Chapter Thirty-Four

Spells Unforgiving

They had barely stepped in the castle when Jennifer saw Professor Dumbledore walking over to them, and he was not alone; Ederick Thurspire was with him, both looking incredibly solemn.

"Oh, joy, I wonder who we murdered this time?" Severus murmured sourly.

"Good evening, Professor. Something the matter?" Jennifer asked.

"I need to speak with your children, actually, unless of course any of them are presently injured?" Ederick said in such a tone that Severus squinted at him.

"What is this about, Thurspire? On another goose chase, I take it?"

"No need to get that way, Severus. As Andrew's parents, surely you are concerned about what happened to your son yesterday. I am too, very much so. In fact, I am convinced that the event is connected to the theft of the Dumbledore's sword," Thurspire said. Severus glanced over at Jennifer thoughtfully.

"Fine, provided we can be there during the questioning," Jennifer said.

"Of course, provided that you make no efforts to prompt them or discourage their statements," Thurspire said.

"Perhaps we should Owl Draco, to be safe…"

"Severus, it's completely informal questioning, I assure you. They don't have to answer anything they don't want to," Thurspire assured him. Jennifer and Severus looked at each other dubiously.

"Good, then I reserve the right to throw you out if you get out of line," Severus said, smiling thinly.

"I think that would be up to Dumbledore, Professor," Thurspire said icily.

"Professor Snape has my permission to throw you out if he feels it is in the best interests of this school," Dumbledore interrupted, "and since his entire family are currently residents of this school, that also includes what he feels is in the best interests of his family." Thurspire grimaced slightly but didn't say anything.

"Very well," Severus nodded, gently nudging the four ahead as Dumbledore lead them to his office.

The door was already open and Hermione was standing in front of it, nodding and smiling to them as they passed by her. Then she followed them inside and closed the door. Halbert was there as well, looking quite nervous to be there and obviously grateful when the wait was over.

"Now, let's start with the basics," Ederick said. "Andrew, can you tell me what the last thing you remember was before you were found?"

"Yes, sir. I had just left my siblings near the Elf Willow in the back courtyard and was walking towards the library in a back corridor. That's the last I remembered."

"Which corridor?" Ederick asked. Andrew glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded.

"Well, it was one of the secret passages, actually. I've become quite acquainted with them," Andrew admitted.

"Really? Any particular reason?" Ederick asked.

"I try to always make it a point always to know the fastest way to the kitchen, sir," Andrew said. Jennifer rolled her eyes.

"And how many others in the castle know the passages as well as you do?"

"Now, Ederick, I don't think he would know that," Dumbledore interjected.

"Sorry. I mean, how many others do you know personally know them as well as you do?" Ederick continued.

"My brother and sisters, my cousins, Halbert, Mandria, and Rose," Andrew said thoughtfully. "Some of the prefects know the ones closest to the classrooms. Sometimes it's quicker to get between classes that way."

"Do you know anyone outside the castle who knows them?" Ederick asked. Andrew began to answer, then paused.

"Not first hand, no sir," Andrew replied. Ederick squinted. "I mean, I've heard of ex-students who claimed to know them, but I do not know if it were true or not."

"I see," Ederick said thoughtfully. "Now, you said you recall seeing a flash of light. Do you recall hearing a spell cast, even one you didn't recognize?"

"I don't recall hearing anything," Andrew said.

"What is the first thing you remember after that, then?"

"Waking up to find Alex standing on my toes," Andrew said. Alex smiled at him apologetically. "And then I realized Halbert, Alicia and Aurelius were there too, and then they helped me get to the hospital wing."

"Very well. Who was it that first realized that Andrew was missing?" Thurspire asked.

"Me, sir," Halbert said. "He didn't appear for dinner."

"Yes? And?"

"That was it," Halbert said. "Andrew doesn't miss dinner."

"Or breakfast or lunch," Alex added.

"Or afternoon snacks," Alicia agreed.

"Or any spur of the moment food anywhere in the castle," Aurelius added with a smirk. Andrew coughed to try and hide his reddening cheeks.

"I see. So what did you do first?" Thurspire asked.

"I went to Alexandria, of course, to see if she had heard anything," Halbert said. "And when she realized she hadn't seen him since lunch, she gathered the rest and we went to the kitchen."

"So, you took over then?" Thurspire said to Alex.

"Yes, of course. I considered it a family emergency," Alex said. "Especially after we went to the kitchen and realized he wasn't there. So we went to find him."

