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 66 – The Solution of Mysteries
Kate paused outside Remus' room, noting the thin strip of light creeping into the hallway from beneath the door. She hesitated for a moment then knocked softly on the old wood.
"Come in," Remus' voice called.
Kate stuck her head 'round the door. "Busy?"
Remus greeted her warmly from his chair near the window. "Never too busy to visit with you," he said, pointing at the window seat. "Come inside and I'll share my tea."
Kate closed the door behind her. She settled herself on the cushion and gratefully accepted a cup of tea. "Thanks."
"Will Sirius be joining us?"
Kate smiled ruefully. "I just left him in the parlor. There's every possibility he'll come up to talk later on, but…"
"…but you beat him to it," Remus returned the smile.
"Mmm, and I think that when he finally does make his way up here, Sirius will want your undivided attention," Kate sipped her tea for a few moments and Remus settled back in his chair and waited for her to collect her thoughts.
"He's determined to protect Harry on his own terms, you know," Kate finally stated, her voice quiet.
Remus sighed and shook his head. "I surmised as much. Merlin, how many times have you and I had a conversation that began with that sentence? Kate, I don't know that we'll ever win that argument with Sirius. I used to think that he might abandon the idea, that he might listen to reason, but he always comes back to his guilt over James and Lily, his anger at himself for having convinced them to use Peter instead of him as their Secret Keeper. There have been times when Peter has been somewhat of an abstract figure to Sirius and he's been more reasonable in his thought process. Even after that night in the Shrieking Shack, when he saw Peter again after so long, Sirius was able to maintain a bit of perspective. Now, though, every time Peter appears: the Tri-Wizard Tournament last year and now this business with Spear's murder, it reminds Sirius all over again that the man who betrayed James and Lily now poses a very real threat to their son. It's as if each appearance chips away another piece of his rational thought."
Kate had listened attentively to her friend as he'd spoken. When Remus finished, she told him about the things she'd said to Sirius a short time before. "Remus, I don't think Sirius is going to back down this time. I actually think he'll force me to fight him. After all we've been through these past months, despite the fact that we've finally laid all the old ghosts to rest, I think we're going to face one more hurdle – and it's a big one."
"As much as I hate to say it, Kate, I'm inclined to agree with you," Remus said, sadly. "If there is a confrontation and Harry's involved, Sirius will not sit idly by – whether it's here or the Annex. He will move heaven and earth to get to him. He won't allow what happened to James to happen to Harry."
Kate looked away from Remus, feeling her heart clench in her chest. "I know that, Remus. And he doesn't care if he has to sacrifice himself in the bargain. You know, sometimes I think that Sirius almost feels as if the only way he can atone for his mistake with Peter is to put himself in the line of fire and protect Harry at the cost of his own life." She looked back at her old friend, her face sad.
"Like a penance," Remus whispered. "One life for the two he thinks he risked."
"But he doesn't think about what his grand gesture will cost the rest of us," Kate said quietly. "We've both lost him once and Merlin knows I've been on the brink of losing him several times since I came back to London." Kate stopped suddenly and brought her escalating emotions under control. "I can't do this any longer, Remus. I just can't. With Malfoy convicted, you'd think we'd have less to worry about, but it's just the opposite, isn't it? Spear goes missing and then turns up murdered in his cell. Pettigrew appears to have been involved, but no one seems to be able to riddle out the extent of his participation – or a firm motive, although we've no shortage of theories. The poison used to kill Spear contains venom from the same Acromantula that contributed to the potion Jarvis tried to force-feed me during Malfoy's trial. While I resent Sirius' complicating all of that with his single-minded war chant of joining Harry in battle, I can't sit and dwell on it with so many other pieces of the puzzle out of place."
Remus leaned toward her. "You've made the decision to stop him in any way you can. You've got to shelve it for now and focus on the rest of it; we all do. We've no choice."
