Fragments of Us

Disclaimer:This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Warnings: None for this chapter

Chapter 42 - Loyalties Confirmed

When Kate arrived back in the department, Kingsley's cubicle was conspicuously empty. As Kate made her way to her own desk, Tonks intercepted her in the hallway. Uncharacteristically somber, Tonks gestured to Kate's cubicle, placed a finger to her lips to indicate silence and followed Kate inside. Once there, Tonks cast the same closing and silencing spells Kingsley had used earlier in the day. Kate watched with a sense of unease.

"What is it, Tonks?" she asked after the Auror had holstered her wand.

"Are you really alright?" Tonks wanted to know.

Kate nodded. "Of course I am, Tonks. Please. I really was just overtired last night..."

"Last night doesn't have anything to do with it," Tonks interrupted. "Spear came into the office about an hour ago and immediately started squawking about how he'd seen you go into St Mungo's earlier today and how you went right in to see a Healer. He demanded to see Kingsley and they're in an interrogation room now."

Kate hoped her face did not betray the panic she felt coursing through her. Striving to keep her voice even, she asked, "He followed me?"

Tonks nodded. "Evidently. He had gone to question a witch who swore that she saw the LeStranges sitting in a coffee shop in Bristol. Obviously she was in the Spell Damage Ward for a reason! Anyway, he said that he saw you while he was waiting for a healer to take him up to Spell Damage." Tonks paused. "Why were you at St Mungo's today, Kate?"

Stick as close/ to the truth as you can, Kate reminded herself. "I've been having some problems with my stomach; I've had a sensitive stomach since I was in Auror training. I wanted to see if I could get a different potion I could take so it wouldn't bother me as much."

Tonks immediately looked concerned. "Did they give you something?"

Kate smiled at the young Auror. "Yes, they did and I'm feeling much better already," Kate reassured her. "So, what did Spear have to say for himself?"

Tonks shrugged. "Kingsley took him into interrogation before I could hear much more but I think Spear was trying to convince Kings that if you weren't on top of your game, he should be considered to replace you."

Kate snorted and rolled her eyes. "Highly unlikely. I can't imagine Kingsley putting this kid on point even if they admitted me!" Kate paused. "I just wish I could be a fly on the wall of that interrogation room," she said.

Tonks smiled at her. "You don't have to be," she said, waving her wand and canceling the spells. "There's Kingsley now." As the young Auror stepped toward the doorway, Kate laid a gentle hand on her arm to detain her.

"Tonks, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention my trip to St Mungo's to anyone - especially Sirius," Kate said, quietly. "He would only worry and, quite frankly, he's gotten so much better lately that I don't want anything to set him back. You understand, right?"

Tonks smiled at Kate and patted her hand. "Of course I do," she said. "Kate, this isn't any of my business. Whether or not you choose to tell Sirius - or anyone else for that matter - is completely up to you. You can trust me."

Kate gave her arm a squeeze in thanks and then followed Tonks out of her cubicle.

"Kingsley," Kate greeted as she drew level with him. "I think 'the end of the day' just came sooner than we planned when we spoke earlier," she said.

Kingsley nodded. "Let's head out of the building. Use the back exit from the department to avoid attracting attention. Ten minutes?"

Kate was a bit taken aback by the seriousness of his tone and the almost covert nature of his instructions. She agreed immediately and retreated back into her cubicle to cast security spells over her parchments and files and to pick up her purse and briefcase.

Ten minutes later, Kate and Kingsley were walking down the side street at the rear of the Ministry building.

"Where to?" Kate asked.

"I know a small pub on the other side of Muggle London. It's likely we'll be the only ones there," Kingsley said, giving her a small smile. "Up for a side-along Apparition? We'll have to use the blind alley behind the building so nobody sees us."

Kate groaned inwardly. Side-along Apparition wasn't her best friend right now. Actually, any Apparition was enough to make her stomach revolt. "Don't suppose there's any other option? My stomach is still a bit tender."

Kingsley smiled in apology. "Suggestions?"

"How about a bus?" Kate offered. Kingsley was one of the few wizards she knew who didn't turn his nose up at Muggle transportation. He might not be quite the enthusiast that Arthur Weasley was, but Kingsley was always open to the Muggle world.

"Sun's out and it's not completely freezing," he said. "Let's take a bus!"

