Auror Office, London, England
1/23/2000Harry Potter walked to the Auror office. He stopped at the coffee and tea stand. He waited in line, along with the rest of the ministry officials. A couple of them were staring at him. That wasn't that surprising though. He got to the front of the line. He pulled out a list from his coat pocket.
"Right, Grey wants a large coffee, black and two shots of espresso. Lyra wants a caffe mocha with hazelnut and vanilla. Zaima wants a chai latte with espresso. Neville wants a London Fog. Ron wants a caffe latte and I'll have a latte with a double shot of espresso."
"Geez, you Aurors don't sleep or something?"
"Not much," he admitted
"What name for the order?"
"Uh, Potter" the young wizard taking his order looked up.
"Oí. Jason, what's got your jaw on the floor?" the manager said. She saw him and began to sputter
"So sorry Mr Potter, we'll get your order right away" She said
"There's no rush," he said to no avail. He stood over by the other wizards waiting for their drinks. They were too engrossed in their own worlds to look up at him. That was fine by him.
"Can I have two teas with cream and sugar, and what did you want, sweetie?" Harry heard. He recognized that voice
"A frappe, wait, what's a butterbeer flavor?"
"You seriously don't know what butter beer is?" Jason laughed. Ari Knells blushed
"No sweetie, that sounds like it has alcohol in it"
"Hurry up," someone yelled behind the family of 3
"She'll have it with butterbeer," Harry said. He looked at Mr and Mrs Knells "it's not actually alcoholic " he assured them. Jason began to stutter again.
"Would you like their drinks ready with yours?" He asked mesmerized
"Yes please" Harry said
"He's acting like your some sort of big celebrity" Ari giggled
"Well, they treat me like I am," Harry admitted.
"Are you a celebrity?" Mrs. Knells asked
"Not exactly, you know that story Grey told you?" They nodded "Well, it kinda got me on the front page of every major Wizarding paper for about the last 18 years"
"Woah," Ari said, amazed
"Trust me, it's awful," he said. He grabbed the Aurors' drinks. The Knells grabbed their own "What are you guys doing here anyway?"
"Agent, I mean Auror Grey, asked us here for some follow up questions." Mr. Knells said apprehensively
"Sorry, I didn't realize that was today." Ari took a sip of her made a face
"Don't like it?" Her father teased
"No, it's just different. It's kind of like butterscotch but with-" she took another sip "i think that's cinnamon?" Harry laughed
"There's nothing quite like butterbeer" he said
"Definitely" Ari said
"Do you guys need help getting to the Auror office?" He asked
"Yes, please," Mrs. Knells said.
"Follow me," Harry led them through the crowd of ministry officials. A couple of them were staring. Harry was obviously used to it. Mr. and Mrs. Knells were not. They stared back at them. Mrs. Knells turned slightly pink. Ari did not notice the people staring. She was too engrossed with everything around her. It was hard to believe some of the things she was seeing were real. Ari had never seen an owl outside of a zoo before. She saw them swoop down and drop papers into the hands of ministry employees. She saw small impish creatures on chairs, floating in the air, cleaning the windows of the many open to the center offices. The large statues in the middle of the atrium seemed to move like they were alive! A statue of a young man with glass not unlike Harry, was waving a wand. The statue of a woman next to him was rocking a baby. She stopped for a moment, but was quickly distracted by a Lynx, made of a silver looking mist darted by. None of the others seemed to notice. She watched it all, stunned.
"Ari, hurry up" her father said
"Right, sorry dad" she darted forward. Harry led them to the ministry elevator. They stepped into one of the open ones. Another small elf-like creature was standing in the elevator.
"What floor?"
"Floor 2 please" Harry said. The creature pressed the button
"Hold on," Harry said. Ari felt a lurch in her stomach. The elevator moved back and then up. By the time they reached their floor, Ari had spilled some of her drink on herself and was more than a little green. She noticed that even though Harry was holding all of the drinks, he seemed fine. They followed him down the hall to the newly named Muggle Liaison Team. There was now a gold plaque on the right of the door. It read
Muggle Liaison Office
Senior Auror Grey
The party of four made their way into the office. Zaima was sitting at her desk with Lyra sitting on the desk itself. Grey was leaning over the desk with some documents. Ron and Neville were leaning over the other side of the desk.
