I don't own Harry Potter
"Weasley!"
Isabella shot up from her desk as her boss shouted her from across the busy room, a few heads of the other Auror's turning to look at her with raised eyebrows. They were probably thinking she was in trouble.
For a second Izzy froze, her hand laying clenched on the back of her desk chair which she had unconsciously moved around when she was shouted, her heart pounding at the possibilities of what Scrimgeour wanted. Did he know? Was she going to get arrested? Chucked into Azkaban?
Honestly, she was turning into a bloody worry wart and it was starting to piss her off well as much as you can be pissed off at yourself anyway. Of course, he didn't know, if he had known then he wouldn't just be calling for her across the Auror office like the normal, she would have been humiliated and arrested in front of all of her colleagues.
"Yes, Sir?" She questioned as she hurried towards Scrimgeour's office towards where he was stood in the doorway, hands on his hips and a grim look on his face.
"I need you to come with me," Scrimgeour motioned his head, hair flicking as he set of in fast paces, Isabella struggling to keep up with him as her legs were slightly shorter than his.
"Where are we going, Sir?" She wondered.
"To the interrogation room, Pettigrew has spouted some rather… appealing news about Black and Voldemort. Since you are the only person in this office as Kingsley is off on assignment and who is not currently retired that knows Sirius Black more than just seeing his face plastered all over this place, I thought you could help with the interrogation."
Izzy was that shocked she actually stopped walking, gaping at her boss' back. She was only a Junior Auror and this was a big case, she couldn't believe she was being asked to do this. At the same time, even though it was a big opportunity and would help her get even more noticed by the higher ups after the last few months, she didn't want to.
Having to see that wretched man in person once again was extremely high on the list of things that she never wants to do again. Especially knowing that this was the man that was ultimately responsible for the Potter's deaths, leaving poor innocent Harry orphaned, he had become one of the family over the passed couple of years, especially after he saved Ginny's life. Her heart hurt as she thought of the young boy with scruffy hair and sad eyes.
That all turned into anger as her fists clenched when she thought of Sirius, of their conversation in muggle London and the angst on his face when he spoke about Pettigrew… the happiness when he talked about James and Lily Potter.
"Weasley?" Her stern voice broke her out of her thoughts as she looked up to find Scrimgeour stood a few paces away with an inquiring eyebrow raised, "Coming?"
"Yes, Sir." The red head replied in resignation as she trudged after him towards the interrogation rooms where Peter Pettigrew was being held.
He looked worse than the last time she had seen him, if that was even possible. His face was gaunter and more withdrawn, thick bags under his eyes, a pathetic pleading look upon his face. Izzy knew he was trying to play for sympathy with the officers but that wasn't going to happen especially with what Pettigrew had done, becoming a Death Eater and selling out the Potter's.
Almost all of the Auror's in the office that weren't new in the past five or so years had known intimately the effect of the First Wizarding War, being Dark Wizard catchers meant that they had to be involved in some way or another. Well, avoiding the mention of how corrupt the ministry actually was during the wizarding war as she knew from her family. Many of the men and women had lost colleagues and even family, it was not something that was easily forgotten.
Pettigrew had his hands placed in front of him on the sleek black table, not that he had much of a choice due to them being bound there by magical cuffs. Izzy knew the man was also being given some sort of potion that prevented him from transforming into the rat he was. She didn't know the logistics behind it, not being the best potion maker but she had gotten good enough grades to pass her Newts with and Exceeds Exceptions but had done no further studying than that.
The moment Peter saw the Auror he knew to be a Weasley, who had been in the shack that day he had been confronted by Remus and Sirius, his eyes lit up while his lips turned inward. The Auror's were stupid. The Dark Lord was right, their thirst for knowledge, to be right would be there downfall and they were playing right into his trap.
"Mr Pettigrew," The Head Auror greeted with a flick of his wand, causing the two chairs opposite the convict to be pulled out, "We have come here today to speak in more depth about the claims you spoke to Auror Beesel earlier this morning,"
Scrimgeour paused with his famous raised eyebrow as he waited for Peter to speak, he didn't." This is Auror Weasley, she was the one to make your arrest, if you remember,"
"I do," Peter cut in timidly, ringing his hands together. His nervousness not coming from being questioned by the Auror's but with the fact that if he didn't pull this off, he would never get transported to Azkaban and if he didn't get transported, he would never get out of here. The potion they had given him only lasted for so long and he knew that but they didn't seem to, he couldn't very well escape from the ministry but on a transport? That he could do. He needed to at least give them something.
