Chapter 2 - Interrogations and Revelations
4th November 1981, Afternoon
As Crouch was walking towards the Men's W.C., he saw Frank Longbottom returning to work.
"Frank?" he called out, getting Frank's attention. "You're back already? Were you able to accomplish what you intended? Were your family members all still safe?" inquired Crouch in concern.
"Hello, Mr. Crouch. Yes, everyone was still safe and yes, I got the job done. Neither my wife nor my mother were too pleased about it but after explaining your reasoning, they understood and regretfully accepted it. I'm telling you though, we will all be very relieved when it's no longer necessary." Frank answered, grinning at the thought of eventually being able to stop hiding.
"That will certainly be a time to celebrate, I agree!" Crouch said with a smile, "Until then, it's best to put up with some restrictions in order to stay safe."
"Yes, sir, very true sir. Is there an assignment for me, sir?" asked Longbottom.
"Check in with Auror Scrimgeour, he's coordinating the assignments." Crouch answered. He nodded at Frank then proceeded to enter the men's room.
Fifteen minutes later found everyone back in the interrogation room with the exception of Peter Pettigrew. Sitting in his place was Sirius Black.
"Mr. Black, we are going to administer veritaserum, do you have any objections?" asked Crouch.
"No sir, I am eager to clear my name." answered Sirius very earnestly.
"Good, then I assume we won't need to force you, right?" Crouch responded.
"No sir." answered Sirius, still looking both hopeful and anxious.
Crouch then told the medic to administer the veritaserum and waited a couple minutes to ensure it took effect.
"State your name, please." Crouch started with the usual first question.
"Sirius Orion Black" Sirius responded in a monotone voice, eyes glazed over.
Crouch then stated that the interrogee was under the effects of the veritaserum so they would proceed.
"Mr. Black, are you now or have you ever been a Death Eater, either marked or unmarked?" enquired Crouch. He wanted to get this clarified immediately as the answer would determine which questions followed.
"No." Sirius replied.
"Did you have anything to do with the Potter's deaths?" asked Crouch, expecting to hear a negative answer.
"Yes. It was all my fault!" Sirius said, with a tear running down his cheek.
Everyone looked at each other, this answer did not correspond with Pettigrew's answers and they all knew only one person could be a Secret Keeper for the Fidelius charm. Plus, it was extremely unusual for someone under veritaserum to display emotions.
"Mr. Fordham?" Crouch looked at the medic, "Are you sure Mr. Black was given the correct dosage?"
"Yes, I'm very sure as each bottle is premeasured then sealed. I broke the seal to administer it to Mr. Black, sir. It is rare but not entirely unheard of for emotions to be displayed while under the effects of this potion. It's usually when the emotions are overpowering and break through." the medic explained.
"Does that mean you still believe the potion is working as it should?" Crouch then asked.
"Yes, sir. At least, I see no reason to feel it isn't." the medic replied.
"Then let me continue. Mr. Black, what did you do that caused the death of the Potters?" Crouch asked.
"It was my idea to switch Secret Keepers. Everyone knows James and I are close. I thought that if we switched to Peter, everyone would still think it was me and if Voldemort caught and tortured me, he would never be able to get the Secret out of me because Peter was the Secret Keeper. I thought that no one would ever think it was Peter and James and Lily would be kept safe. It's all my fault!" Sirius stated, crying harder.
Everyone understood now why Sirius blamed himself and all felt bad for the man. Crouch found himself thinking of the report stating that when Sirius was apprehended he was hysterical, both laughing and crying and saying over and over, 'It's my fault, it's all my fault.' He now realized that Mr. Black wasn't referring to the dead muggles nor even the 'assumed dead' Mr. Pettigrew but was thinking of the Potters instead. Even tough, stoic Bartemius Crouch, Sr. had a heart and felt empathy for the man.
"I think we have heard enough, gentlemen. Oh! Can anyone tell me what happened to Mr. Black's wand?" he asked, looking at his two aurors.
"No sir, I assume it's in evidence?" replied one auror.
"Is that a question Auror Rathbain? Because I thought I was asking you. Nevermind, one of you go see if it's there and if so, bring it here. Hold on, I'll send a parchment stating to release it to you." Crouch said, turning to get a piece of parchment and a quill from the scribe.
