Bill's Bill

Chapter 19: Betrayal of the Highest Order

Kingsley Shacklebolt's Home, Destination Unknown Wednesday 1:20 AM

"I'm so sorry Tracey," Charlie whispered softly as they cuddled on the armchair in the corner of her room in Kingsley's house. They had transfigured it the night before for more vigorous activities and now she was cuddled in his lap after a long exhausting day. His mother was stable but as her mind progressed in healing her body suffered under the strain. She was resting after being diligently tended to by Tracey.

"Please stop apologizing Charlie."

"But-"

"It was just the last piece of chicken. There's no need to be all dramatic over it." Charlie pulled her closer and kissed her. When they woke up from a quick nap, the house was completely empty. Charlie assumed something big was going on at the Ministry. He thought he had heard whispers of Azkaban earlier when he got up to use the loo, but it could have easily been a dream.

The thought of the prison sparked another thought. "Do you ever miss him?"

"Who?" Tracey murmured sleepily into his chest.

"Your father."

Tracey's eyes sharpened with an odd expression. It took him several moments to identify it, as he had never seen it on her before. Tracey was a confident witch that rarely showed vulnerability or indecision. This was a mix of both. "My father was a terrible man who belongs in Azkaban. I helped put him there, hell I'm mostly the reason he got life."

"How are you not angry at the Wizengamot after everything you've told me?"

"The truth is that there is no one person at fault. Our government as a whole failed me and my brother. The Healers, for being paid off to not report our abuse and the Ministry members for accepting the original bribe for their silence."

"Given your personality, it's a surprise that you didn't go into politics."

Tracey laughed. "Leave that sort of stuff to Granger. I'm content healing wounds and tending to the sick. Honestly, after my childhood and the war, I'll be happy to leave England behind."

"You got your transfer test results?" Charlie asked excitedly. He was happy that he didn't have to temper his excitement. With literally any other girl he dated, he would have tampered his excitement in fear they would think he meant more than he did. He always had to act cool before concerned and elated before ecstatic. Tracey couldn't give two shits about what people thought about her. She was a much-needed breath of fresh air if there ever was one.

"Yeah, right after you arrived. I was going to tell you about it, but you distracted me and then we took a nap and then you distracted me again. I haven't opened it yet to see the score but they don't send letters for another week if you failed." Charlie leaned up and kissed her lips tenderly.

"And you really won't consider staying with me?"

"Charlie we haven't even known each other for a week. I don't want to rush things."

"I want to see you all the time, Tracey." He smirked slipping his fingers into her knickers.

"Charlie," she groaned.

"If you stay at your brothers flat, he's going to want to know why I keep coming over."

"I'll sneak you through a window."

His fingers slid into her warmth as she molded herself to him. "He lives on the fifth floor."

"You'll bounce."

"Unlikely," he pouted as withdrew his fingers to the sound of Tracey giggling. "But seriously, do I need to get injured more often to see you?"

"Charles Weasley don't you dare!" Tracey swatted at his head playfully, while he peppered kissed on her shoulder causing her to arch her back. "No, please don't make me stretch. I'm so tired."

"Long day love?"

"Yes, because someone decided to keep me up all night last night and then ravish me again today or tonight. I'm too tired to figure it out. How are you awake right now?"

"Dragon Tamer's hours. Dragons don't really keep their emergencies within a nine to five-window. How are you awake?"

"People emergencies?" She laughed as she rubbed the soles of her feet. Charlie picked her up and set her down on the bed. Leaning over her, he reached over and slid off her fluffy pink and purple striped socks. "Mmmm…. I'm too tired Charlie."

"I'll behave. I promise." He kissed her neck before sitting by her feet. Using his knuckles and his thumbs he worked out the knots in her feet. He was barely finished her right foot before her soft snores could be heard. Knowing all too well her feet would hurt tomorrow, he continued the massage until both of her the muscles in her feet were relaxed under his skilled hands.

After washing his hands and his face in the loo, he slipped beside her into bed. Pulling her close he draped one arm over her sleeping body protectively. Charlie Weasley smiled as he fell asleep for the first time in years feeling utterly content.

Ministry of Magic Head of Auror's Office, Wednesday 1 AM

"Kingsley, you need to… I don't know calm down or something."

Kingsley looked at Ian in confusion. "I am calm."

