she rued the day she ever got involved with Hanneford and Kane. Life was simpler when she was just writing articles filled with half-truths about the celebrities of the wizarding world. Speculation was far easier than actually researching facts, and she had thick files in her possession on all the high-profile wizarding citizens to cull for such sensational stories.

Alexis had to leave her flat today. Rita knew the Aurors would come sniffing simply because she had been in Snape's shop the day before and Snape was no dummy; he'd certainly mention it. In addition, the recent glut of articles about Snager (as she dubbed them) she had written for The Prophet meant the Aurors would undoubtably haul in her, as they had done once already. Alexis had to go.

"Alexis?" Rita called her temporary roommate. "Alexis? Where are you?"

Rita checked the kitchen and spare room. The only other place she could be was the bathroom—which Rita needed to use—so she walked toward the end of the hall and knocked on the door.

"Alexis? Hurry up; I need to go."

When she got no answer, she knocked again and then turned the knob and pushed the door open.

Earlier

Alexis pulled the door firmly shut as she left Rita's flat. She had decided to talk a walk to get her thoughts in order. As Rita lived in a Muggle neighbourhood, she knew she could walk about freely without running into anyone she knew. That freedom was enticing, and she wasted no time in taking advantage of it.

She walked without intent; her hands shoved into her long cloak that looked enough like a Muggle trench coat to be inconspicuous. She had transfigured her pumps into flats to be more comfortable and wrapped a scarf around her hair to add some anonymity, even though it was not needed; the small gesture made her feel more secure.

In the immediate aftermath of having stabbed Kane, she had run to Rita's flat on instinct. It had not been her plan to do so, she just did. She remembered beating on the door, begging Rita to let her in. The woman had opened the door, anger written on her face, but had immediately grasped the situation and pulled her inside. They talked long into the night, Rita disappearing long enough to confirm what Alexis had feared.

She shuddered at the thought that she had killed a man. It was not her intent to do so when she met with Kane in that alley, but he had pushed her. He had insinuated that she would easily trade sex for his silence. Watching him grab his crotch and shake it at her had infuriated her. The man was repulsive and when he stepped closer to her, his foul breath wafting into her face had increased her fury, and her mind went blank. When she was aware of her surroundings again, Kane was on the ground, clutching his abdomen.

Her mind was brought back to the present when she ran into a large bulky man.

"Wotcher' lass!" he said as he stepped to one side and kept on his way.

Alexis shook her head and looked at her surroundings, realising she had no idea where she was. She saw a small alcove between two shops and stepped into it, surreptitiously pulling her wand from her pocket. With a whispered 'Point Me', she discovered she was only a mile north from Rita's flat. Another whispered spell revealed that it was late morning, and she hadn't eaten since lunch the day before.

She looked around at the shops, saw a grocer across the road and made her way toward it. She had no Muggle money, but a simple whispered charm meant that she left the shop with a ready to eat sandwich and some crisps. As she stood just outside the shop, she looked at her left and noticed an offie. Some Scotch would warm her up nicely, she thought. As much as Wizards tried, they simply could not replicate by magic the aroma, flavour and content of Muggle Scotch. Today she was desperate for a bottle, maybe even two. She hoped she could kill her mind enough to stop thinking about what had happened in the last seventy-two hours. Would it be gauche to open the bottle and swig it as she walked? Anything to kill the thoughts.

Things were falling apart around her. Snape had been arrested and released and surely it wouldn't be long before the Aurors followed the trail from Snape to her. The articles in The Prophet over the past months would certainly mean that Rita would at least be hauled in for questioning—Harry Potter would make sure of that—and she could not trust that Rita would not squeal.

A cold wind blew through her cloak, causing her to shiver. Mind made up, she slipped into the offie, charm at the ready, and soon was making her way back to Rita's.

As soon as she entered the flat, she dropped her purchases and stripped the wet coat and scarf off. She transfigured her tights into a pair of warm woolly socks and sat on the couch. She shot a spell at the wireless, turning on her favourite afternoon program. She grabbed the throw Rita kept on the back of the sofa, wrapping it around her legs so that she was toasty.

Prising the lid off the bottle of Scotch first and taking a warming swallow, she opened the sandwich and crisps and settled down. She allowed herself to fall into the program on the wireless, temporarily leaving the Wizarding World behind.

