With you in my Arms

41. Time to get you started then.

I totally love all your comments! Keep them coming.

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 The area of the Auror Office only the Aurors themselves were allowed in had a large open space in the middle. The office surrounding it belonged to the most senior members of the squad. There was a large table with about three dozen chairs around it where departmental meetings were held, where the Aurors discussed cases, exchanged information and sometimes just sat for some serious thinking.

The next morning Neville was sitting at the table with a large cup of tea in one hand and a half eaten biscuit in the other. He seemed to be totally lost in his own thoughts as he didn't notice Harry passing him, saying "Morning." as he did so. A few steps later Harry stopped and turned around to his friend.

"Neville?"

He stepped next to him and waved a hand in front of his face.

"Neville!"

A dreamy face was looking back at him.

"It's wrong. It doesn't make any sense. We are supposed to think it does, but it doesn't"

Now it was Harry's turn to look rather confused. What was he talking about? What didn't make any sense? What was he on about?

"Neville, what are you talking about?"

"This whole case. Parkinson, Zabini, Rita Skeeter, Malfoy, Hermione. It's all wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"It all started with Rita Skeeter writing this article about the alleged wedding of Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. You remember what storm that created?"

Harry nodded, remembering only too vividly. Blaise didn't bother about it, but Pansy had been screaming slander, murder and worse for the best part of a week. Rita Skeeter had been sentenced to nearly 5.000 Galleons in fines and a month suspended sentence.

"That was shortly after we graduated. Pansy had cursed Malfoy's mother around that time in order to get him to come to her for comforting."

"But Malfoy had already spend a night with Hermione and was anything but interested in what Pansy wanted from him."

"Yes. So why would these two get together and plot against you, Ron and Hermione in Skeeter's case and Malfoy in Pansy's? I would have thought that they couldn't be in the same room without Pansy killing that Skeeter woman for putting the breaks on to her little scheme."

There was a pause while Harry was thinking. Neville was right. If this first incident wasn't taken into consideration everything they had been thinking of as to what had been going on made sense, but it didn't any longer, if this wedding report was added to the picture. Pansy must absolutely loathe Rita Skeeter. Why would she be colluding with her? Neville was right! It didn't make any sense any longer.

"So, what do you reckon has really happened?"

"I'm not sure yet. We know, that Pansy knows Notorious. He has been creating the curse that was used on Malfoy's mother. We also know that Julius Hanker has been brewing the Polyjuice Potion for Rita Skeeter and the Amortentia for Pansy. Pansy was Rita's contact to Hanker. How does she know magically skilled folks like Hanker and Notorious? How likely is it that? Where is she supposed to have met them? Why would they help a nineteen year old girl whose parents didn't end up in Azkaban, but have been sentenced to a huge fine and have also the thread of being put into prison, if they so much as look as if they might be thinking something illegal, hanging over them? I mean, these kinds of people don't go advertising their services in the Daily Prophet, do they."

"No. they don't."

Harry tried to straighten all information they had out in his head. What did they know?

"I'll get some parchment and a quill, Neville. I want to write this down."

"Sure."

A short while later both wizards were sitting at the table summarizing their take on things.

"So, we do know that

1. Pansy got Rita Skeeter convicted for the report about her alleged marriage to Zabini
2. Julius Hanker is very skilled in brewing potions. He has done the Polyjuice and Amortentia. The Amortentia was highly modified and a real piece of art.
3. Why did Rita Skeeter not brew the Polyjuice potion herself? She must be capable of it.
4. Pansy knows William Norton, called Notorious. He creates bespoke spells and curses. Voldemort tried to recruit him, but failed.
5. Both Pansy and Rita Skeeter have been using the Imperius Curse on Parvati in order to get information. Which means life in Azkaban for both of them for using an Unforgivable Curse.

That leaves us with several question.

1. Why are Rita Skeeter and Pansy Parkinson in cahoots with each other?
2. Why did Rita Skeeter hide at the Parkinson family home?
3. How did she get there after being wrongly released from Azkaban?
4. How does Pansy know Hanker and Notorious?
5. Why are these criminals helping her?
6. How did they manage to slip Zabini the Amortentia?
6. Where does William Rockwood fit into all this? Why did Pansy nearly kill him?
7. Where is Pansy?