HAHAHA
I slammed the book down onto the heavy oak table, resisting the urge to growl in frustration. The book in question was a rather lengthy tome on ancient Bulgarian symbols. Though I'd cross-referenced the parchment time and time again, I still hadn't come up with a promising match. I'd been running around the library like a lunatic for the past twenty-one minutes and sixteen seconds, and my search had been fruitless.
"Stupid book," I muttered, eying the offending object with annoyance.
"What did the book do to you?"
I glanced up, meeting Al's green eyes for two seconds before glaring at the book once more. He looked a bit annoyed (oops. I probably should have told him where I was planning on going before Apparating away), his almond-shaped eyes narrowed and his lips thinned into a disgruntled line.
"I can't find a match to the symbol," I said irritably, holding up the worn roll of parchment that contained my drawing of the symbol. He plucked it nimbly from my fingers, settling down on the oak table as he scanned its contents.
"Does the Ministry know you replicated the confidential and highly sensitive evidence?" he asked finally.
Oh. Shoot. I'd forgotten –
"Relax," he said, passing me the roll. He glanced around the library for any eavesdroppers before leaning in close, his lips just brushing my right ear.
"Besides, if I'd tried berating you for that, you'd go off calling me a hypocrite. Merlin knows I've done worse. Of course, as an Auror and employee of the Ministry I have to say that that was a very bad thing to do," he said the last bit with mock severity, pulling back slightly and adopting a stern expression. He nodded to himself, almost comical in his exaggerated sternness.
"No, that was definitely not something I approve of," he said. Then the corner of his lips twitched.
I rolled my eyes.
"All right, Mr. High and Mighty," I said, a small smile stealing across my lips. I unfurled the parchment, my eyes studying the elusive pattern once more.
"I've checked the ancient Bulgarian myths, but I haven't gotten any leads at all." Al frowned, moving three centimeters closer so that his head brushed mine.
I stiffened automatically, willing away the Adela Tomato. Ugh. I really had to find some cure for that.
"You know, it might not be connected to the Bulgarians at all. You are, after all, pretty much one of the most hated people in pureblood society what with your work on the Daisy case. At least, that's what the Auror department thinks, and that's where they'll be focusing their investigation," Al said.
I frowned. In my haste to pinpoint the symbol, Numberita hadn't even thought of that possibility.
"But they ignored Dr. Grey," I pointed out.
"So? They might not have known about her," Al said. My frown deepened, and he sighed in frustration, running a hand through his disheveled hair.
"I don't like playing devil's advocate, Adela. But that is what the Auror department thinks, and without concrete evidence..."
"-They won't investigate the Bulgarian siblings," I finished. I was certain that they were all tied together. Yeah, Vince might have sent some hit wizards...but why send wizards branded with such an ostentatious tattoo? The purebloods were more of the "discreetly put a cursed object in the bed and make it appear like an accident" type. Such public display of brute force was degrading. I shot the book another spiteful glare. Merlin, if I could just find something-
"Maybe it's a rune. Aunt Hermione knows a lot about that stuff – so does Rose, of course, but…" his voice trailed off. Rose was still at St. Mungo's; she was in stable condition, but the Healers were making her stay for a day to make sure nothing happened.
"Right. I can Apparate back to the firm and –" I froze. Shi-shitake mushrooms! In my eagerness to figure out the mystery of the symbol, Dr. Grey's words had completely escaped Numberita. I still needed to camp out at the Royal Marsden and find some way to access their patient records.
I couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed; I had so much to do and so little time…and it wasn't like back at Hogwarts where if I was late on an assignment, the worst I got was a T. If I was late or didn't succeed now, lives would be detrimentally affected.
Al rested a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Hey," he said, gently but firmly. His left hand came up to brush a stray tendril of dark hair back from my face.
"You're not alone. You have me," he said, echoing my prior words from before the whole stadium debacle. I smiled shakily, pushing away any lingering doubts from Numberita. Right. I could do this.
"Speaking of which, Kingsley got me a narrow interval to see the siblings – but we'll have to leave now if we're going to make it," he said, watching my face carefully for any signs of distress. I nodded, setting my shoulders determinedly. It was sooner than I'd expected, but I'd have to face my captors sooner or later. I might as well get it over it. Besides, if I didn't follow up on this - and something told Numberita that I was right - who would?
I stood up, slamming the book shut and slipping the parchment into the pocket of my trousers. "What are we waiting for?"