The afternoon wore on, and as the Scotch became smoother and smoother going down, Alexis decided a long soak would further help her relax. She picked up her second bottle—not even aware that she had finished the first one—and walked to the bathroom.

She turned on the taps and set the water to just under 'too hot' and filled it with some of Rita's bath salts and bubbles. 'Hmm,' Alexis thought, 'she certainly spends on her bath soap!' With a giggle, she poured the entire bottle of bubbles into the water.

She pulled a wicker storage chest closer to the tub, set her bottle on it and stripped. She stepped into the tub, using both sides to support her; the alcohol had really made her wobbly. She eased into the water and sighed.

It wasn't long before the warmth of the room, the water, and the effects of the alcohol made her sleepy. 'I'll just close my eyes for a moment', she thought. It felt good to close her eyes, the slight burning she had been feeling easing as she had done so. She let her body relax and slipped further into the water. 'Must make sure to keep my head up', was her last thought as she fell asleep.

Present time

Rita was stunned. Here was the sensational story of the century her editor wanted, and she couldn't write it. She belatedly realised she had to be doing something, so she rushed to the tub and hauled the still body of Alexis upward.

"Rennervate!" Rita screamed as she aimed her wand at Alexis' chest. "Rennervate, rennervate, rennervate!"

Letting the body slip from her hands and back into the water, she sat heavily on the toilet. "Oh fuck," she moaned. Alexis was dead, more than likely having drowned after drinking a bottle of Scotch, if the nearly empty bottle sitting on the chest was any indication.

Rita scrubbed her face furiously and screamed. How could things go from horrid to even more horrid for her? There was no way she could scheme her way out of how Alexis Hannaford's body was in her bathtub, dead as dead could be.

She fled the bathroom and returned to her sitting room and noticed, for the first time since entering moments before, the remains of Alexis' apparent lunch and another empty bottle of Scotch. A slight frisson of relief swept through her. If she left everything in her flat as it was, when she called the Aurors they would take notice of the Scotch bottles and presume it was an accidental drowning, which it was. She had only touched Alexis in an attempt to Rennervate her, and her memories along with Priori Incantatem would verify that. She had touched nothing else in the sitting room or bathroom since she had entered her home.

All she needed to do was come up with a story for why Alexis was in her flat in the first place. Alexis was wealthy and had a home of her own; why on earth would she be in Rita's ordinary flat and—more importantly—her bathtub? Were they lovers, hiding their affair? If they were lovers, then there would be a plausible reason for her being here.

Rita didn't care if people speculated that they may have been lovers; her taste in sex decidedly ran to both sexes. She knew of no such speculation applied to Alexis, surely a secret dalliance would be acceptable? There would be speculation now, but none of it would ever reach Rita's ears; purebloods never spoke ill of the dead in case the deceased returned to haunt them.

Although Rita did not want to jump to the 'lovers' alibi straight away, she could think of no other reason. The Aurors were not stupid and wouldn't take much to link her to the articles in the Prophet about Snape and Granger, the fact she had been in Snape's shop, and the fact she, Kane, and Hannaford had been seen in public together. Making up her mind, she Floo'd the Auror office to report the death of Alexis Hannaford.

Aurors' Office

"Look, you've heard my story," Rita said exasperatedly, "Can't I just go now? You've seen my memories of finding her and tested my wand. What more do you need?"

Harry sat back in his chair. "We've got two deaths surrounding people you have been recently associated with, Miss Skeeter. Can't blame me for be sceptical, can you?"

"It's just coincidence!" Rita insisted, lamely.

"Nothing is just coincidence with you. Haven't been bugging anyone lately, have you?" Harry hinted broadly.

"We both know my Animagus form is not only registered, but also monitored," Rita responded snidely.

Harry rubbed his cheek. "That's true."

The door opened, and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped into the room.

"Oh, I rate the minister, do I?" asked Rita haughtily.

"Considering that you always seem to be targeting particular individuals, especially these two, yes; you rate the Minister," Kingsley shot her down.

Rita harrumphed, and twisted in her seat. "I tire of this; can't we finish this?" she whinged.

"A few more questions, Rita," said Kingsley. "Were you in Severus Snape's shop two days ago?"

"No."

"Funny; he has submitted memories that you purchased a," Kingsley cleared his throat slightly, "female potion at eleven twenty-seven a.m. two days ago."

"How can you know the time?" Rita nearly screeched, eyes widening.

