* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FIVE
Blame it on Hate
You Lied to Your Flesh and Blood
The chapter title is from the song:
For the Love of a Daughter by Demi Lovato.
Harry felt incredibly nervous when Ivy walked into his office later that afternoon. She closed the door behind her and smiled at him.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"Good afternoon, Ivy," Harry said with a forced smile, "I presume you heard that there was a breakthrough in the creature attack case?"
Ivy nodded, "Yes, thank goodness there were no more attacks last night."
Harry bowed his head in agreement.
"Indeed. The breakthrough happened this afternoon. We found a cursed box and got a curse breaker to remove the curse. A team is currently scouring it for fingerprints."
Ivy frowned, "Why are you telling me this, sir? I just work in Missing Persons."
"I know," Harry said. He looked the younger woman in the eye, "We found the box in your apartment, Ivy."
Ivy's frown deepened.
"But…I…uh…why did you look in my apartment?"
"We used the locations of the attacks to triangulate a central point. It led us to a small area in central Poplar," Harry replied, "A couple of witches and wizards lived there, but you were a person of interest to us because your name popped up in the past when these attacks last happened in 1888. A Muggle by the name of Gerald Montgomery worked on the case."
Ivy looked up at him sharply.
"And your brother was killed by a werewolf," Harry said softly, "You have a reason to hate magical creatures."
Ivy's eyes widened, "Am I under arrest?"
"Unfortunately, I have no choice but to arrest you," Harry said guiltily, "I don't believe that you are the person behind this, but because we found the box on your property, protocol dictates that you must be arrested and interrogated under veritaserum."
Ivy swallowed and nodded.
"We can't be seen to be giving you special treatment because you're an Auror," Harry finished.
Ivy sighed and held out her hands.
"I understand."
"Incarcerous," Harry murmured, binding her hands together, "I am sorry."
"You don't have to keep apologising, sir," Ivy said, "You're just doing your job, but-"
"I'm not going to force you to walk through the department like this," Harry promised. He turned away from her and cast a spell on a portrait behind his desk, "We'll take a shortcut."
Ivy breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, sir."
Harry led her into the portrait, which was a small secret passageway to the outer stairs that barely anyone used. He held her by the arm and guided her through the back corridors until they reached a heavy steel door marked "Interrogation Chambers". Harry opened it and led Ivy into the corridor lined with interrogation and holding cells. He opened the door to Interrogation Chamber One and stepped inside with the young Auror.
Harry gave a single knock to make sure that the others were ready on the other side of the two-way glass. A few seconds later, another knock answered, so he leant against the mirror.
"Take a seat, Ivy."
Ivy did so. Harry turned to the glass and sent a glare through it at Draco – he could tell the other man was rolling his eyes on the other side. All the same, Harry unlocked the cabinet in the room and took a small vial of veritaserum out of it. He sighed and placed it on the table in front of Ivy.
The young Auror looked at it nervously – she was quite a timid, shy little thing. Lux, her older sister, exuded confidence and had been "a bit of a catch" in Jason's words. She had long blonde hair, deep green eyes and a charming smile. But Ivy's hair was a darker shade of blonde, her features were a little more childish, and her green eyes were wide, giving the permanent impression of innocence.
Harry wanted to apologise again, but he knew Draco would scoff if he did so.
Ivy took a deep breath, then drank the veritaserum and made a face – Harry sympathised. It had a bitter aftertaste.
Harry sat down opposite her and asked.
"Ivy – were you aware that there was a cursed box in your apartment?"
Ivy shook her head, "No."
Harry leant back and contained his smug smile.
"Who had access to your flat?"
Ivy frowned, "My sister – Lux – she helped me move in about a month ago."
"A month ago?" Harry asked.
Ivy nodded, "Yes, I moved in around the beginning of October, so it's slightly over a month now, I suppose."
"And that matches the timing of the attacks starting in Poplar," Harry said with a frown, "Did anyone else help you move in?"