Still eying me worriedly, Al nodded. He offered his right hand, and I took it silently, taking comfort in the usual thrill that ran through my body whenever our fingers touched. Then we Apparated away with a large crack, leaving the quiet library behind.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Hi, Green," Al said with uncharacteristic cheer. He flashed his badge at the guard standing outside the entrance to the Ministry prison. It was now late in the afternoon, and the first drafts of the fall were making their presence known. The Ministry prison turned out to be a rather nondescript, squat grey building placed in a working class Muggle neighborhood. The guard – Green – scowled at him, his eyes sliding pointedly to me. He was middle aged with a weary, lined face and graying hair. He was also, oddly enough, wearing a bright pink shirt advertising the Weirdly Sisters. I waved innocently.
"Who's she?" he grunted. Al glanced at me before motioning for Green to come closer. He rolled his eyes but reluctantly complied, his eyes going to Al's Auror badge once more.
"She's Kingsley's niece," Al said conspiratorially. I blinked, shoving down the urge to whack Al with OBTS for not warning me of the plan. Were the guards not aware that I was going to be visiting the Bulgarians? Feeling Green's suspicious gaze, I quickly assumed a vaguely Kingsley-like expression (it consisted of looking sternly around). But honestly. Couldn't Al have thought of a different supposed relative? I looked nothing like Kingsley. At all.
"I didn't know Kingsley had a niece," Green said slowly. "Neither does he," Al said, lowering his voice even more. "But this one likes marmite and jam."
I pinched myself. Was I dreaming? Marmite and jam? Had Al accidentally overdosed on pumpkin juice? To my surprise – and extreme curiousity – Green's face immediately cleared, and he looked at me with renewed interest.
"Ah, of course," he said, glancing around the deserted London sidewalk. He discretely removed his wand, swishing it at my direction. I shivered, feeling as if I'd suddenly been submerged in a vat of icy cold jello. "Security measure," he explained. Then he held out his hand expectantly. "Your wand." I froze, panic gripping my heart once more; he wanted me to face the Bulgarians without any protection?
Al brushed my wrist with his fingers. I turned, and he pulled me into a (uncharacteristically affectionate) hug. He bent his head, moving so that his mouth hovered by my right ear. "He doesn't know about OBTS," he whispered, smoothing my hair with his hand to cover the movement of his lips. Then he pulled away, his expression unreadable once more. I reluctantly handed over my wand into Green's waiting hand.
"You'll get it back once you leave. Now, if you'll just step over here," he said, not unkindly.
He ran his fingers over the slate concrete wall, tapping out a pattern too quickly for me to catch. The door swung open silently, revealing a cavernous inside that was far too large to fit the outside.
"If he hadn't done that, the interior would just be a shabby tax collector's office," Al whispered. I shot Green another curious look before following Al into the building, my breath catching as I took in my surroundings. The floor and walls were white marble shot through with silver veins and golden light emanating from floating orbs bathed the room with warmth. Stern-looking guards gripped their wands and stood at attention beside the narrow steel doors dotting the main lobby. There were no windows.
"A bit fancy for a prison, no?" I finally managed.
"Welcome to the fruit of the tax money," Al quipped. Then he strode forward purposefully, marching to the counter at the opposite wall. A bored-looking woman with sandy brown hair glanced up, recognition flashing through her sharp blue eyes. She was dressed in the all-black uniform of an Auror. Why was she stuck manning the counter at a prison? Shouldn't she be out in the field? I sensed Al's discomfort beside me, and I eyed him shrewdly. Sensing my gaze, he glanced down, muttering out of the side of his mouth, "Cassandra Robards."
I blinked; Robards? As in Gawain Robards, the head of the Auror office before Harry Potter? Rumour had it that the Robards family still harboured resentment that such a young man had replaced Gawain.
"Yeah," Al said humourlessly. "That Robards. She hates my guts."
We reached the counter. Cassandra straightened, eying us coolly.
"Potter," she greeted. Her eyes flicked towards me, her light eyebrows rising in surprise.
"And…?"
"None of you-" Al began with his typical charm (not. Honestly, when he didn't try to be all charming, the bloke was downright caustic). Whoever this Robards person was, she was certainly Al's colleague. And from what Vane had told me, Al had enough to deal with as it was without purposefully antagonizing the daughter of a still-considerably influential wizard.
"Adela," I interrupted. I ignored Al's exasperated groan, instead stretching out my right arm with a friendly smile. "Adela Lancaster."
She looked genuinely surprised by my gesture, taking my arm slowly and shaking it. Her hand was calloused; she was used to fieldwork, then. So why was she stuck here? This hardly seemed like an ideal assignment.
"Cassandra Robards," she said slowly. She glanced at Al. "How did a sane person like you end up with the bastard over there?"
