Chapter Text
“What do you mean I need to be interviewed about a murder? First, who the hell died? Second, what the fuck do I have to do with it?” Pansy’s voice echoed across the emptiness of the entrance to the Great Hall as she attempted to push past the middle-aged Auror to get to breakfast, but found another in her path.
“Parkinson.” She looked up to see the newest Auror that blocked her way was none other than Harry Potter. “We are required to take statements from all students that were not accounted for by their heads of house last night. We need to do our due diligence by interviewing everyone.”
“I request that my solicitor be present during the interview then,” Pansy snapped.
“Look, we’re just trying to do our job and that requires questioning all students and staff on this list which came directly from the Head of Houses, along with the portraits that have views of the dormitory entrances.” The bulky Auror informed her while crossing his arms firmly across his chest in an intimidation tactic.
She opened her mouth ready to ream into the unknown Auror, but Potter uttering her first name cut her off. “Pansy, no one is accusing you of anything. You're not under arrest, but any information that you saw since last night could be useful,” he told her calmly.
“Very well then. I will speak with you, Auror Potter, and only you,” she warned while glaring at the first Auror to say anything differently. She would rather be interviewed by a rookie, former classmate than this accusatory asshole.
Auror Potter led her to a small study room off the Entrance Hall to complete the interview. The room was obviously arranged by the Auror team to use for interrogation of students and staff. A small wooden table with two laminated chairs faced each other. He gestured for her to choose a chair and promptly sat in the other.
He seemed adequately prepared with a Quick-Quotes Quill, but she wondered if this was his very first interview. He shuffled briefly though notes inside of a manila folder while the parchment hovered readily over his shoulder. “Explain to me what you were doing last night, please.” He was being cautious and respectful with her. She appreciated that.
She held her chin up and never took her gaze away from his while she explained to him her alibi for the night. “We had a slumber party in the Room of Requirement. A standard girls’ night: makeovers, pajamas, gossip, snacks, that sort of thing. After some of the girls fell asleep, Hermione, Susan, and I wanted ice cream, so we left for the kitchens–sometime around midnight, I guess.”
“Hermione had a sleepover with the Slytherins?” he said with lifted brows, leaning forward in his chair with interest. She detected a tone of surprise in his voice, like he couldn’t believe Hermione would associate with them, voluntarily.
“Yes, I can give you a list of attendees, if you need?” she said with annoyance. “There were eleven of us, in total.” Then her face drained of blood making her appearance ghostly. “She wasn’t killed, was she?” Please, Merlin, don’t let it be one of my friends.
“No, not her. I haven’t seen Hermione yet this morning, though,” he said, slightly flustered like he said something he probably shouldn’t have.
“How did they die? Is anyone else hurt? Was it a student or teacher?” Pansy turned the tables and started to fire off question after question about the supposed murder.
“I am not at liberty to discuss the details of the case until the family has been notified,” he said with a loud stern tone that left no room for discussion. It seemed like he practiced that sentence often by how smoothly it rolled off his tongue.
“Now, can we proceed through the rest of this?” he asked her while changing his features into a neutral mask. He did a shit job of it, because he looked constipated. She gave him a nonchalant shrug and he took the cue to continue. “Did you stop anywhere on your way to the kitchens? Did you encounter anyone?”
She thought back to the night before, running through the sequence of events in her head while idly tracing random patterns on the table top with her fingernail. “We stopped by a loo, third floor. It’s such a long way to the kitchens, plus Susan thought she saw Filch, so we ducked in to hide.”
Harry’s eyebrows raised. “Anything else strange happen or did you see anyone else besides Filch?”
“No.” She paused for a moment to think. “No, nothing weird or… Actually, there was a pipe behind the handles of the tap of the sink. So, I picked it up and tried to figure out where it went, but the rest of the pipes were smaller, so I put it back where I found it. That sink was broken anyways, so I moved onto another to wash my hands. I don’t know why I touched it, it’s not like I know anything about plumbing. I had this strange sensation to repair it. That’s odd, right?” Pansy asked.
He nodded and she could hear the Quick-Quotes Quill scribbling furiously. “How long did you stay in the kitchens?”
“Maybe fifteen minutes. Hermione talked with a house elf to get us each ice cream. We ate them on the way back. Before you ask, we didn’t see anyone along the way. Once we got back, we went to sleep.”
“How many girls were there when you woke up this morning?” he asked.
Pansy furrowed her brows in thought. “Hermione, Susan, Ginny, and Padma weren’t there. We just assumed they’d already gone to breakfast. Luna and Daphne were still in the room when Tracey and I came down for food before a different Auror hauled her off.”
“Would you write down a list of all the attendees at the party, please?” he said, setting a piece of parchment and a quill on the table.
She wrote down all eleven names and slid it back to him.
