Interrogation

The very same evening, Voldemort walked into what would become the interrogation room, followed by Severus, Malfoy, and the rest of the Death Eaters. The Death Eaters were all in high spirits looking forward to what they were about to do. Most of the guards were already there, eager to be allowed to witness the evening's entertainment. On the floor were most of the prisoners, chained and ready for questioning. Some of them were already crying.

"Ah, here we are, all ready. Now, Malfoy, you had a special request?"

"Yes, Master. Please, since this is my first time, can I do it on one of the people I am sure to be angry at? That way I am sure it will work." Scorpius said with his head bowed down in respect.

"You want the girl, don't you?" Voldemort asked with a smile.

"Well, yes. Yes, my Lord"

"Well, I did promise you could have her. Very well. Take the girl. I do have questions for her though, so leave her conscious."

Scorpius bowed and moved over to Rose, dragging her along by the chain. Rose started to struggle, doing her part of the charade. The other Death Eaters also selected targets and went off to the sides of the room to start their own torture sessions. Soon, screams could be heard from all sides. Albus tried his best to ignore it, so that he wouldn't start crying too. He almost missed the fact that Voldemort came over and stood next to him. He jumped when Voldemort spoke.

"Now, Severus, come with me. You have not mastered the spell yet, I take it?"

"I know the spell, Master but I don't seem to be able to make it work. I am sure it will come though." Albus replied.

"Yes, it is the sort of thing that takes some time. And you have been forced to try to stifle your dark impulses up until now, haven't you?" Voldemort asked as he lay his arm on Albus' shoulder. Albus managed not to flinch.

"Yes, Master. I have been trained in Defence against the Dark Arts, but not the Dark Arts themselves. But I am grateful for the training I have received here. It complements much I have been able to discover on my own. The Library at Hogwarts has removed many of the books about the Dark Arts, unfortunately." That was true. Professor McGonagall had gone through the whole library and restricted access to a lot more of the books there than previously.

"Yes. Not surprising, given the current leadership there," Voldemort said with a sneer. "But I always say that the best way to learn is with a practical approach. So, I will be next to you, and we will get it working together. The Cruciatus Curse is one of the most effective spells in our arsenal. Often, the mere threat of using it yields results. It would not be good if one cannot follow up on the threats, though."

From the other side of the room, Rose started screaming. If she was faking it, it was very well done.

"Practical, my Lord?" Albus asked with some trepidation.

"Yes. Here is a perfect subject." Voldemort kicked at one of the bodies on the floor. It was James. "He will be our target."

Albus was shocked. James? He couldn't do that! How could he get out of this? He didn't want to torture anyone, but especially not James! James seemed to be fully present at the moment. He didn't know whether that made it better or worse.

"Now, the spell is simple, but you have to mean it," Voldemort said, sounding almost eager. "Fuel the anger. It is often easier when you are familiar with the subject. Now, remember your anger at this man. At your father, who always despised you. At your brother who was always better than you. At your family, who ostracised you. Fuel all that anger into your arm, and then say the word!"

Albus had no choice. He pointed the wand at James and said the word. James braced himself, but nothing happened.

"Try again," Voldemort said.

Again, and again Albus was forced to point his wand at his brother, but nothing happened. Did he really want it to happen? A few years ago, he might have wanted to do this. He had been very jealous of his brother and hated his father. But he didn't want to torture them! Could he pretend he wanted to hard enough that the spell would work? Did he want the spell to work? Hadn't James been through enough?

"Pathetic," Voldemort said after a while. "Here. A demonstration." He pointed his wand at James, who instantly started screaming.

"I am not telling you anything," he screamed defiantly.

Voldemort laughed "I don't need you to tell me anything, Potter. I already know all I need to know about you. Your drainage yesterday told me all I needed to know. No, you are here for a lesson today."

"It seems he has trouble learning it. Maybe he is too dense to understand your lesson," James said derisively.

"You shut your mouth," Albus retorted. He knew James was just trying to make him angry, to let him know it was okay if he had to hurt him. He had no choice but to play along for now, but he didn't want to hurt James anymore.

"You think you can give orders to me, little brother? What game are we playing now, huh? Mummy isn't around to come save you now!"

This sentence had a remarkable effect on Albus. His eyes darkened, and he held out his wand again.

"Crucio!" he screamed.

James instantly started crying out on the floor. Maybe not quite as much as a few minutes ago, but it was clear that he was in pain.

Voldemort laughed. "Oh ho, I knew you could do it boy! It is always better with the right motivation!"

Voldemort let this play out a few more rounds before he ordered Albus to come with him again. James was left on the floor, panting.

"Good job, Albus. I knew you would get the reference," James whispered to himself as he was left alone on the floor. He had only pretended to be in pain. Just like they had played when they were children, before their mother put a stop to such games. Ginny had found them playing a game where James pretended to hit Albus with the Cruciatus Curse, and Albus had screamed. He had been grounded for weeks for that. Strange how a memory like that was clear as day, but he had no idea what he had done in the last year.

Over at the other end of the room, Scorpius had an easier time. Rose had started screaming just on the perceived threat of torture and had screamed in agony at every step. Scorpius had laughed, though each scream pained him inside. He was fairly certain that the spell did not work, but if he hadn't known better, he would have thought she was in great pain.

Rose did not feel any pain. But she had managed to swallow her pride and scream out in agony, despite Malfoy standing there laughing at her. She supposed he had to do that, but it still made her furious. But at this point, she was beyond anger. She was exhausted and close to where she had planned to start begging. Then she saw Albus and Voldemort walking towards them. It was time to start then.

