suddenly something warm brushed up against his leg, and harry almost jumped weaving its way between his legs was the bright red kneazle he’d seen earlier in the day three times now, he thought harry k down to pet it
“you’ve been all over the ity today, haven’t you?” he asked his hand pet behind the animal’s ears and down its nek until he hit a leather strap beh its long, thik fur, there was a olr he turned it around and found a tag with the name guinevere followed by an address in the ity “you’re far from home, aren’t you? let’s see if we an get you bak”
it only took a few minutes for the louds to dissipate and the storm to pass harry piked up guinevere and headed towards the main road he heked the time and realized it wasn’t too te to take the kneazle home, so he made his way aross puddle-den walkways and darkening streets
as he roahed the townhome on the edge of a one nie but now dipidated neighborhood, guinevere tensed in his arms he ped his hand on top of her head to alm the kneazle, srathing her ears he proeeded to knok on the door a stout, older woman answered and peered at him through rge, thik gsses
“yes?” she said and then her gaze fell to the ball of red fur in harry’s arms “oh! you’ve found her!” the woman stepped forward in a rush, grabbed the animal, muttered a quik “thanks” and then smmed the door in harry’s fae
“well,” he said, unsure of what had transpired he took a few steps onto the walk and then peered bak at the house a pair of eyes wathed him from the front window, alert and uus, and somewhat familiar harry took a step forward and leaned over to get a loser look at the figure a pale, brue young girl returned his gaze with a bnk stare that sent a shiver down harry’s spine
it was bertrie zivantus he was sure of it he’d seen her on the missing posters but as soon as he’d realized it, she’d diseared from the window and in her pe was a dark, swaying urtain
harry made his way bak to his ft, his mind going in irles how ould he go to the authorities with what he knew? how ould he expin the kneazle somehow leading him to the missing girl’s loan? did it have anything to do with the penthouse murders?
the whole thing was inredibly, undeniably strange
them, harry drafted a quik oded message to ron and rushed out of his ft to head to the owlery he’d barely made it out the door before he aught sight of drao malfoy, leaning against the opposite wall of the alley
“busy today?” he inquired harry rolled his eyes and turned to the street malfoy roahed, stood in front of him, and raised his brows waiting for a response he looked sharp and presentable in a navy suit and waistoat with a grey tie
“yeah, i’m busy, malfoy,” harry sned
“doing what, exatly? you’ve been saked”
harry wondered how on earth malfoy knew that his mind wandered bak to their brief enounter the night before and malfoy’s intuitive statements “yes, well, i’ve got to see to that now, don’t i?”
malfoy ped himself in front of harry and gave him an ear look for a moment, harry felt disarmed by the iy held in those grey eyes “i know you saw what hened in that penthouse, perhaps yesterday you saw more than you’re letting yourself believe the threads of fate have woven us together for whatever reason you and i must follow these events to their onlun whih,” malfoy paused and tilted his head, “hopefully will end with us solving the murder of marwan zivantus”
“marwan zivantus?” harry’s gaze sned to malfoy’s the st sentene was the first thing out of the other man’s mouth that made any bit of sense “that’s who died in the penthouse?”
“he was among the murder vitims, yes,” malfoy nodded
realizan hit harry the kneazle had been at the hotel where marwan zivantus died the kneazle led harry to the dead man’s missing daughter harry remembered just then that valentine had said the iigators had asked if they’d seen an animal “hang on,” harry said, still utterly onfused as to how malfoy was involved “what gives you the authority to inquire into his death?”
“well, he hired me to do so, of ourse”
“he hired you,” harry repeated ftly
“yes,” malfoy said, as if it was the most normal thing in the world “six weeks ago”
“a man hired you to iigate his own murder six weeks before it hened?”
“at the time, i myself thought it very strange as well, but here we are” malfoy seemed to realize something and turned bak to harry “i seem to remember you having full knowledge of my identity, but i onfess, i’ve not the slightest lue what to all you”
harry studied him for a moment perhaps if malfoy was oed to the rimes, harry might be able to help find the truth “arhie eversworn,” harry replied
malfoy’s eyes narrowed, as if aluting the rman his fae returned to a ral stare and he moved on “so it’s settled then, eversworn you and i are going to solve…”
harry ouldn’t stop thinking about bertrie zivantus in the window the night before her bnk stare haunted him a sinking feeling settled in his stomah at the thought of her father being one of the bodies in the penthouse
“what is it? have you oed something to the ase?” malfoy asked, the slight hint of hope surfaing in his voie
harry shook his head “there is no ase, malfoy good day”
he still had to get word to ron about the unluky turn in their iigan, but harry onsidered going to the dmle and telling them what he knew about bertrie he didn’t want to lose his alias, but the safety and well being of a young girl was on the line it took about ten minutes until he reahed the owlery, maybe a little longer than usual sine he kept looking over his shoulder he wouldn’t put it past malfoy to follo
