Betrayal ...
Harry apparated into Hogsmeade, immediately assaulted by the murmur of activity. It was the middle of the day in the Scottish village, which meant the streets were buzzing with lunchtime errands and people enjoying the break from the work day. Snow lined the sidewalks and hung precariously from rooftops. In the distance, he could make out the silhouette of Hogwarts against the cold grey sky.
“Sir?”
Turning towards the voice, Harry stuffed his hands in his pocket and nodded at Chapman. “The hit wizards are set?”
Chapman nodded. “They’re in place. They’ve confirmed that Zabini is still in the clinic There are a few patients in the waiting room. Nothing that looks like an emergency. Just business as usual.”
“I want to keep this as quiet as possible,” Harry said, eyes searching for the hit wizards. They were good at blending into the crowd, but he could recognize a handful. One of them was looking at a window display of quills, another purchasing a popover from a street vendor. Even though they appeared relaxed, Harry could tell they were alert, watchful, and prepared to drop their cover at any second.
“When we go into the clinic, have them move in to put up barriers. We can’t help the people inside and what they see and hear, but we can keep the crowd that’ll gather from knowing what’s going on,” he continued, glancing back at Chapman.
The older Auror nodded and moved to prepare the team he’d brought. Pulling his collar higher around his face, Harry’s eyes sought out the outline of Hogwarts again. Memories of visits to Hogsmeade during school played through his mind. It spoke to the sad state of affairs when he longed for the days from his childhood. Yes, there’d been a madman intent on killing him and everything he loved, but Harry wished he could return to the time when a trip to Hogsmeade meant an escape from his life and a day simply filled with fun, treats, and joking with his best mates.
It hadn’t exactly been an easier time, but it had been better. He’d had friends with him, determined not to let him carry the weight of the world all by himself. He’d taken that for granted much of the time, but in the end he knew without them he would have been lost. Hermione and Ron had helped him through some of the darkest times in his life. A childish part of him wished he could call on their help again, but he knew better. It was an immature desire and one he couldn’t indulge in.
He was an auror and the Head of the MLE. This was his job. His and no one else’s. It was time he fully accepted that and did what he knew needed to be done.
“Let’s go,” he said as he passed Chapman and moved toward the entrance to Healing Hands. He saw the other auror motion for the hit wizards. There was no time to make sure they did their job, but Harry was certain they would. They had a good team gathered, and he had faith in them.
There were three people in the waiting room to his left. A man holding his left arm which had turned a peculiar shade of blue, and a mother with her child. Susan sat behind the reception desk, focus on a stack of papers she was organizing. Harry glanced down the hallway leading to the exam rooms, lab and offices. The doors were shut. He didn’t know how many patients were actually being seen, but he hoped there weren’t many. Everyone would have to be moved to another clinic and the lower that number was, the better.
Susan glanced up at the sound of several people entering the clinic. All the patients they were expecting before lunch had already arrived, but it wasn’t unusual for walk-ins to turn up. Seeing a group of serious-looking men and women with wands drawn was not what she expected, and for a moment Susan was alarmed, but then she spotted Harry Potter.
“Good grief, Harry, you lot gave me a fright,” she said, a confused and tentative grin on her face. “What’s with the ominous entrance?”
Harry returned Susan’s small smile. “We’re issuing a warrant,” he answered grimly. He held the piece of parchment out to her as one of the trainees started down the hallway. There was a back entrance to the clinic, and he’d asked to make sure it wasn’t used. He didn’t expect Zabini to try an escape, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
“A warrant?” she cried, incredulous. Turning to the woman walking toward their exam rooms, Susan started to reach for her arm before thinking better of it. “We have patients back there! What is going on, Harry? You couldn’t just come and speak to Ginny? You had to invade - these aren’t the beaches at Normandy, you know!”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Harry said as he took a step closer to Susan and lowered his voice. “If I told anyone about this before issuing the warrant it would be exposed in court, and I can’t risk making a mistake and ruining this case.” A door opened at the end of the hallway, and Harry turned his head to glance in that direction.
A red head of hair appeared in the doorway. “Susan?” Ginny frowned at what looked like a person guarding the back door. She didn’t recognize the younger-looking woman. “Suse?” As she took a step toward the front office, she spotted Harry standing beside Susan. “Harry?”