"I know. It's terrifying me." Ian said irritably. They were both inside Ian's office. Ian had already force fed him three cups of tea, a calming drought, and something that was supposedly chicken. "You haven't said a word since you found her."

"What do you want me to say?" Kingsley was hollow. Clinically, he knew he was in shock. The feeling went deeper though. Was this how the Kent couple felt when they found out they were each a spy for the other side during the first Wizarding war? But, Kingsley was never in a relationship with Pam. He was just madly in love with her. He was still. What was wrong with him? He needed to resign as Minister and sort out his life.

"Over my dead body!" Ian shouted, startling Kingsley out of his thoughts. Had he been talking out loud? "Yes, you were talking out loud. Pam is in the wrong here, not you."

"I…" a thought occurred to Kingsley, that had him out of his chair and hurtling towards the door. The door slammed shut and locked itself with wards keyed exclusively to Ian before Kingsley could get out of the office.

Ian slumped into his seat behind his desk. "I was wondering when the shock would wear off and you'd figure it out.

"Where is she?" Kingsley's voice was low and deadly, surprising himself but not Ian.

"You know where she is. It's standard Auror rules. The kids in Hogwarts even know it."

Any suspect found with a weapon or object of suspicion on their person is to have their wand confiscated and booked immediately. There is to be a forty-eight hour of which the Ministry can investigate and charge the suspect.

Pam was in a cell.

Sweet and kind Pam who liked to bake muffins and scones in her free time was in a cell with criminals. Criminals that murdered.

Pam lied.

Pam planted a listening device in his office.

Why?

Had Samantha known? What about the other roommate? The one that managed a thrift shop? He was going to have to sift through her entire life. A life he wanted to discover with her, not as part of an investigation. Merlin. When had everything gone belly under?

Kingsley felt his voice scratch painfully as he attempted to use it. After the third attempt, Ian placed a hand over his.

"Kings. I really really wish it wasn't her. I checked her magical signature and Gabby did prior incantum on her wand. She's been monitoring you for a little over a week."

But Bill had only been brought in last week? Maybe-

"Listen, Kings, I want to stay with you and help you. I want to grieve with you but I can't. She was friends with everyone in the department and no one is comfortable questioning her. Hell, no one was comfortable booking her. As the head of the Auror department, I've taken on the responsibility of handling everything to do with her case."

Kingsley rubbed his eyes. "I just can't believe it. She's Pam."

"I know mate. I wish it was literally anyone else. I do have to head down though. We need to get her processed before everyone starts showing up for work in the morning. I need you to be prepared for the very real possibility that she's going to be spending life in Azkaban for treason."

Kingsley dropped his head in his hands, his entire frame shaking. Ian squatted in front of him. "Let it out, Kings. You're going to have to make an appearance and you can't let the Auror's see you conflicted. You could lose your job. We've kept it quiet so far, but it won't stay that way."

Ian stood and walked to the door. Leaning on the frame he murmured, "Clean up after yourself. Leave no trace of anything that can get back to you. Kings, I can't lose another brother."

As soon as the door closed behind Ian it was locked and silencing spells were thrown up. Sparks flew from Kingsley's wand as he eviscerated everything in the room. Ian's desk was reduced to splinters and there were bits of broken glass coating the entire floor. Sitting in the center of the wreckage was Kingsley sobbing into his hands screaming about why everyone he loved left him or betrayed him.

Kingsley was not the only member of the Ministry in shock. Hermione sat in the Auror department her head in the crook of Ron's arm. He was rubbing slow soothing circles on her back. "I don't understand," she said dumbly. It was not the first time she had said it in the last half hour. Ron was patient as he held his girlfriend, though. Murmuring words of support and kindness into her ears.

"I know sweetie."

"We were friends Ron. I stayed at her house. She came for Christmas."

"I know. I'm so sorry love." Ron kissed her forehead.

"I was so sure it was Travers. He paid off his witnesses and-"

"Hermione, Ian is interviewing her now. We will find out what happened. Maybe she was just another person under Travers employ. If that's the case she'll be able to cut a deal and won't serve life. It will close Bill's trial and send Travers to Azkaban for life."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Azkaban?"

Ron gulped. "Love, she committed treason."

Hermione burst into tears at the thought of her friend spending life in Azkaban. Ron held her tightly murmuring, "I'm so sorry Hermione. I'm so sorry."