"No, just Lux," Ivy answered, "But she wouldn't do this."
"I know you don't want to believe that, Ivy," Harry said diplomatically, "But did anyone else have access to your apartment?"
Ivy frowned, "I don't think so."
A buzzing sounded on the other side of the mirror, and Draco's voice drifted into the room.
"What about your mother?"
This didn't phase Ivy – she was an Auror; she knew that others were listening in on the interrogation. She shook her head, "I don't speak to my mother. I moved into that apartment to get away from her."
"Would Lux have granted her access to your apartment?" Harry asked, following up Draco's line of questioning.
"I don't think so. She knows how I feel about her," Ivy answered.
Harry nodded, "Alright then. Did you put the wards up on your flat?"
"Uh, Lux helped me with them," Ivy answered, "She said they didn't need to be too complex because I lived in a muggle area – they were more muggle-deterrents than anything else."
"What about the security curses?" Harry asked, "Who placed them?"
"What security curses?" Ivy asked.
"The disintegration curses on your front door and windows," Harry said, surveying her as he spoke.
"They would allow you, your sister, your mother and anybody you invited in access. But if an intruder tried to enter the property, they would be disintegrated."
Ivy looked alarmed, "I didn't do that. I would never put up curses like that."
"What about your sister? Does she have the capability?" Harry asked.
"Probably, but she wouldn't do that!" Ivy said defensively.
"I know she's your sister, Ivy – you want to protect her, and I get that, but innocent people were killed in these attacks," Harry said calmly.
"If your sister was the only other person with access to the property, then you can understand why we have to take that line of questioning."
Ivy shook her head, "I know she has said some stupid things, but she wouldn't do this. She hates werewolves; we both do. Why would we unleash a curse that made them hurt more people? All I want is a cure so that this vicious cycle can end."
"So tell me who would do a thing like this then," Harry said, "Because right now all of the evidence is pointing towards you or sister, and my gut tells me that it's not you, but that's not going to hold up in court – I need evidence."
Ivy sighed, "My mother hates magical creatures of all sorts. She would screech about them when we were kids. She always warned us to stay away from filthy half-breeds. When Lux told her a story about Hagrid one summer, Mother slapped her and told her that she shouldn't be associating herself with him. It got worse after Kai died, but she was like that before."
"She's a Selwyn, isn't she?" Harry asked.
Ivy nodded.
"Your grandfather was Silas II Selwyn – the man who notoriously campaigned against werewolf rights," Harry said. He was analysing her every move as she reacted to his questions.
Ivy's eyes flashed with guilt; then she cast them downward.
"That's right."
"So you believe your mother would do this?" Harry asked.
Ivy nodded, "Yes, but she shouldn't have access to my flat."
"What did she do for a career?" Harry asked Ivy.
"Nothing, she was a typical pureblood woman," Ivy replied, "She didn't work. My father was a muggle-born and an Auror - Lux, and I both followed in his footsteps."
"Okay," Harry said, "I don't believe this was you, but I do need to check your memory for any alterations or missing memories. Do you consent to that?"
Ivy nodded.
Harry cast legilimency on her and searched through her memories briefly. When he was done, he excused himself and slipped into the observation room where Draco, Jason and Owen were watching the proceedings.
"It wasn't her," Harry said.
"You're right," Draco agreed, "But I'm not as certain as you are that it was Lux."
"You think it was the mother?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded, "It seems more likely. The Selwyns are notorious for their dislike of magical creatures – it got Cadmus killed."
Harry frowned, "Cadmus Selwyn, the Death Eater?"
"Yeah, Greyback killed him," Draco said darkly, "Voldemort kept him around because he was a good asset, but he also had a tendency to feed the weak to the wolf."
"Literally," Jason frowned.
"Cadmus screwed up and got on the wrong side of Greyback," Draco said, casting his eyes downward, "So he died, and it wasn't pretty."