“Ginny-”
Before Harry could finish his sentence, the door to Ginny’s left flew open. “Would you lot keep it down? I’m trying to work.” Blaise Zabini turned his sour face from his partner to the group assembled in the front office. “What is this?”
Harry was already pointing his wand at the potionsmaster when he started down the hallway. “Blaise Zabini, you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?”
“What are you playing at, Potter?”
“Harry?”
Ignoring both Zabini and Ginny’s questions, Harry pointed at the wall. “Turn around and place your hands above your head, Zabini.”
“Harry, what’s going on?” Ginny insisted again, eyebrows knit together in confusion. She looked down the hallway at Susan, who looked just as concerned.
Blaise looked at Harry with a bored expression on his face as the auror came closer. “What are you charging me with, Potter?”
“Possession of illegal potions ingredients. Distribution of illegal potions ingredients. And, depending on what we find in your lab, negligible homicide,” Harry answered, his wand trained on Zabini’s chest. He didn’t remember much of the Slytherin’s dueling abilities, but he wasn’t going to give the other man an opening.
Ginny’s eyes widened at what Harry accused Blaise of, her whisky eyes flying to her business partner as he jaw dropped.
“Put your hands on your head, Zabini, and face the wall,” Chapman said, repeating Harry’s orders as he came to stand beside the younger auror.
Swallowing her disbelief, Ginny pulled herself together and let the confusion become tinged with anger. “Harry,” she said, loud enough this time to draw Harry’s gaze. “What is going on?”
“We have reason to believe there are illegal potions ingredients on the premises, specifically in Zabini’s lab. We have a warrant to search the clinic and to arrest Zabini.”
Ginny blinked quickly, taking in the information. “Blaise, tell him he’s wrong,” she said, brown eyes turning from her ex-lover to her business partner. When Blaise said nothing but continued to stare at Potter, Ginny took a step closer to the man she’d worked with for over three years. “Blaise. Tell me he’s wrong.” It took a moment, but his dark gaze finally rolled to look at hers. His expression said everything. “Oh my gods,” she whispered, taking a step back.
“Blaise Zabini, you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?” Chapman said again as he physically turned Blaise to the wall and cast a binding charm on the potionsmaster’s hands.
“Why do you think I’m not answering that question?” Blaise growled in response. Once he was secure, Chapman turned Blaise so he could face Harry. “You’re going to regret doing it this way,” Blaise said, voice low but even.
“Almost certainly,” Harry replied, jaw tight as Blaise was led past him. He took a deep breath before turning to Ginny, who’d moved closer to Susan and wore an incredulous look on her face. “You need to send what patients are in the building to another clinic and reschedule your appointments for the rest of the week.”
Susan was glowering. She was furious at Blaise for putting them in this position and with Harry for bursting into the clinic in broad daylight to handle it. “You could have investigated after hours. Or before we opened. Given us time to let people know they needed to make other arrangements so they weren’t inconvenienced unnecessarily,” she groused before moving to break the news to the waiting patients that they’d have to be seen elsewhere. Maybe she was being unreasonable. Harry had a job to do, but she didn’t have to like it.
Ginny watched Susan leave, knowing her sister-in-law would handle everything that needed to be done. When she looked back to Harry she couldn’t help the shock and anger that filled her eyes. “What is going on, Harry? Why couldn’t you have done this after hours? Or before? Or let us know?”
“You know why I couldn’t let you know,” Harry said with a frown as two trainees moved into the lab to begin collecting evidence. “I did it during business hours because we needed to know he’d be here.” He couldn’t exactly tell them that they’d needed the time to investigate his manor first and doing it while he was at the clinic worked to their advantage.
“What are you... what did you...”
“The potions,” Harry said. She’d already heard him tell Zabini what he was being arrested for. He wasn’t saying anything additional that could get him in trouble. He trusted Ginny to put it all together.
The potions. Ginny’s eyes widened when she realized what he was alluding to. The potions. The potions that had filled her clinic rooms with patients exhibiting the telltale signs of overdosing. The illegal potions that had forced her to announce the time of deaths for more patients in the last year than in the whole of her healing career. The illegal potions she’d figured out were targeting muggleborns and half-bloods.
