Ch. 41 Interrogation

As Snape approached the restrained Pettigrew, Moody stepped in front of him.

"I'll take that," Moody told the Potions Master.

Snape looked like he was about to argue when Dumbledore spoke up. "This is to be an official interrogation, Severus. The Veritaserum must be administered by an approved Ministry Official."

Snape clutched the small crystal phial a moment longer before reluctantly handing it over to Moody.

Moody unceremoniously took the phial and made his way behind the unconscious Pettigrew. Once standing directly behind the metal chair, he gave Dumbledore a nod of his head. When Dumbledore returned his gesture, Moody tapped Pettigrew on the head with his wand.

Pettigrew's eyes began fluttering as he regained consciousness. His face took on a look of sheer horror once he realized the situation.

Pettigrew began to stutter, "Oh, oh... You, oh, thank goodness. I, I..."

"Quiet," Moody commanded.

Pettigrew shrank into the chair and released a pathetic sounding groan.

Dumbledore stepped up in front of the bound Pettigrew. With an authoritative tone, Dumbledore began to speak. "On this day, Thursday, November twelfth, 1992, at 1:04 A.M., I, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, approve of and will be conducting the interrogation of Peter Pettigrew, previously declared dead on October thirty-first, 1981.

"I have with me, Head Auror, Alastor Moody, Auror Jacob Dawlish, Auror Matthew Williamson, Auror Trainee Nymphadora Tonks, and Hogwarts' Professors Severus Snape and Xavier Dovahkiin.

"Head Auror Moody will now administer a single dose of Veritaserum to Peter Pettigrew."

Moody was forced to pry Pettigrew's mouth open with his hand when the bound Death Eater attempted to squeeze his lips together. Panic filled Pettigrew's eyes as Moody drove the truth-serum into his mouth and covered his with a gloved hand.

Pettigrew's struggles only lasted a moment before his body went slack, and his eyes took on a dull-glassy appearance.

With resolve filling his eyes, Dumbledore began the interrogation. "What is your name?"

"Peter Pettigrew," The Death Eater answered in a monotone voice.

Dumbledore continued with questions that would remove any doubt as to the true identity of Pettigrew. They were basic, but necessary for the interrogation to withstand scrutiny.

With each question asked, Snape's sneer would deepen. It was just a matter of time before he lost his temper and asked a question of his own. I honestly don't know if that's allowed.

After Dumbledore finished with all the questions to prove Pettigrew's identity, the real fun began.

"Did you support the dark wizard known as Voldemort, during the last wizarding war?" Dumbledore asked.

"I swore allegiance to the Dark Lord Voldemort on January twenty-second, 1981," Pettigrew stated in drug-induced voice.

"Were you given the magical brand referred to as the Dark Mark by the dark wizard Voldemort?"

"I earned the Dark Mark three weeks after swearing allegiance to the Dark Lord," Pettigrew said.

"What do you mean when you said you earned it?"

Pettigrew squirmed in his chair as he answered, "The Dark Lord only marked those who proved their loyalty to him through blood."

The rat's meager attempts to escape the question is proof, one is still able to understand what they are saying while under the effects of Veritaserum.

At that reveal, I leaned towards Tonks and whispered, "So much for Malfoy's excuse."

I quickly noticed I was a bit louder than I thought when Auror Williamson and Snape both looked at me.

I only shrugged my shoulders. Not sorry.

As if my interruption opened the floor for questions, Tonks curiously asked, "How did you lose a finger?"

Pettigrew didn't hesitate, "I severed it myself."

With a bewildered look, Tonks asked, "Why?"

"To frame Sirius Black for my murder." Pettigrew dutifully answered.

With his brows drawn together, Dumbledore spoke up. "On the night you severed your finger, how did twelve muggles die?"

"I killed them with the Exploding Charm to escape Sirius Black." Pettigrew slowly groaned out.

