Bagnold fell silent. Three deep lines appeared between her brows as she thought.
"Hmm..." she murmured. "Now that you mention it... According to the Aurors, Scrimgeour stopped outside Black's cell and exchanged a few words with him. Black asked him for a newspaper, saying he was bored in prison. Scrimgeour happened to have a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet. The front page featured an interview with Arthur Weasley, along with a photograph of Arthur and his entire family. Scrimgeour handed the paper to Black!"
"And that didn't raise any questions with the investigators?" Richard asked in disbelief. "Magic can do anything! Scrimgeour could easily have Transfigured some object useful for an escape into a newspaper before handing it to the prisoner. Otherwise, how do you explain this? Azkaban stood for centuries without a single escape, and then suddenly this!"
"Scrimgeour, you bastard!" Bagnold hissed through clenched teeth, her voice dripping with venom. "I'll make that swine rot!"
"Assistant," Richie said, drawing the Minister's attention.
"What about assistant?" Bagnold asked.
"She could be involved as well. I wouldn't rule Umbridge out. How did she end up in that position in the first place?"
"Fudge brought Umbridge up with him," Bagnold explained. "Dolores worked in the Improper Use of Magic Office. When I was Minister, Fudge served as Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. Their offices were close to one another. Apparently, Fudge was friendly with Umbridge, and once he became Minister, he brought Dolores along."
"Get rid of her!" Richard said flatly. "Millicent, you're an experienced politician. You know perfectly well that your deputy ought to be someone from your own team. And you should sack Scrimgeour while you're at it."
"If only it were that simple..." Bagnold sighed sadly. "Without substantial grounds, I can't dismiss either of them. Dolores is easier—I can transfer her to another position in a different department. But Scrimgeour can't simply be removed as Head of the Auror Office. Still..." A determined glint appeared in her eyes. "I'll think of something. What concerns me far more right now is what we're going to do about Black."
"Millicent, is it possible Black escaped on his own?" Richard asked. "What if he possessed some rare talent? Suppose, like Nymphadora Tonks, he was a Metamorphmagus, transformed himself into someone like Scrimgeour, and simply walked out of the prison. Or perhaps he was an Animagus, like McGonagall."
"No." The Minister shook her head. "Black was never registered as an Animagus. Besides, if he had been one, he'd have escaped long ago. Nor could he have transformed into Scrimgeour, because no one from the inspection party ever entered his cell. So the theory about the Transfigured newspaper strikes me as the most likely."
"Fair enough," Richard agreed. "So what were you planning to do? I could send you an excellent detective who used to work for Scotland Yard."
"A Muggle?!" Bagnold's eyes widened in surprise.
"No—a Squib," Richard replied, shaking his head.
"A detective certainly wouldn't hurt," the Minister admitted. "As a matter of fact, I was thinking we should put up wanted posters for Black, publish news of his escape in the Daily Prophet before it leaks through other channels, and perhaps even ask the Muggle authorities for assistance—for example, have them broadcast an announcement on television."
Richard clicked his tongue and slowly shook his head.
"Bad idea..." he drawled. "Either way, it'll be a trap and a blow to your reputation, dear Millicent. And later on, your opponents will never let you forget that you officially appealed to the Muggle authorities."
Millicent leaned forward and asked pointedly,
"And unofficially?"
Richie immediately understood what she was implying.
"That's no problem," he replied. "But it still isn't the answer. We need something else—something more effective. If Black isn't an idiot, though that's admittedly debatable, he'll go to ground. Neither wizards nor ordinary people will ever find him. We need to lure him out somehow..."
"Lure him out..." Bagnold gave a rueful smile. "If only it were that easy... The investigators believe Black will try to get into Hogwarts."
"Why would he do that?" Richard asked, genuinely astonished.
"According to Black's 'neighbors' in Azkaban," Bagnold began, "after the inspection party left, he kept shouting, 'He's at Hogwarts! I'll kill him!' The current theory is that Black intends to murder Harry Potter. After all, it was Sirius who betrayed the Potters to Riddle, since he was the Secret Keeper for the Fidelius Charm, a spell of concealment."
"I see... I see..." Richie murmured thoughtfully. "I didn't know those details. Why was Black their Secret Keeper?"
"In his youth, Sirius Black was James Potter's best friend," Bagnold explained.
"I see..." Richie fell silent for a moment. Closing his eyes, he ran a hand down his face before looking back at Millicent. "You need to grant Black an amnesty—retroactively."
"WHAT?!" Bagnold could scarcely believe her ears. She stared at him in utter disbelief, her eyes wide with shock.
"Grant him an amnesty," Richie repeated. "Retroactively... Though that part isn't strictly necessary. The amnesty itself will do."
The look the Minister gave him spoke volumes. Until now she had regarded Richard as an equal, but at this moment she looked at him as though he were a foolish little boy who had uttered the most absurd nonsense imaginable. Choosing her words carefully, she said,
"Richard, I must admit I thought you were an exceptionally intelligent young man. I'd heard all about your brilliance. But are you seriously suggesting we grant amnesty to a dangerous criminal who murdered one wizard—Peter Pettigrew—along with a dozen Muggles, betrayed his best friend's family, escaped from Azkaban, and is now hunting Harry Potter?!"
"Yes," Richie answered simply. "And stop looking at me as though I'm an idiot. I'm not suggesting we actually let him go free. Just make it look that way. Leak word of the amnesty to the press. It'll cover your backside. To the public, it won't look as though Black escaped—it'll look as though he was officially released. Can you imagine how shocked Black will be? He'll be completely blindsided by a stunt like that. There's a very good chance he'll stop hiding. That's when the Aurors swoop in and arrest him, and afterward you tell everyone about your brilliant plan. Say there never was any amnesty. Black escaped from Azkaban, and the false story was simply part of the operation to lure him into the open."
"No, Richard." A still-stunned Bagnold shook her head. Yet she had begun seeing her young companion as an equal once again. The idea, outrageous at first glance, no longer seemed quite so insane. "If we grant an amnesty, it has to be a genuine one. We can't pretend to do it."
"Then make it genuine," Richard replied simply. "Once you've caught him, put him on trial for escaping Azkaban. After all, he escaped before the amnesty was announced, and that is still a crime. Either way, it's far easier to catch a criminal who's become careless than to hunt a wizard who's devoting every ounce of effort to staying hidden."
(End of Chapter)
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