“He made it?” she asked after a long silent moment. Ginny wanted to tell Harry that he had to be wrong, that Blaise knew better than to deal in anything like that. He had a family now. He and Hannah had to be thinking of kids. How could he have done something to jeopardize that?
Harry watched a litany of emotions play out over Ginny’s face as she absorbed what was happening. “He made a potion. There are several different types circulating. It would take a lot to determine if the the potions those patients died from were taking the potion Zabini made.”
“You’d have to exhume the bodies. If they have bodies and weren’t cremated,” Ginny said with a stiff nod, focusing on the facts Harry was providing. “You’re certain he was brewing it here?”
“We’re searching for the evidence now. It’s possible I’m wrong.” He wasn’t wrong. Harry knew Blaise had to be bottling the potions here. The way he’d reacted when he realized why they were here was almost an admittance of guilt. However, he’d never been able to handle Ginny looking lost. Especially when he was partly the cause.
“Sir?”
Harry tore his attention from Ginny to glance at the trainee who’d called for him. “Yeah?”
“I think you should come take a look.”
Nodding, he turned back to Ginny. “I’m sorry, Gin. If I could have done this any other way-”
“I know. I know, Harry. It’s... it is what it is, right?” She could tell he wanted to say more, but she motioned toward the lab. “You’ve got work to do. Do it quickly. I need my clinic back.”
He wanted to tell her it was going to be alright, that everything with the clinic was going to be fine, but he’d already told her one lie. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell another.
After Harry’d disappeared into the lab, Ginny slowly made her way to the front, thoughts tumbling in an unmanageable blur. She watched the patients exit the lobby, Susan assuring them that everything was under control and that the staff of the Diagon Alley clinic would take good care of them and make sure to get them in as soon as possible.
When it appeared that the last patient was gone, she took a seat in one of the chairs, pulling her legs towards her chest. Ginny rested her chin on a knee, eyes rolling to look at Susan. “Can you believe this?”
“The next time I see Blaise Zabini, I’m going to kick him right in the...” the petite brunette blushed and cleared her throat, “shin. What was he thinking? And Harry, barging in here with wands drawn, as if we’re a bunch of criminals.” No, they just had the one criminal apparently.
“We’ll need to floo the Diagon clinic. Let Nadine and Theo know they’ll need to take our patients for the foreseeable future. I’ll contact Snape. He’ll need to take over whatever brewing Blaise was doing. We have patients that rely on us for their potions, we can’t just tell them to go elsewhere because of this.”
Ginny looked up as one of the Aurors Harry’d brought with him walked out the front door. The murmur of noise outside indicated people had started to gather around the clinic, probably to find out why Blaise Zabini had been led away by an Auror, bound and being read his rights.
This was going to be bad. For the first time in her life, Ginny hoped Harry was absolutely and completely wrong about something. It had happened in the past. It wasn’t unheard of. It was possible. Maybe it was possible.
She sighed, hugging her knees tighter to her chest. “We’ve had thirty-three patients present with symptoms of an overdose in the past year. Eight of those have died. If Blaise had anything to do with that...” Ginny trailed off, uncertain what her next words would be. It was incomprehensible. The repercussions of this not only for Blaise and his family, but for her clinics were hard to think about.
Susan sank into the chair beside Ginny as the magnitude of what had happened washed settled in her mind. It was easier to be angry at Harry than to think of the actual people who’d been harmed. Patients who’d trusted them. “People will know it wasn’t you, Gin. Most of our patients have been coming for years. They know you.”
“He’s my partner,” Ginny said, a hand filtering through her hair in a motion of futility and frustration. “We’ve been doing this for nearly four years. It’ll be hard to convince people that we had no idea what he was doing in a building I practically live in.”
She let out a short bark of laughter. “Do you know how long it’s been since I actually went into his lab? I think it’s been over a year. He makes sure everything else is stocked, and I’m a coward. I knew he didn’t exactly appreciate the way I’d left things with Draco and figured I was giving him some sort of breathing room until he wasn’t angry at me anymore. Not that we were ever friends per se, but we worked well together.”
