CHAPTER 2
Ginny did understand why she had been sent on this relatively unimportant task. After she had confessed to knowing Draco intimately – although briefly – Harry had said it would be better if she weren't present during that particular conversation. It was rubbish in her opinion. At least for her, it changed nothing. She was a professional.
Nonetheless, Ginny promised Harry to report in as soon as she got back, straightened her official robes, and Flooed from the Auror Headquarters straight into a room which seemed to be something between a huge study and a small library.
“Thank you for granting me a permission to come through, Mr. Higgs.”
She didn't remember Terence Higgs from school, but knew that he went to Slytherin and was the same year as Draco. He was very tall and too thin to be handsome, but he wasn't bad-looking. He had sandy blond hair and slightly watery eyes; his hunched shoulders and almost pasty pallor spoke of hours upon hours spent indoors. Ginny remembered that he was some kind of researcher for the Ministry.
“It was the least I could do,” the wizard said, as he stood in greeting. “Poor Astoria! It was a terrible way to go.” He gestured for her to sit and they both did. “But she always liked doing things with a flourish.”
He blushed and his shoulder twitched as if he didn't know whether he should be embarrassed about disrespecting the dead or not. Ginny made a non-committal noise and hoped that the former Slytherin would blather on. He did.
“Astoria loved being the lady of the Manor but being killed in such way... I bet she would have loved playing at being the grieving widow, though. I would stake my signet ring on Malfoy not being half so good at it.”
He smiled, but seeing Ginny's serious demeanour, he regained his solemn expression. “So, what can I do for you?”
Ginny smiled politely to show she hadn't taken offence at his blithe words. “I was actually hoping you could tell me something.” She paused. Initially she had had no intention of asking him about it, but he did seem to be a willing source of information. At the wizard's politely inquiring gaze, she continued, “I was wondering about Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini?”
At first, Ginny thought she could see the wizard frown briefly, but then he seemed to make a concious decision of making his face blank, although the muscles in his upper lip still twitched. She decided to call upon all her bluffing abilities and assumed her I-know-you-know face. After a moment, the man relented. He really was too obvious; apparently the wizard was unable to hide his feelings and he knew it.
“Well...” He coughed a bit, as if to disguise his discomfiture. “It wasn't that big of a deal really. A spat between friends... Well, more of a teenage prank, but Malfoy hadn't seen it that way.” He shrugged, a bit embarrassed, then he sighed. “You really want me to tell everything, don't you?” When she didn't answer, he continued, “It was somewhere at the end of our last year that Malfoy started pursuing Astoria. It was supposed to be just another conquest. He did those things all the time. You see, it was all right to date one of your own year, but younger students were not taken very seriously. You were a year younger too, so you must know?”
She nodded.
“Well, Draco started courting her – because that's what it seemed like, a courtship – and we all thought it was silly - gifts, flowers, and the like... She was a fifth year, how the hell could we have known he was being serious?” He rubbed his nose and shrugged. “One night, Blaise, Nott, me, and a couple of girls slipped some spirits into the dormitories and soon we were all slightly drunk. I have no idea who suggested it first, but the next thing I knew, Pansy – I think it was Pansy – challenged just about everyone to try to seduce Astoria themselves, to break Malfoy's winning streak. She said it was nigh time someone said no to the man. I said that it wouldn't be possible after the weeks of such careful wooing, but Blaise said that he'd do it. So we made a bet. Blaise claimed that he could get Astoria to give it up for him, before Malfoy could get into her knickers.”
His shoulders gave a nervous twitch, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to shrug or not.
“Stupid, I know. But we were drunk and I think Pansy was angry with Malfoy again about something. And the other girls always did what Pansy wanted. No, I remember now! It was Viola who issued the challenge, but Pansy supported the idea. Anyway, if Blaise lost, he would invite us all to his villa in Italy. If I did, I would pay for the trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras.” Higgs sighed. “Long story short, Malfoy got the girl, but I believe there were words said between them, and their friendship never recovered.”
“Were you ever friends with Draco Malfoy?”
Terence shuddered slightly. “No, not really. But I think that he and Blaise kind of made peace a couple of years back. I don't think they had even spoken for years, but I have seen them at a couple of functions recently, where they shared a few polite words.”
“What do you know about the relationship between Astoria and Pansy?”
“Oh, just the usual rumours.” He tried at nonchalance, but was not very successful.
“What kind of rumours?”
“They said that Malfoy didn't approve of their friendship. I don't think he got along with Pansy.”
“Because of the bet over Astoria?”
“I don't know. I'm not sure Malfoy even knew she was involved. Besides, they used to date at school. That could be enough to suffocate most friendships.”
“Fifth year, right?”
“Yes, I believe so. But they went out only briefly from what I could tell. They weren't very well matched. What their parents thought I have no idea.” He saw her questioning look and elaborated, “They had been betrothed almost since birth, but after the failed relationship, the revocation was mutual.”
“In your opinion, could there have been any residual feelings or regret on either side?”
“You mean for Draco and Pansy?” Higgs seemed to be surprised at the suggestion. “I really don't think so. They got along amicably until she started dating Zabini.”
“Do you know if Astoria Malfoy had any enemies?”
Higgs bunched his lips up to the left (which made for a curious sort of grimace) and thought a bit.
“'Enemy' is quite a strong word to use. She had been too young to be a Death Eater and it always seemed to me that she was generally thought of as a society butterfly. I don't think anyone took her seriously enough to consider her an enemy.”
“How about 'dislike' then?”
“I really couldn't say. She was a bit of a flirt in her younger years, but other than that, she got along with everyone. Unless you count her husband.” He grimaced again but didn't elaborate.
“All right. Only one question more. I was hoping you could confirm Mr. Zabini's alibi for the night of the murder.”
“Oh, well.” Terence thought for a minute. “He came at about seven as usual, and left sometime around or after midnight.”
“Can you be a bit more specific than that?”
“Um... The reason I know even that much about the timing,” his whole face suddenly lit up, “is that I won the bet Nott and I had going on. When we got here at half past nine, Theo won the first hand, so he claimed with a flourish that he would win at least every second hand for two hours straight. Just before his time was up, he got too cocky or maybe it was just my luck, but he had a terrible hand! So I know that Blaise was here at least until midnight, but after that, time just flew by. It felt as if Blaise left soon after, but for all I know, it could have been either twelve or two o'clock.” He shrugged.
“What about the other players?”
“Well, Theo and Marcus left together a while later. I think it was a bit before three.”
“Thank you.”
*
Ginny stepped out of the fireplace only to run into Tony, one of the Aurors assigned to search the Manor.
“Oh, Ginny! Glad I caught you. Look what we found buried behind the stables!”
Ginny frowned as she looked at the items. “Who held them last?”
“Recent signatures are wiped, but this one's-” Tony smirked as he pointed at the first piece of evidence, “-strongest trace belongs to Draco Malfoy and the other's is of the author of the letter.”
