Omnia Mors Perimit

"I don't get this. Why are they asking us about this?" Pansy was grumbling. "She's got the darned thing in Hogsmeade, obviously. If anyone in Hogwarts was involved, they'd have given it to her here!"

Draco didn't feel too comfortable, wondering whether Madam Rosmerta could be found out. But even if that happened - no one could reasonably accuse him having anything to do with this. The student that she had given the cursed collier to had been Katie Bell from Gryffindor, but somehow, the foolish girl must have touched the jewellery herself, so instead of ending up in Dumbledore's office, the collier had poisoned the girl herself.

Blast it. He had so hoped that it could work out and spare him to continue his fruitless work on the Cabinet! He scolded himself for relying on it though. It had been highly unsafe, admittedly. Apparently, Pansy had asked him something, for right now, she was looking very expectantly.

"Didn't you listen to me? Anything wrong, dear?"

"What? No - no - I just thought how well you look tonight," he said quickly to conceal his nervousness, but he couldn't have made her any happier. She snuggled up to him and placed a kiss on his cheek - it would have been his mouth, hadn't he turned away, shushing her to stop.

"Everyone can see us, Panse!"

"Who cares?"

"We're bloody Prefects, and Snape is in a temper tonight, anyway."

Snape was summoning groups of students to his office right now - another source of discomfort for Draco. It took ages, and he thought that Snape must know just as well as Draco that he was wasting his time.

"Why's he want to inquire you, or Goyle? You have not even been there. Or the Bates brothers - they couldn't afford to give jewellery to anyone, not even if their mother sold their whole house," Pansy griped.

"He'll want to talk to everyone. I expect Dumbledore demands it."

"But Parkinson's right still, Malfoy" Zabini said with a sly expression. "Imelda says that this collier must have cost a thousand galleons at least. That rules out a vast number of suspects."

Draco shrugged and replied loftily, "Maybe they've stolen it?"

"Maybe they have - but if something so precious had been stolen from someone, it would have made the Daily Prophet, don't you think?"

"The old owner would certainly not announce the theft now, not to be suspected," Pansy said, and Zabini sniggered unpleasantly.

"True. What about your mum, Malfoy? She's got more jewellery than all other witches in England together!"

"What's that supposed to mean, Zabini?" Draco asked sharply and shot his classmate a withering look.

"That she probably wouldn't even notice when one piece was missing. I suppose she can already brace herself for the next raid - perhaps she can just unhinge the front doors, so they needn't break them over and over again."

All of a sudden, Draco felt sick - his mum! Wasn't it indeed likely that the Ministry would send another squad to search the entire place, turn everything upside down and upset her? "They cannot take it out on my mother, every time something happens!"

"I reckon they can, Malfoy. After all, they're just dying to have anything on her. Incidentally, do they have double cells in Azkaban?"

"Shut up," Draco spat, battling down his urge to draw his wand and try one of these nasty little curses that his aunt had shown to him.

"Yes, Blaise, don't be so horrible!" Pansy agreed angrily, pressing Draco's hand, and he was grateful about it. Luckily, they were interrupted by a group of ill-humoured looking Third Years, who returned from their consultation with the Head of House and called out the next names.

Vince, his little sister, Theo and some others gave a sigh and headed towards the office. Pansy watched them leave and exclaimed with some feeling, "Poor Linny. She's a Second Year, for Christ's sake. How can anyone seriously suspect her to successfully trick someone in their final year?"

"When your daddy is serving his time in Azkaban, you're always the number one on each list of suspects," Millicent said dryly. "No matter how unlikely. My dad says it's all rubbish anyway."

"Why's that?"

"He says the Dark Lord could single-handedly free all of his followers, if he pleased, and that all those arrests and raids were just a façade for the Ministry to pretend they were doing something after all. Like trying to empty the Atlantic with a tea spoon."

"Your dad is a crup breeder, Bulstrode. What does he know?"

"Oh, shut up, Zabini," Draco snarled. "You have no more clue than he has!"

"But you would know, Malfoy, wouldn't you? Since you're regarding yourself to be the crown prince of the Dark Order anyway. What's your mum going to be? The Second Lady?"

Pansy asked unwittingly, "Who'd be the First Lady then?"

"Could you all hold your tongues?! And you, Zabini, stop talking about my mother like that! What about your mum, huh? What if someone chose to take a closer look on her? Seven husbands, all mysteriously dropping dead and conveniently leaving all their money to the weeping widow?!"

Zabini reached for his wand and Draco sneered at him, with his most challenging face. "Go on! Try it! Curse me right here and now and you'll be on the next train home!"

"Put your wand away, Blaise! Honestly, are you crazy or what?" Pansy shrieked, pushing Zabini's hand down. Draco felt disconcerted by what Millicent had said, about the Dark Lord's capability to free the imprisoned Death Eaters if he wanted. Sure, Mr Bulstrode was not necessarily a man of great knowledge about the Dark Arts, or the Dark Order, or even the Ministry's policy. On the other hand, he was a sensible man, with a great deal of common sense and down-to-earth opinions. And what he had said there appeared fairly perceptive, too.

