FIC: Scars, Part 12a

[geri_chan]

Title: Scars, Part 12a

Rating: NC-17 overall

Pairings: Snape/Lupin, Ash/Tsubasa; also a little Theodore/Blaise, Dylan/Hermione, and Aric/Takeshi

Author's note: {} Indicates character's unspoken thoughts; [] indicates song lyrics.

Disclaimer: Based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling; song lyrics are from "Scars" by Papa Roach. No money is being made off this story; consider it a little wish fulfillment on my part.

Warning: AU. This story contains a character from Half-Blood Prince, but does not follow the HBP storyline.

Sequel to: Always, Summer Vacation, For Old Time's Sake, Three's a Crowd, Return of the Raven, Phoenix Reborn, Phoenix Rising, Aftermaths, The Revenant, Ash's Story, and Summer Vacation III.

Summary: Tsubasa and the werewolves try to cheer up Ash; the Aurors investigate Rosalind's murder; the Quidditch tryouts are held at Hogwarts; and Lupin is invited to a baby shower.

Part 11

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lupin informed Tsubasa about Ash's mother's death, but he was unable to leave school early, as he had his own classes to teach, as well as Lukas's to cover. When school was over for the day, he made a quick stop at his quarters, then took the Floo over to the house where Ash lived.

Most of the werewolves in the pack were there, including Aric, and so was Takeshi, both of them still dressed in their St. Mungo's robes. "Smethwyck let us take off early," Takeshi said, smiling at his cousin although his eyes looked worried. "Not that it's done much good, since Ash has been holed up in his room for the past few hours, and refuses to come out, even though Lukas threatened to break down the door. I'm glad you're here; maybe he'll talk to you." Then he frowned as he caught sight of the large gourd jug that Tsubasa was holding. "Although I'm not sure that will help. He's probably already drunk enough Firewhiskey to make a normal human pass out cold."

Tsubasa had been on edge and worried about Ash all day, and the sight of his cousin's disapproving face--less handsome than Tsubasa's but beloved by Ash nonetheless--caused something inside in him to snap. "It's none of your business!" Tsubasa said sharply. "And who appointed you Ash's guardian, anyway?"

Aric growled, a low, threatening rumble, while Takeshi just stared at him wide-eyed, looking startled and a little hurt. "I know that Ash is an adult," Takeshi replied quietly. "I'm just concerned for him as a friend--and a mediwizard. Ash drinks too much when he's upset...well, he drinks too much when's happy, too, actually." Takeshi smiled ruefully. "He drinks too much, period. So far it hasn't really interfered with his work, although I'm sure he's gone to work with a hangover more than once. But it's not healthy to drink that much, even for someone with a werewolf's constitution, so I'm worried about him."

{Great, so on top of everything else, my would-be boyfriend is a borderline alcoholic,} Tsubasa thought to himself sourly. Aloud, he said, a bit guiltily, "I'm sorry, Takeshi. I was in a bad mood, but I shouldn't take it out on you."

"It's all right," Takeshi assured him. "I know you're worried about Ash, too."

"That's no excuse," Aric growled, but he looked placated by Tsubasa's apology.

"I understand your concerns, but believe it or not, I know what I'm doing," Tsubasa told his cousin. "He's going to drink no matter what you say or do, but maybe this--" He held up the jug. "--will at least lure him out of his room."

"I don't think that you really need alcohol to lure him out," Takeshi said with a smile, "but go ahead. Drunk or sober, I don't think he should be alone right now."

Tsubasa went up the stairs and knocked on Ash's door. "Ash? It's me, Tsubasa." He paused, and when there was no response, he continued, "I came to say that I'm very sorry about your mother."

There was another pause, and then he heard the sound of footsteps slowly shuffling towards the door, and then the click of a lock being turned, and the door swung open a crack to give him a glimpse of bloodshot eyes.