I bristled – noticeably, it appeared, as Cassandra laughed. "Oh, don't tell me. He sucked you in – what was it this time? His looks? Family? Charm?"
Al took a step forward from behind me, but I held out my left arm so that it blocked his chest.
If it was even possible, Cassandra's eyebrows rose two centimeters higher.
"Ah. She's got you whipped," she said to Al, a smug smile curling her thin lips. I risked a glance behind me; Al was all taut angles and gritted teeth, his green eyes narrowed into dangerous slits and his hands curled into tight fists by his sides.
Dear Merlin.
Okay, what would Rose do in this situation? She'd probably gloss over the conflict and manage to charm everyone in the room. Unfortunately, I lacked her natural skill. Fortunately, I was a pretty good actress (oh, sod off. Yeah, I know my reporter front wasn't all that convincing – but, hey, with practice I would improve!).
I pasted a cheerful smile on my face. "HAHAHA you're so funny!"
Twin expressions of disbelief turned my way. I swallowed. Then – "We're here to see the Bulgarians," I said imperiously. I didn't back down, meeting Cassandra's eyes coolly.
After eight long seconds she shrugged. "Kingsley told me. I just wanted to see you squirm." She reached underneath the marble countertop, withdrawing a slender silver key. I resisted the urge to throttle her.
If that was what Al had to face everyday, I certainly did not envy him. Maybe I'd lend him OBTS one day.
"Follow me," she said briskly, all traces of her prior bitterweed persona falling away. I blinked in surprise. Well, I supposed there was a reason she'd made it to Auror.
Al withdrew his wand silently behind me, nodding for me to go ahead. I nodded, sudden nerves flooding Numberita as my circumstances hit me. I was about to see Andrei and Aleksandra. My tormentors, my captors. Fear warred with anger. Okay. I could do this. I pulled out OBTS from my bag and followed Cassandra to the opposite end of the lobby.
She said something to the guard, who nodded briskly and stepped aside. She pressed her hand against the metal door and unlocked the door with a thick iron key she wore around her wrist. The door creaked open with a loud protest – probably to alert the guards to all entrances and exits – revealing a brightly lit corridor of only around half a meter wide. It made logical sense, Numberita reasoned; a skinny hallway that allowed only one person through at a time hindered mass breakouts. Well, it was an awfully good thing I wasn't claustrophobic (unlike a certain blonde – cough Seth cough – I knew).
I followed her silently down the seemingly endless hallway, comforted by the sounds of Al's footsteps behind me. His right hand brushed mine, and I laced our fingers together, drawing confidence from his warmth. Unlike during my captivity, this time I wasn't alone. This time I had Al, OBTS, and my anger…and the motivation of stopping those mysterious blokes from harming any other people.
After six minutes and twenty-two seconds, Cassandra paused at one of the identical steel doors lining the plain hallway. She bent down, inserting the silver key into the lock while tapping the door with her wand.
It slid open with a soft whisper, revealing another brightly lit white room of around three meters by two and a half meters. The entire opposite wall was a sheet of thick, fogged glass. Cassandra shut the door carefully behind us before turning to the wall and waving her wand. The glass instantly cleared, revealing the two people behind it.
My breath caught; there were two cots lying on opposite ends of the white room. The cots were nailed to the ground and were the only pieces of furniture in the room.
Andrei looked up, his dark eyes narrowing as he spotted me. Aleksandra moved swiftly to the glass, her teeth baring in a silent promise. I realized with a start that a black smear covered her eyes; a spell to prevent her using Legilimens, then.
I swallowed. Breathe, Adela. I forced myself to step a half-meter closer so that I was a mere six centimeters away from the thick glass separating our bodies.
"Can they hear me?" I asked, not turning around. Andrei stood up from the cot, walking forward so that we were only twelve centimeters apart.
I sensed a movement from behind me; Al walked forward calmly, his eyes focused on Andrei. Andrei glanced at Al before shaking his head in quiet amusement. Al tensed, adjusting his grip on his wand silently.
Andrei looked up once more, his dark, dark eyes meeting mine.
"Yes, lion cub. We can hear you," he said.
Al hissed, a sharp intake of breath that echoed across the otherwise silent room. I was suddenly all too aware of Cassandra's watchful presence at the back of the room.
I turned to her; she looked very interested in the proceedings, her intelligent eyes taking in Al's tense posture with great attention.
"Can we have some pri-" I began.
"Privacy?" she cut me off brusquely. "No."
Well. Rude.
I took another deep breath, gathering myself for two seconds before I turned back to face my captors. Keeping my face carefully blank, I withdrew the roll of parchment from within my bag.
