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Never Let Go by majestic_ginny

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Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the delay, guys! Uni has started again, and my courses this semester are pretty difficult. Updates might be a bit rare again, but as I've mentioned before, I'm not giving up on this. I'm gonna complete this story :D.

Gazillion thanks to Pooja (Ginny Weasley Potter) for going through this and being an awesome sister. Thanks, hun. *hearts* *hearts*

Oh, and I'm not JKR.



Silence.

Harry’s words rang inside Teddy’s head. A hundred different things went through his mind as he considered the seriousness of the situation. There must have been a mistake, he thought. Auror Williamson, the always-by-the-book Williamson who lived for nothing but justice and truth, had withheld such essential information about a case, and that too such a high profile case, breaking around twenty laws in the process. He had been aware of his son’s breakout. There was a possibility that he had figured out his son was the one who had murdered the Minister’s daughter, and he hadn't said a word.

–Williamson... Williamson knew?” Teddy finally blurted out. Why would he do something like this?

Harry slammed his fist against the table, the resounding echoing loudly around the room. His was livid, his face contorted with such fury that Teddy had never seen before, and certainly not on his godfather’s face. –That lying, conniving piece of trash,” he swore loudly. –That man knew his son had escaped and he said nothing! Bloody nothing at all!”

–Harry, do you know what this means?” Teddy said, standing up. –There's a possibility that Williamson was involved in this whole thing.”

–I am gonna rip him apart,” Harry promised, his eyes burning with hatred. –He knew who killed the Minister’s daughter and he tried to blame it on my son even though he knew his boy escaped Azkaban. This puts him down as an accessory to murder, Teddy, he can’t get away this time.”

Everything made so much more sense now. –He got you off the case because of this,” Teddy said. –He wanted the case himself so you didn’t snoop around and find out about his son’s escape. He planned the whole thing right from the start, Harry.” Teddy had never really liked Williamson, but this disgusted him. How could the man stoop to such a level?

–When Zachary got out, he probably figured this was his chance," Harry theorised. "I don't know if you knew this, Teddy, but he was against Percy becoming the Minister -- he was one of Roy Glockenspieler’s supporter’s.”

–Glockenspieler was the other candidate, right?” Teddy asked, briefly remembering a large man with a cropped moustache and tiny, beady eyes. It had been back when Teddy had just joined the Auror office fresh out of Hogwarts. –The one with the idea to reinstate the Anti-Werewolf Legislation and retract the ban on keeping Dementors in Azkaban?”

–Yes, him,” Harry said, scrunching up his nose. –Thank Merlin the Wizarding population still had their heads in the right place. They saw how brilliant Kingsley had been as Minister and they felt that Percy, Kingsley’s Undersecretary and one of his most trusted friends, would be a better leader than Glockenspieler. And you were a kid during the Second War, so you probably don’t know this, But When Voldemort returned, Williamson sided with Cornelius Fudge. He was one of the Aurors loyal to the man, but when Fudge fell, he tried to jump ship. Kingsley hated him for his ways and the two of them never got along. And that’s why Williamson never liked that Kingsley was Minister, too. He was very vocal about his displeasure with Percy’s appointment because he knew he wouldn’t get his way here, either.”

–So you think he did this to get Percy removed?” Teddy asked, disgusted by what Harry's implications meant.

Harry nodded. –If Percy’s daughter died, he could tell people that Percy was unhinged and his daughter’s death was affecting his ability to run the country. Many people would agree in spite of of everything he’s done, and soon the Wizarding populace would be demanding Percy’s resignation. In all the chaos, Glockenspieler would get the top seat as the next most likely candidate and no one would give a damn about his bullshit principles.”

–And by proving that James was linked with this, he could have you removed, too,” Teddy put in. It was an ingenious ploy. Terribly twisted and sickening, yes, but bloody brilliant. –Like how things turned out with the Crouches -- he would say that you didn’t give your children time, so one of them turned out to be a killer. He’d show that if you’re not a good enough father --”

–--I’m not a good enough Head for the Auror office, either,” Harry finished darkly. –And as the second-most-senior Auror, he would get my post. He could kill two birds with one curse.”