"Thanks," Ash said gruffly, and Tsubasa could smell the Firewhiskey on his breath; Takeshi, as usual, was correct--which could be a bit irritating at times. "But that's not necessary. I despised my mother, and I hadn't seen her in years, so I'm fine. It's not like I'm in mourning or anything."

Tsubasa didn't try to argue with him; he just shrugged and said casually, "Well, I guess this will go to waste, then."

He held up the jug and the door opened a little wider. "What is that?" Ash asked with cautious curiosity.

"Tengu-brewed sake," Tsubasa replied. "My friends in Japan gave it to me as a going-away present. I've been saving it for a special occasion, and it's a tengu custom to drink at a wake. Or at a wedding. Or at the birth of a child...and well, just about any time that they can find an excuse to throw a party."

The door opened wider and Ash gave him a faint but sincere smile. "They sound a lot like werewolves."

"In a way, they are," Tsubasa said with a grin. He held the jug up temptingly. "So, would you like to try some? It's supposed to be stronger than Firewhiskey."

"That's hard to imagine," Ash said skeptically.

"You'll never know unless you try," Tsubasa pointed out.

"That's true," Ash said, his smile growing a little wider. He swung the door open all the way and asked, "Would you care to come in and do a taste test?"

Tsubasa felt a sudden burst of heat in his groin as he remembered what had happened the last time he had stepped into the werewolf's bedroom. Repeating the experience would no doubt be pleasurable, but it probably wasn't a very smart idea at the moment.

"Why don't you come downstairs and we'll share it with the pack?" Tsubasa asked lightly. "It's more fun to drink with friends than to drink alone, isn't it?"

"Who sent you up here?" Ash sighed resignedly, leaning against the door frame. "Lukas? Takeshi?"

"No one sent me," Tsubasa said stiffly. "I came on my own, as a friend. Is it really so hard to believe that I would come of my own will to visit a friend whose mother has died?"

"I'm sorry," Ash said, smiling at him apologetically. "All the Firewhiskey has muddled my brain, I suppose. Besides, Takeshi would never send you up here with a bottle of alcohol. He thinks I drink too much."

Tsubasa loved his cousin, but he was really tired of hearing his name--at least when it came out of Ash's mouth. "Don't worry," he said sweetly, holding out his free arm. "I'll protect you from the big bad mediwizard."

All his annoyance vanished when Ash threw back his head and laughed--a real laugh that relaxed his drawn and tense features--and slipped his arm through Tsubasa's. "I'll hold you to that," he chuckled, with a wolfish, sharp-toothed grin.

The contact of Ash's arm against his own, even through the sleeves of their robes, caused Tsubasa's skin to tingle, and he was acutely aware of how close Ash was; he could almost feel the heat radiating off the werewolf's body. There was a little hitch in Ash's breath, and then the sound of his breathing grew louder and hoarser, and he knew that Ash could feel it, too.

{Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea in the world, either, but oh well,} Tsubasa thought to himself, and they made their way arm-in-arm down the staircase. The other werewolves greeted them with sly and speculative grins, and when Takeshi smiled at them, Tsubasa's grip on Ash's arm tightened reflexively, despite his misgivings. Ash looked startled for a moment, then smiled at him almost shyly, an expression that seemed out of place on his scarred and normally cynical face, but was all the more endearing for its incongruity. Maybe there was hope for them, after all...
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Several hours later, the jug of sake was empty, and there were several empty Firewhiskey and beer bottles strewn across the table and floor, not to mention several werewolves passed out on the floor. Takeshi must have taught Aric the turning-wine-into-water spell, because the young werewolf was still conscious, although he clearly hadn't turned all of the alcohol into water. His face was slightly flushed, and he looked a little tipsy as he pulled Takeshi onto his lap and nuzzled his neck.

"Not in public, dear," Takeshi said coyly, but he made no move to fend off Aric's advances.

