A/N: I am so sorry for the length of time between updates! Please believe that I haven't forgotten this story, or all of you! I was insanely busy with grading finals and closing the school year, and I honestly didn't have time to write anything. But, school is finally over for the summer! I hope to be able to update every two or three days from now on, so I won't make you wait forever again. I hope this chapter is worth the wait! Thank you again for reading and reviewing!

I don't own the Harry Potter universe.

Suspicion

Lily took a deep breath, and opened the door of her bedroom. She had already showered, and was dressed for work. It was time to go back. It was time to live her life again.

Dana and Olivia were both awake; Lily could hear them chatting about something or another as she walked the short distance to the kitchen. She pushed the door open, and entered the room.

"Good morning."

The conversation the girls had been having instantly stopped. Both Olivia and Dana looked at Lily in shocked silence. She giggled.

"Are you all right?"

"Are you?" Olivia asked bluntly.

"Yes," Lily replied. "I'm much, much better."

"I take it you and James had a good evening?"

"Yeah, we did."

"What time did you get home?" Dana asked. "I never even heard you come in. I thought for sure you'd want to tell us what happened!"

Lily shrugged. "You were both asleep, and I didn't want to wake you. I figured my stories would keep until morning." She paused, thinking of the events of the previous night. "Where did Sirius and Remus end up going after they left their flat?"

"Well, they were here for awhile," Olivia said. "We all had bets on whether you and James could work everything out, and on who would commit murder first."

"You did not!"

"Oh, we did," Dana laughed. "But, don't worry; it was all in good fun."

Lily shook her head, and sat down at the table with them. "They aren't still here, are they?"

"Remus left for Laura's around ten," Dana replied. "Sirius and Olivia went out for a drink around the same time."

"Yeah, we went out to the Three Broomsticks," Olivia replied. "But after that . . ." She paused, and smiled mischievously. "Sirius actually went back home. We figured that you and James would be done fighting by then. Didn't you notice him come in?"

Lily flushed. "I didn't know he was there. He must have Apparated straight into his bedroom."

"That must be it," Olivia replied, giving Dana a knowing look.

Dana giggled, and Lily's face turned a brighter shade of red. Olivia laughed.

"I don't care what you and James did last night. The fact that you're back to normal is enough for me."

"I don't think I'm completely back to normal yet," Lily admitted. "But I have to start somewhere, right? And I'm never going to get back to normal if I don't try. You girls and James were right. I have a wonderful life, and I need to start living it again." She took a deep breath. "I'm never going to get my parents back – not in this lifetime, at least. So, I need to get used to living without them." She paused, and took another breath to change her focus. "And the best way to do that is to get back to the way things were. So, I'm going to back to the paper today. When we get home tonight, we're going to have a lot of work to do."

"What kind of work?" Olivia asked.

Lily grinned. "Wedding plans."

After having breakfast with her roommates, Lily Apparated into the lobby of the Daily Prophet. She smiled to herself as she walked up to her department offices. She had missed work. She hadn't realized how much until the moment she was back.

"Lily!" Elaine, Lily's editor, ran out of her office, and grabbed Lily into a hug. "Oh, my goodness, have we missed you around here! Are you all right?"

Lily smiled, returning the hug. "I'm getting better," she replied. "I had to get back. I've missed working."

"That's good to hear," Elaine replied. "Here, come into my office for a minute. I need to give you your assignments."

A concerned look crossed Lily's face. "Who's been doing my work while I've been gone?" She hated the idea that she had created twice as much work for one of her coworkers.

"We've all done some, so no one was stuck with all of it. Don't worry about it for a minute," Elaine replied. "We've gotten by without you. But, there are some things that only you could do. And the first one that I really need to have you do is another interview with Ludo Bagman."

"Another one?" Lily echoed, raising her eyebrows.

"Yes, well, the Wasps are winning, so Perry thinks that an interview with Bagman is just the thing to drive up sales – you know, all the fair weather fans will be out to buy the paper just because he's in it. And, it would appear that you and Ludo seem to be building a lovely relationship, so I want to make sure that you handle this."

