No Good Deed
By
Snivellus aka Heather Granger
"My road of good intentions
Led where such roads always lead
No good deed
Goes unpunished!"
No Good Deed – Wicked the Musical
CHAPTER 1
"You must believe me, I am innocent!" A young witch cried in a dark hallway as she struggled against the two Ministry guards.
"Save your pleas for the Wizagamont, not that they will care much either. Faking one's death to escape from Azkaban is never looked at in a good light."
"I am innocent! I am innocent, and so is Severus! Please you must believe me!" She was now sobbing as she was being dragged away.
"Innocent my arse, you will pay, Death Eater!"
"Harry! Harry, please your mother would understand, she would have shown me mercy! Harry Potter, please let me explain!" As she now begged her case to the young wizard standing next to the Ministry official.
"If you are as innocent as they say you are, then you will have your chance at the trial. I do not know you, nor do I wish to associate myself with anyone who claims that Snape is innocent." Harry shot back.
The desperate witch was dragged down the hall and out of Harry's sight.
ooo
"Gertie, you must leave!" A young man hissed, into the dark. He had apparated to her side as soon as he realized what had occurred.
"Severus, you know of the promise I made with Lily. I must protect the boy." She pleaded with Severus, as she held a small infant in her arms.
"It is not safe here, the Ministry will be here soon." He tried again, pacing around the empty nursery.
She did not respond, she simply cuddled the baby. Severus looked on with a mixture of jealousy and amazement.
"How long have you been here?" Severus asked as he picked up a stuffed teddy bear out of a chair and threw it on the floor.
"About 4 hours. I found the little one crying in his crib. I think I am still in shock over Lily and James's death, I don't know if I should move the bodies." She said gesturing towards the floor where the prone body of Lily lay.
"Do nothing, you have already put yourself in danger by coming here. You don't want the Ministry to be able to trace any of this back to you, believe me."
"Severus, please, just go to Albus, tell him of what you know. Tell him that I will wait here for Hagrid."
"I think he needs changing." Severus stated before sweeping out of the room.
ooo
Harry Potter stood dumbfounded at the scene that had just unfolded in front of him. Harry had taken up an assignment with Mad-Eye Moody to speak to a Ministry official about what he had witnessed the night that the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry died. While in the building, two young aurors had brought in a disheveled woman whom they had claimed to have found lurking around Hogsmeade. Moody saw to it to interrogate the woman, and then set a date for a court appearance. Harry, unaware of who the woman was, did not understand the fuss, but began to worry when she proceeded to refer to his own mother.
"Moody, who was that woman?" Harry finally asked a few minutes after the witch was taken away.
"Wicked woman, she is. That is Gertrude Carrow, trickiest Death Eater yet, well other than Severus Snape himself. Up until this moment, she was said to have died, however as you can plainly see, that is not the case. Do not worry yourself over it." Moody dismissed quickly.
"But, sir, why did she mention my mother?" Harry asked.
"Not here, Harry, not here." Moody said under his breath, quickly guiding Harry into a small side room.
"Wait here, Harry, I will go fetch Scrimgeour, so that you may give your testimony." Moody stated, as he carefully locked the door behind him, checking the spell several times.
Harry wondered what the woman had done wrong, and why /was it that she was being captured now of all times. Once more, why when she was in trouble, she sought to claim that Snape was innocent as well.
Harry's thoughts were quickly interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
"Can you believe she has been in Hogsmede all this time?" Harry faintly heard Scrimgeour say.
"Bad business, Another Death Eater who was thought to have been dead, now suddenly alive? I hope the Wizagamot sees to it that she doesn't get off this time."
Mad-Eye Moody finished and entered the room with the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour right behind him.
"Hello, Mr. Potter, I hope you do have some useful information for me this time, or are you going to withhold information, now even with your mentor gone." Rufus said.
"I will tell you what I witnessed." Harry responded plainly.
"Right, well shall we begin?" Rufus asked as he placed a sneakascope on the desk, along with a self-writing quill.
"For the record, please state your name."
"Harold James Potter."
"Is the testimony that you are about to give the truth, and nothing but the truth?"
"Yes."
"Good, now you may begin." Rufus said as he sat back slightly in his chair.
Harry began telling how he had come with Dumbledore up the tower, and was then frozen in place under an invisibility cloak. He described the Death Eaters, and disclosed their names, as well as the conversation between Draco and the Headmaster. Then Harry proceeded to tell of Snape's entrance onto the scene, and how the Headmaster had pleaded with his employee to spare him.
Once Harry had finished, and hour had passed, and he was clearly shaken having to have relived the account of his mentor's death. Moody proceeded to tell Scrimgeour that the boy had had enough. Scrimgeour, reluctant to leave, tried to drag out his stay as long as possible, however a memo came flying towards his face. He took a moment to read it, then proceeded to ask Moody something, which Harry could not hear.
"Right, well, let me check with the boy." Harry did hear this time.
"Harry, it seems that woman we ran into earlier, is scheduled to go in front of the Wizagamot in a few minutes, and I may be called to testify. Would you mind sitting in on the trial?" Moody grumbled a bit.
