Prompt: Tarragon | @moonkillermicrofic | WC: 1075 (Iâm in the cell next to Barty)
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âMind telling me why youâve got your boyfriend in the slammer, Lupin?â Lily asked, setting her keys down on the table.
âAh, Officer Evans,â Barty purred, arms hanging limply from the bars, âwe have to stop meeting like this.â
âShut it, Crouch.â Lily frowned looking down at the clipboard of recent inmates, âYou didnât book him?â
âNo.â Remus gritted, staring into tarragon eyes from behind the cold iron separating the pair.
âRemus, you canât hold him if youâre not going to book him.â
Suddenly, a wild dog appeared through the door, rolling up his sleeves as he barked, âWhere is he?â
The inmate stiffened, removing his appendages from easy access and slinking further back into his cage.
âWhat is going on?â Lily asked, shocked by the crazed man who reached through the bars as if he could rip the answers held captive from the cunning killer.
âWhat the fuck did you do with him?â Sirius snarled.
âI didnât do anything to him.â Barty denied.
Remus snorted as James ran up beside him.
âIs it really him?â James whispered, and Remus, unable to look his partner in the eye, could only nod, âHow long have you known?â
âSince last night,â Remus gritted.
âAt the barâyou got this look,â James recalled, âWhy didnât you say anything?â
âLet him out, Remus.â Sirius barked, âI want to get my hands on him.â
âYouâll be wasting your time, Lupin.â Barty drawled, starring at his nails before glancing upâcutting the inspector with sugar sweet lies as he declared, âIt wasnât me, darling.â
âSo, youâre claiming youâre not The Butcher,â James asked slowly, âThat you didnât murderâslaughterâall those people.â
âNot all of them, no.â Barty confessed, âBut I am The Butcher.â
Perhaps he was blinded by the unfairly gorgeous face, or maybe it was the trust for the game they had played, but something in the way he said his self-given moniker made Remus pause.
âSo you were working with someone?â James hedged as Remus flipped through his phone, searching for the evidence that made his brain itch, his heart flip, his stomach tighten at the wrongness of it.
âNo, Potter, I work alone.â Barty admitted, âtoo many chances for someone else to fuck up. If I were to go down, I would want it to be because of myselfânot some other half-witâs fuck up.â
Remus found what he had been looking for. The fourth note that set his teeth on edge.
âMary Cattermole?â Remus asked.
Bartyâs eyes glimmered at the name game proposed.
âMine.â The villain purred, taking a step forward toward the bars.
âElphias Doge.â Remus called out the roster, drawing nearer toward the other player.
âRabastan LeStrange.â
The pair had met at the bars, a breath away as Remus whispered, âBenji Fenwick.â
âMine.â Barty confirmed, searching his face for disdain and smiling widely when he found none.
âNot mine..â Barty frowned.
âHorseshit.â Sirius accused.
âNo,â Remus breathed, âheâs telling the truth.â
âNarcissist, remember?â Remus said, rolling his eyes as Barty sniffed.
âI believe giving credit where credit is due.â Barty claimed, âBesidesâRemus knew it wasnât me when it happened, didnât you darling?â
âRemus?â James asked.
âThe letter feltâoff.â Remus admitted.
âHeâs lying to you,â Sirius seethed.
âFirstly, I never lie. Not when asked an outright question.â Barty claimed, âSecondly, Regulus is a friend. I wouldnât harm him.â
âYou donât have friends, you leech.â Sirius spat.
Amidst the argument, Remusâ phone vibrated against his hand and he peered down to find a new message.
Barty was the only one who seemed to be aware of Remusâ shock and smiled smugly when Remus met his eyes.
âWell?â Barty urged, curiosity whetting his gaze.
Remus handed James his phone and felt his partner snap his head between the device and the prisoner.
âEvans, let him out.â
âWhat?!â âFinally!â Lily and Sirius cried in tandem.
âSirius, no.â James said.
âI donât believe he took Regulus.â James admitted.
âNor do I think heâs working with anyone else,â James added, earning a blank look from his boyfriend, âBut heâs going to help us find him. And Evan. Isnât that right?â
To Bartyâs credit he didnât smile. Didnât taunt or tease. Raw eyes narrowed in righteousness and determination, an eerie relaxed calm swept across Bartyâs face, shoulders. There was no argument to be had from the man, just an open palm waiting for Remusâ phone to be deposited into it.
Bartyâs quick fingers sent out a text as Lily hesitantly unlocked the cell, releasing the cool figure as he glided through the opening past an outraged Sirius.
âAt their apartments, what did you find?â Barty asked, ignoring Siriusâ tirade as James held him back.
âNothing apart from their cell phones and some drugs.â Remus admitted, âFrank and Moody are sweeping them, though.â
âDrugs? What drugs?â Barty asked.
âA hallucination. Red Salvia.â Remus answered.
âWho knew about the notes?â Barty asked.
âEveryone who was on the teamâFrank, Moody, James, me, Rosier, Regulus, McKinnon, Evansâand then of course you and Sirius.â
âDid you tell anyone?â Barty asked Sirius.
âNo, I donât spill information about Jamesâ investigations.â Sirius spat, âDid you? Who am I kidding, you probably put it in your stupid little paper. Just another way to show off.â
âNo,â Barty denied, âThe notes were just for Remus. I never included that detail.â
âI didnât tell anyone,â Lily confirmed.
âNeither did Iâapart from Sirius,â James said.
âSo that leaves Frank and Moody, McKinnon, Evan, and Regulus.â Barty listed.
âFrank and Moody would never sabotage an investigation. Alice doesnât want to hear about Frankâs work apart from office gossip, and Moody is a vault.â Remus offered.
âRegulus had a strict âno work talk outside of work policyâ,â James reminded, checking him off the list.
âOh goodââ McKinnon interrupted, calling out for the three officers as she marked them off her roster, âYouâre all here.â
Marlene turned on her heel, ready to search for the other members of the force not accounted for but Evans stopped her casually calling, âHey McKinnon, did you ever tell anyone anything about this case?â
âRosier and I talked about it.â Marlene offered dismally, âItâs the kids first murder case. He was just starting to get his bearings andââ
Salty frustration prickled against dark lashes, but with a slow shaky breath the officer declared, âWeâll find them.â