"Wait a minute," Lily laughed. "I've only done one interview with Ludo. I hardly think that qualifies as a 'relationship.'"

"Well, Ludo disagrees. When I owled him to set up an interview, he responded that he would only grant interviews to you."

Lily's mouth fell open. As the shock wore off, she giggled. "James and Liv are going to have a fit!"

"Yes, well, as long as you get the interview done, I'll be happy. When do you want me to schedule it?"

"Anytime, really," Lily replied, knowing that she didn't have anything scheduled for the next week.

"The sooner the better," Elaine muttered. "We need to run it before the Wasps start losing."

"With Ludo Bagman as their Beater, how could they?" Lily asked with a charming smile.

"Oh, now I see why Ludo likes you," Elaine laughed. "You really are quite good at that, you know."

"I try."

Elaine shook her head. "Well, whatever works for you. Now, let's talk about the other things I need you to do."

Lily was the last one home that evening. Because she had been away from her job for so long, she had more catch up work to do than she had imagined. By the time she finally did leave, she knew that she would have to come in early the next day just to get everything ready for her afternoon interview with Ludo Bagman.

"How was your first day back?" Dana asked as Lily walked through the living room.

"It made me feel appreciated," Lily replied with a smile. "My editor was thrilled to see me, and had an assignment for me from the editor-in-chief." She smiled again. "I didn't realize how much I missed it."

"Good," Olivia said. "You should miss your work when you're away from it. It means you enjoy what you do. And, since you spend a huge portion of your waking hours at work, you definitely need to enjoy it."

Lily grinned. "You're never going to believe what my first assignment is! I think you'd definitely enjoy it!"

"What is it?" Olivia asked.

"I'm interviewing Ludo Bagman!"

"Again?" Olivia gasped.

"Yes, again. I'm meeting him tomorrow afternoon."

"Lily! You are the luckiest girl alive! Can I come with you? Please?"

Lily laughed. "You know I can't let you do that! Do you want another autographed picture? I can probably handle that much."

"No, I still have the last one," Olivia sighed.

Lily laughed again. "I still don't understand this obsession you have with Ludo Bagman. What happened to you being a diehard Cannons fan? Ludo doesn't play for the Cannons!"

"And you think that matters?" Olivia gasped. "Ludo Bagman is one of the most amazing Beaters to ever play the game! Honestly, I picked the wrong field. What was I thinking with this Auror thing? I should have been a reporter like you! Then I'd be the one interviewing Ludo Bagman! At least I understand his importance to the sports world!"

"Well, Ludo Bagman now qualifies as work in my world, sports or not, and we're not focusing on work anymore," Lily replied. "We need to focus on the wedding."

"Oh, good," Dana grinned. "I've been looking forward to this all day."

"I want to hear more about Ludo!"

"I said no!" Lily laughed. She reached into her bag for a piece of parchment and quill. She held her wand poised to charm the quill.

"What's that?" Dana asked.

"My interviewing quill," Lily replied. "It'll work well for making wedding plans."

"Is that the quill you used to interview Ludo?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "Yes, of course it is. Now, it's going to record everything we say, just so you know. It will only stop if one of us tells it to – and you have to actually use the word stop." She tapped the quill with her wand. "There, now it's ready to use."

"Really?" Dana asked. "Can it keep up with us?"

"Yeah," Olivia said, watching the quill zoom across the parchment. "Look at it go!"

"Would you quit wasting my parchment?" Lily laughed.

"All right, let's get down to business," Dana laughed. "Are you going to stay with your original wedding date?"

Lily frowned. "I'm not sure that we can. Do you think we can be ready by December?"

"That's only three months," Olivia said practically. "But do you want to push it back?"

"Not really," Lily said, her cheeks turning slightly pink. "But I think we might have to. I'll talk to James."

"Okay," Dana said. "What about venues?"

"Well, James and I had talked about getting married in the same church as my parents," Lily said, sadness creeping into her eyes. "But we were planning a fully Muggle wedding. I'm not sure if he still wants to do that, with the way everything has changed." She looked away from her friends. The idea of not having a Muggle wedding was almost unthinkable. It had been her dream for so long, but if James didn't want it . . .