Ministry Cell Block, Wednesday 3 AM

Ian rubbed his eyes from behind the one-way wall of the interrogation room, he really wanted to retire. He'd been hinting at the subject to Kingsley for over a month and each time the cantankerous wizard just ignored him.

Pamela was so terrified she was shaking. As a general rule, innocent people didn't have body tremors from fear. They were usually sitting next to their solicitor talking about their alibis and their innocence.

Pam… Pamela… Miss. Sitnick had been offered a solicitor and declined.

Ian scribbled several more questions down in his notes. He wasn't completely convinced that she was an evil criminal mastermind. It was what the Aurors were calling her, the ones that had been present for the takedown.

Luckily, they had been just as shocked as Kingsley and hadn't noticed the Minister's shocked reaction to finding out his loveable secretary was spying on him. Gabby had recognized the situation and bound the girl before frogmarching the Minister to 'safety'.

Safety being Ian's office. Once it was warded and Aurors were stationed outside of it, she returned to the Minister's office and helped him book Pamela. It was traumatic for everyone involved. The Cell clerk thought it was a prank as Pamela routinely baked cookies for the lonely Aurors on Cellblock duty. Having to write up and confiscate her wand had made the elderly wizard burst into tears, forcing Ian to finish up the report so it could be properly filed.

Gabriella, sharp as she was, insisted that Pamela was ashamed and guilty looking the entire time. Ian gathered his things. The question was, what was she guilty for?

Taking a deep and calming breath, Ian entered the interrogation room. He charmed his quill to begin recording the session as soon as he walked in. He sat down formally after reading her, her rights and explaining what she was being charged with.

"... and you are sure you do not want a solicitor? Miss Granger has offered her services."

"I respectfully decline, sir."

Odd. The two were close friends.

"May I inquire as to why you would decline free solicitor's help when you are facing life in Azkaban?"

She squirmed for a moment, her eyes traveling nervously from the door to the invisible observation window. Ian was reminded that in her job under Kingsley she had spent many hours on the opposite side of the wall recording notes for the Minister.

"If I decline a solicitor then the standard procedure is to put anti-recording and anti-listening charms, right?"

Ian leaned forward. "That is correct."

"You also have to tell me if there is anyone in the observation room."

Ian clenched his wand, checking the occupants of the room. "The Minister and two Aurors are in the observation room."

Pamela's face paled and she stared at her shoes. "Which Aurors?" she asked, her eyes still glued to her shoes.

"Aurors Potter and Torren." Relief flooded her features and she lifted her face keeping her eyes trained on only his eyes.

"I consent to be questioned via veritaserum under the previously discussed terms."

Ian clenched his jaw. What, in the name of Merlin was she hiding? He handed her the Ministry issued Veritaserum. He asked several test questions before setting a twenty-minute timer to let him know when the potion's effectiveness wore off.

"Miss Sitnick, you were found earlier this morning standing over a recording device in the Minister's chambers. Can you confirm this?"

"Yes.

"Did this recording device belong to you?"

"Yes." Ian could practically hear Kingsley's heartbreaking from the next room. He swallowed his anger towards the small witch sitting in front of him.

"Did you place this recording device in the Minister's office?"

"Yes."

"Did you purchase or create this device?"

"No."

"Do you have an accomplice?" Pamela hesitated. He repeated his question.

"I… Can I explain?"

"Answer the question."

"Yes, I guess I do have an accomplice."

"Is it Solicitor Travers?"

"No, I planted it because of Solicitor Travers." Ian raised a curious eyebrow.

"Explain," he replied curtly. She wrung her hands out in front of her.

"A month ago I was approached by a member of the Wizengamot. He is one of the few people that I trust with my life. He told me that he overheard a conversation on his way through the solicitor's offices in the Ministry," she paused nervously. Ian having trained her in basic self-defense knew she was scared.

"Anything you say in this room is between me and you. This is a safe place, Pamela."

Her eyes widened. "Greyback. He was talking to Greyback on the Ministry Floo."
"Am I to assume that this solicitor was Travers?"

"Yes."

"Did you actually see Greyback in the Floo?"

Pamela's eyes grew dark and her features morphed into a mixture of anger and remorse. "It's not a voice either one of us could forget."

Ian watched as she struggled to get her emotions under control. Ian recognized the grief of someone who lost a loved one to Greyback during the war. "Who did he kill?"

Pamela's eyes shone, her tears brimming just to the edge but not spilling over onto her cheeks. "My twin brother, Cygnus."