Kate rose and Remus did the same. "If you do have your wayward visitor later on, see what you can do to get his one-track mind refocused on the bigger picture, won't you?" Kate stepped forward and hugged her friend tightly, feeling him nod as his chin rested against her head for a moment. "Perhaps you'll succeed where I've failed. Meanwhile, I'd better get back to the Annex. Dumbledore has been adamant about my allowable forays out of bounds and I want some time to sit and think about this whole business."
"I think I'll read for awhile longer and see if any stray pups wander by," Remus said, a wry smile on his face.
Kate approached Remus' fireplace. She dipped her fingers into the pot of Floo powder on the mantel. "May I?"
He nodded and a moment later, Kate had stepped into the hearth and disappeared in a swirl of green flame. When she'd gone and the flames had gone back to normal, Remus walked back to his chair and sat down, taking up his book again and resting it in his lap. Although he had every good intention of resuming his novel, Remus found himself lost in thought – so much so that the hearth had long gone cold before he placed the forgotten book on the table and made his way to bed.
XXXXXXXX
Kate walked out of the fireplace and into the silent chill of the Annex' Great Room. With Molly in London and both she and Sirius at Grimmauld Place, the hidden wing was empty. Kate quickly had a blazing fire crackling in the hearth and with the chill quickly fading from the room, she decided to make herself comfortable on the sofa. Somehow, she wasn't ready to slip into the bed she had so recently shared with Sirius. She had too much thinking to do.
After showering and changing into warm Muggle flannel pajamas, Kate made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine; she'd had more than enough tea for one night. Kate walked back to the sofa and, settling herself across the deep cushions, pulled down the knitted afghan from the backrest and arranged it over her legs. As she sipped her wine, Kate reflected on the meeting and the various conversations she'd had. Snippets of discussions whirled through her mind, and Kate fought to exclude those that focused on Sirius' single-minded intent to follow Harry into battle to protect the boy and avenge the past. She turned over the details of Spear's murder, Pettigrew's involvement and Jarvis' role in events but found herself no closer to any type of hypothesis than she'd been before. Malfoy's face kept floating in and out of her thoughts, but she couldn't grasp onto anything tangible. She gave up, reasoning that a good night's sleep would give her a greater capacity for thought in the morning.
Kate put the now empty wine glass on the side table and rested her head against the back of the sofa. Soon, the warmth of the fire and the effects of the wine combined to render her quite drowsy and she had just given in to a light sleep when a whoosh from the direction of the hearth brought her fully awake. Kate sat bolt upright on the sofa, her wand sliding down her sleeve and into her hand - only to see Sirius standing before her.
"Hey," he greeted her, placing a small kiss on her cheek. "You left without telling me," he said, seating himself on the edge of the heavy coffee table in front of her. "I went looking for you and Remus told me you'd come back here."
Kate placed her wand on the table beside her and nodded. "You know that I'm supposed to stay here. I guess I just wanted a quiet place to think." Kate picked up the afghan from the floor where it had fallen and draped it over her lap. Sirius watched her, his expression at once sad and determined.
"I would have come with you," he said quietly. "I don't like it when you're alone."
Kate shot Sirius a look that made him question the wisdom of his last sentence. She followed up with a comment that made him wish dearly that he could take it back. "Unless you've reconsidered your plan to follow Harry into very public battle, you'll forgive me when I say I find that statement hard to believe."
"You're asking me to stand by and do nothing at a time when Harry will need me the most," Sirius replied. "That's not fair."
"Sirius, in that moment, when Harry faces such a confrontation, he will not be alone; there will be others with him – members of the Order – who will protect him and help him in the fight. That's not what he needs from you; he needs you to be safe. He needs you to be there for him for the rest of his life – not just the time it takes to finish the fight." Kate paused. She knew she was just repeating herself, which was a foolish undertaking since it was obvious Sirius had paid no attention to the words she'd flung at him earlier in the evening. Once more, she thought to herself. I'll give it one more try and then I'll do what I promised Remus earlier. "Sirius, I'm only going to say this one more time and then I'm finished. You're choosing to do a very foolish thing – and it has more to do with James than it has to do with his son. You're trying to atone for your perceived sin in allowing Peter to serve as Secret Keeper. If you die, you compensate for your past indiscretion, isn't that it?" Sirius didn't speak, but continued to regard her silently. "You do understand that you will burden Harry with the same guilt you've been carrying around all these years, don't you? You've walked around with James and Lily's deaths hanging around your neck; he can spend the rest of his life weighed down by the guilt of yours!"
