Chapter 16: Setbacks
--––-
Yannick apparated in the Ministry of Magic mid morning on the next Monday, Alex and him had stayed overnight at Silverleaf Manor and eaten breakfast there early. While he had gone directly to the Ministry, she had gone to her apartment to pick up things that she would need for her Quidditch training. She had gotten him to promise to come to pick her up for lunch, promise that he had been very willing to make. Smiling at the memory, he took out his wand to hand it to the Auror at the wand checking desk, but the man smiled and waved him through.
"No need to check your, Mr Silverleaf," the man said, "I can hardly imagine Dominic's son coming here for trouble."
"Thanks," Yannick replied, before to head towards the elevators that would take him down to level where Sean was working. He was quite certain that his friend had arrived and was eager to get back to work with him.
The week end at the Manor, while extremely relaxing for him and Alex, had also proven quite useful. He had arranged with Gran to let her know of the heading the case would take and of any new clue that would be uncovered. Of course, that would wait until Sean and he would get back the case but he was quite certain they would achieve this today. Forrester and his people were hunting the wrong person and were bound to have arrested him. This meant that Sean and his team would be able to cross examine him and Yannick knew that he had the evidence needed to show that Forrester had arrested an innocent.
He let the flurry of owls and messages exit the elevator before him and headed towards Sean's office. As he had predicted he found his friend at his desk, which was piled up with papers.
"Hey Sean," he said as he entered, "anything new?"
"Nick, glad to see you mate," Sean replied, "But nothing new on the case yet though. How are you?"
"Doing quite a bit better than a few days ago," Yannick said, smiling.
"Only a bit better?" Sean asked, teasingly, "I'll be sure to repeat that to Alex," he added.
"Alright, alright! I feel way better," Yannick said, laughing, "And I want to thank you and Cynthia for that. Without you two's help, I would have blown it royally."
"Glad to have helped, mate," Sean replied, "And anything else would have been a waste really. You two are meant for each other."
"I realize that now," Yannick said, "Right now I can't imagine my life without her."
"I can relate the feeling," Sean said, "And I highly suggest you repeat these words to her one of these days. She'll love that."
"I do think I will," Yannick replied, "How are the kids?"
"Pure angels," Sean said, glowing with pride, "And Cynthia is positively beaming since they were born. I don't think I have ever seen her that happy."
"I'm really happy for you two," Yannick said, "And Ethan and Eowyn are beautiful babies mate. They have your hair but I bet you they will have their mother's charm. A heartbreaker pair for Hogwarts?"
"That will be in a while," Sean replied, chuckling, "But I am not against the idea. If you and Alex are quick enough, they will be in the same year as yours," he added, winking at Yannick.
"May I remind you that we only have been back together for a few days?" Yannick said, "Give us some time!" he added, trying to sound falsely offended.
"Five galleons that your first will be a boy," Sean said.
"You're on, Sean," Yannick replied, chuckling, "But this is still in a while. There are things to do first, like getting our hands on our murderer."
"I fully agree," Sean said, turning a bit more serious "Was your trip to Silverleaf manor good in getting more leads?"
"Yes," Yannick replied, "And I have got a clue on who is committing the murders and why as well. The only problem is while the case is in Forrester's people hands, ours are tied and we cannot really do anything on the case."
"True," Sean said, "But if you are able to show that the person they arrested is innocent, we will be able to get it back if all goes well."
"Do we know when we will be able to see him?" Yannick asked.
"Not right away, that is sure," Sean replied, "They are still interrogating him and Mr Shacklebot has people there who will let us know as soon as we can come to do so. He will be coming with us as well."
"That is good," Yannick said, "I think having him on our side will help us on resolving the case. He should be overall director."
"He would be," Sean replied, "But right now, the Ministry still needs a good cleaning from Fudge's era. And the current events are not really helping either."
"What do you mean?" Yannick asked.
"Well, it would seem that some elements in the Ministry are Hades bent on getting Ambrosius out of office," Sean replied darkly, "They are blaming him each time something goes wrong."
"The clique Octavius is part of?"
