Figures in a room, in the bowels of the Ministry of Magic.

The room was lit by a single overhead light. The light shone down softly upon the figure of a man, strapped face-up to a table, surrounded by several other figures, their faces in shadow.

One of the figures is Alastor Moody. One of them is Albus Dumbledore. One of them is Jack Crawford. One of them is Severus Snape. One of them is Clarice Starling, also known as Lucy Stellanova.

And one of them is Hannibal Lecter.

Richard Lott, being under the Stunning Spell, did not notice the tiny pinprick of Dr. Lecter's needle as it sent 10 cubic centimeters' worth of the finest hypnotic drugs known to Muggle science into his bloodstream.

Dr. Lecter withdrew the needle from Lott's arm with his usual dexterity, leaving not so much as a single drop of blood to betray him. He waited for thirty seconds, chin in hand, pondering, his index finger lightly tapping the side of his arched nose. He then stepped aside and nodded to Professor Snape, who had been watching the whole time with the strictest attention stamped on his features.

"Nox," whispered Snape, his wand pointed upwards, and the overhead light slowly dimmed until it was extinguished.

"Ennervate," Snape whispered again, ever so softly, his wand pointed this time at the man on the table. He then retreated back into the shadows, and the man some of the shadowed figures knew only as "Dr. Marcus Reader" stepped forward once again.

"Good evening, Mr. Lott," said Hannibal Lecter, as the form on the table began to stir.

Richard Lott opened his brown eyes. "Good... evening..."

"You've been in a nasty scrape, Mr. Lott. If you're feeling any soreness, it's probably just from the bruises you suffered in a fall you took. I'd like to be positive about something, though, so if you could just look over here --" Dr. Lecter produced a small penlight and shone it in Lott's eyes.

It didn't take very long for Richard Lott to be fully hypnotized. Once in that state, he was convinced by Dr. Lecter to ignore any past entreaties to suicide. After that, he was given Veritaserum.

Then, and only then, did his questioning begin.



Word of the battle of the Quidditch pitch spread like wildfire throughout the wizarding world. Unlike the earlier Death Eater attacks, this one was resisted in such a way as to leave a hopeful feeling in the hearts of the average witch and wizard, especially since there were no losses, except on the part of the attackers.

Those persons who were on the pitch became instant heroes. Orders of Merlin were given out, with special honours going to those who taken part in stopping the earlier attacks on the Hogwarts Express and at Azkaban. Snape in particular was singled out for official praise, and he walked the halls of Hogwarts in a far better mood than usual, the students' whispers behind his back being for once almost wholly laudatory -- almost.

But the one person who the wizarding public had truly taken to heart was Lucy Stellanova. Her uncommon bravery and style, in the face of overwhelming odds and with a limited knowledge of magic, sent her already-sterling reputation to new heights.

The Holyhead Harpies, the only all-female professional Quidditch team, put out a standing offer to her to be a Beater on their team; she graciously declined, citing prior commitments. Companies pestered her for product endorsements, most of which she declined, the sole exception being that of the Firebolt Company.

One of the Daily Prophet's photographers had managed to get some excellent shots of her in action on the pitch; he had been focusing on her since the start of the match because of her beauty, and so was in perfect position to capture her as she did the two-wanded Stunnings, as well as the two-footed kick that brought down the remaining Death Eater. Those pictures found their way onto posters, which the Daily Prophet sold with Miss Stellanova's blessing, on the condition that some of the proceeds go to charity. Soon, images of Lucy Stellanova -- or "'Kicky' Stellanova", as the Daily Prophet now called her -- could be seen all over Diagon Alley, repeatedly stunning and booting her perpetually surprised opponents.

One of these posters, signed by "Kicky" herself, had pride of place in the front window of Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor. A large black dog was often seen to be watching the poster, sometimes for nearly fifteen minutes at a sitting, before he would be on his way, begging scraps of food from the Diagon Alley merchants.



Dr. Lecter and Clarice are enjoying the evening meal at Offhand Manor.

It has been quite a busy day for both of them. Clarice's Auror training means that Dr. Lecter will soon be without her services at his Harley Street clinic, and of course Neville Longbottom's own apprenticeship at the clinic was curtailed by the beginning of the Hogwarts school year, so the doctor has suddenly found himself without capable help.
Fortunately, St. Mungo's has today graciously offered him the services of one Charles Gaffaney, a thin, studious Irish wizard and a recent graduate of Hogwarts, where he was a Ravenclaw. Dr. Lecter has met the lad and, upon reflection, believes that he will do.

For her part, Clarice Starling has spent the day with Jack Crawford, Arthur Weasley, and Sirius Black. The four of them are trying to puzzle out a way to argue before a wizarding court that Harry's Pensieve-stored memories should be treated as evidence sufficient to prove Sirius' innocence of the crimes of which he was accused so long ago.

The main course finished, Dr. Lecter is about to beckon to the house-elf waiting in attendance to bring the dessert into the drawing room -- Dr. Lecter has found house-elves to be superb cooks -- when suddenly he clutches at his side, his face paling.

He is unconscious by the time Clarice reaches him.