Mission Accomplished?
Harry clutched Hermione's hand tightly as he followed Kingsley into the bowels of the Ministry. It occurred to him that she probably had not been this deep under the building and that it could be a bit disconcerting to the uninitiated. This area of the Ministry was the only part that remained from the original medieval structure and one could discern this from the cold, aged stone that seemed to seep with the history of the place. The passages were narrower here; the ceilings lower and he felt the familiar drop in temperature as they descended even further into the earth.
He clutched Hermione's hand tighter, enjoying the sensation of her soft skin. He could still hardly believe that they were now lovers; that their long friendship had evolved into something else - something better he earnestly hoped. When he considered his mental state of only a week ago he considered it a miracle that he was feeling as content as he was now, despite the pressures of the case. He knew it was all Hermione's doing; that she had been there for him just as she had always been there for him throughout his magical life and he resolved to make sure she knew just how much he appreciated her. He vowed that he would never take her for granted again.
When he thought about what they had shared earlier and went over the lovemaking that was still fresh in his memory he had to stop himself from letting his mind wander too far down that path for fear of having his thoughts betrayed to the others by the biological evidence down below. He smiled at the thought. Willie will think I have a thing for him; first I accost him in the loo and then I'll be questioning him with a hard-on if I'm not careful! He chuckled to himself as he thought on this and waved away the curious look he received from Hermione.
They passed the cell that housed Draco Malfoy and he made a mental note to call in on him once they had finished talking to Willie. He had neglected his - for want of a better word - client these past few days and knew that the man deserved an update on his attempts to clear his name. He couldn't even begin to understand what Draco was going through at the moment. Confined in a cold, dank cell with nothing to occupy him save for the prospect of eternal oblivion.
It didn't bear thinking about.
He was so distracted by these depressing thoughts that he nearly bumped into the back of Kingsley when his friend stopped abruptly. I t was obvious that they had arrived at the cell where Willie was being held and he felt a degree of sympathy for the petty crook who had gotten himself involved well out of his depth. Kingsley seemed to sense his unease for he turned to whisper to him.
`I know it seems a bit severe but I reckoned he would be more willing to talk if he had the fear of God put into him. Besides,' Kingsley added, his tone becoming harsher, `he did assist four escaped Deatheaters. If he has a good reason for this and if co-operates fully then I'll let him go. If,' he added meaningfully.
Harry nodded his understanding. He believed that Willie was as much a victim in this affair as anyone but Kingsley was correct; the man's future depended on his actions now and he hoped that Willie had the wit to realise this. He took a deep breath as Kingsley opened the cell door and led them in.
Harry was immediately struck by just how bad this particular cell was. Kingsley seemed to have gone out of his way to make Willie as uncomfortable as possible. Whilst none of the cells on this level were particularly appealing, this one was as bad as he had seen. The air was so damp that the condensation practically ran down the walls; the cold, stone floor was completely bare and extremely uneven and he thought he could hear the scuffling of rats in the corner. There was a solitary stone bed with no mattress and an old table with a few battered chairs surrounding it that he understood had just been brought in order to conduct this interview. Willie was evidently being given the full treatment.
`Good evening, Willie,' he said pleasantly as he entered. `I'm glad to see that I haven't caught you at a bad moment this time.'
Willie flushed at the remark, obviously still embarrassed at the memory of their previous encounter. Harry took his time to sit down and as he did so he examined the man closely. He looked terrible; his eyes flitted about the room and he was unshaven and very dishevelled. it was also clear from the smell that he was sweating profusely despite the frigid temperature in the cell. Willie was worried.
Good.
`I won't beat about the bush, Willie. I need you to answer some questions. If you answer me truthfully then your chances of getting out of here are pretty good. If not?'
He left the rest unsaid preferring instead to leave that one to Willie's imagination and felt deep satisfaction when the little crook nodded his understanding. He's going to sing like a canary.
`I want you to start from the beginning. How did you get involved with these people?'
Willie licked his lips before answering. `I want you to understand, Harry that they approached me; not the other way about. I had never dealt with these people before. I may have pulled a few scams in my time but I was never a Deatheater. Just remember that, will you? They approached me.'
Harry sighed. `How did you get involved with these people?' he repeated. @I don't want your life story; I just want the truth.'
`I know, Harry; but that is the truth. I was approached in a pub.'
Harry nodded; he'd suspected as much. `Who approached you?'
`Crabbe.'
`Crabbe?' interjected Hermione incredulously. `An escaped Deatheater just waltzed into a pub and no one minded?' she added and the sarcasm was plain for all to hear. She had vowed to herself to let Harry do all the talking but it seemed that Willie had started lying immediately.