"You saw it?" Owen asked sharply.
"Draco saw a lot of horrible things during the war, Owen," Harry cut in to save Draco from having to talk about it.
Draco nodded and shot Harry a grateful look.
"You're right, it's far more likely to be the mother, but we need to question Lux before we go there," Harry said, "There are gaps in Ivy's memory as if someone has obliviated her and until we've ruled out Lux as the person who did that – we can't arrest the mother."
Draco looked at the clock.
"Make it quick before she heads home for the day."
"Switch to observation room two, and I'll bring Lux in," Harry said, disappearing before they could discuss it any further.
Bringing Lux in hadn't been as easy as getting Ivy in. She was the more confident and, subsequently, more mouthy sister, so she had created quite the scene in the Magical Law Enforcement Squad bullpen when Harry dragged her down the corridor to Interrogation Chamber Two.
"You have no bloody right to do this!" Lux spat when Harry pushed her into a chair.
"Lux – your sister is in the room right next door," Harry said fiercely, "Do you know why she's in there?"
Lux's attitude immediately changed.
"Ivy? Why was Ivy arrested?"
"Because the cursed item that's been causing magical creatures to turn on their familiars, to tear apart muggles? We found it in her apartment," Harry said coolly.
Lux shook her head.
"No – Ivy wouldn't do that. Ivy wants to cure werewolves, she hates them, but she doesn't believe in killing them."
"But you do?" Harry quipped.
Lux glared at him.
"I won't answer any questions without my lawyer present."
"Fine," Harry said, putting a communication bracelet into her hand, "One call – call your lawyer."
He couldn't fight it, even if he wanted to – Lux didn't have to answer any questions or consent to veritaserum questioning or legilimency probing without her lawyer present. He should have seen it coming, but it still pissed him off. He shut the door loudly behind him and stalked into the observation room.
Draco sighed and handed him a cup of coffee.
"Thanks," Harry said grudgingly.
"I've got to admit; I saw it coming," Draco said honestly, "She was a proper Auror, not a Junior like Ivy."
"She knows the procedure," Jason admitted, watching his ex-girlfriend through the glass as she spoke to someone via the communication bracelet.
"She's not going to say anything without her lawyer," Draco agreed, "And she's not going to talk to us like Ivy did. Ivy trusts us, and she's still an Auror. We've treated her fairly, but Lux? She doesn't like us much."
Jason surveyed Lux through the two-way glass into the interrogation room. She leant back and glanced at the door anxiously.
"She's worried about her sister," Jason said, "Use that."
"We'll have to," Harry said with a sigh. He sipped his coffee, "It's probably the only way to get her to talk."
Draco nodded and sipped his coffee.
"Whose going to go in there and play the sympathetic Auror then?"
"Really ought to be you," Owen said, looking at Harry, "You're good at that."
"Not when he thinks the person in there is guilty," Draco pointed out.
Harry shrugged, "You can do it then."
At that point, the door to the Interrogation Chamber opened, and Lux's lawyer stepped in. There was a collective groan throughout the observation room when they realised who that lawyer was.
Owen's eyes widened, "That's your wife, isn't it?"
Draco slammed his coffee mug down on the desk.
"Yes, that's my bloody wife."
"Why are you pissed off about that?" Owen asked cluelessly.
"Because the fact Lux's lawyer is my wife decreases our chances of getting anything out of her exponentially," Draco said irritably.
"He's right," Harry complained, "She's too damn good."
"You're interrogating," Draco said, "I'm not supposed to, and I'd probably end up getting in a fight with her."
"Yeah, I might get in a fight with her too," Harry admitted. He put his coffee cup down and headed into the interrogation room anyway.
"You're her lawyer?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow.
"What a polite greeting, Auror Potter."
Harry wasn't in the mood for the back and forth.
