章節 45: Chapter 49: 3-6: Interrogation
Disclaimer: Being neither British nor Japanese, it should therefore come as no surprise that I own neither Harry Potter nor Naruto, nor anything from their respective franchises.
Trigger Warning: Mention of what Pettigrew could have done to the Weasley children if he'd been so inclined.
The interloper's question refocused everyone on their prisoner, resulting in a large number of angry scowls and a few more sheepish expressions. A spell from Albus's wand had the chair once more occupied by Peter Pettigrew, and several more secured him as he'd been before. "Well done, whoever caught him," the Headmaster said. "Cornelius, I'm afraid I shall have to temporarily disable my office Floo until this matter has been sorted. You are of course welcome to either remain or depart beforehand, but before our prisoner is woken I wish to have this room completely sealed. The last time this man escaped capture, a dozen people were murdered, and none of us here wish to be added to that tally."
Fudge paled and gulped, before rallying. "But... but that's not Black! They said you'd caught an intruder in the castle!"
Dumbledore nodded. "You are correct on both counts, Cornelius. Our intruder in fact appears to be Peter Pettigrew."
"Hem, hem," interjected Umbridge, "Surely I must have misheard you, Headmaster. It is well-known that Peter Pettigrew was murdered by Sirius Black."
"I was Mr. Pettigrew's Transfiguration teacher and Head of House for seven years, Madam Umbridge," Minerva replied archly, "Filius Flitwick was his Charms teacher for the same period, and Remus Lupin one of his closest friends for that long and beyond. All three of us recognize this man as Peter Pettigrew. If that is not sufficient, then his questioning will almost certainly confirm his identity one way or another."
"Well if it is Pettigrew," the Minister said loudly, "then what is he doing all tied up? The man is a hero, Order of Merlin, First Class!"
"In answer to your question, Cornelius," Albus replied tranquilly, "might I first direct your attention to his left forearm?" A distinct widening of Fudge's eyes showed that he'd seen the Mark, and his mouth was opening to emit what was probably some attempt to explain it away when the Headmaster continued: "Furthermore, he was found to be in possession of a wand I recognize as that of the individual whose mark he bears. Add to this that he is known to have been using his disguise to reside in the bedchambers of underage wizards, and it is only prudent that he be treated with suspicion until and unless he is able to satisfactorily explain these facts."
Both Minister and Undersecretary wore sour looks at this, but neither could truly put forward any further objections of even superficial merit given the circumstances. Soon everyone had resumed their positions around the room, with Fudge and Umbridge chivvied outside the circle, and a dictation quill had been set up to record the questioning.
"Sunday, the Second of January, 1993, eight thirty-seven PM. The location is the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Interrogation of an intruder to the castle, subject's name believed to be Peter Pettigrew. Interrogating officer Madam Amelia Bones, DMLE Director. Also present..." Madam Bones listed off the names and official titles of each of those present, which took quite a while (especially for Albus). "Subject is presently restrained and Stunned. Due to an escape attempt shortly prior to this questioning, subject may be re-Stunned as necessary to prevent escape. Given the subject's uncooperative nature, I am authorizing the use of Veritaserum..." This was followed by more administrative information, such as the phial number containing the potion, several official authorizations and attestations, and various other formalities associated with applying a controlled substance to an unwilling subject.
Finally, Pettigrew was awakened and dosed before he could truly begin to protest. After a few seconds, his eyes began to turn glassy as a fine sheen of sweat appeared on his forehead. "Potions Master Snape," Bones asked formally, "what is your assessment of the subject's current state?"
The pallid man's glare turned analytical. "The truth potion has taken effect. However, he is attempting to fight it; I would recommend targeted questions which demand simple, unambiguous answers. It is likely that he will attempt to satisfy the compulsion to answer truthfully with incomplete or otherwise misleading truths."
"Your advice is duly noted. Questioning begins."
What followed was a protracted interrogation, stretching well into the night and expending three further doses of truth serum while requiring numerous questions to be repeated with tweaked phrasing in order to dig out further information. Through it all, Pettigrew's struggles against the potion were evident on his face, but in the end they were able to determine several key facts:
Their prisoner was, indeed, Peter Pettigrew.
He was a Death Eater.
He had not been magically coerced into joining Voldemort's side. (Pettigrew had fought this question hardest of all.)
He had been the Potters' Secret Keeper.
He had willingly betrayed the secret of their location to his master.
