Backdate log Who: Pansy and Adrian (and NPC Aurors) When: Friday evening Where: Pansy's residence and then Auror offices What: Pansy gets arrested! Complete
What a wonderful day! Pansy's morning had, as usual, started far past noon. She'd spent a leisurely few hours in bed, tended to by the house elf, and then she'd started to get ready for her party. Birthday presents were still coming in, and took up a considerable portion of the sitting room. Pansy spent some time admiring the jewellery she'd been sent and picking out the right accessories for her outfit. She was expecting more presents tonight, of course, and much more attention. Daphne and Tracey had given her a smaller party on Wednesday and Draco had given her a night to remember, but tonight was going to be all about her. It was going to be brilliant.
The final evidence now assessed there was no escaping the facts before Adrian's eyes, as much as he wished it otherwise. A mixture of anger and frustration welled up as he waited for his superiors to finish drawing up the arrest warrant. If only she'd mentioned something, he might have been able to sort it out to a better outcome than this! He also wished he hadn't been picked as one of the arresting Aurors, and suspected - just by that amused gleam in Robard's eyes when he picked the team - that this was part revenge and part test. Revenge for Adrian's continuous objections to the treatment dished out to the families of Death Eaters and a test to see his loyalty to the Auror profession was assured.
"Pucey," a voice cut through his thoughts and he looked up to see LeBrun standing before him, warrant in hand. "Let's go."
Pushing away from the wall, Adrian nodded. At least Robards had the sense to assign LeBrun and Morton to the team. LeBrun was from an old French pureblood family and tended to be quite sympathetic even while being stern, and Morton was a calm individual who never let his personal feelings interfere with his work. He was also halfblood and considering what Pansy was being arrested for, Adrian was thankful no muggleborn Aurors were coming along for the ride.
It was LeBrun who knocked on the door when they arrived, announcing the presence of Ministry Aurors in a carrying voice and demanding entrance. Adrian schooled his features into a neutral expression, placing his hands behind his back and bracing himself for the questions Pansy was undoubtably going to throw at him.
Pansy was in the middle of doing her hair when the knock came. She ignored it, letting the house elf check to see who it was; she wasn't going to bother getting up unless it was worth it.
The house elf returned soon later, wringing its hands. "It's the Aurors to see Miss Pansy!"
That got Pansy's attention. Could it be that they were finally done with the manor? She twisted around in her seat to look at the house elf. "What about?"
"They wouldn't say, only that they want to see Miss Pansy!"
Pansy rolled her eyes. Useless house elf. She checked her hair in the mirror to make sure that it was presentable, then stepped out of the room. The Aurors were already in the sitting room, Adrian among them. None of them looked happy. Pansy hoped it was because they were reluctant to return the manor but had to anyway. "What's this about?" she asked, addressing Adrian.
But it was the lead Auror who stepped forward and spoke. Pansy recognised him; he'd come to balls before, but she hadn't realised he was with the Aurors. "Miss Parkinson, you are under arrest for the forgery of import documentation under Section IX.A of the International Wizarding Treaty for Trade. If you'll hand over your wand and come down to headquarters with us, it will go much more smoothly for you."
Pansy had been all ready to give a gracious response to the return of her mansion, but this knocked her for a loop. "What?" she asked, shocked. "What are you talking about? Adrian, what's going on?"
"Miss Parkinson, your wand," LeBrun prompted. "If you do not hand it over of your own accord, we will have to take it from you."
This wasn't a joke; this wasn't a mistake. As the realisation crashed down on her, Pansy took a small, frightened step back. "Adrian?"
Adrian stepped forward, grimacing as if tasting something unpleasant, he glanced once at LeBrun and the older Auror nodded, giving permission for Adrian to takeover. "Pansy," Adrian caught her eyes with his and held out his hand. "Evidence has been uncovered that show you forged several import documents, we need to sort this out," he stressed the word 'we' to sound more reassuringly like 'you and me' rather than 'we, the Aurors' in the hope that would keep her from completely panicking. "Please cooperate and give me your wand."
Oh, bloody hell -- those documents that her father had asked her to help him out with. He'd just needed a few signatures, he'd told her then. Something to speed up the process because the Ministry was making him go through too many hoops and he needed the items in short time. Pansy had never questioned his explanation. She never did. She'd only been too happy to help him out. And now he was dead and she was being arrested. And even with Adrian on the team -- something that she couldn't help but feel rather betrayed by -- she didn't trust the Aurors at all. They'd taken her manor months ago and she'd yet to see it returned. What was to say they wouldn't do the same with their wand?