"Stop," Olivia said suddenly.

The quill froze in the air. The other girls looked at her questioningly.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked.

"We can't do this without James. It's his wedding, too. And, really, we should have Sirius, Remus, and Peter here. They're as involved as Dana and I." She was about to add Petunia's name, but stopped. Somehow, she was sure that Lily's sister was no longer a part of this wedding.

"She's right," Dana agreed. "Shall we get them?"

Lily nodded, and went to the fireplace. She tossed in the Floo powder, and shouted James' name. Within seconds, his face appeared. They spoke for a moment, and then, several minutes later, James, Sirius, and Remus were climbing out of the fireplace. Coughing, they dusted the soot from their robes.

"The next time I suggest that we just Floo anywhere, please hit me," James choked.

"Done," Sirius and Remus said at the same time, both coughing.

"Where's Peter?" Dana asked.

"We needed to Floo over to his place," James said. "Believe it or not, he isn't over at our flat every moment."

"We tried to get in touch with him, but he's still at work," Sirius added. "His mother said he'd be home in about two hours. We told him to try to contact us here."

"How's he doing?" Olivia asked. "He didn't seem to be in a good place the last time I saw him."

Sirius shrugged. "Peter's got a lot of issues to worry about. He's dealing with his parents, with his job, and with being an adult. Peter's more of a follower, but with how sick his parents have been he's in a situation where he needs to be more of a leader."

"I almost think it's better for him to be away from us," Remus said. "I mean, if he was living with us, we would probably just take charge, like we always did at Hogwarts. This way, he's forced to do things without our suggestion."

"I guess it's for the best," James said noncommittally. "Anyway, what pressing issues do you girls want to discuss with us?"

"The wedding," Lily said promptly. "Or should we wait for Peter?"

"He can come to the next meeting," Olivia replied.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "The next meeting?" He looked to James for support.

James shrugged. "What are you talking about?"

"We need to get together at least once a week to make sure that we're all on the same page," Olivia explained.

"Er – all right," James said.

Lily looked around at all of them. "I need another bridesmaid."

"What?" James asked.

"Well, you have Sirius, Remus, and Peter, but I just have Olivia and Dana now," she said, her face contorting slightly. "I think that Petunia officially backed out of the wedding when she said that I was as dead to her as our parents." Shadows of pain lingered in her eyes. "We need to be surrounded by happiness and love at our wedding. We don't need my ungrateful sister there."

Olivia and Dana exchanged a glance. Olivia felt exceedingly relieved that she hadn't mentioned Petunia earlier. At least this way, Lily had brought her up herself, and James was here to help her deal with any issues.

"Who would you like to ask?" James asked, watching Lily's reactions closely.

"Laura," Lily said at once. "I always felt bad about not including her to begin with."

"She'll be thrilled," Remus smiled.

"Good," Lily said. "I'll go see her tomorrow." She glanced at the notes the quill had taken before the men had arrived. "James – we need to pick a date for our wedding."

"What happened to our old date?"

"It's a little soon."

"When do you want to have it, then? How much time do we need to get ready?"

"I don't know . . . Maybe sometime in February?"

"That's fine," James said. "Why don't we see what dates the church has available?"

"Oh, that's a good idea. Do you still want to have the wedding in my parents' church?"

"Absolutely." James reached across to touch her hand. "I can't think of anything more fitting."

Lily smiled, her eyes suddenly bright. She almost held her breath as she asked the next question, fearful of what James' answer would be. "And do you still want to have a Muggle wedding?"

James looked at her sharply, realizing her fears in an instant. "Lil, listen to me. From what you girls have told us, little girls spend all their time dreaming about their weddings. Little boys don't do that. I've never had any expectations for my wedding, and I still don't. The most important thing is that you're going to be my bride. I'm not saying that I don't care about the plans or the wedding, but all that I really want from this day is for you to have all your dreams come true. And if you've always wanted a Muggle wedding, then we'll have a Muggle wedding."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a grin. Not for nothing had they always teased James about his phrasing, word choices, and elaborate speeches. He had always known the perfect way to express his point. And he had completely won the girls over with his words. Dana and Olivia looked ready to melt at his speech, while Lily blinked back tears.

