–Thank you for coming in, Mrs Lee, please take a seat.â€
Looking curiously around Albus’ office, Cheryl sat down, wringing her fingers. –Is there anything I can do, for you?â€
–Yes,†Scorpius replied calmly, taking a seat across the table. –We found your diamond ring.†He held out his palm, on which sat a harmless-looking ring with a very large, pink-coloured diamond.
Cheryl’s eyes widened. –Really?†she said, her lips curving upwards into a huge smile as she reached for the ring. –Thank -â€
Scorpius, however, withdrew his hand. –We found it in your dustbin,†he told her.
Cheryl’s face blanched, but she quickly masked it with a look of mild surprise.
–Along with the mop,†Albus put in, –that was used to remove the blood and water from the floor.â€
–Who- who put it there?†Cheryl asked curiously, her voice terse.
–We found no prints on the mop except yours,†Albus said, standing up. –Maybe the killer had worn gloves.â€
Cheryl looked at the floor. –That’s possible,†she replied.
Albus nodded. –Where did you go the night your husband was murdered, Mrs Lee?†He started to pace the length of his office.
–I already answered that,†she replied, looking up and smiling calmly. –I went to buy an ice sculpture.â€
–Not to participate?†Scorpius asked. He was noticing the tiny movements in Cheryl’s eyes. They subconsciously darted towards the door once in a while.
–Well I - I had originally decided to, but then I thought I wouldn’t bother, so I just thought I’d buy one instead.â€
–You didn’t make a sculpture?â€
–I - yes, I -â€
–Where is it?†Albus asked, stopping in his tracks to look at Cheryl.
–It - well, I don’t have it. It melted,†she said. –Can I go now?†She stood up abruptly, scurrying towards the door. –I have a -â€
In a flash, Albus had his wand pointing towards her. –Sit,†he ordered.
–What is the meaning of this?†she hissed, glaring at Albus venomously, whipping out her own wand and pointing it straight at him. Scorpius, however, disarmed her before she had a chance to do anything else, a frown knitting his brows.
–You,†he said, stowing her wand inside his robes, –don’t get your wand back till this is over. Sit.â€
Cheryl complied, crossing her arms across her chest, still glowering at Albus.
You are a witch, Mrs Lee,†Albus said, now pacing again. –You wouldn’t just let your sculpture melt. Tell the truth.â€
–I’m telling you -â€
–You killed him, didn’t you?†Scorpius guessed, looking into her eyes.
–No!â€
–You smashed his head with the sculpture, and you mopped it up!â€
–You can’t prove it!†Cheryl screamed. Her words rang around the room as she breathed deeply, her chest heaving. She glared at the two Aurors.
Silence.
And then Albus smiled. –As a matter of fact, we can.â€
Then he began telling her what had happened that morning.
Donning Muggle attire, Albus and Scorpius Apparated to the ice sculpture exhibition as fast as they could. As soon as they stepped into the chilly room, Albus spotted the in-charge standing in one corner or the room, talking in hushed tones with a short and stubby man. With Scorpius in tow, Albus jogged over to him.
–Excuse me, Mr Willis?â€
The in-charge looked up, while the other man looked at them with an annoyed expression etched on his face. –I’m Detective Potter, Mr Willis, and this is Detective Malfoy. Nice to meet you again,†Albus said. Noticing the quizzical look on the man’s face, he added, –I came here a couple of days ago to investigate a murder case. I hope you remember me?â€
Willis’ expression changed to one of recognition. –Ah, yes, I do. Just a moment.†He turned to the man he had been talking with previously and excused himself before returning to Albus. –Yes, detectives, how may I help you?â€
–Sir, do you remember what Cheryl Lee’s sculpture looked like?â€
He nodded, a small smile on his lips. Albus knew that he had a soft spot for Cheryl and her talent. –It was a serpent, and a very beautiful one, too! The details were absolutely stunning; I couldn’t believe how much work she had put herself through to get that much fineness. The eyes had been striking. They looked absolutely real - it seemed like they followed you around!â€
–When did you first see it?†Scorpius asked. He knew Cheryl had been a Slytherin at Hogwarts.