Yet, what else could she do? She couldn't very well refuse, or it'd look even worse on her. They'd caught her when she was alone and helpless, and she hated them for it. Pale, she slowly handed over her wand. "I want my barrister."
"Of course," LeBrun nodded as Adrian took Pansy's wand and stowed it away. "Morton will collect him for you if you'll tell us who to contact."
Adrian retrieved an outer robe for Pansy and placed it over her shoulders. "You're allowed to send one owl," he told her, remembering then that this was the night of her birthday party and people would start wondering when she didn't arrive. "Or I could send a message to Draco."
"Alisdair Hanby," Pansy said shortly, shrugging off Adrian's attempt to help her with her outer robe. She was rather piqued at his whole involvement in this. Just a few weeks ago he was making some show at courting her, and now he was arresting her? He couldn't have given her some warning? Did loyalty mean nothing to him? Oh, but of course not: he was a Slytherin. "You can just tell Draco I've been detained."
"Will do," Adrian didn't miss her pique and wasn't surprised. His own annoyance with her surged and his tone was clipped when he replied. She probably thought she'd done nothing wrong forging those signatures, but for the love of Merlin, she should have some sense to mention it earlier! Now it was too late, the evidence against her uncovered in the sight of others so he didn't even have a chance to consider whether or not to speak to her as a friend. Now any attempt to show her favour would cause the ruin of his own ambitions, and he had warned her before that he wasn't going to let anything get in the way of that.
Morton left to collect Hanby while LeBrun and Adrian escorted Pansy out of the flat. "I shall side-apparate you, Miss Parkinson," LeBrun informed her, nodding at Adrian to go on ahead.
Adrian apparated directly to HQ where he was informed he would be 'assisting' LeBrun with the interrogation. He glared daggers at Robards, but made no objection and headed straight to prep the interrogation room. LeBrun would bring Pansy in as soon as she was processed and Morton would bring the lawyer. "Let the games begin," Adrian muttered under his breath as he finished setting up the recording spells and assembling the evidence. He was just finished when the door opened.
Fortunately, Hanby showed up shortly after being summoned, and he took the lead in processing the paperwork, making sure that Pansy was sheltered from the questions that the Aurors had no right asking and filtering her responses into something that wouldn't be terribly incriminating. The process continued when Pansy was led into the interrogation room and sat down in front of the table with the evidence on display. Some of it looked vaguely familiar, but Pansy hadn't paid much attention to the documents that she'd forged aside from getting the signatures right. A glance up at her barrister, however, made her think that maybe she should have. Oh dear.
LeBrun nodded to Adrian who then sat down opposite Pansy. He was fully in professional mode now, because there was nothing else that could be done. He was sure Pansy had no idea what she was really doing when she forged the signatures, but he hoped Hanby was a good lawyer because people would be out for blood when this news broke. "Date: 25 April 1999. Time: six pm. Questioning Miss Pansy Parkinson under Section IX.A of the International Wizarding Treaty for Trade. Present: Alisdair Hanby, barrister, Adrian Pucey, Auror in training, Jean LeBrun, senior Auror, and Pansy Parkinson," Adrian started the questioning with the formalities as required. "Miss Parkinson, please indicate whether you recognise any of the documents before you."
She did, of course; they were standard import certificates, and although Pansy had never paid much attention to her father's business aside from the occasional times when he'd asked her to do something for him, there were enough of those lying around his study and the house that she was well familiar with them. She'd forged a few signatures on them before, but that'd just been to speed things up for her father. Was this what this was all about? Why so much fuss over it? "They're standard import certification," she said warily, after a glance at her barrister.
"Do you recognise the signatures on the certificates? If so, please say the names of the signees aloud."
Oh, bloody hell. Now that Pansy had a closer look at the certificates, she could see now that they were the ones she'd forged. She could recognise her handiwork; obviously someone else had too. Adrian? He knew of her artistic ability, but not of its application to forgeries. There was nothing to link them to her, as far as she could think of. That they were granted to her father's company was only circumstantial. Perhaps if she played along and cooperated on this, there wouldn't be anything they could detain her for, and she could actually go to her birthday party.