Kingsley's imposing height, colorful robes and booming voice guaranteed that he and Kate were the only passengers on the top level of the double-decker bus. Normally, Kate would have put their extreme solitude down to the time of year, but she was certain that the circumstances would have been the same had it been mid-July. As the bus rumbled along, Kate amused herself by observing Kingsley's obvious happiness with their journey. Head swiveling this way and that, he clearly enjoyed observing the hustle and bustle of Muggle London. Soon, however, they reached their stop and Kate and Kingsley made their way through the crowd - Kingsley completely oblivious to their curious looks - and onto the pavement. Kingsley led the way for approximately a half block, turning onto a well-kept side street where traffic - both vehicular and pedestrian - was minimal. A few yards from the turn, he stopped in front of a small pub. "Here we are," he announced, opening the door for Kate to pass inside. She welcomed the warmth of the dimly lit room, which, as Kingsley predicted, was devoid of patrons at the moment.

"Busy place," she commented wryly.

Kingsley chuckled quietly. "You should be here 'round 8 in the evening. Much livelier atmosphere, then."

"Personal experience?"

"Maybe," Kingsley said. "Let's sit in the booth in the back, shall we?"

Once they'd settled into the booth, Kingsley offered to fetch drinks from the bar and Kate started to order tea then remembered - caffeine. Thinking fast, and grateful that they were in a Muggle establishment, Kate responded. "I can't pass up the chance. Could you ask them if they have any herbal peppermint tea?"

Kingsley looked at her curiously for a moment, then agreed and walked over to the bar. Kate slipped out of her coat, pulling a packet of the Digestive biscuits from her pocket and popping one into her mouth. Healer Selkirk had told her that she should get into the habit of eating a few mid-morning and mid-afternoon, whether or not she was hungry as it would help avoid the periods of nausea that came from an empty stomach. Anxious to eliminate nausea from her daily routine, Kate slipped easily into the habit. Looking up, Kate saw that Kingsley was coming back to the table carrying a small tray with a bottle of butter beer and a teapot, cup and saucer. Once the tray had been unloaded and placed on the table beside them, Kate poured her tea and looked directly at Kingsley. "Let's have it, then," she said. "And don't spare any details. Tonks has already tipped me off about Spear's mad dash through the department today."

Kingsley returned Kate's frank look. "Kate, you know that I respect and like you - as a friend as well as a colleague."

Kate felt a clenching sensation in her stomach that had nothing to do with her condition as she took in what he was saying. "Kingsley, are you sacking me?"

His eyes widened in surprise. "Sacking you? NO! Why would you ask me that?"

Kate smiled. "Your comment sounded like the typical opening line of a boss to his subordinate when his position was about to be terminated."

Kingsley relaxed a bit. "I don't think of you as my subordinate - most of the time, that is. But, I need to say something to you. If there is anything I should know about you; anything that could impact your job with the Ministry or your work on this Mission, now is the time for you to tell me. If I know about it now, I can be prepared and plan around it if need be."

Kate's mind raced as she listened. Desperately, she sought something to buy her time enough to come up with options. "Kingsley, we've known each other for quite some time and have been working very closely since I came back to England. What has happened to prompt this now?"

"Spear came to me, highly agitated, talking about how he'd seen you at St Mungo's earlier today," Kingsley responded.

"Yes," Kate said. "And you knew that I was going to see a Healer about my stomach; I told you earlier this morning, as you'll recall. The fact that Spear saw me there shouldn't prompt this level of concern from you, particularly when you said you were prepared to order me to go. You should have been well equipped to diffuse Spear's agitation."

Kingsley nodded. "My level of concern was prompted by other factors. Spear mentioned that you were in an examination room for well over an hour and that the Healer came out of the room and ordered a series of potions to be taken over a period of several months. One of them was an herbal supplement similar to Muggle vitamins prescribed for pregnant women. Of course, he didn't recognize it as such, but I did. Remember, I have two children of my own. Spear also overheard her schedule subsequent, monthly visits."

Kate closed her eyes. "I'm sure he had his own ideas about what that all meant."

Kingsley nodded, although Kate wasn't watching. "He did. He feels that you contracted some type of disease while working in the States and that said condition may well impact your ability to perform your duties as an Auror and so you've chosen to hide it from me, the Minister, etc. He feels that whatever 'secret project' you're working on should be transferred to a more able Auror."

Kate laughed out loud at Kingsley's response, unsurprised to note that the sound had just the slightest tinge of hysteria to it. "Brilliant! And your response?"

Kingsley reached over and put his hand over hers where it rested on the table. "I told him that it was fortuitous that he did not choose Healing as his profession. That you had confided in me that you had an ongoing digestive ailment known as an ulcer and that St. Mungo's was treating you according to much the same regimen as you observed while working for the American Auror Bureau. The herbal supplement and other potions were intended to neutralize the symptoms and supply you with the vitamins you wouldn't be getting from foods you could no longer eat. I assured him that in no way would this condition compromise your ability to perform any aspect of your job."