Isabella sat silent for an hour as she listened to her boss grill the murderer in front of her, Peter's timid almost scared replies to the simplest of questions, he had yet to repeat or confirm what he had supposedly told Auror Beesel earlier this morning and was avoiding the topic all together. He was up to something but she wasn't sure what he has going to gain from what he was doing, Pettigrew was going to Azkaban to rot for the rest of his life… nothing he said or didn't say was going to change that.
Gathering the courage Isabella turned to her boss, requesting if she could speak to him outside for a few moments. She knew she was overstepping the boundaries, she was only a Junior Auror who should have just been happy to sit there and listen to Pettigrew get integrated.
"Care to explain yourself, Weasley?" Scrimgeour turned to look at her as the step outside the room.
"He's playing us, Sir" She finally spoke up, unable to help herself. "At the shack he was a completely different man, he was manic and evil. He only turned into the man in that room when he was scared of getting killed, the memories of the night we collected and have studied should also confirm this,"
Scrimgeour stroked a hand down his lower face as he looked intrigued, "Go on, Weasley. We haven't got all day."
Izzy nodded nervously. "That man is also not acting the way he was when I was taking him in, Sir. When he tried to escape, he was malicious, not timid. Why did he mention whatever he did to Auror Beesel to get you in there and then for him to not even mention or allude to it? He's playing a game Sir."
"What do you propose we do?"
"We turn the tables on him Sir. We get ourselves into whatever game he's playing and we smash the bored." She spoke passionately, ignoring the look on the head Auror's face as she finished her tirade, the other Aurors milling about and the officers guarding the door to the interrogation rooms giving her peculiar glances. "We get him to admit to selling to Potter's out in person and not in a memory so we can finally get him out of here,"
"And you know how to do this, do you Weasley?"
"Yes, Sir,"
Isabella stalked into the interrogation room a file secured under her arm, Scrimgeour following close behind her as she retook her seat with a faked confidence. Inside her nerves were going crazy but in order to pull this off she needed to be calm and collected.
"Can you tell me about your relationship with James Potter, Sirius Black and a," She paused and opened to file in front of her face as she pretended to read intently what was really the office work rota, "Remus Lupin during your seven years at Hogwarts."
For the first time since the had been in the room that day Peter paused with the constant wringing of his hands on the table as his fists clenched instead. This was a new line of questioning, the Auror's had always asked about the Order of the Phoenix and the Dark Lord, of course they had asked about his relationship with James and Sirius during the order and war but Remus was never mentioned and neither was Hogwarts but he supposed that was his own fault. He should have never opened his mouth to that twit Beesel.
"No?" Isabella spoke up as Peter just continued to stare at her, "You have nothing to say about some of the information you told Auror Beesel earlier today about James Potter and Sirius Black being illegal Animagus?"
Peter coughed, "I already told the other Auror everything I know about that,"
"Not only is that an absurd claim that a few teenage boys could become Animagus it is a claim that could get Black into trouble with no evidence, once again. Mr Pettigrew you are really starting to waste our time with all this nonsense,"
Pettigrew slammed his wrists down on the table as hard as he could with the cuffs wrapped around them, a loud clanging sound surrounding the interrogation room. Izzy held back a smirk as her plan was working, she knew they had to get him to drop the act of being timid and shy and they way to do that was through Sirius, James and Remus.
Even though she knew it from the source himself, she had told Scrimgeour that during her time in the shack she had noticed a certain dynamic between Black, Lupin and Pettigrew. A dynamic that she was now going to use to her advantage by triggering his anger and getting him to drop the act he had put on.
Obviously, she knew the truth about Sirius, James and the Animagus secret but her boss didn't and the Auror office had apparently already decided not to look into Peter's claims as they believed he was grasping at straws in order to delay his transport to Azkaban. His claims though gave Isabella the opportunity she just took.
"It isn't nonsense!" Pettigrew almost shouted, "Even in death Saint Potter can do nothing wrong, and Black… what will it take for you to realise he isn't the man you think he is!"
Scrimgeour leant forward in his seat at the outburst, surprised that the man had been so thoughtless to take the bait his Junior Auror had laid out.
