Chapter 8
"You again?" The blazing violet-blue eyes of the deputy chief constable flashed in recognition and anger as they settled on Matt. She quickened her pace as she strode into the reception hall.
"Damn, isn't this hag ever off duty?" Matt muttered under his breath.
Ron didn't agree with the hag part of the assessment. The red colouring creeping over her cheeks suited her. Like Hermione, she was sort of pretty when she was angry.
"Would you believe it if I told you that I got in trouble just to see you again?" Matt asked unctuously, giving the woman his most dazzling smile.
Grimlock sniggered behind his book, and the dozen constables who had responded to the disturbance at The Lovely Lady Lounge shared a chuckle. Ramos and Larsson groaned. They had worked with Peterson on several occasions due to disciplinary duty, and they knew her better than most Rangers. Ron wondered how severe Matt's mistake was.
Peterson was momentarily taken aback, and the flush on her cheeks intensified, probably due to embarrassment. A glare at her subordinates silenced them. "Stop giggling like little boys and tell me what the hell is going on." She fixed her gaze on the same young wizard Ron had seen her scold just a few days ago. "Constable Manilow?"
"We have conflicting accounts of the events, ma'am. There were two groups in the brawl, each with their own account of events. And the bystanders each have a different story to tell."
Peterson looked at the caliph's sole remaining henchman. The others had been taken to hospital due to the extent of their injuries. "You said two groups. There's only one wizard."
"The others are being patched up at the House of Healing. And I doubt you'll get any useful information out of this guy. Ahmed told me he keeps rambling about being attacked by transvestite triplets from hell."
"I think he meant me," Wolfe said.
Peterson's eyes widened in dismay as she saw Wolfe in his female garb. "Good Lord, you look grotesque."
"I think the dress isn't my colour," Wolfe replied evenly, eliciting chuckles from the audience.
Peterson rolled her eyes and began pacing back and forth, no doubt trying to decide what to do next. She stopped to Ron's left, in front of Bill, and looked him in the eyes. "You're a Weasley, aren't you?"
"Yes constable. Bill Weasley, at your service," Bill replied
"Yes, I can see the resemblance. I don't recognise you, though. From out of town, I assume?"
"Right again."
"Tell me, what happened?"
Bill grinned, seemingly unhampered by his split lip. "By Merlin, I can't recall the last time I was in a fight like that. No moral ambiguity, no hopeless struggle against the overwhelming forces of evil. They were the bad guys, as you Americans say, and we were the good guys. And they made a very satisfying thump when they hit the floor."
"Right." Peterson gave him a dubious smile. "I was hoping you'd tell me about what caused the fight."
"I'll tell you what caused the fight," Matt erupted. "That depraved caliph tried to force himself on my daughter. And if I'd reached him before the kid had, I'd have killed that no good son of a—"
"Hold it!" Peterson bellowed. When it was clear that Matt would allow her to talk, she continued. "Unless you had children when you were nine, you can't have a daughter who would be old enough to have been allowed into that establishment. Ergo, I'm assuming that we're talking about the same girl who landed you in jail before. What was an eleven-year-old girl doing in the Lovely Lady Lounge to begin with?"
"Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not in the room!" Mary huffed.
Again, Peterson was taken aback. She looked from Matt to Mary, and back. "Oh yes, you have the same eyes. But she's eleven? I thought she was one of the Veela women."
"I'm still here!" Mary said impatiently. "What am I, invisible?"
The corners of Peterson's mouth curved upwards ever so slightly, and she turned to Mary. "All right, then. Can you tell me what happened? Start off by telling me what you were doing there."
"Okay." Mary nodded, and she took a theatrical breath before she began to rattle away. "My daddy wanted to throw Harry a bachelor party so he closed the club down until two 'o clock but I wanted to give Harry a gift and I'm a really good singer and Nicolai can play lots of musical instruments so we asked my mother and my daddy's cousin who runs the lounge if it was okay for me and Nicolai to do an act—"
"Whoa, child. Slow down, breathe, that's it!" Peterson coached Mary through some calming breaths. "So the club was closed for the party."