I bet he didn't want to reveal that! While betraying the Potters' was a horrendous act, it wasn't really illegal. He would get a year in Azkaban, at most, for conspiring with a dark wizard. On the other hand, the public murder of twelve muggles, and him not being from a Noble House, would surely get him a life sentence.

Snape fixed his sneer on the dull-eyed Pettigrew. "Why was Sirius Black chasing you?"

Pettigrew strained against his restraints and shook his head back and forth before his answer escaped his clenched teeth. "Because I betrayed the Potter's location to the Dark Lord!"

Dumbledore and Snape shared a confused look at Pettigrew's answer. Snape was the first to recover. "How? The Fidelius Charm should have made it impossible to share their location."

Pettigrew thrashed against his restraints. Despite his efforts, Pettigrew answered truthfully. "I convinced James and Lily to make me the Secret Keeper with the intention to pass their location to the Dark Lord."

That revelation hit the older men in the room like a physical blow. Snape reeled back as if struck, and Moody's eyes began to blink wildly. Dumbledore actually took a step back, and even Tonks loudly gasped.

The room was silent for a long moment before Dumbledore regained his composure. In a tone of strict authority, Dumbledore loudly decreed. "Peter Pettigrew, I, Chief Warlock Dumbledore, hereby formally charge you with the murder of Lord and Lady Potter, and the public murders of twelve muggles. You are to be taken to Azkaban immediately, where you will await your trial before the Wizengamot."

Dumbledore waved the Elder Wand, and the Aurors began to clamp thick metal restraints on Pettigrew's wrists and ankles.

Seeing my time with Tonks quickly wasting away, I lightly pushed off from the desk and fully faced the short woman. I reached out and gently took Tonks' bare hand into my own.

Tonks quickly moved off of the desk and began stuttering at our joined hands, but she didn't pull away.

Removing Voldemort's and Pettigrew's wands from my subspace, I laid them into her open palm with my free hand. I softly caressed the back of her hand as I stared into her eyes.

"I recovered these when I captured Pettigrew. If I'm not mistaken, the second wand belongs to Voldemort. You must take great care, many would love to get their hands on that psycho's wand." I slowly explained to the Metamorphmagus.

The glassy look in Tonks' eyes quickly vanished once she realized what she was holding. I used this moment to release her hand.

The small amount of contact with the Metamorphmagus didn't give me any insight into the nature of her powers as I hoped. Pity.

Under Moody's watchful eye, Pettigrew looked incredibly uncomfortable bound by the metal cuffs. With Moody's approval, the two Aurors began their journey through off castle grounds. With it being impossible to travel with more than one person at a time, the Floo Network was out of the question.

After Snape left to escort Aurors Dawlish and Williamson off grounds with Pettigrew, I saw no point in staying any longer.

"Well, it has been an interesting evening, but I think I will join the rest of the staff." I gave a nod of my head to all present as I made my way out of the office.

As I made it to the stairs, I'm a bit surprised they let me walk out. I thought Moody would try to question me about something. Not that it would do him any good. Since he can't remove me as a Hogwarts Professor, I had zero incentive to ease his paranoia.

I calmly pushed thoughts of the paranoid man aside. I had more important things to think about. Mainly, my limited experience and knowledge.

Watching Dumbledore cast such powerful wards reminded me of how new I am to using magic. Even if you count my time before traveling to Skyrim, I have less than five years of magical experience.

I don't doubt I'm far more powerful than Dumbledore, and could easily win in a fight to the death. But I also don't doubt he has a much greater depth of understanding for the arcane.

Looks like it's time to begin training again.

********************

Tonks numbly stared between the wands in her hand, and the door Dovahkiin just walked out of.

Her thoughts were scattered all over the place. Before she could make sense of everything, the gravelly voice of Moody pulled her thoughts back to the present.

The Headmaster and her mentor were standing side-by-side softly talking. With a few adjustments to her inner ear, she was able to overhear their hushed conversation.

"...under control?" Moody asked.