Meanwhile, Ash was still conscious, but no longer able to stay upright, and he collapsed across the couch, his head conveniently landing on Tsubasa's lap. "Thass good stuff," he mumbled in a slurred voice. "Really is strong as you say."

Tsubasa supposed he ought to push Ash off his lap, but the werewolf looked so content that he didn't have the heart. Besides, there was no danger of things getting out of hand when Ash was so intoxicated that he could barely move. "Indeed it is," Tsubasa murmured, gently stroking Ash's hair, taking a guilty pleasure in the feel of it sliding through his fingers. "My tengu friends would be impressed that you are still conscious."

"Hmm," Aric said, temporarily halting his nuzzling to ponder the question of tengu sake versus Firewhiskey. "I'd say that the sake is a little stronger, but the Firewhiskey burns more going down your throat."

"Fair enough; it is called 'Firewhiskey,' after all," Tsubasa agreed. He'd sampled a little of both, not enough to get drunk, but enough to concur with Aric's assessment--and his cousin's joking statement that the Firewhiskey could be used a substitute for paint thinner.

Lukas rose to his feet unsteadily, saying, "Well, things seem to be under control here." He smiled at Ash and Tsubasa. "And if I don't get home soon, Narcissa's going to kill me."

"You're going to feel the sharp edge of her tongue as it is, coming home smelling of whiskey," Kyra said with a grin. She and her husband Brian were among the few werewolves left that were still conscious and mostly sober.

"That's true," Lukas sighed, then grinned back at her. "Ah well, I'd rather have a woman with a fierce temper than those proper pureblood women who just cringe and nod at whatever their husbands say."

"Lucky for you," Kyra said dryly as Lukas vanished through the fireplace in a puff of green smoke.

"Well, the party seems to be over," Brian yawned, gesturing at the unconscious and half-conscious bodies sprawled across the room. "Maybe we should call it a night and go to bed."

"Yeah, bed sounds great right about now," Aric growled in a low voice, nipping at Takeshi's neck.

"Aric!" he protested, laughing and blushing as he jumped to his feet. "Yes, I guess maybe we should get home before I need to put you on a leash."

"Um...Ash?" Tsubasa said to the occupant of his lap, who didn't look inclined to move.

Kyra got up, grabbed Ash by the shoulder, and gave him a firm shake. "Come on, Sleeping Beauty, upstairs to your own bed. Maybe Arthur gave you the day off, but the Professor here has to work tomorrow."

"But 'm comfy," he protested sleepily.

"Yes, I'm sure you're comfy, pack brother," Kyra said dryly. "But I think Tsubasa would like his lap back. Come on, up!"

She shook him again, and in response, Ash burrowed his face a little deeper into Tsubasa's lap--a little too close to his crotch for comfort, especially since he hadn't drunk enough alcohol to dampen his libido.

Tsubasa let out a little yelp and shouted, "Ash!" as he gave the werewolf a sharp rap on the head with his fist. "Watch where you're putting your face!"

Ash managed, with some effort, to raise himself off Tsubasa's lap. "Sorry," he said, rubbing his head and smiling sheepishly, although there was a glint of laughter in his eyes.

The other werewolves burst into laughter. "Ah, don't worry, Tsubasa," Kyra chuckled. "He's too drunk to get it up right now, anyway." She grinned at him slyly. "Or is that a disappointment?"

"Don' go insulting my manhood," Ash growled good-naturedly, lurching to his feet--and then almost keeling over, but Tsubasa managed to catch him before he fell. "Might need a little help getting to bed," he mumbled.

"You think?" Kyra asked sarcastically.

Ash managed to make his way upstairs by being half supported, half dragged along by Tsubasa. His hearing wasn't quite as good as a werewolf's, but Tsubasa overheard Kyra muttering to herself in surprise, "The pretty bird is stronger than he looks."