"Got the coffee" Harry called. They all looked up
"Thank Merlin," Grey said
"Large black coffee and two shots of espresso" he gave Grey her coffee's "Chai Latte, London Fog, Caffe Latte and a caffe mocha"
"Thanks Harry," Lyra said. They took a sip and immediately spit it out. "Merlin, why was it so bitter?" Lyra coughed. A look of surprise crossed Harry's face. Grey shrugged and took a sip of her coffee. She made a face
"Uck, why is this so sweet?" Grey asked. They both looked at their coffees and swapped them. Grey took a sip
"This is right. Don't mess with my coffee again" She growled at Harry. Harry paled
"Noted," Harry said. Grey turned to the Knells.
"Sorry about that. So glad you could make it. We just have some follow up questions for you and Ari. We have to interview a couple of suspects first and then we can move on to you"
"Ok" Mr. Knells said
"We need to head over to the interview rooms-" Grey checked her watch "right about now. You can come with us" The Aurors and the Knells made their way to the large open room on the other end of the Auror office. There was a door to each room, with a window next to it. In two of the rooms, people were already seated. In one room was Mrs. Horby and what one could guess to be her lawyer. In the other room was Ivan Yaxley and a public defender. Mr. Knells stiffened when he realized it was Yaxley. Mrs. Knells gripped his hand in support while Ari gripped his hand out of fear.
"Right, Harry and I will speak to Yaxley, while Ron, Zaima and Neville will speak to Horby" Ron, Zaima and Neville walked into the first interview room. Harry began to walk over to Yaxley's room. Grey stopped him. "Wait Harry," she said
"What are we waiting for?" Harry asked, his teeth clenched.
"The department of judicial enforcement is sending a prosecutor over to help us interview Yaxley"
"Well, the prosecutor is late so can we go?" He asked. Grey rolled her eyes
"Mr. and Mrs. Knells, can you please wait in room 3?" They nodded and took Ari into room 3. Grey checked her watch "He's not actually late, we're early"
"We're early?" Harry's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head.
"I know, a Muggle Liaison first," Grey said. Several minutes later, a man in a sharp suit stepped into the open room. His suit was expertly tailored and clearly new. The man had pale skin, grey eyes and platinum blonde hair. Draco Malfoy, Harry's relaxed smile turned to a look of pure disdain. Grey noticed the change
"Senior Auror Grey, a pleasure to meet you," he shook her hand
"Mr. Malfoy, you too" She said
"Auror Potter" Harry did not take Draco's outstretched hand
"Malfoy," he said. Draco dropped his hand
"Right, we have a prisoner to interview, don't we?"
"Yes we do," Grey said. She led Draco and Harry into interview room 3. Harry refused to walk behind Draco, so he entered the room last. Ivan Yaxley sat in one chair, with his lawyer in the other. He was thinner than Harry remembered. He was staring at him as they walked in. Harry took the last seat. Draco was organizing a group of documents. Harry leaned back in his chair. Grey sat in silence. Harry waited patiently for Grey to begin. As a Senior Auror, Grey had plenty of experience interviewing suspects. Grey was letting Yaxley sweat. He seemed unbothered, however his lawyer did not seem so unbothered. He was playing with his cuffs while he waited for Grey to speak. The clock in the back of the room continued to tick. Harry played with his pocket watch. Yaxley continued to stare at him. It was hard to tell how long it had been.
"Mr. Yaxley, you have already met Auror Potter and Myself so I will keep the introductions brief. As you are already aware, we are members of the Auror's Muggle Liaison Office. We wanted to ask you some questions about a new case"
"Wait, how will this aid my client?" His lawyer asked
"The Department of judicial enforcement is willing to make a deal with you if you cooperate with the Aurors." Draco said
"What kind of deal?" The lawyer asked. Draco checked his notes
"As of now, Mr. Yaxley has been charged with four counts of murder and one count of kiddnaping along with several other charges we can not currently disclose due to national security risks. The DJE is willing to reduce your sentence in exchange for your aid to 20 years or maybe even less, assuming you provide ample accurate information" Draco said
"So you want me to snitch?" Yaxley asked
"Let me do the talking Ivan," his lawyer said
"I'd be willing to make that deal, but I want to ask some questions of my own" he said
"Go for it," Grey said
"You work for muggles right?"
"That's kind of the whole point of the office isn't it?"
"You only deal with cases that you know are magical?"