"Do you really mean it?"

"I really do."

She threw her arms around him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lily pulled away, laughing through her tears. "You're amazing."

James grinned. "Well, you may want to hold on the high praise. I have a favor to ask of you in return."

"Just name it."

"I told my parents we'd go to church with them on Sunday. After that, they want to take us to brunch to discuss the wedding."

Lily laughed again. "I think I can handle that one."

"Good," James said, looking rather relieved.

"Did you honestly think I'd say no?" Lily asked incredulously. "You know how much I love your parents!"

James smiled. Yes, after the way she had been for the past month, he had been concerned that she would say no. But tonight, more than anything, was convincing him that his Lily was finally coming back.

Lily arrived at work earlier than usual the next morning. Elaine was already there, of course, but none of the others in her department had managed to make it in ahead of her. She smiled her good morning to the editor, and disappeared into her office, intending to spend her morning preparing for her interview with Ludo Bagman.

She had no sooner sat down at her desk than a memo whizzed in. She frowned at the sight of the purple ink as it landed on her desk. Purple ink indicated a high priority. She picked up the sheet of parchment, and unfolded it.

"Welcome back Lily! We have so much to talk about. I have some information that you'll find most interesting. Come to my office ASAP! – Minnie"

Lily's frown deepened. She stood again, slid the parchment into her pocket, and left for Minnie's office. She wanted to see her friend, as the memo instructed, as soon as possible.

Minnie had obviously expected her memo to have that affect; she was waiting in the department lobby when Lily walked in. She grinned at the sight of her friend.

"I knew you'd come up straight away."

"How did you know I was here this early?" Lily smiled.

"I saw you Apparate in. I tried to get your attention, but you didn't hear me."

"I'm sorry. I was mentally composing interview questions."

Minnie nodded. "You're interviewing Ludo Bagman today, right?"

"How did you know that?"

"I read the interview schedule," she said, waving her hand as if to shrug off the question. "But that's not the important part. Just be glad that I did find out. We need to talk before you go on this interview."

"Uh-oh," Lily said a bit nervously. "This doesn't sound good."

"It's not," Minnie said grimly. "Come on. Let's go into my office."

Lily nodded, and followed her friend to her office. Minnie ushered Lily in, and shut the door behind them. They took seats on opposite sides of Minnie's desk. Minnie shuffled some papers, and picked up a folder.

"How much do you know about Ludo Bagman?"

"He's a great Quidditch player," Lily replied promptly. "He's one of the greatest Beaters England's ever seen. He started playing in school, and hasn't looked back since. I can pretty much give you any information on his career that you could possibly ask for. On the more personal side, he's not married, and doesn't have children." She paused, and tapped her fingertips against her chin. "He's not sure what he wants to do when he retires from sports, but he's thinking of going to work for the Ministry. If that happens, I think James may explode from sheer excitement."

Minnie smiled. "I think I can fill in some gaps for you."

"What do you mean?" Lily frowned.

"It would appear that our friend Ludo is a bit more interested in this Ministry career than he let on to you."

"I'm not following you."

"Remember how we talked about looking into Death Eater activities?"

"Of course. But what do the Death Eaters have to do with Ludo Bagman?"

"Unfortunately, more than we'd like to think." She handed the folder to Lily. "Read this over before you go on your interview."

Lily frowned again, and opened the folder. Her frown deepened as she read its contents.

"Minnie, this isn't exactly incriminating," Lily said. "I don't quite understand what was so pivotal about this information. I mean, all this says is that Ludo has been in contact with a Ministry worker. It's probably about getting a job."

"Keep reading," Minnie said, waving her hand.

Lily nodded, and returned to reading over the documents in her hands. She gasped, and looked up with wide eyes. Minnie nodded.

"Who's Augustus Rookwood?"

"He's the Ministry worker Bagman's been in contact with. He's also a supposed Death Eater. I managed to find out that he works for the Ministry, but I haven't been able to uncover what department he's in."

