Chapter 12
A Hatred of a Lifetime
As Hermione levitated Professor Snape into the sitting room of Grimmauld Place, Harry, Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, each with a dazed expression. The plan worked so well that they almost could not believe it. In fact, it worked so well that Harry wanted to discuss the matter before questioning Snape. He called for Dobby and instructed him to watch Snape until they returned. This probably was not necessary since their prisoner remained in the full-body bind, but better to be cautious.
"Didn't that seem to go almost too smoothly," asked Harry, wondering if he suffered from paranoia. He ran a hand through his black hair.
"I know what you mean," Hermione agreed, pulling off her black pullover, "but we did put a lot of thought into this. I don't think we've ever planned anything so thoroughly." She shook her hair after the pullover passed her head.
"Do you think he might have some sort of homing device, some way for Voldemort to track us?" Harry worried aloud, his eyes narrowed.
"Shouldn't matter, should it?" Ron expressed, his cheeks still flushed, "The wards on the house should still work. And Snape doesn't have his wand, so he can't do anything about it." Ron held up the chipped black wand belonging to the potions master.
They exchanged worried looks, but finally Harry decided, "I think our plan just worked out better than what we expected. Usually something goes wrong, but this time, I think it was brilliant. Let's hope so anyway."
Harry took a deep breath and asked, "You both know what we are doing now, right?" The others nervously nodded their heads, and they returned to the sitting room. Dobby had moved Professor Snape to the sofa, where he lay down stiff as a board.
All three had their wands pointed at their former teacher. By now Snape had composed himself and did not betray any emotion. His appearance had changed little in the two months since his murder of Dumbledore, perhaps slightly thinner, though that was not easy to discern beneath his wizard robes.
In a choreographed procession, Harry pronounced "Finite Incantatum" to remove all of the spells from the older man, Hermione followed with "Incarcerous" and ropes wrapped around Snape's legs and pinned his arms to his sides. Ron then pulled the blindfold from older man's eyes, and with Harry's help stood him up by the open stone wall next to the grandfather clock.
"You are to be congratulated," sneered Snape, stretching his jaw, "I never would have believed that you could execute a plan so efficiently." The derision in his voice reminded Harry just why he hated him so intensely.
Harry kept his cool, and as planned, Hermione spoke first, "Professor, if it turns out that you in fact have remained loyal to Professor Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix, then we sincerely apologize for our treatment of you. However, we cannot take any chances. You must convince us that you are not a loyal death eater." Hermione's tone betrayed her nerves, but she spoke the words with a studied coolness.
Snape initially looked at Hermione's face but soon stared at Harry, who stared right back. The mutual hatred between the men was palpable.
Hermione finished her statement, "We are going to ask you questions, and unless you can convince us, we will deliver you to the Order of the Phoenix to do with you as it will."
"Did you kill Albus Dumbledore?" Harry immediately shot at his sworn enemy.
Snape did not speak for close to half a minute as he continued to stare at Harry. No doubt he was considering his options, whether he should refuse to speak, or insist on removal of his binds, or how he should answer the difficult questions to come. The stern expressions of his interrogators convinced him of the futility of refusing to cooperate.
"I did."
"Explain yourself" asked Harry tersely.
"Professor Dumbledore was dying, and he knew it. He also was aware of a plot to kill him, as I had gathered some information from the servants of the dark lord. We knew that Draco Malfoy may attempt to commit the murder, if he had the nerve. Professor Dumbledore very much desired that Draco not become a murderer, as he felt that Draco could be directed away from the dark lord. Dumbledore specifically instructed me to kill him instead of Draco if that should become necessary in order to prevent Malfoy from committing the act. I refused many times, but he insisted. Finally I relented and agreed to his instructions; however, he forced me to take a Wizard's Vow as he could not be sure I would refuse if the time came. I reluctantly took the vow. If I did not kill Dumbledore, then I would have died myself, for such is the consequence of the Wizard's Vow." Snape remained expressionless throughout.
"Why did you not choose death over murder?" Harry countered accusatorially.
"Because unlike you, Potter," Snape responded condescendingly, "I can see the larger picture. If I refused to complete the vow, I would die. In any event, Professor Dumbledore also would have died, for if Draco had not mustered the willpower to complete his task, the other death eaters in the tower were more than willing to do so. My death would have served no purpose. Though I knew that I would be ostracized from Hogwarts and the wizarding world, at least I could continue to gather information and ultimately determine a method in which to pass the information to the Order of the Phoenix. Not enough time has passed for this to be possible, though I hoped that my meeting with you tonight might begin that process."
"Perhaps it will," responded Harry full of doubt, "I know that you were attempting to help Draco with his work in the Room of Requirement. What did you know about that?"