Ash collapsed onto the bed, and Tsubasa pulled off his shoes, but didn't try to undress him further. He was still aroused from the lap incident, and he didn't want to be tempted by the sight of a half-naked Ash. The fact that Ash reeked of alcohol and was only half-conscious put something of a damper on his desire, but not nearly as much as it should have.

"Thanks for coming," Ash told him. "I 'preciate it."

"You're welcome," Tsubasa replied.

"And...er...sorry 'bout the lap thing," Ash added, although his mischievous grin didn't look contrite at all.

Tsubasa couldn't help smiling back at him. "Next time," he whispered in a sultry voice, bending down to brush his lips against Ash's, "don't start something you can't finish." He laughed at the stunned look on Ash's face, then said goodnight, and returned to Hogwarts.

"Oh crap," he sighed as he stepped into his quarters. "I need another cold shower. I might as well just have the house-elves shut off the hot water altogether." But still, the memory of Ash resting peacefully in his lap brought a smile to his lips.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________

While Dawlish was trying to gather evidence to prove that Ash had murdered his mother, Kingsley, Tonks, and Harry continued their own investigation. It was decided that Kingsley would interview Rosalind Madley's friends and family, since most of them were purebloods, or at least liked to claim that they were, and as such, were unlikely to be forthcoming with a half-blood like Tonks. As for Harry, the potential witnesses were likely to be intimidated by his celebrity as the Savior of the Wizarding World, even if they weren't offended by his Muggle blood, so Kingsley went off alone, somewhat to Harry's disappointment. Helping Tonks go through a stack of school records wasn't exactly exciting work, but on the other hand, interviewing a bunch of snooty purebloods didn't sound like much fun, either, so maybe he and Tonks had the better end of the deal, after all.

"This isn't exactly what I thought Auror work would be like," Harry sighed, as he set aside one folder and reached for another. Snape had sent them Rosalind Parker's school transcripts, as well as a list of students she had gone to school with. It was likely that Rosalind's lover had been a fellow Slytherin, but they couldn't be certain of that, so Snape had included the names of the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor students as well. And since they could not be certain that Rosalind's lover had been in the same year as her, Snape had sent along the records for every student that Rosalind might have conceivably crossed paths with, which covered about six years prior to and six years after her entry into Hogwarts, in addition to her yearmates--which all added up to a huge stack of paperwork. On top of that, Tonks had also gathered a list of people who had done business with Rosalind's father around the time that she had conceived Ash.

"What, Harry, did you expect flashy duels and midnight broomstick chases?" Tonks asked with a grin and a wink. "That does happen occasionally when you catch up to the suspect, but finding him in the first place usually involves a lot of tedious and boring investigating."

"Do you think that Snape sent all this paperwork over on purpose?" Harry asked glumly. "Surely this can't all be relevant! I think he must be getting back at me for every real and imagined slight that I committed against him at Hogwarts." Mostly imagined, Harry thought, but he admitted to himself that there were a few incidents that he really was responsible for--the time he had thrown a firecracker into a cauldron of Swelling Solution during Potions class as a distraction, for example, or the time he had spied in the Pensieve, or the time that he, Ron, and Hermione had knocked out Snape and helped Sirius escape when everyone had still thought that he was a murderer...although really, that shouldn't count since Sirius had been innocent. But the words "fair" and "rational" were rarely used to describe the Potions Master...

Tonks laughed and said, "I think that Severus was just being thorough, Harry. It's up to us to weed down the list of suspects. For starters, you can eliminate all the girls, since none of them could've had made Rosalind pregnant. And you can probably eliminate the boys who were younger than her, since it seems that she had Ash about a year after she left Hogwarts. It's just barely possible that she could have met a school-age lover for an assignation during a Hogsmeade visit or a Quidditch game, but it seems rather unlikely. You should go over their names just to be thorough, but you should concentrate mainly on the boys her age or a little older."

"That helps some," Harry admitted. "But I'm still not exactly sure what I'm looking for."

"Someone from a prominent pureblood family, who would be shamed by a werewolf son," Tonks replied.