"I am not so foolish as to believe I can control him. It is rather obvious he is tolerating my oversight because he wishes to be here. For now." Dumbledore softly replied.

"The boy?" Moody asked in a hard tone.

"No. If I am not mistaken, he is waiting for the arrival of another." Dumbledore was silent for a moment before answering Moody's unasked question. "Voldemort."

"Why would he wait for that psychopath, and why are you letting him wait here, Albus?"

A sigh escaped the elderly Headmaster. "If I had to guess, I would say he is fueled by vengeance. Most likely due to an attack from Voldemort or his Death Eaters."

"That's just great, you think he's out for blood! All the more reason to keep him away from children." Moody furiously stated.

"Which do you think is better, Alastor, to have him unseen and unchecked, hunting down those he deems guilty? Or under constant supervision and where he can be used to protect others?"

"He's not some bloody attack dog to be used as you see fit!" Her mentor shouted out.

The sudden burst of volume caused Tonks to squint her eyes and wince at the ringing in her ears.

After returning her ears to normal, Tonks slowly peeked towards the two men. The sight of both of them staring at her almost caused her to gulp. She wasn't doing anything wrong, per se, but she doesn't think she was supposed to hear their conversation.

Not liking the feeling of being scrutinized, Tonks decided to voice something that was on her mind. "Headmaster, I thought you were the one to cast the Fidelius Charm for the Potters'?"

It was her mentor that answered. "That would have been foolish. Albus was constantly responding to reported attacks. Being overtaken from an ambush was a real possibility."

That answer only confused her. "What does that have to do with the Fidelius Charm?" Tonks asked.

It was Dumbledore that answered this time. "The Fidelius Charm is not the infallible charm many take it for. Its biggest weakness isn't the Secret Keeper, but the one who casts it.

"The caster, or Origin, of the Fidelius does not just set the location and Secret Keeper. Their very life empowers the spell. Not only are they able to disclose the location of what is being protected, but the charm is extinguished with their death."

Dumbledore slowly walked up to Tonks and gently removed the two wands from her hand. Carefully inspecting both instruments, Dumbledore continued his explanation. "With me constantly on the front lines, it would have been too risky for me to cast the Fidelius. Instead, I provided James and Frank a copy of the spell and explained its working to them. Beyond that, I had no hand."

Putting the wands inside his robes, Tonks watched as Dumbledore turned back to Moody. "In the morning, we must call for the trial of Sirius Black."

When Tonks heard Dumbledore call for the trial of her estranged cousin, a flurry of emotions burst through her. With bright red hair standing on end, Tonks rounded on Dumbledore! "What?! This proves an innocent man was falsely sentenced to life in Azkaban!"

Moody fearlessly weathered her anger. "Black was never sentenced, girl. He was never brought before the Wizengamot. Technically, he is being detained while awaiting trial."

"For ten bloody years!" Tonks all but screeched. "Why was he left to rot in that Hell-hole?!"

Dumbledore sadly answered. "When Sirius was detained at the scene of a mass murder, he was utterly unstable. He refused to answer a single question or cooperate with the Aurors. He just wept and screamed about how it was all his fault, that 'he' killed them. Sirius's comments were taken as an admission of guilt, and his case was put aside. Even I thought he was guilty.

"Sadly, the timing couldn't have been worse for Sirius. That tragic night was the start of a ruthless manhunt. With the defeat of Voldemort, there wasn't a moments rest while Death Eaters were hunted down. Several did not go peacefully. After weeks of dealing with the aftermath, people just wanted to put the war behind them and move on."

Tonks's bright red hair shifted to a dull black and fell about her shoulders. She was having a hard time processing everything. She could see how this could happen, but she still hated it.

She only has a few memories of Sirius, and those were before she ever attended Hogwarts. He was family. He IS family.

After several moments, Tonks looked upon Dumbledore with determined and hopeful eyes. "We can fix this."

Dumbledore nodded his head in agreement. "We can, and we will."