Perhaps it was still a bit of shock at the whole situation, and the idea that it might get worse, but she couldn’t help the giggles that shook her shoulders. Ginny tried to hide the noise behind her hands. She hadn’t realized what was going on in her clinic because she’d been afraid to confront the awkwardness that had grown between her and Blaise. It was completely and utterly ridiculous.
Leaving the impressive lab behind, Harry began down the hallway toward Ginny and Susan. They’d need to give statements. They’d found what they needed; enough empty bottles to substantiate a distribution claim and more illegal ingredients that were used in the ‘nightlock’ potion. He was certain whatever barrister took Blaise on as a client would claim the potionsmaster had simply kept extra bottles on hand for the clinic, and that the extra ingredients were used for some kind of purpose, but that was a matter for another day. They would at least be able to charge him. It was enough for now.
He frowned slightly as he entered the lobby and fixed her attention on the two women. Ginny appeared to be having some sort of fit. “Everything alright?”
“Peachy,” Susan deadpanned. Harry meant well, but honestly, could things be less alright? As she thought about it though, she realized they really, really could be worse. Raising dark eyes to meet Harry’s green ones, she asked, “Are you planning to arrest us as well?” Ludicrous though it was to her mind, from a legal standpoint it was certainly possible the MLE believed the whole clinic was in on the illegal doings. Susan seemed to catch Ginny’s case of the giggles as the random thought that arresting her might put a bit of strain on Harry and Ron’s friendship passed through her head.
Harry looked between Susan and Ginny, confused as it appeared that they were laughing. He wasn’t quite sure would have caused them to devolve into a fit of giggles, but he’d never really understood women.
Deciding to focus on the answer he did have, he shook his head at Susan. “We’ll take a statement from each of you, but we have no reason to believe anyone else was involved.” Carters hadn’t mentioned anyone else, and though he loved Ginny and knew Susan to be a very smart witch, he didn’t know if they would survive the underground illegal potions market.
“I’m sorry things had to happen like this. I wouldn’t have done this if I had any other options. Well, any other legal options. They tend to frown on the head of the MLE disregarding the law. Seems I’m meant to uphold it or something along those lines.”
Ginny managed to get her laughter under control. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, uncertain what percent of the tears were from the giggles and what were an escape of the panic that had begun to creep in. “Do you know how long you’ll need the clinic for?”
“We’ll have to have our team come in and do a thorough sweep. It shouldn’t take more than a week or so. You’ll need to grab anything you might need because we won’t be able to let you come back until we’re completely done.”
Nodding, Ginny turned to Susan. “We’ll have to shrink all the files, just in case.”
“Okay.” The brunette was already moving toward the filing cabinets, planning the best way to order all the things they’d need to take. “Might as well just take them in the cabinets rather than have to find a place for them at the other clinic,” she said to herself as she walked away.
Ginny looked over at Harry as he took Susan’s vacated seat, a determined expression bleeding into her face. “I need to be able to see him.”
“He’ll be in the holding cells, Gin. We’re not allowed-”
“I need to talk to him, Harry. He did this in my clinic. I need to talk to him. You’re the head of the MLE.”
“Ginny-”
“Harry,” she demanded, eyes lighting with anger. “He’s allowed visitors, even in the holding cells. It’s not like he’s in Azkaban. I need this.” Ginny might have felt bad about asking to use his influence in something like this, but he had just barged into her clinic and effectively shut it down for a week. Possibly more. Later she might feel bad, but all she could feel right then was fury that something like this had happened in her clinic.
Harry looked at her for a long time. It was true that Zabini would be allowed visitors, even in the holding cells. Depending on the barrister he wrangled, he might even be allowed out on bond, despite the means he had to disappear if he wanted. Harry just hoped that Zabini’s ties to Hannah and the bakery wouldn’t allow him to run.
“It’d need to by the morning. Early.”
“That’s fine. I just need to meet with my lawyer.”
Harry frowned. “Why? Do you have something to hide? Something I should know about?”
Ginny shook her head, eyes slightly unfocused. “Just need to check on something. I’ll be there early tomorrow.”
Chapman appeared in the hallway. “Potter? We’re ready to take their statements.”
Harry nodded before knocking his shoulder against Ginny’s. “You ready?”
“Absolutely not, but when has that ever stopped any of us?”
