Chapter 13
"So, in conclusion to my report, along with watching his friends, I would like to suggest keeping a closer eye on Ms. Rose Weasley, seeing as her and the suspect did have a meaningful relationship in the past that neither wanted to end. He may try to contact her," the Auror who questioned Rose declared.
"Yes well, thank you Auror Patel," his dad stated. "We will look into your information and your suggestion. You are now dismissed. You may go back to our quarters and prepare for tomorrows' questionings. Please close the door on the way out."
Al jumped up from where he had been listening behind the door. He rushed to a small alcove he had scoped out earlier that was beside the new Aurors headquarters in Hogwarts. The alcove was small and cramped, but the tapestry of Sir Nicholas' beheading hid him well. And, there was just a small hole that he could use to look out into the corridor and spy on people coming and going. After watching the Auror who interviewed Rose walk out the door, down the corridor, and turn the corner, Al went up to the door again. He wouldn't call it spying or eavesdropping it was more like gathering information. Or at least that's how he liked to think of it. It was his cousin they were talking about. Keeping an eye on the corridor, Al leaned into the keyhole with one ear.
His father, the Head Auror, and Uncle Ron, Deputy Head Auror, had put a spell on the door so that no one could use magic to listen in or spy on their conversations. However, they had forgotten to put up spells that dissuaded muggle means of listening. So, that was what Al was doing, listening to the conversation with one ear on the door.
"I don't like it," his dad was saying as Al strained his ears to hear what he was saying. "The way kids talk about Scorpius around here doesn't match up to the crime. The teachers too. They say he fails classes, but not for lack of trying. Based off of his O.W.L.s scores, he should be up at the top of his class. I believe he would be more intelligent than to leave a note that would place him at the scene of the crime." Harry got up from where he was sitting and went to pour a glass of butterbeer.
"You may believe that, Harry," his uncle Ron said, "but his record is against him. Look at the trouble he has been in." Ron slammed a folder which Al would bet was everything they had on Scorpius Malfoy. Ron continued. "Draco, Astoria, Lucius, and Narcissus all die from poising. A poison that only a true member of the Malfoy family knows how to make. Scorpius is the only person alive that knows how to make that poison. It's not like the Malfoy family poisoned themselves. "
This statement shocked Al. He didn't know that such a poison existed. As much as he didn't like Scorpius, it did seem like he was the one who killed them. He wasn't sure how Scorpius would get out of this accusation.
"Are you sure no one else knows how to make that poison?" Harry asked, picking up and looking at the folder again. "What about outside family members? What about Astoria's sister, Daphne? Couldn't Astoria have told her?"
"Did you read the file or not?" Ron asked getting up from where he had been seated. "Only males born into the direct bloodline know how to make it. That Malfoy boy is the only one that fits that description."
"Fine," Harry said, but Al could tell that his dad wasn't finished with this matter. He was going to be looking into that. "What about what Auror Patel said in her report?"
"What about it?" Ron asked getting defensive. Al could only guess why, having heard her report. Auror Patel was sure that Scorpius would try to contact Rose because of their past. While Al didn't think this was likely, having seen the way the two Heads had been acting around each other, he was still suspicious. Just last week, he had caught them in bed together, though he was sure they weren't together. When he was questioned by the Aurors about Scorpius, he left out that detail. He had a feeling Rose knew something and was hiding it, and he didn't want to get in her way. As much as he thought Scorpius did it and hated him, his cousin was his first priority. If she didn't say anything, he certainly wouldn't.
"Should we take into consideration, what she said I mean. To have Rose followed?" Harry asked.
"That theory is preposterous!" Ron exclaimed, slamming his hands on the table. "Rose doesn't have anything to do with that Malfoy boy. Auror Patel is trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill."
"Still, Ron, you read the interview and the report. It does sound like things didn't end the way Rose said they didn't last Christmas. It could be a possibility that Scorpius would contact Rose for help." Harry set his glass down and ran his hands through his hair. "I think that we should have her followed."
"She is your own niece, Harry!" Ron exclaimed. "My own daughter. How would you feel if I thought Al should be followed?"