He wrote his permission to release the wand, handed it to Auror Rathbain then turned to the others and stated, "We have almost wrapped this interrogation up. If Mr. Black's wand shows he had nothing to do with blowing that street up, as I suspect it will, then he is to be released with no charges against him."
The auror returned with Mr. Black's wand and handed it to Crouch.
"Do you know if anyone already performed priori incantatem on this wand?" Crouch asked Mr. Rathbain.
"No, sir. I mean, I don't think so as it wasn't recorded as being done already, sir." Rathbain answered.
"That's good," Crouch said while taking the wand from the box it was in. "Let's see what it will show us!"
Mr. Crouch performed priori incantatem on the wand and it first showed a stunner, followed by a second stunner, before that it only showed a point me spell and a few minor hygiene spells such as a shaving spell and a teeth brushing spell.
"Well, this proves that Mr. Black didn't perform any spells that would have blown up the street and verifies his statements. Please administer the antidote, Mr. Fordham. This interrogation is complete and Mr. Black will be released. Please give Mr. Black back his possessions and allow him time to clean up and change his clothing. Then bring him to my office after." Crouch stated as he was standing up, getting ready to leave.
It had occurred to him that Sirius Black was the Potter child's guardian and that he most likely would be heading to Hogwarts as soon as he was freed. He had suspicions that Dumbledore may not be too receptive towards the idea of Mr. Black having custody of the Potter child, and he felt he needed to warn him of these suspicions.
Crouch walked back to his office, his mind on what he had learned today. When he reached his secretary's desk, he asked her, "Miss Abercrombie, would you set up an appointment for me to see the Minister as soon as possible? Please find out if the Head of the DOM and someone from WCS would be available to join the meeting, as well? If not, though, I still need to see the Minister."
He started towards his office, then stopped and turned back towards Miss Abercrombie, stating, "Oh, and one other thing, send a memo to Mr. Weasley that simply states, 'Nothing was stolen, you will soon find out everything.' and just stamp my signature on it. Thank you and let me know as soon as the meeting is arranged."
Then he went into his office, made some tea and sat in one of the comfortable chairs placed in front of his fireplace to relax for a few minutes and try to organize his thoughts before Mr. Black's arrival.
Within five minutes, he could hear a highly agitated voice protesting that he didn't have time to see Crouch, that he needed to go get his godson!
Crouch sighed and stepped out of his office. "Mr. Black, it is extremely imperative we speak. I have information that may be vital to you in your endeavors. Please come in, I will try to be as brief as possible." he said beseechingly to Sirius.
Sirius paused, looked at Crouch impatiently, but acceded to his wishes to hear him out. They both entered the office and Mr. Crouch motioned for Sirius to join him in front of the fireplace. "Would you care for a cup of tea, Mr. Black?"
"It's just Sirius, I hate being called Mr. Black, makes me want to look over my shoulder to see if my father is behind me. But no, no tea, thank you, I'm in a hurry!" stated Sirius, rather rudely.
"Yes, it's apparent you are but there are some things you need to know first. Things I have been piecing together and feel Dumbledore's at the center. It affects both you and young Mr. Potter but I would like to discuss it with you, a representative from WCS, the Head of the DOM and the Minister as it affects more than just you and Mr. Potter." Crouch informed Sirius.
"I don't have time for that! Harry's been torn away from everyone he knows for days and he's got to be confused and terrified! I need to get to him…" Sirius said, getting louder and louder.
"Mr. Black! Get a hold of yourself or YOU are going to terrify the poor boy when you do see him!" admonished Crouch. "I highly doubt Dumbledore is going to allow you to see Mr. Potter as it was based on his statements that you were thrown into Azkaban without a trial in the first place. The only way you will have a chance to foil Dumbledore's schemes is to work within the law to bring him down."
Sirius was brought up short as what Crouch was saying sunk into his brain. He slowly relaxed back into the chair while several emotions flickered across his face. Disbelief, shock and anger being prominent.