–When she came in. Why?â€
Sidestepping his question, Albus said, –Was it there when she left?â€
–I believe so. When the sculptors all left, I counted the number of sculptures on the table. There were a total of twenty sculptors, and there were twenty carvings when they left.â€
–We need to see them,†Albus prompted.
Willis hesitated. –Detective, we can’t let anyone examine -â€
–Please, sir, we need to see them,†Albus pressed, a serious look on his face. –It’s a crucial piece of evidence.â€
Albus thought that Willis looked sceptical, as though wondering how on earth an ice sculpture could be crucial evidence. Nonetheless, he reluctantly led them towards a table near the centre of the room. The plush carpet muffled the noise of their feet as they walked along the rows of glittering figurines.
However, when Willis spotted the serpentine figure, he stopped in his tracks.
–That’s odd,†he muttered, frowning.
Albus’ heart hammered in his chest. –Mr Willis?â€
–This - this is not it,†he spluttered, his eyes widening in shock. –This is not the carving Cheryl showed me.â€
–What do you mean this is not -â€
–This one is far less detailed than the least. You can’t see the scales and - the biggest thing is that the snake is facing exactly the opposite direction!â€
–So this isn’t Cheryl’s original?†Scorpius said, jotting away in his notebook furiously, his brows knitted into a frown.
–Definitely not!â€
Albus knew it. –Thank you, Mr Willis. Now, could you please give me the names and contact numbers of all the other contestants?â€
–That means nothing!†Cheryl said, crossing her arms across her chest.
–You lied to us,†Scorpius replied. –What’s your excuse?â€
–The killer may have bought him off.â€
–And the other witnesses?â€
She paused. –What other witnesses?â€
Albus walked over to his desk and took out a Pensieve from his desk drawer. It was a gift from his father on his twentieth birthday. Setting it softly on the table, he put his wand to his forehead and slowly withdrew a thin strand of shimmering, silver thread. He put it in the Pensieve and gave the contents a swirl. Immediately, the smoky figure of a plump young woman with curly hair rose from the whirling plasma below.
–I remember seeing her going into the loo with her sculpture at around ten fifteen,†she said, scratching her head lightly. –I just thought she might be going for a touch-up and didn’t want to let it out of her sight. But she didn’t return for a long time. Eventually I forgot about it. The next time I saw her was at around ten thirty-five, and she looked... well, scared. Her hair was dishevelled and there was water on the hem of her clothes. Her sculpture wasn’t there. But again, during the judging, she was standing beside it. It was kind of odd, I’ll tell you.â€
Albus gave the figure a prod with his wand and it dissolved. Another figure rose up instantly, this time of an impeccably dressed Muggle man.
–Oh yes, I saw Mrs Lee. I was standing outside my door at around ten-twenty, waiting for my butler to open it, when she came in through the lift. She looked very happy when she was going into her house - she had a beautiful ice figurine in her hands. I wouldn’t give it a second thought, but soon I heard voices. Mrs Lee and Kenneth were arguing. Having no interest in listening to their row, I rang my bell again, and after the butler opened it, I went inside. The last thing I heard before the door closed was the sound of something breaking - china, perhaps.â€
By then, Cheryl had gone white.
–Anything else, Mrs Lee?†Albus asked, stowing the Pensieve back in his drawer. –Or were they bought off, too?â€
–The Gringotts goblin said that you were the last to know about your vault balance,†Scorpius put in. –Imagine your surprise when you saw two hundred Galleons missing from your vault. You must have wondered where they went.â€
–You did some digging to know where that much money had disappeared to,†Albus said, now pacing again. –And you found a slip in Kenny’s desk, on which was an address.â€
–You went to that address on the day of the murder, didn’t you, Mrs Lee?†Scorpius asked.
–And the only person you found there was Gwen Rufflesius,†Albus said.