“Are you going to take it to the lab?” asked Ginny after they had chatted about the evidence a bit more, “I would really like to confront Malfoy with it straight away, if he's still here.”
Tony grinned. “I understand. But then take it to the lab straight after, will you? I gotta get back to Wiltshire, want to finish up before the sunset.”
After promising to handle the items carefully, she took the transparent bags, and left.
*
Even though he had ended it just a week before, seeing Malfoy dancing with the Slytherin girl was kind of uncomfortable. Ginny hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself; Astoria Greengrass was a lovely girl, if a bit vain.
“Do you think all those girls really have a cause to be green with envy?” Luna asked her.
“I don't know.” Ginny took another look at the couple on the dance floor. “Maybe. Everybody seems to like her, even some Gryffindors get on well with her. What do you think?”
“Ah! But it doesn't matter what I think, does it?” Luna smiled dreamily. “The question is; does he like her, or if it's just wafferpuffers that have taken residence in his head?”
Ginny grinned. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
*
A part of Draco felt glad to see the woman, but the other part was apprehensive. It seemed to him that there was an odd tension about Ginevra Weasley. The feeling that now crawled up his spine was indicating that quite possibly he was, for the lack of a better word, doomed. Higgs must have tattled, there was no other explanation. Or maybe they'd found Wally?
“The answer to our question is negative,” she said to Potter. “But there's more.” Ginevra turned to Draco. “The search of the Manor grounds is almost over. Our people will be gone before nightfall.”
Draco nodded. He realised that wasn't the information Ginevra had come to relay.
“They found something buried behind the stables, Mr. Malfoy. Care to tell us about it?”
Draco froze up and Briggs stepped in. “How should my client know what your men found?”
“He shouldn't unless he put it there,” Potter said.
“I already told you, when I hide something, it doesn't turn up,” Draco said somewhat woodenly. “So tell me, what did you find?”
When she put the transparent bag on the table in front of him, he knew at once what the thing was.
“Do you recognise it?”
“Yes.”
“Whose is it?”
“Mine.”
“Do you know why it was buried like that?”
“I can only assume that it's a murder weapon.”
He looked at the ornate dagger that his father had loved so much. It was six inches long and one wide, beautiful, yet even after years of being unused it was still deadly. Draco himself had hated the thing, just as he had hated his father's cane. Now the dagger would probably end up a nail in his coffin. How poetic.
“How do you know it's a murder weapon?” Potter asked.
“Why else would you be showing it to me like this?”
“Did you hide it?”
“My client already told you-” Briggs tried to step in.
“No,” Draco didn't let the man finish. “And I have no idea who did. The last time I held it, it was months before, while entertaining a French Duke and his entourage. I showed it to him because he said he loved all kinds of ancient knives and swords. I didn't pay it any attention after that and I didn't notice when it disappeared.”
“So you acknowledge it as your property?”
“My client alrea-”
“I already told you, yes. It belonged to my father and now it is mine. It used to hang above the mantelshelf in the library.”
“And it being in the plain view, you didn't notice it gone?”
“We already established that he hadn't,” the lawyer said and Draco glanced at him, irritated.
He quelled his panic and asked, seemingly calm and collected, “Are you going to arrest me?” After receiving Potter's 'no, not yet,' he turned to his representative, “Mr. Briggs, you may leave for now. I'll let you know when I might need you again.”
“Mr. Malfoy, you can't expect me to represent you, if-”
“I don't care, you are annoying.”
That shut the wizard up. His whole conduct said that Draco would regret it, but then it would be too late. For his part, though, Draco hadn't noticed the man doing anything particularly helpful. It would probably be different, if he could have told the solicitor everything, but the situation being as it was, Draco knew that in reality he could only rely on himself. After a few seconds of battle of wills, Briggs turned and left the room.
“You can proceed,” Draco said charitably. He really hated how Potter perked up at the solicitor leaving.
“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy.” He even turned twice as polite, the git. “We were at the point where you wanted to explain how you could have not noticed the fact that the dagger was missing, when we specifically told you to check.”
“There are couple of dozens different knives and daggers on that wall, and I've never really liked any of them, so I just didn't pay attention to them. No better explanation than that.”
“When was the last time you are absolutely sure it was there?”
“I told you, months ago. In May, perhaps. You can check with my secretary about the Duke's visit.”
The younger Auror nodded and put the other bag before him. “Do you know what this is?”
Draco frowned. It was some kind of letter and judging by the handwriting, it was written by his late wife. “Astoria's letter,” he said and pulled it closer to read. It was dated February 2005, shortly before their marriage had gone completely haywire.
“Have you seen it before?”
Draco didn't answer. He read it through and then he read it again. Then he just sat and stared and thought that Astoria couldn't possibly have written it. It had to be some kind of a sick joke; the idea of this letter being genuine was too horrible to contemplate. But of course, it was genuine. Of course it was. It would be so much like Astoria. Draco would be a fool to think that she wouldn't have done it.
He felt his face contort into an ugly mask of hatred. One moment he was sitting down, gazing at this testament of her final betrayal from the grave, and then he found himself standing, looking at the broken chair he had flung against the wall.
*
My love,
I cannot meet you tonight. I am sorry to do this to you again, but D is beastly - he found two of your letters. I am so sorry about it! I just forgot all about them and left them in my top drawer by mistake! So silly of me!
We had a huge row just now, I don't think I've ever seen him so angry! I tried to tell him that it was just that one time and only two letters, but he saw right through me. At least he doesn't know about that other thing; I think he'd kill me if he knew. I told him that the healer said it was him, not me. Thank god you aren't trying to impregnate me, I can't even think what would happen if I had to worry about two people doing that! Three abortions is more than enough!
Anyway, please don't be mad about not seeing me! I think it's best to take a break for a while. I'll let you know when it's safe to meet again.
Love, your A.
*
'Please leave,' she mouthed to Harry. Thankfully, Harry did.
Ginny wasn't sure if she should step closer to him or not. Draco was staring blindly at the wall, his rigid back turned to her, slightly panting. She waited. After a while, his shoulders stilled and Draco lowered his head.
“Won't you leave?” he asked, still not looking at her.
“No.”
Pause.
“All right.”
She stepped closer to him. From this angle, she saw that he wasn't angry any more, just sad and spent. For a moment, she thought that there were tears in his eyes, but when he turned, he just looked tired. He came back to the table and sat.
“Sorry about the chair.”
“That's all right.”
“I can't believe she did that.”
“Did what?”
“Lied to me like that. She could have told me she didn't want children, but instead she...” he trailed off and was quiet for a while. “We started trying four years ago, and after a year we went to the private clinic for tests. Later she told me that I couldn't have children.” He clenched his fists for a moment, then relaxed them.
“And you believed her?”