"No not at all." Harry responded quickly.
"Before we go, there is something you must know about Gertrude Carrow. She was your mother's roommate in school. She may mention her, but it is nothing to concern yourself over." Moody quickly added.
"Roommate? But doesn't that make her a Gryffindor?" Harry asked.
"Yes, it does."
"But I thought, I guess I just assumed that there were no Gryffindor Death Eaters."
"Yes, well, I suppose she is an exception. Moody said in attempt to comfort the boy.
Harry followed the Minister and Moody through the building down to the same room in which he had sat in two years prior. The room was full of aurors and random witches and wizards. The panel of judges sat in the front, looking at the scene before them, with looks of hatred etched on their faces.
"Order, order. Everyone must now take their seat, we are about to begin." A short old wizard squeaked.
"The Wizagamot of the Ministry of Magic is set to hear the case of the wizardry versus Gertrude Carrow." Scrimgeour said, now seated next to the other judges on the panel.
"Guards bring in the defendant." Another witch on the panel said.
The doors opened and the two Ministry guards drug forward the same woman Harry had seen earlier, but this time, he got a good look at her. Gasps came from all around, as Harry noticed that the woman had pointed ears. Not only were her ears different, her skin was sickeningly translucent. She had short brown hair, and a rather short stature. Whispers traveled around the room, as the woman held her head in shame.
"Enough!" One of the judges said.
The guards bound her to the chair, and proceeded to stand on either side of her. She looked absolutely frightened.
"Miss Carrow, are you aware of the charges brought against you?" Scrimgeour asked roughly.
"You are accused of the death of Regulus Black, as well as several offences that occurred within this building. You were once a Ministry employee were you not?" He asked again quickly.
She never got a chance to speak, as she was interrupted by the crowd, who began shouting "Death Eater." Silent tears flowed down her cheeks.
"Let me explain! Please, listen to me." She said softly at first but then growing louder.
Harry noticed that Scrimgeour continued to ignore her, but suddenly, as if Albus was still guiding him after his death, Harry stood up and spoke.
"Let her speak! This is a trial, is it not?" He asked. Gertrude looked back at the boy, in hope.
"Very well, you may tell us your tale, but do not expect us to believe it." Scrimgeour mumbled.
"I did not mean to kill him! He had been poisioned, by the Dark Lord. I was trying to save him! He was dying, please you must believe me" She choked.
"Do you have any proof that you were merely trying to save the boy?" Moody shouted out.
She remained quiet for a few moments, before saying, "Albus Dumbledore."
"Unfortunately, Dumbledore is dead." Srcrimgeour stated. As soon as he said this, Harry felt a twinge in his heart.
"Then I have no choice, but to plead for Destiteria." As soon as the words escaped her lips, the crowd once again gasped. Harry was unsure of what was happening. Whatever "Destiteria" meant, it was serious.
"Who told you of that law?" Scrimgeour now hissed.
"It was Dumbledore, I told you I am telling the truth!" She responded more confidently now.
"Ridiculous law." "It was his idea" "He is dead, do we have to honor it?" Harry heard faintly coming from various judges.
"I have no choice but to honor it. You do realize the consequences if you fail?" Scrimgeour stated.
"Yes." She said.
"Then you have one month, no more. You must return, or you will be killed." Scrimgeour explained.
"I understand. I also plead Destiteria for Severus Snape." She now said, which lead to an outbreak of commotion.
"Quiet! Quiet! You do realize, that I may honor your request, and if he too fails to show his innocence in one month, he too will die?" Scrimgeour said, as the corners of his mouth upturned slightly.
"I understand." She said.
"Then go!" Scrimgeour shouted. The guards let the spell break. Gertrude was thrown onto the cold floor in punishment. The court cleared, and left her to herself.
"Albus, I hope you knew what you are doing to me, to us." She whispered into the empty room.
ooo
"Moody, what is destiteria?" Harry asked as he followed Moody out of the Ministry building. Moody was not in a good mood, whatever she had asked for seemed to have upset him.
"Destiteria is stronger than an unbreakable vow. Albus Dumbledore requested that it become legal for the accused to have one month to gather evidence to prove their innocence." Moody grumbled.
"The Ministry did not like it for obvious reasons, flight risk and all. What just happened, that law, well it was never was public knowledge. It bothers me that she knew of it."
"Well then, what now?" Harry asked.
"We wait. But in the mean time, we see to it that she fails. The woman is guilty, I have no doubt. She will receive the kiss, mark my words. No one cares for the wicked." Moody grumbled.
Please take a few moments to review. As payment for your review here is an excerpt from the next chapter.
"First years, here are your room assignments, you will find your things have already been taken up for you." She said, as she left them to look over the assignments. Gertie noticed that the Evans girl was already quite popular. She had managed to gather a crowd of admires within mere hours of her arrival.
"Lily, who are you rooming with?" Another girl asked her. Gertie felt a twinge of jealousy towards the girl. Lily was well dressed and groomed. Her hair was in a tidy French braid, and she had an aura of strength, which drew others towards her.
"Her." Lily answered pointing a finger at Gertie, looking positively mortified.
"Oh dear." The others cried.