Lily paused, and looked down again. When she looked up, the frown had returned. "So we're assuming that Ludo is a Death Eater based on a connection to a supposed Death Eater? One who works for the Ministry?"

"In my opinion, Rookwood is a confirmed Death Eater."

"But, Minnie, what if –"

"Stop," Minnie said quickly, cutting her off. "I know the connection is shaky. That's why I haven't said anything about it before. But I thought that maybe you could help me strengthen it."

"What do you mean?"

"From the news that's circulating around the offices, you're Bagman's new favorite reporter. I thought that maybe you could get him to admit to something."

"Minnie, that doesn't seem fair to him."

"It's not really fair. But it's not supposed to be. We're exposing Death Eaters, not sending invitations to a tea party." She pressed her fingertips together. "We're in this to put the people who killed your family in Azkaban, Lil. If you can prove that Bagman – or Rookwood, for that matter – is a Death Eater, then I'll blow this story wide open. If you can disprove it, I'll throw this folder away."

Lily looked at her for a moment. "I hate the idea that Ludo Bagman could be a Death Eater. He doesn't seem like a bad person."

"Maybe he's not a bad person. Maybe he just made a very poor choice. Maybe the Council of Magical Law will take that into consideration. Or maybe I'm way off base, and he isn't a Death Eater at all. But, believe me, I'm not the only one who's suspicious of him. And, no matter what evidence you come up with, I'll make sure you get all the credit for it."

Lily shook her head. "He just doesn't seem like a Death Eater. I mean, it's no secret that I'm Muggle-born, and he hasn't had a problem opening up to me. But if this is true . . . If he's actually passing information to the Death Eaters . . ." She sighed. "How could he have made such a stupid decision?"

"Look, Lil, we don't have the all the answers. We don't even know for sure that he's connected to the Death Eaters. Just get whatever information you can, all right? I'm not going to do anything with this until we have a completely airtight case. The last thing in the world we want to do is to accuse a Quidditch star of being a Death Eater without enough evidence to pound every single nail into his coffin."

Lily drew a deep breath before she pushed open the door of the Three Broomsticks. After talking to Minnie, she knew that she had to try to get as much information out of Ludo as possible. She still hated what she was about to do, but she knew she had to do it. Minnie was right. If Ludo really was a Death Eater, they had to do everything in their power to send him to Azkaban. People like that didn't deserve to walk freely down the streets, going about their daily lives. They deserved to pay for their crimes.

Despite her firm resolve, she had no idea how to bring this topic up with Ludo. She had spent all her time after she had left Minnie's office trying to rework her interview questions to lead him toward a confession of his involvement with the Death Eaters, but hadn't been able to come up with anything. Every question that she could think of was far too obvious. She and Ludo had based their relationship on his ego and his love of Quidditch. Neither of those two things lent themselves well to a conversation about Death Eaters. What was she going to do?

Madam Rosmerta smiled as she watched Lily enter the bar. "Alone today, dear?"

Lily grinned. "You're going to love this. I'm meeting Ludo Bagman for another interview."

"God bless you," Madam Rosmerta's eyes lit up. She led her to a table, touching Lily's arm lightly. "Here, let me give you a prominent table by the window."

"I do have an interview to conduct," Lily laughed. "I'd rather not have throngs of people gawking at me."

"You'll manage to get your questions in somehow."

Lily laughed again as she sat down, shaking her head slightly. "You're not making my job very easy, you know."

"Well, I'll give you complimentary drinks. How's that?"

"James is going to be jealous. As I recall, he's been trying to get free drinks out of you since he was thirteen."

"I'm not the only reason he's going to feel that way. If you're interviewing Ludo Bagman, I'm sure he's already jealous."

"Fair enough."

The door opened, and Ludo Bagman came in. As usual, a crowd followed him, begging for autographs. Madam Rosmerta's eyes lit up, and she stepped away from Lily to welcome her new customers.

Ludo finally managed to make his way over to Lily, sitting down across from her with a beaming smile. She smiled back, willing away her nerves.