"What do you mean it was Dumbledore's fault I was thrown into Azkaban without a trial? And why do you think he won't let me see Harry, I'm his godfather and he knows that! He performed the godfather ritual! He knows I would never in a million years harm Harry!" Sirius practically spat the words out.
"Please, Mr. Black, I am hoping to only have to explain everything one time and would like to wait until all the interested parties are in the same room. If you can wait a moment, I will see if the meeting has been arranged. If not, I will tell you what I have discovered without waiting for a meeting but it's imperative you hear everything." Crouch responded then rose and left his office to find out if the Minister had approved a meeting.
"Miss Abercrombie? Have you had a response from Ms. Bagnold regarding the meeting I requested? Also, have there been any responses from the other two parties I am hoping will attend?"
Just as he was speaking, three paper airplanes landed on Miss Abercrombie's desk. She snatched up the first one and said, "The Minister is free at 4:00."
Then she opened the next two, using her wand to be able to read the one from the DOM. She looked up at Crouch and said,
"Just coincidentally, it appears that both the Head of the DOM and an employee from DCS are free at 4:00 also."
"Very good, send a reply asking them to meet us in Bagnold's office and let the Minister know that is an acceptable time and we will see her then." replied Crouch.
He looked down at his watch and realized it was still twenty minutes until the meeting, sighed and thought, 'I am going to have to tell Mr. Black some of what I have discovered or I will never get him to wait that long.' Then he turned back to his office trying to think of what information to give Mr. Black that would entice him to stay long enough to hear it all.
"Mr. Black, I feel it best if I tell you some of what I have found out and the suspicions I have towards Dumbledore's plans. We will be leaving for the Minister's office in 15 minutes but I can share some of my thoughts with you first." Crouch said as he sat back down in the chair opposite Sirius.
"First, were you aware that Peter Pettigrew is in one of our holding cells at this very moment awaiting trial?" he asked Sirius.
"What?! No! I didn't know that! Where is he, I want to kill that rotten little rat!" Sirius yelled, jumping out of his chair.
"Mr. Black! Calm down this minute! You are NOT going to be allowed anywhere near him but he WILL be getting his just desserts! He will be lucky to get life in Azkaban instead of the dementors Kiss. Do you need something to help you calm down? A shot of fire whiskey or a calming potion?" asked Crouch.
Sirius was pacing and running his hands through his hair. "I, I, yes! I'd like a shot of fire whiskey but I suppose if we're having a meeting with the Minister, then I think a calming potion would be better." answered Sirius.
Crouch walked to his desk, opened a drawer and handed Sirius a vial of the Draught of Peace.
"Drink up, then we need to go to get to the Minister's office." stated Crouch just as there was a knock and his secretary entered.
"Here are the notarized copies of both interrogations, Mr. Crouch." she said as she handed a folder to him.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot them. Thank you, I need them for my meeting." Mr. Crouch replied, smiling in thanks to Ms. Ambercrombie. "Come along, Mr. Black, we do not want to be late for our meeting."
Minister Bagnold welcomed everyone into her office, asking that they take seats and get comfortable before she sat back down and stated, "May I ask what this is about and why is Mr. Black here instead of in custody? I thought I had heard he had been arrested? Something to do with killing a Mr. Pettigrew and some muggles?"
"Yes. I have some, ah... information that I feel needs to be shared involving Mr. Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Mr. Black and the recently indisposed dark wizard, Voldemort." Crouch replied in a calm yet impelling voice.
"First though, let me pass these around for everyone's perusal which will also explain why Mr. Black is not in custody." he stated while passing copies of this morning's interrogations to all.
After receiving their copy, each person took a few minutes to skim them over, then were offering apologies and comfort to Mr. Black.
"I understand why Mr. Black is no longer in custody" responded the Minister, "but am unclear as to what this meeting is about, Mr Crouch. How, pray tell, do all the persons you mentioned a few moments ago relate to each other?" She had a surprised and slightly worried look on her face.
"Well, it's rather difficult to know quite where to start because this information came in bits and pieces and took a few hours to fall into place. Give me a moment to think of where to start." replied Crouch.