"He doesn't have anything to do with the case," Harry said calming, like he dealt with Ron's outbursts every week. "I'm going to look into having Rose followed. And you may not tell her anything that might tip her off." His dad's voice got louder at the end, making it clear that he and Ron were no longer friends- his dad was Uncle Ron's boss. Even though he and Ron were partners, his dad was still the Head Auror. Looking into the keyhole, Al saw that his dad sat down next to Ron on the couch.
After a brief moment of silence, his dad asked, "How's Ginny doing?"
Up until this moment, Al had forgotten all about his parents impending divorce. It had been in the back of his mind for so long, with school and now this case being put up front. It still seemed unreal, like one day his parents would just say that they were faking everything. Al didn't know what he was going to do if they actually got a divorce.
"Fine," Ron replied in a soft voice, and Al could see him struggling between being his dad's best friend and his sister's brother. Finally, the friend card won. "She still cries most days. I think she misses you. The divorce process is hard on her."
"I still don't understand why she is unhappy. She was the one who wanted this in the first place," Harry said sadly. "I don't understand why. We were fine and all of a sudden she's unhappy. Do you think it's something I did?"
"I don't know, mate. I just don't know." Ron was patting his dad on the back now, trying to comfort him.
"Did she ever say anything to you? All she said to me was that she was bored with our relationship. That's not a reason to get a divorce. There has to be something more. Do you think anything bad is happening to her? I know I hadn't been the best husband in months past, but we have spent almost 25 years together. You think that would count for something."
"She hasn't said anything to me," Ron replied. "And I doubt that anything sinister is happening. Maybe you should try and talk to her. It couldn't hurt."
"It couldn't hurt," his father repeated to himself quietly. "I think I'll do that," he said now, more to Ron. "But later. Don't you think we should go see what our kids are up to? I only saw Al for a short while because he was coming to the Head's dorm to talk to Rose when we were there. We can work on this case later. Everyone else is working hard, so why should we when they will just tell us if something new is found. "
Al saw them get up from the couch and move towards the door. Knowing he had little time before he would get caught, Al jumped up and ran to the tapestry where he was hiding before. Listening, he heard the door close and his father and uncle walk down the opposite side of the corridor. He returned to the corridor and went to a different one that held a secret passage way to the library he had discovered in his first year with Rose. Al had to talk to Rose, and he thought that the library would be the best place to start.
[-**-]
"Go away," Rose said as Al approached her at the library table. It was covered in books, parchment, and note- the typical sign of a hardworking Rose who wanted to get something off her mind.
"Rose, it's me," he said, sitting down in the only seat at the table that wasn't covered in books, the seat next to his cousin.
"Oh Al," Rose cried as she flung her arms around him. She smelt like old book, ink, and parchment. Al was glad he was right to assume that after all her questioning, Rose would come to the library. Ever since first year, if Rose got upset and just wanted to be alone, she would come to the library and take refuge in her books. It made sense for her to come here after the grueling day she had been through. Finding out that the person who you lived with for an entire year was a murderer was enough to make anyone distraught.
"Oh, Al it was awful," Rose kept on saying. "They won't let me back into my dorm until they investigate everything. Do they really expect to find something in my room? So now I have to move back to the Gryffindor tower tonight."
"That's not too bad," Al mustered up, trying to get Rose to think positive. "Hey," he joked, "you could be in another questioning right now.
"I suppose you're right," Rose said, her face still in his shoulder. Sitting up, Al could see her tear-stained face. It looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. There were worry lines on her forehead and dark circles under her eyes. This investigating was already taking a toll on her and it hadn't even been 24 hours. "The last interview was the worst," she continued, wiping her wet eyes with a sleeve of her shirt. "She just kept going on and on about my past relationship with Scorpius, like I was hiding something."
Al thought he saw something glimmer in her eyes, almost like she was lying, but it passed. Forgetting about it, he said," It's alright Rose. You don't have anything to do with that scumbag now," Al comforted. "You broke up with him months ago. There is no way the Aurors are going to think you have anything to do with it."
"He broke up with me," Rose said suddenly, causing Al to look at her funny. Blushing, she looked down and continued. "I guess you're right," she said quietly. "But I wish they would answer my questions. Every time I tried to ask anyone anything about the investigation, they said that the information was not available to the public yet. Like I would tell anyone."