He shrugged. “It was likely. Malfoys are terribly inbred; we've been marrying our French cousins for centuries.”
When Ginny sat down next to him and tried to take his hand, Draco turned to her, grabbed both of hers and spoke rapidly, his words angry and bitter.
“And I told her about it. Told her about fearing it could be the problem and she used it against me. A decade! I gave this woman ten years of my life and now I hate every moment of it! Now even the little that was good and beautiful in it is soiled by her ugly lie. I don't think I will ever forgive her. I will never forgive her for killing at least three of my babies! She knew how much I wanted children and she did that!”
Ginny was rubbing the backs of his hands with her thumbs, but she didn't think he even noticed. Then, abruptly, he raised his head, and looked her in the eye.
“I didn't kill her, you know.”
There was a moment of silence but it wasn't so she could see the truth in his eyes, rather, it was to make him believe that she wasn't just placating him.
“I know.”
At hearing her admission, Draco dropped his gaze and sighed. “Sometimes I wonder what could have happened, if I never went to that blasted party Daphne had hosted? What if I had never broken up with you?”
He looked at her and for a while they were both silent. Ginny tried to imagine how it could have been, tried to remember how she had felt about him back then but it was difficult. She had been such a child.
“This,” he gestured between them, “was the best part. Us. Talking, before or after. Comfortable silences. I could very well have fallen in love with you.”
Ginny smiled. “And I could have fallen in love with you.”
“No.” He shook his head, looking at her gently. “No, Ginevra, you couldn't have. That was why I broke up with you.”
Ginny raised her eyebrows. “You don't know that! You can't possibly know that, even I don't know that.”
Draco smirked at her a bit sadly. “I know because I remember how you smiled at your precious Harry bloody Potter.” There was no real malice in his voice. “You never smiled that way at me.”
Ginny thought a bit and then said, “Perhaps I didn't. But we still could have tried. Now we'll never know.”
Their contemplative mood was interrupted by the opening door. Ginny surreptitiously tried to draw back her hand, stood and walked to the opposite side of the room. Ginny wasn't sure if Harry noticed the hand-holding or not, but thankfully he didn't comment.
“Are you ready to proceed?”
Draco nodded, seemingly composed, if a bit aloof, again.
“I am sorry if it causes you any pain, Mr. Malfoy, but we must speak about the letter.” Harry sat down across from Draco, who nodded. “I take it this was the first time you saw the letter?”
“Yes.”
“Do you confirm it being written by your wife and the D mentioned is you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who that letter was written to?”
“No, but I suspect that Pansy does.”
Harry nodded. “There is a mention of another letters. What was it about?”
Draco's gaze turned hard. “I don't care to remember the details, but it was a love letter of erotic content.”
“How did you come across it?”
Draco shrugged. “Found it in her drawer when I was looking for something else. A quill maybe?” He shrugged as if dismissing the matter. “I confronted her, she tried to assure me that it was just that one time and she regretted it. But regret wasn't something Astoria was good at, so I didn't buy it. That was the beginning of the end of our marriage. She refused to name her lover but promised to dump him, and for a while, I thought that she had.” He paused, and for a moment it seemed that he was finished, but then he added, “Soon I discovered that whatever she did, I couldn't find it in me to trust her anymore. No matter how hard I tried, we just didn't get along, and in August she asked for a divorce.”
“Why didn't you grant her with it? Because of the prenuptial agreement?”
“What do you think?” Draco sneered.
“And it was the same agreement that was in the safe at the night of the murder?”
Draco didn't need to answer.
*
Ginny was sitting in Harry's seat again. She knew it annoyed him, so she grinned and swirled in the chair from side to side. When she saw the eyebrows gathering at the bridge of Harry's nose though, she quickly stood. “All right, all right! Sorry.”
Ginny smiled unrepentantly as she scrambled over to the hard wooden chair on the other side of the desk. “Do you think he killed her?” she asked to divert his attention.
“I don't know, Ginny. I really don't know. I actually would have arrested him yesterday, if it weren't for the fact that it looks as if someone's really working hard to incriminate him.”
“You mean Pansy with her insinuations, and the letter and dagger from the stables?”
Harry nodded. “That too.” Before she could ask, he continued, “Now, what do we know about the alibis?”
She thought back. “Higgs, Nott and Flint played until almost three. Nott said that Blaise left rather later than earlier, about one-ish or past half, but he couldn't be sure.” Ginny suddenly started fidgeting. “You know, when I was talking to them, something strange occurred to me. It looks like they all want Malfoy to be guilty! Either they strongly suspect that he is, or they just want him to take the blame. Nott definitely doesn't like him, although he tried to play it cool. And Higgs was even weirder. Somehow I got a feeling that he's afraid of Malfoy.”
“Any idea why?”
“Not a clue.”
“And Flint?”
“Total indifference as if he doesn't know the guy at all. I think he's few years older, so it might be just that, but I still asked him about the all-around-animosity towards Malfoy, but he claimed ignorance.”
“What did Nott tell you about it?”
“It didn't occur to me to ask him, since he was the first one I interviewed, but I don't think he would have talked anyway. He's as tight-lipped as scallop.”
Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So, alibis? So far only the gamblers have it, right?”
“Yes,” Ginny sighed, “but only Malfoy is lying about the absence of his.”
“You said before that he wouldn't harm a woman for the sake of hurting her, but what if he had a really good incentive? Revenge or money? If we ignore the passionate side of the crime, could he have hired someone in your opinion?”
“Because of the money? I don't think so. He's rich enough, he wouldn't really have noticed half his fortune disappearing.”
“And yet, he's petty enough to refuse her divorce because of that money.”
“Yes, but it's not the same as murdering her.”
“True. What about any other motives?”
“I don't know. He's a proud man, could he kill to save his face? To avoid a scandal or out of revenge? I'm really not sure. Maybe.” She shrugged. “But we can't ignore the fact that it wasn't a professional who killed Astoria and I don't think Malfoy is one.”
Harry nodded, “But we also can't ignore his pathetic efforts at securing an alibi by any means necessary.”
“Or maybe he's just a man slut and was out there trying to purchase some sex,” Ginny sneered.
“Yes, because he just wanted to give his whole fortune away to his wife.” At her uncomprehending Harry elaborated. “Remember the pre-nup? According to the document the spouse caught cheating would lose a lot more than half of the money. If Astoria cheated, she wouldn't get anything, and if it were Malfoy, he'd retain only a third of the money.” He shook his head. “If he didn't know Astoria was as good as dead, it would've been really stupid of him to hire a hooker.”
Ginny's shoulders slumped dejectedly. Despite Malfoy being a prick, she really didn't want him to be a murderer. Oblivious to her mood, Harry continued.