"Yes, ma'am."
Peterson smiled sweetly, and Ron noticed that she was sort of pretty when she smiled, too. "You can call me Heather."
"Okay, Heather."
"So your dad closed the club until two, but he was still there at two-thirty, when the fight broke out. Why was he still there?"
Mary shrugged and looked at her father. "Why were you still there, Daddy?"
"Some of the guests wanted to see the topless show, Heather."
Peterson's eyes flashed dangerously. "I didn't give you permission to call me Heather."
Matt rolled his eyes. "Woman, give me a break."
"I just might," Peterson warned. "How about your nose?"
More half-restrained sniggers emanated from the crowd.
"Okay, now we've established why your dad and the other attendees of the bachelor party were still there. Tell me, Mary, why do you think the fight started?"
"Well, Wendy came into the kitchen to tell me and my boyfriend that it was time to go home, and—"
"Wait a minute, you have a boyfriend? Honey, aren't you still a little young for that?"
"I don't think so. He's only nine months older than I am, and I'm really mature for my age. He is, too."
"And who is your boyfriend, if I may ask?"
Ron leaned forward a little and caught a glimpse of Nicolai as Mary took his hand. "This is my boyfriend, Nicolai Savin."
As Peterson looked Nicolai over, the incredulity in her voice grew. "He's twelve?"
"I'll be twelve in September, ma'am," Nicolai said shyly.
"Congratulations, Mary. He's very cute." Peterson winked at Mary, and Mary looked really pleased with herself. Then she focussed her attention on Nicolai again.
"What do they feed you at home? You're awfully big for your age."
"It isn't my diet. I just started growing two years early."
"I see. Say, you're Elena's son, aren't you?"
"Yes, ma'am. You know my mother?"
"We work out together from time to time," Peterson offered by way of explanation. "And are you all right? I'm sure you've noticed there's blood on your chest."
"I'm all right. The blood isn't mine," Nicolai said softly. Ron found the troubled expression on the boy's face unsettling.
Peterson interrupted the conversation and strode over to another constable who had just arrived, and had been trying to get her attention. They conversed in hushed tones for a minute or two before Peterson returned. When she did, her expression was all business again.
"I'm sorry for the delay. Mary, what happened after Wendy came to get you and Nicolai in the kitchen?"
"She took us into the lounge. I think dad wanted to leave through the main entrance, like everyone else. When I was on my way to the entrance that nasty caliph grabbed me, and—" Mary's voice became rough, and she faltered for a moment.
Peterson looked concerned. "Honey, would you like to tell me about it somewhere else?"
Mary shook her head and wiped the tears off her face with her, smearing some make up. "No, here's fine," she said, putting on a brave face. Her tone was almost clinical when she continued. "He pulled me in his lap, and he touched my breasts and tried to touch my private parts."
Ron glanced at Matt, who was breathing through his nose very loudly. His fists were clenched, and he looked like he wanted to smash something.
"Nicolai tried to stop him, but one of the caliph's goons threw him to the floor. And then Daddy came and beat the goon up, and I think the caliph told the others to get my daddy because they all got up. Nicolai came back and freed me. Then everyone started fighting."
Ron noticed how Mary had omitted the fact that Nicolai attacked the caliph with a vengeance with his demonic claws, after pulling Mary out of the way.
"Mary, I've just been told that the caliph is fighting for his life at the House of Healing. Who attacked him?"
Mary began to sob uncontrollably. "P-Please, h-he was only p-protecting me!"
"It was me, ma'am," Nicolai said, though Ron could see that Peterson had already put two and two together.
"There's a chance the caliph won't survive."
"He got what he deserved," Nicolai said bitterly. "I can elaborate on that, though I don't wish to do so here. I'm not telling you how to do your job, but you can let Harry Potter and his guests go. They only jumped in to help Mr Kelly protect his daughter. Unless I'm mistaken, none of the injuries they inflicted on the caliph's entourage were life-threatening. The only reason they were injured in the first place was because they tried to interfere on the caliph's behalf."
