Chapter 15:
Chapter 15:
Roger and Snivellus
"Podmore? Arrested?" Tonks tried to keep her Voice down. In the far corner of the Auror office Tonks stood with Kingsley having a hushed conversation. Both of them would throw anxious glances around the room every few seconds.
"Yes. Keep it down." Kingsley whispered, "He was caught down there the night before last. That's why he never made it to the headquarters to escort Harry and the rest of them, yesterday."
"What's gonna happen to him?"
"Eric Munch found him, 'breaking into' a door down there. Podmore is a good man, he won't say anything, which sadly isn't going to help his defense. They could ask for anything between one month to two years depending on what motive they can come up with."
"Two Bludgering years!" Tonks said, far too loud.
"Shhh!" Kingsley looked around the room to see who could have heard them.
"So what's the Order doing?" Tonks asked, mouthing the word Order instead of saying it.
"Were going to have a meeting tonight for any of those able to get there. Seven o'clock." Kinsley started to move back to his desk, "I really don't know that there is anything we can do."
Tonks stood in the corner a little longer. She thought about how she was enjoying lunch with Remus as Podmore was being held in the horrid holding cells at the ministry. His wife would be beside herself with worry. She shuddered at the thought of him being locked up for two months, he had only become a father three months ago. Tonks wondered that if she were a parent, would she still be fighting. Her parents told her that was why they hadn't joined the Order in the first war against Voldemort. She didn't know if she would be able to stop fighting that easily.
Tonks made her way slowly back to her desk. She shuffled the rolls of parchment around on her desk, before giving up on trying to focus on work. She stood up and looked over the wall of her cubical. Steve was writing at full speed. "Whoa, what needs to be finished that fast?" Tonks asked.
Steve paused for a second to look up at Tonks. "I was meant to have this report written before I left last night. The boss came down yesterday and wanted progress reports from nearly everyone. I guess you missed out, what a lovely bonus to go with your slacker day off."
"I was sick." Just to prove her Tonks gave a small cough.
"Yeah and I'm the Minister of Magic."
"You'd probably do a better job."
Steve glanced over his now finished report. "Ya know, most people who hate the government, try not to work for them."
"Shut up."
"Ohh. How rude. Should I remind you, that you're the one who leaned over to bug me." said Steve.
"I lent over to- "
"Tonks stop flirting and come along." Boomed Haman.
"I wasn't flirting! Not with Steve."
"I don't care. Hurry up or you'll be back doing paper work."
Steve sat straining to hold back his laughter. "I think he wants you." He said with a sly smile.
Tonks gave him a dirty look, then hurtled out of the office after her boss. In her hurry she tripped twice before coming to a halt at the lifts next to Haman. "Sorry sir," she said.
Tonks crossed her arms against the cold. They were down Knockturn Alley, faces peered out of windows, eyes blazed from the shadows of hooded figures, a silence proceeded them. Tonks was unsure if it was the end of summer, the shadowy alley way, or just the presence of the place that made her feel so cold. What she did know was that she was grateful that Haman and Benson, another Auror working the case, were with her.
They came to a stop out side a small Apothecary shop. The shop was so small that a window opening up on to the Alley would have served the same purpose. The man behind the counter had hair that was soft and shiny, and flopped handsomely across his very unhandsome face.
" 'ello boys." he said, then looking at Tonks, "Oh, do forgive me. 'ello to ya sweet'art."
"Roger, isn't it?" said Haman.
"That's 'ight." Roger began picking food out of his month with his dirty finger nails. "Now what 'ave I done to be graced by you lot? Usually it's my old mate, the boys in blue."
"Perhaps that should impress the severity of the situation on you, Rodger," Benson said in his deep upper class voice.
"Oh, indeed it does." replied Roger.
"Lentrcul venom, do you sell that Roger?" Benson asked.
"That's a banned substance indn' it. I ain't going to be selling it."
"I didn't think that would've stopped you." said Haman.
"Oi, I resent 'at. I'm a changed man." Roger looked over at Tonks again. " 'ight there sweet'art?"
"Step off, I ain't your sweetheart," Tonks spat back.
"So Roger, no one approached you, and asked you to get some Lentrcul venom? You didn't get a team together and steal a few jars of the venom from St Mungo's? Or maybe you had an inside man smuggle some out. None of that happened?" Haman pressed.
"Nah. Sounds like ya got some dirty crooks to track down."
"Then you wont mind if we have a little look around your place here." Benson said politely.