Sirius sprung to his feet. "Your confidence in me is heartwarming, Kate. Have you forgotten how proficient a duelist I was as an Auror? Are you so certain I'd die?"
Kate mirrored his actions, standing to face him. "I have not forgotten your dueling skills, Sirius, but a great deal of time has passed since those days. Dueling back then was a dispassionate business. You faced off against the enemy and fought until one of you couldn't stand any longer. This will not be the same. You cannot maintain single-minded focus on the objective at hand – winning the individual fight. You will constantly be wondering about Harry: where he is, how he is and how quickly you can get to him. Distractions can be dangerous, Sirius. More than, actually. Distractions can be fatal."
Sirius stared at Kate a moment longer, breathing heavily, his eyes flashing. Kate said nothing further and the silence in the room was broken only by the pop of the logs as they burned.
"Enough," Sirius finally said. "This is bollocks. There's no point in arguing over this. Kate, I've given in more in the past year than I'd ever thought possible. I've hidden where and when I've been told to hide; I've backed down to Severus, to Dumbledore and to Remus, on occasion. We talked about this eventuality, you and me. I knew you wouldn't be supportive of my decision to fight – really fight – with Harry; that's one of the reasons I asked you about it weeks ago. I was satisfied with what you said about not standing in my way – no matter what restrictions you might have placed on that statement. But don't ask me to back down to you entirely, Katie. As much as I love you and as strong as we've become, I cannot do that and be loyal to who I am. I cannot do that and be the man I know I am. Don't ask it of me. I haven't come this far to back down to anyone anymore."
We didn't come this far so I could lose you to poor judgment and misplaced guilt, either. The thought chased the anger from Kate's mind and she dropped heavily onto the sofa again
When Kate didn't respond to him, Sirius added, "Come on, Katie-girl; we've probably got plenty of time before anything happens, anyway." But his voice lacked the certainty that would have told her he believed that statement. "Do we really want to spend that time at odds with each other? Haven't we done enough of that? We'll just deal with it when the moment arises."
Kate's head lifted at that and she looked directly into his eyes. Finally, she nodded. "Alright, Sirius; we'll drop it for now. You're right about one thing: I don't want us to be on the outs with each other. And we do have other things to focus on at the moment."
Sirius smiled tentatively. He wasn't foolish enough to think that he'd won the war, but her agreement to a truce was enough to be going on with – however temporary it might be. And, she was right; they did have other things to ponder. And, while resolution to the questions before them about Spear, Malfoy and, of course, Pettigrew, would ultimately lead them to a place where decisions would need to be made, Sirius was relieved to put their conflict to one side for the moment.
He reached across the distance between them and picked up her wine glass. "White?" he asked, rising. At her nod, he walked into the kitchen, returning a few moments later with two glasses. "Here," Sirius said quietly. "Mind if I join you?"
"No, I don't mind," Kate said, patting the seat cushion next to her. "I've been thinking about your theory, actually."
Sirius sipped his wine. "What theory is that?"
"The one where Pettigrew initiated the whole Spear murder to ingratiate himself with Voldemort by returning Malfoy to his place in the inner circle," Kate replied, turning to face him. "I don't think I agree with it."
"Gaps in my logic, are there?" Sirius asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Only I might remind you that there were others present who didn't seem to think so."
Kate waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Well, I can't help that," she said. "Now, let's review. One: Malfoy has never done anything to inspire Pettigrew's loyalty; fear, yes; loyalty, no. To my way of thinking, this would seem to preclude Pettigrew making a trip to Azkaban to see how he might help him. Two: Malfoy was the one who convinced Pettigrew to take the Dark Mark all those years ago. Clearly, Pettigrew's life has not been one of power or any type of inner circle-access. He may easily feel that he traded one life of inferiority and subservience for another. Three: You can't convince me that Malfoy has anything that Pettigrew would want – at least badly enough to put himself at risk for. Lastly, I can easily see Peter being completely insecure about Spear, but not brave enough to confront Voldemort about getting rid of him."
