CH. 10 – Interrogation

"That was loads of fun," Oliver sighed and took a drink from his bottle of water he had grabbed from his mini fridge. "At least I got to see Chelly again, see that she's all right."

Oliver and Luis settled back onto the couch after their journey back. Luis crossed his legs and folded his arms staring pointedly at Oliver, lips pursued as he bounced his foot up and down.

After a few minutes, Oliver acknowledged having hoped he'd stop but seeing as how he wasn't anytime soon, the matter had to be addressed. "What, Luis?"

"I'm waiting," he said, foot bouncing.

"Waiting for what? Me to smack you, because if ya keep bouncing your foot like that I'm gonna have to."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm waiting for you to apologize, you Scottish smart ass."

"For what?" he exclaimed.

"For telling me the watch wouldn't work."

"Oh, come on, Luis."

"Nope," he shook his head. "I wanna hear it."

"It worked, you proved your point."

"You gotta say it."

"Say what?!"

"You were wrong."

"You are such a girl," he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

"I'm gonna start bitching in five seconds if you don't and I won't stop."

"Give me a break."

"One," he started counting, examining his nails.

"I'm not apologizing for something stupid."

"Two."

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"Three."

"There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Four," he cleared his throat.

"Fine!" Oliver set his water bottle on the table. "You were right."

"About?" Luis asked with a smile.

Oliver gritted his teeth. "About your watch. You were right about your watch. It can do what you say it does."

"And you were…" he gestured for him to keep going.

"Going to kick your arse…"

"No, no. If I was right you were…"

"Wrong," he said as though it pained him. "I was wrong…I'm sorry."

Luis grinned and bounced in his seat. "Say it again, a little louder, I didn't quite hear you."

"I'm sorry," he rolled his eyes. "You were right."

Luis patted his knee. "That's what I like to hear."

Oliver glanced at the hand on his knee then back at Luis then back at his knee. Luis took the hint and removed his hand moving back to his end of the couch. "At least you got to see Chelly. I haven't gotten to see my Krum."

"He's not your Krum," Oliver reminded him.

"He will be. You'll see."



Oliver shook his head and reached for the remote control but before he could switch on the television the door opened and Alecto and Amycus stepped into the room. The siblings wearing matching smiles on their pudgy faces. "We need to speak to you both," Alecto said with a giggle.

"Why?" Oliver asked with a frown as put a hand on his shoulder, moving him up with one hand.

"Just a few questions we need to ask you," Alecto said and grabbed Luis's arm, pulling him up from the couch and dragging him with her, her long nails leaving light marks.

"About what?" Oliver asked as he and Luis were removed from their room and escorted down the hall to Amycus's classroom, the Dark Arts room. It was a scam to call it Defense Against anymore. All the students were now taught how to use the spells and nothing more on how to stop them.

"Just a few things," Alecto said as they rounded the corner Stark caught up with them, a little out of breath that told Luis he had known these two were coming for them. This was bad. "Professor's, what are you doing with those TA's?"

"We just need to ask them a few questions of no importance," Amycus said.

Stark nodded and fixed his jacket. "I see, then you can ask then out here."

"I prefer the Dark Art's office, Mr. Stark."

"Then I'll join you," he said and Amycus held his hand out.

"No need for you to be there."

"But you said it wasn't important so why shouldn't I be?" he asked coldly.

"Don't go walking where you don't belong, Mr. Stark. It might prove ill for your well being," he warned him.

"I was in Slytherin, never one to really follow the rules."

"You disgrace Slytherin," Alecto spat.

"And you disgrace Hogwart's but I'm not complaining. I suggest you leave these students alone. They aren't part of this, they know nothing."

"That is for us to decide, now if you'll excuse us," Amycus said and Luis saw Alecto reach into her robes.

"I'm not going to let you-." Stark started to say angrily.

"Blastis!" Alecto shouted and the spell hit Stark sending him into the wall where he hit it with enough force to crumble to the ground in pain, barely able to get his arms under his body, he kept falling back down. "I told you to stay out of it and what we do with these students is nothing compared to what you will receive later."

Luis and Oliver were stunned into silence as the Deathy Eater's grabbed their arms moving them down the corridor.

"Stark," Luis called out but Alecto gripped him tighter whispering to him.

"I'd come with us and make this easy on you by doing what we say."