"Why are you her lawyer? I thought you only defended magical creatures and kids? She's suspected of turning magical creaturs into monsters; you do realise that, don't you?"
"My client is innocent, Auror Potter," Hermione said smoothly, "So by defending her, I am, in fact, on the side of the magical creatures that you just referred to. You have no evidence to back your charges, do you?"
"The cursed box was in her sister's apartment," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"Her sister's apartment," Hermione said, "Surely that puts the sister at fault – not Miss Montgomery?"
"Her sister didn't put it there, Hermione-"
Hermione raised her hand.
"Madam Black."
In the observation room, Owen choked on his coffee. Jason patted him on the back and raised an eyebrow at Draco.
"You don't wear the pants in that relationship, do you?"
Draco shook his head and sighed in a rather long-suffering way.
"What do you think?"
Jason snorted in response.
Back in the interrogation room, Harry resisted the urge to glare at Hermione.
"My apologies, Madam Black."
Hermione smirked but said no more.
"The box was in Ivy's apartment, but someone had warded it heavily," Harry continued, "Ivy cannot place a ward containing 50 individual spells, nor does she have any memory of doing so."
"With all due respect, nor could my client," Hermione cut in, "It would take someone with extraordinary talent to place a ward of that level."
"That may be so, but I do believe that your client knows who placed that ward and can tell us," Harry said, switching his attention to Lux, "Ivy told us that you helped her put up the wards on her apartment when she moved in?"
"Yes, I did," Lux said. She narrowed her eyes at him, "Why is that relevant?"
"Yes, do tell us why that's relevant, Auror Potter," Hermione agreed.
"It is relevant because it could well prove your innocence, Lux," Harry said honestly, "Who physically put up those wards?"
"Ivy did," Lux answered, "But I told her what wards to put up. She didn't need extensive wards, just muggle repellent ones mostly."
Harry nodded, that tied in with Ivy's story.
"What about the security curses on the windows and the front door? Ivy didn't know about them."
Lux frowned at Hermione.
"Did you know about them?" Hermione whispered.
Lux shook her head, and Hermione nudged her head towards Harry.
"Tell him that then."
"I didn't know about them either," Lux said, "What kind of curses?"
"Disintegration curses," Harry answered, "They would allow access to your sister, yourself, your mother and anyone who your sister willingly invited in."
"No," Lux frowned, "That makes no sense. Ivy hated our mother; she would never allow her access to her apartment."
"Would you allow her access on Ivy's behalf?" Harry asked.
Lux glared at him.
"Of course, I wouldn't! Do you have any idea what that woman put us through? She was awful! Ivy got free of her, and I was proud of her. I was never able to just walk away like that. She cut Ivy off, and she didn't care. She got herself this little place and said she would make her way on her own, but I put up with my mothers nonsense because I'm too materialistic to let her cut me off."
"You don't need to say anymore, Lux," Hermione said, raising her hand.
"Really?" Harry cut in, "Because I think Lux has plenty to say."
Hermione narrowed her eyes at Harry.
"I don't know why you're playing bad cop here, Harry-"
"Auror Potter," Harry interjected.
Hermione shot him a glare.
Harry smirked in response.
"We both know that Lux did not do this," Hermione continued, "So why don't you redirect your questions?"
Harry sighed and looked back to Lux.
"Do you think your mother did this?"
"I don't know," Lux admitted.
"You said she was awful. Is she awful enough to plant evidence in her daughter's apartment and let her take the fall for it?" Harry asked simply.
"She was always so hard on Ivy…." Lux sighed, "So yes, I think she's capable of that."
"Did she know that Ivy had moved into that apartment?"
Lux's eyes flashed guiltily.
"I mentioned that Ivy had moved into an apartment in Poplar. Mother made a comment about the kind of scum that would be attracted to her there. She…"
Hermione frowned when Lux trailed off. She moved closer and had a whispered conversation with Lux, which made Harry suspicious. In the end, Hermione nodded, and Lux turned back to Harry.