"Yeah, although Octavius is not the one who seems to be leading them," Sean said, "Devin Stiller is the main figure of the group. Rumour has it that he wants Ambrosius' job."
"He'll have a hard time on that one," Yannick said, "Ambrosius has some pretty heavy allies, Dumbledore being one of the most influent one."
"That I know mate," Sean replied, "But Stiller is scary. He does not seem to care that events prove him wrong. He will always blame the Minister or one of his allies for a mistake. Even if one in his own clique created the trouble in the first place."
"Really?"
"Yeah," Sean said darkly, "You heard of the magical snake problem right at Christmas?"
"Dad mentioned it in passing when he was at Silverleaf manor," Yannick said, "He did not go into much details but it was enough to keep him there during the Christmas, so it must have been big."
"Right, we were very lucky no Muggle media picked up that one," Sean said, snorting, "A huge snake in the middle of the London streets, with Muggles all around to be terrified, take pictures and all, not the best way to spend a Christmas night."
"And one of Stiller's clique created that one?" Yannick said, "I hope he got sacked for that."
"That is the worse of it," Sean said, "the git is still Ministry employee, working as personal assistant to Stiller."
"Who the hex is it?" Yannick asked.
"Malfoy," Sean replied, sounding disgusted at the name.
"WHAT!?" Yannick shouted, "This slime is working in the Ministry?! He should be in Azkaban at the very least! I still cannot believe he had the guts to show up at the reunion last year."
"He got his new post at the beginning of the year," Sean continued, "It created an uproar with a number of people, I can tell you, especially with the ones who were in Hogwarts at the time of the rebellion. Anyhow, Stiller keeps on claiming that Malfoy is innocent and had no hand in the rebellion, that people used this to get him in trouble because of his father."
"Tell me you are joking," Yannick said, not believing what he was hearing.
"I am not mate," Sean replied darkly, "You get why I am saying the Ministry is in serious need of cleaning."
"I see that," Yannick agreed, "Let's hope that we get to examine this guy soon, so we can show Forrester's true competence and get the case reassigned to us."
"I'm afraid this will have to wait a bit longer," Kingsley's voice was heard from the door.
The two friends turned to look at him. The tall black Auror seemed annoyed and to Yannick, did not seem to have gotten much sleep.
"They are still interrogating him, sir?" Sean asked.
"That they are," Kingsley replied, "and it does not seem that they will be finished until mid afternoon at least."
"Mid afternoon?!" Sean exclaimed, "What the hex are they doing that will take them that long, writing a book about his life?"
"Probably," Kingsley answered, "I think they are more trying to get him to admit the murders. From the little I saw of this fellow, he has no clue what has come down on him."
"So they are delaying until they have something they can use," Yannick said.
"That is my guess too," Kingsley said, "Anyhow, I thought I would let you two know. It is soon lunch time and I don't want you to linger here waiting for an interview that will most probably come at the end of the day. So go and eat and I'll get word to you when we can see the man they arrested."
"Thanks chief," Sean replied.
"You're welcome," the tall black Auror said, before to turn to leave out of the office, "And Sean?"
"Yes chief?"
"Give Cynthia my congratulations," Kingsley said, "I am very happy for both of you," he added before leaving.
Sean stayed silent a moment and then spoke. "Do you have any plans for lunch?"
"Actually yes," Yannick replied, "I am picking up Alex at her training stadium so we can have lunch. Don't really know where we will go after though."
"Why don't you two come over to eat at the house?" Sean offered.
"Cynthia will probably still need to rest," Yannick said.
"Cynthia?!" Sean exclaimed, "No way, mate! A day after delivering she was already up and about. She did not even let me cook the meals."
"Well I can understand that," Yannick replied, smiling, "Knowing your cooking."
"Very funny Silverleaf," Sean shot back, "Just so you know, I still cooked half of what we ate last time you were there for lunch."
"I know Sean," Yannick replied, "It's a deal then. I pickup Alex and we meet at your house to eat," he added, standing up to leave.
"Good, I'll be off in a few minutes to warn Cynthia and help her cook," Sean said.
