At some minutes to nine Gwen left her office and crossed the Brain Room to get to the Circular Room. Bob was busy cleaning the tank walls with the help of a variant of the Tergeo spell. Honoria was sitting at one of the desks, scribbling hurriedly with her lilac-coloured quill on a piece of parchment, while Firmin was talking with Ademarus at some distance.
When Honoria looked up, Gwen waved at her, remembering she hadn't been able to talk to her in the Three Broomstick. She put it into the back of her mind. She wanted to be on time for her appointment with Agatha Hill.
Inside the Circular Room she opened the door with the blue inscription 'Head of Department'. She entered a tiny office where a young blond wizard in elegant dark-blue robes looked up from a meticulously orderly desk. A small sign on it read "Baran Boswell, Executive Assistant".
"Good afternoon, Gwendolyn," he said in his usual friendly manner.
"Good afternoon, Baran," she replied, "Mrs Hill wanted to see me at nine o'clock."
"That's all right," he beckoned her, "go ahead. The others are already in there." He ticked off her name in his appointment book.
She approached the door behind Baran, and heard soft voices through the door of Hill's office. She wondered whether this boded ill or well.
She knocked at the door and heard Agatha Hill's clear voice saying "Enter".
Agatha Hill was about 60 years old, had short white hair and keen steel-blue eyes. She wore her usual light-grey robes, and a big round jasper pendant. She was now coming forward behind a massive classic desk made from cherry wood with a tiffany lamp on it. The wall behind the desk was lined with matching bookshelves. The other persons in this large office were two Aurors, Marilyn Beresford, and Jonathan Hope, and the unfathomable Suplinius Crow. The Aurors looked at Gwen expectantly, Crow wore more of a scowl.
"Good morning", said Gwen.
"Good morning, Miss Bale," Mrs Hill greeted her in her clear voice. The others nodded and echoed her welcome. Mrs Hill invited everyone to take a seat in the sitting area on the other side of her large office. A silk brocade sofa and some matching armchairs were grouped around a cherrywood table topped with glass. A house-elf hurried in and Mrs Hill asked everyone what they wanted to drink. Gwen ordered a pumpkin juice.
Once all had settled down, Agatha Hill announced: "Now that we're all assembled, we can get down to business." The elf left the room, mumbling under his breath to memorise the orders.
"As you know there has been a murder in the Department of Mysteries, or, to be exact, in the Death Chamber."
Suddenly it was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Gwen held her breath.
"Mrs Beresford and Mr Hope are investigating this abominable crime in our midst, and I am really grateful for their efficient and discreet way of proceeding," she nodded in their direction. Mrs Beresford frowned, Jonathan gave a weak smile. "Since this Department has an interest in the prompt solution of the case, which is," she took a deep breath, "certainly not easy due to the secrecy all our members are bound to, I'd like to make a proposal to support the Aurors."
Crow cleared his throat, but didn't say a word.
The elf entered carrying a silver tray and handed out the drinks they had ordered. Mrs Beresford fingered her pocket, and Gwen suddenly thought she wanted to light a cigarillo, which she, of course, did not. Gwen hid her grin by taking a sip from her juice.
"Thank you, Diggy," Mrs Hill addressed the elf, who bowed his way out of the office.
Mrs Hill continued: "After conferring with Mrs Beresford we decided to take an … uncommon, let's say, innovative approach to solve the issue. We decided to get the victim's brain and try to get from it clues regarding the murderer's identity."
Gwen stared at her, while Crow drew himself up on his seat.
"I wanted to ask Miss Bale and Mr Crow, who have already started a fruitful cooperation, to work together on this rather delicate assignment, Miss Bale providing her expertise as a Brain Room member, and Mr Crow contributing his valuable insight on the Death Chamber work and members. I'd like you two to extract memories from the victim's brain, which might indicate who the murderer was."
Gwen's immediate impulse was to jump up, cry out loud and refuse, yet she didn't say a word and remained seated like a wooden statue. Crow, who had just risen an eyebrow, finally spoke: "And where do you want us to carry out the investigation?"
"Ah, a very good question, Mr Crow. I thought we'd use the late Mr Dusk's own office." Gwen gave a shiver. "It's where Mrs Beresford and Mr Hope have pitched their camp in the Department. You two will report to Mrs Beresford and Mr Hope, and you are, of course, being released, at least partly, from your usual work."
She looked at them enquiringly. "Any questions?"
Gwen gulped. "I… I am not sure whether I can work on the brain of a person I have known in life."
Crow looked at her unfathomably.
Agatha Hill's eyes softened. "I see. Please think about it. I'd like you to join the team, since I appreciate your work, and your team spirit. Moreover you have already worked in the Death Chamber. And please consider that what you'll be doing is in Archibald's and Eleanor's best interest."
"Does Ademarus know?" Gwen asked.
"I told him that you will probably go on working with Mr Crow for a while, and for some more hours, nothing else," Agatha Hill replied. "The fewer people know, the better."