He said nothing else as they were prodded up the stairs to Amycus's office that had once served as Umbridge's bright pink one but was no longer decorated so nauseatingly. Quite the opposite with the dark walls and sullen draperies. Alecto let go of Luis's arm with a shove and he caught himself on the desk, straightening up and standing close to Oliver. His heart was beating so loud he was sure the brother and sister could hear it.

"What's this about?" Oliver asked calmly and Luis was glad one of them could hold their composure enough to speak because it sure as hell wasn't him after they hurt Stark.

"We just need to ask you a few questions is all, seeing as how you two were pals with Potter and his dim wit friends and all three are missing," Alecto said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"We figured you two would know where they might be," Amycus added on.

"Can't say I do," Oliver shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the desk.

Amycus tutted, "I highly doubt that. We can do this the easy way," he reached into his dress robes and pulled out his wand with a smile. "Or we can do this the hard way. Where are they, Wood?"



"We don't know where they are though," Luis said and found his face turned sideways and his cheek burning as Alecto's hand surged across his face with such speed he didn't even see her move. Quite a shock for someone her size and her size meant the hit hurt a lot more.

"Did we ask you?" she hissed at Luis who's eyes stung not from tears but from the mere pain of the smack and the closeness her nail had come to his left eye. He could feel the stickiness on his palm and didn't have to look at his hand to see her lethal nails had left marks on his face not to mention the bruise he'd have tomorrow.

Oliver held his composure though the slap had taken him by surprise as well. "I don't know where Harry is. The only person I've seen is Ebony and Chelly and that was a while ago."

"What is Potter planning then?"

"I don't know," he shrugged.

"Hmm…seems like you don't know a lot…looks like you need your memory refreshened. Crucio!"

Oliver gasped and doubled over from the pain searing through him. It felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside. The fire seemed to burn through his blood and he fell to his knees, one hand on the ground to keep him from falling over and the other to keep what felt like his insides from ripping out. It stopped and he was able to take a gasping breath. A hand grabbed his chin and turned his face up. Amycus smiled. "Where is Potter?"

He opened his mouth to talk but forgot how for a brief moment, "I-I don't know." His face jerked to the side and he threw his arm out to keep from falling over as he was back handed.

"Where is he?" Amycus yelled.

"We don't know!" Luis yelled back and yelped when Alecto grabbed his arm jerking him to her, her nails digging through his skin, piercing his flesh causing him to wince.

"Tell me or I'll do away with you both!"

"We don't…know," Oliver panted from the ground.

Amycus pointed his wand at him, face going beet red in his anger, ready to use the curse on him again and Oliver kept his calm. If he was going to die he'd do it with his dignity intact. A hand wrapped around Amycus's wrist, pale fingers removing the wand from his pudgy hand and Oliver focused his eyes on the third adult in the room.

"And just what do you think you are doing, Amycus?" Snape asked coolly, twirling the wand in his long fingers.

"I was just asking these boys a few questions, Head Master," he said.

Snape's eyes moved to Oliver on the floor, pale and sweating from the pain, barely able to hold himself upright and Luis standing with Alecto, left cheek bleeding and dripping from scratch marks. His gaze moved to Alecto's arm, her nails digging into his flesh and he raised an eyebrow at her. She quickly removed her hand and Luis clutched at the bleeding skin, leaning back against the desk. "I see…and were they helpful."

"We were about to get it out of them," Amycus said.

"There are other methods," Snape replied. "I could have easily given you a truth serum…and I highly doubt either of them could take this much and not tell you what they know…Laguna's not one to handle much pain. I doubt they know where Potter is since I'm willing to believe that's what this interrogation is about."

"Yes, sir," Alecto nodded and moved to stand near her brother. "But they did mention seeing Murillo and Ebony awhile ago."

Luis was sure he saw Snape tense for a brief moment. Either that or his eye was still watering too much to see clearly.

"We'll take them back to their room," Amycus said and Snape stopped him with a hand.



"I can manage it, you both have done enough and I don't want either of them to encounter any more accidents along the way…and do be careful going down the hall. Someone seems to have jinxed it with a blast spell, least it seemed that way for Professor Stark."

The siblings looked reluctant but obeyed orders and left the room. Once gone Snape knelt down next to Oliver, putting a hand under his arm. "On your feet, Wood." Shakily he managed but swayed until Luis grabbed his arm and had him lean against him.

