10 The Interview.

Adam sat down in the chair opposite a strange whiskered little old man. A large white bandage wrapped around his head, made his hair stand out wildly. The man had a grin on his face as he looked around the small interview room. His eyes kept stopping on the camera mounted high on the wall opposite him.

"Are you going to tell me your name?" He asked.

"Guess." He replied. The smile reappeared on his weathered face, which was irritating Adam.

"You like to play games, Mr Arn?" Asked Adam, he smiled back at the man as his comment had the desired effect and removed the annoying smug grin.

"My name is of no importance to the likes of you." He spoke with an educated accent, in opposition to the way he looked.

"Your name is Ramsey Arn." He snapped.

"I need to leave now," Arn said, standing up. "You have some personal items of mine, and I want them now."

"This is a police station. You're in custody, and we make the demands, not the other way round, so sit down." The last three words were spoken with authority and louder.

"I want my belongings." Arn's voice was marginally higher now. Adam shook his head as the man stood over him. "You don't want to cross me; you've no idea what you're dealing with. Where are my belongings?" He shouted the last word.

"Your belongings will be returned to you upon completion of this interview, unless we don't like what we hear, so sit down." He kept his voice even and business-like.

Arm shook his head, anger showing on his face. "I'll get them myself." His eyes closed for a moment, then they sprang open. The anger had left his face. His eyes closed again.

"Something wrong, Mr Arn." He looked around the room frantically before slumping down into the seat. "Are we going to have a conversation, Mr Arn?" Adam continued. He turned away from Adam without saying a word. "Who hit you over the head, Mr Arn?" That got a reaction. His head span towards Adam, anger bubbling under the surface. He turned away again and stared at the wall. "Cat got your tongue, Mr Arn?" Adam leant across the desk during the silence. "I know a cure for that." He whispered.

Arn watched him through the corner of his eye as he stood up, walked over to the door, and opened it. Tony was standing outside the door, blocking any escape route. He walked in and they sat down opposite Arn.

"Let me introduce you to my partner, Auror Garrett."

"Get him away from me." He shouted, leaping up from the chair and backing into the corner of the room. Adam had expected some reaction, but not this.

"He seems to know what you are, Tony." Adam kept his voice to a conversational tone.

"Hello Ramsey, I hear you're having problems talking. Can I help you loosen your tongue?" Tony said.

"Traitor." Spat Arn.

"You'll have to explain that comment, Ramsey?"

He kept looking at him, and then his eyes would slip to Adam and back while he decided what to do next. He closed his eyes again for a moment.

"I've already made sure you can't do that and no, you can't have your wand back. As a matter of interest, Ramsey, whose wand do you have? Because we have a wand that belongs to you."

His eyes flicked back and forth between the two men in front of him.

"Yes, Ramsey, he knows all about our kind. Now please sit down and explain that traitor comment."

"I knew a mudblood like you would side with the likes of a Muggle." Spat Arn, Adam's head twitched from Arn to Tony at the word mudblood.

"Your father's a Muggle you Pratt," Tony shouted angrily, the venom in his voice made him flinch. Adam guessed that the word mudblood was something to do with wizards with Muggle parents.

"You know what I mean, you're mixing with them." He gestured at Adam. Tony stared at him and kept quiet. "You can't keep me here." He said nervously.

"I can, and when we are finished, I will transfer you to Azkaban," Tony said.

"You can't send me there," the colour drained from his face. "I've done nothing wrong." There was panic in his voice.

"I am an Auror and I have the Ministry's full backing and if I want you in Azkaban, then that is where you will go. Now, who hit you?"

He seemed to relax slightly. "No idea. Never heard or saw anyone." Adam could see he was finally complying.

"Now, explain what happened in Lykkeligdal." He asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"Come on Ramsey, we know you were there. We know you had a falling out in Lykkeligdal village and you were asked to leave."

He sat back in the chair and crossed his arms, anger back in his bearing.

Tony flicked his wrist and his wand appeared in his hand from up his sleeve. He raised his hand as Arm's eyebrows did likewise.

