Mrs. Malfoy

Harry was worried about this interrogation. He knew what sort of tactic Lagasete might try to use, and Rose would probably not like it. He hoped she would be able to keep her temper.

When she came into the interrogation room, she did look calmer and more collected than she had the day before. She had had some time to calm down and prepare. Harry's heart ached when he saw that she was handcuffed. He really saw no reason for it, but again, he had no room for protests. Amazingly, Rose seemed to be able to ignore the handcuffs, unlike the chain from yesterday.

As she sat down on the other side of the table, Lagasete cleared his throat and began.

"Formal interview with Rose Malfoy. Present in the room is Arvid Lagasete, with Harry Potter, and Johanna Fawley, representatives of the British Ministry for Magic."

The other formalities were done quickly.

"Now, Mrs. Malfoy, let us start with the beginning. Please explain how you ended up on the boat with the group of Dark Wizards known as Death Eaters."

Rose explained herself freely. Lagasete let her tell the full story before asking any contradictory questions. She explained how she had worked undercover in Azkaban, but with the full consent and knowledge of the Ministry and her mother. She made that part very clear, perhaps Lagasete had doubted her on that in their previous conversation? Harry jumped in at a certain point and added that he had indeed known about Rose's plan, without going into how he had been against it. No need to give more details there than necessary. Rose seemed to agree, as she continued to the part Harry didn't know much about. How Barnsby had placed her and many others under the Imperius Curse, and that she had somehow fought it off. How she had been taken along to prevent her from raising the alarm.

"It was only after they had taken me that they discovered who I was." Rose explained. "Lestrange found my spare wand, Scorpius' wand and recognised it. When he then saw that I was a woman, he saw through the disguise. I could not alter my appearance with magic, as Azkaban has defences against such things. So, when he looked more thoroughly, he recognised me."

She then described in detail how Lestrange had taunted her, how she had been tortured. Harry had to struggle to stay collected during that part. Though part of him was relieved that nothing worse than torture had happened, the other part was outraged at the mere thought that someone tortured members of his family.

Then Rose explained what happened when they came to the island. "Lestrange gave me the choice of walking or being dragged. I saw no reason to antagonise them further, so I walked. I had no idea where I was, and no idea if anyone was there to meet us. I knew about the Tracker, but I didn't know whether the range would go all the way over here. Either way, there was little I could do about the situation."

Then she explained again how Lestrange had pushed her forward. How she had then tried to run away, but Lestrange was right behind her.

"And, next thing I know, I am here."

Lagasete just sat and looked at her for a few minutes, once she was finished. He had a strange expression on his face. Then, he finally spoke.

"That is a very interesting story, Mrs. Malfoy."

Harry noted the way in which he said Malfoy. Could Rose be on to something when she said Lagasete seemed to have something against Malfoys? He would have to remember to check that out.

"Now, I have a problem. You see, most of the other Death Eaters are not saying anything. There are no signs that the prison cell on that boat was being used. Nor were there any sign of the murders you claim you heard. Lestrange, the only one of the others that has bothered to say anything, has a story that is almost the polar opposite to yours. Oh, at first, he said it the way you did, that you were just a stupid guard that were in the wrong place. But after a bit of prodding, he confessed that he knew who you were all along. And that you used your family connections to get into Azkaban with the sole intention of freeing the Death Eaters again. Now, who should I believe?"

Harry was taken aback. What was this? This went way beyond anything Lagasete had mentioned in any of their conversations thus far. Fawley spoke up before he had to say anything.

"Mr. Lagasete, your jurisdiction is not to discover or punish Mrs. Malfoy for anything that may have happened in Azkaban. Why she was there and what she may have done is not your place to determine. That is the job of the British Ministry. Your job pertains to the crimes committed on Norwegian soil."

"So it is." Lagasete said, still with that strange, almost predatory look. "But in order for me to understand what happened on Selja, I need to understand what happened in Azkaban."

"We have already ascertained what happened in Azkaban" Harry interjected. "We have the testimonies of several guards that have successfully recovered from the Imperius Curse, not to mention the testimony of Barnsby himself. He had no idea that Rose Malfoy was among the guards and the news shocked him. If he had known, he would not have tried to set her up as the scapegoat. It undermined his whole story and that was one of the things that led to his downfall. You have access to all our reports on that matter."

Lagasete nodded reluctantly. He then proceeded to ask several more questions about details from Rose's story, but it was clear to Harry that his heart was not in it. What was going on here? He didn't even seem very interested in the identity of the mechanic and son that was killed after fixing the engines. Maybe he thought that Rose had just made that up?

"One last thing, Mrs. Malfoy. You claim that you were tortured. You bear no sign of that. And why would they restrain themselves to only torture, if they held you captive for three days?"

"They used the Cruciatus Curse." Rose said. Her voice trembled a little, though that was understandable. "Lestrange claimed Barnsby left wands for them in the captain's cabin, and they each took turns torturing me. I don't know why they didn't do "more". I think they were waiting until we were on land. I heard one of them say that he looked forward to some privacy. Lestrange…" here, her voice faltered. "Lestrange said that he would not kill me until I begged him to do so."

They all fell silent. Harry wanted to go and torture Lestrange then and there, but Lagasete still looked at Rose with that strange, almost predatory look.

"Very well, I think that is enough for now," Lestrange said. "I will take your testimony into consideration Mrs. Malfoy, as we continue our investigation."

And without as much as a backward glance, he was out the door. Harry, Rose, and Fawley were left gaping.

"I don't understand." Rose said. "What is his problem? Did I say something wrong?"

"No." Harry replied. "I don't understand either. He seems to have made up a story that he likes and sticks to it no matter what. It is very unlike anything I have heard of him from previous instances."

"And what "pressures" have he put on Lestrange?"

"I don't know, Rose. But I will find a way to sort this out. If this continues, I may have to go above his head, but I may have to give him another day or so to see if he changes his mind."

"Another day? Or so? You're just going to leave me here?" Rose's voice sounded a little more high-pitched.

"I'm sorry. As I said, I am trying my best to figure this out. But Lagasete has been increasingly stubborn. Don't worry, I am sure it will all work out in the end."

Rose hung her head. "I'm sorry, Uncle Harry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I know you are doing all you can. I just want to go home so that I can see Scorpius again."

"I know. And I'm sorry."

They had time for a quick hug before a guard came to collect Rose and get her back to her cell. She remained calm and collected when there were other people around. Harry watched her until she was out of sight. Then he turned to Fawley. "What do you make of this?"

"I am as baffled as you are, Mr. Potter. I have done these sorts of interviews before, both here in Norway and other countries. I have never experienced someone like Lagasete clearly refusing to believe a simple truth. If I didn't know better, I would suspect it was personal, but that is impossible. She has never been to Norway before, has she?"

Harry shook his head. Personal. This whole event had been a disaster, especially for Lagasete. It may very well be that Lagasete was worried about his own position and didn't want to simply release anyone involved in this. However, insisting on keeping Rose only made the pressure higher. He had to know that if he released her, the British Ministry wouldn't be as insistent on finding out what happened. And there was that way he said the name Malfoy… He needed to talk to Draco.