Last Witness: Detached (Snape Love Story)

Conflicting Stories

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“Stay right where you are.”

Kingsley reached to his right to grasp his wand but it wasn’t there. For once in his life, he felt defenseless and yet he was in the middle of the Aurors’ office at the Ministry of Magic. The irony that he should meet the end of his life right here made him speak up:

“Who are you and what do you want?”

A slight prod in his back told him that his attacker stood very close behind him. He started to think about how to disarm this attacker but realized that he heard a woman’s voice.

“Bellatrix Lestrange?” he asked in a worried voice. The woman behind him laughed softly.

“Did I ask you to stay where you are or blasted away half your office?”

Kingsley started to reconsider the situation. Not only did the woman not attack him yet but she didn’t even immobilize him or as much as touch him. Bellatrix wouldn't be so kind.

“What do you want?” he asked and waited. The woman remained silent behind him but Kingsley knew that the silence could be misleading. He heard her murmuring spells and couple of papers flew from his desk before he even knew what they were. The woman searched through those papers and Kingsley hoped that she was satisfied with her findings. However the woman didn’t withdraw her wand and he soon felt the warmth of her magic flow over him.

“Are you familiar with the Truth Curse, Shacklebolt?” asked the woman. Kingsley nodded. The Truth Curse made it impossible for him to lie to whoever cast it, should he lie to the Death Eater right now, he would die. There was a reason that the Curse was highly frowned upon.

“Then think carefully before you answer. What kind of interest does the Aurors’ Office have in the Selwynn family?”

“Lorrelaine Kendrick?” whispered Kingsley. Snape’s suppositions must have been correct after all; if the woman was willing to risk her life for two worthless sheets of paper that didn’t say much to anyone it had to mean something.

“Who?” said the woman, confusing Kingsley for a moment. He didn’t remember what other female Death Eaters there were. Feeling another prod into his back, he decided to answer.

“The Aurors’ Office has no interest in the Selwynn Family,” he said calmly.

“Who made you request the papers then?”

“Member of the Order of the Phoenix,” said Kingsley, cautious to not reveal Severus. “He thought that there was a connection between Voldemort’s Death Eater and the Selwynn heiress.”

“And what conclusion did he come to?”

“I don’t know,” answered Kingsley truthfully. “These papers didn’t reveal much. There was no more information to be had.”

He could feel the woman’s breath behind his ear, hot and steady and wondered if she would kill him right now.

“Listen to me Auror and you better listen well,” she hissed and pressed her wand into his back more firmly. Kingsley thought that she didn’t really need to say that; only a fool wouldn’t pay attention to someone who could easily kill him.

“I’ve been protecting the Smith family for years now, and when they found out that someone’s requested their papers, they weren’t pleased… now understand, none of us care about what’s happening here in Britain. The family wants to stay out of it. Should you ever draw such an attention to them again, I will make sure to target this Order of the Phoenix.”

Kingsley squirmed a little to the side as the wand started to burn a small circle into his back. Whether this woman was Voldemort’s Death Eater or a hired mercenary by the Smiths didn’t matter right now, he wanted to see her gone and convey these mysterious threats to Dumbledore.