Ch 13: Theory
Ministry Of Magic, Present Day (Day 4)
"Before we begin, I need you to answer some questions."
Even as Kingsley said these words, Ron's throat dried up. He knew where this was going and sure enough, the Minister's piercing gaze was set on him;
"Are the two of you helping Harry?"
For a brief moment, Ron considered lying as there was no evidence against them. But the unsettling feeling that Kingsley could see right through him kept Ron rooted to his spot. Beside him Hermione stiffened. Finally Kingsley sighed;
"Never mind. I already know the answer to that question."
His face relaxed a little.
"I'm not condemning you. I believe Harry is innocent too but it is my job as Minister of Magic to ensure justice. I won't stop you. However, I would've felt better if you had told me about this beforehand."
Relief washed over Ron. He had half expected to be thrown into Azkaban for treason. He was about to apologize but Kingsley raised his hand;
"Let's put this behind us. But from this moment forth I request your complete co-operation and honesty. Also keep this conversation a secret; even from Harry should you meet him again."
Hermione and Ron nodded a little hesitantly. The Minister looked assured. He set the vial down on the table and spoke again;
"First of all, I would like to know everything about Harry's plan. If you want, you can leave out details about your rendezvous point to keep him safe. It is imperative that I know of every other detail."
§§§
Once Hermione had finished telling him everything, Kingsley sat silently for a moment; contemplating the information. His eyes darted towards the smooth glowing surface of the Pensieve. Seeing her chance, Hermione chimed in;
"Based on the memories he gave me, I can prove his innocence."
Both pairs of eyes locked onto her in disbelief.
"Shouldn't you have led with that?" Ron quipped.
Hermione flushed a little.
"There is still a lack of information. I was planning to gain some proof with Ron's help before taking any measures. Also, to be honest I wasn't sure you would-"
She paused for a moment and then resumed;
"What I mean is; I have a highly probable hypothesis that could explain the events of Gringotts to some extent. Perhaps it would be better if I just show you."
She swirled the contents of the Pensieve with her wand until it glowed bright and then immersed her head into the basin.
§§§
Hermione, Ron and Kingsley had just seen Harry and Albus walk out of Eeylops Owl Emporium. As they walked a few steps forward, Hermione pointed to a man approaching Harry and Albus. He was taller than Harry and was well-built. His ash brown hair sat in a neat side part atop his head. Even while wearing an apron above a simple white shirt and brown pants; he was a very attractive man.
Shortly after introducing himself as the current owner of Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlor, he invited them for some ice-cream as Harry had once been a regular customer of his grandfather's. As they followed the trio, Hermione explained;
"That man is lying. I am certain that Florean had no next of kin. After Florean's disappearance; the parlor has remained closed for more than a decade."
A few minutes later, Albus was gulfing down his third sundae having only stopped once to taste some the flavor his father had gotten. But, he seemed to have decided that his was better. Harry was halfway through his ice-cream. He was talking to the third man. The conversation was mostly small talk; nothing unusual.
Presently, the man excused himself to go to the kitchen and rose up with the tray he had used to serve them in hand. While walking past Harry he accidentally struck the latter's head with the tray. Alarmed; his elbow hit a flower vase while attempting to turn; sending it crashing to the floor. The man placed his hand on the back of Harry's head and apologized repeatedly. He only left when Harry had assured him that he was fine.
"That should be enough." Hermione said while producing her wand from her robes. She swished it and they felt a familiar falling sensation.
§§§
Now, they were once again in the Minister's chambers. Ron still had no idea what had just happened but he could see a hint of understanding on Kingsley's face. Seeing the puzzled look on his face, Hermione smiled;
"As I said before, he was lying about his identity. Everything that followed was according to his plan, except-"
"The flower vase." Kingsley interjected.
Hermione nodded.
"Precisely. If Harry is innocent, then someone else must have been masquerading as him at Gringotts. This can only be achieved through the use of Polyjuice Potion and that would require a few strands of Harry's hair. This was all devised to obtain that ingredient. Apart from the flower vase—"
"But it could've been a distraction." Ron interjected this time.
"What makes you say it was a mistake and not deliberate?"
He was answered by Kingsley;
"His response to it."
"But he didn't do anything regarding it."
"That's the point. It would've made the job easier if he had dropped it on purpose and fussed over it. He could've snagged hair out of Harry's head in the meantime. The fact that he didn't do so shows that it was a mistake. Also, a shop owner not caring about his own things could've easily made Harry suspicious of his identity. While everything else was perfectly played out, this was clearly a mistake."
Before Ron could say anything else, Hermione stopped him;
"Which brings me to the next part of my theory. It is natural human tendency to react to external stimuli; like touching a hot object or hearing a loud noise. But this man showed no signs of even registering that the vase had fallen. This lack of response to stimuli is only seen in Muggles with certain ailments, people under the effect of a few special potions, the person being unconscious, partially conscious or, as in this case; not being in control of one's own mind."
"Do you mean that he was under The Imperius Curse?" Kingsley inquired.
Hermione nodded before speaking;
"But that's not all. I thought his face looked familiar so I went through Hogwarts student records."
She produced a piece of yellowing parchment from her robes and unfolded it. The boy beaming up at them from the parchment was definitely the man they had seen in Harry's memories. Albeit, a much younger version.
"Nathan Claymore." She passed it on to Kingsley who read it carefully.
"Harry mentioned a person of the same name at Bournemouth. This man was rumored to be in possession of the Resurrection Stone two years ago." Ron recalled.
Hermione nodded;
"That's all I could find out."
There were times when Ron wanted to smack her for being so damn smart but right now, he couldn't feel more grateful for having married the Hermione.
Meanwhile, Kingsley shot a glance on the vial he had placed on the table a while ago. His expression hardened.
"Extraordinary work Hermione, as expected of the brightest witch of her age. However, I want you to understand that the reason I wanted to know everything was because of very grave circumstances which have recently developed. Ever since Gringotts, I have been expecting the culprit to make another move. But I admit that I didn't expect something of this magnitude."
He uncorked the vial and poured its misty contents into the Pensieve. Once he had swirled the contents to give the desired result, he gestured for them to watch the memories with him.
"I shall explain everything. But first, we must find out whose memories these are and what secrets they contain."