Gwen suddenly grinned inwardly. The moment they disappeared inside Archie's former office, everyone would guess what was going on. All those open secrets in the Department of Mysteries…
Then she heaved a deep sigh. "It will be difficult work, though, since the brain in question was not … er … conserved immediately after the person's death."
"Good observation, Miss Bale, I've thought about that, and we won't blame you for any mistakes or delays this is going to produce," Mrs Hill smiled at her. "I'd like to ask both of you to inform me by two o'clock whether you accept this assignment or not."
She got up from her chair. It was a clear dismissal, and everyone left the room, Mrs Beresford and Jonathan whispering, Suplinius Crow smirking subtly.
~ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo~
Thursday, 28 April 1994
Gwen gritted her teeth. Small pearls of sweat started to form on her forehead when she tried to retain the tiny strand of memory inside the brain, which was swimming in a small tank on a table before her. The strand wafted on her wand for some seconds. Jon, who was sitting at a desk, perusing some files, lifted his head.
Then the gossamer strand dissolved in a pearly-white spray even before Gwen could extract it completely from the brain. She cursed under her breath. Jon hastily turned back to his documents, Crow frowned.
"I have the impression that it won't work this way," Crow commented silkily.
"And what other way do you suggest?" She was fuming inwardly. They had tried for days to identify and isolate memories, but it seemed impossible.
As no-one answered, she closed the tank, laid her wand on the desk, and collapsed into a chair.
A greyish-green potted wormwood in the corner of the office was singing softy: "I like bananas, coconuts and grapes. That's why they call me Tarzan of the Apes."
Gwen had to laugh in spite of herself. The plant had been a bright spot in the gloomy and sober office, even though its songs were rather silly. Jonathan grinned at her.
"It's lunchtime," he said, obviously glad to see her laughing. "Let's all go to the Cenaculum."
Gwen sighed, got up and followed him, Crow stayed behind since he wanted to "get some work done in his own office", as he explained.
"Don't you worry so much," Jon tried to soothe her, "remember that Agatha Hill was perfectly aware of the fact that this might be a very difficult task."
Gwen gave a somewhat forced smile. "You're right, but still – we have not been able to identify one single memory. And… and I'd like to finish this to get back to my colleagues, and to my own project."
"Don't you like being with me… with us?"
She looked into his brown eyes. What does he mean?
"I really don't mind working with you, but Crow…?"
Crow's attitude towards her hadn't changed a bit. And when Jacobus Mayfield had suddenly returned and been asked to use Crow's office, since Crow worked with Gwen and the Aurors in Archie's and Mayfield's office, Crow's mood hadn't improved either. He hurried back to his own office as often as he could. Gwen was not sure whether he did that to carry on his own research, or to watch over Mayfield.
When they had reached the Cenaculum, Gwen looked around the large staff restaurant, which, today, was flooded with sunlight. She went for some macaroni and cheese, and sat down with Isabelle and Ademarus. At the table on their left Honoria, Roberta and Timothy were talking about Muggle ghost trains, Timothy laughed heartily. Gwen watched him for a while.
"Muggles think that ghosts are something creepy, something to be afraid of," he chuckled. "But on special occasions they disguise as ghosts, even their children. Some muggles are very fascinated by ghosts. They even try to get in contact with them."
Suddenly someone tapped Gwen on the shoulder. She looked around and nearly choked on her pasta.
"Hallo, Eleanor, how… how are you?" Gwen blushed furiously because, as usual, she felt she hadn't found the right words.
"May I sit down with you?" Eleanor's words were nearly a whisper.
"Of course," Gwen drew back the chair at her side. Some people stared at the blonde widow, but she sat down rapidly with her plate and glass of pumpkin juice, and turned to Gwen.
"I can't stand staying at home any longer," she muttered, replying to Gwen's unasked question. "I am going crazy if I don't do anything. Everything at home reminds me of…"
She stopped and took a deep breath.
Gwen nodded and patted her hand awkwardly.
"I heard that you and the Aurors are trying to help with the investigation?"
Gwen withdrew her hand at once and made a noncommittal noise. She had been informed that the widow had been asked to approve their work.
"Have you found out anything already?" Eleanor whispered, a single tear glittering in her beautifully shaped eyes, which she fought back fiercely.
Gwen hesitated. She wasn't sure whether she was allowed to talk about their investigation.
Suddenly they observed how Mabel Tancock left the room. Before she closed the door behind her she gave Eleanor a piercing look of contempt. Eleanor shifted in her seat and murmured something Gwen didn't understand.
"What did you say?" She took a forkful of her macaroni and immediately spilled tomato sauce on her violet-coloured robes.
"Have you seen how she looked at me? I don't understand her. Why does she still … hate me?"
Gwen didn't say a word, but merely shrugged. Sometimes Eleanor seemed so unexperienced and naïve. Mabel and Archie have been married for a long time before he met you, I understand why she doesn't like you. Then she could have slapped herself and felt sorry for this young widow who looked around as if she were alone in the world and had no one to care for her.
~ooOOooOOooOOooOOoo~