A silence followed Harry’s statement. Teddy could sense, though, that Harry was thinking of something. He had that look on his face he usually had when something didn’t add up.

–One thing I don’t get, though,” he started, confirming Teddy’s suspicions. –Did he really think I wouldn’t notice the thing with the Croton oil?” Harry asked, crossing his arms across his chest. –Zachary killed Alison with Croton oil. It was pretty much enough to connect the two murders, wasn’t it?”

–It was a while back, I don’t think he expected you to figure it out. And to be honest,” Teddy pointed out, –you had forgotten about it till now, hadn’t you?”

–True. I guess I just expected more from him. He should have taken this into account while plotting to get rid of Percy and me by killing Lucy and framing James,” Harry said bitterly.

–But you caught him!” Teddy said encouragingly. –Thanks to your snooping, you figured it all out and now you can turn the tables around, right?”

–Oh, you better believe I will,” Harry said firmly, heading for door. His eyes had a hard look in them. –That man has it coming. I don’t care that he tried to do this to me, but he killed Lucy and tried to ruin James’s life. He’s not getting away.”



There was no way Williamson was getting out of this, Teddy thought.

After leaving his office, Harry had made his way up straight to the Minister’s office with Teddy in tow, barking orders to a couple of terrified young Aurors on the way to send Williamson up there as soon as possible. Teddy and Harry had just spoken to Percy’s secretary to request an emergency meeting when Williamson strode up to them, a furious expression on his face.

–Fletcher just told me you asked me to meet you here,” he said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. –What do you want?”

Before Harry could reply, the door leading to Percy’s office opened with a slight creak. His secretary, a slender blonde witch in classy red robes named Evaine Pickering, came out with a practiced smile on her face. –The Minister is free to see Mr Potter, Mr Williamson and Mr Lupin now,” she informed them.

–Thank you,” Harry said briskly, and walked towards Percy’s door. Teddy followed him in quickly, and after a second, Williamson did too.

Teddy had never been in the Minister’s room before, and he had to agree it was one of the most opulent rooms in the Ministry. It was by far the largest office he’d seen, with beautiful white walls with golden trim and rosewood floors. The walls were adorned with various moving portraits of previous Ministers and paintings of landscapes and sceneries. Curtains of blue velvet were draped over the fake windows, which currently showed sunlight streaming in from a meadow outside. A few brown leather sofas were arranged around a coffee table in front of a roaring fireplace, which was lined on three sides by a giant bookshelf that took up one whole wall. It spanned from the floor to the ceiling, filled with more than a hundred books on Wizarding government, politics, political science and Wizarding Law. At the far end of the room was an ornately decorated black desk, behind which sat the Minister for Magic himself.

Percy looked up when the three of them entered and gave them a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He looked worse for wear; his eyes had dark circles under them, and his cheeks seemed slightly sunken. His greying hair appeared messy and unkempt, and the intricately designed robes he wore had lost their glamour due to the many creases and folds on them. Teddy felt sorry for him; the once proud and polished minister had been reduced to a worn-down and despondent man.

"Hello, Harry, Demetrius, Teddy," he said, his voice hoarse. "Evaine told me you needed to meet me. Please sit," he said, motioning Harry and Williamson to be seated.

"No thanks, Percy," Harry declined. "There's something really important that you have to know."

"I'm listening," he said, leaning forwards. He looked a bit curious, Teddy thought.

"I know you told me to stay off Lucy's case, but --"

"-- let me guess, you didn't," Percy interrupted. Teddy wasn't sure whether he was exasperated at Harry's disobedience or amused at Harry's disregard for rules.

Williamson, though, looked definitely uncomfortable. "Potter, what is this?" he said furiously, looking slightly pale. "The Minister specifically told you to stay off the case!"

"Well, that would have been pretty darn lovely for you, wouldn't it, Demetrius?" Harry shot back, glaring at the man. "Rather splendid for you and your boy, right?"

Whatever colour was left in his face drained out.