"That is if she lets you..." Yannick replied by the door, smiling slyly.
"Out of my sight Silverleaf," Sean said in mock annoyance.
--
The bludger came at her very fast but an accurate hit sent it away even faster. Alex looked at it narrowly missing Jonathan and smiled internally. She had to keep the pressure on the seeker so as to prevent him on finding the snitch and so far, she had done a good job at it. Anna on the other hand was training in a more elaborate way, one bludger having been charmed to come at her only. So far she had only been hit twice by it, which was pretty good for an hour of training.
Alex saw Jonathan leaning more on his broom in order to pick up more speed; he had seen the snitch, which was hovering close to the ground, at the centre of the pitch. She hit a bludger at him, making it pass just over his head, but this time he kept his course and managed to snatch the snitch, ending their training session. He made a short turn and headed towards the changing room.
"Thanks for the pressure," he said as he passed by her.
"You're welcome," she answered back.
She still had some time to kill before Yannick would come to pick her up so she decided to do a similar drill than Anna and charmed the bludger that she had been using to come at her.
"Well, you look in a good mood today," she heard Angelina say behind her as she sent the bludger flying away for the third time.
"You could say so," she replied, "I think Jonathan did not lose his edge during the holiday season."
"Good to hear," Angelina said, "Bobby is just now checking out the new substitute chasers we signed on before the break. I reckon they should make it."
"They did not look too bad from where I could see them. However," she said, swinging at the oncoming bludger again, "I did not look at them the whole time, so I'll take your word for it."
"Seeing how you and Anna performed today, I'd say that we are all set for our next game then," Angelina, "Hentown is in for a surprise."
"Their seeker is good," Alex pointed out.
"Not as good as Harry," Angelina said, "And the falcons are the only ones who beat us this year," she added.
"Well, lets still be cautious," Alex answered preparing to hit the oncoming bludger, "It would not be the first time a team loses by underestimating… what the?"
The bludger had suddenly made a wild turn to the left and shot towards one of the stands, Anna's following suit from her side of the field. Alex felt her body go cold when she saw who they were aiming for.
"Nick!! Look out!!"
--
Yannick heard Alex's warning and turned towards her, just in time to see the bludgers coming at him. The first one was mere meters away and his reflex was to take out his sword and cut the bludger in half as it came to him, the two iron halves bouncing harmlessly in the stands behind him. The second one was a bit further away and he had enough time to take his wand out to deal with it.
"Finite incantanem," he enounced. The spell hit the bludger squarely, causing it to drop to the ground harmlessly.
He breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Alex who was coming towards him on her broom, followed closely by Angelina.
"Are you okay?" she asked when she reached him, getting off her broom and looking him over for any hits.
"I'm fine, Alex," he said as he sheathed his sword, "Although the welcoming committee was unexpected, to say the least," he added with a smile.
"Sorry about that, I forgot to include you on the list of approved watchers," Alex replied, with a wince.
"List of approved watchers?"
"We had some trouble a few years back with people apparating discreetly in the stands to watch our training," Angelina Johnson said, "Most of the time it was harmless but we also had people doing this to spy on our tactics."
"To counter this, Bob, our captain, bewitched the bludgers. They'll come at anyone whose name is not on the list," Alex continued, "I forgot to add you on it and this is why they aimed for you."
"That is pretty harsh, is it not?" Yannick asked, "I mean, that means they attacks anyone else. You did not get any problems with that?"
"Well, there was a few unfortunate accidents when we implemented this a few years back, Angelina said, "but now it is common knowledge and people have accepted it."
"Next time I will just try to come in the old fashion way," Yannick replied, "By the entrance."
"That would be more advisable," Angelina replied, grinning, "So, Alex. Will you finally introduce me to this young man here?"
"Of course," Alex replied, "Angie, this is Yannick Silverleaf, my boyfriend. Yannick, meet Angelina Johnson, chaser and deputy captain of our team."
"Please to meet you," Yannick said, extending his hand.
"Same here," Angelina replied, taking his hand and shaking it, "So, I guess he is the reason you have been in such a good mood today?" she asked Alex, who blushed a little but smiled nonetheless.