Why was Lucius Malfoy still in prison? Why hadn't the Dark Lord freed him already, delivered him from that most humiliating situation? He was there for three and a half months by now - plenty of time to do something about it!

The next group of people came back to the Common Room. "Parkinson, Malfoy, Zabini, Goyle, Juliet and Jacinda Montague, Bulstrode!"

They scurried over to their Head's office, waiting in the hallway in silence; Draco felt his palms becoming sweaty and shook off Pansy's grip, so she wouldn't notice. After a few minutes, the door was opened, Vince and the others came out, and they heard Snape's voice, "Send the Baddock brothers, the three de Winters and Eccleton next. And you - come in."

The Professor was sitting behind his desk, looking weary, surrounded by parchments, and cast them an unnerved glance. "Miss Bulstrode, perhaps you want to begin. Where have you been today, what've you done, and can anyone confirm your statements?"

"I've gone to Hogsmeade with Pansy and Juliet here, Vincent Crabbe and his sister were with us, too. I think they will all confirm it. We've been in Zonko's, Twilfitt and Tatting's -"

"Mr Crabbe was with you there?"

"No. He had met the guys and went off for a butterbeer. We've all met in the Three Broomsticks again, later on."

"Did you see Miss Bell there?"

"Possibly, I couldn't really say. A lot of folks were there."

"You remember anyone in particular?"

"Apart from our own people?"

"Anyone. Whose presence could you testify with certainty?"

She started to name them, and Draco tried to look as disinterested and bored as he could. Snape asked if anyone they had met or talked to had acted oddly, but Millicent declined, and he addressed Zabini next. This one had been in Madam Puddifoot's, with his cousin Imelda, who happened to be his girlfriend, too, something which was a source of persistent joking on Draco's part. Dating one's first grade cousin - how pathetic could one be?

"Mr Malfoy, Mr Goyle - I have it from Professor McGonagall and Professor Sprout that you have been serving detentions?"

"Yes, Sir," they replied simultaneously.

"Did you ask anyone to take something to Hogsmeade for you?"

"No, Sir."

"When did you finish?"

"I was still in the Deputy Headmistress' office when this one was called because of the incident," Draco drawled; Greg said that he had been through with repotting the Bubotublers by half past three. Snape sighed, giving Draco a long, vexed look.

"Professor McGonagall has told me that she wasn't very content with your performance, Mr Malfoy. When we're through with this, you'll stay for some more minutes to discuss your lacking engagement for school. Now for you, Miss Montague - what have you done today?"

"I was with Millicent and Pansy, first, and later went to the Hog's Head with some Ravenclaws."

"The Hog's Head, eh? Why didn't you join your classmates in the Three Broomsticks?"

"Because I had an appointment in the Hog's Head, that's why," Juliet said stubbornly.

"With whom were you appointed?"

"Miss Goldstein," she replied with a scowl, and Draco suppressed a smile. Poor Juliet, forced to reveal her most private dealings - they all knew more or less what sort of appointment the two girls had had, even Snape could know. Perhaps he simply enjoyed to torment her a bit more. They were dismissed at last, only Draco had to stay back, and after quickly hexing the door soundproof, Snape dropped the last scratches of patience he had shown so far.

"I wouldn't trust my ears, Draco! How could you be so foolish!" he hissed, got up and walked around his desk to confront Draco.

"Beg your pardon?!"

"What on earth did you think? If the girl had died, it wouldn't be me to interrogate you now, but a whole bunch of Aurors, using Legillimence, possibly even Veritaserum on you!"

"I don't know what you are talking about... Sir," Draco said, angrier than he had intended. "I've done my detentions with McGonagall - I thought she had told you already that I have!"

"Don't you dare being cheeky with me, Draco!"

"I am sorry, Sir."

"And you can be! A collier from Borgin and Burke's, have you lost your mind?! In this school are perhaps three students who could afford to buy that from their pocket money!"

"Then you might want to talk to them, Sir!"

"But I am talking to you, my boy! Did you truly believe for just one minute that this idiocy could work out?!"

"I haven't got anything to do with this! Bell's a player for Gryffindor, maybe someone wanted to -"

"Nobody wanted to harm Miss Bell, I wager a year's salary on that, Draco! And you know perfectly well what I am talking about, so don't you play the dimwit now!"

"You are mistaken, Sir. I cannot help you. And yelling at me won't bring you one step further, mark my words," Draco answered, as coldly as he could.

Snape took a deep breath, his face ashen. "Very well. Very well. Another round of detentions for your brazenness when talking to a teacher, and for disobeying Professor McGonagall. Tomorrow evening, six o'clock, and bring your dragon-skin gloves."

"But I -"

"If you talk back to me now, I can make it a whole week, Draco! Now send in the next group, I want to finish this nonsense before midnight if I can!"