Summary: Harry and the Aurors move from Blaise’s manor to the clinic in Hogsmeade. They arrest Blaise, but basically ruin Susan and Ginny’s day. Badly.
“Sir?”
Turning towards the voice, Harry stuffed his hands in his pocket and nodded at Chapman. “The hit wizards are set?”
Chapman nodded. “They’re in place. They’ve confirmed that Zabini is still in the clinic There are a few patients in the waiting room. Nothing that looks like an emergency. Just business as usual.”
“I want to keep this as quiet as possible,” Harry said, eyes searching for the hit wizards. They were good at blending into the crowd, but he could recognize a handful. One of them was looking at a window display of quills, another purchasing a popover from a street vendor. Even though they appeared relaxed, Harry could tell they were alert, watchful, and prepared to drop their cover at any second.
“When we go into the clinic, have them move in to put up barriers. We can’t help the people inside and what they see and hear, but we can keep the crowd that’ll gather from knowing what’s going on,” he continued, glancing back at Chapman.
The older Auror nodded and moved to prepare the team he’d brought. Pulling his collar higher around his face, Harry’s eyes sought out the outline of Hogwarts again. Memories of visits to Hogsmeade during school played through his mind. It spoke to the sad state of affairs when he longed for the days from his childhood. Yes, there’d been a madman intent on killing him and everything he loved, but Harry wished he could return to the time when a trip to Hogsmeade meant an escape from his life and a day simply filled with fun, treats, and joking with his best mates.
It hadn’t exactly been an easier time, but it had been better. He’d had friends with him, determined not to let him carry the weight of the world all by himself. He’d taken that for granted much of the time, but in the end he knew without them he would have been lost. Hermione and Ron had helped him through some of the darkest times in his life. A childish part of him wished he could call on their help again, but he knew better. It was an immature desire and one he couldn’t indulge in.
He was an auror and the Head of the MLE. This was his job. His and no one else’s. It was time he fully accepted that and did what he knew needed to be done.
“Let’s go,” he said as he passed Chapman and moved toward the entrance to Healing Hands. He saw the other auror motion for the hit wizards. There was no time to make sure they did their job, but Harry was certain they would. They had a good team gathered, and he had faith in them.
There were three people in the waiting room to his left. A man holding his left arm which had turned a peculiar shade of blue, and a mother with her child. Susan sat behind the reception desk, focus on a stack of papers she was organizing. Harry glanced down the hallway leading to the exam rooms, lab and offices. The doors were shut. He didn’t know how many patients were actually being seen, but he hoped there weren’t many. Everyone would have to be moved to another clinic and the lower that number was, the better.
Susan glanced up at the sound of several people entering the clinic. All the patients they were expecting before lunch had already arrived, but it wasn’t unusual for walk-ins to turn up. Seeing a group of serious-looking men and women with wands drawn was not what she expected, and for a moment Susan was alarmed, but then she spotted Harry Potter.
“Good grief, Harry, you lot gave me a fright,” she said, a confused and tentative grin on her face. “What’s with the ominous entrance?”
Harry returned Susan’s small smile. “We’re issuing a warrant,” he answered grimly. He held the piece of parchment out to her as one of the trainees started down the hallway. There was a back entrance to the clinic, and he’d asked to make sure it wasn’t used. He didn’t expect Zabini to try an escape, but he didn’t want to take any chances.
“A warrant?” she cried, incredulous. Turning to the woman walking toward their exam rooms, Susan started to reach for her arm before thinking better of it. “We have patients back there! What is going on, Harry? You couldn’t just come and speak to Ginny? You had to invade - these aren’t the beaches at Normandy, you know!”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Harry said as he took a step closer to Susan and lowered his voice. “If I told anyone about this before issuing the warrant it would be exposed in court, and I can’t risk making a mistake and ruining this case.” A door opened at the end of the hallway, and Harry turned his head to glance in that direction.
A red head of hair appeared in the doorway. “Susan?” Ginny frowned at what looked like a person guarding the back door. She didn’t recognize the younger-looking woman. “Suse?” As she took a step toward the front office, she spotted Harry standing beside Susan. “Harry?”