"You definitely could say that," Alex replied, passing her arm around Yannick's waist and hugging him softly.
"What happened here?" A male voice was heard.
They turned to see the rest of the team coming to them, Bob in the lead.
"Nothing to worry about, Bob," Alex said, "I just forgot a detail that almost landed Yannick here, in St Mungo's."
"The bludgers attacked him as he apparated in the stands," Angelina explained, "But he managed to neutralize them before they could harm him. Very good reflexes I might add." she said at Yannick's attention.
"Is that one of the bludgers?" Anna asked, pointing at the two black semi spheres next to them, "How did that happen?"
"I… cut it in half, with this," Yannick said, unsheathing his katana so they could see the blade.
"You cut it?!" Bob said in disbelief, "Mate, these are metal balls. That must be some blade!"
"There is very little that can break it," Yannick said, as he re-sheathed the katana.
"That's it! I know who that guy is!" Jonathan said, "You're the one the papers dubbed the 'guardian angel'. You are the one who saved Alex when we played the Cannons."
Yannick nodded in confirmation.
"Well, I guess we owe you our thanks then," Bob said, "Your intervention saved us from losing a very good beater for the next few games," he added, causing Alex to blush a bit at the implied compliment.
"You're exaggerating, Bob," she replied.
"I don't think so really," Angelina said, "My father was telling me that the team right now was probably better than what it was when Ludo Bagman was on it, and he made a special point on the beaters," she added at Alex's and Anna's attention.
"Bagman played for England as well, right?" Yannick asked.
"Yes he did, and Angelina selected on it this year," Ted said.
"I reckon that with a team England has assembled, we should be good to win the cup," Jonathan said.
"Knowing that your beating is better than what it was in Hogwarts, I'm surprised you were not picked too," Yannick said to Alex.
"Let's say that I had a few things on my mind," she replied, kissing him on the cheek to soften her remark, "But you are welcome to help me improve so it happens for the next one," she added, winking at him.
"You don't even need to ask, love," Yannick said, smiling.
"Okay team, time to hit the showers before lunch," Bob said.
Alex kissed Yannick one last time before to go with the rest of her team and Yannick stayed in the stands, sitting down and taking out a book he had gotten from Gran. Seeing that he was sure that Andrelith was behind the murders, it would not hurt to read on Elven spells and creatures.
He was turning the fourth page when he heard someone walking. Looking up he saw Angelina coming towards him, dressed in casual clothes.
"Done already?" he asked.
"I was more observing the new people we signed on for substitutes should we need any," Angelina replied, leaning back on the stand's railing, "Does not take much to get clean from that."
"I guess Alex will be a while more then," Yannick replied.
"I think so too and actually, I wanted to talk to you about her," Angelina said.
"Really?" Yannick asked, surprised.
"Yes. You might not have seen it already, but I kind of took her under my wing when she came on this team," Angelina said, "That was a year after her graduation. She played as substitute beater in Puddelmere but the coach of that team at the time was really harsh and Alex was not playing as good as she is playing now. Cho Chang recommended her to me and I talked with Bob to take her in."
"You took her in while Puddelmere had not?" Yannick asked, curious.
"As I said, the coach of that team at the time was harsh, too harsh for my taste," Angelina said, "Cho on the other hand had played with Alex when they were in Ravenclaw and she knew what she was really worth. That's why I convinced Bob to give her a chance on the team. I can't say I regret it as she has proven to be a real asset to the team."
"She's good," Yannick said, "I saw that when I was in Hogwarts."
"You were in Hogwarts?" Angelina asked, "How come I never saw you there. I'd say you must have been a few years behind me."
"Transferred there in my sixth year," Yannick said, "Was sorted into Hufflepuff."
"Oh, I remember seeing you at the reunion at the end of last year," Angelina said, "So you know Alex from that time then."
"Yes."
"And how well did you know her?" Angelina asked.
"We were together, until graduation," Yannick answered, "I then had to leave back to France for some special studies and that took five more years."
"So you two broke up after graduation from Hogwarts."