"How are you, Lily?" he asked, taking her hand.

"I'm fine," she smiled. "You?"

"Never better." He looked at her with a bit of concern. "I've been a bit worried about you. Elaine contacted me for this interview ages ago. She seemed a bit upset when I asked to have you do it."

Lily nodded. "I took some time off work after my parents died."

"Yes, I heard about that," Ludo replied, sorrow creeping into his eyes. "I hope you know how sorry I was to hear about it. You're a good girl, Lily. You don't deserve that kind of pain."

"Well, war is rather indiscriminate, isn't it? It affects everyone without regard for what they do or do not deserve."

Ludo shook his head. "I don't know that I'd be able to hand this as well as you are."

"Believe me, I haven't been handling it well until recently," she smiled. She pulled her parchment and quill from her bag. "Shall we begin?"

"Certainly," Ludo replied courteously.

Lily tapped her quill with her wand, and placed it against her parchment. "I'd like to begin by talking about the amazing season the Wasps are having. When was the last time you've had this type of winning streak?"

"It's been far too long," Ludo replied, his face reflecting his excitement at talking about Quidditch.

Looking at him, Lily was reminded of James and Olivia, and their love of Quidditch. Ludo was very lucky to be able to play professionally. She was sure that James and Olivia would have jumped at the chance to make this their career. She thought of Olivia's words from yesterday – that work was something that should be enjoyed.

Suddenly, it clicked. She knew how she was going to bring up his Death Eater involvement, or lack thereof. It would be rather round-about, but it would get the job done. But, first she had to get there.

"How exactly do you explain this winning streak? Is there any one thing, or any one player, you can attribute it to?"

"Well, we work together as a team," Ludo replied. "It's hardly fair for any one of us to take credit for a team effort."

Lily gave him a coy smile, knowing that she needed to boost his ego just a bit. "So you're saying that the Bludger that completely knocked the Cannons' Seeker off track in last week's match was a team effort?"

Ludo beamed. "Well, that was me. I just did what I had to do for the team."

"Ludo, please. It was an amazing play! Tell me about what was going through your head."

His blue eyes lit up as he remembered the play. "Well, I saw both Seekers racing across the pitch, and it looked like Angela was falling a bit behind. I felt this desperation, like I was completely helpless. Unfortunately, we weren't far enough ahead that we could afford to let them catch the Snitch. Then, almost like it came out of nowhere, a Bludger flew toward me. I did the only thing I could think of – I smacked it straight at the Cannons' Seeker. It hit the tail of his broom, and sent him spinning off, leaving the field open for Angela to get the Snitch." He finished with a beaming grin. "She's a remarkable Seeker, you know. I don't know when we've had anyone better. But, everyone needs a little help sometimes, and I was there to give her the boost that she needed."

Lily smiled, thinking that that would make a lovely quote for her story. "Were you injured at all in that match?"

"No, not in that one."

"Is that unusual?"

"Well, Beaters generally take a few knocks during most matches, so, yes, it was unusual for me to make it out uninjured." He smiled again. "Beaters have to have tough skulls."

"You've taken Bludgers to the head?" Lily gasped, surprised in spite of herself.

"A few. But don't worry, Lily, I haven't had any major injuries!"

Lily smiled. "You must be tougher than you're letting on."

"Quidditch is my life," he replied simply. "You do what you have to do for your passion. If that means taking a few Bludgers to the head to keep my job, then that's exactly what I'll do."

"But you can't do that forever, can you?" Lily asked, carefully steering the conversation in the direction it needed to go.

"No, I suppose I'll have to retire eventually."

"No time in the near future, I hope."

Ludo shrugged. "I like to go from season to season. I'll keep playing as long as I'm physically able."

"What are your plans when you're done with sports? Are you going to find a vacation home on some secluded island, or are you still planning to go into the Ministry?"

Ludo laughed. "I don't think a life of seclusion would suit me. No, I'm planning to keep working. You're right, I'm still thinking of going into the Ministry."

"Right. You're quite serious about it, then?"

"Yes, I am. In fact, a friend of my father's has told me that he'll help me get a position in the Ministry."

