Paper Confines

xxxii. Traces

Reid nodded. "Far from it, from what Etta used to tell me. He was an odd boy in first year. I suppose that wasn't ameliorated."

There was only so much Amoret could have said about him before Reid left, idle gossip and complaints about his grades. Nadya had told Colette once that Amoret barely used to talk about him before becoming a prefect, but that she'd called him handsome in fourth year and dropped the matter when Nadya pestered her relentlessly about it. If what Reid knew of Tom was from then, Colette wondered what she'd think of him now.

"I'd pin him as a cult leader on top of murderer if I could," said Nadya, "But we'll try for the latter first."

"A flock that blunders without their herder," Claude muttered.

Or knights without a king.

"We could afford for them to blunder harder."

"You could afford to avoid an altercation like last night ever happening again," Reid said tersely.

Claude leaned against a spare desk. "It wasn't particularly beneficial to their case that they left me stupefied at the door. Could've shoved me into a closet, at least. That is the decent thing to do."

"As I came here to discuss," Reid diverted, "your Knights. The parts of the Ministry that know about last night are... demanding more than I presumed. All but senior Nott took unkindly to the idea that a full investigation would be a waste of time and resources."

Colette was going to have scars on her lower lip like vampire bites if she didn't hear something positive soon, and bruises even her best red couldn't hide.

Nadya just shrugged. "Not surprising."

"And yet, their protests are unfounded. Claude and Alexander's involvement is your saving grace. Without it, the evidence would all point to you and Colette, and frankly you'd be lucky to be expelled.

"That Nott's father and in turn the sanctity of the Ministry itself could be brought into question means they'll want this cleaned up as quickly as possible; I suspect a quick trial to appease the parents, if not a private vote within the Wizengamot. There's chaos enough with Myrtle and Ruby's cases still dominating the tabloids." Reid paced in a way that made it look remarkably purposeful, though Colette knew she was reeling. "I was able to convince Gamp to send in Dawlish for questioning on both sides—he's a half-blood, and relatively unbiased. Otherwise, I'll push for minimal charges if it's taken to trial, but I maintain faith that it won't make it that far. Best case scenario, you'll get school restrictions and a minor suspension."

Nadya appeared ready to disagree, but sleep had at least caught up to her, and with it sense. She took a breath, and Colette ran her thumb across her wrist under the quilt. Nadya did not protest that.

"Your story is good," Nadya said tactfully, "but I can't be chained to my dormitory to spend the rest of the year studying. That's not the best case scenario for anyone but the Knights."

Reid's eyebrow lifted. "Well, your grades have dropped in everything but Potions, so perhaps it is."

"Reid," Colette said, her tone taking an edge of gravity, "you must understand we cannot sit and do nothing. You want to find Amoret. Please, let us help you."

"What would you have me do that I haven't already done?" Reid asked, and for the second time her veneer of control slipped, her voice newly exasperated. "To reduce your punishment to basic security sanctions and a suspension has been, potentially, a more trying task than my Ministry training assessment—which you should know involved Human Transfiguration and a Qilin. You're asking me to convince a team of aurors, if not the Wizengamot and Moon himself, to let you off scot-free?"