"Not really, I more like disappeared," Yannick said, "My studies had to be done secretly and I was stupid. I did not tell her about it and just left. I had good reasons though."
"I'm sure. But seeing the way you two acted today, I'd say you explained yourself and she forgave," Angelina said, "Am I wrong?"
"Not at all."
"Good, because here is what I want to say," Angelina said, "Alex is good, very good actually and while she always plays the modest one, she's better than Anna, our second beater who is both older and more experienced than her. Alex has many professional Quidditch years in front of her and even when she becomes too old for playing, she'll make a good coach. She came up with a few of our new tactics and this is also a reason both Bob and I see her as a real asset to this team."
"I don't doubt that," Yannick replied.
"What I want to know, and you might find me a bit nosy for asking, is this," Angelina said, "Are you in this relationship with Alex for the long run? Or is it just something in passing?" she asked, looking very serious.
Yannick was taken aback by such a pointed question from her, but he almost as quickly remembered his words to Sean in the morning, he could not see himself without Alex. He was sure of that now.
"I'm in it for the long run," Yannick said, "I loved Alex deeply in Hogwarts and even with these five years apart where she came close to hate me, this feeling has not changed. I'd never do anything to hurt her."
"Good," Angelina said, smiling brightly, "I really wanted to clear this up, seeing how much Alex counts for us. You see the only thing preventing her to achieve what I said before is stability in her life. I believe that a stable relationship will help her greatly. I'm happy she finally found someone, and I hope you two do great together."
"Thanks," Yannick replied.
"You're welcome," Angelina said, "Will Alex and you be joining the rest of the team for lunch?"
"Actually, I'd love to but some very good friends have asked us to come to their house already," Yannick said, "Maybe another time?"
"I'm sure there will be," Angelina said, "Alex is waiting for you in the entrance. I told her to."
"So this was a test of some kind?" Yannick asked.
"You could say so," Angelina replied, "You cannot blame me, can you?"
"Not at all, I am glad to have had this talk with you," Yannick said, standing up, "It was a real pleasure to meet you, Angelina."
"Same here, Yannick," Angelina replied, "Take care of our star beater for us," she added, winking.
"I most definitely will," Yannick replied laughing, before to head down to the Stadium's entrance.
--
"We should be able to see him very soon now," Sean said as he sat at his desk, setting a folder in front of him.
Yannick took it and looked at the name, Ian MacDermid. The name did not strike him as familiar.
"That's the 'culprit', as Forester puts it?" he asked.
"Aye, mate," Sean replied, "Ian MacDermid, forty two years old. Born to late Edgar and Ashley MacDermid. He was married until his wife, a Muggle, left him 10 years ago. No children and has a bad habit of getting in trouble with the authorities, both Muggle and Wizard. Caught for murder, although it was never proven it was him and he claimed self defence, and spent three years in Azkaban for that in total. He seems like the perfect 'culprit' I'll give you that. But there is one thing that is not right," he added.
"What is that?"
"Nowhere in his files has he been caught or even suspected of murder since he came out of Azkaban," Sean said darkly, "And former Azkaban prisoners are usually kept on a very short leash by the Ministry. I don't know about you but this is a much too weird to swallow. Way too fishy."
Yannick looked into the file, looking at the parchments it contained. Many records on the man. Many clashes with authorities. The Muggle papers in the folder also included one of a 'specialist', who was declaring the man totally sane. Knowing what Yves' opinion on such Muggle experts was, this was highly unlikely. But Sean was right. There was nothing in this folder that showed that this man could have committed murders. At least not since he left the wizard prison. Nothing.
"I agree on that," he replied, "And the only evidence ever found against him is what? A lone fingerprint on a crime scene you and your team had been thoroughly through before?"
"Yeah," Sean said, "I still resent Forester for that one. He was clearly trying to make my team look like incompetents. And that I am not going to let him off easy for it."
"I'll be glad to help, mate," Yannick said, "But I think Forester is the least of our worries. I think there is a puppeteer behind the puppet and I have big suspicions as to who it is."
"Octavius?" Sean asked.