Kate smiled. "He believed you?"

Kingsley returned the smile and nodded. "By the time I was done with him, the Healer, herself, would have believed me!" He paused, his expression sobering once again. "I, however, am dubious and wanted to give you the opportunity to eliminate my doubts as I tried to do with Mr. Spear - but with the truth, if you trust me in the telling of it."

Kate looked across the table at Kingsley. "Kingsley, I must be assured of your complete discretion in this; absolutely no one can know - at least not yet. And I must continue this mission. You must promise me all of these things or I will merely confirm what you told Spear - and you know the laws, Kingsley; you cannot question me further and the Healers will not release any information to you."

Kingsley squeezed her hand, still resting beneath his. "I have real misgivings," he sighed. "But I will promise to go along with what you're asking of me. How far along are you?"

Kate sighed. "Just one month. And, no, Sirius does not know. He won't know - for now. Remus knows - only because of his lycanthropy. Apparently, one of the side effects is a rather keen sense of smell. He's able to detect physical changes, hormone swings, the whole bit. That's how he found out."

"Sirius will not be happy with this deception," Kingsley observed.

"I know," Kate said. "But there's so much more at stake than his opinion of me in this. Kingsley, suppose we're able to clear him as a result of this mission? Even if Pettigrew doesn't show up in any of the surveillance missions we conduct, he may be mentioned. There will always be two people on these surveillance assignments, which means that there will always be a witness to anything that we hear. If Pettigrew is mentioned, his location might also be given. We could capture him, Kingsley - and Sirius could be free. Finally. I'm sure that he would forgive my subterfuge if we were able to accomplish that." Kate looked at her partner imploringly.

"I said I'd go along with it and I will. At least Remus knows. He's partnering with you, so I'll worry less. A little less." Kingsley smiled at her and withdrew his hand to pick up his butter beer bottle. Kate cast a surreptitious warming charm on her tea, earning a teasing 'tsk, tsk' from Kingsley. Sipping the now heated peppermint tea, Kate smiled at him.

"Thank you, Kingsley. I appreciate it," she said.

"Don't thank me, Kate. I don't necessarily agree with your decision. But, at the moment, we have bigger problems."

Kate put down her cup. "Spear and his family."

Kingsley spared a discreet glance around the room before he spoke. "Mr. Spear is no longer employed by the Ministry," he told her. "Effective at the conclusion of my meeting with him. He is also wearing a tracking charm that both restricts and reports his movements - directly to me."

"Kingsley," Kate said. "Talk to me."

For the next half hour, Kingsley relayed his conversation with the young Auror, beginning with his total terror when Kingsley showed him Sirius' family book and the entry concerning his uncle's current employer. It seemed that Spear's father was from the less monied, less influential branch of the family tree. Slytherin, yes; pureblood, certainly - but without the financial wherewithal to back it up, until an aged wizard uncle of his mother had died and left her his fortune - and what a fortune it was. Condescended to by the bulk of the pureblood families as "nouveau riche", Mrs Spear wasn't able to crack the haughtiest of the pureblood families. There were some families who let them into their social circles, but they were not part of the inner circle. Malodros' unfortunate sorting didn't help matters and, when he decided to enter the Auror Academy, that effectively ended any hope of her acceptance into the upper echelon of Wizarding aristocracy. Mrs Spear's disappointment took the form of cynical bitterness. Her husband, on the other hand, was relieved that there were no longer money problems, having grown up with them all his life. Whether or not they were accepted into mainstream, pureblood society was not chief amongst his concerns. That his son was Gryffindor was ... odd, but not alarming, by any means. Malodros' choice of careers was his own business. He had his rare book collection, at last, and he could finally afford to indulge expanding it. It was more than his brother had been able to do. Waiting until he was in his thirties to enter into marriage - to a half-blood witch of no major distinction - Nathaniel had no true ambition in life other than to do as little as possible while earning enough to support a passable lifestyle. Just before the holidays, his wife had decided that she'd spent 10 years too many waiting to improve beyond "passable" and had left him for a Romanian "count" of dubious lineage. They had set up housekeeping in Wizarding London and their exploits were reported faithfully in the Daily Prophet, much to the shame of Malodros, his mother and, to a lesser degree, his father. To escape the daily embarrassment of his former wife's escapades, Nathaniel sold his modest home and took up a position as a guard at Azkaban Prison, welcoming its remote location and the resulting lack of social interaction. His nephew, however, felt that his uncle's new position could be utilized to further his own.

