AN: Hi, I totally forgot last chapter but the poem Auntie Sam reads almost at the end is a part of a poem by Ada Limon (bc I'm very terrible at writing poetry). Uuuh also, I would very much appreciate if you could leave a review! Enjoy!
Harry could not believe he had actually convinced Cassiopeia Malfoy (or Black, he should say) to comply with the investigation. And only with two court orders, at that.
Cassiopeia had sent him a message late the previous day, letting him know she and her sister had landed safely in England. They had taken an aeroplane from Canada because Orion was afraid of Portkeys. Harry could not imagine Cassiopeia stuck on a giant metal tube in the sky for seven hours. Though she probably travelled comfortably in first class.
Either way, they'd landed, and Cassiopeia was supposed to come into the DMLE today.
The Aurors were gearing up for a frenzy in the Ministry, and Harry was fairly sure he'd seen some people in the Atrium who didn't belong already when he got in that morning. Though–supposedly–no one outside the DMLE was meant to know about Cassiopeia coming in.
Harry glanced at the clock. She said she'd be there at 9. Only a few minutes to go.
"Just so you know," Ron said, from his spot across Harry's desk. "Ginny doesn't know about you going to Canada."
Harry frowned. "All right..."
"You're welcome."
"Well, I'd thank you but I don't see why she shouldn't know I went to Canada."
"You know Ginny used to think you had a thing for Malfoy. And I don't think she'd be too pleased you went to fucking Canada just to warn Malfoy about the investigation."
Harry's jaw clenched. So he could keep himself from saying who cares what Ginny thinks we've been broken up for five months. But he only said; "I didn't go to warn her."
"Yeah, yeah. Gin'll be angry either way."
Harry didn't answer. He glanced back at the clock. Cassiopeia was always painfully on time, so she'd probably be arriving at the Ministry any minute now. He stood up. "I'll be right back."
"Is that the cloak?" Ron asked.
Harry pushed the piece of shimmery fabric that poked out of his messenger bag back inside. "I really gotta go."
And he slipped away before Ron could ask any more questions.
Harry found Cassiopeia right where she said she would be, at the north entrance. She was standing next to her Proper Lawyer, a short balding man, and on her other side, was an elderly woman with a stern look on her face.
"Hello," Harry said awkwardly.
"Hey," Cass replied. "This is my grandmother, Muna. She... insisted on coming."
Harry's brows raised. So this was probably the only person in the world who could beat Cassiopeia's will. "Oh. Well, it's very nice to meet you Mrs..."
"Akrad," the woman filled in, shaking Harry's hand with a firm grip. "You must be Harry Potter. My granddaughter has told me about you."
She spoke in a marked accent Harry assumed was... Middle Eastern (he had not yet asked exactly from where in the Middle East Cassiopeia's family was, he made a mental note to figure out a way to ask).
Cass looked Harry in the eye. "Well, now you can tell her that Muggles aren't allowed in the Ministry."
Harry looked between the two of them. He did not want to lie to that woman. She reminded him of McGonagall. "Uh... well she can wait for you in my office. I don't mind."
Mrs Akrad smiled. "Oh, that is very kind of you, Harry. I would like that very much."
Cassiopeia glared at him.
Mrs Akrad linked her hand through Harry's bicep. He reached into his bag and handed Cassiopeia the cloak. "Use this."
Cass raised a brow but accepted the garment. But not without muttering something under her breath.
"We'll go first, and you can follow after us," Harry instructed. "I assume one of you knows how this works."
Cass only had time to give him an annoyed look before he led Mrs Akrad into the phone booth.
Harry's idea worked. He only earned the usual look it's Harry Potter look from the people in the Atrium and managed to get everyone into the DMLE without much fuss.
He only took a second to get Mrs Akrad settled in his office but when he came back out, Cassiopeia had already taken the cloak off and Dawlish was on her like a hawk.