"Daniel Vickars," she read aloud, from the printed name underneath the signature. "International Trade Standards Committee, Department of International Magical Cooperation. Scott Heywood, Office of Magical Artifacts, Department of International Magical Cooperation."
Adrian nodded and then continued with the questions, the idea to catch her out in a lie despite having evidence to link her to the forgeries. At first his questions were quite bland, almost gentle and the sort designed to set the suspect off guard. His expression remained calm and his tone even, with no accusing or sharp notes. However, then he came full circle. "Miss Parkinson, please look at these two certificates signed by Mr Vickars, one on the 23rd of February and the other on 4 March. Look closely at the signatures on both certificates and tell me what differences you see."
Pansy answered each question warily, not quite sure where they were heading with it. It was with the same general demeanour that she peered closely at the certificates, although her mind was working quickly. She knew exactly where the differences were, but she answered vaguely anyway. "I believe...there's a larger loop on the l? And the dot on the i is higher on one?" She described the superficial differences, not mentioning the change in quill weight or slant, unless it were patently obvious at close glance.
"Thank you for your observation," Adrian pushed two more at her, these supposedly signed by a different person, asking the same question. What he didn't tell her was that two forensic Aurors had already analysed the signatures after Adrian's suspicions were raised and picked out the obvious differences - and the similarities between the forged signatures. He also didn't mention that a magical trace had determined the forged signatures were signed by one person. After listening to her answer on the next set of certificates, he nodded. "Would it surprise you to learn that on 23 February, Mr Vickars was not in Britain, the same with Mr Heywood on 8 March?" he removed the certificates that were actually genuine and kept the forged ones in front of her. "Look at these certificates, Miss Parkinson. Can you tell me the similarities between them and what that indicates to you?"
Oh. Now she saw where they were going with this, and it wasn't towards anything good for her. Pansy just couldn't see why there was all this fuss over a few fake signatures. Surely they could just make her pay a fine and be done with it? Adrian's expression was revealing nothing, and there wasn't much else to do but go along with it for now. "I didn't know. I don't even know who they are, let alone their schedules."
She took the new signatures and examined them. She knew what they wanted her to say, that the two Heywood signatures were different, and that the differences were the same as the Vickars ones, but she wasn't going to make it easy for them. They'd hardly made anything easy for her in the past few months, and she certainly wasn't going to help them get her into trouble now. "I don't look at signatures very much -- I don't know. They're different from the other ones you showed me?"
If Pansy had been helpful straight away, Adrian might have expired from shock. However, he'd told LeBrun earlier that the girl wasn't going to cooperate easily so the older Auror simply smirked slightly at her answer. He unfolded his arms and pushed away from the wall where he'd positioned himself to listen to the interrogation. The double interrogation method was a common one amongst Aurors, especially when a junior was involved, so that lawyers could not argue any inexperience on the part of the junior tainting the questioning.
"Miss Parkinson," LeBrun leaned over, his hands planted on the table. His cultured, accented voice was soft, but there was steel beneath the velvet. "Please look again, more closely, and be completely sure of your answer."
If she continued to lie then the forensic evidence would be brought out.
Alisdair Hanby been listening attentively throughout the questioning, occasionally giving Pansy encouraging nods when she looked to him, but now he spoke up before Pansy could reply. "Might I ask what Miss Parkinson is here for? A full interrogation for suspected forgery is highly unusual."
Adrian opened his mouth, but LeBrun held up his hand to silence him and got him to move aside. The Frenchman gave Alisdair a measuring glance and then nodded. He brought out the investigation files and placed them on the desk. "During a routine filing exercise..." he began and then proceeded to note the full horror of what the forged certificates were used for.
Watching from the back, Adrian's mouth twisted slightly. He'd felt sick when he'd found out the truth, but he was sure Pansy didn't really know what the certificates would be used for and therefore might be able to get a more lenient sentence due to ignorance - if Hanby was good enough or she submitted to veritaserum. However, emotions would run high around this case when the truth inevitably came out - especially considering those who had died in Azkaban - and even if her sentence was light, her reputation would be shattered.
Pansy listened with rising horror as LeBrun detailed all the atrocities that the artefacts that she'd had a part in bringing into the country had done. Separately, they were innocuous things, but they were controlled objects, because collectively, they could be put together to wreak a lot of havoc -- and that was exactly what the Death Eaters had done with them. Of course her father wouldn't have wanted to go through the normal channels to bring them in; the authorities would realise what they were going to be used for. But brought in separately, and with some brought in without going through the normal channels, no one realised what the Death Eaters had been building and using under their very noses.