Harry turned to Percy. "There was something oddly familiar about Lucy's case, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it," he said. "So I did some looking around, and imagine my surprise when I found out that the murder of Alison MacDougal had been carried out the exact same way. Naturally, someone would assume both murders were done by the same person," Harry mentioned calmly. Too calmly for Teddy's liking. "Isn't that right, Williamson?"

Williamson's jaws clenched. "That proves nothing."

Percy frowned, looking from Harry to Williamson in uncertainty. "What is going on? What on Earth are you two on about?"

"The person convicted for Alison's murder was Zachary Williamson," Harry answered, his voice increasing with every word he said. "And he escaped Azkaban some time before Lucy was poisoned, and Williamson knew about this!

Percy's head swivelled towards Williamson so fast that Teddy swore he heard his neck crick. "Demetrius, is this true?"

–Minister, this is absurd! You cannot possibly believe these baseless allegations!” Williamson snarled. "Potter's lying. What proof does he have?"

Seriously? Teddy though. Williamson was asking his boss for proof?

Harry snorted in disbelieve, a lopsided, humourless grin on his face. "So I am lying again, am I? The Boy Who Lied all over again, isn't it? Well, tough luck, Williamson. Dealing with your old friend Fudge has taught me a few things." Turning towards Teddy, he said, "The files, please, Teddy."

Teddy fumbled forwards, handing the stack of papers to Harry. Harry nodded in appreciation. "Here you are, Minister," he said, slamming down a file on Percy's desk. "All the case details against Zachary Williamson, along with the testimony of the Azkaban guards. I have it in written, his statement that Azkaban had sent an owl to Auror Williamson the day the discovered the break out." He placed another parchment in front of Percy, who straightened his wire-rimmed glasses and swiftly picked it up. "Might I inform you, Minister, Harry continued, defiantly staring at Williamson, "that Auror Williamson had neither logged a report, nor had he followed the appropriate chain of command for the situation."

Williamson's nostrils flared. "Fine," he growled, looking straight at Harry, who didn't even flinch. "I hadn't informed anyone about Zach's prison-break. He is not guilty of anything! He shouldn't have been there in the first place!" His whole demeanour changed. The tough and unyielding Auror Teddy knew was replaced by a father who was ready to throw away everything to save his son. Despite of what he had done, Williamson still believed his son was right.

Percy's mouth fell open. "Demetrius... you knew this?"

"Of course I knew, Minister! Zach owled me after he escaped. He made it out of there alive, through all the protective barriers you put up. He was always brilliant, my boy," he stated proudly, a gleam in his eyes.

"Then you even knew that he broke into Hogwarts to poison Lucy too, isn't it?" Harry charged. "He did the exact same thing with Lucy, and you sat there and watched as your son took another life!"

Williamson shook his head. "He did no such thing, Potter! I told him to run away and hide! He wouldn't throw away his newfound freedom by attempting to kill someone."

"Oh yeah?" Harry challenged. "Then how did Lucy die the same way that Alison MacDougal died, eh? And let's not forget, Lucy's the Minister's daughter. The same Minister who you campaigned against. "

Williamson stared at Harry coldly. "First thing first, Zach never killed Alison. Try finding who killed that poor girl, for Merlin's sake, and you'll find out who killed Miss Weasley."

Harry shook his head. "I think we don't have anything else to find anymore. It's pretty clear to me. You and Zach planned to kill Lucy and to blame it on James to get rid of both my and Percy. You'd come up with some cock-and-bull story that Percy is unstable due to his daughter's death, and people will demand for his resignation once they believed he was no longer fit to run the Ministry. And by showing that my son's a murderer, you'd show that if I couldn't manage my son, I wouldn't be able to handle the Auror office. Two birds with one curse, Williamson. And it all simmers down to politics, doesn't it?" he said, curling his lips in disgust.

"I'll admit that I wanted to get your son imprisoned Potter," Williamson replied after a pause, his eyes calculating. Teddy could feel that he was hiding something, thinking each and every word carefully. "But I did not try to oust Percy as the Minister, nor do I care for your post anymore. Political gain had nothing to do with this. I wanted you to feel the same thing I felt when you put my innocent boy behind bars. Your son actually did it. He deserved to be jailed!"

"James was innocent, and we have proof!"