"Now look, I've got no problems with you looking round and all, but I've 'ad me balls busted by you lot before. So there ain't any way you fellows and the little lady are getting past this doorway without a warrant."
"That's not very nice of you Roger." Said Benson.
"Well ya would've brought one, if ya could get one."
Changing the subject quickly Haman asked, "Seen your old playmate Severus lately?"
"Sev," Roger brushed his hair out of his face, "he drops by from time to time. He was 'ere two days ago. Good man, never forgets were he came from."
"Where do you mean where he came from? A working class family in Kent?" said Benson.
"That might well be where he spent his childhood years, but the summers off from Hogwarts he'd be out the back in the work shop, with me old man and me."
"Really, I thought he spent them at the Malfoy Manor?" Said Benson
Roger shrugged. "Like I said he's a good man. Never thought he was too good to visit us, and never thought he was to lower class to show up at the Malfoy's doorstep."
"And Severus hasn't been asking you to get him any banned substances when he's popped round?" asked Haman.
Roger shook his head and gave a low laugh. "No, he hasn't. Look I'll make this real easy for ya. Ya want to know 'bout the Lentrcul venom coz ya want to know 'bout the Blue Ring poison that's been floating round. I can tell you this much, whoever's making it, ain't getting the venom from me. Now I did get to seeing some the other day. Horrible murky mix. I'll tell you straight up, that ain't no work of Severus."
"Well Roger will keep that in mind." Haman patted Rogers arm. "I'm sure we'll be back soon."
The three Aurors made their way out of Knockturn Alley and out into the bright bustling pathway of Diagon Alley. Benson straightened his already perfectly straight collar. Tonks bumped into a shopper walking the other direction and sent their recently bought caldron rolling down the Alley way. She apologized repeatedly, then dashed off to catch up with her colleagues.
"Benson," shot Haman, "What did you think of the suspect?"
Benson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Lies. The lot of it. He's covering for his 'pal' Snape. People like that don't reform."
"Tonks," Said Haman, "What about you?"
"Errr… Well sir, I do think he know something. Whether he's involved, I'm not convinced. But the stuff about Snape - the poison not being his- I believe him. Snape's a perfectionist when it comes to his potions, and the samples of the poison we have are hardly perfect."
"How do you like that boy?" Haman said to Benson, "Getting out done by a female rookie."
Remus sat in the Kitchen of number 12. Sirius sat next to him, glass of fire whisky clamped between his legs, as he styled his hair in the reflection of the pot on the stove. Order members trickled in taking seats around the room.
"She's a horrid woman. I really can't stand her."
"Oh I could think of worse names for her. How about the Ministries one pond whore. Or fu-"
"Thank-you Severus, I'll use my imagination as to other names you would use."
Snape and McGonagall sat down in the seats in front of Remus and Sirius. Snape continued to complain about the horrid woman.
"Who is this women giving you so much grief Snivellus? I really must congratulate her." Sirius asked taking a sip of his drink.
Snape didn't turn round but stopped talking.
McGonagall turned around. "Oh you wouldn't think her so nice if you meet her."
"Is this the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" asked Remus.
"Yes. A women from the Ministry called Umbridge." said McGonagall.
"Umbridge? She's horrible. She the DADA teacher? They're not gonna learn anything." Came Tonks voice.
"Hello you." said Remus smiling up at her.
"Wotcher," Tonks sat down next to Remus and smiled back at him.
"Oh Merlin," Snape turned around to look at the happy couple. "That's what I need to see to really make my day." Snape spat sarcastically.
"Piss off back to your mate Roger's then," said Tonks.
"Oh Roger and Snivellus, sitting in a tree, K - I -"
"SHUT UP, BLACK!"
"Oh. I hit a nerve there," laughed Sirius, "What happened? Did Roger turn you down?"
"No. I turned him down." Snape tuned back to face the front of the room. "Not that it's any of your business."
"Wait, Roger's gay?" asked Tonks.
"Yes. Anyone who cares about their hair that much is." Snape tuned to sneer at Sirius as he spoke.
"Oh, you're so right." Joked Sirius, "What do you say Severus? You, me, and candle lit- No. I can't even joke about it. You're that much of a turn off."
Snape turned around to hurl another insult at Sirius, but was cut off by the entrance of Dumbledore and the commencement of the meeting.
A/N: Hey guys, thank-you all for reading so far. It's so nice to have people reading my work. So hope to get you a new chapter soon….in the meantime you now what to do. (That means review.)