"Can you manage him, Lagunas?"

Luis nodded his head, his voice dry, "Yea, I got him." He slung Oliver's arm around his shoulders and helped him down the stairs, glad neither of them tumbled down them. Snape wasn't far behind and walked with them in silence out the classroom and down the hall. He opened the door to their room when they finally got to it and Luis let out a sigh of relief when he got Oliver to the couch and collapsed on it himself. He didn't notice Snape was still in the room until he spoke.

"When did you see my daughter and Ms. Murillo?"

"Earlier," Oliver replied, leaning his head wearily on his hand, still pale.

"Earlier this week?"

"No…today," he said. "At your house."

Snape's eyes widened. "How did you manage that?" Neither said a word and he nodded. "It's best I don't know the answer to that…" his eyes shifted around the room and he looked pained. "How is she?"

It didn't take rocket science to know who "she" was. Luis answered, "She's fine…she's worried about you."

"She misses you," Oliver added. "But you know Ebony, she won't say it right out. Not her."

"She's okay," he repeated to himself. "And Murillo is with her as I expected she would be. How is she?"

"Doing better than me at the moment," Oliver shifted and winced, leaning his head back against the couch.

"And they're still there?"

"Might have left by now," Luis shrugged. "We don't know. Didn't seem like they'd be there long. But we don't know where they were going or what they're doing and we don't know where Harry is."

"I believe you. No matter though," he waved it away with his hand. "You two rest for now."

"How is Professor Stark?" Luis asked.

"Sore and in some pain but he'll be fine. He was well enough to warn me about the two of you. You should stay out of these things, it's not my job to protect you," he turned o leave.

Through the haze of pain and sleep Oliver remembered the message Ebony had. "Wait…Ebony had a message for you…"

Snape froze and looked over his shoulder at them, waiting but Oliver was already dozing off. Luis bit his lower lip, trying to remember. "It didn't make sense to me…but it was something like…she wanted us to tell you that you're still her harbor."

It must have made sense to Snape because his face softened, as if those words had melted away any doubt or worry he had been carrying over the last few months. He nodded his head, "She's still mine as well…if you ever see her again let her know that…" He left the room closing the door behind him and Mr. Kinky curled at Luis's side.

He went to pet the cat but stopped when he saw the blood still on his hand. He shooed the cat off the couch and stood up glancing at Oliver who had passed out. He bent down and helped move him across the couch, moving his legs up onto it and covering him with a nearby blanket. He made sure to lock the door before going into his room to clean his own wounds. He avoided looking in the mirror for as long as he could, bandaging his arm first. The cuts weren't deep but cleaning them hurt like a bitch as he wrapped the bandage around his forearm. He stood in front of the mirror, eyes closed, unsure if he 

could face the damage. Finally he opened his eyes and gasped a hand going to his mouth. There were four long scratches across his face going diagonal and blood smeared the entire area like a bad horror movie. The smallest went from his temple to the corner of his eye and had hit his eye. His left eye was bloodshot red from where her nail had scratched him. He could see the cut on his eyeball. The other three marks went from his upper cheek down. One ending at his nose, another just by his lip and the last at his chin. A dark bruise was beginning to form beneath that. He turned his head and looked at the untouched side of his face, the normal side and then looked straight on. It looked monstrous to him. He wiped at his good eye, the tears now from his marks and the severity of them. His good eye caught sight of the Dumbledore's Army coin around his neck. If he hadn't joined he wouldn't be in this mess. His face would be fine, his life not in danger…but it didn't change anything. Chelly and Ebony would still be off, Dumbledore would still be dead and the school would still be taken over with Death Eater's. At least this way he stood a chance of surviving. The old Luis wouldn't have been able to handle a battle at the Ministry or being in a school of Voldermort's followers or receiving the torture he just had.

He started cleaning the wounds, done sulking. He'd just have to make a healing potion later to minimize the scarring and help speed up the process. He had gotten off light compared to Oliver and the Cruciatus curse…he'd have to make his friend a Pain Killing potion after he was done cleaning his face to ease him maybe one for Stark too. He had a feeling these wounds were just the beginning of what promised to be more later on. No one ever said any of this was going to be easy. But he knew one thing. He was going to get Alecto back later for hitting him. Whenever the opportunity came, he'd be ready and the bitch would pay.