Andrei watched my movements carefully as I unfurled the parchment, holding the paper up to the glass. Al leaned in closer, scrutinising Andrei's face as he took in the parchment's contents; good. Al was far better at picking out emotions than I was.
"Never seen it before," Andrei said. I exchanged a look with Al; Merlin, even I could tell that he was nervous. His inexperience only reminded me of his young age – how old was he, nineteen? Twenty?
"I didn't ask if you'd seen it," I said slowly, turning back to Andrei.
He froze, his eyes widening.
"Не му казвай нищо! Той ще трябва главите ни." Aleksandra shrieked. Andrei swallowed visibly, determination setting in once more.
"It's a bit obvious that you were going to ask. Why else would you plaster a parchment in front of me?" he said, regaining his prior composure.
I watched him carefully, noting the slight sheen of sweat that trickled by his temples.
"What are you afraid of?" I asked softly, stepping forward though every nerve told me to run far, far away from the man who had kicked me in the stomach. He hadn't been too young to do that.
He swallowed again, fidgeting slightly. Something shimmered for a brief second at the base of his neck, just brushing his collarbone. He was clad in the standard prison uniform, all white long sleeved shirt and trousers.
"Pull down your shirt," I ordered briskly. He blanched. "Or take it off, I don't care," I said.
He stared at me, before attempting to smile. "Now, lion club, if you'd wanted me naked you could have ju-"
"The shirt. Now," I said firmly. His eyes moved to Cassandra as if he was looking for her to step in. Which, I suppose in normal circumstances an Auror should have, considering some civilian was waltzing into a top-security cell and demanding that a prisoner strip.
"This is amusing. Merlin knows I don't get any entertainment in this hole of an assignment," Cassandra said idly.
Andrei snarled, looking for the world like he wanted to reach across the glass barrier and kill me. "Is there a problem, Prisoner CA351?" Cassandra said sternly.
Still glowering at me, he pulled off his shirt, wincing slightly as the fabric brushed against the angry red burns staining his stomach and back. So he had run into the dragon at Hogwarts.
Pushing down my fear, I leaned in even closer, my nose just brushing the glass. I narrowed my eyes at the tanned skin of his neck. There was a slight shimmering there. How had a concealment charm escaped the notice of the Ministry?
I reached blindly out with my right hand, still keeping my eyes on the slight smear on Andrei's neck.
My fingers brushed against Al's, and he jerked reflexively.
"Al. I need your wand," I muttered without moving my lips.
He stepped closer, wrapping his left arm around my waist in a show of concern. I felt a surge of affectionate warmth; he'd trusted me without question. His wand now rested against my stomach, held loosely by his left hand. I took it wordlessly, sliding it easily from his fingers, and cast a subtle nonverbal revealing charm. I felt a familiar thrill of magic as the spell left the wand, revealing…nothing.
Fuc-Cornelius Fudge. I'd completely forgotten; the Ministry had probably cast a warding spell on the glass.
I slipped the wand back into Al's hand, shaking my head slightly to show my lack of success. He frowned, tapping my wrist lightly in a show of support. Merlin, he was dangerous. How could one bloke be so utterly infuriating and perfect at the same time?
I willed my blush away (Andrei was still watching us carefully), and turned back to Cassandra.
"Hey, Cassandra, I love your shirt," I began brightly. Her cold gaze squashed any further attempt to butter her up.
Um. Okay, Plan B.
Honesty. "So, what are the chances of us getting to be in the same room as the Bulgarians?"
"You are in the same room," she said shortly.
I resisted the urge to stomp my foot (Seth always said he never believed I fully grew out of my tantrum-filled toddler stage).
"Without the magic-blocking glass wall," I clarified. She shot me a suspicious look.
"Why?"
"Um…the glass wall isn't conducive to establishing healing relationships? My th-therapist told me that in order to forgive myself I would need to forgive my captors. Or at least be able to face them," I said. It wasn't a complete lie. If you considered Rose my therapist and forgiving the Bulgarians as slapping in the face with OBTS after revealing the tattoos on their necks.
She laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound.
"Nice try," she said. Then she glanced at her watch. "I believe your thirty minutes are up."
Desperation clawed its way up my throat. I ran forward, gripping the front of Cassandra's black shirt. She swatted my hand away, but I clung on (I'd perfected the art of hanging on to people as a young child) stubbornly.
"Look, there's a concealment charm hiding something on Andrei's neck. I'd bet there's one on Aleksandra's, too. It must be pretty powerful if it passed the general Ministry scans; I'm sure you wouldn't be able to find it unless you knew specifically where to look."
