St Mungo's Hospital.
Rufus Scrimgeour and Kingsley Shacklebolt hurried over, only to be stopped outside the ward by a Healer.
"How is he?" Kingsley asked in a trembling voice.
"It's bad," the Healer said, shaking his head. "Both his legs were nearly smashed to pieces, and he had plenty of other wounds as well. Though he got here as quickly as possible by Apparition, perhaps because the pain left him disoriented, he was also splinched during Apparition. When we found him, there was barely a patch of sound flesh left on him."
"Can he survive?"
"We'll do our best."
The doctor left, and Kingsley stood outside the treatment room like a statue.
All his usual gentleness and elegance had been replaced by some deep fury. He stood there like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
After a long while, he suddenly turned to leave, but Scrimgeour grabbed him. "Where are you going?"
"To arrest someone!"
"You know we don't have evidence."
"I'll find evidence!"
"Shacklebolt, calm down. If you do this, you'll give the enemy an opening..."
"Rufus..."
Kingsley's trembling voice made Scrimgeour freeze. He looked at his companion and found tears glistening in the eyes of the usually steady, powerfully built black man.
"Shacklebolt, you..."
"Basque had a daughter just two months ago. Now he's ended up like this. How am I supposed to explain it to his wife and daughter?"
Scrimgeour fell silent, and the hand gripping Kingsley's arm loosened slightly despite himself.
"Don't worry, I won't be that reckless. I received a tip. Alex Wood is Murphy Darkholme's assistant. Lucius once caught the man, and he confirmed it."
"I'll catch Alex and get enough evidence out of his mouth."
Scrimgeour looked at Kingsley for a long while before he could only say, "Be careful. Remember, the