A/N: Thank you for the continued support! I promise I'll try and update more frequently!


CHAPTER XXXIV

Word on the Street

[London | 1944]


"No way. I refuse to believe it." Julie Pembroke crumples the newest issue of the Daily Prophet and furiously chucks it in the bin. "It's impossible."

"You're just upset because you knew her so well. That you couldn't tell…" Kathleen stirs her tea.

"I think I'd be able to tell if my best mate was a mass murderer." Julie Pembroke growls. "This is pure rubbish. She was going to be a healer for godsakes, Katy, why the bloody hell would she go about killing people?"

"I dunno. I didn't know her as well as you did." Kathleen shrugs, pushing a cup of tea towards the fuming Julie. "What I do know is that she was dating that creep. You know…what's his name…the head boy…"

"Tom Riddle? You think he put her up to it?"

"It happens. When you're dating someone, sometimes you start to do things you wouldn't normally do…to please them, or because you have no other choice…" Kathleen doesn't meet Julie's eyes.

"Oh. I see. You're making this about us now, huh?"

"You know I feel uncomfortable doing this. Pretending we're roommates. We're going to get caught, Julie. And you know what happens if we get caught…" She looks at Julie, who's somewhere between furious and distraught. "We'll get our very own cells in Azkaban right next to your best mate V."

"How would we prove that Tom made her kill those people? Also, like, why would he want all of them dead? I don't get it…we have to find him. We've got to get to the bottom of this."

"Yeah, sure, just…change the subject."

"I'm not changing the subject—you're the one who changed the subject. Anyway, what do you know about this guy? Where does he work?"

"In a shop, I think. One of those creepy shops in Knockturn Alley. You're really going to just go and talk to him? What are you going to say? 'Hey did you put my best mate under the imperius curse and force her to wipe out the population of an entire muggle town?'" Kathleen tries to reign in her sarcasm but it's a little too strong, just like her tea.

"Yeah. Something like that." Julie gets up, scoops up her tea, downs it in one go, and sets it noisily back on its saucer. "You coming or what?"

"I've got to be in the office in twenty minutes. I'm sorry, Julie…I can't be late." Kathleen sips her tea.

"Right. Well, uh, don't wait up. And by that I mean, if I'm not home before dinner call the authorities because I'm probably dead!" Julie throws on her charcoal grey traveling cloak and, before opening the door, calls over her shoulder, "I love you!"

Kathleen puts her finger to her lips, and behind it she mouths the same words. Then, to Julie's surprise, she blows her a kiss. Kathleen usually isn't one for cutesy displays of affection, but on the few rare times she does something like this, Julie gets the biggest, goofiest smile on her face. Like the one she's wearing as she closes the door behind her and trudges down the hallway.

Knockturn alley isn't far, and Julie walks quickly, her feet tapping a nervous staccato upon the cobblestones. Nervous because she doesn't want to be seen going there, sure, but also nervous because of the person she's going to meet. She's only had one conversation with him — the last time V went missing. Although she doesn't remember what happened, she remembers he was very angry. But hopefully he's angry at the situation, and would be willing to help gather information to disprove these ridiculous claims.


Borgin and Burkes is slow, as always, and the dust sleeps thick upon the oddities crammed on ancient bookcases, trinkets cased glass for protection (ours, not theirs). Tom's at the register, trying to make some sense out of the nonsensical bookkeeping practices of his employer. He's hunched over the large book, peering through a magnifying glass, when the bell on the door tinkles. A cloaked figure slips inside and starts browsing. Tom tries to get a good look at who it is, but Borgin comes up behind him brandishing the Daily Prophet, the rustle of which makes Tom jump out of his skin.

"Something bothering you, boy?" Borgin grumbles, a twinge of amusement in his gruff voice. "You seen the papers, then? About this new girl Grindelwald's got. Just about your age, she is. Did you know her?"

"She was in my year at Hogwarts." Tom says, strained. Julie ducks behind a bookcase and holds her breath. "The smartest witch I've ever met."

"Ah. No wonder Grindelwald recruited her so young. Seems like a waste though, to use her in such a way. Azkaban at 18…bloody hell…"

"Yeah." Tom shrugs. "How do they figure she was working for Grindelwald though? I mean, where's the proof?"

"Who else would she be working for?" Borgin raises his eyebrows so high they disappear beneath the scraggly white mop on the top of his head.

"It's just…where's the motive, you know. She wipes out some random muggle town in Wales…for what?"

"For the greater good, my boy." Borgin squints at him. "Not everyone has a personal vendetta. Some people just donate their time and resources to the cause in whatever capacity they are needed."

"I don't…what…?" Tom shakes his head. "I mean, yes. Of course." Julie drops a small glass orb on the ground and it shatters. "Can I help you?" Tom asks, irritated but secretly thankful to have an exit, getting up to see what was broken. But what he didn't know was that he was entering another difficult conversation, with, to his surprise, V's best friend Julie.