He had been outside the cottage as James and Lily were murdered, run inside after the explosion, then taken his master's wand and fled when he heard someone else arriving.
Sirius Black was not, to Pettigrew's knowledge, a Death Eater.
Black tracked Pettigrew down, not vice versa.
Pettigrew was the one to blast apart the street, his curse striking a Muggle gas line, and had used the resulting confusion to escape. (This information took over half an hour on its own to extract, given the number of questions required to pin down each of the individual facts.)
He had not peeped nor otherwise engaged in pedophilic behavior towards any of the Weasleys or any of Hogwarts' students. (Nearly everyone present had looked visibly ill when Iruka suggested the topic of questioning, but had agreed that it was necessary to ask.)
Madam Bones had wanted to press for further information, clearly hoping to get something that incriminated some of the 'Imperiused' Death Eaters, but both Fudge and Umbridge had shut that line of questioning down hard.
"But what are we going to do?!" The Minister's face was ashen, his hands shaking, while his Undersecretary looked as if she'd swallowed something foul. "This has to be kept quiet, it'd make the Ministry look a laughingstock... and then there's Black... oh, what a mess!"
"What I want to know," the DMLE Director said angrily, "is why did none of this come out in Black's trial? Even if nobody believed him, a tale like this would have easily been sensational enough to be talked about, and yet this is the first I've heard of it."
Dumbledore frowned in concentration. "I find that I cannot recall Sirius's trial, nor any references to it, and I should have been informed in my role as Chief Warlock of any proceeding of that magnitude."
"There was no mention of it in the Prophet, either," Iruka commented. "When I heard about Black's escape, and the fact that he was thought to be targeting one of my students, I did some research to better understand the threat. There were plenty of articles covering the Potters' deaths, Harry's survival, and their attacker's disappearance, along with the attack on the Longbottoms and various Death Eater arrests and trials. The only article I could find dealing with Black, though, was a third-page mention of the aftermath of his confrontation with Pettigrew and subsequent arrest. Given how central a figure he was in the whole mess, his trial should have been front-page news; is it possible that he was tried in secret somehow?"
"No," Bones stated firmly, "or at least there's no legal way to do it. Does anyone here remember anything about Black's trial?" She was met with nothing but shaking heads. "Headmaster, could you reactivate your Floo?" At a wave of Albus's wand, she stalked over to the fireplace and soon vanished into the green flames after informing all present that she'd be back shortly.
After about fifteen minutes of tense silence broken by occasional attempts at awkward small-talk, the fire flared green again and Madam Bones reemerged, a file folder in her hand and an expression of fury on her face. "I've just looked over the records," she stated coldly while waving the folder, "and Black was not tried in secret. He simply wasn't tried at all."
"Impossible!" Umbridge cried angrily. "The Ministry does not make such mistakes. Clearly Black had a trial, but the records were lost! I am certain that an investigation would soon find and punish those responsible." As with the last time he'd seen her mention punishment, Iruka very much did not like the gleam in the witch's eyes at her last sentence.
"Madam Umbridge," Bones responded tightly, clearly trying to restrain herself from cursing (whether verbally or magically) at the obnoxious Undersecretary, "this folder holds the complete record of all Wizengamot proceedings between Black's arrest and my appointment as Director of Magical Law Enforcement. There are no gaps, no missing pages or dates, nor any sign of tampering or omission, and yet the name 'Black' does not appear anywhere. 'Pettigrew' appears only in regards to his Order of Merlin, something which should probably be revisited in light of new information, and 'Potter' in regard to the home in Godric's Hollow, the memorial, and other proposed means of honoring the family."
"No, it can't be!" Fudge's head shook franticly. "That simply cannot be true! The damage it could cause-"
"To who, Minister?" Iruka's interruption drew every eye in the room. Many showed simply surprise and confusion; others (such as Albus, Filius, and Bones) seemed more calculating; Umbridge looked like she wanted to have him roasted on a spit for daring to interrupt the Minister of Magic.
"What?" the Minister asked blankly.
"Who would be damaged by this if it got out?" The chuunin pressed on. "You said it yourself back in the Three Broomsticks recently - you were just a Junior Minister in the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the time. We already know that the Chief Warlock wasn't involved, nor was Madam Bones. Nobody that would have been part of this miscarriage of justice is still in power, unless you count Bartemius Crouch, so it's no fault of the current Ministry. This isn't a disaster, Minister Fudge; it's an opportunity for you and your Ministry to be seen righting a great wrong."
