Harry studied the right side, the faes and ked over their harateristis until he saw something he did reoghe men in a photo wore a Harry had seehe pey symbol, only eah side had a pair of eyes with the irles. He’d seen it before ohe mei he’d been iigating. Merlihem only a few weeks into his iigatio like a lifetime ago.
He whispered his revetion to Ron as his best friehe ase board to a small notebook. Rohe symbol from the photo ahe notebook away ia looks familiar, yeah?” he whispered to Harry.
“Not really.”
Felix dropped the stak of parhments on his desk and sat bak in his hair. “It’s offiial, Stramitz. Arhibald Eversworn has ohe Ministry’s radar for the st eight months.”
“Iing,” Igora nodded.
“Y then.” Felix ouldn’t hide his smile and Ignora snorted.
“How’s that?”
Felix eborated o Eversiked informant, or even underora shook her head, “hing else going on with him. Do was Drao Malfoy we saw limb into Eversworn’s ft. The ma of Mysteries tail on him!”
That remio hek the files she’d requisitiohe main offie. She didn’t want to jump to her own biased onlusiards to Malfoy, but the young man was a kh Eater. She found the uhin stak on him ahrough it. Sirial and release, Malfoy only ame up in Ministry paperwork liation intram a removal frram. The reason for his expulsion simply stated Shows promise, uress.
“What does that even mean?” Felix asked.
Igora shook her head ahe Ministry traked Malfoy’s haritable donations, of whih, there were many. But the most iing find io be the opied pages of the Minister’s alendar, and the four offiial meetings Malfoy sat with him. “Doesn’t that strike you as odd, if he’s involved in riminal ativity? He’s not fgged. He’s not oh list. He’s meetihe Minister of Magi, for Sazar’s sake!”
Felix frowned. “So what are you saying?”
She was about to lose the file and admit that she didn’t know, but a familiar tapping at the wie up ahe owl ie, aure a treat. The note had been hastily sribbled, but she ould tell it was from their informayl Hotel. She ripped it opened a.
“Why are you smiling?”
& your loak.” Igora ould. She was grinning madly. They walked to the Floo Chamber, Felix ell him. “irl says she saw Drao Malfoy eel with a red kneazle.”
&he one Eversworramitz, that’s nothing.”
She liked her lips. “Not long after, Pansy Parkih him in the louheo a room. They were followed by Ronald Weasley, Hermier, and Harry Potter.”
&rio?”
Igora stopped and held up her hand just as they approahed the oversized firepe. “Remind me again what floor Everswor in his initial interview?”
& her in disbelief before finally ahe fourteenth.”
“All five of them and the khe fourteenth flht now.”
Hermio Harry and Roudied the ase board. She and Malfoy had little luk &hat the kie, although the reature had only positive respohing Pansy Parkinson said, whih spoke volumes to Hermio had thter.
“Granger,” Malfoy said in a low voie. Hermioo him. “Do you uand any of eo us?” It was in that moment Hermioails of the ase. All thoughts of the potential that fshed between Malfoy and Harry disappeared. It was easy to get distrated from the fat that they had been ursed, espeially whehers present in the A Room seemed to get the worst of it. The worst of it, she ringed. Maybe she didn’t have a Go she still felt the grave despair of someoage to an alien fore. Hermione was about to ask if Malfoy had heard from a Parkinson leaned in.
“Hermione,” pleadi her own. “What do you make of this?” Parki a folded parhment ao her. Still in a bit of a shok that she’d used her given name, Hermioually grabbed it. Whe, she gasped, aention of Harry and Ron.
Hermione asked if she ould read it aloud. Parkinso and then nodded. She read:
To whom it may onern:
We have Bertrie Zivantus a returil our dema.
10,000 Galleons
The agreed upon amount of inquollis aniorpus folia
&he kneazle
Marwan Zivantus’ Timepiee
Hermioered after that. For a brief moment she loked eyes with Malf her throat and ontinuing:
The drop off will be on the maihe Aubigny Sports tre in Haddington,
1 o’lok in the m
Do not iry
“What—when did you get this?” Hermione asked.
Parkinsohe owl showed up as sooo the hotel.”
“If anything,” Rohe huddle and sat ihe armhairs. “This proves that his death and her kidnapping are oed. I’d rekon Marwan had ontat with them before…”