“And, do you remember how he asked me if I thought he was guilty? Remember the phrase he used?” Ginny didn't. “He didn't ask me if I thought he killed her. His exact words were, 'Are you saying I would have her killed?'.” Her mouth shaped a silent 'oh'. Harry went on. “Besides, he's known as a ruthless businessman and many people seem to be genuinely afraid of him. And he hated his wife.” Harry raised his eyebrows in challenge.
For a beat Ginny didn't know what to say. “Wait, but what about the letters? If Draco had definite proof of his wife's infidelity, couldn't he have divorced her without heavy reprecussions?”
“He might have destroyed them in a jealous fit or something, and later she would have been an idiot to provide him with any more proof.”
Ginny nodded slowly. “And now we have to ask Pansy about the identity of Astoria's lover. Maybe he knows something.” Ginny paused. “Maybe he even did it.”
At that moment there was a knock and the door opened.
“We uncovered another body at the outskirts of Malfoy property.”
*
“What do we know?” Harry asked the Medi-Auror standing at the examination table.
“It seems that he died the same night Mrs. Malfoy did, but it's been three days, and I can't really be more specific than that. Probably somewhere between 9 pm and 4 am. Killed with the single stab to his neck and bled to death in a matter of minutes. Apparently, there was no struggle, the killer must have been a tall and strong fella and he probably surprised the victim. I actually have yet to check, but I'd bet half my holiday on it being the same weapon that killed Mrs. Malfoy.”
Ginny and Harry were startled as someone burst into the room.
“The dead guy matches the description of Whittaker Walters!”
They turned to see Pierce, an over eager Auror, fresh out of the Academy. “His girlfriend reported him missing just this morning,” the young man rushed out, panting for air.
Harry looked as if he was exercising his will not to yell. After a moment he said patiently, “Auror Beacombe, you don't really have to shout, do you?”
“Sorry, Harry.” The other Auror grinned unrepentantly.
Harry's smile was a bit plastic.
“That's all right, Pierce.” He patted the other man on the back. “I'm giving you an ample opportunity to exercise your tact and good manners over the next half an hour or so. Please, be so kind as to go and talk to the girlfriend. Then get her here for identification and questioning.”
Ginny could only look at Pierce in sympathy as she trailed behind the unwavering CI. Harry remained stoically deaf to the man's pleas.
*
It took Ginny two hours to trail Walter's actions the night he died, but it took only fifteen minutes to discover that the man had been a bad apple.
“Oh, Witty Wally was always just in or out of Azzy,” a man, who used to be mates with Walters, said. “He wasn't terribly lucky, you know...”
The pub owner snorted at the drunkard's assessment.
“Yes, he was terribly unlucky,” the wizard said waving his wand over the glasses he was drying. “I'll give you an example. When Wally wanders in a dark alley, someone gets mugged nearby and Wally gets arrested. When he gets lost and stumbles into an empty house by accident, it happens to be robbed straight after. Our Wally is, naturally, innocent but takes the blame.”
“Oh it's that kind of unlucky!” Ginny nodded in mock realisation.
“Exactly.” The barman grinned. “Once he even had the misfortune to start a business with the wrong sort. It turned out that the products he had purchased for selling had been stolen goods. He had no idea, of course.” The man put an emphasis on 'no'. “And now he was even killed most unfortunately near another crime scene.” He raised his index finger as if suddenly a really good idea came to him. “I think it should be engraved on his grave stone – Terribly Unlucky in Life and Death.”
Ginny spent a bit time listening different patrons regaling the Wally-stories to reconstruct the victim's movements at the night of his death. She got a bit more depressed in every pub she visited, until in the fourth her mood plummeted even more. It seemed that they would be making an arrest as soon as she got back into the Ministry.
*
“What have you got?” Ginny asked as she plumped down on a hard visitor's chair in Harry's office. She was too wiped out to fight for the best seat.
Harry sat down behind his desk and pulled out a file from a messy pile. “Nothing about the murder, but it seems that Walters was one of the Azkaban's common residents.”
Ginny sighed. “I know, the guys at the pub already told me. What was he jailed for?“
“This and that but mostly burglary.” Harry continued. “His girlfriend thinks that there was something big going on. Walters had been elated for the past week, telling her how he was planning to take her to the Bahamas or Spain or somewhere expensive. It seems that he was planning to become rich very soon.”
“Everything fits,” Ginny said sadly. “The last time Wally was seen alive was at half past eleven in the Mad Cow Pub. He left with a man.” For the umpteenth time she sighed. “Guess, whose description it matches?” At Harry's inquiring she continued, “Youngish, more fit or thin rather than stocky, over six feet, slender hands with a signet ring. He was wearing a hooded robe, but one of the patrons noticed a shiny blond lock.”
Harry's brows furrowed. “Rather apt description for a late hour in a pub, isn't it?”
“It seems that the tart was observing him,” she said with distaste. “He stood out, she'd said. Personally, I think she was just feeling slutty.”
“So you don't think she was feeding you a false clue?”
Ginny shook her head. “Sadly, no.”
*
“Mr. Malfoy, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence, if you do not mention when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
Draco could only watch dumbly as Potter blathered on, but couldn't concentrate. He was thinking of what he was going to do with his new-found freedom before it al went pear-shaped.
“I had plans for when I was going to be single again,” he said when the Auror finished his tirade. He took a tumbler. “Drink anyone?” Neither of the Aurors answered, so he only poured one glass of cognac to himself. “I wanted to go to Egypt and then Asia. I was going to take a long, long vacation; travel wherever the fancy took me. I haven't had a decent time off for over three years and the holidays before that were more exhausting than anything. Time away with Astoria was always exhausting.”
It had been three days since Astoria's death and he had almost begun hoping that he would get out of it without a scratch. He would pay off his accomplice and disappear for a while. Draco didn't even care if anyone got arrested or not, he felt that he was just finished with the whole mess. Finished with his marriage.
He gulped down a shot and turned to the Aurors. The four-eye was looking at him as if he was uncomprehending what Draco wanted to say, which was expected. He had always had that slightly daft look about him, but the on the redhead's face made him realise that they were waiting for a reply.
“I'm sorry, I must have zoned out,” he said. “You asked something?”
Ginevra's voice, when it came, was low; almost a whisper. “Do you confess to the murders then?”
It took a moment to process it. “Murders?” Draco paused. “As in... More than one?” For a while Draco just stood, looking at the Aurors who were looking back at him with professionally blank expressions. “Who?”
His shock must have been obvious since for a change, Potter gave him a straight answer.
“Whittaker Walters's body was found in the ditch near the south gates of the Manor,” Potter said.
The part of him that wasn't having a breakdown was annoyed. “Who the hell is Whitt-” Draco stilled as the realisation dawned. “Ah.” He looked down at his carpet. Nice greenish blue carpet, that. He nodded. “Of course.” And then he collapsed back in his armchair and laughed.