"You wouldn't dare." He said, staring at Tony, hatred etched across his face. "I'm a wizard." He exclaimed.

"So am I. Dicam veritatem." Tony flicked the wand at Arn, who immediately rocked back in the chair and shook violently. Tony flicked his wand again, and the shaking stopped.

"Bastard," Arn yelled, now grey and looking even worse than before.

"He's been hexed." He said to Adam in a resigned voice.

He flicked the wand again. "Occulta Sermonis." This time Arn thumped back into the chair and groaned as if hit.

"Ramsey, what were you doing in Lykkeligdal?" Tony's voice had changed, deepened, and seemed charged. Adam stood up and stepped back behind Tony, more than a little afraid of what was going on in front of him. Ramsey groaned, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to speak, but unable, while his eyes rolled around, refusing to keep still. Adam looked at Tony, who was frowning. He flicked the wand again, and Arn sank down in the chair.

Tony sat a little higher in the chair and pointed his wand at Ramsey. "Soluto Sermonetus." Tony's voice went lower and deeper and he spoke it almost like a command. Ramsey's eyes flew open, and he became rigid. His body seemed to vibrate like a tuning fork.

"Are you hurting him?" Adam asked, feeling very uncomfortable.

"No, he's fine. I might have to get rough, though. I recognise the hex, but it's deep and nasty."

"Now nasty?"

"If I use the wrong counter curse, the hex could force his heart to stop," Tony paused for a moment, "or worse."

"Surely the spells you're using are used all the time?" Tony's head turned to look at Adam.

"I learnt these at Durmstrang and I've not used them outside a classroom before."

"Is it wise to carry on here?" Adam gestured around the interview room.

Tony said nothing but waved his wand and Ramsey's body lost its rigidity. He took a deep breath of air.

"Who hexed you, Ramsey?" He asked as his head came up.

"Nobody has hexed me." He looked weary and tired.

"Ramsey, you have been hexed, a deeply unpleasant one." He waited for him to say anything. "Ramsey, I'm trying to help."

"What, by using your Auror tricks on me?" The strain was showing on his face.

"That's how I know you have been hexed." Tony's voice had changed again, softer, friendlier.

Arn shook his head as the colour came back to his face.

"Did anyone come to see you in Lykkeligdal?" Ramsey shook his head, his eyes large with fear. "I can try something else, Ramsey, but it's not pleasant."

"Why would anyone care if you damage me? It would keep the ministry happy if I was out of the way." He said wearily.

"It wouldn't make me or the detective here happy if I harmed you, especially considering where we are. Muggles and wizards have been murdered. I know you don't care about Muggles, but murder is murder, whichever side you're on, and I don't think you're a murderer."

Ramsey looked at the two men, his head dropped in resignation.

"I can't stop you, can I?" He slipped his jacket off and draped it over the chair back. Adam noticed his bare arms, covered in old scars and burn marks, some of which had been deep and nasty.

"I'll only use spells that won't harm, OK," Tony said, looking at Ramsey and then Adam.

He stood up and walked to the doorway before he raised his wand yet again and pointed it at Ramsey.

"Revelabis Perieratus." The room seemed to go quiet, and Adam could feel the hairs on the back of his neck lift. Time seemed to stand still as a small bright silver light flicked out from the tip of his wand and connected with Ramsey's head. His eyes bulged in their sockets and his body went rigid again. The bright line kinked crookedly to the left and then to the right. Adam looked at the intense concentration on Tony's face, sweat running from his forehead as he walked forward to the desk and leant over it towards Arn, whose eyes had closed, but the rigidity remained.

Adam moved back to the door, looking up at the camera, wondering how he was going to explain all this.

The twisting silver line stretching into Arn's head straightened out until only a few small kinks remained. The light flickered out, and Tony sat down and took a deep breath. He wiped his sweating brow as he slipped his wand back up his sleeve.

"That's the best I can do. Someone has gone to town on this man's mind."

Arn moaned, and his eyes opened. His face was still an unpleasant grey. He looked at them both.

