Coral

Eloise arrived at the ministry late, and received a stern look from the men in charge. She was, thankfully, early enough to spare a moment for Edward, who was practically shaking her for information about Amanda. She hurriedly related everything to him, excluding Agnes's surprise visit, of course, while Polly was being force fed the Veritaserum.



He sat weakly on the bench outside the interrogation room, his face in his hands for some time.



" I believed him." he stated shakily.



" Whom did you believe?" she asked gently.



" That other healer. Witherwhatever. He...he told me the first time that she had done it to herself. And I believed him. "



" Why?" she asked incredulously, dropping to the seat beside him.



" Because I am old. And because she was forced into the marriage. And because I could not find it in me to believe otherwise! " he shouted, striking his fist hard against the wood. The sound rang out through the empty corridor.



" She had very high levels of toxic herbs and pharmaceutical in her blood, they said. Much more than she would have taken casually. He said that it happened all the time. And I thought what a fool I must have been not to have suspected that possibility. But she just didn't seem unhappy... I always knew when Dinah was unhappy."



" Edward...Dinah was always unhappy. " Eloise said gently.



He snorted.



" Therefore, I did not believe that another woman could be any better. Woman. She isn't a woman, she is just a girl. One that has seen too much sorrow, in too short a time."



" Do you still believe that she was responsible?"



" I...I don't know. I want to believe she is innocent."



" Why didn't you take measures to find out?"



He looked hard at the floor.



" I couldn't." he said simply.



" But you want to know? To be sure."



" Yes..."



" Then ask the Inquisitor to question Polly about that as well. If it is true, and Amanda had been given the herbs...and I don't believe that she would have taken them willingly, then it is not preposterous to suspect that Polly might have had a hand in that as well."



" But why?"



" Who knows why people do the things that they do? It's our nature as humans. We are evil, greedy, and cruel. We hurt the ones we love, get intoxicated, and do stupid things to endanger our lives. And sometimes we are insane, jealous, manipulative, scheming, and...just plain bad. "



" We are about to begin." a woman in a dark blue robe and tie informed them. " The Veritaserum has been successfully administered. She gave us quite a fight, but she--"



A shrill shriek sounded from within the room, and a several voices began shouting simultaneously. A crash sounded, and the scuffling and tramping of many feet followed.



" What the Devil?"



" Who the hell?"



" Who did that?"



" Rawley, did you--?"



" What is going on here?"



" Don't let her get away! "



" Impedimentia!"



"Incarcerous!"



A soft thump sounded from within.



" Incarcerous?" someone asked, laughing. " I would have thought you could do better than that!"



" Crucio springs to mind..."



" What happened?"





Eloise and Edward exchanged looks. Curiosity was the perfect cure for his fit of self-loathing, and they both crowded close to the door to see what was happening. All Eloise could see was a pair of shoes sticking out un-couthly from behind a chair.

" What happened? " she asked a Wizard who was shouldering out.



" Something. Excuse me, I need to get through.Please move."



At last the woman in the blue robe, who had slipped into the room at the beginning of the commotion, gestured to Eloise and Edward.



" It was a Polyjuice effect! This is a different person entirely! We'll need one of you to try and identify her!" the woman excitedly pushed up her trim little spectacles. " This is incredible. In all the years that I have worked here, no one has ever been powerful enough to maintain a Polyjuice image that long, and escape detection!"



" Perhaps you are getting shabby with your security, Merle." said a short toady woman in a shocking pink sweater. She had appeared quite suddenly behind Edward, and coughed for him to excuse her.



" Dolores...I don't believe you have any authority in this department!" Giles roared.



" Tsk.Tsk. I am the Minister's right hand woman. It is my duty to be involved. Isn't this the interrogation of the servant accused of killing one of our Muggle Breeders?"



" She is not dead. Nor is she a breeder. She is my niece." Eloise stated, holding out an arm instinctively to hold Edward.



" Ms. Rookwood. Why, I had no idea it was your niece! Well, that makes this more important, doesn't it?"



" Does it?" Eloise lilted in imitation.



" Of course...since we are practically family, and you are very well respected by the new minister. I will see that this case gets top priority!" she simpered.



Edward elbowed past her a bit rudely, and Eloise followed in his wake.



" Stand her up, there. Oh, she is coming around already! I swear Peterson, don't you have any juice left in you at all?" a brightly dressed auror was supervising another, thinner auror, who was struggling to lift the lifeless form. The first auror finally used a levitation charm to raise her to waist level.



" Let's see her face!" Merle commanded. The thinner auror took hold of the womans hair.





Both Edward and Eloise gasped as the men lifted the unconscious woman's head, Eloise's knuckles flying to her teeth as she found herself staring not into Polly's warm brown eyes...



Not into Polly's eyes at all.





It was Demogene!