"She asked if I had at least put the proper enchantments up to make sure that Ivy was safe," Lux told him.
Harry pushed himself to his feet, "Lux – I need access to your memory."
"That is a complete violation of my privacy," Lux objected.
"Auror Potter – can you give us a moment?"
Harry sighed and walked towards the two-way mirror. He glared into it at Draco.
On the other side, Draco muttered.
"I don't know why he's glaring at me. It's not my fault; he's the one who became friends with Hermione bloody Granger well before I married her."
"You've not been able to tame her then?" Jason joked.
"You don't know Hermione very well, do you?" Draco quipped.
Owen chuckled at that.
"She's good at what she does," Jason agreed, "But she's right, Lux didn't do this."
"No, she didn't," Draco said, his eyes on Hermione as she had a whispered conversation with Lux.
"As it stands right now, Lux – you or your sister are going to go down for this," Hermione was saying, "I wholeheartedly believe that neither of you did this, and I'm pretty sure that Harry does too, but the evidence is stacking up against you. I will defend you both in court, but I do not want there to be any secrets when we get to that courtroom. If you know anything, any reason why your mother would do this, any hints as to how she did it – you need to tell Harry."
Lux bit her lip.
"And you need to let him see your memory," Hermione added, "I know it's a violation of your privacy, it's awful to have someone inside your head, but if your mother has tampered with your memories, surely you want to know about it?"
Lux nodded, "I do, but if he finds anything…she'll go to jail."
"If she is guilty of what they think she is, then I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but she deserves to," Hermione said softly, "You were an Auror – you know that telling Harry everything and letting him see your memory is the right thing to do."
Lux looked down.
"Aurors do the right thing, even when it's hard," Hermione said gently, "And you are a reasonable person. Yes, you don't like werewolves very much, but frankly, no one blames you for that. Werewolves, for the most part, are vulnerable. They didn't ask for this life, but they were given it anyway. Sometimes that makes them angry or bitter, which can make them lash out, but Lux – the werewolf who killed your brother was not like them. He was a foul man, a dark wizard before he was a wolf. He let the animal in him win, not the man – most werewolves fight every day to keep the monster caged and let the man win."
Lux looked up at her tearfully, "You sound like you know from experience."
"I have first-hand experience of how awful Fenrir Greyback was," Hermione said honestly, "He very nearly did something awful to me, but someone stopped him. I'm sorry that there was no one to stop him from hurting your brother but this? This isn't going to bring him back; it isn't going to honour his memory. Protecting your mother, justifying her actions – do you think that's what he would have wanted?"
Lux shook her head, "No."
"So do the right thing," Hermione said supportively, "Be the Auror that you were born to be and do the right thing."
Lux nodded and cleared her throat. She held her head up high and spoke directly to Harry.
"I'll tell you everything I know about my mothers attitude to werewolves, and I'll show you my memory."
Harry looked over in surprise, but then the knowing smile on Hermione's face explained everything. He breathed out a sigh of relief and sat down opposite Lux as she began to speak.
In the observation room, Draco smiled proudly.
"And that's why I love her. She's an amazing lawyer, she could get anyone off if they were accused of murder, but she doesn't. Her gut tells her if someone is guilty, and if they are, she backs away, but if they are innocent? She'll fight like hell for them like the Gryffindor she is."
"You're whipped," Owen commented.
Draco shrugged, "It doesn't matter how many years pass. I still can't believe that Hermione Granger married me."
"She saw the good guy in you before you could, I guess," Jason said.
Draco just nodded because that was the honest truth.
"Gonna be a late one tonight," Harry said with a yawn.
Draco nodded, "Have you sent Daphne a Patronus?"
"Yeah, did you talk to Hermione before she left?" Harry asked. He was sitting on the desk inside the observation room while they waited for Jason and Owen to bring in Lux and Ivy's mother - Helena Montgomery.