"Doesn't that cover nearly everyone in Slytherin?" Harry pointed out.

"Well, right now, we're just drawing up a list of potential suspects, Harry," Tonks replied patiently. "When Kingsley comes back, we can cross-reference with his information and see if any of those names turned up in his interviews."

"Right," Harry said, blushing a little; he should've been able to figure that out for himself.

"Don't worry," Tonks said kindly, patting him on the shoulder. "You're still new at this, but you'll soon get the hang of it."

Harry smiled at her and determinedly began copying names onto a sheet of parchment, making notes here and there when he came across someone who might be a likely suspect, but his eyes were strained and his wrist was sore by the time that Kingsley returned.

"So what did you find out?" Tonks asked.

"Not much," Kingsley sighed. "I hope you two had better luck than I did. I learned from Mrs. Madley's friends that she was a very beautiful and ambitious girl when she was at Hogwarts, but no one seemed to know whom her lover might be."

"Surely such a beautiful girl would have had at least a few boyfriends," Tonks said.

Kingsley smiled wryly. "It seems that she aimed above her station, always setting her sights on the boys of highest rank, but they would have nothing to do with her, because her blood wasn't pure enough. The Parkers claim to be purebloods, but there are a few unexplained gaps on the family tree that make them suspect in the eyes of the 'real' purebloods. The friends gave me a few names of boys she dated, but they were all short-term and not serious, at least according to the friends. We'll investigate further to be sure, but I don't think that any of these men are our suspect. What about you two?"

"Well, I noticed that there were several Death Eaters on the list of students that Snape gave us," Harry replied. "Amycus Carrow was in Slytherin, and the same age as her..."

"Ugh," Tonks said, shuddering in revulsion. "I remember him; a squat, lumpy fellow who looked like a toad, and had the most disgusting leer. I can't imagine that any woman would willingly let him touch her."

"An ambitious woman who cares more about his money and rank than his looks might," Kingsley said dryly. "But Carrow is dead. One of the werewolves snapped his neck during the final battle, and good riddance. I suppose it's possible that a family member could have taken revenge for him, but it seems like a remote possibility at this point. Go on, Harry."

"Another Death Eater, Jugson, was also in her year, and Macnair was a year above her," Harry continued. "And another one, Travers, was six years above her, but since she'd only have known him for one year, when she was a first-year and he was a seventh, it doesn't seem likely that he could be her secret boyfriend." He frowned thoughtfully. "Although I guess that they could have met again after she graduated. Um, and let's see, Avery and Nott were five years below her, but I don't think that she would have been having an affair with anyone that young."

"Good work, Harry," Kingsley said. "A Death Eater would certainly have motive to cover up the fact that he had a child with impure blood. The problem is that they're all dead or in prison, so they couldn't have murdered Rosalind personally."

"But like you said, a family member could have killed on their behalf," Tonks pointed out. "By the way, is someone still keeping an eye on the Macnair twins?"

Kingsley frowned. "No, Dawlish pulled them off surveillance duty, saying it was a waste of time and he needed someone to guard Alden Madley. And they weren't much good, anyway, since the Macnairs seemed to catch on pretty quick that someone was watching them. They've behaved themselves publicly, and there hasn't been any suspicious Floo activity, but who knows where they might be Apparating to when no one's looking? We can't spy inside their mansion. I hear that they visit their father regularly, so he could have given them orders to kill Mrs. Madley, but we'd need some solid proof in order to get an arrest warrant or even just a warrant to search the mansion."

"Snape said that Macnair loved his children and didn't want to put them in danger," Harry said thoughtfully. "Isn't ordering them to kill someone pretty dangerous? They'd be arrested if they were caught, and they could have been attacked by the werewolf that they used as an assassin."