“Ginny-”
Before Harry could finish his sentence, the door to Ginny’s left flew open. “Would you lot keep it down? I’m trying to work.” Blaise Zabini turned his sour face from his partner to the group assembled in the front office. “What is this?”
Harry was already pointing his wand at the potionsmaster when he started down the hallway. “Blaise Zabini, you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?”
“What are you playing at, Potter?”
“Harry?”
Ignoring both Zabini and Ginny’s questions, Harry pointed at the wall. “Turn around and place your hands above your head, Zabini.”
“Harry, what’s going on?” Ginny insisted again, eyebrows knit together in confusion. She looked down the hallway at Susan, who looked just as concerned.
Blaise looked at Harry with a bored expression on his face as the auror came closer. “What are you charging me with, Potter?”
“Possession of illegal potions ingredients. Distribution of illegal potions ingredients. And, depending on what we find in your lab, negligible homicide,” Harry answered, his wand trained on Zabini’s chest. He didn’t remember much of the Slytherin’s dueling abilities, but he wasn’t going to give the other man an opening.
Ginny’s eyes widened at what Harry accused Blaise of, her whisky eyes flying to her business partner as he jaw dropped.
“Put your hands on your head, Zabini, and face the wall,” Chapman said, repeating Harry’s orders as he came to stand beside the younger auror.
Swallowing her disbelief, Ginny pulled herself together and let the confusion become tinged with anger. “Harry,” she said, loud enough this time to draw Harry’s gaze. “What is going on?”
“We have reason to believe there are illegal potions ingredients on the premises, specifically in Zabini’s lab. We have a warrant to search the clinic and to arrest Zabini.”
Ginny blinked quickly, taking in the information. “Blaise, tell him he’s wrong,” she said, brown eyes turning from her ex-lover to her business partner. When Blaise said nothing but continued to stare at Potter, Ginny took a step closer to the man she’d worked with for over three years. “Blaise. Tell me he’s wrong.” It took a moment, but his dark gaze finally rolled to look at hers. His expression said everything. “Oh my gods,” she whispered, taking a step back.
“Blaise Zabini, you have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?” Chapman said again as he physically turned Blaise to the wall and cast a binding charm on the potionsmaster’s hands.
“Why do you think I’m not answering that question?” Blaise growled in response. Once he was secure, Chapman turned Blaise so he could face Harry. “You’re going to regret doing it this way,” Blaise said, voice low but even.
“Almost certainly,” Harry replied, jaw tight as Blaise was led past him. He took a deep breath before turning to Ginny, who’d moved closer to Susan and wore an incredulous look on her face. “You need to send what patients are in the building to another clinic and reschedule your appointments for the rest of the week.”
Susan was glowering. She was furious at Blaise for putting them in this position and with Harry for bursting into the clinic in broad daylight to handle it. “You could have investigated after hours. Or before we opened. Given us time to let people know they needed to make other arrangements so they weren’t inconvenienced unnecessarily,” she groused before moving to break the news to the waiting patients that they’d have to be seen elsewhere. Maybe she was being unreasonable. Harry had a job to do, but she didn’t have to like it.
Ginny watched Susan leave, knowing her sister-in-law would handle everything that needed to be done. When she looked back to Harry she couldn’t help the shock and anger that filled her eyes. “What is going on, Harry? Why couldn’t you have done this after hours? Or before? Or let us know?”
“You know why I couldn’t let you know,” Harry said with a frown as two trainees moved into the lab to begin collecting evidence. “I did it during business hours because we needed to know he’d be here.” He couldn’t exactly tell them that they’d needed the time to investigate his manor first and doing it while he was at the clinic worked to their advantage.
“What are you... what did you...”
“The potions,” Harry said. She’d already heard him tell Zabini what he was being arrested for. He wasn’t saying anything additional that could get him in trouble. He trusted Ginny to put it all together.
The potions. Ginny’s eyes widened when she realized what he was alluding to. The potions. The potions that had filled her clinic rooms with patients exhibiting the telltale signs of overdosing. The illegal potions that had forced her to announce the time of deaths for more patients in the last year than in the whole of her healing career. The illegal potions she’d figured out were targeting muggleborns and half-bloods.
“He made it?” she asked after a long silent moment. Ginny wanted to tell Harry that he had to be wrong, that Blaise knew better than to deal in anything like that. He had a family now. He and Hannah had to be thinking of kids. How could he have done something to jeopardize that?