"Mr Black has proved his innocence and it is not his character we are questioning today, it's yours Mr Pettigrew." Scrimgeour spoke up, pausing to look over at Isabella as he signalled for her to continue.
"If you could answer the question,"
Peter sighed as his shoulders shrunk, "I practically worshiped them and the ground they walked on but they weren't interested in me and being my friend,"
Isabella pretended to look down at the file she was still holding, "We have it on record that you, Potter, Black and Lupin were friends, which can be supported by your unrealistic claims to Auror Beesel about all of you becoming illegal Animagus in order to aid Mr Lupin on full moons," She paused as she looked back up at Peter, meeting his beady eyes.
"That's not what you just said," Scrimgeour added.
They sat there in silence for a few minutes as Izzy and Peter continued to stare at each other.
"Okay… I admit we were friends but we were not equals. Like I said I worshiped the grounds they walked on, especially Sirius and James but they were too concerned with themselves and didn't bother about me,"
Isabella nodded, "Is that what Voldemort did? He noticed? Is that why you switched sides,"
"The Dark Lord only noticed me after I came to him, but he did notice," Peter admitted.
"He didn't seek you out?" Isabella was unable to hide her surprise, "You joined up yourself?"
"Why wouldn't I? People would fear me! I wouldn't be the weak little tag along anymore. Poor Peter Pettigrew, people would say. 'why do they even hang out with him, he's so boring and ugly'. I'd heard it all and I had had enough!"
"What would a Dark Lord as strong as Voldemort want with a weakling like you, Pettigrew?" Scrimgeour spoke up once again, his years of being on the force making him more tuned in to when a suspect was going to crack completely and Peter was well on his way.
"I had uses!" Pettigrew was getting increasingly worked up.
Isabella leant back into her chain, "What did you do the cleaning and serving food?" She spoke mockingly, a hand clenching under the table, he was going down.
"No! nothing like that!"
"The shopping?"
"No!"
"Hmm," Izzy sighed as she now folded her arms across her chest, this is what she had been trained for, "Did you wash the clothes?"
"No, I didn't!" Peter growled.
Izzy sat forward, eyes bazing, "You went on raids and killed muggles and muggle born? Tortured people?"
"N-I-Uh," Peter faltered as he slumped back into his chair, "No I didn't do that either,"
The red head ran a hand through he hair in irritation, "But you did kill 12 muggles on the 1st November 1981, didn't you Peter? Because you were going to get caught, Sirius confronted you. You got backed into a corner and killed 12 innocent people just hours after you got your supposedly closest friends killed by giving up their location to Voldemort, after they trusted you."
Pettigrew said nothing as he stared at his hands that he was once again wringing together. He couldn't help but let the Auror's words get to him and his resolve was slipping. The situation had been turned onto its head and he was no longer the one in control of the outcome.
"But that's what you wanted, wasn't it Peter? You wanted to be treated as their equal… to have their trust. And that's what happened. They trusted you but it was too late, you were setting them up for a betrayal… one that cost them their lives and orphaned their child,"
"I-I didn't want them to get hurt, "Pettigrew sniffed.
"But they did," Izzy spoke softly, reaching over begrudgingly to place her hand on top of Peter's, trying desperately not to wince. "You sold them out to Voldemort, didn't you Peter?" She carried on in a soft tone, as she grasped at his hand.
Peter nodded, "Yes, I-I did,"
"You did good in there Weasley." Scrimgeour spoke five minuets later as the exited the room leaving Pettigrew weeping to himself, head on the black desk. "You are going to make a very good Auror,"
"Thank you, Sir" Izzy nodded with a small smile as she hid her trembling hands behind her back and away from her boss' line of sight. Clenching her hands together in an attempt to make the tremors stop. "If you'll excuse me, I'd like to use the restroom."
Izzy didn't wait for a response as she hurried towards the nearest female bathroom, slamming through the door and not bothering to check if there was anybody in the room before she rushed into a cubicle, the green door slamming on the wall as she threw up.
Using a piece of toilet roll, she whipped at her mouth before resting her head on the toilet seat. It wasn't very sanitary but she didn't feel like she had any energy as tears started to stream down her face at what she had just done.
It felt good that they had finally gotten Pettigrew to confess but the way she had twisted at his fears and emotions made her feel no better than him, to some extent.
Manipulative.
Sorry for an error's and once again for no Sirius but this is Isabella's story but don't worry he will be back next chapter!