Harry was too far away to hear what he was saying to her, but he didn't love the way he'd grabbed her by the arm, and Cassiopeia clearly didn't like it either.
"...the interrogation room," Dawlish was saying when Harry reached them.
"Get your paws off me," Cassiopeia snarled.
Harry was about to say something when Proper Lawyer chimed in.
"Auror Dawlish, if you don't want me to sue you for excessive use of force, you will unhand my client," he said in a calm, steady voice.
Dawlish scoffed. "Excessive use of force," he muttered under his breath. But he let go of Cass. Then, dripping sarcasm, he said, "Will you please follow me to the interrogation room, Miss Malfoy."
"That's not my name," Cassiopeia said.
Dawlish sighed, didn't correct himself. He started for the interrogation room but stopped in his tracks when he noticed Harry following after them. "Where are you going, Potter?"
Harry had to take a breath in order not to be overtly rude to Dawlish. It wouldn't end well. Think of your career. Think of being Head Auror and finally fucking firing Dawlish, he chanted in his head. "To the interrogation room."
There was a glint in Dawlish's eye. "Ah, Potter, you've already had your time with Malfoy. You gotta let some of us have a go too. It's not all about you, kid."
Harry could've fucking punched him in the face. He glanced at Cassiopeia from over Dawlish's shoulder. If he wasn't making things up, there was a hint of worry in her eyes.
He had to come up with something quick. "You can't be in there with her alone. It's protocol." Very rarely followed protocol, but still protocol.
But from the look on Dawlish's face, he wasn't going to risk it now. He didn't seem defeated at all though. "Of course, Potter. You're right." Then he turned to the side and shouted, "Hey Weasley, come on, let me teach you a thing or two about interrogations."
Fuck. Harry loved his friend, but Ron would not stand up to Dawlish if he did anything... unsavoury. Not to mention Ron was very bad at interrogations, he wouldn't ask anything unless he was prompted by Dawlish.
Ron startled when Dawlish called his name, the tower of sugar quills he was working on at his desk collapsed. He looked at Dawlish warily, but he stood up and followed him into the interrogation room without a word.
And so, Harry had no choice but to sit around and try not to pull his hair out. The Head Auror, Seaborn, wasn't in, and he was the only person Dawlish listened to.
Two hours went by at a snail's pace. Harry got a minimal amount of work done, he checked on Cassiopeia's grandma, searched the evidence room for extendable ears, came up empty.
It was during hour number three that Seaborn finally walked into the office and Harry wasted no time letting him know what was going on. "I just think there should be another senior Auror present in the room, sir. Ron is great, but interrogations aren't his forte."
Harry was very aware that he was throwing his friend under the bus a little bit. But he doubted it would do much damage. It wasn't unknown that Ron wasn't good at interrogations, but he did have other strengths.
Seaborn didn't look too pleased, but he listened to Harry and despite looking like he'd rather have stayed out, he went into the interrogation room.
He went into his office, to try and keep Mrs Akrad some company.
"I'm sorry it's kind of boring to just wait. And it doesn't help with the worry," Harry said, handing the woman a cup of tea.
She took it and sipped slowly. "This is not the first time I have been in this position." She set the cup on the desk. "When I was a girl... my father was falsely accused of murdering a soldier. I went to the prison every day to see if it would be the day they let him out. He spent one hundred and sixty days in there. He was never charged with a crime or put on trial, he was only being held there preemptively... but the experience almost ruined him. He came back... I remember he was so skinny, there were burn marks on his arms and on his legs. But he still tried to smile... for me. When we came to this country... I never thought anyone in my family would be put in a situation like that again... but it already happened once, and now it might be twice."
Harry swallowed thickly. He wished he could do more to reassure the woman. "Her lawyer is in there, and the Head of the Department, and my friend Auror Weasley. I'm sure everything will be fine."
Mrs Akrad looked at him. Those dark eyes felt heavy on him. "Of course."