–Who was, as you recall, supposed to be dead because your husband didn’t manage to remove the curse on the pyramid she had been inside,†Scorpius added.
–You put two and two together, didn’t you?†Albus said, now coming to a halt and looking at her. He was pleased to see that she was looking daggers at them. –And so you killed him.â€
–I didn’t kill him,†she hissed.
–Yes you did!†Albus bellowed, slamming his fist on the table.
–You can’t prove I did it!â€
–You murdered him in cold blood instead of leaving him!â€
–He wouldn’t let me leave!â€
–You killed him because you knew he was having an affair!â€
–No, I didn’t kill him!†She yelled. –I didn’t even know he had an affair!â€
–Come on, Cheryl, don’t give us this crap,†Scorpius said. –You were a brilliant student at Hogwarts - Slytherin Prefect, always top of the year. I’m sure you must have linked it all together.â€
–You couldn’t stand the fact that your husband had another woman in his life,†Albus said. He knew he was now pushing her towards the edge; her sweaty face and the way she was struggling against the bonds told him that she was breaking down. –As a matter of fact, you’ve been making regular trips to Gwen’s house, haven’t you? Yes, we know about that,†he added, noticing how her eyes had gone wide. –What were you planning? Did you want to kill her too?â€
–I’m telling you I didn’t!†she screamed. –It must have been her, go arrest her!â€
–We all know that’s not true,†Scorpius said. –Why don’t you save us all the trouble and admit that you killed your husband because he betrayed you and was living with another woman!â€
–I gave the traitor what he deserved!†she screamed.
And then she realised what she had said.
Albus stood upright, exhaling deeply, a triumphant smile on his face. He glanced at Scorpius, who nodded solemnly.
–Now, Mrs Lee, if you would care to explain what had happened that night,†Scorpius said, conjuring his quill and parchment.
–No!†She made a run for the door, but this time Albus was ready. Tackling her to the ground, he pinned her down while Scorpius conjured a thin band of yellow light - like the one they had used on Rufflesius before - and clasped in around her wrists. By then, Cheryl’s hair and face was a mess. Her hair, which had been tied neatly in a bun when she had come in, was hanging about her face in mad curls. Her face was sweaty and her make-up was smudged. Albus then got off her, pulling her up and shoving her onto the chair.
–Try to do that again and you’re dead,†Albus growled. Screw the protocol.
Cheryl slumped back on her chair, covering her face with her cuffed hands, letting out a sigh.
–Very well,†she said in a defeated tone. –Kenny had been acting odd ever since we came back from Egypt. He wasn’t the type of person who would be so careless about removing curses, and I thought he was acting like that because of his demotion. He stayed out late and often didn’t come home at night. I tried to talk to him, but he avoided me. I started to become suspicious. I asked around his office but everyone claimed that they didn’t know. I tried to follow him, but he caught me and we had a huge fight about it. Ever since then I knew that he was doing something he didn’t want me to know. I guessed he might be having an affair.
–I went to Gringotts to check our account for anomalies,†she continued, her lips curled upwards. –Turns out he took out two hundred Galleons. Why would he need that much money unless he had another woman? But just to be sure, I checked his office, where I found an address tucked away in one of his files. I went there immediately and found that woman. In a moment, it clicked. Kenny knew she was alive, and why was she living alone instead of with her husband? I realised their whole plan; Kenny made it look like she was dead so that they could live together without anyone else knowing.
–I decided not to tell anything to him just yet; I had that competition and I didn’t want him and that woman to ruin my chances of doing the only thing I loved. For a while I forgot about it. I made the sculpture and went to the exhibition, where everyone told me it was brilliant and Mr Willis even told me that I might just win it. I was so happy that I Apparated home to show the sculpture to Kenny, forgetting that he really didn’t care about me.â€
Albus was listening intently. He knew that, now, Cheryl would tell them how she had done it. He looked at Scorpius, who was listening as eagerly as him; for once, he had charmed his quill to write down automatically.