"No! No, don't hurt me anymore, please, please stop it! I'll do anything, just make it stop, please make it stop!"

"Oh, so now you are begging, huh? Not so high and stuck up? Ready to learn what it is like in the real world?" Scorpius looked up as well and saw Voldemort. He knelt. "Great Lord, she is ready to say what you need."

Voldemort stood and looked down on Rose. She didn't have to fake tears and shivers at the sight of him.

"Now, girl, this is but a taste of what is to come. You don't want any more of that now, do you?" Voldemort asked with a smirk on his face.

"No. No, please. I'll do anything," Rose said with tears in her eyes. She had forgotten how terrifying Voldemort was. She didn't even dare to look up at him, she just huddled at his feet.

"Anything? Those are big words. For now, my dear, all I need is some information. Any wrong information you give will be punished. Are we clear?"

"Yes. Yes, I understand."

"Good. Now. Where would your Mudblood mother be when she wants to be all alone? With no guards, no family, just her. Thinking," Voldemort asked.

"I…I don't know," Rose replied.

Voldemort raised his wand.

Rose screamed, "I don't know! She has such a place, but she won't tell anyone! She goes there to be alone, and she says that if others know about it, it will be ruined! Please, I don't know! Please don't hurt me!" This wasn't a lie. She really didn't know where her mother went when she wanted to be alone. But she doubted Voldemort would believe her.

"I won't hurt you. Not as long as you tell me the best place to find your mother alone." Voldemort said quietly, wand still raised.

"No! Not Mother, please. Take me, do anything, don't take her!"

Voldemort sighed and casually pointed his wand. Real screams came from Rose this time. This was so much worse than she had ever imagined!

"No! No! No, please! I'll tell you! I'll tell you anything! Please stop!"

Voldemort stopped the torture, but kept his wand pointed at Rose. Scorpius was trembling visibly behind him. Albus looked away, so Voldemort wouldn't see his tears.

"Now, are you ready to tell me what I need to know? Or would you like some more pain?" Voldemort asked again, as he was delivering a second round of torture.

Rose howled in pain. She had to say something. The truth was easiest. "She… she travels to work every day alone. She varies where she Apparate, but when she is in a hurry, she… she always lands right next to the Visitor entrance. She may be alone there. Now please, don't hurt me anymore!" She hated herself for what she was saying, but hopefully her mother would follow her own advice and be careful. She was rarely so careless that she used the Visitor's entrance. Rose hoped fervently that Voldemort would be satisfied with that. For now, at least.

"See. That wasn't so hard now, was it, girl? You may be useful after all. There is much less stubborn defiance in you than in your mother. You are a smart girl. Know when you are beaten and stop resisting. Much the wiser thing to do. Yes, you are totally different from her. That is good. That may even keep you alive, girl. If what you told me is true."

Rose sobbed on the floor. Albus just stared at her. He desperately wanted to go down on the floor and comfort her, but he forced himself to keep standing. He knew what she had just said, and what she had not said, and he hoped it wouldn't end up costing them dearly.

"Malfoy, I think she is quite ready already," Voldemort added, looking at Scorpius.

"Ready, my Lord?"

"You said you wanted to teach her a lesson. Well, it seems she doesn't have her mother's strength after all. You can take her to your rooms now if you wish."

Scorpius looked up, surprised. Rose was definitely not going to like this. This was all happening a bit too soon for their plan, but what could they say?

"Yes, my Lord. Thank you. She will learn what happens when you reject a Malfoy," Scorpius said, while looking at Rose and attempting a smile. She continued to sob on the floor, both for the pain and for what she had just done. She might not even have caught the last part of the conversation.

Voldemort started giving orders.

"Crabbe! Goyle! Nott! Go and watch the Visitor entrance. No one is as important as the Mudblood Minister, am I clear? I do not want excuses and consolation prices because you almost got caught. Do not reveal yourself until Granger is there.

You two. Take Miss Weasley here up to Malfoy's chamber. Restrain her well. He will be along shortly. Don't hurt her unless she tries to resist."

The men ran off to do as ordered. The two that took Rose seemed full of malice and excitement. Rose continued to cry as she was dragged between them. Albus hoped Scorpius would get to her before something even worse happened. Other men were told to man the walls, or to prepare a new hiding place they would move to in a few days. Soon, only Albus, Scorpius and Voldemort remained.

"I must say, I am impressed. I really didn't think you had it in you, either of you. There must be a lot of pent-up anger under those robes of yours,"

"There is little we can do until Crabbe and the others return. Malfoy, you go and make sure the girl understands her place. Severus, I am proud. Take the night off, go out and celebrate. I will call for you if there is any development. Or, if you wish, one of these would probably be willing to escape the dungeon for a night with you."

Albus felt sick, but he had to continue with what remained of their plan. "Thank you, my Lord, but there is only one thing that would satisfy me at the moment. Allow me to escort my brother back to his cell. Seeing him tortured and beaten down like that is one of the most satisfying things I have seen in my life. I wish to enhance the experience by seeing him thrown into a cell in chains."

Voldemort laughed. "As you wish, boy. You may help the others put the prisoners back in the cell. Just be sure not to let your guard down in your excitement."

"I won't, my Lord. I wouldn't want him to get away from this until he has learned who made the right choice." Albus went over to collect his brother, and they walked down to the dungeons. James spat and tried to tear himself away from Albus' grip, but he held firm. There was nothing but hate in James' eyes from a distance.