"Ramsey," Tony whispered. "Ramsey." He said louder. The man moved a little. "Ramsey, who hexed you?"

"A young girl. I was told to meet someone there for a job. I lost my job. I used to be a Drake Hanterare." Tony and Adam looked at each other. "The little bitch." He added with venom.

"Ramsey, who were you meeting?"

"Young girl, short blond hair, skinny little thing."

"Ramsey, who was she?"

"I don't know."

"Ramsey, where did you meet her?"

"A Muggle industrial estate in London. Close to Hackney Wick Station."

Tony reached over the desk, touched Arn's temple with the tip of his wand, and seemed to pull something from his head. He held the end of his wand over a small bottle, which Adam had not seen him produce. He stoppered the bottle and slipped it away.

"Ramsey, why did you meet there?"

"She lives there." He replied. His answers seemed to become more lucid.

"At the industrial estate?" Adam asked.

"Yes. The buildings are empty, so nobody goes there." Ramsey replied, staring at the floor.

"What was the job?"

Ramsey frowned. "I don't know." He looked confused.

"What happened when you got to the industrial estate?"

"I apparated to the Leaky Cauldron and walked to the address she had given me."

"You walked from the Cauldron to Hackney Wick. That's a good two-hour walk." Adam said, leaning forward. Arn nodded back. "You walked all that way?"

"I enjoy walking." He replied. "I've always walked. It gives me time to think."

"OK," Adam said, not convinced. "What happened when you got to the Industrial Estate?"

"She was waiting for me outside one of the larger buildings. It was daylight and sunlight was streaming through the broken windows near the roof. She led me inside and introduced me to some other people."

"Do you know their names?"

"No, she said they were her friends. She knew what had happened to me."

"Do you mean the Salamander killings?" Adam prodded.

Ramsey looked at Adam for the first time and his gaze seemed to clear.

"Thank you for saying they were killed. Looking after them was my life. Finding the last eggs smashed and the mother dead in that cave was," he stopped and looked down at the desk, "my heart was broken. I'll never see another beautiful creature like that again." Ramsey's head dropped for a moment. "As for the question, she didn't know about the Salamanders, but she knew I had lost my job and she knew my anger towards the people responsible for my predicament."

"The Muggles who had killed the dragons."

"She wasn't interested in that. She was angry at Muggles, the way they bred, moving further and further into the wildernesses we keep hidden." He went quiet.

Adam realised Ramsey was struggling, so he poured him a glass of water from the jug on the desk and allowed him time to get his mind in order.

He emptied the glass and continued.

"She ranted on for some time about the atrocities being committed daily by Muggles, who cared for nothing in nature, or our world, which were being eroded day by day. She told me about her plans for a war to put the Muggles back where they belonged, to force them back to their special cities, giving our communities the room we need to expand and look after our world and the creatures that inhabit it." He looked up at them both. "I questioned her ideas and disagreed with her plans. She stood up and pulled her wand out." He looked at Tony. "What did she do?"

"A refinement of the Imperious curse, I expect," Tony said.

"It's illegal to do that," Arn said, looking shocked as Tony nodded at him.

"Yes, it is. That's why we want to get her."

"Mr Arn," Adam spoke, getting the man's attention again. "How much of what this girl said did you agree with?"

Ramsey looked at Adam, then Tony, and back, obviously unsure.

Tony stood up, scraping the chair as he did so. "I think we have all we need." Adam remained in his seat and stared at Arn.

"The Auror doesn't want you to know, does he?" Arn said after a moment. "Yes, I agree with the things she was saying, but not how she wants to do them."

"Please continue Mr Arn."

"No," Tony interjected, leaning across the table.

"Yes," Adam replied angrily, looking into Tony's eyes.

"It's not pertinent to the case."

"Tony, it is the case."

"What do you want to know?" Arn asked of Adam, Tony, chastised, moved across the room, and leant against the wall.

"How do they intend to sort the Muggle problem?"

"She was talking about a prophecy that mentions a Muggle war."

Adam looked at Tony, who became interested again and came back to the table.

"What prophecy?" He asked.