"I sent her a memo," Draco admitted with a sheepish smile, "She kind of scares me when she gets all authoritative."
Harry snorted, "Only hot in the bedroom, is it?"
Draco shot him a glare.
"Shut up."
"That's a yes then," Harry said, smirking into his coffee, "She's a control freak in every aspect of life. I can only imagine what that must mean for your sex life."
Draco crossed his arms and looked at Harry pointedly.
"You've slept with her too."
"Yeah, that was different," Harry said offhandedly, "She was kind of nervous, and it was always a bit awkward and clunky, you know?"
"You're a terrible shag, basically," Draco smirked.
"I was young and inexperienced," Harry muttered under his breath.
Draco shook his head and looked into the empty interrogation room, "Anyway, I sent her a memo saying that this case would most definitely mean that I would be home pretty late. I doubt she'll be home particularly early anyway."
Draco looked at the clock. It had just struck 6 pm.
"She was putting all the paperwork through to get Lux and Ivy out of holding, then she was planning on transporting them into the DMLE herself."
"Legally speaking, they can leave," Harry reminded Draco, "We just asked them very nicely if they would hang around in the homicide office until we brought their mother in."
"I think they'll listen," Draco said honestly, "I don't know what Hermione said to Lux, but she got her to spill her guts."
"She just appealed to her humanity," Harry said with a smile, "She's good at that, Hermione."
Draco hummed thoughtfully.
"She's meant to be on maternity leave, but she's taking on more and more cases, and she thinks I don't notice, but I'm not stupid. Sadie doesn't mind watching the kids, but it won't do in the long run."
"Why don't you ask your mother?" Harry asked, sipping his coffee.
"Because she already has her hands full with your four?" Draco returned.
"Three," Harry corrected, "Teddy's always at school, so she only has to look after him for a few hours a week. You could drop Ella and Cas off at the manor; I doubt Narcissa would mind. Maybe I should turn the spare bedroom across the hall from the drawing-room into a creche…."
"I can't tell if you're taking the piss or not," Draco said, frowning at his Auror partner.
"Oh, no – I'm serious," Harry said, looking up at him, "I was just thinking it through. Either way, if your mother is happy to do it, I don't mind lending my home. I know you have the castle, but Sadie works from home, so it's probably better to leave her in peace to get her writing done."
Draco nodded thoughtfully, "I'll discuss it with Hermione; it's a damn sight better than having elves watch the children through."
"I'm pretty sure Hermione would agree with you on that one," Harry said.
The door behind them clicked open, and Jason dragged a furious woman into the interrogation room.
"Huh," Harry said, "Helena Montgomery seems like a joy to behold."
"Indeed," Draco agreed.
Jason shoved her into a chair, and Owen bound her hands and legs to it. Harry raised an eyebrow at Draco.
"She's a pureblood, and since you are so good at speaking their language, I think you ought to take this one."
"You're practically a pureblood, you manipulative little shit," Draco muttered, putting his coffee mug down.
Harry shrugged and smirked.
"She's waiting for you, Draco."
Draco shot Harry a glare for good measure before leaving the observation room to enter the interrogation room. He dismissed Jason and Owen with a nod, so they joined Harry in the observation room.
"She was a fucking handful," Owen muttered.
"She's got me feeling pretty glad I broke up with Lux when I did," Jason admitted, "Imagine having that for a mother-in-law."
Harry shrugged, "Ah, it could be worse."
Owen snorted, "How?"
"My mother-in-law is serving 25 years in Azkaban for attempting to kill her husband because she was sleeping with his brother," Harry retorted calmly.
Owen frowned and opened his mouth. Jason shook his head at the younger Auror, so Owen shut it again. They all focused on the interrogation room as Draco began to speak.
"Mrs Montgomery," Draco began, "You are charged with multiple counts of first-degree homicide-"
"I will not speak without my lawyer," Helena said coolly.