Numerous people killed during the Dark Lord's second war. And Pansy had been part of making it possible.
She'd completely lost all her colour by the time LeBrun was finished, and she didn't say anything as Hanby nodded grimly. "I think I need to talk to my client in private."
"Of course," LeBrun stood up and waved for Adrian to follow him. "You have fifteen minutes, Mr Hanby."
As he left, Adrian cast a glance back at Pansy. Seeing how white her face was, he knew she hadn't realised what she'd been a part of, but that didn't stop him from feeling angry. If only she'd stopped to think!
Outside the interrogation room, LeBrun shook his head. "She better hope he's willing plead well for her, and someone will pay the cost of her bail," he glanced sharply at Adrian. "I don't want you getting any ideas about that, Pucey."
"I know," Adrian said in a dead tone of voice. "I'll get some coffee," he said abruptly and walked away. Better to be doing something while waiting for Hanby to finish with Pansy.
Meanwhile, Pansy was locked in a heated argument with her lawyer. "No," she snapped, "I am not going to say that about Daddy. He'd never force me to do anything I don't want to, and I'm not going to lie and say that he did!"
"Miss Parkinson," Hanby said with a sigh, "you have to realise the severity of the consequences of your actions. Pleading ignorance to what you're doing isn't going to go far given what those objects were used for. If we can convince the Aurors that you were forced into doing it, there's a very good chance we can clear you from association with this."
"But I didn't know what they were going to be used for!" Pansy protested. "Daddy just said they'd been held up and he needed them quickly -- and no, I'm not going to tell them that, either. I bet he didn't know what they were going to be used for himself. I'll say that, but I'm not going to say he threatened me to get me to do it."
"Miss Parkinson, be reasonable. I'm sure your father wouldn't want you to sacrifice your reputation and your future for him," Hanby told her. "If you're convicted of the charges that the Aurors are laying at your feet, you're looking at a lifetime sentence in Azkaban, and your family name will be ruined. How will that affect your mother? I hear you're getting married soon. What would your fiance think? I'm not just your lawyer, Pansy. I'm a family friend, and I promised your father I'll look out for you. He'd want you to protect yourself, even at the expense of his good name."
That gave Pansy pause. He was right: her mother was going to be devastated if this came out. And who would look after her if Pansy was thrown into prison? Pansy's mother couldn't very will live with Adrian's family any more. And Draco -- what was he going to think? He was going to move on, find someone else to marry while Pansy rotted in Azkaban. She couldn't bear the thought. But to avoid all that, she had to sell out her father, and the very thought of that made her feel ill. How could she attribute something so awful to someone who had loved her so much? It was unthinkable.
She was still struggling over this horrible decision when LeBrun and Adrian came back in.
Once again, LeBrun took charge of the interrogation while Adrian stood to the back. "Well, Miss Parkinson. Are you ready to tell the truth now?" he asked calmly, sitting down and regarding Pansy with a mildly inquiring expression. "I'm sure Mr Hanby has explained the consequences of holding back."
Mr. Hanby had, and had also discussed with her the possibility of making a deal with the Aurors. That much she'd agreed to, before they'd started arguing over how much complicity she should admit to. Now, Pansy remained silent as her lawyer answered for her. "Miss Parkinson will be happy to tell you everything that she knows, as well as aid you in getting to the root of this smuggling ring which I'm sure you've figured out that these documents are only the beginning of, in return for a deal settled out of the Wizengamot, anonymity for her part in this case, and no imprisonment time."
LeBrun smiled slowly - it wasn't a very friendly smile. In the background, Adrian resisted the urge to smirk. Hanby was good, but he knew LeBrun wouldn't let Pansy wriggle off scot-free. She had forged the documents after all, that was a crime in itself, but negotiating with the lawyers was part of the process and Adrian was interested to see how LeBrun handled it.
LeBrun handled it deftly -- but so did Hanby. In the end, they'd worked out a deal: Pansy was going to contact her father's old compatriots and pretend to want to pick up where he left off with regards to bringing controlled substances and dark objects into the country, and she was going to keep the Aurors apprised of everything she learned. Pansy didn't like this idea at all; she didn't want to put herself in danger like that, but when it came down to the choice between imprisonment as well as social ruin and acting as spy, she finally chose the latter. Her family and reputation -- what remained of it -- were moer important to her than the faceless people that her father had collaborated. And given how aggressively they'd come after her for her father's debts after he'd died, she felt no loyalty towards them, either.