"Not improbable but I have nothing that one hundred percent designates him," Yannick said, "But seeing the way he has been impeding with our progress and giving Forester free reigns despite his obvious incompetence, I would not be surprised."
"Maximus Octavius is a slippery character," Sean said, "He never was really associated with anything wrong but he is in Stiller's clique, which is saying something. Mr Shacklebot does not like him too much. Same for your father, by the way," he added.
"I'm not surprised," Yannick replied.
Sean looked at his watch and stood up. "I think it is about time now," he said, "Let's go down to the interrogation room and destroy Forester's theory."
"Right behind you Sean," Yannick replied, following him.
It took them a few minutes to go down to the level where the interrogation rooms were located. Right above the cell level of the Ministry, the area was not one of the places Yannick liked most. Perhaps it was because of the proximity to the small cell block, which was used for prisoners in transit, waiting for their judgements or other. He had only been once there when still in Hogwarts, while visiting his father at the job with Sean. Dominic had been happy to show his son and his friend how things worked at his job but Yannick did not keep a nice memory of the cell block, the area looking like a middle age dungeon and feeling quite depressing.
The interrogation area had changed on the other had and looked more modern than the last time he had been there. Aurors were moving about, some clearly investigators, others just patrolling on guard duty and others escorting suspects.
He soon spotted Kingsley Shacklebot's tall figure near the interrogation room number 5. Two Aurors stood on each side of the door, but Yannick had never seen them before. Seeing Mr Shacklebot not talking to them and looking annoyed, he assumed that they were not from his section.
"Ah, Sean. Good that you came," the tall black Auror said, "I was about to send for you."
"Reporting as ordered, Chief," Sean said, grinning slightly. With any other superior, Yannick knew that Sean would have gotten into trouble but he now had seen that Mr Shacklebot was someone very loose with certain rules, as long as you did your job well and efficiently.
"Can we go in to see the suspect?" Yannick asked.
"Not yet," Kingsley replied, "I am waiting for the authorisation from Earnshaw's department and they are clearly taking their time."
Yannick frowned at that. Forrester's team had clearly finished to interrogate the suspect. Why would it take time to get the authorisation from their own department? Looking at Sean, he saw that his friend was frowning as well, looking deep in thoughts.
"What is it Sean?" he asked him quietly, while Kingsley Shacklebot was looking at his watch again, looking more and more annoyed at the delay.
"I have a bad premonition about something," Sean said, "This whole 'culprit' arrest more and fishier to my taste. I mean, why did it take days to get a warrant to arrest him? I agree on the week end being in the middle but such things are usually delivered in mere hours when needed. If this man is indeed the murderer, Forrester's team should have been running to get that warrant, not waiting until Monday, giving him chances to escape."
"They had him under surveillance," Yannick said.
"Oh please!" Sean snorted, "Surveillance? Alwena could escape their surveillance if she wanted. Forrester's goons know nothing about surveillance and I doubt any other department would have loaned them the men to do such a thing."
"And also take the fact that they are acting on a sole fingerprint found at one of the scenes," Yannick added, "Which one was it again?"
"The last scene we were at before they took over the case," Sean replied.
"And we are sure nothing was missed by your team," Yannick stated.
"Positive, mate," Sean said, "I was doing a second sweep for clues when you arrived. That print was not there before. I am sure of it."
"You think it is a setup?" Yannick asked, fingering his wand sheath a little nervously.
"Keep your eyes open, mate," Sean said, "You can never be too cautious."
Yannick was about to agree when the sound of a cup being thrown to a wall and breaking was heard from the interrogation room, causing the two Aurors and Kingsley Shacklebot to look towards the door.
"What the…" Sean started.
"Open up this room at once," Kingsley said to the two guards.
"Sir, I am under orders to let no one in," one of the guards replied.
"The suspect is in there alone and we just heard him breaking a cup," Kingsley snapped harshly, "He could be trying to use the fragments to commit suicide. Open this door now, or I will have your badges," he added threateningly.
The second guard took out his wand and waved it at the door, causing it to open. Kingsley Shacklebot went inside, his own wand drawn, followed by Sean and Yannick.