Draco turned away from her and rolled his eyes. He opened the door and motioned for someone in the corridor outside to come in – it wasn't Hermione this time. Instead, it was a tall, greying man who smiled supportively at Helena then took a seat next to her.
Draco had to explain the charges before he could carry on with his investigation, but even when he did start to question her, it became clear that he would get nothing out of her. Between her clear intelligence and the interjection of her lawyer, she did not directly answer a single question, and Draco was just beginning to wonder if she was going to get away with this when a knock sounded on the door.
Harry frowned and opened the observation room door just as Draco stepped out of the interrogation room. Terry smirked at them and waved a brown file triumphantly.
"What have you got?" Harry and Draco asked in unison.
"A match," Terry said with a grin, "We found a partial fingerprint on the box. We checked it against both Lux and Ivy – it didn't match. I asked Jason to take a sample from Helena when he arrested her, and he memo-ed it straight across to me."
"And it matches?" Draco asked eagerly.
Jason nodded and handed him the file.
"She handled that box."
"Yes!" Harry said, fist-pumping the air, "That's enough evidence to force her to consent to veritaserum testing."
Draco smirked triumphantly.
"Jason, take Owen and get a judge to sign a search warrant for Helena Montgomery's home."
Jason nodded, "Come on, kid," he said to Owen.
The two of them left, and Harry grinned at Draco.
"Go in there and grill the fuck out of her."
"Oh, I intend to," Draco said, the smirk not leaving his face.
When he stalked back into the interrogation room, Draco slammed the folder down in front of Helena. Her face paled when she saw the information, and her lawyer's calm expression flickered for a moment too because he knew what it meant – veritaserum testing.
Draco forced the liquid down her throat and looked her dead in the eye.
"Did you plant the cursed box in Ivy Montgomery's apartment?"
"Yes," Helena replied.
"Did you open the box and unleash the curse?" Draco asked.
"Yes," Helena answered.
"Did you do so with the intent to frame your daughter for the crime?"
"Yes."
"Did you place disintegration security curses on the windows and door of Ivy's apartment?"
"Yes."
Harry was on the edge of his seat as he watched Draco.
"Have you altered Ivy's memory?" Draco asked.
"Yes."
"Why?" Draco followed up.
"She saw me in her apartment when I placed the box, so I erased her memory," Helena said – her tone steady and her eyes wild with fear.
"And Lux? Have you altered her memory?"
"Yes."
"Why?" Draco asked again.
"I used the imperius curse on her and commanded her to steal a file for me," Helena replied, "I then obliviated her memory of the event."
"Was the file that you had her steal the charter of arrests from September 1888?"
"Yes."
"Why did you have her steal it?"
"Because it would implicate me in the crime," Helena said.
"How so?" Draco asked.
"It contained a record of the arrest of my ancestor – Solomon Selwyn. In September 1888, he was arrested and imprisoned for unleashing a deadly curse," Helena replied reluctantly.
Draco nodded and closed his file.
"Thank you for being so forthcoming, Helena. You are under arrest for three counts of first-degree homicide and one count of attempted murder."
Harry hit the desk and grinned.
"Good job, Draco," he said to himself proudly.
Helena was transported to a holding cell to await trial. Draco got word from Jason and Owen that a judge had signed the search warrant, so he grabbed Terry and Ben, and they headed out to search the house for any further evidence.
Harry didn't go with them. Instead, he made his way to the Homicide Office and stepped inside – pleased to see that Lux and Ivy were still waiting there for him.
"Hi guys, thanks very much for waiting while we sorted that out," Harry said, leaning against the edge of Draco's desk, "We brought your mother in – Draco questioned her, and I observed. The guys found a fingerprint on the box, as you know, and it was a match for your mother."
"Oh my god," Ivy breathed.
"That gave us grounds for veritaserum testing," Harry continued, "And under questioning, she confessed to planting the box in your apartment, Ivy. She also confessed to putting up security charms and obliviating you both."