Willie just looked at her almost piteously. `I think you might drink in different pubs from me,' he said. `I don't think you have ever been near the type of boozer I go to. Yes; Crabbe just waltzed into the pub and no one paid any attention. No one ever does.'
Hermione looked on the little man, her disbelief evident before turning to face Harry with a raised eyebrow. Harry could not help but smile. Whilst she was the cleverest person he knew she could be something of a naïf in certain matters. His work as an Auror had taken him into the seedy underbelly of their society and he had discovered very quickly just how much "business" was conducted in dodgy taverns - you could get almost anything in one of these places. And in these establishments one did not pay too much attention to other people's activities. Anyone who stuck their nose into another man's affair was liable to have it bitten off.
`He's probably telling the truth, Hermione. You'd be amazed at some of the thing's that go on in these places. The Hog's Head is like the Ritz compared to some of the pubs Willie frequents.' He turned back to Willie. `So Crabbe approached you? When?'
`About two days after they escaped. He said that they needed someone to obtain things for them and that I came with a good recommendation. He said that they needed someone discreet and that I fitted the bill.'
`And you agreed to help? Just like that?' asked Harry. Willie shook his head.
`No; it wasn't "just like that"! He bought me a few drinks and buttered me up for a while. Then he told me that they knew where I lived; knew where my wife worked and where my kids like to play. He then told me that there would be some serious coin involved if I co-operated.'
Harry nodded. `Ah! The old "carrot and stick" trick?'
`Yeah; and it was a bloody big carrot and an even bigger stick. And the stick had nails in it,' Willie added as an afterthought.
`Why didn't you tell anyone once he had gone?' asked Harry. `Surely that would have been the sensible thing to do? You could even have claimed a reward. Why didn't you do that?'
`Because he immediately introduced me to those goons you saw at the Hog's Head. I had no room for manoeuvre. No room at all.' He eyed Harry squarely. `You should know, Harry; I've barely been able to take a piss in private lately.'
Harry smiled at the remark and strangely, he even felt a degree of sympathy for the little crook. Something else occurred to him though.
`Who recommended you? It must have been someone who knows you and the Deatheaters.'
Willie shrugged. `No idea, Harry. I'm quite well known as someone who can get you things. I suppose anyone could have told them that. I do have something of a reputation.'
Harry accepted this at face value but something niggled at him. There were scores of small time crooks like Willie who could have provided the same service. Dung could have done it too and he would probably have been better at it. So why Willie?
`What did you get for them? '
`A bit of everything. I got them their food and drink and stuff. I also got them all their furniture at the beginning. I was given a pile of cash to get everything and left to sort out the price. I got to keep what I didn't spend. That way there was no paper trail which suits me just fine. It's not the first time I've worked on a set up like that. The money to pay me dried up a little after I helped them at the beginning; that's why they muscled in on Leadpipe. It was to keep me in coin.'
`At the beginning?' asked Hermione suddenly and Harry could detect a dangerous edge to her voice. `You were working for them right after they escaped? Does that mean you were working for them when they killed Ron?'
`I had nothing to do with that!' exclaimed Willie. `I had no idea what they were up to; I just did what I was told. I had no choice! They threatened my family, for fuck's sake!'
Harry stretched out his arm and patted Hermione on the leg. They had to keep their emotions in check. It was difficult but if they lost their tempers they would get nothing useful out of Willie. He turned to her and waited until she nodded her understanding.
`So what did you know, Willie?' We know that you approached Lucius Malfoy last week to get his help. How much of the plan did you know?'
`Nothing,' replied Willie. `It was "need to know" and I didn't need to know anything. They ordered me to approach Lucius and sound him out. If he was interested I was to tell him where they were, that's all.'
`How did Lucius react?'
`Like I'd suggested he dance naked in Diagon Alley. He wanted nothing to do with it although he did offer some cash. I think he was hoping to fob them off.'
`But they didn't need money, did they?' Harry observed.
`Too bloody right they didn't. Look, Harry; I was just a pawn in all of this but I'm not completely stupid. These people had some serious backing. They were broken out of Azkaban and they had money falling out of their mouths. I don't know where it came from but if I were you that's what I would be looking at.'
`Follow the money,' replied Harry quietly.
`Exactly!' exclaimed Willie. You find out who is bank rolling this and you've got your man. That's all I know, honestly.' He turned to Kingsley and his face was a picture of misery. `Can I go home now?' he asked. `I miss my family.'
Kingsley stirred from his position in the corner. He turned to Harry who nodded. Willie was a crook but he was not a murderer. He was as much a victim as Ron or Cho. He'd had no choice. He should be made to pay something for his stupidity though. A sudden idea occurred to him.