"Oh shut up, Potter!" Williamson barked. "You don't know a thing!"

"I think Harry is right, Mr Williamson," Teddy said, stepping up. "You --"

"Shut up, Werewolf scum," Williamson hissed, rounding on Teddy. "No one asked for your opinion!"

Harry started forwards. "To hell with --"

"That is enough!"

A loud thud resonated around the room, making Teddy jump. Williamson and Harry shut up immediately. Harry stared at Percy, his mouth open.

"Minister," Williamson implored. "I --"

"I said that's enough, Williamson," Percy cut across him, holding up a hand, his eyes hard. "I think it's time you took a break, Williamson. I'm suspending you."

Williamson looked like he'd been slapped across the face. "Minister, I must object!"

"No, you must not," Percy deadpanned. "You chose not to report a break out from Azkaban, and you did not disclose this information even after you knew it might pertain to another case. This is reason enough to suspend you from your duties. You are first and foremost an Auror and a member of the Ministry. No relation should come between you and your duties."

Teddy remembered stories from before the war, about how Percy had forsaken his family in the name of his duty and his career. He always put his work first. Even now, though his daughter was dead, he was still coming to the office and managing the Ministry. Teddy admired his ability to stay dedicated towards the greater good even in times of such crisis.

"Percy, he is my son! What would you do?"

"And Lucy was my daughter," Percy shot back, his eyes full of a fire Teddy had never seen before. "Be glad I'm not doing things as a father would. Or else you would be dead by now."

Williamson opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. He stood there, staring defiantly at Percy.

"I, Percy Weasley, Minister for Magic, henceforth relieve you, Auror Williamson, of your duty as an Auror till further notice, on account of withholding information and obstruction of justice," Percy stated. A quill on his desk suddenly came to life and started writing down whatever he dictated. "I also place you under house-arrest with no method of communication authorized. You shall not leave the premises unless to appear at court when the time arises. An Auror will be stationed outside your house at all times."

Williamson looked ready to kill. "Percy, you cannot do this!"

Percy cocked his head. "I think I just did." Turning to Harry, he said, "You're back in, Harry."



An hour later, Harry and Teddy were sitting inside Harry's office when a knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Harry called.

The door opened and Stephen Fletcher stepped in. "Sir," he said, clearing his throat. "Auror Williamson has been escorted out of the Ministry premises and to his home. Two Aurors had gone with him. Bracken remained with him, and Jordan came back. He's writing up the report as we speak, Sir."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Fletcher."

Fletcher saluted and left the room.

"Harry?" Teddy asked hesitantly.

"Hmm?" Harry grunted, picking up a quill and put the tip to the parchment, frowning as he wondered how to start.

"We should arrange for a manhunt for Zachary, I think," Teddy proposed. "Search everywhere for him. He shouldn't be able to get away this time."

Harry sighed and set his quill down. "I was planning on doing the same," Harry admitted, taking off his glasses and polishing them. Putting them back on, he continued, "I think I will ask for Percy's permission to send a team of Hit-wizards on a country-wide manhunt. In fact, I'll write a letter to Oldridge -- the Squad Leader of the Hit-Wizards -- and ask him if they can spare someone."

As Harry looked back down on the paper and picked up his quill again, Teddy asked, "And James? He will be released, right?"

Harry looked up and smiled. "With all the evidence we have, there's no reason to keep him there anymore, is there? I've sent someone to take him home a while ago. I think he's home by now."

Teddy found himself grinning at that. "I think Ginny will be happy."

"Oh, she definitely will be," Harry said, a twinkle in his eye.

Teddy leaned backwards, the grin never leaving his face. Just a few more days, and they'd catch Zachary. They had enough evidence to convince the Wizengamot already, and they'd get a confession out of Zachary, too. Lucy's killer would be behind bars and all would be well. And I'd ask Victoire to marry me, Teddy thought, his grin widening as he thought about the love of his life.

Yes, all was going to be well, he was sure of it.

He just didn't know how terribly wrong he was.



Chapter Endnotes:
Did you really think it was that easy? *Laughs evilly.*

Review please!

--Nadia