"What about the damage to the club?" Peterson looked at Matt. "From your daughter's words, I deduced that you're the owner, but she never said so specifically."
"Your deduction was correct, ma'am."
"Who will cover the damages?"
"That depends on whether the caliph lives or dies," Matt growled. "I can't charge the bastard if he's dead, can I?"
"You could charge the caliph's estate," Peterson suggested.
"I could. But this isn't about gold. I've got already of plenty of that."
Ron was thinking about the more distant future, and about the consequences it would have for Nicolai if the caliph didn't survive. He boldly stepped out the line-up. "Could I please have a word, privately?"
"In a moment," Peterson said. She gave her subordinates a nod. "Let Mr Potter and his guests go. Escort the other one to a private cell."
"You can't do that. The caliph's immunity extends to his entourage," a bookish-looking constable remarked.
"I know he can't be prosecuted. We're only holding him for questioning, and we'll continue to hold him until we get the order to let him go."
*
Harry couldn't help but feel responsible for Nicolai's predicament. He wished he'd been able to pull Nicolai off the caliph sooner, but the kid had done a lot of damage in the fifteen seconds it had taken Harry to reach him.
He had known that there was something odd about Nicolai, ever since getting a peek into his mind. His thoughts were extremely jumbled and hard to read. It was almost as if he was in a room full of broadcasting minds, and each mind seemed to work at the speed of light.
"Hey, Harry?" Ron called from the two-person bench he was reclining on.
Harry stopped pacing. "What is it, Ron?"
"Your birthday. Congratulations, you're twenty-four."
Harry sighed. He'd forgotten that it was the thirty-first of July now. "Happy birthday to me," he muttered. "Bugger, I should've known that the caliph was bad news. I saw the look in his eyes when he leered at the women. Of all the women in the room, why did he have to grab Mary? I swear, I won't let Nicolai pay for doing the right thing."
The sounds of footsteps echoing on the marble floor made Harry turn away from the patterns in the marble. Commander Ironheart and a frantic-looking Elena were hurrying towards them.
Harry quickly rose to meet them. "Nicolai's washing up. Deputy Peterson's summoned a magistrate to validate the hearing."
"I sent someone to gather information at the House of Healing," Ironheart said. "The caliph will live. We don't have to worry about a murder charge. Still, attempted murder may be a possibility."
"But why would Nicolai do such a thing?" Elena wailed. "He hates violence."
That was bothering Harry too. The caliph had been trying to harm Mary, and Nicolai had wanted to prevent it. But surely someone as intelligent as Nicolai would have realised that the caliph's men would be no match for Wolfe and Harry. In fact, he was sure he could have taken those wizards by himself. And Wolfe wouldn't have needed Harry's help either. With the help of Ron, Gavin, Ramos and Larsson, and not to mention the Weasley brothers and Harry's Gryffindor mates, it had all been over in less than a minute. Even Aberforth had pitched in by shattering a vase over the head of one of the caliph's men.
"Maybe the idea of something happening to Mary set him off," Ron offered. "But I can't shake the feeling that there's something else going on here."
"That makes three of us," Ironheart said, glancing at Harry.
Harry sent a mental query to Ironheart to ask what he meant by that, and Ironheart replied that he wasn't certain, but that they'd soon find out.
Elena sat next to Ron on a bench and began to sob into his shoulder. Harry was mildly amused as Ron awkwardly patted her back. He could count the women Ron wouldn't feel awkward comforting on the fingers of one hand.
Fortunately for Ron, Wolfe arrived, no longer wearing the dress and make up. "The magistrate has arrived. Peterson's commandeered Chief Garibaldi's office to ensure maximum privacy."
Ironheart pried his daughter off Ron, and they set off for Garibaldi's office at a brisk pace. They went in and found Nicolai sitting on a stool, in the company of three women.