"Might I ask why you didn't tell your parents about this 'family emergency'?" Ederick said. Alex looked at him blankly.

"Why would we ever do anything like that?" Alex asked puzzledly. Jennifer and Severus exchanged glances. Aurelius jabbed her in the side.

"What she means is, we wanted to conduct our own search first before panicking them," Aurelius said. "We were certain that if he were in the castle, we would find him quickly."

"Yes… but let's get back to that in a moment. Who was it that actually discovered where Andrew was?"

There was a long pause, none of them looking too enthusiastic about answering.

"I did," Alicia said at last.

"And what was it that made you check the art closet?" Ederick asked. Alicia looked over at her parents before turning back to Ederick.

"It was an artistic hunch," she said.

"Thurspire, the point is that they found them. It doesn't matter how," Severus snapped.

"Oh, really? Do you think so?" Ederick said. "Actually I think it matters a lot, but I have a couple more questions first. Alex, when you found him, how long did it take you to realize you were hurting him?"

"Oh, er… a second or two," Alex said sheepishly. "The closet floor was cluttered so I didn't realize I was stepping on him."

"But why didn't you see him? You did realize that he might not be standing if he were in a position to have been put inside a closet?" Thurspire asked.

"It was dark at first," Alex said firmly. "In fact, I remember asking for a light. That's when Aurelius opened the door."

"Who shut the door?" Ederick asked. Alex stared at him, feeling tongue-tied. "Why didn't anyone make a light before you entered the closet? And why didn't you just stand outside and search, how come all four of you felt it necessary to go in?"

"It's none of your business, Thurspire," Aurelius snarled. "We're not answering any more."

"Aurelius is right, Thurspire, I think this is enough. They are not on trial here!" Severus snapped.

"But should they be?" Thurspire asked. "This story is full of holes; I merely pointed out one of them. But time holds the true evidence. You see, Halbert has already declared that what worried him was the fact that Andrew didn't show for dinner. I assume then, Halbert, that you waited until the actual time of dinner before you became alarmed?"

"Yes," Halbert agreed puzzledly.

"And then, you had to get everyone's attention, get everyone together, and then check the kitchen before you even begun to search… so explain to me why it is that according to the hospital wing's records, that Andrew arrived only fifteen minutes after dinner started?" Ederick said. He had expected all five children to go white. He had not expected both of the parents to have the same response. "So, if the stories as they are presented are true, they must have found him within minutes of the time they started looking for him."

"Ederick, I should not need to tell you that there are ways to accomplish a great many things in a very limited amount of time," Dumbledore said, playing with a shiny object in his hand.

"Yes, yes, yes, but all five of them? And another problem with this little scenario is the fact that they stayed together and never broke up during the search. If they had, then they could not have possibly found each other and gotten together again in time to get him to where he was fifteen minutes later. The only conclusion then to be made is one of them, or perhaps all of them knew exactly where Andrew was before they found him," Thurspire said triumphantly. "Therefore, either one of them caused Andrew to be there, or all of them did. I think the most likely of all scenarios is that the five of them together stole the sword and hid it hoping to get attention, and for whatever reason, Andrew was voted the scapegoat. They simply did not allow themselves, while arranging this plot, enough real time to pass before 'finding' him."

Looking completely pleased with himself, Thurspire surveyed the room, but not one person wanted to say anything. Finally Aurelius took out a set of keys out of his pocket, dropping them on the carpet.

"Search me," Aurelius said daringly. The other three Snapes immediately followed suit, looking defiant.

"This is ridiculous," Jennifer said at last angrily. "If you think I'm going to stand here and let you try to make my children look like criminals, you're greatly mistaken! Pick your keys up! Ederick, you are completely out of line! My children may not be telling you everything, but I'm certainly not going stand here and let you use your bullish attitude and your completely immoral investigation ethics to force my children into telling you things that are frankly none of your business… whether you think you're entitled to know or not. I may not be able to read them, but I can tell you from what I heard that what they've said was probably pretty close to the mark of what happened, whether you choose to believe it or not. And while you're going on this terror spree, you seem to be lacking any sense of understanding or even base humanity towards the one who still has a blank in his memory. Not surprising, I suppose, for someone who freely uses the Obliviation Charm to keep himself from having to deal with the real issues we have with Mugglekind. But if you can't have the decency to have any sort of compassion for the child forced into that position, I think you should leave before I'm tempted to do something irreversible."

"I agree. Get out," Severus said simply.