The cup had crashed on the right wall, the deep brown liquid leaving a wet stain on the white wall and dripping down on the floor. A smell of hot chocolate was in the air. The suspect was sitting on a chair, his face down on the table and looking unusually limp. Kingsley went to him and pressed his hand to the man throat, looking for a pulse.
"Dead," he said after some seconds, "Somebody get Forrester here on the double!" he shouted to the guards outside the door, "Tell him to come here immediately. And get Terry Boot as well from my department."
"Terry Boot?" Yannick asked.
"One of the best legists in our department," Sean replied as he went next to Shacklebot.
He looked at the dead man's face. "Looks like he experienced a lot of pain, very fast," he said to his superior, "Heart attack?"
"From the looks of it," Kingsley said.
Yannick went to the broken cup pieces and knelt by them. The chocolate was still warm. He was about to dip a finger in a little pool of the liquid when a premonition stopped him. Instead he took out his wand and uttered a spell. "Retrieveo"
A little glass vial formed around some of the liquid, a cork on top to prevent it from spilling out. He undid the cork and smelled the liquid.
"Smells like hot chocolate to me," he said, as he corked the vial again and stood up.
Sean was about to say something but they were interrupted by a very flustered looking Forrester followed by the guard who had gone to get him.
"Mr Schacklebot! What is happening here?" the plump man asked, "I specifically asked that you wait to have the authorization to see the suspect. Why are you in here? My man here said you threatened them unless they opened the door?"
"I did so because we heard commotion in the room from outside," Kingsley replied, harshly, "We went in and found your suspect dead."
"What?!" Forrester let out, looking shocked, "I was talking to him not even twenty minutes ago. Derringer was with me," he added, motioning to one of the guards behind him who nodded in agreement.
"From what I can see it seems like he had a heart attack," Sean said.
Yannick did not add anything to that but moved to join Kingsley Shacklebot and Sean by the table, slipping the vial in his pocket and sheathing his wand.
Forrester turned to the Auror Derringer. "Get me the legist here on the double. I want a full inspection done of the body."
"I have already sent for my own legist, Terry Boot," Kingsley said.
"I do not want any of your men touching this body!" Forrester half shouted, turning towards him with glaring eyes, "For all I know, you and O'Malley and Silverleaf could very well be involved in this death."
If the move was supposed to intimidate, it did the exact opposite and Yannick saw Kingsley bristle in contained anger.
"Forrester," Kinsley said, "What you just said can be brought against you in Wizard court as slander. You have just accused me and one of my best men of murder. And to make it worse, you also did the same against one who has freely given his help to solve this case. I would watch my words carefully if I were you," he added, leaning down to look at the plump men in the eyes.
Forrester tried to say something but was at a loss to find words, Kingsley's last one appearing to have done the job they were intended to do.
"Now, as you might have seen, Mr O'Malley and I were on the scene of this death first. This makes it our jurisdiction," Kingsley continued, "So you will not impede in Mr Boot's actions when he arrives and when he is fully done with it, you can then get your own legist to do his job. However, I want a copy of his report so I can compare to with what my legist will find. Do you have any questions?"
Forrester had none, and if he had, he was too scared to say anything. Kingsley did not wait for long for him to answer and left out of the room after having asked Sean to stay until Terry Boot arrived. Yannick followed him out. The black Auror did not say anything until they reached his office and he was seated at his desk.
"What do you make of all this Mr Silverleaf?" he asked.
"Well Sir, I find it too coincidental that the only suspect they have is found dead just before we can cross examine him," Yannick said.
"So you don't buy the heart attack?"
"It might be genuine, but as I say, it could have been caused," Yannick said, "Either by him, which I highly doubt, or by others, who clearly did not want him to speak."
"Did you find anything interesting in the cup he threw on the wall?" Kingsley asked.
"Plain coffee from the look and smell of it," Yannick said, "But I did take a sample of it so it could be analyzed for anything abnormal."
"Good thinking," Kingsley said, "I'll get this sample through my team as soon as Terry gives his report."