Nor did she sell out her father. She admitted that she'd done the forgeries without any coercion whatsoever; it'd been ignorance, rather than malice or fear, that had led her to do it. Adrian probably could have told them that Pandulph Parkinson had loved his little girl too much to force her to do anything, but that hadn't been necessary. That may have gained her some respect in the Aurors' eyes. LeBrun did warn her that she would be expected to pay a hefty fine, but by now Pansy was used to being in debt. As long as she could keep herself out of Azkaban, she supposed she could find some way of paying it off.
But what was she going to tell Draco? Or any of her friends who were going to question why she was suddenly going to become so secretive?
"Right," LeBrun nodded to Hanby as they finished tidying the deal. "Now, I shall assign Pucey as Miss Parkinson's main contact. Since they are already acknowledged as acquaintances from childhood, no one will question their meetings and it will be easy to conceal the information sharing."
Adrian had a feeling that right now Pansy would prefer not to work with him, and he felt the same way, but the suggestion was logical because LeBrun was right, no one would question Pansy having lunch with her 'friend'. So he nodded. "Yes, sir."
He was right - the thought of having to work with Adrian, with whom Pansy was still sore for not giving her any warning about this, made her scowl. She said nothing, though, and let her lawyer do the speaking for now.
"Are you finished with Miss Parkinson?" Hanby inquired.
"For now," LeBrun ended the recording spell with the required wrap up and then rose to his feet with a smooth smile. "Thank you for your cooperation in this matter. Mr Pucey will finish the processing and make an appointment with Miss Parkinson for the first meeting. Mr Hanby, I would appreciate if you would check over the paperwork for your own satisfaction in regards to your client's welfare."
He waited for Hanby to accompany him, leaving Adrian and Pansy alone. Adrian waited until the door was shut and then turned his gaze to Pansy. "Go on," he said. "Say whatever it is you feel like saying, no one will hear it except me."
There were plenty of things Pansy wanted to say to him -- so many, in fact, that she didn't even know where to start. In the end, she settled for glaring at him. "How can I be sure you won't go and share it with your superiors, Mr. Auror?"
"Because I won't," Adrian said simply and then shrugged. "Up to you if you believe it or not, but let me tell you one thing," he placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "I asked at the very beginning if there was anything I should have known. If you had mentioned this then maybe, just maybe, I could have helped, but by the time the truth came out, it was too late. And remember this also, I did warn you that I wasn't going to sacrifice my ambition for anyone," he smiled then, a sharp and cold expression on his face. "So hate me if you want, despite this being all your own folly, but don't say you weren't warned what might happen."
"Well, it's not exactly something that you mention in casual conversation, is it?" Pansy snapped. "Especially to someone who'd been less than forthcoming about his intentions on marriage." It wasn't that which made her so angry, though, it was just the very idea that one Slytherin would turn on another. Pansy knew that ambition was the defining hallmark of the House, of course she did -- but she'd always felt that given the discrimination that the Slytherins suffered at the hands of the other houses, they'd at least stick together where they could. Obviously she was wrong.
With great dignity, she got to her feet. "If you'll excuse me, Mr. Pucey, I have a party to attend."
Adrian didn't even bother pointing out they'd hardly been having a casual conversation when the subject of her father was first raised, not mentioning she'd had several opportunities to confide in him. He tapped the table. "Appointment first, Miss Parkinson," Adrian's expression was faintly pitying. Did she really still believe that he would be blindly loyal to Slytherin house? Loyalty wasn't a trait of that house, and if she expected that then she should have made friends with a Hufflepuff. "I'll let you choose the time and day, but it better not be more than two weeks," another sharp smile was tossed her way. "Probably a good thing we didn't get engaged, hm? That really would have created a conflict of interest."
Pansy glared at him. "It would have been good for you. The Aurors would be so thrilled that you're so loyal to them that you'd turn in your own fiancee. We'll meet for lunch in two weeks."
"Noted," Adrian said coldly and then opened the door for her. "Good night, Miss Parkinson."
Without further word, Pansy got up and swept out of the room.