"I'm sorry, it just rolled off the shelf all by itself. I swear I didn't touch it." Julie apologizes in a fluster of motion.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Tom doesn't know what to make of this. How did she know where to find him?

"I'm here to buy something." Julie says, folding her arms.

"What are you looking for, then?" Tom asks, arching an eyebrow.

"I need to talk to you about this nonsense in the papers." Julie huffs, deflated. "She's not working with Grindelwald. She would never kill an entire village of muggles."

"I know." Tom lowers his voice to a whisper. "But what do you intend to do about it?"

"I…um…" Maybe this was a bad idea. Julie freezes up. Maybe he is the one who framed her. "I dunno. I just don't think it's fair, you know, her being locked up in Azkaban while she's innocent and all…"

"She's not innocent." Tom laughs to himself, then, blushes. "I mean she didn't do it."

"Do you have proof?" Julie looks hopeful.

"Um…" Tom looks over his shoulder to determine Borgin's location. He's still at he register, engrossed in his newspaper. Tom moves towards the back of the shop, waving Julie to follow him. "She was with me the day the town was destroyed. We were in a flat down the road, she was working on a potion, one of her healing things." Tom looks at Julie. "Why are you smiling?"

"I knew it. I always wanted to believe you weren't a creep." Julie says before clapping her hand over her mouth. Tom ignores her.

"But there's no evidence. The night she was arrested, something very strange happened. I was returning from the store when these…this…thing attacked me. I can't…I haven't been able to talk to anyone about it…they…it…six mouths with one voice…I don't…" Tom stops, his heart quickening. He's afraid.

"What was it?" Julie whispers, wide-eyed.

"I don't know. That's the problem." Tom says angrily. "With her gone…there's so much I don't understand…"

"It's ok." Julie reaches out and pats Tom's shoulder. "It's gonna be ok. I know how much you meant to her. We've got to figure out how to help her." Tom flinches at Julie's touch, but tries to smile.

"Yeah. It's…complicated. Don't…I don't think we can…Listen, Julie. I know you're worried about your friend but please, don't do anything…drastic. Ok. Let me take care of this." Tom says.

"Ok. Yeah, ok. I don't really know what she got involved with so I guess it's better that I…" Julie thinks it through. Maybe she was involved with Grindelwald though, and Tom knows about it. Could that be it? The last thing Julie needs is to get mixed up with people like that. "Thanks Tom, you're not such a bad guy after all."

"Bad?" Tom frowns. "I need to get back to work." Tom turns and walks back to the register. Borgin's left the paper on top of the counter, V's mugshot staring right back at Tom, her black eyes sunken, her mouth carved in a deep frown, her hair a stringy mess, and Tom's ring glinting on her left middle finger.

"Right. I'll just…go…" Julie walks past Tom, who doesn't acknowledge her exit, and slips through the door and back out into the street.


A few days later, Julie and Kathleen met with the Lestranges for tea at a cute little shop in Diagon Alley. Although Kathleen had made her promise not to monopolize the conversation with talk of their friend-turned-mass-murderer, Julie couldn't help herself. After about ten minutes of idle small talk, mostly about the Lestrange's wedding, which Julie and Kathleen weren't invited to, Julie mentions the conversation she had with Tom earlier that week.

"I ran into Tom Riddle the other day. You know, he's so distraught about what happened to V. He said that she's innocent, but that things are complicated. I wonder…" Julie starts.

"Tom? When did you see him?" Lestrange sips his tea.

"Monday. Why?"

"He's gone." Lestrange says, "Dropped in on him yesterday, to tell him about the wedding. Said he wouldn't come, that weddings 'aren't his thing.' Such a weird bloke."

"He's jealous." Penelope says, giving her husband a quick peck on the cheek.

"Yeah, well I dropped in and he was gone. Borgin said he hadn't been in since Monday." Lestrange rolls his eyes.

"Do you think he might've…I dunno…" Julie instantly goes to the worst case scenario in her mind. "…done himself in?"

"Hah! Riddle? Kill himself over a girl?" Lestrange chokes on his tea. "Not a chance. Probably skipped town. I bet he's in with Grindelwald too, and the Ministry's hunting him down."

"Poor V." Penelope says, frowning. "She was such a…" She pauses, unable to think of a complement, "…resourceful girl."

"We can't let her just rot in prison for something she didn't do. We've got to get her out!" Julie bangs the table with her open hand. The three others regard her with annoyed looks. "I mean, who else will? We're the only people she ever talked to."

"She's probably guilty." Lestrange says, a malicious twinge in his thin smile.

"The ministry is handling it." Kathleen says. "They wouldn't lock someone up for life if there wasn't sufficient proof that they're guilty." Everyone mediates on this for a moment.

"What if it's a conspiracy though!" Julie starts. Kathleen stands up.

"I can't participate in this conversation any longer. I'm going out to get some fresh air. Join me when you're ready." Kathleen says to Julie before bustling off.

"I should…go…" Julie gets up, "Congratulations on your marriage." She says unenthusiastically as she rushes outside to find Kathleen. She's not there.