`How much did you make?' he asked suddenly. Willie immediately took on the look of a hunted animal.
`Oh…a few bob here and there,' he answered carefully. `Why?'
`Because these were ill-gotten gains, Willie. Proceeds from crime. Do you think you should be allowed to keep it all?'
Willie looked at Harry as if he were mad. `Eh…yes?' he replied.
Harry laughed. `Nice try Willie. I'll tell you what; I'll make a deal with you. I think a charitable donation might be in order. I know that there are a lot of needy house elves in our world. I'll be looking for a sizable anonymous donation to their cause soon. Do I make myself clear?'
Willie looked horrified but Harry turned the screw. `It's the best deal in town, Willie. You could always remain here.'
Willie put his hands up. `Fair enough, Harry. It's a deal. Not all of it though?' he asked pleadingly.
Harry smiled. `No; not all of it. But if you aren't generous enough I'll come looking. Understood?'
Willie nodded meekly. `Understood, Harry. And thanks.'
`Don't mention it,' he replied before standing to leave. He turned and was delighted to see that Hermione had a massive grin on her face.
Well, she is patron of the charity, after all. At least some good might come from all of this.
***********
Hermione was still feeling uncomfortable as she followed Harry towards Draco's cell. This part of the Ministry was new to her and she thanked her lucky stars that she did not have to come near this place in the course of her duties. She'd decided a long time ago that she'd done enough battling against evil to last a lifetime and when she reflected on the matter she was surprised that Harry had chosen the career path he did. She had to admit that he was good at it though.
Kingsley had decided not to join them for this particular visit but had requested that they both call in on him before leaving the Ministry for the day. He seemed quite satisfied with the information obtained from Willie and Harry too seemed content. She realised that she would have to engage her brain a bit more in order to catch up. Both of them seemed to have picked up on something that she had missed.
But now as she entered yet another fetid cell her attention was diverted by the sight of a broken looking Draco Malfoy as he sat in the company of his mother. His once bright blonde hair now resembled straw and his clothes were dirty and unkempt. He was a far cry from the arrogant teenager that had strutted like a peacock among the corridors of Hogwarts but she saw too that his eyes lit up when Harry entered and she noticed that Narcissa also looked pleased to see them.
How times change.
`Harry! Hermione! Oh, it is so good to see you both,' began Narcissa. `We heard about the raid this morning - and the attack on your office, Hermione. Thank Merlin you're both safe.'
Harry smiled at the words. `Thanks for your concern but we are not here about our own narrow escapes.' He nodded at Draco. `We're here to update your son. I'm sorry I haven't visited for a couple of days but I have been busy.'
Both Draco and Narcissa nodded their understanding. `So what can you tell us?' asked Draco. `Have you managed to clear my name yet?'
`Not yet,' replied Harry and saw the disappointment - and the fear - on his one-time enemy's face. `We're getting close though,' he decided to add. He spent the next few minutes updating them on everything. He told them of the raid; the death of the escapees; the botched attack on Hermione and finally on his interviews with Blaise and Willie.
`Blaise would never be mixed up in something like this,' said Draco, finally. `He was never a proper Slytherin.'
`You mean he wasn't evil?' asked Hermione sweetly. Draco seemed to consider her for the first time as she spoke.
`Very funny, Granger,' he replied. `No; I mean that he would never have the bottle to get mixed up in something like this. He's clever enough but he's not ruthless.'
`And the escapees are all dead?' asked Narcissa. `That is unfortunate.'
Harry nodded. `It sure is; I was hoping to be able to question at least one of them. That lead is closed to us now. But it's not all bad; we think Willie has given us something to go on and I know that Kingsley believes you are innocent, Draco.'
`He does?' asked Narcissa, surprised. Her eyes narrowed. `But that won't do us any good. The Minister has already told me he will not interfere in this case. I'm surprised at him; he never struck me as a typical politician.'
`He's not a typical politician,' replied Harry. `When did he tell you that?'
`When I was informing him of our decision to appoint you as investigator. He told me that he wouldn't use his prerogative to save a murderer.'
`He thought Draco was a murderer when you last spoke. Trust me, Narcissa; Kingsley is a good man. He'll think of something if I don't pull the answers out of the hat soon.'
Hermione noticed the sceptical look on Narcissa's face but decided not to comment. She was still trying to work out what Willie had given them to go on. She let the conversation wash over her as she tried to work out what she had missed. She was so consumed by her own thoughts that she did not hear the conversation end and Harry take his leave of the Malfoy's. She hastily muttered her own pleasantries before following him out of the cell.