TBC
Ginny did understand why she had been sent on this relatively unimportant task. After she had confessed to knowing Draco intimately – although briefly – Harry had said it would be better if she weren't present during that particular conversation. It was rubbish in her opinion. At least for her, it changed nothing. She was a professional.
Nonetheless, Ginny promised Harry to report in as soon as she got back, straightened her official robes, and Flooed from the Auror Headquarters straight into a room which seemed to be something between a huge study and a small library.
“Thank you for granting me a permission to come through, Mr. Higgs.”
She didn't remember Terence Higgs from school, but knew that he went to Slytherin and was the same year as Draco. He was very tall and too thin to be handsome, but he wasn't bad-looking. He had sandy blond hair and slightly watery eyes; his hunched shoulders and almost pasty pallor spoke of hours upon hours spent indoors. Ginny remembered that he was some kind of researcher for the Ministry.
“It was the least I could do,” the wizard said, as he stood in greeting. “Poor Astoria! It was a terrible way to go.” He gestured for her to sit and they both did. “But she always liked doing things with a flourish.”
He blushed and his shoulder twitched as if he didn't know whether he should be embarrassed about disrespecting the dead or not. Ginny made a non-committal noise and hoped that the former Slytherin would blather on. He did.
“Astoria loved being the lady of the Manor but being killed in such way... I bet she would have loved playing at being the grieving widow, though. I would stake my signet ring on Malfoy not being half so good at it.”
He smiled, but seeing Ginny's serious demeanour, he regained his solemn expression. “So, what can I do for you?”
Ginny smiled politely to show she hadn't taken offence at his blithe words. “I was actually hoping you could tell me something.” She paused. Initially she had had no intention of asking him about it, but he did seem to be a willing source of information. At the wizard's politely inquiring gaze, she continued, “I was wondering about Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini?”
At first, Ginny thought she could see the wizard frown briefly, but then he seemed to make a concious decision of making his face blank, although the muscles in his upper lip still twitched. She decided to call upon all her bluffing abilities and assumed her I-know-you-know face. After a moment, the man relented. He really was too obvious; apparently the wizard was unable to hide his feelings and he knew it.
“Well...” He coughed a bit, as if to disguise his discomfiture. “It wasn't that big of a deal really. A spat between friends... Well, more of a teenage prank, but Malfoy hadn't seen it that way.” He shrugged, a bit embarrassed, then he sighed. “You really want me to tell everything, don't you?” When she didn't answer, he continued, “It was somewhere at the end of our last year that Malfoy started pursuing Astoria. It was supposed to be just another conquest. He did those things all the time. You see, it was all right to date one of your own year, but younger students were not taken very seriously. You were a year younger too, so you must know?”
She nodded.
“Well, Draco started courting her – because that's what it seemed like, a courtship – and we all thought it was silly - gifts, flowers, and the like... She was a fifth year, how the hell could we have known he was being serious?” He rubbed his nose and shrugged. “One night, Blaise, Nott, me, and a couple of girls slipped some spirits into the dormitories and soon we were all slightly drunk. I have no idea who suggested it first, but the next thing I knew, Pansy – I think it was Pansy – challenged just about everyone to try to seduce Astoria themselves, to break Malfoy's winning streak. She said it was nigh time someone said no to the man. I said that it wouldn't be possible after the weeks of such careful wooing, but Blaise said that he'd do it. So we made a bet. Blaise claimed that he could get Astoria to give it up for him, before Malfoy could get into her knickers.”
His shoulders gave a nervous twitch, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to shrug or not.
“Stupid, I know. But we were drunk and I think Pansy was angry with Malfoy again about something. And the other girls always did what Pansy wanted. No, I remember now! It was Viola who issued the challenge, but Pansy supported the idea. Anyway, if Blaise lost, he would invite us all to his villa in Italy. If I did, I would pay for the trip to New Orleans during Mardi Gras.” Higgs sighed. “Long story short, Malfoy got the girl, but I believe there were words said between them, and their friendship never recovered.”
“Were you ever friends with Draco Malfoy?”
Terence shuddered slightly. “No, not really. But I think that he and Blaise kind of made peace a couple of years back. I don't think they had even spoken for years, but I have seen them at a couple of functions recently, where they shared a few polite words.”
“What do you know about the relationship between Astoria and Pansy?”
“Oh, just the usual rumours.” He tried at nonchalance, but was not very successful.
“What kind of rumours?”
“They said that Malfoy didn't approve of their friendship. I don't think he got along with Pansy.”
“Because of the bet over Astoria?”
“I don't know. I'm not sure Malfoy even knew she was involved. Besides, they used to date at school. That could be enough to suffocate most friendships.”
“Fifth year, right?”
“Yes, I believe so. But they went out only briefly from what I could tell. They weren't very well matched. What their parents thought I have no idea.” He saw her questioning look and elaborated, “They had been betrothed almost since birth, but after the failed relationship, the revocation was mutual.”
“In your opinion, could there have been any residual feelings or regret on either side?”
“You mean for Draco and Pansy?” Higgs seemed to be surprised at the suggestion. “I really don't think so. They got along amicably until she started dating Zabini.”
“Do you know if Astoria Malfoy had any enemies?”
Higgs bunched his lips up to the left (which made for a curious sort of grimace) and thought a bit.
“'Enemy' is quite a strong word to use. She had been too young to be a Death Eater and it always seemed to me that she was generally thought of as a society butterfly. I don't think anyone took her seriously enough to consider her an enemy.”
“How about 'dislike' then?”
“I really couldn't say. She was a bit of a flirt in her younger years, but other than that, she got along with everyone. Unless you count her husband.” He grimaced again but didn't elaborate.
“All right. Only one question more. I was hoping you could confirm Mr. Zabini's alibi for the night of the murder.”
“Oh, well.” Terence thought for a minute. “He came at about seven as usual, and left sometime around or after midnight.”
“Can you be a bit more specific than that?”
“Um... The reason I know even that much about the timing,” his whole face suddenly lit up, “is that I won the bet Nott and I had going on. When we got here at half past nine, Theo won the first hand, so he claimed with a flourish that he would win at least every second hand for two hours straight. Just before his time was up, he got too cocky or maybe it was just my luck, but he had a terrible hand! So I know that Blaise was here at least until midnight, but after that, time just flew by. It felt as if Blaise left soon after, but for all I know, it could have been either twelve or two o'clock.” He shrugged.
“What about the other players?”
“Well, Theo and Marcus left together a while later. I think it was a bit before three.”
“Thank you.”
Ginny stepped out of the fireplace only to run into Tony, one of the Aurors assigned to search the Manor.
“Oh, Ginny! Glad I caught you. Look what we found buried behind the stables!”
Ginny frowned as she looked at the items. “Who held them last?”
“Recent signatures are wiped, but this one's-” Tony smirked as he pointed at the first piece of evidence, “-strongest trace belongs to Draco Malfoy and the other's is of the author of the letter.”