"I think I may know part of what you were planning to discuss simply based on you asking me to be here." said the DOM head. "Earlier today, I met with Mr. Crouch where we discussed a prophecy regarding a dark lord and a person destined to vanquish said dark lord. He asked who had heard the prophecy, what it actually said, of which I only know the gist, and to whom it was referring."
At this point, he stopped and asked if he might be able to have a cup of tea as he felt this may be a long meeting. To which Ms. Bagnold asked her secretary to serve tea to all.
"Albus Dumbledore contacted us a year ago about putting his memory of a prophecy into one of our globes and storing it in the Hall of Prophecies. A time was arranged for that to take place and when he came in, we asked him to tell us what he could." the Head of the DOM informed them.
"Did Dumbledore say who spoke the prophecy? And when did this occur?" Bagnold asked.
"The prophecy was given sometime in late November 1979 by Sybill Trelawney during an interview for a position at Hogwarts. It was about a child being born at the end of July who would vanquish a dark lord." replied the Unspeakable.
"What? Was it no more clear than that? Did it say when this was supposed to happen? Or name the child or the dark lord? That doesn't sound very specific!" exclaimed Ms. Bagnold.
At this point, Mr. Black interrupted and said, "There was more to it which did give a bit more information about the possible child."
Everyone was now focused on Mr. Black and so he cleared his throat and said, "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."
Then he hung his head and tears fell onto his lap. Everyone was quiet, thinking about what he had just told him, until he looked up and said, "It was Harry, wasn't it? He vanquished Voldemort. I don't understand how, but he did."
"No," the Unspeakable replied, " he didn't. Voldemort is not dead. At least, if that prophecy actually is referring to the Potter child and Voldemort, then he hasn't vanquished him. That night, the only thing left were Voldemort's robes. If he had actually been killed, we would have found a body too."
"No!" shouted Mr. Black.
"That can't be!" cried the WCS representative.
"Everyone, please calm down! It's very difficult to have a proper discussion with people yelling. Now, Head Unspeakable, can you explain how this could be possible?" asked Minister Bagnold in a calm tone.
"Well, there are a few very dark rituals that can be performed so that if the body is destroyed, the soul remains tied to this Earth but not as a ghost. It, the remaining soul, is referred to as a wraith. One common way is for the wizard to perform a ceremony, killing an innocent in cold blood, thereby tearing their soul. The soul fragment is stored inside an object and the main part of the soul cannot be destroyed unless the object is destroyed first." stated the Unspeakable, clearly in his element.
Everyone in the room except Mr. Crouch was staring at him with looks of horror on their face.
Mr. Black was the first to respond saying, "You're talking about a Horcrux! That's," and here he stopped and shuddered, "that's very dark! Even MY family felt that was too dark to ever even consider doing! And that's saying a lot because my family used the cruciatus curse as punishment for bad behavior on their children!"
Now everyone in the room was looking at Mr. Black with complete horror on their faces, some even had their mouths hanging open.
Mr. Black looked around, shrugged and said, "Well, why do you think I ran away to the Potter's after my fifth year?" Then looked down at his lap with a sad frown on his face.
"Yes, well!" said Minister Bagnold, trying to get everyone to focus back on the matter at hand.
"Anyway, back to what I was explaining. Once the soul becomes a wraith, he can't really harm someone except by possessing them or by possessing someone else and using that person's body. In the long run though, the possessed body dies so another ritual must be performed for the wraith to regain a body of his or her own. There are a few different rituals which can be used for that, too, but none guarantee an immortal body." informed the Unspeakable.
"Well, I have more information and suspicions I wish to discuss besides just an undead dark lord. Maybe I should start at the beginning." Crouch quickly summarized what had taken place the evening before and earlier that day. He then told them what Professor Dumbledore had claimed when Mr. Black was first arrested.
"Well, perhaps Dumbledore was just assuming…" started Ms. Bagnold.
"No he wasn't! He KNEW I wasn't the Secret Keeper and that Peter was!" Mr. Black raged, jumping out of his chair and pacing around like a caged lion.
"Mr. Black, control yourself! Please take a seat and try to calm yourself. Nothing can be accomplished unless we stay calm and can plan in a reasonable way." Minister Bagnold scolded.
