To Catch a Killer

~ ~ Chapter five ~ ~


The entire way to the crime scene, Harry played that scene over in his head. Did he see that right? Was it a trick of the light, or lack thereof? Was Al just scratching his foot? Did he even know it was there? If he didn't know it was there, would he hate Harry for letting that happen?

"Potter!" Cormack shouted. “Are you awake or not?”

“Yes, I'm awake,” Harry said through gritted teeth. Cormack didn't need to know where Harry's mind had just been. Truth be told, he should keep it out of that line of thinking. It was wrong to think about your son in that way. People don't shag their children, it's not right. Harry intently examined the body hanging on the wall. Like the others, this one had been left nearly naked, but for once he'd been left in his underclothes. His white y-fronts were red with blood. Harry didn't have to look; like the others, this poor boy had been castrated.

“Well?” Cormack asked, in his sharp accusatory tone. “You're the expert. Why is this sick bastard taking these kids' balls? He's not killing them by removing them, so why do it?”

Harry examined the body, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He pulled back the damp hair that had been shrouding the boy's face and immediately recognised both the boy and the cause of death. Just like the other victims, he was killed by way of the Cruciatus.

“My guess is the killer is keeping them for...a memento? Possibly a trophy. He probably shags them, then either feels guilty for it – which could mean we're dealing with a closeted shirt lifter - or after shagging them, he likely gets angry and wants to hurt them. Emasculating them shows he is the dominant figure. He wants to tower over them, scare them. And the cause of death is the killing curse.”

The media had just arrived - more to the point, a reinstated Rita Skeeter - her photographer as close as a shadow. Harry wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of taking this boy’s photo. With a wave of his wand, he released Hecktor Longbottom from the wall. Holding him in his arms, he turned to Cormack. “I'm taking him in.” Without waiting for a response Harry Apparated to St. Mungos.

By noon Harry had already visited Neville at Hogwarts, dealt with the ungrateful media, been issued another dressing down by his boss, and was just now starting his paperwork. Hecktor was a good boy, never in trouble. Never messed with anyone, and was very much like his dad. He was taller than Neville, thinner, more handsome – not that Harry though Neville wasn't – but it was hard to miss with a different girl on his arm every time Harry saw him.

There was no reason for this boy to have been killed. That's not to say that any of them deserved to be killed and mutilated. But Hecktor? This was proving to be one hell of a long day. Harry not only hadn't slept any last night, he hadn't eaten and the images of Al kept popping into the front of his mind every couple of minutes. It was wrong for him to be lusting after his son, but his entire body was literally aching for release. It didn't help that he'd been in mid wank when he was called in, and then there'd been that thing with Al. Harry was a bundle of nerves when a knock came on his door.

“Enter,” he called, returning to his quill.

“Potter,” Draco said, entering Harry's office. Draco gave the room a thorough looking over, not at all hiding his disdain at the office. “Charming.”

Gritting his teeth so as not to say something he'd regret, Harry greeted his guest. “Save the crap amenities and tell me what you want, Malfoy.”

“Careful, I doubt your boss would appreciate you being rude to a member of high society.”

“You mean someone who donates a cauldron of Galleons to the Ministry each year? I'd hardly call that an upstanding pillar of our community,” Harry replied.

Ignoring Harry's response, Draco pulled out a handkerchief and dusted Harry's clearly clean chair off. “I've heard about the death of the Longbottom boy. He was a good student of mine and he will be sorely missed. I was wondering if you've had any leads on the killer yet?”

“Read the Prophet! You give them enough money. Don't they call you before printing everything?”

Draco chucked softly at that. “Something like that. But I want to hear it from the lead Auror. My son has recently graduated with the highest marks and I want some assurances that you are doing everything in your power and more, to catch this monster.”

“Scorpius is quite safe, I assure you. He's a clever young man,” Harry said, knowing full well he didn't graduate as high as Draco reported him to have. “He works at the Ministry and can't be any safer. And like we've told the Prophet, we have no new clues.”

Draco stood, giving Harry his infamous sneer. “Try harder then. As a tax paying citizen I want you to do your bloody job and keep us safe. If you stay out of the bars and patrol the streets, good decent witches and wizards can sleep better at night. I've not slept a wink since this all started.”

