Who: Kingsley, Tonks, & Antonio Zabini When: evening, 13 January, after this log Where: auror offices and the Zabini home Rating: G What: an informed capture
Reports piled on Kingsley's desk, only a few of them containing snippets of sightings of the Carrows siblings and any of the Lestranges. All of them bogus, of course. It was obvious from the level of detail -- Bellatrix had tea with me a week ago Tuesday! Rodolphus stole my horse and returned it to me, three stone underweight! And it went on and on, all of it ridiculous. Sighing, he tossed an envelope on his desk, letting his head fall into his hands. He'd go to the canteen, get a sandwich and a cup of tea -- and if he were lucky, something exciting would happen when he got back. Standing, his robes fluttered around him slightly as he strode for the lift doors.
The chill of Kew Garden was replaced with the close air of the auror offices as Tonks Apparated direct from her meeting with Draco. Cheeks flushed, she peered around, spotting Kingsley as he was near to boarding the lifts. "Wotcher, Shacklebolt!" Her boots slapped against the carpeting as she raced to catch him up.
He opened the door to the lift, to give her a bit of extra stopping room, and stepped to the side. "Tonks." He greeted her calmly, taking in her appearance. "You have something for me?"
"For us." She raked through her pocket, producing the slip of paper and holding it out for him to take. "Antonio Zabini, not quite in time for Christmas, but gift wrapped, despite."
Curious, he took the paper from her hand, reading over it. A curious light came into his eyes. "No time like the present, Nymphadora."
Dismissive of his use of her name, Tonks nodded as the lift doors closed. "I've sent an owl ahead to Robards. Gringott's, first, for the evidence, and then to the man himself."
"Good girl." He clapped a hand onto her shoulder, squeezing slightly. Once in the Atrium, he nodded once at her. "Gringott's." He Apparated, then, and it was only a matter of minutes before he had the necessary paperwork and was reading it over. "We've got him, Tonks. Who gave you this information?"
Still reeling from their short trip through the vaults, Tonks steadied herself against a counter, eyeing a goblin warily. "I'll give you one guess."
It took but a moment for her meaning to become clear. "He's proving himself well." Giving her only a minute longer to recover (and staggering a bit himself), he took charge as they walked outdoors. He looked one more time at the slip of paper she'd given him and memorised the address. 24 Hyge Gate Park. "I'll meet you there."
Quick to Apparate after, Tonks nearly collided with Kingsley as he stood, straight and solid, on the cobbles outside the Zabini home. A whisper. "I imagine he'll put up a bit of a fight. There's a wife, as well, though I hope she stays well out of the way."
Kingsley nodded. "I've no doubt you're right." His deep voice was surprisingly quiet as he spoke. "Follow me." No other instructions needed; she knew her job, and worked well with him simply because he trusted her. Entrance into the building was easy, and soon they stood at the door, the surprisingly-Muggle doorbell ringing in his ears.
Antonio Zabini sat in his study, writing in his ledger and preparing to write Marguerite. He missed her a great deal -- moreso than he missed Blaise. The boy was a welcome by-product of the marriage, ensuring that his -- Antonio's -- name would be passed down to further generations. The doorbell didn't surprise him as much as it would any other night; a guest was potentially expected, although the lateness of the visit did surprise him. Calmly, he answered the door, covering his shock at the aurors standing before him quite well. "Yes?"
Her wand clearly visible in her hand, Tonks levelled her eyes with Zabini's. "You're to be taken into the Ministry for questioning, Mr. Zabini. You will turn over your wand for the time being." She held out her hand, attempting to read his features, judging for a fight.
Antonio stepped back, eyes narrowing. "I've done nothing." Carefully, he moved his hands towards the pocket of his robes, hand closing around the familiar shape of his wand handle. Ever mindful of both wands pointed at him, he made a show of giving it to Kingsley, at the last moment shooting off two hexes -- one hitting the wall well above Kingsley and the other pointed at Tonks.
"Protego." She was too quick for him, and in the moment after shielding herself, Tonks disarmed and bound Zabini.
None too gently, Kingsley picked Antonio up and set him aside, well away from anything he might use as a weapon or to free himself. A quick check of the place showed no one else there. "Wife's not here. We need to find out if he's got any family in country." Taking the necessary household safety precautions, Antonio Zabini was shuffled out of the house, then Apparated away to a Ministry holding cell. The case against him was air-tight. And under the right circumstances, information could be gotten from him.
Before Apparating home, Tonks confirmed with Kingsley that he would take care of contacting the wife if she would see to the son. It had been so smooth, so easy... it worried her, and yet, a weight, however small, seemed to have lifted somewhere within. "Tomorrow, then, Kingsley." A nod, a smile framed with exhaustion.
Once again, his hand came down onto her shoulder. "Good work, Tonks." Antonio was passed into other custody, and the time came for him to return to his desk and the interrupted cup of tea. He shared, in small part, the worry -- but the time would come when he would speak with Draco about this. The ease of it was astounding, and brought to light the inadequacies of the Ministry and their resources. Surely not all arrests would be this easy. "Go home, get some sleep. Good night." And again, he found his solace with his desk, in the work that he'd taken such pride in for so long.