“Are you going to take it to the lab?” asked Ginny after they had chatted about the evidence a bit more, “I would really like to confront Malfoy with it straight away, if he's still here.”
Tony grinned. “I understand. But then take it to the lab straight after, will you? I gotta get back to Wiltshire, want to finish up before the sunset.”
After promising to handle the items carefully, she took the transparent bags, and left.
Even though he had ended it just a week before, seeing Malfoy dancing with the Slytherin girl was kind of uncomfortable. Ginny hoped he wouldn't make a fool of himself; Astoria Greengrass was a lovely girl, if a bit vain.
“Do you think all those girls really have a cause to be green with envy?” Luna asked her.
“I don't know.” Ginny took another look at the couple on the dance floor. “Maybe. Everybody seems to like her, even some Gryffindors get on well with her. What do you think?”
“Ah! But it doesn't matter what I think, does it?” Luna smiled dreamily. “The question is; does he like her, or if it's just wafferpuffers that have taken residence in his head?”
Ginny grinned. “Yes, I suppose it is.”
A part of Draco felt glad to see the woman, but the other part was apprehensive. It seemed to him that there was an odd tension about Ginevra Weasley. The feeling that now crawled up his spine was indicating that quite possibly he was, for the lack of a better word, doomed. Higgs must have tattled, there was no other explanation. Or maybe they'd found Wally?
“The answer to our question is negative,” she said to Potter. “But there's more.” Ginevra turned to Draco. “The search of the Manor grounds is almost over. Our people will be gone before nightfall.”
Draco nodded. He realised that wasn't the information Ginevra had come to relay.
“They found something buried behind the stables, Mr. Malfoy. Care to tell us about it?”
Draco froze up and Briggs stepped in. “How should my client know what your men found?”
“He shouldn't unless he put it there,” Potter said.
“I already told you, when I hide something, it doesn't turn up,” Draco said somewhat woodenly. “So tell me, what did you find?”
When she put the transparent bag on the table in front of him, he knew at once what the thing was.
“Do you recognise it?”
“Yes.”
“Whose is it?”
“Mine.”
“Do you know why it was buried like that?”
“I can only assume that it's a murder weapon.”
He looked at the ornate dagger that his father had loved so much. It was six inches long and one wide, beautiful, yet even after years of being unused it was still deadly. Draco himself had hated the thing, just as he had hated his father's cane. Now the dagger would probably end up a nail in his coffin. How poetic.
“How do you know it's a murder weapon?” Potter asked.
“Why else would you be showing it to me like this?”
“Did you hide it?”
“My client already told you-” Briggs tried to step in.
“No,” Draco didn't let the man finish. “And I have no idea who did. The last time I held it, it was months before, while entertaining a French Duke and his entourage. I showed it to him because he said he loved all kinds of ancient knives and swords. I didn't pay it any attention after that and I didn't notice when it disappeared.”
“So you acknowledge it as your property?”
“My client alrea-”
“I already told you, yes. It belonged to my father and now it is mine. It used to hang above the mantelshelf in the library.”
“And it being in the plain view, you didn't notice it gone?”
“We already established that he hadn't,” the lawyer said and Draco glanced at him, irritated.
He quelled his panic and asked, seemingly calm and collected, “Are you going to arrest me?” After receiving Potter's 'no, not yet,' he turned to his representative, “Mr. Briggs, you may leave for now. I'll let you know when I might need you again.”
“Mr. Malfoy, you can't expect me to represent you, if-”
“I don't care, you are annoying.”
That shut the wizard up. His whole conduct said that Draco would regret it, but then it would be too late. For his part, though, Draco hadn't noticed the man doing anything particularly helpful. It would probably be different, if he could have told the solicitor everything, but the situation being as it was, Draco knew that in reality he could only rely on himself. After a few seconds of battle of wills, Briggs turned and left the room.
“You can proceed,” Draco said charitably. He really hated how Potter perked up at the solicitor leaving.
“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy.” He even turned twice as polite, the git. “We were at the point where you wanted to explain how you could have not noticed the fact that the dagger was missing, when we specifically told you to check.”
“There are couple of dozens different knives and daggers on that wall, and I've never really liked any of them, so I just didn't pay attention to them. No better explanation than that.”
“When was the last time you are absolutely sure it was there?”
“I told you, months ago. In May, perhaps. You can check with my secretary about the Duke's visit.”
The younger Auror nodded and put the other bag before him. “Do you know what this is?”
Draco frowned. It was some kind of letter and judging by the handwriting, it was written by his late wife. “Astoria's letter,” he said and pulled it closer to read. It was dated February 2005, shortly before their marriage had gone completely haywire.
“Have you seen it before?”
Draco didn't answer. He read it through and then he read it again. Then he just sat and stared and thought that Astoria couldn't possibly have written it. It had to be some kind of a sick joke; the idea of this letter being genuine was too horrible to contemplate. But of course, it was genuine. Of course it was. It would be so much like Astoria. Draco would be a fool to think that she wouldn't have done it.
He felt his face contort into an ugly mask of hatred. One moment he was sitting down, gazing at this testament of her final betrayal from the grave, and then he found himself standing, looking at the broken chair he had flung against the wall.
My love,
I cannot meet you tonight. I am sorry to do this to you again, but D is beastly - he found two of your letters. I am so sorry about it! I just forgot all about them and left them in my top drawer by mistake! So silly of me!
We had a huge row just now, I don't think I've ever seen him so angry! I tried to tell him that it was just that one time and only two letters, but he saw right through me. At least he doesn't know about that other thing; I think he'd kill me if he knew. I told him that the healer said it was him, not me. Thank god you aren't trying to impregnate me, I can't even think what would happen if I had to worry about two people doing that! Three abortions is more than enough!
Anyway, please don't be mad about not seeing me! I think it's best to take a break for a while. I'll let you know when it's safe to meet again.
Love, your A.
'Please leave,' she mouthed to Harry. Thankfully, Harry did.
Ginny wasn't sure if she should step closer to him or not. Draco was staring blindly at the wall, his rigid back turned to her, slightly panting. She waited. After a while, his shoulders stilled and Draco lowered his head.
“Won't you leave?” he asked, still not looking at her.
“No.”
Pause.
“All right.”
She stepped closer to him. From this angle, she saw that he wasn't angry any more, just sad and spent. For a moment, she thought that there were tears in his eyes, but when he turned, he just looked tired. He came back to the table and sat.
“Sorry about the chair.”
“That's all right.”
“I can't believe she did that.”
“Did what?”
“Lied to me like that. She could have told me she didn't want children, but instead she...” he trailed off and was quiet for a while. “We started trying four years ago, and after a year we went to the private clinic for tests. Later she told me that I couldn't have children.” He clenched his fists for a moment, then relaxed them.
“And you believed her?”