"I don't know. She said the prophecy foretells a huge Muggle disaster."

"If that were true, then what is she trying to do?" Tony asked, retaking his seat.

Arn turned towards them both. "She said we couldn't wait for the war to start on its own, so we needed to help it along."

They both looked over at Tony.

"It's just talk. It's always been talk. How could one girl make entire countries go to war?" He asked.

"No, it isn't" Arn replied.

Tony went to reply but stopped as Adam's hand rose.

"What do you mean?"

"Over a hundred years ago, a group tried to bring about," he paused, looking for the right words, "a revolt in the American Ministry." Adam looked at Tony, who nodded. "Just over forty years ago, we had a minor war that included half the bloody planet for the same reason."

"How come we know nothing of these wars?" Adam asked, looking at them both.

"Because cleaners like him," he pointed at Tony, "cover them up."

Tony's wand moved and Arm fell quiet, his eyes clouded over and his head dropped until it rested on the desk.

"What did you do that for?"

"I've just put him to sleep for the move to Azkaban."

"We haven't finished talking to him?"

"I've already explained. Most of it is just talk. What else did we need to know?"

"Who hit him over the head?" Tony took the small phial he had filled and waved it at Adam.

"What the fuck is that?"

"Sorry Adam, I forgot you don't know. These are his memories." Adam's jaw dropped open, and a frown appeared on his face. "We can look at his memories with a device. It's a bit like your Evob. When we get the chance, we can go through the memories together; you'll find it enlightening."

Adam nodded slowly. "Why are you taking him to prison?"

"He's been hexed and I want someone better than me to expunge it."

"But why a prison and not St Mungo's?"

"Like this police station, Azkaban has its own hospital, which is run by St Mungo's, but it's secure."

Adam stood up and looked down at Tony, pointing his finger at him. "We still need to work on our communications, you and I." Tony looked away for a moment.

"I need to go to the ministry with him." He looked over at Arn, who seemed to be asleep.

"Tony, you can't just magic him out of here. He's been processed, if he disappears now, the rest of the force will start a manhunt."

"And that means?" Tony waited.

"It means we have to use the official method and have him handed over. It takes a little effort."

"How do we do that?" Adam gestured for Tony to stand back as he touched the large screen, which Tony had assumed was the wall. It sprang to life, showing several icons. He touched the phone symbol and a list of names scrolled down the screen. He touched the words 'Custody Sergeant' and the screen emitted a low warbling sound.

After a moment, the screen cleared, and a man's face appeared. "Hello Adam, how can I help you?"

"I have one Ramsey Arn in interview room 2, on the third floor. I need to have him processed, ready for movement."

"So that's his name. I need authorisation and the place he's being taken to, and is he dangerous?"

Adam looked at Tony, who shook his head. "No danger. A car will do."

"Authorisation and documentation?"

"Commissioner Nugent," Adam replied, hoping that this would be enough.

"Seriously?" The Sergeant said in surprise. "I'll have to ask."

"Fine, go ahead, I'll wait."

The screen dimmed, and a quiet regular beeping sounded around the room.

"What's happening now?" Asked Tony.

"He'll call the Commissioner and check. If what they told me when this first started, he should grant us permission without asking any questions or needing documentation."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He'll be down here asking questions, which I do not have answers for, and neither do you."

The screen brightened, and the sergeant reappeared.

"What the fuck are you involved in?" Exclaimed the Sergeant, a look of horror etched on his face.

"Anything wrong Steve." Adam smiled at the man, knowing the commissioner had given the authorisation.

"The Commissioner just said, 'do whatever they want, no paperwork, no records, no talking and most importantly, no arguments."

"Thank you, Steve," Adam said, smiling at the man, who was still shaking his head.

"The car will be ready in the garage in five minutes. He's coming down to see you. Bye?" The screen blanked out.

"Bollocks," Exclaimed Adam.

A new warbling sound came from the screen and a man's face appeared.

"Good afternoon, Commissioner," Adam said to the screen. Tony was debating with himself whether he could touch the screen and see if he could stop it from working.

"Morning Croft." His head swivelled. "You must be Garrett?"