"One more question before I go," Ederick barked out, holding his ground. "If this child of yours was in someone's 'way' of getting the sword as you suppose, why didn't they bother to lock the door?"

"Why lock in an unconscious boy?" Severus snapped.

"To delay the inevitable, of course. They wouldn't want them to get out too soon. The only explanation then would be that closets are only lockable from the outside! And that means he must have put himself in the closet!"

"And then what? Knocked himself out?" Severus snapped. "This whole line of questioning is completely ridiculous! Now I order you to get out!"

"Thurspire, it is time for you to go," Dumbledore said firmly. But Thurspire had suddenly gotten a strange look on his face and turned to Andrew, ignoring the arms trying to lead him out as he suddenly held up his hand.

"Andrew, you remember everything up to the moment the spell hit you, is that correct?" Thurspire said, the furor behind him dying down as Jennifer and Severus warily regarded the peculiar look on his face.

"Yes," Andrew said quietly.

"And you remember everything from the moment you woke up," he went on. Andrew nodded. "That's too precise for a memory spell… there's no sign of trauma but… Andrew, I want you to try to remember the events in between. Can you try to remember them for me?"

"No," Andrew said softly.

"No, you can't remember them? Or no, you can't try to remember them?" Thurspire asked carefully, studying him.

"I… I can't try to remember them," Andrew said.

"Do you want to remember them?"

"Of course, sir."

"But you can't attempt to, can you?" Thurspire murmured.

"Thurspire, what sort of imbecilic…"

"Shut up, Severus," Thurspire said. He stepped back and nodded to himself in confirmation. "I think I figured out what actually happened. I think that Andrew may have been ordered not to remember."

"Ordered not to remember?" Jennifer repeated, feeling a pit in her stomach as she looked worriedly over at Andrew. Thurspire's demeanor had changed dramatically, open concern completely obvious in his eyes.

"Professor Dumbledore, might I borrow an Owl? I need to get a hold of St. Mungo's expert on the Imperius Curse as soon as possible," Thurspire said. No one spoke as Dumbledore nodded to Hermione, sending her with the message. Everyone else had their eyes on Andrew.

Andrew was relieved when they finally let him out of the hospital wing, meeting up with Halbert and quickly leading him to the barns so they could tend the animals and try to relax for a while.

Doctor Perry Shedding, a doctor Jennifer remembered from her own stay at St. Mungos, let out a long sigh and a sympathetic smile as he went over to join Thurspire, Dumbledore, Severus and Jennifer.

"Well?" Severus said impatiently.

"Well!" Shedding said thoughtfully. "I suppose I should start out with the basics. He has indeed been recently influenced by the Imperius Curse," he said. "But on the bright side, it doesn't appear that he's been influenced by it since that particular incident, except for the fact that he is subconsciously still obeying the order not to recall the events surrounding it. Strangely enough, his stress level is abnormally low. Usually, the longer one is under the effects, the greater a stress level develops in the body as one subconsciously attempts to fight off the effects."

"Isn't the level of stress usually determined by intelligence and willpower as well?" Thurspire asked.

"Well, yes, generally speaking, more intelligent people do seem to have higher stress levels, yes," the doctor agreed.

"My son is hardly below average in anything," Jennifer said in annoyance. "In fact, he's top of several of his classes. But he is very reserved. He doesn't like fighting."

"Even to save himself?" Shedding asked.

"Especially to save himself. He might to protect someone else," Jennifer added. Thurspire looked thoughtful. Jennifer sighed, shaking her head. "I can't believe I never taught them what to do when something like this happens. My father used to drill me every day on how to fight off will spells like this, I guess that's why I didn't want them to go through the same thing."

"It's not your fault, Jennifer," Dumbledore assured her.

"No, it's mine," Severus said expressionlessly. "Perhaps I should be brushing upon the subject as early as first year."

"Well in any case, it's more than likely going to take Andrew some time and most likely some therapy before he is able to overcome the spell," the doctor said. "The Defiance Charm alone won't be enough. Someone is going to need to work with him to free those memories."

"I will do it," Severus said with a nod.

"No, I will," Jennifer said firmly. "I've had quite a bit of experience with not only the Imperius Curse but memory blocks."

"The point, I believe, is we have several members on staff who would be qualified to help him break the grips of that spell," Dumbledore assured the doctor.

"Perhaps," he said dubiously. "But do you have anyone on staff who can help him face what he might have experienced that we don't know about? Considering the circumstances, it should be someone with psychological training who can be prepared for whatever lies beyond that block."