"Good point," Kingsley conceded. "Although if they're loyal children, they might have decided to protect their father's honor on their own, without his knowledge or consent. We'll definitely keep the Macnairs on our suspect list, but I think it's more likely that Ash's father, whomever he is, would have planned the murder by himself. He'd want as few people as possible to know of his disgrace."

"Even his family?" Harry asked.

"In some cases, especially his family," Kingsley replied solemnly. "His own family might well turn against him if he brought dishonor upon them. You saw how quick most of the Death Eaters' families were to distance themselves from their disgraced relatives."

"Speaking of Death Eaters," Tonks said, "I have a Death Eater on my list, too. Rosalind's father was--and still is--an editor at WhizzHard Books."

"Didn't they publish 'Quidditch through the Ages?'" Harry asked.

"Yes, which did impress some of Rosalind's classmates, although not the ones that she really hoped to impress," Kingsley replied. "Mr. Parker never mentioned anything about working with a Death Eater, though."

"Probably doesn't want to admit to guilt by association," Tonks said. "But years ago, around the time that Rosalind would have conceived Ash, WhizzHard did publish a history on wizard genealogy that was actually a thinly-veiled treatise on pureblood superiority. And guess who wrote it? Augustus Rookwood!"

"Rookwood?" Harry asked, startled. "Isn't he...well...old? Old enough to be her father, surely!"

Tonks shrugged. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time that a wealthy older man seduced a girl young enough to be his daughter. That might explain why he never married her, since he was already married to someone else. And I believe that his son is about Rosalind's age."

Harry scanned his list, then began leafing through the school records. "I don't see a Rookwood on the list of students."

"I think his son went to Durmstrang," Kingsley replied. "Well, Rookwood's in prison, too, but I'll check on the son. Rookwood's family has publicly disavowed him and claimed that they had no knowledge of his Death Eater activities, but that might just be for show. I can talk to Mr. Parker again, see if he remembers Rookwood or his son being friendly with Rosalind, but even if he did, I'm not sure that he'd tell me." Kingsley scowled. "Mrs. Madley's friends seemed sad that she was dead, or were at least courteous enough to pretend to be sad, but her family acted like her death was nothing but a huge inconvenience for them. They complained about how she disgraced them, first by bearing a child out of wedlock, and then by marrying a Mudblood, although apparently that was slightly better than being an unwed mother. 'And even in death, she has to draw scandal down upon us,' her father complained. Not one of them shed a single tear that I could see, or voiced any concern about seeing the murderer brought to justice; all they cared about was their reputation. Now, it's true that Rosalind Madley appears to have been a shallow and selfish woman with few redeeming qualities, but still, no matter who you are or what you've done, your own flesh and blood ought to mourn you when you're dead. Even Ash, as much as he hated his mother, showed more reaction to her death than her parents and her brother did."

"That seems sad," Harry said quietly. "Even if she wasn't a nice person, I can't help but feel a little sorry for her."

Kingsley sighed and rubbed the top of his bald head, as he often did when he was distracted. "Well, her daughter must mourn her, at least. By all accounts, she was a good mother to her daughter, if not to her son."

"What about Alden Madley?" Tonks asked. "Did you find out anything about their marriage, if things were bad enough that he might want to kill his wife?"

"Well, Alden Madley has an alibi for the night of the murder," Kingsley replied. "Although if he hired an assassin, he wouldn't have needed to be in England at the time. The people I talked to all said that Alden Madley was completely smitten with his wife when they first wed, but things gradually began to cool off after a couple of years--I suppose he must have realized that she only married him in order to gain a father for her son and make herself respectable again. Their acquaintances say that their relationship was cool and distant, but not particularly rancorous--the way many arranged marriages often turn out. Despite the state of their marriage, there's no evidence that either Mr. or Mrs. Madley was having an affair, and everyone agrees that they were both loving parents to their daughter. Of course, it's possible that the stress of recent events could have caused Madley to snap, and if he abused Ash as a child, he's certainly capable of violence, but still...his outburst in the morgue seemed genuine. If he was faking it, the man's a great actor."