Harry watched a litany of emotions play out over Ginny’s face as she absorbed what was happening. “He made a potion. There are several different types circulating. It would take a lot to determine if the the potions those patients died from were taking the potion Zabini made.”
“You’d have to exhume the bodies. If they have bodies and weren’t cremated,” Ginny said with a stiff nod, focusing on the facts Harry was providing. “You’re certain he was brewing it here?”
“We’re searching for the evidence now. It’s possible I’m wrong.” He wasn’t wrong. Harry knew Blaise had to be bottling the potions here. The way he’d reacted when he realized why they were here was almost an admittance of guilt. However, he’d never been able to handle Ginny looking lost. Especially when he was partly the cause.
“Sir?”
Harry tore his attention from Ginny to glance at the trainee who’d called for him. “Yeah?”
“I think you should come take a look.”
Nodding, he turned back to Ginny. “I’m sorry, Gin. If I could have done this any other way-”
“I know. I know, Harry. It’s... it is what it is, right?” She could tell he wanted to say more, but she motioned toward the lab. “You’ve got work to do. Do it quickly. I need my clinic back.”
He wanted to tell her it was going to be alright, that everything with the clinic was going to be fine, but he’d already told her one lie. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to tell another.
After Harry’d disappeared into the lab, Ginny slowly made her way to the front, thoughts tumbling in an unmanageable blur. She watched the patients exit the lobby, Susan assuring them that everything was under control and that the staff of the Diagon Alley clinic would take good care of them and make sure to get them in as soon as possible.
When it appeared that the last patient was gone, she took a seat in one of the chairs, pulling her legs towards her chest. Ginny rested her chin on a knee, eyes rolling to look at Susan. “Can you believe this?”
“The next time I see Blaise Zabini, I’m going to kick him right in the...” the petite brunette blushed and cleared her throat, “shin. What was he thinking? And Harry, barging in here with wands drawn, as if we’re a bunch of criminals.” No, they just had the one criminal apparently.
“We’ll need to floo the Diagon clinic. Let Nadine and Theo know they’ll need to take our patients for the foreseeable future. I’ll contact Snape. He’ll need to take over whatever brewing Blaise was doing. We have patients that rely on us for their potions, we can’t just tell them to go elsewhere because of this.”
Ginny looked up as one of the Aurors Harry’d brought with him walked out the front door. The murmur of noise outside indicated people had started to gather around the clinic, probably to find out why Blaise Zabini had been led away by an Auror, bound and being read his rights.
This was going to be bad. For the first time in her life, Ginny hoped Harry was absolutely and completely wrong about something. It had happened in the past. It wasn’t unheard of. It was possible. Maybe it was possible.
She sighed, hugging her knees tighter to her chest. “We’ve had thirty-three patients present with symptoms of an overdose in the past year. Eight of those have died. If Blaise had anything to do with that...” Ginny trailed off, uncertain what her next words would be. It was incomprehensible. The repercussions of this not only for Blaise and his family, but for her clinics were hard to think about.
Susan sank into the chair beside Ginny as the magnitude of what had happened washed settled in her mind. It was easier to be angry at Harry than to think of the actual people who’d been harmed. Patients who’d trusted them. “People will know it wasn’t you, Gin. Most of our patients have been coming for years. They know you.”
“He’s my partner,” Ginny said, a hand filtering through her hair in a motion of futility and frustration. “We’ve been doing this for nearly four years. It’ll be hard to convince people that we had no idea what he was doing in a building I practically live in.”
She let out a short bark of laughter. “Do you know how long it’s been since I actually went into his lab? I think it’s been over a year. He makes sure everything else is stocked, and I’m a coward. I knew he didn’t exactly appreciate the way I’d left things with Draco and figured I was giving him some sort of breathing room until he wasn’t angry at me anymore. Not that we were ever friends per se, but we worked well together.”
Perhaps it was still a bit of shock at the whole situation, and the idea that it might get worse, but she couldn’t help the giggles that shook her shoulders. Ginny tried to hide the noise behind her hands. She hadn’t realized what was going on in her clinic because she’d been afraid to confront the awkwardness that had grown between her and Blaise. It was completely and utterly ridiculous.