She bristled; oops. Maybe she'd been the one to perform the scan.
Well, too late to back down now. "If you'd just send someone to look then you'd be able to see th-"
"ENOUGH!" she bellowed, pushing me back. I tripped over my feet, slamming to the ground with a painful thump. Al was by my side in a second, lifting his wand threateningly at Cassandra.
She snorted. "Lifting a wand against a fellow Auror? That can get you stuck on desk duty for another month." No! Al would go insane if he was stuck inside any longer than he had to be.
"Al," I hissed, scrambling to my feet. He ignored me, his wand still pointed firmly at Cassandra's head.
"I'm not pointing it at an Auror," he said coldly. Cassandra blinked, surprise briefly flickering across her face. Oh no. Al had that face he always got when he was about to do something ba-
"I'm pointing it at a receptionist for some isolated prison," he finished, lifting a sole black eyebrow in a silent challenge. Cassandra's face reddened, and she jolted forward, her left hand already forming a fist. Al ducked smoothly, saying, "Now, that? That was an obvious assault on an Auror."
Oh, Al. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Cassandra snarled, launching herself once more at Al.
He dodged again, his face set in silent concentration. Crud. I had no idea what to do. I chanced a glance back at the cell behind me; Andrei was looking at the fight with obvious amusement. They couldn't think that the Auror force was divided; that would just give them the confidence to hold out any information.
"Um, Al-" I began.
"Yes, Lancaster?" Al asked, though the words were a bit laboured by this point. Cassandra was still struggling to hit him, and Al's continuous dodges were only antagonizing her.
Now I could hear echoing footsteps as several people – three, by the sounds of it – came running down the hall.
"We have company," I finished lamely as the door leading to the hallway swung open, revealing three of the guards.
The first guard – the oldest of the three – accessed the situation in four seconds, waving her wand and sending Al and Cassandra to opposite ends of the room. Twin lengths of heavy rope emerged from her wand, tying up the two Aurors tightly.
"Despicable," the guard spat out. She looked around ten years older than Al and I, with pale blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Cassandra opened her mouth to protest, and the lady shot her down with a single look. Merlin. This woman was intimidating; she reminded me a bit of Vane, actually.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourselves. Conducting yourselves in such a manner before prisoners? And a civilian? We'll see what Auror Potter has to say when he hears of your misconduct," she said. Then her eyes rested on me. I resisted the urge to shrink away from her cold, assessing gaze.
"And you are?"
"Um – Adela Lancaster, ma'am," I managed.
She blinked. "Ah. The Lancaster working with Black on the case to free the house elf from her owners?"
Uh oh. Was she one of the Purebloods who regarded me as a social anarchi-
She stepped forward briskly, shaking my hand firmly. "I fully support you. I think that behavior is disgusting and has gone on for long enough. It's about time someone stood up to those snobs."
My mouth dropped open.
"Uh…" I said eloquently.
She turned on her heel, casting one last disgusted look at Cassandra and Al.
She motioned to the other two guards – middle-aged men with twin heads of black hair – to escort the Aurors out of the cell.
As Al passed me, he stumbled, leaning against me briefly for support.
"Thanks, dear," he said as I helped him regain his balance. He kissed me briefly (oh dear. Here came the Adela Tomato), whispering, "Green will help you. Just say 'I hate peanut butter and anchovies' and he'll lead you to the Bulgarians." He slipped a small object into my palm, his fingers lingering for a second before he was shoved forward.
"Oi! You there!" came the guard's shout. I looked up, quickly shoving the object into the folds of my jacket.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Come here. This place is in lockdown as of now," he ordered. I nodded compliantly, stepping forward to follow them out of the cell.
As the door swung shut behind me, I could feel Andrei's menacing gaze lingering on my back.
Author Note: Wow, this was a long chapter. Thanks for reading! As always, all reviewers will get a teaser of the next chapter! C;
Guest review replies
hp roxx - I thought I'd start off with this one just in case other people are also a bit confused. So, basically there are 3 main conflicts/plot points. 1) Daisy case. Daisy=house elf under Vince (pureblood). Adela is second chair on the case (Cain Black, her superior, is the main lawyer). The trial isn't for a few months, so she still has time to research. Her main job is to find viable witnesses/evidence of excessive abuse. 2) the Bulgarians. Who are they? What are these tattoos? Who are they working for, and why is this phoenix so important? 3) Greyback and Ragnuk. They haven't been much of a presence so far (or have they? ;D ), so where are they? And then of course you have the whole Rose/Scorpius thing and, as always, Al and Adela's bumbled awkwardness. xD Hope that cleared things up! :)