"For what it's worth... I'm sorry that after all your family's been through... your daughter and granddaughter had the bad luck of being swept into all this. I know it probably doesn't mean much coming from me but I am sorry."
Mrs Akrad's eyes softened. "Thank you, Harry. I know you're doing what you can to help Salama, and I do appreciate it."
They soon veered into lighter conversation territory. Mrs Akrad had several questions about magic and the Ministry. Apparently, Cassiopeia didn't like to talk much about magic, and neither did Orion. It was a nice talk.
It wasn't until almost an hour later that Harry went to check on the interrogation progress that he saw the door open just as he walked onto the floor. But only Ron came out.
Harry was on him in a second. "Ron. What happened? You alright, mate?"
He looked slightly pale but nothing else seemed outwardly wrong. "I'm alright. Just... well, you know how Dawlish can be with interrogations. At least Seaborn kept him in line once he came in."
Harry knew perfectly well how Dawlish could be during interrogations. And he knew Cassiopeia was strong but she wasn't unbreakable. "Is... Cassiopeia okay?"
Ron frowned slightly. "She... seemed fine. I dunno. You know how she is. Only has two facial expressions, smug or cold. I'd say it was firmly in the cold category today."
Harry wasn't sure what to make of that. But at least she hadn't had a breakdown. So, good sign? He dropped into the nearest empty chair.
"So, she's Cassiopeia now?"
Harry gave Ron an exasperated look. "Okay, her name isn't Malfoy anymore, and it would be weird calling her Black. Plus, we're adults now, so yeah, she's Cassiopeia now."
Ron ran a hand through his hair. "Listen... I know you think she's innocent but... I definitely think she knows something about what happened."
"You heard Dawlish question her, of course you think that." Harry felt bad for saying that as soon as it came out of his mouth.
But Ron only huffed slightly. "I'm also pretty sure she can resist Veritaserum."
"Even if she could... you know confessions under the influence are not admissible."
"Yeah, I guess."
Ron went back to work after a while, and Harry kept waiting. He got something to eat for himself and Mrs Akrad, and as the time passed he asked Mrs Akrad if she wanted him to take her home but she refused. The employees of the DMLE started filing out. Harry stared at the clock, waiting for the maximum time they could keep Cassiopeia in there if she wasn't being charged with a crime. Ready to go knocking on the door the second it came.
Finally, just a few minutes short of the magic hour, the door opened, and Dawlish and Seaborn walked out of the room. They didn't even glance at Harry as they headed straight into Seaborn's office.
Harry rushed into the interrogation room. Cassiopeia was still sitting there, next to Proper Lawyer. She whispered something to him and he stood up, glanced at Harry warily but walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him.
As he got closer, Harry noticed the look on Cass's face. She looked tired, with reason. But there was also something else in her eyes. Almost like fear.
He sat down on the chair across from her, the table between them. "You okay?"
Cassiopeia met his eyes. "Yeah... yeah, I'm okay. I just..." She breathed in a gulp. "It's okay... if they charge me with whatever crimes, I'll stand trial, it's fine, I'll do it and I'll clear my name. But... I can't go back to Azkaban."
Now Harry could see it was definitely fear in her eyes. He wasn't sure what to do. Her linked hands rested on the table, and Harry felt the urge to squeeze them in his own. His fingers were only an inch from hers. He didn't close the gap.
He couldn't promise her she wouldn't be sent to Azkaban if she did get charged. In a case like this, it was likely she would. "I'll do my best... I promise."
He should not be going around making promises he couldn't keep but his heart-to-mouth filter had failed him.
Cass pulled her hands away. "I should get my gran home."
Harry cleared his throat. "Yes." His chair screeched as he pushed it away. "I'll be in touch."
Cassiopeia nodded, stood up without another word.
"Take care of yourself," Harry said before she could walk out of the room. It made her pause in the doorway for a second, but she didn't reply, she just kept on walking.