`Harry?' she asked. `What did we learn from Willie?' To her annoyance, he just smiled.
`Something I should have picked up on a lot sooner,' he replied. `Come on; Kingsley is waiting. I'll explain everything when we reach his office.'
Hermione resisted the urge to belt him when he said that. Much as she loved him, he could really get under her skin sometimes.
Ah, well; no one's perfect.
***********
A few moments later, Hermione entered Kingsley's office and sat down in the first available chair. She crossed her legs and folded her arms, leaning back in disapproval as she did so.
`So, do one of you two want to tell me what I missed?' she asked, a hint of asperity in her tone. Harry and Kingsley shared an amused glance; something that was not designed to improve her humour.
`So you picked up on that then, Harry?' asked Kingsley.
Harry nodded his head ruefully. `Yeah; I did. And it's something I should have thought of when I spoke to Lucius too. He mentioned it as well but I was thinking about other things.' He looked directly at his friend. `It's something you should have looked at too,' he added reprovingly.
`We did at the time,' replied Kingsley. `We ran it down but didn't find anything amiss.'
`For God's sake will you stop talking in riddles and tell me what is going on?'
Harry turned to Hermione, realising that they may have taken the joke a little too far.
`Can you remember what Willie said?' he asked gently.
`Of course I can,' she replied. `He told us to find out who was bank rolling the whole thing. We're already trying to do that.'
Harry shook his head. `Not that; what else did he say about the escapees?'
There was something in the way he said it that struck her as odd. She furrowed her brow as she tried to remember. `He said that they were broken out of Azkaban and that they had plenty of money…' Her eyes widened in realisation. `They were broken out of Azkaban!' she repeated.
`Exactly,' said Harry, satisfied. `I could kick myself for not thinking of this sooner. They must have had help; you don't just walk out of that place.'
`What sort of help?' asked Hermione.
`Inside help,' replied Kingsley. `Azkaban isn't somewhere that you can just pop over to visit when you want. They must have had someone on the inside.'
`So why didn't you pursue that?' asked Hermione.
`We did. We administered Veritaserum to all of the guards and all came up clean. After that we concluded that they must have acted alone.'
Hermione looked confused for a moment and Harry decided to put her out of her misery.
`If Willie and Lucius are correct and they had help and if none of the guards were culpable then it must have been someone who is allowed to access the island that assisted them.'
Hermione nodded her understanding. `But who had access?' she asked.
`We don't know - yet,' replied Kingsley. `However; every visitor has their presence recorded as a matter of routine. I have already owled the prison requesting the visitors log. It should be here no later than tomorrow. Not too many people go to that place; the list of names shouldn't be too long.'
`Why didn't you do this at the time?' asked Hermione.
`We did,' replied Kingsley. `But Dawlish assured me that every name on the list was bona fide. Of course, that was before all of this started. We can't assume that anyone is above suspicion now. Even me,' he added with a tight grin.
`Don't start that shit, Kingsley,' laughed Harry. `You'll have me doubting my own innocence if we go down that route. You're starting to sound like Mad-Eye and…'
CRACK!
Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden noise and his shock at the disturbance soon turned to pleasure as he realised what had caused it.
`Kreacher!' he exclaimed. `It's good to see you, Kreacher. How are you?'
The elf took in his surroundings before replying, almost as if seeking out enemies. Apparently satisfied that there were no immediate threats, he turned to Harry.
`Kreacher is well, Master. Kreacher is sorry that he took so long to return to you.'
Harry's eyes widened and he noticed Hermione slowly get to her feet. `You have something for me?' he asked.
`Yes, Master. I have a name. The elf you are looking for is called Modric. Perhaps the Minister or Mistress Hermione would be kind enough to summon him for us?'
`Me?' asked Hermione incredulously. `Why me? Or Kingsley, for that matter?'
Kreacher turned to her, unperturbed. `Because Modric is a Ministry elf, Mistress. He will answer your call. If he can.'
Wide eyes greeted these words; Harry could hardly believe what he had just heard. He looked at Hermione and nodded his head.
`Ok then,' she said. `Modric!'
And nothing happened. All three pairs of human eyes turned again to Kreacher who nodded his head mournfully. `It is as I suspected,' he began. `I fear that Modric is no more. He would only refuse to answer a summons if he were greatly injured. Or dead,' he added meaningfully. `It is what brought his name to my attention. He has not been seen for over a week and that is a long time for an elf to go missing. He was summoned and no one has seen him since.'
`Damn it!' exclaimed Harry, his hopes dashed before they even had a chance to take flight. `Damn it!' he repeated. `Another fucking dead end.'