"Yep, we handle things muggles can not"
"So why did you take my case?" He smiled
"What do you mean?" Grey asked
"I didn't think I left any visible signs of magic" he said
"You didn't. We took the case solely because of how violent it was. I had no idea it was even remotely magical." Grey said, her voice dripping with admiration
"Then how did you figure it out?" He asked
"The body decomposition. We sent samples back to our labs and they said that the smell was more in line with an earlier death" a lie "it took us forever to figure it out. It was honestly impressive" Grey said. Yaxley smiled smugly
"It was?" He asked
"Yeah, we haven't seen someone try something so ingenious since before I started" She said.
"To get back on track," Yaxley's lawyer said
"Yes, of course. First, what is your connection to August Knells?" She asked
"I worked with him," Yaxley said
"You were friendly with the family?" Grey asked
"I used to have dinner with them once a week" he said
"You knew all of the children, correct?" Grey asked
"Yeah, Johnny, Christian, Ari and that girl who was always around, what was her name? Mandy, no, I think it was Mackie" he smiled. Grey's phone rang.
"Sorry, I need to take this," Grey stepped out. Yaxley turned his attention back to Harry. Harry tried to ignore Yaxley. His mind found it's way back to his most recent nightmare. Yaxley handing him over to Voldemort. Yaxley continued to stare at him, with a knowing grin. Harry wondered if Yaxley knew what he was thinking. Nothing in his case file implied that he was Leglillims. That must have been his plan all along, but Voldemort was dead. He was sure of it. He had to be sure of it. Grey returned to the room with Ari Knells. Harry was surprised, but not as surprised as Yaxley.
"You would not believe who I just bumped into. Ari just got here to answer some questions for us, right Ari?" Grey had her arm around Ari's shoulder. She nodded but found herself unable to speak. "I mentioned that we were interviewing you and she actually had a question of her own"
"Go for it," Yaxley said. She froze for a second. She took a deep breath.
"What happened to Mack?"
"What do you mean?" Yaxley said
"She disappeared" Ari said
"Sorry to hear it" he said
"She said you were sleeping with her" She said
"I can't say I was," He said ruefully.
"Do you know anything about her disappearance?" Grey said
"No," he said. Harry saw the cold, calculating look in his eyes. Harry shuddered. Grey stared him in the eye. She didn't break eye contact
"You are lying to me" She said
"Sorry love" he smiled. Harry's heart began to pound in his chest "I can't share mine or my master's secrets with a mudblood" Grey did not move an inch. Harry's pulse raced and a vein in his temple throbbed.
"Don't say anything else" his lawyer hissed
"So you're taking orders from a dead man, typical" Harry said
"Potter," Draco said. Harry ignored him
"Or so you say" Yaxley said. Grey's tough facade broke for a fraction of a second. Draco paled
"I know," Harry said. His face had a red tint to it.
"Watch it Harry," Grey said
"Do you really?" A spasm of fear crossed Harry's mind.
"So you're taking orders from Voldemort, who is dead, and therefore you can't tell Auror Grey about a missing girl? I know that Grey was BSing you about being so brilliant but that has to be the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time" Grey was glaring at him
"That's rich coming from someone who's days are numbered" Yaxley sneered. Harry slammed his fist down onto the table. Ari and Yaxley's lawyer practically jumped out of their chairs. Draco flinched. Grey remained perfectly still.
"Out. Now " Grey growled. Harry was still red in the face. He spun to face Grey. He took one look at her and knew arguing would be pointless. He stormed out of the Auror's interrogation room. He didn't stop until he found himself back at his desk. His breathing began to turn to normal. He opened some of his files to at least try to get some work done. He opened the first file. It was currently labeled RF-unknown subject 1. As Harry skimmed through it, the more he realized how little they actually knew about this group. All there was in the file was a composite sketch of his mask and cloak. He was identified as a white man between 5'10 and 6 ft tall. He was also identified to have dark hair, but that was it. Harry stared at the mask again. He closed his eyes as he remembered the mask leaning over him. He struggled to remember what the man in the cloak had said to him, but he couldn't. Harry read the file again, hoping for some clue, but found absolutely nothing. He threw the file across the room
Ron Weasley sat opposite Mrs. Horby. She did not look well. She didn't look quite as bad as many prisoners looked after spending time in Azkaban, probably because they had gotten rid of the dementors. Zaima was taking charge. Neville and himself were ready as backup. Zaima waited a moment before speaking
"Mrs. Horby, as you are aware, you are currently facing life in prison for the murder of your husband, Onyx Horby, along with two charges of assault. As of now, the DJE is willing to limit your sentence to 5 years and then another 10 on probation . You'd be out in time for your kid's first years at Hogwarts. In exchange, they need you to answer all of our questions truthfully and fully. Any failure to answer us truthfully and fully will make our deal null and void" Zaima said. Horby turned to her lawyer and whispered something
"My client is willing to accept your terms with two stipulations added"
"What are they" Zaima said
"She wants full custody of her children and protection from any harm caused by those she is speaking out against"
"I can not promise she will have complete custody but I can guarantee protection" Zaima said. Horby nodded
"Ask your questions. My client is willing to answer" he said. Zaima opened her folder
"Alright, what curse did you use on your husband?"