The magistrate—a tiny, middle-aged witch with curly blonde hair and a surprisingly child-like face—was setting up a recording device. Her cheeks were turning pink as she struggled with the tripod, and Harry thought she looked a lot like Goldilocks. She was the exact opposite of an authority figure. There was also another woman in the room. A band wrapped around her upper arm identified her as a Healer. Her expression was bland and clinical, and she had closely cropped cinnamon hair with many grey streaks. Harry knew her face from the Concordian Chronicle, and he'd also seen her in person a few times when she was in their neighbourhood, visiting her daughter, who happened to live in the house between Harry and Ron's. Her name was Octavia Aurelia, and she was one of the best Healers in the world, specialising in mental illnesses.
"Ah, Octavia Aurelia and Nicole Petit, what a pleasant surprise," Ironheart said, beaming at the two women, who promptly blushed, giggled and jostled for position to kiss him in greeting.
Peterson was mildly annoyed by this, and a thought along the lines of, 'So much for a couple of impartial experts' passed through her mind. Harry shook his head, and mentally added two more names to the notches on Ironheart's headboard.
"Octavia, what are you doing here?" Ironheart asked.
"I treated the caliph," the woman explained. "He looked like he'd been attacked by a wild animal, and I wanted to find out for myself what could have caused someone to attack him like that."
"And it's just as well, because I needed an expert to determine Nicolai's state of mind," the tiny magistrate with the very suitable surname added.
Peterson cleared her throat. "You do realise that I should reconsider the expert and the magistrate, now that I've seen the degree of familiarity—"
"Oh, nonsense. Donovan and I were never romantically involved," Aurelia cut her off. However, Harry knew that she'd been more than interested. "And even if it were true, I wouldn't let it get in the way of my task. I doubt you'll find anyone with my skill in Concordia, and I assure you that my male colleagues won't wake up to do this job."
"The same goes for me on that last issue, and I have known him for a very long time," Petit smiled. "He was a very naughty boy even when he was eleven!"
Harry quickly queried Ironheart on that, and he unabashedly replied that Petit was ten years his senior and that she had been his part-time minder from his eighth to his eleventh year of life. That surprised Harry, since the magistrate didn't look much older than Mrs Weasley. Though Ironheart hadn't explicitly presented the thought, Harry got the impression that Nicole Petit was the first witch he'd ever seduced. He glanced at Nicolai, suddenly realising that the quick dash to physical adulthood had to be a partial side effect of his demonic heritage.
"All right, let's get the show on the road," Peterson said, while she produced an enchanted quill and a stack of parchments. I'd like the rest of you to refrain from making any comments while Magistrate Petit interviews Nicolai. I want to keep the transcript as clean as possible."
Everyone consented, and Petit flicked her wand to start the recorder. Then she produced a typical vial of Veritaserum from a case, and showed it to everyone in the room. "Do you, Elena Ironheart, as Nicolai Savin's mother and legal guardian, agree to allow your son to be subjected to the influences of Veritaserum, in order to ensure the discovery of the complete truth?"
Elena nodded. "I agree."
Petit turned to Commander Ironheart and repeated the question, designating him as Nicolai's grandfather and second legal guardian, and Ironheart also consented. Then she turned to Nicolai. "Formally you can no longer object, though I choose to ask you as a courtesy. There are alternative ways of determining if you are telling the truth, like Legilimency."
Nicolai smiled faintly. "I doubt anyone would want to look into my mind like that. Veritaserum is fine." He opened his mouth and accepted three drops of the potion on his tongue, and Harry saw his face take on the trance-like expression that indicated that the potion had taken effect.
"Is your name Nicolai Savin?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the contents of the 2003 edition of the International Magi-zoological Encyclopaedia by heart?"
"Yes."
Petit gave Ironheart an inquisitive look, but he just shrugged and smiled.
Harry and Ron exchanged knowing smirks.
"All right, let us continue. Nicolai, when you attacked the caliph, you did so to protect Mary?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you stop after you'd freed her? Why did you continue to attack him?"
The kid's face twisted itself into the hateful expression he had worn when transformed into the demon, and his eyes began to glow red once more. His voice deepened and became resonant, like a demon's. "Secundus Alpha remembered him from the third of August in 1996."
Petit frowned. "Who is Secundus Alpha?"