`No it isn't,' replied Hermione. She turned to Kreacher who was visibly wilting under Harry's anger even though it was not directed at him. `Well done, Kreacher,' she said gently. `Very well done indeed. This is extremely important information,' she added and her words seemed to mollify the little elf.
`Important? How?' asked Harry. `A Ministry elf? Surely anyone in this building could have ordered that elf around?' He noticed Hermione and Kingsley share a look.
`It doesn't work like that, Harry' replied Hermione. `It used to, but not any more. One of the first things I did when I took office was to change the law on the Ministry elves. Too many people were taking advantage of them.'
`So what did you do?'
`I restricted the number of people who could give them orders.'
Harry felt the hope flame within him again. `Restricted? To whom?'
`To the Minister, his department heads and some of the Aurors,' replied Hermione. `No one else.'
`So the person who used…' he turned to Kreacher, `Modric, was it?' Kreacher nodded. `So the person who used Modric is a senior Ministry employee?'
Hermione nodded. `Or an Auror. A senior Auror. The complete list is less than twenty people and two of them are standing in this room.'
`Sweet Merlin,' breathed Harry. `I really need to see that list.' He turned to Kreacher and knelt down in front of the little elf. Taking him by the shoulders he embraced him warmly. `Well done, Kreacher. Very well done. I'm sorry I shouted. This is going to really help us. I don't know how you managed this but I can imagine. Thank you.'
Kreacher nearly burst into tears at these words. `It is my pleasure, Master. I live to serve. Is there anything else I can do for you?'
`Not at the moment, Kreac…Oh! Wait a minute! There is,' he said as he remembered something. He looked the elf straight in the eye. `Do you think you could lay your hands on an edition of the Daily Prophet for me? I want a copy of the one from the day after Cho Chang's death. I need to see the society column in it.' He noticed the confused looks on the faces of Hermione and Kingsley and decided to explain. `If there was a reporter at that party then I want to see what was written. It's their job to spot anything out of the ordinary. It might be worth having a look to see if it says anything about the guests.' He could tell from their expressions that they thought he was clutching at straws so he decided to turn back to Kreacher.
`There is something I need to check out, Kreacher; do you think you can get a copy for me?'
`Of course, Master. I will start right away,' replied Kreacher, delighted to have another task to perform after months of idleness. `I shall have it for you very soon,' he assured.
Harry smiled and reached out to pat the little elf on the head but his hand passed through thin air as Kreacher vanished with another crack. He turned to the others, a wide grin on his face. `Now we are getting somewhere,' he said.
He noticed Hermione smile at his words but that Kingsley did not look too happy. `What's wrong?' he asked.
Kingsley sighed. `From everything that has happened this week, it becomes clearer each day that Draco Malfoy is innocent.'
`I know,' replied Harry. That's a good thing, isn't it?'
`From Draco Malfoy's point of view it certainly is,' replied Kingsley. `But from mine, it's not so good.'
`Why?'
`Because I will not allow an innocent man to undergo the Kiss. Because when I use my prerogative to insist the threat of the Kiss is removed, my political enemies will move in for the kill.' He turned to Hermione. `You realise that this could cost us the vote next week?'
Harry could tell from her shocked expression that she had not considered this. `How?' she finally asked. `Malfoy has nothing to do with our Bill.'
`No he doesn't,' replied Kingsley. `But if we lose then many will see it as undermining my authority. We have worked on this for years and it will be taken as a vote of confidence in my Administration. If I reprieve Draco then I fear that some will retaliate by voting against me - regardless of what they really think about the matter at hand.'
`But that's horrible,' replied Hermione, aghast.
`That's politics,' said Kingsley flatly. He turned to Harry. `I will be calling a special meeting of the Wizengamot tomorrow night to inform them of my decision. When using the Ministerial Prerogative, it must be done in session.'
Harry too was horrified. `Why tomorrow? I have two days left!'
Kingsley sighed. `Because the Judge and the Prosecution must be notified at least twenty four hours in advance. That is the Law, Harry. I have no flexibility here.' To the surprise of both Harry and Hermione, he suddenly smiled. `But politics is not your concern, Harry.' He thrust out his hand. `I suppose congratulations are in order. You have saved your client; you have done your job.'
`No I haven't!' exclaimed Harry, ignoring the outstretched hand. Kingsley shrugged at the snub. `I still don't know who is behind all this,' Harry continued.
`But you have satisfied me that it is not Draco,' replied Kingsley. As I said; you have demonstrated to me the innocence of your client; you have done your job, Soul Thief.' He ignored the protestations from both Harry and Hermione and continued.
`Unfortunately, I think you may have cost me mine.'
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