"Yes... yes!" As Fudge had begun to grasp Iruka's point, his eyes lit up at the promise of adulation. "We show the people that we will get things right! A proper trial, in front of the full Wizengamot! If he's truly guilty of supporting You-Know-Who, we'll prove it and deal with him accordingly, and if he's innocent, it'll show that we're right on the Snitch!"
"There will have to be an investigation, of course;" his Undersecretary picked up, "the people deserve to know who's responsible for sending the last son of a prominent family to Azkaban without a proper trial, and should face appropriate penalties as well as paying restitution."
"Oh, but what about Potter? Black is still after him, and the Dementors are still our best weapon to keep him away..."
"It may be, Cornelius," the Headmaster replied, "that he's not after young Harry. Do you recognize this edition of the Daily Prophet?" He pulled the archive copy Iruka had called for earlier from his robes.
The Minister's brow furrowed. "I suppose it looks familiar. What of it?"
"Professor Umino recalled that you mentioned Mr. Black requesting your copy of the Prophet during your inspection tour of Azkaban, and wondered whether something within that paper had sparked the escape. This is that day's edition, which you would have had on your person at the time. I would direct your attention to the photograph on the front page, particularly the youngest Weasley boy." Everyone in the office crowded around the paper now in Fudge's hands.
Surprising almost nobody, Madam Bones was the first to spot it. "The rat! Pettigrew is an unregistered rat Animagus, and Black must have known about it. He saw this photo and realized that the man responsible for betraying the Potters and framing him was still alive."
"Alive, and sleeping in the same dorm room as his godson," Iruka added, "the son of his best friend. Protection and revenge are both powerful motivators, and I've seen each drive men to extraordinary lengths."
"And Black may be running on both," Bones shook her head, "between that and his time around the Dementors, I don't relish the idea of getting in his way. Even so, we need to catch him before we can try him."
"Indeed," the Minister replied, "I will have to cancel the Kiss-on-Sight order. The Dementors won't be happy about it, but then again they never are. I'll also have the Prophet and the Wizarding Wireless announce that Black is wanted alive, but without Black himself to take to trial it could all just turn into a great mess if we told people there were questions about his guilt. Better to drink the whole potion at once, as it were."
"Couldn't you just owl him," Iruka asked, "maybe tell him you caught Pettigrew and want to give them both proper trials?"
"We've already tried sending mail to him by owl," stated the tall dark-skinned Auror, "but it all came back unopened. Whether he's cracked because of his time in Azkaban or just rightly suspicious of what charms might be on the mail, he's not touching it."
"What if Albus or Minerva send him a Patronus message first?" Filius's question drew mostly looks of interest, though a few seemed confused and Umbridge looked like she'd stepped in manure. "I know of no way to fake a Messenger Patronus, and they can find someone almost anywhere. That would let us tell him we've caught Pettigrew and found out the truth, and let him know that the owl that's coming has a letter along with parchment, quill, and ink for him to write back."
Thus it was that several of the highest-ranking people in the room came to be standing around the Headmaster's desk collaborating on (and occasionally arguing over) a joint letter to Sirius Black. Because politicians were involved, the final result was overly long and filled with florid language and legal-speak, but at least Madam Bones made certain that it was still clear in its meaning. Finally she, Dumbledore, and Fudge each signed, before the whole thing was packed up with a stack of blank parchment, a quill, and an inkpot, and tied with a bright cyan ribbon conjured by the Headmaster. With some help from a Hogwarts elf, the whole package was soon in the claws of a school owl winging its way to Sirius Black. As soon as the message had been sent out, Minerva drew her wand and shot off a Messenger Patronus through the tower wall and into the night.
"And now," Albus said serenely, "all we can do is wait. Given that we've no idea when or if we will receive a response, perhaps we should adjourn this little gathering? Madam Bones and her Aurors are quite capable, I am sure, of handling the prisoner, and I suspect that you, Cornelius, might be best served by canceling the Kiss-on-Sight order and making whatever other preparations you feel are best before taking your well-earned rest for the night."
"Yes, Dumbledore," Fudge replied with a sigh, "quite a bit to do yet, and already so late! Well, the people do like to see their Ministry hard at work, don't they? Good night, Headmaster, Professors, everyone. Amelia, I want Pettigrew in one of our cells under round-the-clock guard, take whatever precautions are needed to keep him in custody and keep this quiet. I want the whole matter brought to the public as a fait accompli, you understand?"