"You were standing just below a clock that was attached to the wall above your head. Severus has the most detailed memory of any wizard I know," answered Kingsley.

"Yes, I went to his shop," Rita admitted. She had wandered the shop looking for something she would likely buy at an apothecary and then wanted to make sure it would be something Snape would have needed to go to his storage room to find. This way, when she planted the knife, there would be no way his memory could be trawled for her having hid the knife. She was home free.

"We would like you to submit to Veritaserum," stated Kingsley.

Rita spluttered. "What!?"

Harry spoke, "If you've nothing to hide, then taking Veritaserum should be nothing for you. We'd only ask you direct questions, relating to the case and nothing else."

"And if I refuse?"

Kingsley answered, "There will be an inquest in front of the Wizengamot, regarding the deaths of Alexis Hanneford and Andrew Kane. Since Miss Hanneford died at your residence, you will be called upon to provide testimony. That testimony will be under Veritaserum. We're offering you the chance to do so under less, erm, public circumstances. To do so now would protect your privacy and ultimately your reputation."

Harry snorted inelegantly and received an admonishing glare from Kingsley. He continued, "I would imagine there are parts of your…ah… private life you wouldn't want exposed?"

"I don't care what people may infer from her being in my flat, Minister."

"So you say, but x leads to y which leads to zed. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Rita did understand what Kingsley was alluding to. Veritaserum would only prove that she was indeed complicit in the harassment of Snape and Granger and had spoken to Kane and Hanneford in planning the incidents and accidents affecting Granger at Malfoy Industries. It would prove she did not participate in the carrying out of any of the accidents—only reported on them afterward—and it would prove that she did not kill Kane or Hanneford but had only hid the knife. She could, however, be imprisoned for abetting them and that was something she dearly wanted to avoid.

"If I were to submit to Veritaserum and certain truths were to come out, what sort of punishment would I be subjected to if those truths were, erm, damaging to my innocence?" Rita wiggled in her seat and tried to look demure.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"The law states that anyone found to be in collusion with any perpetrators of crimes will receive a maximum sentence of one month to six years in Azkaban, depending on the circumstances."

Rita visibly deflated. It looked like she would end up in Azkaban no matter what came out. Perhaps she could strike a deal? Criminals were always offering up testimony for lighter sentences on those Muggle crime shows she had seen on the telly occasionally. "If I submit and then cooperate in giving evidence and testimony, would I be given leniency?"

"We could consider it," responded Kingsley.

Rita began to chew on a nail as she considered her options.

"Something you wish to tell us, Rita?" asked Harry.

"I will submit to the Veritaserum, but I also request an objective bystander witness the questioning." Rita would make sure her testimony wasn't skewed afterward. She knew from the trials after the war, there was speculation that questioning that was done under Veritaserum without witnesses may have been twisted to suit the Wizengamot's purposes. She had led the hue and cry of citizens and some of the Death Eaters sentenced to Azkaban with harsh sentences—some kissed—who claimed their testimony had been twisted into the conclusions that the Aurors wanted.

Kingsley nodded. "We can and do provide impartial witnesses, Miss Skeeter; your articles in The Prophet were inflammatory enough to create certain changes in our processes within Magical Law Enforcement. However, we can't provide one at this time. We will put you in a holding cell overnight and continue this interview tomorrow afternoon, once the witness has been secured."

"You mean prepared?" Rita said snidely.

Kingsley stood to his full height and Rita shrank in her chair a bit. He answered her with a dangerous growl, "I will not have you questioning the validity of our witnesses. You may ask to see the credentials of the witness prior to administration of the Veritaserum, however all you need to know is that they do not come from within any department of the Ministry so that we can ensure all parties are represented as objectively as possible. This interview is complete. Potter, take her to a holding cell."

Kingsley left the room, slamming the door behind him. Harry stood and motioned for Rita to follow him to a cell, and she did but not before shoving Harry out of the way with her shoulder.


A/N: So, Rita is trying to find out the best way to wiggle out of things, eh? I can't believe I killed off Alexis! Well, yes I can. It came to me at work one morning, but I fussed about with the how. I figured accidentally would just be too ironic. I was going to just have her sentenced to Azkaban!

In the next chapter, we'll return to Hermione and her discharge from hospital and the aftermath of her injuries. We'll also say 'Hai!' again to a certain spider we know and perhaps introduce some strong connections to two characters?