“Really,” Harry said, doing his best to appear completely surprised. “I thought that was the way you always look. Pity.”

Draco leaned over Harry's desk. “Listen, Potter, I came here as a favour to the Headmistress. She said you appeared out of sorts over the latest victim, and asked if I wouldn't give you something for your nerves.” With that Draco pulled out the ever recognisable calming draught, and set it on the desk before leaving wordlessly and slamming the door.

Downing the bad tasting draught Harry wrote a note to Scorpius. He needed to meet the creator of the W-chips. They were the same kind used by each of the victims. Hecktor didn't have any unused coins, so Harry couldn't check his fantasies out for similarities to the other victims.

Around three o'clock Scorpius entered Harry's office. “Hey, Harry you wanted to see me?”

“Yes, please come in and shut the door.”

Scorpius did, then sat in the chair, crossing his right leg over his left and settling back in the chair, still sucking on a lollipop. He smiled at Harry. “Did you have a good wank?”

Harry walked around his desk. “I want the names of your supplier and I want it now!” he demanded.

“What?” Scorpius asked, looking scared. “Wasn't it worth the money?”

“I have another dead body on my hands and my best clue is that your supplier of these... wank chips-” Harry held up the pieces of the one he'd recently bought and watched – minus the wank, “-is my lead suspect. I want to know who he is and I want to know now!” Harry shouted.

Scorpius was looking quite paranoid. “Hang on,” he said, holding up his hands, “it couldn't be them.”

“Them?” Harry interrupted. “There's more than one?”

“Well, yeah. But they couldn't be the killer,” Scorpius said quickly, sitting up in the chair.

“Oh, and suddenly you're an expert on criminal justice?” Harry said sarcastically.

Scorpius' eyes narrowed slightly. Harry could tell he got under the kid's skin. “No, you git! You say there was another murder?”

“Last night.”

“When?”

“I estimate the time of death at around ten.”

Scorpius' smug expression returned and he continued sucking on his lollipop. “As I said, it couldn't be them, because," Scorpius said louder as Harry was about to interrupt him. “Because they were with me from seven o'clock until just before midnight.”

Harry glared at the kid, studying his features looking for a sign that he wasn't telling the truth. He couldn't see any. “Can you prove that?”

Scorpius seem put out. “Can I... Listen, you prat, I just told you I was with them all night. I'm not giving you my only proof of that.”

“Oh, you're not?” Harry said threateningly.

Scorpius stood. “No, I'm not. And if you'd wait two bloody seconds I'd have already told you, I was with Lysander and...” Scorpius stopped. He'd just inadvertently given away his friends as the entrepreneurs of the best W-chips that existed. “Okay, so you know who they are. But I'm telling you they were with me till midnight. They were helping me make a chip for my grandfather.”

Harry looked intently at Scorpius. Damn. He was telling the truth again. “Lucius? The three of you spent five hours making a wank chip for Lucius?” he asked, completely surprised.

Scorpius' face flushed. Not slightly, but it was near the colour of an apple, and his smile was undeniable. “It... it was a... special one,” he said bashfully.

“You made a chip of you doing sexual things, for your grandfather? That is just...” Harry stopped. He didn't know what to say. The thoughts of Albus possibly licking Harry's come off his foot not only made his cock start rising again but he suddenly saw Scorpius in a different light.

“He likes them?” Harry asked. “And he doesn't think it's sick? Or wrong?”

Scorpius' smile crooked to the right. “No he doesn't,” he said evenly, taking the lollipop out of his mouth and gently running it down the exposed part of his chest, the sticky candy gluing a line of chest hairs together. “And this one is for his birthday. He actually should be watching it as we speak and if all goes well.” Scorpius stopped, looking down at Harry's erection. “Yeah,” he said, pointing at Harry's cock with the lollipop. “Exactly. Only not with you. I do have standards.”

Harry quickly moved around his desk, giving Scorpius a sneer of his own. “Cute, that. But if it's not them, then it might be a regular customer. Do they keep a record of their customers?”

“I'm not sure, I can ask them.”