He shrugged. “It was likely. Malfoys are terribly inbred; we've been marrying our French cousins for centuries.”
When Ginny sat down next to him and tried to take his hand, Draco turned to her, grabbed both of hers and spoke rapidly, his words angry and bitter.
“And I told her about it. Told her about fearing it could be the problem and she used it against me. A decade! I gave this woman ten years of my life and now I hate every moment of it! Now even the little that was good and beautiful in it is soiled by her ugly lie. I don't think I will ever forgive her. I will never forgive her for killing at least three of my babies! She knew how much I wanted children and she did that!”
Ginny was rubbing the backs of his hands with her thumbs, but she didn't think he even noticed. Then, abruptly, he raised his head, and looked her in the eye.
“I didn't kill her, you know.”
There was a moment of silence but it wasn't so she could see the truth in his eyes, rather, it was to make him believe that she wasn't just placating him.
“I know.”
At hearing her admission, Draco dropped his gaze and sighed. “Sometimes I wonder what could have happened, if I never went to that blasted party Daphne had hosted? What if I had never broken up with you?”
He looked at her and for a while they were both silent. Ginny tried to imagine how it could have been, tried to remember how she had felt about him back then but it was difficult. She had been such a child.
“This,” he gestured between them, “was the best part. Us. Talking, before or after. Comfortable silences. I could very well have fallen in love with you.”
Ginny smiled. “And I could have fallen in love with you.”
“No.” He shook his head, looking at her gently. “No, Ginevra, you couldn't have. That was why I broke up with you.”
Ginny raised her eyebrows. “You don't know that! You can't possibly know that, even I don't know that.”
Draco smirked at her a bit sadly. “I know because I remember how you smiled at your precious Harry bloody Potter.” There was no real malice in his voice. “You never smiled that way at me.”
Ginny thought a bit and then said, “Perhaps I didn't. But we still could have tried. Now we'll never know.”
Their contemplative mood was interrupted by the opening door. Ginny surreptitiously tried to draw back her hand, stood and walked to the opposite side of the room. Ginny wasn't sure if Harry noticed the hand-holding or not, but thankfully he didn't comment.
“Are you ready to proceed?”
Draco nodded, seemingly composed, if a bit aloof, again.
“I am sorry if it causes you any pain, Mr. Malfoy, but we must speak about the letter.” Harry sat down across from Draco, who nodded. “I take it this was the first time you saw the letter?”
“Yes.”
“Do you confirm it being written by your wife and the D mentioned is you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know who that letter was written to?”
“No, but I suspect that Pansy does.”
Harry nodded. “There is a mention of another letters. What was it about?”
Draco's gaze turned hard. “I don't care to remember the details, but it was a love letter of erotic content.”
“How did you come across it?”
Draco shrugged. “Found it in her drawer when I was looking for something else. A quill maybe?” He shrugged as if dismissing the matter. “I confronted her, she tried to assure me that it was just that one time and she regretted it. But regret wasn't something Astoria was good at, so I didn't buy it. That was the beginning of the end of our marriage. She refused to name her lover but promised to dump him, and for a while, I thought that she had.” He paused, and for a moment it seemed that he was finished, but then he added, “Soon I discovered that whatever she did, I couldn't find it in me to trust her anymore. No matter how hard I tried, we just didn't get along, and in August she asked for a divorce.”
“Why didn't you grant her with it? Because of the prenuptial agreement?”
“What do you think?” Draco sneered.
“And it was the same agreement that was in the safe at the night of the murder?”
Draco didn't need to answer.
Ginny was sitting in Harry's seat again. She knew it annoyed him, so she grinned and swirled in the chair from side to side. When she saw the eyebrows gathering at the bridge of Harry's nose though, she quickly stood. “All right, all right! Sorry.”
Ginny smiled unrepentantly as she scrambled over to the hard wooden chair on the other side of the desk. “Do you think he killed her?” she asked to divert his attention.
“I don't know, Ginny. I really don't know. I actually would have arrested him yesterday, if it weren't for the fact that it looks as if someone's really working hard to incriminate him.”
“You mean Pansy with her insinuations, and the letter and dagger from the stables?”
Harry nodded. “That too.” Before she could ask, he continued, “Now, what do we know about the alibis?”
She thought back. “Higgs, Nott and Flint played until almost three. Nott said that Blaise left rather later than earlier, about one-ish or past half, but he couldn't be sure.” Ginny suddenly started fidgeting. “You know, when I was talking to them, something strange occurred to me. It looks like they all want Malfoy to be guilty! Either they strongly suspect that he is, or they just want him to take the blame. Nott definitely doesn't like him, although he tried to play it cool. And Higgs was even weirder. Somehow I got a feeling that he's afraid of Malfoy.”
“Any idea why?”
“Not a clue.”
“And Flint?”
“Total indifference as if he doesn't know the guy at all. I think he's few years older, so it might be just that, but I still asked him about the all-around-animosity towards Malfoy, but he claimed ignorance.”
“What did Nott tell you about it?”
“It didn't occur to me to ask him, since he was the first one I interviewed, but I don't think he would have talked anyway. He's as tight-lipped as scallop.”
Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “So, alibis? So far only the gamblers have it, right?”
“Yes,” Ginny sighed, “but only Malfoy is lying about the absence of his.”
“You said before that he wouldn't harm a woman for the sake of hurting her, but what if he had a really good incentive? Revenge or money? If we ignore the passionate side of the crime, could he have hired someone in your opinion?”
“Because of the money? I don't think so. He's rich enough, he wouldn't really have noticed half his fortune disappearing.”
“And yet, he's petty enough to refuse her divorce because of that money.”
“Yes, but it's not the same as murdering her.”
“True. What about any other motives?”
“I don't know. He's a proud man, could he kill to save his face? To avoid a scandal or out of revenge? I'm really not sure. Maybe.” She shrugged. “But we can't ignore the fact that it wasn't a professional who killed Astoria and I don't think Malfoy is one.”
Harry nodded, “But we also can't ignore his pathetic efforts at securing an alibi by any means necessary.”
“Or maybe he's just a man slut and was out there trying to purchase some sex,” Ginny sneered.
“Yes, because he just wanted to give his whole fortune away to his wife.” At her uncomprehending Harry elaborated. “Remember the pre-nup? According to the document the spouse caught cheating would lose a lot more than half of the money. If Astoria cheated, she wouldn't get anything, and if it were Malfoy, he'd retain only a third of the money.” He shook his head. “If he didn't know Astoria was as good as dead, it would've been really stupid of him to hire a hooker.”
Ginny's shoulders slumped dejectedly. Despite Malfoy being a prick, she really didn't want him to be a murderer. Oblivious to her mood, Harry continued.