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Pamela." Pamela fiddled with her fingers, the chains around her wrists clanking noisily.

"Cygnus and I were raised in a muggle home, our paternal grandfather was a squib so we knew about magic. It was still a shock when we both received our letters though. Cy was an endearing trouble maker, with a tongue that could talk him out of changing the passwords for all of the common rooms. I'm still not sure how he ended up in Ravenclaw with me, he was Gryffindor through and through. I think he just didn't want to leave me alone at Hogwarts. He knew I was terrified and since he was a whole three minutes older, he was overprotective in a way only older brothers could be.

"While I was getting top marks and doing all my homework, he was flying around on his broom and getting into trouble. He knew he could always copy my homework when the deadlines came in. It wasn't as if I was going to let him fail," she chuckled to herself as if she was remembering a fond memory. "That was just the academic problems, though. He was constantly having one night stands with witches in every house. It got so bad Professor Flitwick had to sit down and speak to him with our parents. I had my couple of best friends and that was it. Most girls hated me because I looked like him and hated themselves because they liked him even though he was an utter arse."

"I should have been more understanding. The summer before our seventh year, he took me to a muggle park we used to play in as tots before we left for school. He told me that he was gay and had known for a while. The wizarding world was salvation for him because our parents aren't... weren't accepting of what they called an idiotic life choice. He said he was seeing another muggleborn named Mattey and that they were in love. When my parents found out they disowned us both and left for America. Mattey was part of the Ministry and worked with the office that regulated animagusai. He convinced us both to become an animagus in case a war broke out and we needed to get away. Cy was a bald eagle and I am a grey and white Birman cat. Mattey was a hummingbird." She coughed horsely and Ian conjured a glass of water for her. She drank deeply before continuing.

"I don't know the specifics of what happened but they broke up after two years together. Cy was a wreck, drank all day and got sacked from every job that hired him. Soon, he stopped bothering to go to interviews or leaving the flat at all. I had to work three jobs just to pay the rent. I can't ever step into Borgin and Burkes again." She shivered and drank another sip of water.

"It took him almost a year to put himself back together and even then he would rarely leave the house most days. Always sitting in the dark and trying to stay away from liquor. Especially because he knew we couldn't afford it. He finally managed to get a job when he found out that Mattey had married. She was some pureblood woman that got him a seat on the Wizengamot." Ian's eyes widened. Matthew. The member of the Wizengamot who spoke out for him.

"He fell back in his depression. It got so bad I went back to my... the Muggle world. Took him to see psychologists, I mean Healers for the mind. I had a childhood friend who was working her way to becoming a successful mind healer and she agreed to see him once a week. It took a full year after that until he was able to hold down a job and then the war broke out. Our flat wasn't too far from Diagon Alley and we lived in a predominantly magical block. So when the first of the Death Eater's came, it wasn't a shock. We had prepared a bag and were ready to go. I don't remember much of what happened only that are building was burnt down and I woke up in Mattey's house two days later. They were saying that Voldemort had taken over the Ministry. Mattey's wife was in a magical coma and he had come to help when he heard that our building was burning from fiendfyre."

"We were on the run after that. We never stayed too long in any one place." She looked up at observation wall. "We used to listen to the Weasley's radio show. It gave us hope, that as Muggleborns we still had a right to live, a right to keep our magic."

"Then… then we made a mistake, the first of many. We ran into Maisie. She was an old childhood friend, a Muggle. Maisie believed in pagan magic and let us stay with her for a week. We don't know how they found out but they found Maisie's body floating above her house with the dark mark above it. We had separated from Mattey a while before and when Christmas came around we were too tired to keep moving. We were moving through a village close to Hogsmeade and we decided to stay. Just a couple of days." Her eyes glazed over and her hands began to shake.

The door opened and Kingsley walked into the interrogation room flanked by a concerned Harry and Gabriella. He knelt down next Pamela, his eyes shining with tears and murmured something that sounded eerily like, "...pink and purple pajamas."

Her tears finally spilled down her cheeks and he held her hand while she stuttered. Ian knew where this story was going. He motioned for Gabriella to get a calming draught. She summoned one and handed it to Pamela. She knocked the calming draught and blinked through her tears.