Harry stood, grabbing his cloak. “Let's go.”

“What? No, I can't take you to them! I'm not even supposed to tell anyone that I know who they are. We can't just drop in unannounced.”

“Look, I've been up for over thirty-six hours and my patience is wearing. I give you my word I will not cause a scene or give them away.” Harry held open the door for Scorpius.

“Let me at least firecall them, let them know we're coming over.”

“Fine, use mine. You've got one minute,” Harry closed the door, staying inside his office.

Twenty minutes later they were knocking on the barn door at Luna’s small house. The property was quite cute actually, just across the street from where her father's house sat. Lorcan opened the door, greeting them with a bow.

Please, won't you enter our laboratory?” Lorcan said dreamily.

Harry followed Scorpius through the small hallway, finally stopping over a patch of straw. Lorcan leaned down snaking his hand through the straw and pulled up on a small metal ring, exposing a secret door. It actually smelled like a barn too. A mixture of straw, manure and stale wood, although Harry hadn't seen a sign that an animal was anywhere near the structure. “Scor says you can be trusted. So please, come on down.”

Harry descended the ladder after Scorpius, coming into the brightly lit room he'd very recently watched the two twins wanking and drinking... Harry shut his mind off at that, just as Lysander entered from the bathroom.

“Good afternoon, Auror Potter,” Lysander greeted formally, holding out a black leather gloved hand. “How may we be of service to you?”

“I would very much like to see a list of your customers. I believe that one of them may be the one killing all these boys.” Harry spoke just as formally as Lysander. Knowing them as he did, he knew the best way to get results was to speak to him as you would an adult of high society. And it seemed to be working.

“I must say, my heart is broken from the loss of a good and dear friend like Hecktor. He was a good man. The fact that one of our customers may be his killer is most regrettable. We,” he gestured to his twin and Scorpius, “my partners and I will of course co-operate to our fullest ability. However I must remind you that we do have to go back to school in one week’s time.”

Harry was completely befuddled that three kids such as these could have put together a business, which gives every indication of being a thriving business. They'd found their niche and had very expertly exploited it. “I will appreciate it immensely. Oh,” Harry added holding up one hand. “And you have my word, so long as I am able, I will not divulge your identity.”
We would expect nothing less. If it's in the stars for us to be named, then that is what was to be,” Lorcan said in an abstract tone.

Harry nodded, giving them all a smile as they were now all leaning against the bed.

“There is, however, just one more little thing. I hate to even mention it,” Lysander said nonchalantly, with a slight wave of the hand. At Harry's confused look, he added, “Like most things in the Wizarding World, there is a minor cost for information. Technicality mind you, but it does keep things more civilised.”

Harry raised an eyebrow to the three kids. Or snakes. Slytherin through and through.

“You do have us all at a disadvantage,” Lorcan said softly.

“What my esteemed colleague is trying to say, is out of us all here in this room, we stand to lose the most if we simply hand over our list for you to view.”

“I not only need to look at it, I'll need a copy,” Harry said, putting his hands on his hips. This was quickly turning in the wrong direction.

“That may be a little difficult," Lysander answered. "You see there's a spell on the list and though it is on parchment if someone attempts to copy it, it will burst into flames. Not even we can copy it. You must understand,” he said, holding up a hand to stop Harry from interrupting, “we value our customers' privacy to use and do what they want without the critical eye of society scrutinizing their every move or idea. You may look at the list and feel free to come back to view it several time. But you see, we simply can not let anyone attempt to copy it.”

“We have to contact these people once we're able to procure their order. If we don't have the list, we won't know who ordered what,” Lorcan added.

“Fine. I'll just look at it,” Harry said, stepping up to the bed. “Where is it?”

“As you are willing to take our terms, there is just the simple matter of the cost of our agreement.” Lysander walked over to the table on the other side of the bed.

“How much do you want?” Harry asked sternly.

Lysander gave Harry a sad look. “Now you see, we're going off the wrong foot, as the Muggles say.”

Harry sighed. “That is off on... never mind. I'm sorry, but it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. Let me rephrase that.” Harry cleared his throat. Although he wanted to hex the lot of them and get what he wanted, the easiest way was possibly the quickest. With a nod of his head he asked again. “How much does it cost for the information I ask for?”