"What kinds of questions do you want answered?" Al wondered aloud, hoping that he could be some kind of help. He was planning on telling Rose everything about the dad's conversation with her dad, and now seemed like the perfect time.
"I asked why they think it's Scorpius," Rose said. "I mean, what proof do they have. Just because he's now the last member of his family doesn't mean he's guilty of killing them. And before finding that stupid letter, they didn't even know if Scorpius had been at the Manor that day." Rose took a breath and Al filed the information about the letter away to ask her about it later. No one had said anything about a letter and Rose looked like she knew something more that the Aurors did about it. The information could be useful. But he wasn't going to question her about it now. Rose was way too emotional right now.
"Also," Rose continued, "I asked how the Malfoy's died. I can't imagine Scorpius being capable of performing the Killing curse, let alone any other painful curse to make his family die. Depending on how they died could prove that Scorpius didn't do it. And where is Scorpius anyways? I asked if they had any leads on where his location was, but the Aurors just pushed me away and told me to leave them alone- that they had work to do. I just so tired of being in the dark," Rose was almost crying at the end of her speech. Al could see all the emotions getting to her. It was time to tell her what he knew.
"Listen Rose," he started, taking her trembling hands. "I was just listening to my dad's conversation with the Auror who interviewed you. I managed to learn some things."
"Really?" Rose asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Did you find out anything important?"
"Well," Al said, deciding to start with the easier information first. "The Aurors have no idea where Malfoy could be, but they do have a bunch of different charms and spells up around the Malfoy Manor that go off if someone tries to apperate to the house. They also have people permanently staked out watching the doors for any kind of movement in the house. If Scorpius tried to return there, the Ministry will know immediately."
All Rose did was nod. It was as if she expected no one to know where Scorpius was. Al continued telling her what he knew.
"Along with questioning his friends at Hogwarts, they questioned the staff at the Manor. The workers and the House Elves. The hired workers said that they hadn't seen Scorpius around the manor, but the house Elves said something different. Since the Aurors aren't their masters, they couldn't force the House Elves to tell them anything, but it does look like Malfoy was definitely there. All the House Elves said that he told them not to tell anyone in his family that he was there. Once the Aurors asked about if Malfoy told them why he was there, they clammed up and didn't tell them anything," Al said, knowing that this wasn't information Rose really wanted to know. He just hoped that if he just built up to the more important knowledge, Rose wouldn't take it so hard.
"Al," Rose said quietly. "All this information is fine, but you and I both know you are just stalling. What do you not want to tell me? I promise that I can take it. What is it that you know?"
"I know why they suspect Scorpius Malfoy, for one," Al blurted out. So much for softening the blow.
"Why? Do they suspect anyone else?" Rose asked quickly. "I mean, what kind of investigation only had one suspect?"
"The straight forward ones," Al responded, not sure how she would react to the news. "It looks like our dear old Head Boy is the only one that could have killed his family."
"That's a lie," Rose said immediately. "There is no way Scorpius could be the only one. Every good investigation has at least two."
"The Malfoy's die from poising," Al declared and Rose made a small squeak. "It was a certain type of toxic," Al continued, ignoring her. "A poison that only a direct member of the Malfoy family knows. Right now, Malfoy is the only one alive that fits that category," Al finished, watching the lights in Rose's eyes slowly fade and die out. "It's okay, Rose. I can't believe it either."
Al watched his cousin as she slowly got up from her chair and packed up every book, notes, and parchment and placed them in her small, tiny bag that must have had a charm on it to make everything fit. Rose pushed in her chair and started to walk out of the library. Al thought he heard her whisper 'why' but he could have been imagining it. He started to follow her out, but she stopped him.
"Please, Al," she whispered, looking like she was trying to keep the tears in. Al didn't knew why she was taking this so hard, but he didn't want to cause her anymore pain. "Just let me be alone. I really need that right now. Thanks for sharing that information though."
As she walked out of the library, Al sat down hard at the library table. He wondered if telling Rose everything was the right thing to do. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but lately, his judgment hadn't been so clear. But, he thought, if that was him in Rose's position, having dated and lived with the person for months, he would want to know everything there was about him. Al would need to talk to her still and warn her about the Aurors that were going to be following her, but that could wait till later. Al could tell right now that she just wanted to be alone.