"It was the Christmas... the Christmas before the Final Battle. I had left to go get food from someone named Neville. He had gone to meet someone from the Order of the Phoenix that said they could get us out of the country. It had been a ruse. I could hear the screams... the… the..." She burst into tears and to his immense displeasure, Kingsley vanished her manacles and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace on the floor.

"Greyback..." She gasped as she sobbed.

"He... He... They only found-" She sobbed into Kingsley's chest as the room went silent with shared grief. No one escaped the war without losing someone. If they were lucky, it was only one person but generally it was not. Ian gripped the edge of his chair tightly. Greyback had broken so many families, including his own. No amount of justice towards the monster would ever fix the destruction he was leaving behind.

"You were wearing Muggle clothes," Kingsley whispered. All eyes moved from the shaking girl to Kingsley. "Pink and purple ones, with grey robes on top, they were too big on you and you were shivering so I gave you mine."

She nodded through her tears. "They were Cy... Cys," she stuttered.

"I'm so sorry, Pam. I can't believe I didn't remember sooner. I moved so many Muggleborns to safe houses those days. I'm embarrassed to say but the faces started to blend together. I do remember your brother, his body. They-" He stopped speaking at her head shaking.

"I don't..."

"It's okay, Pamela. You don't have to." Ian smiled kindly. This poor girl. He had seen his family's bodies. It sounded like she witnessed her brother's death.

"No, I… I saw Greyback. Cy was screaming and he… he ate… his teeth… there was so much blood... " Her entire body began to shake and Kingsley buried her deep in his arms as if he could protect her from the trauma the war had left her with. The room remained quiet as she sobbed into Kingsley's robes. Gabriella and Harry's eyes were red-rimmed and they both looked as if they were going to puke whatever they had for dinner.

It took a long time for her cries to turn into sniffles but when they did Ian spoke up, gently ignoring Kingsley's angry glares. "I am so sorry for your loss Pamela. I do have to ask though, why are you helping Bill? Why are you and Matthew Yaxley spying on solicitor Travers?"

Pam's voice was hollow and raspy and Kingsley reached for her glass of water without letting go of the small witch, "After the war, Mattey found me. He helped me find a flat and helped me get a job. His wife turned out to be a sweetheart as much as I wish she wasn't. After I started working at the Ministry we both became aware of animagus activity within the Ministry. An animagus can sense other animagusai. We feel a pull towards our own kin. We both thought it was the other and ignored it, but I was out for several days and Mattey still felt the pull. He followed it to the solicitor's department."

Ian leaned back in his chair, "That was when he overheard the Floo call."

"Yes. He has all of his memories saved in his Gringotts vault. After Travers disconnected his Floo call, he started to speak to a third voice. A woman's voice. It wasn't until a press conference later that week when he realized it was Rita Skeeter. He began shadowing both of them. They both have animagus forms that are bug related."

Harry snorted. "Rita's a beetle. Hermione kept her in a jam jar over our fourth-year summer break because she was lying about us in the Prophet."

Everyone stared at Harry in shock. The boy who lived and also had a terrifying friend shrugged his shoulders. "She can be scary when she wants to be."

Ian looked over his notes. "Noted, Harry. Pamela, we will need to confirm this with Matthew."

Pamela nodded from within Kingsley's protective embrace. "He's at home with his wife and his two children. Please, you have to be careful. The Death Eaters… he has two tots, Ian."

Ian handed her a parchment. She scribbled down the address, her leftover tears creating inkblots on the page. Ian handed it to Harry who departed immediately. The wizard was going to make a great Head of department one day, he thought at the retreating head of black hair.

The veritaserum timer went off. Ian silenced it and looked at Pamela sadly. "I will give you and Kingsley some time alone to discuss the situation while Auror Torren and I confirm your information checks out. I will be keeping your wand until a time when we can properly clear you."

Pamela nodded and then as if she noticed for the first time she was in Kingsley's arms blushed furiously. Ian smiled as he followed Gabriella to the door. "Oh Kingsley, Bartley is requesting to work part-time. As busy as the Auror office is, I can't keep him on unless he stays full time. He knows this and will stay on until I find a replacement. Should, for any reason Miss Sitnick require a new position there will be one waiting for her in the DMLE."

He shut the door behind him, excitement filling his veins. They were closing in on their enemies and his friend was, hopefully, going to find love. What could go wrong?

Author Notes:

I am really sorry about the late update. This chapter was actually just sitting here. Life has been shit lately. How about you?