"A cutting charm" she said
"Which one?" Zaima pressed
"Sectum Seprma" she mumbled
"Where did you learn this curse?" Zaima asked
"I learned it from a wizard, he never told me his name" She said
"Tell me what you do know about him" Zaima said
"Um, He taught me the curse as sort of a free trial. He wanted me to join his group. They called themselves the Risen Followers. He took me to one of their initiation rituals."
"When was this?" Zaima asked
"Last year, March or April, it was before the first anniversary"
"How many people were there?"
"At least twenty" Horby said "I don't think the whole group was there"
"Were you the only one being initiated?"
"No, there had to have been at least 10 of us"
"Was the man who taught you the curse the leader?" Zaima asked
"No he wasn't. I never saw the leader's face. He was wearing a mask"
"Did he have a name?"
"They called him the Loyal One. I don't know why"
"What was their initiation ritual?" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat
"There were dark marks everywhere. They didn't say they were death eaters, but they sounded like them. Their initiation ritual was the same, or at least it was according to Onyx, it was cold blooded murder. I think they only gave the mark to the ones who did it. The others were members but they didn't get the mark" she shuddered at the idea of cold blooded murder. Ron found that a little rich coming from her.
"You told your husband about the encounter?"
"I didn't know what to do. I told him, he told me not to go to the Aurors"
"How far did you go into the group?"
"I didn't go back after that. Most of the others did. The man who tried to recruit me told me that when he came to my house"
"He went to your house?" Zaima asked
"Yes, he tried to get me to reconsider but Onyx chased him away. He came when the children were home"
"Do you know anything else about the group?" Zaima asked
"No, I don't," She said. Zaima sighed
"We will need you to sit down with a sketch artist. We will be moving your children and niece into protective custody for the time being." A spasm of annoyance flashed across Horby's face when Zaima mentioned to her niece "We will need to go over your statements and speak to the DJE if this is enough. We will be in touch" Zaim got up to leave. Neville and Ron followed. Grey was leaving interview room 3. The Knells followed. Grey gave them directions out of the ministry. They walked back to their office. Ron saw Harry already back at his desk. He wondered what Harry was doing back. Perhaps Grey wanted to talk to the Knells alone.
"My office Potter. Now," she said. Grey searing glare was aimed at Harry. Harry stood up and followed her. Neville and Zaima looked surprised at Grey's tone. Grey slammed the door of her office closed behind them
"Someone's in trouble," Lyra jeered. Zaima rolled her eyes.
"Take a seat Potter," Grey said. Harry sat down across from her. "Right, number one you were rude to a member of the DJE, who are currently working to help us on this case."
"It was Malfoy-"
"Number two, you ignored my direction in an interview with a suspect. Not only did you gain no new information, you also shut him down and stopped any chance of me being able to establish a rapport with him."
"Right, because praising death eaters is a great idea"
"Number 3, you lost your temper at a suspect. I don't think I need to explain how stupid that was. I understand that this case is stressful for you but this case is difficult for all of us-"
"I'm sorry but I'm the one who was stalked, had his girlfriend threatened and almost kidnapped. I don't think you understand" he yelled. Grey stood up from her desk
"You think you are the only one suffering? I had to send Lyra to speak to a death eater who tore them to pieces. Ron had to witness his best friend nearly be kidnapped again. Neville had to talk to the man who practically murdered his parents. I'm a Fucking muggleborn and an Order Member dealing with death eaters. You do know I was at the battle too"
"Well you didn't lose anything" Harry spat. Grey took a step back.
"Do anything like this again, and you are on desk duty for a month. Now get out of my office"