"Really?" Lily asked, raising her eyebrows. "Would you care to divulge his name?"

"Of course," Ludo replied happily. "His name is Augustus Rookwood. He works in the Department of Mysteries, so, naturally, I have no idea what he does."

Lily smiled, trying to fight down the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Of course. Is that the department you intend to join?"

"Oh, no," Ludo laughed. "I can't imagine myself doing something so far removed from sports. I was thinking more of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, myself."

Lily nodded, trying to phrase her next question. "How well do you know Mr. Rookwood?"

"Fairly well, I'd say. He and my dad have been close for most of my life. He's a good man, and he has plenty of connections to get me a job in the department of my choosing – at least, that's what he's told me."

"And he's willing to do this for you just because of his friendship with your father?"

"Well, he keeps talking about me 'owing him one,' but I'm assuming he means tickets to a match," Ludo replied cheerfully.

Lily's stomach twisted, but she knew she had to press on. "He hasn't asked you for anything except tickets?"

"Well, he hasn't actually asked for those yet – so far, he's just asked me for odd bits of information." He lowered his voice confidentially. "I think he's using the information to help fight You-Know-Who."

Lily forced a smile. "I hope he is."

Once she was back at the Daily Prophet offices, Lily went straight to the investigative department. She didn't even stop in her own office to tell Elaine she was back. As far as she was concerned, she was still conducting part of her interview.

"Minnie. Thank God you're still here."

"I couldn't leave without seeing you," Minnie replied, waving her wand to close her office door behind Lily. "Well? How did it go?"

Lily sat down, and reached into her bag for her rolls of parchment. "He admitted a connection with Rookwood," she replied. "Rookwood works in the Department of Mysteries, and has promised to help Ludo find a job. His condition is that Ludo 'owes him one.' Ludo thinks he means tickets to a Wasps match."

"But you don't."

"Do you?" Lily asked pointedly.

Minnie shook her head slowly. "Do you have anything else?"

"Just this," Lily said, pointing to the end of the interview.

Minnie read over the transcript, her eyes widening. "He's asked Ludo for 'odd bits of information?'"

"Yes."

"And Ludo thinks he's working against You-Know-Who?"

"Yes."

Minnie leaned back in her chair, and ran her hands over her face. "This is getting more and more convoluted."

"I know."

She sat up straight again, and looked at Lily. "Do you believe him?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you believe Ludo? Do you think Rookwood's on the up and up?"

"I don't know," Lily said slowly. "But I think that Ludo's given me all he knows. There's something about him . . ." She smiled. "He's a fantastic Quidditch player and a nice person, but sometimes I think he's a few crayons short of a box. I'm not sure that he's completely aware of everything that goes on around him." She shrugged. "Rookwood's a friend of his dad's, so he trusts him. Rookwood has promised to help him get a job at the Ministry, which is his eventual plan. Naturally, Ludo thinks he owes him one. And if he thinks that Rookwood's using whatever it is that Ludo tells him against Voldemort, why would he even hesitate to give him the information?"

Minnie flinched slightly at the sound of the name, but nodded. "So you think Bagman's being played?"

"I think it's a possibility."

"Fair enough. So, we're going to have to shelve Ludo for now."

"We're just letting this go?"

"No. I'm not entirely ready to give up on Bagman. But, now we're going to have to investigate Rookwood far more thoroughly." She picked up a quill to make notes. "This is going to take a long time, Lil. It could be ages before anything comes of it. It's just the two of us working on it, and we need to make sure that no one else suspects what we're doing. We're going to have to be very careful, and to take our time."

"That's all right," Lily replied. "As long as we get down to the truth, I'll be happy."

"Good girl," Minnie said. "Now that we know he's an Unspeakable, this is going to be even harder. They're very heavily protected. But we'll get through it, Lily. We may have to take detours here and there, but we'll make sure the guilty pay for their crimes. Even if it turns out that Bagman and Rookwood are innocent, we're going to uncover every Death Eater plot that we can."

"Good," Lily said fiercely. "I want to make sure the Death Eaters get exactly what they deserve."