"Of course, Minister," Madam Bones responded, "with your permission I'd like to call in Alastor Moody on this. I know he's technically retired, but if you want precautions, there's nobody better."
"Whatever you think is best," Umbridge simpered. She had slipped back into her usual saccharine persona, but to Iruka's trained eye it was clear that she was still upset about something.
Eventually, the long train of visitors with its treacherous (albeit unconscious) cargo had departed for the Ministry via Floo.
Sitting tiredly in his desk chair, Albus spoke again. "I am sorry by the way, Remus," he addressed the werewolf, "for not calling upon your knowledge of Peter and Sirius during the interrogation and discussions tonight, but given your condition I felt it best to avoid drawing attention to you, particularly with Madam Umbridge in the room."
"That's fine, Headmaster," Remus replied with a resigned smile, "though how long that'll last is anyone's guess. Sooner or later, somebody's going to find out why James, Sirius, and the traitor became Animagi, and from there it's a short trip to me needing to find a new job. Given the supposed Defense Curse, I'm guessing it'll happen by the end of this school year."
"Unfortunately, you are most likely right," Dumbledore said sadly. "Still, at least our students have gotten one year of competent instruction, a feat I can only hope will be repeated next year."
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Several days of intermittent owl correspondence later, Madam Bones returned to the castle and accompanied Remus and Albus out towards the Forbidden Forest. Half an hour or so later, the three of them returned with the addition of a large black dog whose long, matted hair did little to hide how emaciated its frame was underneath. All four then made their way up to the Headmaster's office.
The following Monday saw classes canceled for the day, as several senior members of Hogwarts' faculty were away at the Ministry to attend the trials of Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew. Iruka and Remus both remained behind in the castle, the former both because his involvement could easily be glossed over and because his foreign origins would prejudice the Wizengamot against him, and the latter again because they hoped to keep his lycanthropy under wraps.
That evening's dinner was interrupted by the delivery of a special evening edition of the Prophet, its above-the-fold headline announcing to the world, "Sirius Black Innocent!" The article that followed detailed the revelations surrounding Pettigrew, Black, and the Potters. Some details had thankfully been withheld: Pettigrew was said to have been hiding as the pet of a Pureblood family, but not which one (though Hogwarts' rumor mill would likely make that moot), and his discovery was attributed to an unnamed family heirloom belonging to Harry Potter. That latter aspect was played up rather sensationally as James Potter getting justice from beyond the grave. Other articles covered other aspects of the whole mess, such as the revocation of Pettigrew's Order of Merlin, but the largest two past the main story were accounts of the two trials.
Pettigrew was tried first, in recognition of how much the proof of his guilt would contribute to Black's subsequent exoneration. The Wizengamot had been assembled to hear two unspecified trials of high-profile cases when the first prisoner cage rose up through the floor, wrapped in a fine wire mesh, and apparently the revelation of the defendant's identity had provoked an uproar that took over five minutes to calm, and the charges sparked another few minutes of shouting. Once the trial itself finally got started and Pettigrew entered his plea of Not Guilty, the prosecution opened with the fact that he had been hiding for over a decade in spite of almost certainly knowing that he'd been acclaimed a hero. They'd pointed out that he was carrying Voldemort's wand, that he bore the Dark Mark, and that the man's own wand had last cast a blasting curse. Rather than directly state what they believed had happened, they deliberately left the question "Why?" hanging over each piece of evidence. In spite of several objections from Wizengamot members aligned with the blood-purist faction, Pettigrew was again questioned under Veritaserum, using questions selected based on his original interrogation to get the most relevant information more quickly and directly.
Eventually, in spite of his attempted denials, Pettigrew was narrowly convicted of belonging to an illegal organization (the Death Eaters), complicity in two murders and one attempted murder, the killing of twelve Muggles, gross violation of the Statute of Secrecy, and being an unregistered Animagus. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban's high-security wing, with no possibility of parole. Iruka hoped he got his former friend's old cell.