"Well, it still seems a bit suspicious to me," Tonks said skeptically. "The marriage has been on the outs for years, but suddenly he turns into the hysterical, grieving widower when his wife dies?"

"Emotions can remain pent-up for years, but yes, I have a few doubts, too," Kingsley agreed. "Unfortunately, he refused to talk to me once he figured out that I was looking for a suspect other than Ash, and Dawlish backed him up."

"Dawlish!" Tonks said disgustedly. "And after he said he would be more open-minded in the future after being wrong the last time--what a hypocrite!"

"Did he really say that?" Harry asked, finding it hard to believe.

"Hmm...well, no, actually he said something about being careful to investigate his cases more thoroughly in the future, but it amounts to the same thing," Tonks replied. "He isn't doing a proper investigation; he's only focusing on Ash without looking for any other suspects."

"It just doesn't make sense to me," Harry said, shaking his head. "If Ash wanted to kill his parents, why wouldn't he have done it long ago, after he'd first been turned, instead of waiting so many years to get his revenge?"

Kingsley shrugged. "Well, I suppose Dawlish would say that Ash tried to forget about the past, but the newspaper article and his stepfather's visit to the Ministry provoked him and stirred up old feelings of hatred. Personally, while I believe that Ash is capable of killing under the right circumstances, I think that he would go about it in a much smarter fashion. Before he joined the Ministry, he was a smuggler, and a very successful one, which means that he was good at eluding the law. I think he'd try to set up a better alibi for himself, and he certainly wouldn't kill his mother in a way that would make it obvious that a werewolf had done it."

Harry wasn't sure that Kingsley's theoretical picture of Ash as a clever killer was really a vote of confidence, and judging by Tonks's ironic little smile, she felt the same way. "Did you find out if the Madleys had any other enemies who might want to harm them?" he asked, changing the subject.
 
Kingsley shook his head. "Alden Madley has a few business rivals that he's offended, but none so badly that they would want to kill him or his wife. As for Rosalind, she seems to be a nonentity. No one except her family seems to care enough about her to hate her. I might suspect her parents of wanting to get rid of their problem daughter, except that they wouldn't have done it in such a sensational manner. They would have done it quietly, maybe try to make it look like natural causes."

"So basically, we're back to square one," Tonks sighed.

"Give us the rest of the names, Harry," Kingsley suggested. "Anyone else stand out to you?"

"Not really," Harry said, wishing he had something more to offer. "There are a number of prominent pureblood names on the list, though. Let's see...there was a Bailey Flint in Rosalind's year, and the Flints are a pretty important family, right? Snape made Marcus Flint Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team several years ago, after all."

"Bailey Flint?" Kingsley asked, sounding startled. "No, you can cross him off your list, Harry. He died years ago, during the first war. I don't know all the details, but I believe that he was a victim of the Death Eaters."

Harry nodded and continued reciting names. "Montague...Baddock...Davis...Warrington...Bulstrode..." When he finished with the Slytherin names, he went over the Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw names, just to be sure that he hadn't missed anything.

"Well, nothing rings a bell," Kingsley sighed. "All right, we'll start investigating, starting with the Death Eater families and the most prominent Slytherins. We'll see if any of them have been hanging around Knockturn Alley recently...that's where most people go to find killers for hire. I don't think there would be many rogue werewolves hanging around so close to Lukas's pack, though..."

"Maybe Lukas might have an idea of where the rogues might be found," Tonks said. "Or Takeshi might, if they come to the clinic to get Wolfsbane Potion."

"Good idea," Kingsley said approvingly. "All right, let's get to work." He smiled sympathetically at Harry. "I'm afraid that this is going to involve a lot of tedious legwork, Harry."

Harry repressed a groan and said gamely, "Sure, Kingsley; it's all part of the job, right?"  But inwardly, he was wondering why he had ever thought that being an Auror would be an exciting job.

Part 12b