"As I was saying, once I was aware Mr. Pettigrew was alive and that he had been the Potter's Secret Keeper, it got me to thinking about that night. I looked over the report and something jumped out at me that hadn't, originally." Crouch paused to take a drink of tea. "You see, when our aurors arrived, the child had already been removed at Professor Dumbledore's orders. That got me wondering how he knew about it so quickly and where the child was now."
"That's why you came to see our Department this morning, wasn't it?" asked the WCS representative.
Crouch nodded and replied, "Yes. But your department has no idea what happened to the child either. So, then I decided that I needed to find the Potter's Will which would no doubt list a guardian or even several guardians."
"Were you able to locate their Will?" asked the Unspeakable.
"Yes I was and apparently just in time, which I'll explain in a moment. The Will was fairly standard, as you can see." At this point, he pulled it out of a folder and made copies for each.
"Now, the first thing I noticed was that it stated that Mr. Black is the child's godfather and that the godparent ritual had been performed, which made me realize that Mr. Black couldn't have been the one to tell Voldemort where the Potter's were as he would have lost his magic and probably even his life. Then, further down the page, you"ll see where it tells that Mr. Pettigrew is their Secret Keeper which, as you all know, means he was the only one that could have told Voldemort their location."
"Yes, that's true, but perhaps Dumbledore didn't know and just assumed it had been Mr. Black?" asked the Minister.
Mr. Black was staying quiet and sitting but one leg was bouncing like mad and he was obviously tense.
"I actually thought that at first, too. After all, you are not supposed to tell who the Secret Keeper is, right?" Crouch asked and looked around seeing nods of agreement. "But as I kept perusing it, I finally took a look at the signatures and discovered that Professor Dumbledore had been one of the witnesses!"
"What?" responded the Minister angrily. "Why that... that man lied to you! He KNEW that Mr. Black wasn't the Secret Keeper! What do you think he's up to? Why that horrible man! He could have gotten an innocent man sentenced to life in prison! That's…, that's truly evil!"
"Yes, those were my thoughts too except at that time I still wasn't positive Mr. Black wasn't a Death Eater nor whether he had possibly blown up the street filled with muggles because that was this morning before I interrogated Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Black." admitted Crouch.
"Yes, I can understand how that may still have been possible." mumbled Mr. Black, "You don't really know me, you only know that the Blacks are usually dark. For all you knew, I could have gone dark, too."
"Yes, that had occurred to me. But, besides the fact that Professor Dumbledore had knowingly lied about you, it still didn't answer why he took the Potter child, nor what he did with him after he took him. When I left WCS this morning, I had lunch with Frank Longbottom because he and his wife are listed as possible guardians too. I asked him if Mr. Potter was now living with him and he said no." stated Crouch. "So, what did Professor Dumbledore do with the child and why is he so interested in him?"
He paused and looked around at everyone, gauging their reactions to all he had told them so far.
"Mr. Crouch, you said something earlier about having retrieved the Potter's Will just in time. What did you mean by that?" Minister Bagnold asked.
"Well, I have no proof of who did it, just a gut feeling, but when I returned to my office after lunch, the Will was laying on the floor just inside my door. I checked with my secretary and no one had entered my office. I sat puzzling over it until it finally occurred to me that perhaps someone had tried summoning it but the door prevented it from going to the summoner." Crouch told everyone.
"Maybe someone entered when your secretary went to lunch, or used the loo?" suggested the WCS representative.
"I did think of that but she said she hadn't left her desk, that she brought her lunch from home. Although, I suppose she may have gone to the loo and it just slipped her mind. But even if someone had been in my office and picked up the Will, why would they leave it laying on the floor just inside my door? That would be a very strange thing to do, don't you think?" asked Crouch.
The others were all nodding in agreement.
"You stated you had a gut feeling, who are you thinking may have been the one to summon it then?" asked Mr. Black.
"Well, because of what Professor Dumbledore said about you and because he seems to be the last one to know the whereabouts of the Potter child, I am thinking that he wanted to have it Sealed before anyone else had a chance to look it over. Also, he is the only one with the authority to Seal it without approval of the Wizengamot. Therefore, I feel he was the one that summoned it." Crouch asserted.