Black's trial had again begun with a great deal of noise from the Wizengamot and gallery, but that was one of the only similarities. The Ministry had immediately dropped all charges save belonging to an illegal organization, violating the Statute of Secrecy, and being an unregistered Animagus, the last of which he'd pled Guilty to. In contrast to Pettigrew's questioning, where he clearly did not want to be dosed with truth serum and visibly and audibly fought against it throughout, Black happily accepted the potion and answered easily, often volunteering more information than was strictly asked for. Had his trial happened in isolation, the accusations that he had overcome the serum would likely have gained some real traction, but the evidence of the preceding case lent his answers far more credibility. At Black's request (stated to the court prior to being dosed), he was also questioned about most of the same events Pettigrew had, even when they only related to charges that had already been dropped. As the Prophet reporter stated, it did a fairly good job of hammering home that the man in the defendant's chair was innocent of every crime for which he'd been jailed.
The verdicts of Not Guilty on the remaining charges Black was defending against didn't come by a landslide, but the margin was definitely larger than it had been for Pettigrew. Given the man's years of illegal incarceration, the normal penalties for failing to register as an Animagus were waived and he was set free, though he would remain in DMLE protective custody while he recovered at St. Mungo's from his long ordeal, in order to give news of his innocence time to reach the general public and prevent any unfortunate misunderstandings.
Given the fact that the threat was over, the Dementors had been ordered back to Azkaban. The process of moving them had already begun.
At a press conference immediately following the trials, Minister Fudge (flanked by Madam Umbridge and Director Bones) had made clear that his administration had had no part in Sirius Black's wrongful imprisonment, "save to act in good faith upon the belief that those who held our offices before us had carried out their duties honestly and properly. Now that this belief has been called into question, I shall instruct Madam Bones to conduct a thorough investigation to determine how such a grave miscarriage of justice could occur, and a review of the cases of all those currently incarcerated in Azkaban to ensure that no other witch or wizard has been denied the just trial they are due."
"I shall also," his statement continued, "direct suitable compensation to be paid to Sirius Black for the wrongs done to him by the previous Ministry, with the intent to administer fines to those responsible for his lack of trial in order to recoup some of the Ministry's expenditures in this matter in addition to whatever other penalties may be assessed against them." The transcript of the statement went on quite a bit further, and a close read showed that blame was already starting to be pointed towards former DMLE Director Bartemius Crouch, who conveniently enough for Fudge was both a useful political target and wealthy enough (being the last of an old Pureblood family) to pay the heavy fines that would likely ensue. It also helped (though was likely not required) that from what Iruka knew the man quite possibly was responsible.
Albus stood up, tapping his goblet with his fork. "May I have your attention, please," he called as the Great Hall fell silent. "As many of you are now reading, it was recently discovered and today proven that Sirius Black is, rather than a terrible villain, an innocent victim of a great injustice, brought about by prejudice and hasty action. With the situation surrounding him resolved, the Ministry's Dementors are as we speak being withdrawn back to Azkaban," a significant chorus of cheers interrupted him here, "and should all be well away from Hogwarts and Hogsmeade by tomorrow morning. Quidditch Captains, please report to your Head of House after the meal to discuss scheduling for the resumed Quidditch season-" This time the cheering was thunderous, and for once came from all four Houses equally. "Yes, yes, we are all quite overjoyed that our beloved House teams can take to the sky once more. I shall let you return to your repast with the simple instruction to remember what happened to Mr. Black and how, so that when it is your generation holding the reins of our society you might prevent such a thing from ever happening again. Thank you."
A/N: Of course Fudge and Umbitch try to screw things up, that's what they do. Iruka provides the sensible suggestion at an opportune moment in part because it's a setup for something further down the line (imaginary cookies to anyone that can guess what). With Pettigrew clearly present, Marked, and carrying Voldie's wand, it's much harder for Fudge to deny reality, especially since in this case Snape isn't assuring him that the only witnesses were Confunded (only one 'o' when talking about the spell, folks). All of that, combined with a way for him to look good while making a potential rival/liability (i.e. Crouch Sr.) look bad and an absence of Malfoy bribes to the contrary mean that the Moron- er, Minister is actually going to do the right thing, even if it's not really for the right reasons.
I had Iruka not present for the trial both for the reasons stated and because I didn't want to write the trial out explicitly. It's ground that's been covered a million times before by other, better fics than mine, and would mostly be a bunch of boring old witches and wizards following boring courtroom procedure and having a boring debate. I've got enough pacing issues already, and no desire to add to them.
Fic Recommendation: "Democracy" by Starfox5 - It gradually bends Neville far from his canon character, but does it in a reasonably believable way.
Posted 13 January 2019
Current WIP Chapter: 70
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