"You're suggesting that Pettigrew has regrets about taking the Mark?"
"Perhaps. Is it so hard to believe?" Kate asked softly. "Look, I have no more regard for Pettigrew than you have, but think about it; he trailed James, Remus and you around for the better part of seven years. He never gained any prominence, he was never a leader; he was always the follower. I can't imagine that he'd have gained the fortitude to be anything else at this juncture, can you?"
Sirius swirled his wine around the glass for a few moments. "So, if Pettigrew didn't approach Malfoy with a plan to eliminate Spear and potentially take you out of the way, it would mean that someone approached Pettigrew."
"It does seem to be the only possibility," Kate acknowledged. "Now, if Malfoy was in prison, it seems unlikely that he would have the means to contact Pettigrew, but…"
"As his solicitor, Jarvis would certainly have access to Malfoy and could, conceivably, carry messages to Pettigrew," Sirius finished her thought, his eyes growing wider as his mind continued to play out the scenario. "And, of course, Jarvis could certainly meet with Narcissa Malfoy without arousing suspicion. If what we discussed earlier is true, she could have supplied Jarvis with the Acromantula venom in both its raw form and as part of the potion he attempted to give you."
Kate nodded, catching onto his enthusiasm. "Now, we'd need to discuss motive. I'm not buying into Jarvis' son's transfer to Hogwarts as a credible possibility. Do you?"
"Access to Harry notwithstanding, I would have to agree with you, Kate. I do think, however that we can't discount Harry as at least some part of the rationale."
"Maybe. For now, let's look at Jarvis. Let's say that he's confident he can slip me the altered Veritaserum during the trial. He meets with Malfoy to discuss his plan. Believing that he can take me out of the equation, Jarvis convinces Malfoy that the only remaining obstacle to his freedom is Spear," Kate stopped speaking and closed her eyes for a moment. This was leading down a path she hadn't really anticipated; but it was the only one that made any sense. As Sirius' soft voice cut into her thoughts a second later, Kate opened her eyes and met his gaze; he had figured it out.
Smiling, Sirius continued. "If Spear can be neutralized, he cannot testify against Malfoy; but the window of opportunity to get rid of him is very narrow. Jarvis must somehow convince the Ministry – probably Fudge – to allow Malfoy to be brought to the Ministry holding cells well in advance of the hearing…"
Kate nodded and interrupted, "probably in the dead of night, claiming possible security issues."
"Fudge would certainly take that to heart, given what's happened in the Department of Mysteries over the past six months," Sirius said, a sly smile on his face. "So, Azkaban guards deliver Malfoy the night before trial, whilst Spear is left in his cell. Alone."
Kate took over again. "And there's no way to tie Malfoy to any unfortunate incident that might befall Spear, because he's no longer on the island, is he? So, now we have a plan to put Malfoy in Ministry holding whilst Spear is left behind. But Jarvis had to devise a means by which the deed could be done. Peter becomes the best candidate for the job, given that he's an Animagus and if Malfoy didn't tell Jarvis about that gift, who else would?"
"And his Animagus form is perfect for the task; there is certainly no shortage of rats in that hell hole," Sirius interjected bitterly.
Kate reached over and took his hand before continuing. "Jarvis convinces Malfoy that Pettigrew is the ideal candidate for the job. He can stow away on the transport ferry when it left to retrieve Spear to testify and sneak onto the island when it docks. Just a short scamper over the rocks to the prison and he would be able to gain access virtually undetected, isn't that right?"
Sirius nodded, grimly. "And if Jarvis had given him the exact location of Spear's cell – as provided by Malfoy – it would have been simple enough to slip through the gap at the bottom of the door, transform, cast Petrificus Totalis and inject Spear with the fatal dose."'