Lysander smiled back. “Thank you. That is very gracious of you.”

“Yes, it is, Auror Potter. But you see, we don't want your money,” Lorcan answered.

“What?” Harry asked, unable to hide his shock.

“Merlin, no. We have plenty of that,” Lorcan replied. “You see, since you know of our secret and I dare say Scorpius' here, we simply want a secret of yours.” His smile again reminded Harry of a snake. “You understand, if anyone were to know of Lucius and Scorpius' relationship, it would be bad for Lucius. Which would in turn hurt Scorpius. And that above all else, even the business, is not acceptable.”

Harry laughed slightly. “A secret? I must say this is the oddest transaction of information I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of. Now let me think...”

“I am sorry for the misunderstanding, Auror potter. That was not exactly what we mean,” Lysander said, pulling a small razor out of a tiny box he removed from the table drawer.

“Then what?” Harry asked, utterly confused. Strange as the twins were, they still hadn't said what they actually meant in the entire conversation. And Scorpius had remained silent, looking like a chastised child. “I'm not cutting myself.”

“If you would just take this,” Lysander said, handing the razor to Harry, “and go inside the bathroom. There is a tub full of hot soapy water waiting for you.”

“A tub?” Harry said, getting a little anxious. As good an Auror as he was, he didn't have a clue what these three wanted.

“Allow me,” Scorpius said, stepping up to Harry. “It might go quicker. We want you to go into the bathroom, strip - preferably slowly – get into the tub, shave your balls and then have a wank. And if you're vocal, all the better.”

Harry stared at them all, his mouth slightly opened.

“There is a warming charm on the stone floor. Nothing worse than cold stone on bare feet. Especially down here,” Lorcan said. “If you need some magazines, we have Unrobed and...”

“I am NOT going to wank in your tub. I just want the bloody names so I can stop a killer,” Harry said nervously.

Lysander walked up to Harry, placing his hand on Harry's right arm to guide him to the bathroom. “I understand it may be a little unorthodox but if you want to see the list of name, this is the only way. We will keep your name a secret as well. You will be the only one outside us three who has ever laid eyes on the list. I am sure you can appreciate our position here. We will not watch, you will be in there by yourself and there is no recording devices in there either. Just you and a hot tub.”

“Forget it! Besides, what is there to prove I've done it at all? I could just sit on the tub, wet my hair and say I did it,” Harry said, getting angry.

“Well, you will have to surrender the memory into a coin, you can pull memories out can't you?” Lysander asked, thoughtfully.

“What? You want me to make a W-chip?” Harry was beyond finding words. He was tired, getting cranky and these three wanted him to do something he'd never done in the presence of anyone. They want to see him wank? If that got out... At last he saw the reason for their price. Shutting his eyes, he raised his head, and took a deep breath.

“It will not be sold, you have our word on that. It is just a show of confidence between the four of us. A simple gesture,” Lorcan said.

Harry looked at them. They were just a foot or so away, looking like children wanting his approval. “No one will see this?” he reiterated.

“No,” they answered in unison.

“The things I do for the job,” he said, turning and entering the bathroom. Before shutting the door, he turned back to the boys. “And no peeking!”

Shutting the door, Harry heard Scorpius yell, “Strip slowly, and as seductively as possible! And careful shaving with the razor – it's sharp.”

“Shut it already!” Harry yelled back. He turned and looked the room over. It was a rather sizable room, and the tub was a large claw foot, sitting up on a small stage, for lack of a better word. There were at least a hundred candles casting enough light to be mid-day, and sparkling off the bubbles floating out of the tub. “Fucking hell.”

“Auror Potter?” Lysander said, popping his head inside the bathroom, his hand over his eyes.

“I'm not naked yet,” Harry grumbled, not hiding his annoyance. “What?”

“Just a thought. Forgot to mention it, really.”

Harry sighed. This only continued to get worse and worse. What he expected from these twins, he had no idea. Perhaps it was just the fact that they were twins. Was it in their genetic makeup?

“Keep your eyes open, otherwise the memory will be fragmented.”


~ ~ tbc ~ ~