"What?" Lux asked in disbelief, "She obliviated us?"
Harry nodded, "Ivy – you found her planting the box in your apartment, so she obliviated you."
Ivy shook her head, and Harry turned to Lux.
"And Lux. She used the imperius curse on you and made you steal the arrest charter from September 1888 because it showed the arrest of your ancestor, thereby linking her to the current attacks. She then obliviated you to erase your memory of the event."
"I can't believe this!" Lux exclaimed, "I knew she was cruel and twisted, but to do this to her daughters? She would have had Ivy go to prison for it!"
Harry nodded, "I know it's a tough blow, so I think you both ought to have a few days leave – fully paid, of course. It's a difficult thing to come to terms with, and right now, I think you need to spend some time with each other to do that."
Lux sighed, "I just don't get it. Why would someone who lost so much because of a werewolf unleash a curse to hurt others?"
"I don't know," Harry said honestly, "But grief affects people in different ways. I am afraid to say that your mother will most likely spend the rest of her life in Azkaban for her crime."
"She deserves it," Ivy said quietly.
"Ivy," Lux said with a sigh.
"She does, Lux!" Ivy exclaimed, "Two girls died, innocent girls. Yes, they were vampires familiars, and they knew what they were getting into, but vampires don't hurt their familiars; they love them. Those vampires are going to spend the rest of their very long lives regretting what that curse, what our mother made them do! An innocent little boy became a werewolf, and a girl was brutally murdered by one, all because our mother was angry. I'm sorry to be the one to say it, but she deserves every year that they put on her life sentence!"
"I know you never saw eye to eye, but she was our mother, Ivy," Lux said.
"Some mother she was," Ivy retorted, "She stopped being our mother when Father and Kai died. She closed herself off; she only cared about herself – I was 16, Lux! I was grieving too, and it was you who put me back together again, you who got me into the Auror programme, who helped me get my grades up to scratch. That woman they just arrested? She's not my mother."
Lux sighed and pulled her sister into a hug.
"You're sure it's okay to take some time off, Harry?"
Harry nodded, "I'll clear it with your supervisor – take tomorrow and the weekend off, and see me in my office on Monday morning."
Lux frowned, "But I don't report to you anymore."
"I know, but I would like to follow up with you," Harry said gently, "It's a big shock, and there's going to be a trial – at which you will both be expected to testify. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, and I don't intend just to let you deal with it on your own. We'll support you as much as we can. That's how the DMLE should work – we're supposed to be a family."
Lux nodded, "Thank you for having faith in me even after what I said."
Harry smiled, "I believe in second chances, Lux. Take your sister home and take care of her."
Lux smiled and thanked Harry again. Then she ushered Ivy out of the department. Harry glanced at the clock and sighed – 7 pm, the kids would all be getting tucked up in their beds by Daphne. He wanted to dash home so that he didn't miss that, but he knew he couldn't – there was still too much to do.
So he didn't go home. He stayed. When the team came back from the search with the missing charter from 1888, he bagged it as evidence and poured over the box. It was bagged too, destined to stay in evidence until Helena's trial. He helped them with the paperwork; he catalogued the evidence and co-signed the report from the search. He signed the arrest warrants, and by the time he stretched and got up, it was 9 pm.
"Right guys, I'm calling it," Harry said, "Let's all head home. You can pick this up in the morning, get a court date from a judge, get a decent defence lawyer in for the Montgomery sisters. I highly recommend Hermione Black."
"She'll do it," Draco assured him.
Harry yawned and looked around the team.
"I'll have to crack on with my appraisals – they need to be finished by tomorrow, but I'll be in the office all day if you need me for anything. For now, let's all go home, get something to eat and get some rest."
The team greeted those words with appreciative noises, so they all said their goodbyes for the night and headed home.
* ~ TBC ~ *