Chapter 4: The Dementor and the Interrogation

Once outside Bethany saw the terrors that Dumbledore meant, floating in the corner of the courtyard was a black clad dementor. The sky was gray and the grounds were still covered in early morning fog. Lighting struck in the distance and it made Bethany give a little jump. She looked around as if gallows had been constructed somewhere in the courtyard and were just waiting for her.

The Auror that was pulling her along gave her a shove and she fell skidding to a halt on her hands and knees.

"Alastor," Crouch used a warning tone on the Auror.

Alastor mumbled something under his breath but Bethany didn't catch it.

Crouch went to try and help Bethany up but she was already on her feet and backing away from him, she felt the dementor draw a bit closer as if she were going to escape.

"What do you know?" Crouch asked.

Thunder clapped and Bethany gave a little jump, she looked over her shoulder at the dementor who was making her very cold. "Nothing," she said boldly.

"You're lying!" Alastor drew his wand and pointed it at her.

"I'm not," Bethany said, "I know nothing."

"You're protecting your master! Now speak!" Alastor demanded.

"You've got the wrong person," Bethany puffed up her chest defiantly.

"You're parents sudden disappearance doesn't look good for you Bethany, it's rumored that they've been spotted in Australia." Crouch said, also advancing on her.

Bethany felt the blood drain from her face.

"Ah, you see," Alastor shook his pointed wand at her, "she knows."

"I know nothing," Bethany said again. "Not even that my family had gone and left me here."

"Nor why they suddenly left everything to you, including the Terra province?" Crouch asked.

Bethany thought she was going to swoon, she was getting weaker and weaker with each new revelation; the dementor wasn't helping either. She knew why they'd done that, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. They had turned the property and wealth over to her so You-Know-Who would come after her instead of them…she would be their only link to her traitor or run-away parents (whichever it happened to be, and she was thinking more along this lines of run-away because of this interrogation). She had instantly been turned into a sacrifice, a scapegoat.

"No," Bethany's shoulders hung.

"She's lying again!" Alastor screamed. "Tell no lies woman!"

The dementor edged a bit closer. Bethany thought icicles would form on the end of her finger should he come any closer. Her eyes drifted up to the castle behind Crouch and the other Aurors. In the Great Hall she could see all the students gathered around the huge windows watching. She saw Severus, he looked fearful, like they might destroy her right there. Her eye caught James, he had no expression, but Sirius (who was standing next to him) looked violently angry that they had taken her, she could see he was screaming something. Narcissa and Bellatrix were at the front with smug smiles. Remus was frowning, at the moment, it was an expression she couldn't read. But then her eye caught Lily Evans. Lily had one hand pressed to the window and the other was clutching the front of her robes near her heart, she was crying. Bethany felt her knees get weak, the dementor was even closer now.

Without warning she snatched her wand from her robes and turned on it, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

White wisps shot from her wand and two Aurors lashed out and seized her, Bethany stared awkwardly at her patronus, standing before her, heading off the dementor. She jerked free from the Aurors to keep her patronus active, she shouted over her shoulder, "I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR ANSWERS FIND MY PARENTS, THEY ARE THE ONES YOU WANT. I'VE DONE NOTHING! I WOULD NEVER FOLLOW YOU-KNOW-WHO! NEVER! NOW CALL OFF YOUR GUARD!"

"Do as she said," Crouch instructed.

Two Auror stepped up and took over where Bethany's patronus was quickly disappearing. Crouch looked to Alastor, "Administer it."

"Administer what?" Bethany looked between the two of them.

"It won't hurt," Alastor said. "Don't fight it."

Another two Aurors took Bethany's arms, she watched as Alastor advanced on her. She began to struggled, "What? Administer what?"

"Truth Potion," Alastor raised a vile to her.

"What?" Bethany tried to pull back but they were holding her too tightly. "You can't do this."

"Unless you have something to hide you shouldn't worry," Alastor said.

"That's not the point!" Bethany shrieked. The bottle, Bethany could now see clearly, read Veritaserum.

Violated! That's how I feel about it, violated. They questioned me for twenty minutes once they 'Administered it', and I told them the same thing I had previously; nothing. I can't believe they left me here. That surprised me, when I said that, because I thought I could believe it; apparently it hurt more than I was ready for…mum and dad leaving me I mean. How in the world am I going to care for all their estate? More importantly how am I going to steer clear of Who-Know-Who now that I own the estate. I'm more afraid of my patronus than the estate, actually.

"Remus?" Molly came to the door again.

Remus looked up.

"You said you'd be down in a few minutes, lunch is over." Molly went to him, she handed him a plate with a sandwich on it. "So I brought this up for you."

"Thank you," Remus smiled accepting the plate.

"You're welcome."

"Her parents must have taught her the patronus, they knew she could be in danger. They must have been horrible people. I had never seen one until that day," Remus said.

"I suspect they were horrible Remus."

"You know the day I actually knew what I meant to her?" Remus asked.

Molly sat down beside him again.

"The day Mad-Eye, before he had the mad eye, came to Hogwarts with Crouch to question Beth."

"Why?" Molly asked.

"Because of her patronus. It scared her, but like Harry her patronus took on a form she had not intended; one that was at the heart of her happy memory. Harry's had been a stag, like James Animagus form; though Harry didn't know, at the time, that his father was an Animagus."

"What was Bethany's?"

"A werewolf."

Molly patted Remus's shoulder, "She adored you Remus, more than you can ever know." Molly pointed at the sandwich, "Now eat."

Remus chomped down into his sandwich, thankful that he had friends.

It began to rain, lightly, as they Aurors and Crouch questioned Bethany on behalf of the Council of Magical Law. The rain began to come harder. Each question weighed heavier and heavier on Bethany as she answered the same as if she hadn't been under the Veritaserum.

"Only one more question then Miss. Spence," Alastor eyed her. "Would you ever even consider allying yourself with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

Bethany's breath's had become ragged and she glanced up at Alastor Moody, she shook her head, "Never."

"You're free," Crouch frowned.

Bethany dropped to her knees as the Aurors and Mr. Barty Crouch began heading down the long path that led out of Hogwarts.

"Oh," Crouch stopped and turned back. "One more thing."

Bethany twisted around to look at him and she asked before he made it back to her, "Can I stay at Hogwarts?"

Crouch nodded as he approached, "Certainly." He reached in his robes and pulled out a scroll. He handed it to her, "It's all yours now."

Bethany took the scroll, and with that Crouch left.

It was the transfer of property from them to me, my horrible parents and their ploy to have me killed in their place. He never even said he was sorry, Crouch I mean…none of them had. With the property in my hand I had to do the worst thing of all, face my fellow students.

Again, thanks for reading...please review if you have a moment! :::Jo:::