“And, do you remember how he asked me if I thought he was guilty? Remember the phrase he used?” Ginny didn't. “He didn't ask me if I thought he killed her. His exact words were, 'Are you saying I would have her killed?'.” Her mouth shaped a silent 'oh'. Harry went on. “Besides, he's known as a ruthless businessman and many people seem to be genuinely afraid of him. And he hated his wife.” Harry raised his eyebrows in challenge.
For a beat Ginny didn't know what to say. “Wait, but what about the letters? If Draco had definite proof of his wife's infidelity, couldn't he have divorced her without heavy reprecussions?”
“He might have destroyed them in a jealous fit or something, and later she would have been an idiot to provide him with any more proof.”
Ginny nodded slowly. “And now we have to ask Pansy about the identity of Astoria's lover. Maybe he knows something.” Ginny paused. “Maybe he even did it.”
At that moment there was a knock and the door opened.
“We uncovered another body at the outskirts of Malfoy property.”
“What do we know?” Harry asked the Medi-Auror standing at the examination table.
“It seems that he died the same night Mrs. Malfoy did, but it's been three days, and I can't really be more specific than that. Probably somewhere between 9 pm and 4 am. Killed with the single stab to his neck and bled to death in a matter of minutes. Apparently, there was no struggle, the killer must have been a tall and strong fella and he probably surprised the victim. I actually have yet to check, but I'd bet half my holiday on it being the same weapon that killed Mrs. Malfoy.”
Ginny and Harry were startled as someone burst into the room.
“The dead guy matches the description of Whittaker Walters!”
They turned to see Pierce, an over eager Auror, fresh out of the Academy. “His girlfriend reported him missing just this morning,” the young man rushed out, panting for air.
Harry looked as if he was exercising his will not to yell. After a moment he said patiently, “Auror Beacombe, you don't really have to shout, do you?”
“Sorry, Harry.” The other Auror grinned unrepentantly.
Harry's smile was a bit plastic.
“That's all right, Pierce.” He patted the other man on the back. “I'm giving you an ample opportunity to exercise your tact and good manners over the next half an hour or so. Please, be so kind as to go and talk to the girlfriend. Then get her here for identification and questioning.”
Ginny could only look at Pierce in sympathy as she trailed behind the unwavering CI. Harry remained stoically deaf to the man's pleas.
It took Ginny two hours to trail Walter's actions the night he died, but it took only fifteen minutes to discover that the man had been a bad apple.
“Oh, Witty Wally was always just in or out of Azzy,” a man, who used to be mates with Walters, said. “He wasn't terribly lucky, you know...”
The pub owner snorted at the drunkard's assessment.
“Yes, he was terribly unlucky,” the wizard said waving his wand over the glasses he was drying. “I'll give you an example. When Wally wanders in a dark alley, someone gets mugged nearby and Wally gets arrested. When he gets lost and stumbles into an empty house by accident, it happens to be robbed straight after. Our Wally is, naturally, innocent but takes the blame.”
“Oh it's that kind of unlucky!” Ginny nodded in mock realisation.
“Exactly.” The barman grinned. “Once he even had the misfortune to start a business with the wrong sort. It turned out that the products he had purchased for selling had been stolen goods. He had no idea, of course.” The man put an emphasis on 'no'. “And now he was even killed most unfortunately near another crime scene.” He raised his index finger as if suddenly a really good idea came to him. “I think it should be engraved on his grave stone – Terribly Unlucky in Life and Death.”
Ginny spent a bit time listening different patrons regaling the Wally-stories to reconstruct the victim's movements at the night of his death. She got a bit more depressed in every pub she visited, until in the fourth her mood plummeted even more. It seemed that they would be making an arrest as soon as she got back into the Ministry.
“What have you got?” Ginny asked as she plumped down on a hard visitor's chair in Harry's office. She was too wiped out to fight for the best seat.
Harry sat down behind his desk and pulled out a file from a messy pile. “Nothing about the murder, but it seems that Walters was one of the Azkaban's common residents.”
Ginny sighed. “I know, the guys at the pub already told me. What was he jailed for?“
“This and that but mostly burglary.” Harry continued. “His girlfriend thinks that there was something big going on. Walters had been elated for the past week, telling her how he was planning to take her to the Bahamas or Spain or somewhere expensive. It seems that he was planning to become rich very soon.”
“Everything fits,” Ginny said sadly. “The last time Wally was seen alive was at half past eleven in the Mad Cow Pub. He left with a man.” For the umpteenth time she sighed. “Guess, whose description it matches?” At Harry's inquiring she continued, “Youngish, more fit or thin rather than stocky, over six feet, slender hands with a signet ring. He was wearing a hooded robe, but one of the patrons noticed a shiny blond lock.”
Harry's brows furrowed. “Rather apt description for a late hour in a pub, isn't it?”
“It seems that the tart was observing him,” she said with distaste. “He stood out, she'd said. Personally, I think she was just feeling slutty.”
“So you don't think she was feeding you a false clue?”
Ginny shook her head. “Sadly, no.”
“Mr. Malfoy, I am arresting you on suspicion of murder. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence, if you do not mention when questioned, something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence.
Draco could only watch dumbly as Potter blathered on, but couldn't concentrate. He was thinking of what he was going to do with his new-found freedom before it al went pear-shaped.
“I had plans for when I was going to be single again,” he said when the Auror finished his tirade. He took a tumbler. “Drink anyone?” Neither of the Aurors answered, so he only poured one glass of cognac to himself. “I wanted to go to Egypt and then Asia. I was going to take a long, long vacation; travel wherever the fancy took me. I haven't had a decent time off for over three years and the holidays before that were more exhausting than anything. Time away with Astoria was always exhausting.”
It had been three days since Astoria's death and he had almost begun hoping that he would get out of it without a scratch. He would pay off his accomplice and disappear for a while. Draco didn't even care if anyone got arrested or not, he felt that he was just finished with the whole mess. Finished with his marriage.
He gulped down a shot and turned to the Aurors. The four-eye was looking at him as if he was uncomprehending what Draco wanted to say, which was expected. He had always had that slightly daft look about him, but the on the redhead's face made him realise that they were waiting for a reply.
“I'm sorry, I must have zoned out,” he said. “You asked something?”
Ginevra's voice, when it came, was low; almost a whisper. “Do you confess to the murders then?”
It took a moment to process it. “Murders?” Draco paused. “As in... More than one?” For a while Draco just stood, looking at the Aurors who were looking back at him with professionally blank expressions. “Who?”
His shock must have been obvious since for a change, Potter gave him a straight answer.
“Whittaker Walters's body was found in the ditch near the south gates of the Manor,” Potter said.
The part of him that wasn't having a breakdown was annoyed. “Who the hell is Whitt-” Draco stilled as the realisation dawned. “Ah.” He looked down at his carpet. Nice greenish blue carpet, that. He nodded. “Of course.” And then he collapsed back in his armchair and laughed.
TBC
Author notes: A/N: Please, leave your feedback. I appreciate it.
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