"Then, when he was sure Spear was dealt with, he could transform back into Wormtail and retrace his steps to the dock. The ferry would be held, of course, once Spear was found. Pettigrew, as Wormtail, would then climb aboard and make the return trip to London," Kate finished.
"Now, to puzzle out who benefits in this little game of deduction we're playing," Sirius said. "Malfoy would be given to think that he would benefit because both Spear and you would be unable to testify. The plan would have been laid before the hearing began that day, so Malfoy wouldn't have realized that he'd gained nothing until Spear was dead and Jarvis thwarted."
"But, Malfoy would have been indebted to Jarvis," Kate said, squeezing Sirius' hand. "Sirius, that's it," she exclaimed. "It wasn't Malfoy who was indebted to Peter; he was indebted to Jarvis"
Sirius looked at her intensely. "But potentially, it isn't just Malfoy who is indebted to Jarvis. Listen, how do you imagine Jarvis managed to get Pettigrew to murder Spear? I'll wager my last Galleon that Jarvis capitalized on Pettigrew's insecurities and thirst for position and power by dropping comments about Spear and how he could potentially usurp Pettigrew's position with Voldemort. He could have easily convinced Pettigrew that Malfoy spoke with him about Spear's value to the Dark Lord, particularly after he facilitated the break out of some of Voldemort's favorite Death Eaters. Imagine this: poor little Peter, filled with angst because he doesn't think he's one of the favorites any longer. Then, like a gift from Merlin, along comes Jarvis with a way to eliminate Spear – and puts the bloody tool in his fuckin' paw, doesn't he? Cor, Pettigrew must have been gagging with joy."
"So, our theory is that Jarvis concocted the entire plan, told Malfoy it would ensure his acquittal and Pettigrew his position. He's in league with Malfoy to get Narcissa to give him the venom – and the venomous potion and then convinces Pettigrew to use the pure venom to murder Spear. Malfoy and Pettigrew both owe a Wizard's Debt to Jarvis," Kate's brows drew together. "But to what purpose? What could Jarvis possibly want from either – or both – of them?"
"I've no idea," Sirius admitted. He glanced at the clock on the mantelpiece. "But it's well past 1 o'clock, Katie-girl. We can't pull anyone else into this tonight. I think a good night's sleep is in order; we can Floo call Remus in the morning and have him come for breakfast. I know I'll look forward to advising him that he owns a piece of the wrong theory; I would think he'd enjoy the chance to redeem himself."
"Careful, there, Padfoot," Kate admonished him, rising. "We don't know if our theory is any better. I'm not particularly fond of crow as a main course."
"When tomorrow morning rolls around, the only one who'll be picking his teeth with feathers is our dear friend, Mooney," Sirius replied, chuckling. "Cor, I miss Molly; we're going to have to fend for ourselves at breakfast, I'm afraid."
"You're afraid?" Kate said, gathering both wine glasses and walking toward the kitchen. "I think Remus and I are the ones who should be a bit nervous. After all, I haven't forgotten your last foray into scrambled eggs. A bit of a challenge, wasn't it?"
Sirius was standing where she'd left him, hands on hips, when Kate emerged from rinsing the glasses a moment later. "Not very sporting of you, love. Particularly when you ate the second batch without complaint."
Kate chuckled at his appearance. "You look positively forbidding, Mr. Black. I may just have to go to my own room for the remainder of the night."
Sirius crossed the room in two strides and gathered her hands in his. "Don't say that, Katie," he said quietly, his eyes searching her face. "I spent quite a bit of time this evening wondering if you just might decide to do just that. I know I made you angry enough for you to choose to sleep alone." He paused. "I'm sorry to have done that."
Kate squeezed his hands. "You know that I was teasing you. I don't want to sleep alone; I want to be with you. I love you. You never have to question that."
Sirius pulled her into his arms and he held her tightly. "I love you, too, Katie; I love you very much. Come," he released her, but caught her hand in his as he led her to the closed door of his room. "Let's get some sleep. We can mull it all over with Remus in the morning, yeah?"
Kate nodded. "Let's do. I'm tired. Perhaps it will all come clear in the morning."