"I hate psychiatrists," Jennifer murmured. Dumbledore nodded to her understandingly.

"I think perhaps it would be best then if Doctor Sagittari were the one to work with him. But I'm quite certain you will both be kept informed on any progress or knowledge that comes from it," Dumbledore said.

Although it wasn't intended to be common knowledge, Snape immediately noted that no one in the class blinked when he told them he was going to discuss the Unforgivable Curses, concentrating first on mind spells and techniques on how to defend from them.

"Most spells that manipulate the mind tend to be categorized as Dark spells since their purpose is to control others against their will. The caster will first seek to gain an element of surprise over you, eliminating your chance of fighting off the spell. Or, if surprise is not possible, they will first attack with spells intent on destroying your willpower, such as the Mortification Curse, which attacks the mind, or another Unforgivable Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, which attacks the nervous system. The latter can only be defended against by taking a stamina or certain numbing potions beforehand, which of course is completely useless since most people don't see it coming," he said grimly.

"The other two; Imperius and Mortification, can be defended against partially by using specific mind spells designed to heighten willpower, which you as fourth years will be learning in the course of the next few weeks. However, the true best defense that something anyone can do is exerting your own natural will to resist whatever commands the person is compelling you to do, which is something we're going to begin working on. Professor Craw will be taking some time tomorrow to help me demonstrate the effects of the Imperius Curse, and some of you will have a chance to attempt to repel it yourselves. But first you must understand exactly what each spell I have mentioned does, and that is what we will be working on today. Everyone unroll the handout, please, so we can go over them. What is it, Miss Snape?" He asked Alex in annoyance, her hand persistently refusing to go down.

"If the Imperius Curse is one of the Unforgivable Curses, why is it that you and Professor Craw are allowed to use it?" Alex asked.

"The Imperius Curse, and to a lesser extent even the Cruciatus Curse, have long been used by Aurors and other members of Law Enforcement on their officers to protect them through resistance training, Miss Snape. The law states therefore that these spells are illegal only when cast on unwilling victims, so that trainers, such as myself and Craw, approved by the Ministry and the board to do so, may teach you how to protect yourselves against them. Casting them on unwilling victims more than likely will result in being sent to Azkaban, the length of time determined by the severity of injuries caused to the victim. Also, any crimes committed by someone under the influence of the Imperius Curse are considered the sole responsibility of the caster, and not the victim that commits them. Of course, this does sometimes cause problems; many people associated with Death Eaters attempted to blame the Imperius Curse for their deeds and therefore put all the blame on the Dark Wizard himself rather than take any blame themselves. Eventually, however, holes were blown in stories or witnesses stepped up to testify to those that acted within their own free will. Does that answer your question, Miss Snape?"

"Yes, except for one thing," she said. Beside her, Mandria gave her a dirty look, knowing she was pushing her luck. "What would happen if one of your students decided they didn't want to be a willing participant?"

"Then they're not likely to pass my class, are they, Miss Snape?" Snape said with a flash in his eye that stopped any further argument.

"The worst part about all of this," Alex said as she and Mandria settled into the Great Hall for dinner, "is knowing for a fact that whoever did this must have known the castle very well."

"So it must have been someone in the school?" Mandria said.

"Either that, or someone let into the school," Alex said darkly. "Or, maybe it was one of the people who visited the castle…legitimately, I mean. Professors have visitors coming in from time to time, after all."

"Yes, but don't you think if it's someone who visited the castle during that time period that they've already have been questioned? I mean, just being here should have raised suspicion that it could have been them, shouldn't it?" Mandria said.

"Oh, no, I'd think it'd be the opposite. They'd have an important alibi in whoever it was they were visiting," Alex said thoughtfully. "Perhaps we ought to make a list of who was here from outside the castle that day. What?" she asked when she caught the look on Mandria's face.

"Even assuming you did find a way to get a list of visitors, don't you think that the Ministry has already done all that?"

"Mandria, the Ministry is completely tied up with the election in two weeks and isn't paying attention to what the Law Enforcement Office is up to. Do you really think we should leave it in the hands of Ederick Thurspire?" Alex asked. "This is my brother we're talking about!" Mandria sighed.

"Okay, okay, you have a point. I'm game for anything, I guess," Mandria said. Alex grinned.

"Good, I'll talk to Alicia about coming up with a list tonight before the art lesson."

"Oh yes, that's tonight, isn't it?" Mandria said. "So much has happened, I completely forgot."

"At least we know you weren't ordered to," Alex said, eating as quickly as she could.