Leaving the impressive lab behind, Harry began down the hallway toward Ginny and Susan. They’d need to give statements. They’d found what they needed; enough empty bottles to substantiate a distribution claim and more illegal ingredients that were used in the ‘nightlock’ potion. He was certain whatever barrister took Blaise on as a client would claim the potionsmaster had simply kept extra bottles on hand for the clinic, and that the extra ingredients were used for some kind of purpose, but that was a matter for another day. They would at least be able to charge him. It was enough for now.
He frowned slightly as he entered the lobby and fixed her attention on the two women. Ginny appeared to be having some sort of fit. “Everything alright?”
“Peachy,” Susan deadpanned. Harry meant well, but honestly, could things be less alright? As she thought about it though, she realized they really, really could be worse. Raising dark eyes to meet Harry’s green ones, she asked, “Are you planning to arrest us as well?” Ludicrous though it was to her mind, from a legal standpoint it was certainly possible the MLE believed the whole clinic was in on the illegal doings. Susan seemed to catch Ginny’s case of the giggles as the random thought that arresting her might put a bit of strain on Harry and Ron’s friendship passed through her head.
Harry looked between Susan and Ginny, confused as it appeared that they were laughing. He wasn’t quite sure would have caused them to devolve into a fit of giggles, but he’d never really understood women.
Deciding to focus on the answer he did have, he shook his head at Susan. “We’ll take a statement from each of you, but we have no reason to believe anyone else was involved.” Carters hadn’t mentioned anyone else, and though he loved Ginny and knew Susan to be a very smart witch, he didn’t know if they would survive the underground illegal potions market.
“I’m sorry things had to happen like this. I wouldn’t have done this if I had any other options. Well, any other legal options. They tend to frown on the head of the MLE disregarding the law. Seems I’m meant to uphold it or something along those lines.”
Ginny managed to get her laughter under control. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, uncertain what percent of the tears were from the giggles and what were an escape of the panic that had begun to creep in. “Do you know how long you’ll need the clinic for?”
“We’ll have to have our team come in and do a thorough sweep. It shouldn’t take more than a week or so. You’ll need to grab anything you might need because we won’t be able to let you come back until we’re completely done.”
Nodding, Ginny turned to Susan. “We’ll have to shrink all the files, just in case.”
“Okay.” The brunette was already moving toward the filing cabinets, planning the best way to order all the things they’d need to take. “Might as well just take them in the cabinets rather than have to find a place for them at the other clinic,” she said to herself as she walked away.
Ginny looked over at Harry as he took Susan’s vacated seat, a determined expression bleeding into her face. “I need to be able to see him.”
“He’ll be in the holding cells, Gin. We’re not allowed-”
“I need to talk to him, Harry. He did this in my clinic. I need to talk to him. You’re the head of the MLE.”
“Ginny-”
“Harry,” she demanded, eyes lighting with anger. “He’s allowed visitors, even in the holding cells. It’s not like he’s in Azkaban. I need this.” Ginny might have felt bad about asking to use his influence in something like this, but he had just barged into her clinic and effectively shut it down for a week. Possibly more. Later she might feel bad, but all she could feel right then was fury that something like this had happened in her clinic.
Harry looked at her for a long time. It was true that Zabini would be allowed visitors, even in the holding cells. Depending on the barrister he wrangled, he might even be allowed out on bond, despite the means he had to disappear if he wanted. Harry just hoped that Zabini’s ties to Hannah and the bakery wouldn’t allow him to run.
“It’d need to by the morning. Early.”
“That’s fine. I just need to meet with my lawyer.”
Harry frowned. “Why? Do you have something to hide? Something I should know about?”
Ginny shook her head, eyes slightly unfocused. “Just need to check on something. I’ll be there early tomorrow.”
Chapman appeared in the hallway. “Potter? We’re ready to take their statements.”
Harry nodded before knocking his shoulder against Ginny’s. “You ready?”
“Absolutely not, but when has that ever stopped any of us?”
Summary: Harry and the Aurors move from Blaise’s manor to the clinic in Hogsmeade. They arrest Blaise, but basically ruin Susan and Ginny’s day. Badly.