They all sat quietly thinking when suddenly the Head of the Unspeakable Department stated, "If Dumbledore believes that the Potter child is going to be the one that the prophecy mentions and if he believes that Voldemort didn't actually die, then I can see him wanting to spirit away the child to be able to raise him as this 'Chosen One' in the manner he feels is best."
Everyone sat, stunned by what was just said but realized that was probably the answer. Then Mr. Black exploded in anger, jumping to his feet and yelling, "Over my dead body! He is not going to train Harry to be some sacrificial warrior! If he wants someone to be ready to off Moldy Voldy he can just offer himself for the job!"
Mr. Black was so upset, sparks were shooting from the ends of his hair, and everything in the office was rattling and bouncing around.
Crouch pulled his wand and stunned Mr. Black, jumping up to grab him and stop him from hurting himself as he fell. "Can we get a medic in here? I already gave him a Draught of Peace just before we came here. I don't want to give him more without a medic approving it first."
"Oh, yes! I'll step out and ask my secretary to find a medic, hold on." Ms. Bagnold said, rising from her desk and heading out the door.
The Head of the Unspeakable Department then asked, "Do you know, Mr. Crouch, if Mr. Black intends to take custody of the Potter child? Assuming he can be found that is?"
"Yes, that was the first thing he wanted to do, go to Hogwarts to get him. I convinced him to wait a little longer and to attend this meeting, first. Although, I am not sure he has understood why I was so insistent he wait." Crouch said with a frown.
"Is it that you wanted to gather a group that can stand together against Dumbledore? I mean, it certainly appears that Dumbledore was trying to get Mr. Black thrown in prison to get him out of the way...to prevent him from taking custody of the child. It could be dangerous for one person, alone, to oppose Dumbledore." asked the Unspeakable.
"Actually, yes. I feel the parents' wishes should be the ones that are followed and Mr. Black is the chosen guardian. Not Professor Dumbledore nor whomever he chooses. I know that if this issue were put up for a decision by the Wizengamot, an overwhelming majority would agree that the wishes of the parents be followed. Knowing Professor Dumbledore though, he will try to find a way for it not to come to that." replied Crouch.
"Do you have any suggestions on how to go about confronting Dumbledore and forcing him to give up the child?" asked the WCS representative.
"No, not at this time. I feel we should bring others in on the situation. Somehow get the issue brought up in front of the Wizengamot but Mr. Black is going to be the sticking point. We need to somehow convince him to hold off confronting Professor Dumbledore and work with us. I wish I knew someone close to him that he may be more willing to listen too, but I really know very little about him." stated Crouch.
"Why don't you contact Remus?" asked the WCS representative.
"Remus? Who is he? Is he a friend of Mr. Black's?" Crouch asked.
"Yes. In school, the four of them were thick as thieves. Always together, the pranksters of the school. Remus Lupin was the calm, level-headed one out of the bunch. It was James Potter as the leader, Sirius as the biggest prankster of the bunch, Remus was quieter, more in the background and Peter, mostly just a tag-along." replied the WCS person.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea! I'll send a letter to him right away asking him to come in to discuss some issues then we can explain what's going on and, hopefully, he will want to help Mr. Black." Crouch commented.
By this time, a Medic had arrived and checked Mr. Black over. He told them that Mr. Black was simply exhausted and still suffering the effects of shock. He stated it would be best if he was given some dreamless sleep and allowed to rest until he woke naturally. Otherwise, there wasn't anything actually wrong with him.
"I feel you should get him into a bed in the Auror's Infirmary and let him sleep. Can you spell the dreamless sleep into him now? We can levitate him to a bed and have a medic keep an eye on him." suggested Crouch. "That is, if Minister Bagnold has no objections?"
"No, that sounds fine. Poor man, it's been a few horrible days for him." replied the Minister. "If we are all agreed, we should plan to meet tomorrow to discuss this situation further. I think it may be a good idea to contact Frank and Alice Longbottom as their help may be valuable and they were also listed as guardians. I don't know about Minerva, she may be too close to Dumbledore. I think we should wait on her."
So, plans were made to meet at nine the next morning in the Minister's office. They all left and went their own ways, Crouch floating Sirius ahead of him to the Auror's Infirmary.