"The keeper of my memories," Nicolai said.
Aurelia jumped out of her seat and tapped Petit on the shoulder. Using gestures, she indicated that she wanted to take over the line of questioning.
"Let the record show that Octavia Aurelia is taking over the interview," Petit said, before she stepped aside.
"Nicolai, is Secundus Alpha another personality of yours?"
"In psychiatric terms, yes."
"You know about psychiatry?" Aurelia asked enthusiastically. She was growing more exited by the minute. "How did you learn? Why did you learn?"
"I understand, yes. Secundus Omicron is knowledgeable on the subject. I created him in an effort to understand the creation of the collective. I learnt about the subject from the literature at the library."
"Why did you create these minds?"
"I had to organise my mind to avoid insanity. My intelligence goes beyond the human norm. I would have been gifted under normal circumstances, but my ability was amplified through experiments conducted by Ivan Savin."
"Your grandfather?"
"He is my biological ancestor, yes," Nicolai growled.
"You were talking about experiments. What kind of experiments?"
"Experiments to increase my mental capabilities. In my first year of life, Ivan separated me from my parents without their knowledge on several occasions to conduct these experiments. Through his efforts, the neurones in my brain did not decrease with age, as is the case in normal cerebral development. As a result, I am able to retain information nearly flawlessly and store it as long-term memory without the need for repetition and training. I can merely recall it at will. I'm able to understand any subject I come across, and I can perform calculations and mnemonic feats that go beyond the capability of normal people. However, the human brain cannot cope with that without some dramatic changes in the way it functions. I had to divide my mind and make it more efficient." He paused, seeming unsure. "I don't know how to simplify this enough for you to understand."
"There's no need," Aurelia said. "So to summarise your explanation, you split yourself up into several personalities out of necessity."
"There was another event that also influenced the process. Disassociation due to traumatic experiences. Ivan was grooming me to be his successor. He forced me to watch while he tortured his enemies, aiming to desensitise me and prevent me from feeling emotions that would impair my decision-making capacity as the future leader of his organisation. Secundus Alpha kept most of those memories away."
"Was one of those memories from the third of August in 1996?"
"Yes. The caliph was still a sultan at that time. He had dealings with Ivan. Mostly about illegal goods, but also slavery. Ivan sold young girls to him on a regular basis."
"About Mary's age?"
"Yes. One of the girls defied him, and he cut parts of her body one by one in front of the other girls, to make an example out of her. He shared Ivan's fascination with torture."
Aurelia turned tack. "You were very young. How do you remember all of this? How do you know the specifics of the experiments Ivan conducted?"
"I could read when I was nearly two. I read Ivan's notes. I couldn't understand them at the time, but they remained stored away in my memory until I gained the knowledge to understand them. I can recall things more vividly than anyone can. This vividness allowed me to identify the caliph."
"The caliph is well known, and you clearly knew of him before seeing him tonight. Why didn't you make the connection before?"
"Secundus Alpha protected me. But when Mary was in danger, Tertius Epsilon convinced him to merge with me and allow me access to the memory anyway, for Mary's sake."
"Wait, your personalities are aware of each other?"
"Yes."
"And more of them can share the spotlight at once?"
"No. They don't enter the spotlight of consciousness. They merge with me. They can only gain a semblance of consciousness through me."
"That's very unusual."
"Yes."
Aurelia paused to allow everything to sink in, before she continued. "What does Tertius Epsilon do?"
"He protects Mary."
"My daughter lives across the street from the Kellys, and she told me that Mary hasn't lived in Concordia for very long. Tertius Epsilon must be young."
"Yes. He was created to allow me to overcome my fear of water and rescue Mary from drowning."
"Did he try to kill the caliph?"
"No, that was me. I wanted to prevent him from ever hurting anyone again. Despite the degree of organisation in my mind, I was so angry that couldn't think straight."
"Would you try to kill him again, if you ever ran into him?"
"No," Nicolai replied immediately.
"Why not?"
"The consequences would separate me from Mary. The pain that would cause her outweighs any satisfaction I would gain from the caliph's death."