Yannick nodded and gave the vial of liquid to him, but not after having conjured a second vial and put some of the liquid in it.
"I'd like to do my own tests on it," he explained, "I have quite a few tests that I can do on it that will reveal anything out of the ordinary."
"You do that, Mr Silverleaf," Kingsley said, "I am very grateful for your assistance on this as seeing the route this case is taking, I am becoming worried on the real culprit ever being caught."
"Oh he will be caught Sir," Yannick said, "As I explained to you this week end with Sean, I am almost certain on who it is. But as it is this type of character, he will be tough to apprehend, but we'll get him." Kingsley said, smiling a bit, "He also never doubts the fact that the guilty will be brought to justice in the end. Ever planned a career as an Auror?"
"I did when I was in school, Sir," Yannick replied, "But I am not sure now."
"Well you make sure that you come to me if you ever want to be one," Kingsley said, "Because you show quite a few qualities that would make you into a very good investigator."
"Thanks Sir," Yannick said, "And I will let you know on this, and also what I find on my test."
"Thank you Yannick," Kingsley said, surprising him wit the use of his first name.
Yannick waited for Sean to come back and then took his leave after having heard from him what happened after they had left the interrogation room. He did not want to linger too long without being able to analyze the sample he had in his pocket. If he hunch was correct, all traces of anything wrong would disappear within a few hours. He had to be quick.
After a few moments of going through his options, he apparated to St Mungo's
--
It was a dark cloudy night. The full moon was up but its shining light could not pierce through the black cover. A perfect cover for yet another taunt against the traitor, the one who kept on denying him what was his by right. Moving silently through Broceliante forest Andrelith was looking for his prey.
Yes, the traitor was strong, but her care for all others was her weakness. He had almost trapped her last year like this. This time his message would be clear, and nothing would stop him making it so.
He knew where they liked to rest in this wretched forest. After all, had he not been one of the best scouts before his capture? The humans had made him suffer torture beyond belief, but that would change soon. Soon what was his by right would be in his hand and nothing, not even the blood traitor would stop him.
Moving towards where he knew stood a lake he slowly drew his black wand. Only a few meters now, and there was no reason to think the creatures had heard him, he had been careful to move against the wind. Coming out carefully from the undergrowth, he saw them, four, their white mane and soft hair shining despite the absence of moonlight, four females and a male. The latter guarding the former who were drinking peacefully.
It was almost too easy. He moved closer, making sure to stay in the dark so as to not be seen. The male snorted, clearly looking uneasy but also unable to find what was wrong. Andrelith readied his wand, preparing to enounce the spell that would kill all four beasts at the same time.
But as he opened his mouth, the clouds parted, the moon sending its blinding light through and reflecting on the lake. A strong force caught him in the chest and he was flung against the nearest tree, pain shooting through him as he hit it. Dazed and confused he looked around as to what had caused this trickery, and found it, standing between him and the unicorns. A growling Nimloki was looking at him, her fangs bared and golden eyes piercing his own.
He saw his wand next to him and grabbed it, bringing it to bear on the white wolf, but again he was pushed forcefully against the tree. He suddenly heard a voice clear in his head.
Be gone from here, Talant! This sacred forest is under my protection.
For the first time in centuries, Andrelith was afraid. It could not be! It was only a legend! But before his eyes, a ghostly shape appeared, standing tall and elfin-like, but still mixed with Nimloki's body. Again the voice echoed.
The Elven way prevents me from harming you, it said, but you shall not desecrate this forest by your presence or harm its inhabitants while I breathe.
BEGONE!! It said again, a force wave pushing him painfully against the tree for the third time
Andrelith did not need to be told another time. He gathered his will and disaparated.
Nimloki stood there, her ears erect as to detect any sounds, and then, satisfied, tilted her head and let out a victorious howl.
Movement behind her caused her to look, the male unicorn was coming towards her, neighing softly. The pure creature stopped by her and softly nuzzled her on the neck, its way to express its thanks.
Nimloki gave the unicorn a soft lick on its nuzzle and then departed, her white form disappearing in the forest.
--
Hehehe... More misteries and Nimloki showing her true self. :)