Harry felt like he'd been punched in the stomach in Wandless Combat and had yet to get off the floor. He looked up at Justin, suddenly realizing that he'd been standing moments before, but had taken his seat at some point. "What do you mean he was killed? When? Where? How?"

Justin ran a hand through his hair. "This is what I know right now..." And the only reason the medical examiner told me was because I literally grabbed her and shook her. "Is that he was AK'd. Tortured first... with his own wand. Dumped in the Thames." And I'm planning on finding and killing who did this. "They suspect he was killed sometime around late Saturday, early Sunday."

He knew he sounded like a robot, but he still had to go tell Hannah. He also might vomit and suspected he might be weaving where he stood.

Nodding, Harry focused on his hands. He didn't know what to do. He'd never been particularly close to Justin, besides him thinking he'd try to set a snake on him in 2nd year. Ernie hadn't been a very close friend either, but they were still Justin and Ernie, mates he'd gone to school with. People he'd fought beside before. To just have one of them killed like that...

"They don't know anything else? Who he was with that night? Where he might have been?"

"Not yet. One of the blokes in... nevermind sorry. It's being looked into. That's all I can say. I'm going to... to tell Hannah. I was wondering if... if you could tell Hestia Jones for me. I'm not looking forward to that one either."

Harry was giving him this look.

"I know lots of things, Potter." Lots of things most people don't want to know. "So?"

Oh, Gods. Hannah. Harry shook his head, running a hand through his hair, squeezing the back of his neck as he looked up at Justin. "Yeah. I can tell Hestia." I don't want to tell Hestia. "Hannah's probably at Zabini's house. Or at work. I'm not sure. I don't know much about what she does anymore."

He stood, grabbing his wand off the top of his desk and stowing it in his pocket. "Tell Hannah I'll be by later."

Justin just nodded silently. He knew exactly where Hannah was right now. He'd already had that checked out by a coworker within his department. Not that he could tell Potter that.

"See you around, Potter. Thanks."

Justin stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed off towards the apparation point. He may work in bodies, but some fellows he knew worked in making them, but no one ever spoke about it. They couldn't.

Harry watched Justin leave, already trying to come up with ways to tell Hestia what had happened. His feet seemingly carried him of their own accord towards the lifts. Before he'd even realized what he was doing, he was standing in front of the large metal door to Hestia's holding cell. He blinked, and looked over at the large man who was guarding the door. It was the same man from the last time he'd been here. "I've been cleared to see her."

"Yeah. Your appointment started 5 minutes ago. You only have 10 now."

Glaring, Harry waited for the man to open the door. That meant he'd been staring at the cold steel blocking his path to Hestia for 5 minutes and hadn't realized it. Harry entered the dark room, letting his eyes adjust. "Hestia?" He cleared his throat, hating how thick his voice had sounded.

Hestia smiled when she saw him. "They let you in again? You better have brought me some socks, chocolate, or a paper. And tell Ernie's he's falling down in the job. He told me with any luck I'd be out by New Years. Please remind that little punk that the New Year started two days ago. Hello. I'm losing faith here."

That's when she got a look at his face. Hestia was on her socked feet immediately. Hestia resisted the urge to shiver. This did not bode well.

"What's happened?"

"Ernie was murdered." He hadn't meant to blurt it out, but he just couldn't find the energy to dance his way around it. "Justin just told me. They don't know much. But..." He ran a hand over his face, closing his eyes. "It doesn't make sense. Who would-" He looked up so fast at Hestia that his glasses nearly fell off his face. Tell me she's thinking the same thing.

Hestia started shaking then sat down. Harry was looking at her. He knew. Hestia did not want to admit it. How could... how could she have been so wrong? She was going to cry. She needed Harry out of here for that.

"There are two things I want you to do for me, Harry. Find her and bring her in. At least for questioning. You have grounds, I believe. How many of the recent victims is she directly related? Two now? Three? And put a watch on the Abbott girl, I think."

"Hannah? Why would-" Harry mentally counted in his head. Hannah had been connected to both Wayne and Ernie. "I'll talk to Kingsley right away. Today. Give him all our suspicions. I think we have grounds." How did he miss this? How had he not seen this in Megan when she'd been in his office so many times? He was a blind idiot, and his hesitating on bringing Megan in meant that Ernie had gotten hurt.

"Stop it right now, Potter."

He looked at her.

"This isn't your fault. Second, I want you to get me out of here. Ernie said he had grounds for my release. That fancy pants firm he worked for? He was bound to have an assistant. Or someone who knew his casework." Hestia ran a hand through her messy hair. "I want to look my... niece in her eyes and see how I missed it."

"You're not the only one." He nodded, making a list. Find out which firm Ernie worked for. Contact them on getting Hestia released. Go see Kingsley so he could pick Megan up. "We're going to get you out of here Hestia. We're going to make it so Megan can't hurt anyone else again."

Hestia nodded. How many bodies were on her head because she'd missed this? Because Meg looked like Bridget. She was unlike Bridget. She was unlike Tom as well. Hestia had been looking for her brother and sister-in-law in Megan, and they simply were not there. Hestia started pacing.

"Ernie works... worked for Locke, Stockton, and Barrel. I... I would like to be out in time to attend his funeral service." Oh Goddess, she was going to start crying. "Harry, I'd appreciate it if you left me alone now. It's nothing personal, you understand. I do appreciate your visits. I just need to be alone for a bit. Ironic, I know."

He understood. There were times, after finding out about another death, that he'd wanted nothing more than to be alone. Sometimes he was able to pull it off. Others... other times he find himself surrounding and unable to deal with it personally. "Of course." He looked back at the door. He'd always hated giving this news. It hurt worse that he knew he'd been sitting on information that could have saved Ernie. He turned back and looked at Hestia. "We're going to stop this. You're going to get out of here, and we're going to stop this."

Hestia just nodded. When she heard the door close behind him, she let out a sobbing sound. Poor kid. Poor nice kid. I'll get her for this, Ernie. Promise.

After several minutes, she stopped crying abruptly as the familiar white-hot anger set in. Now she understood. She had always thought Sirius had been a bit harsh when talking about his family. Now she understood completely. She'd hex the little bitch if she could get away with it.


{SUMMARY} Justin tells Harry about Ernie and asks him to tell Hestia.