He studied the list of names. “Theo Nott was at the slumber party?”
“Of course. He has the best boy gossip. He’s also one of my best friends, so he better not be dead… Actually, everyone on that list needs to be alive.”
“Sorry, Parkinson. I cannot tell you anymore. If there is something you wish to tell me, here’s my information for Floo or owl.” He handed her a card. The interview notes floated into the manila folder, he picked it up and held it tightly in his grasp. He paused by the door, “You're free to get some food. Everyone’s required to stay in the Great Hall until the interviews have concluded. Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Parkinson.”
“Good to see the formalities come out at the end,” she muttered as the door closed behind him.
Who the bloody hell was murdered last night and do they think that I did it?
~*~*~*~
Upon Pansy’s entrance to the Great Hall, she saw Susan, Theo, Tracey, and the Patil twins grouped together. The tone of the entire Hall was quiet and somber as she glanced around while she joined them. “What the fuck is going on? Did you all get interrogated as well?”
They all nodded. “Any idea who was killed? I hope it’s none of the girls that were with us last night,” Theo said with a shaky voice. He picked at his nails and she saw the worry in his eyes.
Tracey put her hand on Theo’s to stop the fidgeting. “Breathe, Theo. We just have to wait to see who walks through those doors. Obviously, the people here have been questioned and cleared. I’m sure it won’t take long for them to find out what happened.”
Shortly after the Headmistress arrived, she canceled classes and announced everyone would be staying in the Great Hall to assist the Aurors’ investigation. She conjured sofas and summoned games to prevent boredom. She assured everyone they would be released the moment the Aurors had concluded their interviews.
Two hours later, they all sat at a table together as more students arrived. She watched the tension in Theo’s shoulders relax with each friend. He hugged each one tightly, obviously thrilled that they were alive. She was worried he was going to destroy his shoes with his incessant pacing.
Another hour with no new arrivals. Everyone except Hermione and Ginny were accounted for. Theo was back to pacing and muttering about how he somehow assisted in the murder of a war hero. She almost slapped him to stop his flustering panic, but luckily Blaise pulled him away to play chess instead.
Before he left, he apologized, “Ugh, you're right, Parks. I need to stop worrying. All this fuss could be over Filch’s cat, for all we know.”
Another hour, Hermione rushed into the Great Hall, her hair an unbrushed, tangled bush around her head. Everyone from the slumber party stood, faces a mix of worry and confusion. Hermione scanned everyone until she landed on Pansy. Well, shit, she thought. Hermione beelined directly to her, grabbed her wrist, pulled her to a secluded area away from the rest of the group.
“What is going on? Have you seen Ginny?” Pansy rushed out her worried questions to her friend.
“Ginny is fine, she’s in the hospital wing with a minor injury. Everyone has been interviewed, so they will be announcing it soon.” She looked around and quietly cast a Muffliato Charm, “Edward Harper is dead. Their lead suspect is you,” she explained.
“Me!” She yelled in bewilderment. “Why would I kill a student?”
“Harper was killed with a blow to the base of his skull with a pipe. A lead pipe that apparently has your fingerprints on it,” Hermione informed, her tone not accusing but calm waiting for her to explain herself.
“That bloody pipe from the girls’ loo that I was attempting to fix,” Pansy cursed herself for touching something obviously out of place. “You and Susan were in the loo. Remember? I went to use that sink with a wonky pipe, and I tried to find where it belonged. I gave up when the pipe didn’t line up anywhere. I promise you that I have no idea what’s really going on here.”
“Pansy, I believe you. I was with you the whole night. There is no way that you could have murdered someone in the time it took for me to use the loo.” She smiled weakly at her. “I don’t know who did it, Pansy,” Hermione said, putting her hand on Pansy’s shoulder. “But I promise, I will help you clear your name. I confirmed with Harry that you were with Susan and I last night. The Aurors are going to question Susan again, specifically about you this time. We will figure this out.”
Pansy clenched and unclenched her hands to stop herself from ripping her own hair out. Who was framing her for murder? At least she had one ally that would help her.
She decided to entrust Hermione and brainstorm out loud. Hermione was incredibly smart, so it would be good to assess where her thoughts were as well. “Who would want to kill Edward Harper? He’s a pureblood, a bully to everyone outside of Slytherin. In fact, he even bullied the non-pureblood Slytherins like Tracey. He was part of Umbridge’s Inquisitorial Squad.” She turned to Hermione. “Almost everyone hated that git, so it could literally be anyone in this bloody school.”
Pansy looked over to the group and saw that Susan was not with them anymore and more than half of their group was watching them with interest.
“I need to figure out who is framing me and why,” Pansy said with determination.
“We will figure this out, together.” Hermione promised. She canceled her spell and they returned to their group of friends and a whole flood of questions together.