"He was involved in the breakout?" Kate breathed.

"In a manner of speaking," Kingsley replied. "Spear claimed that he wanted to restore some credibility to his family's name. He devised a plan in which his uncle would facilitate the escape of a single Death Eater, the date and time of which would be communicated to Spear in advance. This would allow Spear time to get out to Azkaban - in his capacity as an Auror - and be there to subdue to escapee and return him to his cell. Spear would be a hero and his mother would share in the glory."

"I'm not buying it," Kate said. "It's too pat. He's too arrogant to admit to wrongdoing. Even if he was afraid of what you knew when you began your interrogation of him, why would he immediately confess to a plot that was certain to cost him his position? The end result would have been exactly the same. Why not lie about his relationship with his uncle? Tell us that they weren't close?" Kate thought for a moment. "Unless...Kingsley...unless he's covering for someone."

Kingsley nodded. "I have another theory. It's possible that his uncle was vulnerable enough to have been targeted by a Death Eater outside Azkaban - and convinced that he could improve his lot in life - perhaps even win back his wife - if he provided a little assistance to the right people. After all, his sister-in-law's social scheming was well known in pureblood circles and his ex-wife's infidelity and adventures have been widely reported in the Prophet. It wouldn't have been difficult for some of those same purebloods - particularly those who support Voldemort - to use that information to make Nathaniel cooperate. They would have had one problem, though..."

"Contact," Kate said. "To keep up their innocent appearances in our world, pureblood families have had to publicly denounce their incarcerated relatives, making it impossible to take a Sunday afternoon ferry ride to Azkaban for a family visit. They could hardly contact Nathaniel directly, so...a trip to the Ministry in hopes of running into a certain Auror just might do the trick."

Kingsley leaned forward in his chair. "Especially if you've bought your way into the good graces of the Minister of Magic and spend a considerable amount of time at the Ministry anyway..."

"...and are extremely skilled in Dark Magic and not squeamish about using Unforgivables," Kate supplied. Kingsley took a deep breath and, together, they whispered, "Malfoy."

"Kingsley, Merlin, so much makes sense now. If we're right, Malfoy could have been using Imperiousto manipulate Malodros into trying to worm his way onto our mission...or, more likely, was able to convince Spear that greater glory awaited him for assisting the Dark Lord; I wonder if Malfoy had to even unsheathe his wand! I'm sure Malodros, with his ego, felt that he could keep Malfoy informed of everything that was going on with his own team's attempts to locate and capture those ten Death Eaters. He probably wasn't above using a little Dark Magic to manipulate that team, as well. When he saw that neither you nor I were working on that main team, Spear had to have come to the conclusion that we were working on something even more critical to that part of the investigation," Kate reasoned. She paused then continued excitedly. "Kingsley, this morning, Tonks told me that Spear was at St. Mungo's to question a woman who reported seeing one of the LeStranges in a coffee shop in Bristol. While he was waiting for a Healer to take him to the Spell Damage Ward to see her, he supposedly saw me and tore back into the Ministry to report it to you. Kingsley, did you ever hear about a witch at St. Mungo's who saw the LeStranges in Bristol?"

Kingsley shook his head slowly. "No, I did not. Kate...this could be another situation like..."

She rose. "Bode. I know. Let's get back to Diagon Alley. We'll owl Tonks to start going through the files to see if we ever had a report from a witch in Bristol, then you and I should head over to St Mungo's to see what we can find out."

Kingsley threw some Muggle bills on the table then the two of them pulled on their cloaks and headed for the door. Once safely hidden in the alleyway, Kate suffered through a Side-Along Apparition in the interest of speed and, to her surprise, the nausea and lightheadedness were over fairly quickly once they'd arrived at their destination.

As they made their way to the Post Office to send a message to Tonks, a tawny owl swooped in front of Kate, coming to a landing on Kingsley's broad shoulder. Kate removed the message tied to its leg and saw that it was addressed to her. The owl waited expectantly, so Kate pulled out a biscuit from her pocket and gave it to the bird who took it with a disdainful look and flew away.

"Ruddy bird," Kingsley grumbled. "What does it say?"

Kate looked up from the note she'd torn open. "I've never been this unhappy to be right," she said, handing the parchment to him.

Kingsley read the few lines that Tonks had hastily scribbled on the page:

"Kate, bring Kingsley back to the office with you. Mungo's called. Suspicious death reported in Spell Damage Ward. Think we've got a connection to S? Good. So do I. Oh - tell Kings that the Tracking Monitor in his office is whistling up a storm..."