分卷阅读12（1 / 2）

“I know we can’t stop you from worrying,” Felix offered, “but we have leads on the case. We won’t stop until we’ve found her.”

“Thank you,” Pansy offered him half a smile. She gathered herself and stood to leave. “I’m staying at the Ashtyl. Please keep me updated.”

“We will,” Felix nodded.

“Ouch!” Harry swatted Ron’s hand off his shoulder.

As soon as he’d slammed the door shut, Ron’s face flushed red. “Harry, mate. What in Godric’s name do you think you’re doing?”

“Me?” Harry appealed. “I haven’t done anything! If you’d gotten my message, you’d know what happened.”

“Clearly I haven’t. So you’re going to have to explain it to me.” Harry took a breath and then recounted the events of the last twenty four hours. He left no detail out, except the scene he’d witnessed on the fourteenth floor. While it weighed on him, Harry was sure whatever it was had no relation to any of the cases, let alone would it reassure Ron, technically his handler, that all of Harry’s mental faculties were still intact. “So let me see if I understand this,” Ron said finally. “You’ve been fired from your job for walking in on Marwan Zivantus’ murder scene, only to somehow discover his missing daughter later that night? And—” Ron gazed around wildly, “—whilst you were off returning the kneazle and saw Marwan’s daughter, someone killed your neighbor while they were in your flat, which you and Draco bloody Malfoy had only just vacated.”

“I know it sounds—”

“You’ve gotta ditch Eversworn,” Ron interrupted.

Harry frowned. “No, really, I can’t—he’s the only way into the hotel.”

“There’s other ways, Harry. That face is more a liability now than an asset.”

Harry wanted to object. But he knew Ron was right. “I swear Malfoy knows more than he’s let on. I think he trusts me, er, Eversworn. It might be the only way,” Harry postulated. Ron shook his head and Harry sighed. “Fine,” he relented. The disappointment of wasting eight months on something only to fail made him a bit sick. He eyed a desk chair and pulled it forward. When he sat, he shot Ron a look of resignation. The lab tech who’d applied his charms said it would be more painful getting them removed than put on, and suddenly Harry regretted giving in so easily.

“This is going to hurt, isn’t it?” Harry gulped.

Ron nodded and handed him a vial filled with a milky chartreuse potion. Harry downed it and waited. His face began to feel very hot, almost burning. Then the stinging sensation hit him and he squeezed his eyes closed. It was as if thousands of pimples were being popped on his face. The brief agony of that was followed by something cool and light. Harry opened his eyes and realized the prosthetics had slid off his face and onto the floor, and a cold, naked sensation washed over him as the air kissed his real skin.

“Alright, Harry?”

“Yeah,” he ran his hands through his hair. “Rest in peace, Archie.”

“More trouble than he was worth,” Ron said.

They exited the building at a brisk pace, Harry eager to get away from the investigators and Ron complaining about needing lunch. They headed to a small cafe that was out of the way of the more heavily trafficked wizard areas. When Harry finally felt the sun on his face, the odd warmth made him shudder. He was certain he’d felt the sun on his face with the charms, but somehow they’d left his skin feeling so incredibly cold.

“Alright?” Ron looked over as they walked.