“You took down the address on a lost kneazle’s olr a loose again?” Stramitz’s eyebrows rose in disbelief.
“ of attaked me. And then ran off.”
&ramitz said. “And where were you st night?”
Harry felt the blood drain from his fae.
She leaned in and pressed her palms to the desk. “Did you happen to see or hear frhbarnd Umphrey?”
“I—wait. What?”
&ood up and walked around the desk. “Would you mind surrendering your wand fnosti?” He smiled and Harry turo Roaring at the floor. Zaha added, “It’s just to hek the spells you’ve ast i day or so.”
“I—uh—” Harry looked bak at Ron. He fi his gaze.
“I think you should, mate, just to lear your, uh, name,” Ron said.
Harry sent Stramitz a gre. “You an’t possibly think I’m responsible f Marwan Zivantus!”
Stramitz stood up and liked her lips. “Now how ould you possibly know that released the vitims to the publi.”
“And don’t say ynised him,” Zaha added. Harry felt a olletive shiver ruhe arhe pe few defiures on the bodies.
Harry lied. “I just khe he reservation.”
Zaha and Stramitz shared a look. The his hand. “Well you aren’t under suspiion for that i. But you are a person of i ih of Garnd Umphrey.”
“Umphrey’s dead?” Harry burst.
“They’re sayiu led to his death rioheted off something from your ft.” Stramitz was still smiling and it made Harry uneasy. “Well? Do you have aion for that?”
Harry shook his head. After a bit of deliberation and another oddly lreed to let them take his wand. They made him wait in the hallway while they did the proedure. Harry was Ron was doi he trusted him to have his bak if anything else en.
Pa of the Ministry Floo, took o the window, and realized she hadn’t paked fh. The mist bed the outside, and she shivered just thinking about it. Everythiase was suited for business in Brussels.
“Fantasti,” she muttered to herself. She’d o apparate to the Ashtyl as sooh the iigators orie’s ase, ahat she ould Floo home a proper lothes. She exited the Floo d headed straight for the main desk.
&e a bit of bak and forth whih inluded a possible slight flung at the Parkinson name followed by Paailed opinio’s asymmetrial fae, she reeived a visitor’s pass after expihere on behalf of Bertrie. “You ould’ve opehat,” the attent muttered.
“I’m sorry?” Pansy gred. “I’m a with, aren’t I? This is my Ministry, is it tossed her pass oer ao a Speial Edition of The Quibbler ene of soul-suking Soblipoms! Move aside vampires! By Luna Lovegood’. Pansy rolled her eyes. “And where will I find Missing Persons?”
Without putting down the fming rubbish bin of a publiation, he said, “Straight down the main hall, all the way in the bak.”
“Thank you for your servie,” Pansy said through a sneer. She followed the main hall all the way to the bak. She saw the brass sign indiating it was the orret offie, but the door was losed. Pansy ae bak and forth in front of it. She leared her throat.
The mahrough a mess hed when he saw her, stress ahed aross his features. Is this what she was to beome? A heaping mess of worry over Bertrie? She took a step forward and asked if he was alright.
As if surprised, he met her stare a a quik “Fine” before he duked his head down again and shoved his hands is. For a moment, Pansy thought she’d reognized him. But the longer she looked at his fae, the less she thought so.
& before?” she finally asked, uo shake the feeling.
He fixed his green eyes on her aomah dropped. Blinking bak the memories of another pair reehe night she’d speire life tryi, Pansy turned away just as the door to the offie opened.
A ma ahe green-eyed man a wa,” the man said. “But doown.”
“I won’t.”
And then, as if she hadaken bak to the shadowy years of her past already, Ro out of the open door. If he notied her, he didn’t aknowledge her, just quikly grabbed the green-eyed man ahe hall and into another offie. The door smmed and Pahi her, a vague thought that she’d just ome fae to fae with the start . Waves of u her, fear, a regret.
“Is there something I an help you with, miss?” The ha had emerged from the offie was starih a smile.
She looked him up and down, from his delightfully fitted, well-tailored robes to his perfetly shined Ferragamo loafers. Pansy took a breath and introdued herself, wathing the man’s fae for wheion would hit.
It never did. His smile stayed steady, and a geh radiated through her as he held out his hand and shook hers. “Felix Zaha,” he said.
“Felix, I’ve just arrived from London. They rie Zivantus’ guardian.”
His fae filled with onern. “e iner ahe ase.”
Pansy followed him into what looked like a typial Ministry offie. The far wall had half a dozen missiaped aross it. She finally lost it, her eyes fillihe faes oers l