"That's all I need to know," Aurelia said, stepping back and yielding the interview to Petit again.
"His answers also cover everything I needed to know. Aurelia, as the expert, would you concur with my assessment if I said that this is a clear case of a state of temporarily diminished sanity?"
"Of course. Furthermore, I believe Nicolai's accusations to be true."
"That's because you wouldn't be directly affected if the caliph's secret affairs came to light," Ironheart said. "Those who would be affected, especially financially, would rather believe that Nicolai is insane and that he has mistaken the caliph for someone else."
Harry and Ron exchanged glances. Unfortunately they'd been confronted with the same sad fact in their youth.
"Nicolai is still facing charges of attempted murder in the second degree," Ironheart continued. "As things stand now, he'll be locked away in a mental hospital. The only way Nicolai will get off the hook is if we prove beyond all doubt that the caliph is indeed dirty. I had no idea he was, so he must have hid it really well. It won't be easy to get that information, but the man with the evidence owes me a favour." He turned to Ron. "I'm afraid you won't be able to spend time with your relatives today. I want some alternatives to work with, in case the man who owes me is reluctant. We're going up against a government icon again." Then he addressed Aurelia and Petit. "I'll assign Rangers to watch over you. I may have to reveal Nicolai's testimony, and if I do, your involvement will not be received well by the caliph. Your lives will be in danger."
"Sir, I know that these situations are part of my job description, but my mum will kill me if I'm not at Ginny's wedding," Ron said.
"Don't worry. You're allowed to take a break to perform your duties at the ceremony."
"Should Harry and I go and persuade people to step forward and reveal the caliph's double life?" Wolfe asked.
Ironheart shook his head. "No, at least, not until after the wedding. I have twenty men in the Martial Division who are itching for a fight. They can do the job without you." He locked his gaze with Harry's. "I know you want to help, but I can't let you put such a monumental event in your life on hold over this. You may have to postpone your honeymoon, but you will get married tomorrow."
***
Kalen: I'm sorry, but I've failed to understand the relevance of your comment. Were you saying that you thought Nicolai did what he did out of some sort of jealousy? If so, you need to read more carefully, because you'd be the only one who didn't understand the caliphs' lewd intentions.
If not, could you explain what you were trying to say?
aznanarchy: Updates occur with regular intervals.
The Keymaker: And your review is appreciated, as always.
Angie: The sequel will take place after Union, so I won't be giving anything away.
Athena McGonagall: Tell you when and why Ironheart changed, leaving you with no mysteries to wonder about? No way! ;-)
Gogirl: ???? What are you talking about? They didn't let Mary dance in a nightclub. And she's eleven, not fifteen. (though my descriptions do say that she looks fifteen)
Foxfur: Who says Ironheart didn't try to comfort Molly when George died? Maybe he didn't do it because his wife and Commander Nomvete had been keeping a close eye on him at that point in time. :-)
limar: You're the only reviewer who expressed concern that Ginny would be outliving Harry by many years! Harry's does have Draconian blood (as wizards with pureblood ancestors do, in my little A/U) but it's too diluted to make much of a difference, like it does in the Dumbledores. And his powers for the pendant do not include longevity.
LadySiri: Nicolai was pretty cool in chapter 7, wasn't he? What did you think of my little explanation in this chapter.
nycgal: Any comments are appreciated.
OHGinnyfan: No. I haven't referred to Ironheart's transformation before.
Cosmos Rose: That's exactly what I want you to wonder. :-)
Anon: I'm sorry you didn't actually get to see Nicolai rip him up.
Ginny1946: I had to visualise Wolfe in a dress. Not pretty!
mentosadidasgirl17: I'll check it out.
Fragarach: Did he kick enough of it?
Lioness-07863: Unexpected twist, eh?
Angel of the Flames: No. I'm going to keep the fics centred on the main characters. If I write Mary and Nicolai fics I might as well start writing original stories. (which I intend to do, as soon as I've got a good idea)
Chloe Black: The wedding will happen soon.