"Yes, Commissioner, nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Croft, can you come and see me for a moment?" The screen blanked out.

"Doesn't talk much, does he?" Tony asked, surprised at the man's abruptness.

"Nature of the job. He's in charge. Live with it."

"I'll get Ramsey down to the car park. I'll meet you down there." Tony said, raising his wand after bringing it out from where he had hidden it behind his back.

"No magic, Tony. Can you get him to walk on his own?"

"I'll just use my wand."

"No, there are too many people around, plus there are cameras everywhere." He pointed up at the one in the room's corner.

"I've already fixed them. Don't worry, no one will see us, and if they do, they won't remember it."

Adam stopped and looked back at Tony, who had a big grin on his face. Adam shook his head and left the room.

Adam knocked on the commissioner's door, which opened, the commissioner doing the opening. The office, although large, seemed empty, containing nothing but a large screen covering one wall and a small desk with a chair on either side of it.

"Come in, take a seat." He said, his voice friendly for a change, which put Adam on alert.

Adam sat on the only chair on this side of the desk as the door closed.

"Couple of questions." The commissioner said as he sat down. "I've had the PM's undersecretary on, asking me what's going on. Can you enlighten me in any way?" He asked a worried note to his voice.

"We've been interrogating one of Mr Garrett's people downstairs, but they want him."

"Understood."

Adam took a deep breath, knowing what was coming next. "Mr Garrett had details of another two murders with a similar MO."

"Another two." He exploded. "How do we not know of these other murders?"

"One of them was in Sweden or Norway, the other was in their most secret building, which I have no idea where it is."

"Why weren't we informed?"

Adam raised his shoulders, saying nothing. The Commissioner shook his head.

"Is there anything I should know about before I call the Undersecretary back?"

"There seems to be some sort of disagreement between certain elements or factions within Garrett's organisation. I'm getting an idea, but it's not fully formed as yet."

"What organisation does he belong to?"

"I honestly do not know Sir, I expect the PM knows. In fact, I'm sure he and his people know a great deal more than we do."

"What makes you think that?"

"Garrett told me that the minister he works for meets with the PM to tell him what to do."

There was a pause while he took this in before asking. "They tell the PM what to do?"

"Come on, Sir, you work in the same rarefied atmosphere. You know the things that go on behind closed doors." The commissioner nodded. "I have a strange feeling that the minister that Garrett works for is the person who runs the show."

"If that's true, then why do we have elections?"

"If I could tell you what I have seen, you would understand."

"Why can't you tell me?"

Adam shrugged. "Because I've been asked not to and you wouldn't believe me if I told you." He realised that his comment was almost the same as the comment Tony had given him.

"Try me." He said, leaning across the desk. His voice had taken on a different tone. Adam thought for a moment.

"The people Garrett is introducing me to, are of a level of danger, way above anything I have ever faced before. I will not risk upsetting them by telling you."

"We can provide you with protection." He shot back, concern in his voice.

"No, you could not." Adam sat back, shaking his head.

"What the hell am I supposed to tell the PM's undersecretary?"

Adam thought to himself before replying. "Tell him we are making progress, using Tony Garrett's unusual and gifted methods, in addition to the police's usual methods."

"Do you honestly think that will placate him?"

"Yes, I do, if you tell him it was me saying it."

Adam stood up and turned towards the door. "Anything else commissioner?" He asked.

"Do you think you can solve the case?"

Again, Adam thought for a moment, while he rubbed his forehead. "To your satisfaction, no. To the PM's satisfaction, probably. To Garrett's Ministerial friends, well, I don't know what they want yet. However, this case could have big ramifications, if we do something wrong or upset the wrong people."

"What people?"

"People with more power than even you could believe." He pulled the door open. "Good day commissioner."

"Adam, should I be worried?" He asked as Adam stepped out of the door.

He stopped and looked back. "I'm fucking terrified." The commissioner opened his mouth to talk as he pulled the door closed, ending the conversation. He was expecting the commissioner to come after him. He didn't, which told him he knew more than he was letting on.