Cheryl closed her eyes, took a deep breath and continued, –Kenny was drunk, and one look at the house told me someone was there. I just knew it was her. I asked him about it, but he denied it. He saw the sculpture and told me - he told me it was the worst thing he’d seen. He told me that I... that I never cared about him and that his Gwen - that that woman was the only person who loved him.†Tears stained her face. –I got so cross - I didn’t know what I was doing and - one moment I was holding my statue and the next moment I had - I had hit him on - on his he-head!â€
Cheryl let out a whimper and started to sob, her eye-liner dribbling down her cheeks. Wiping it away with a piece of tissue she had conjured, she said. –I was so angry I didn’t realise that I had hit him. He just fell down and - and didn’t move anymore. I checked his pulse, but he was already... gone.â€
–What happened next?†Scorpius asked.
–I had already killed him; I didn’t want to go to Azkaban. If anyone figured it out, I would have been chucked away for life. So I cleaned up. I mopped the floor and threw the mop away so that no one would find the prints. I threw away my necklace for good measure, deciding to get it back later, so that when you came you would think it was a robbery. I conjured up another sculpture and went out of the building. I Apparated back, knowing full well that I would lose, because it just wasn’t as good as the last one. Once it was over, I came back and called the Aurors. You know what happened then.â€
Albus sighed. They had finally got a confession - They had found out Kenny Lee’s killer. Standing up, he stated, –Cheryl Lee, you are charged with the murder of Kenny Lee. You shall be taken to Azkaban to await further trial.â€
Scorpius stood up too, and sent a memo to Azkaban. Once he was done, he walked over to Cheryl and said, –You know what’s ironic, Mrs Lee? Had you simply surrendered yourself and told us that you had mistakenly killed your husband, the charges against you would have been much less. You would have been in prison for what, seven or eight years? But now you’ll be charged with covering up yourself and trying to impair the course of justice, indicating a planned murder. This would account for at least fifteen to twenty years.â€
"And you know what?" Albus asked. "Gwen never went to your house. It was her husband who went to warn Kenny."
Cheryl’s eyes widened. She then covered her face with her hands and fell forwards onto the table, sobbing harder than ever.
Looking at the woman with pity, Albus left the room, followed closely by Scorpius, who locked the door tightly and secured the room with a wave of his wand.
–She dug up her own grave,†Albus said quietly.
Scorpius nodded. –On the bright side, the case is solved.â€
–A few more weeks of her trial by the Wizengamot and we can finally close this file.†Albus said, yawning. It had been a long day. –And then I can finally finish my house of cards.â€
Scorpius snorted. –You’re insane, Potter.â€
Albus simply grinned.
A Touch of Ice by majestic_ginny
Chapter Notes: When I was writing this story I wondered when it would end. And now that I'm about to post the last chapter, I feel... odd. It's like I've lost a part of me. This story was really close to my heart, because out of all my stories I've spent the most time planning this one - You'll find that my notebook is full of scribbles, notes and hastily jotted down plot points that I've had lost of trouble deciphering later. Well, at least now I can say that I've finally finished a chaptered story :D.
I've tried my best to fill up all the loopholes and gaps, but if you have any questions leave me a review and I'll try to answer it. Otherwise, leave me a review anyways to tell me how you found this story, they're really, really appreciated. Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far, and to everyone who stuck with me till the end. Love you all!
I'm not JK Rowling. Thanks to her for allowing me to fiddle with her characters, and special thanks and lots of love and squishes to Soraya (babewithbrains) for betaing this story and putting up with my countless spelling and grammar errors and for brilliantly shaping up the characters. Without her, this story would be a lot of tosh rotting in my recycle bin. And loads of huggles to Pooja (Ginny Weasley Potter) for being an awesome sister and for all the encouragement and support she's provided me. Love ya, hun.
Once again, thank you for taking the time to read this story. You guys are all way too awesome.
Chapter Endnotes: That was it. :D Comments? Questions? You know what to do. Thanks for reading!
Lots of love, Nadia.