"Nothing. Well virtually nothing." Snape clearly resented this questioning and required all of his self control to resist a verbal assault on his least favorite students. "I knew that he had an important task given to him by the dark lord himself. As far as I know only he knew of it, although I believe that his mother may also have been aware, for she was extremely upset. I offered my help to Draco in an attempt to learn the nature of his task, but he resolutely refused. I knew his work was progressing badly, given his defeated demeanor and poor class work. Other Slytherins also informed me of his erratic behavior. Professor Dumbledore was quite displeased with me, as he had requested that I learn this information. Most regrettably, I failed."
Harry silently pondered his next question, which allowed Hermione an opportunity to insert one of her own, "What did you know about Professor Dumbledore's 'private lessons' with Harry?"
"Nothing, though I asked often. I thought I could be of assistance. But the headmaster steadfastly refused to provide any information. We all knew he was away from Hogwarts frequently, but the purpose of his absences was a mystery to all of the faculty."
The question that Harry truly wanted to ask, that he had wanted to ask from the time he had learned of the prophecy, involuntarily escaped his lips, "Why did you betray my parents to Voldemort?" Harry's taut face was little more than a foot away from Snape's.
"DO NOT USE THE DARK LORD'S NAME," spat Snape, saliva spraying Harry's face.
It happened so quickly that Ron and Hermione were not immediately sure it had. Harry's left fist struck the diaphragm of the teacher. This first punch lacked force, but it merely served as a set up to the right hand thrusting into Snape's stomach with all the power Harry could muster.
"DON'T YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO!," Harry yelled while he pummeled him. Defenseless, Snape doubled over in pain and shock, only to be struck again by a sidewinder to his jaw, which emitted a sickening crack.
"HARRY!" screamed Hermione, and Ron raced to restrain his friend, but not before his right hand landed another blow glancing off the top of Snape's head. "Stop it, Harry!"
Ron wrapped his arms around his best friend and whispered as calmly as he could, "Just settle down, Harry. If he's lying, we'll deal with him later." Harry's nostrils flared and his eyes filled with venom, as all the hatred he felt for the man was released. Gradually his muscles relaxed, and Ron slowly loosened his grip after pulling Harry a safe distance away from his prey.
Blood tickled from Snape's mouth, and he gasped for breath as he recovered from the surprise assault. Hermione had moved in between Harry and Snape in case her friend lost control again, but soon she knew that he had calmed sufficiently, for the moment. Her back was to the professor, and everyone remained silent for a full minute, as the effect of Harry's explosion sunk in.
Slowly, Hermione turned around, and a steely glare fixed on Snape's face. Snape had recovered enough to be able to stand straight, but still in considerable pain, especially from his jaw which was either broken or severely bruised.
"Professor," carefully spoke Hermione breaking the silence, "I advise you to answer our questions and refrain from other comments. Next time we will not stop Harry. You deserve everything he does to you for the way you have treated him for the last six years. Let's make one thing clear. We do not like you, and we never will like you, whether you are telling the truth or not. You are a sick, despicable person, and nothing you do can change that. For now, you need to understand that we are in control of this interrogation. If you don't want to cooperate, the Order can deal with you however it wants. We won't care."
For the first time, lines of worry creased Snape's eyes, despite his best efforts to regain his air of impassiveness. For the mudblood Granger, Miss Know It All and Follow The Rules, to explicitly authorize another beating by Harry was perhaps more surprising than the attack itself. Any hope of manipulating the teenagers disappeared.
"Answer Harry's question," Ron contributed, "Why did you betray Mr. and Mrs. Potter?"
At first Snape was not sure he could speak from the throbbing jaw, but despite the pain he replied, "I was a death eater. I had not yet changed my loyalties. As you are aware, I heard a prophecy given by Professor Trelawny, and I passed that information on to the dark lord. At the time, I had no knowledge to whom the prophecy referred. Not until later did I learn that the Potters and the Longbottoms were the only possible candidates. For reasons known only to him, the dark lord determined that the Potters' son was the one, and efforts were made to learn the location of the Potters' residence, which was protected by the Fidelius Charm."
Harry stepped towards Snape during this explanation, and Ron moved with him to prevent another round of violence.
"It was at this time that I realized my error, my terrible judgment. I had believed that the dark lord would take steps to preserve purity of blood in the magical world, which was a belief I held dearly at that time. As my knowledge of the dark lord grew, I realized that he was not so much interested in purity of blood as pure domination of the wizarding world, and thereafter the muggle world as well. One does not leave the dark lord's service; you are aware of that. My only options were to hide forever or to serve the dark lord for the rest of my days. I opted to hide, and I sought the assistance of Professor Dumbledore."
The three teenagers listed intently to each word, trying to determine their sincerity and truthfulness. Severus Snape was a devious man, they knew, and nothing could be accepted at face value. But they had succeeded in making him talk. Soon they would conclusively determine his loyalties.
After a grimace of pain, Snape took in another deep breath and continued, "Professor Dumbledore rightfully doubted my sincerity, but he recognized the advantages I could gain for the Order of the Phoenix if I served as a double agent. Initially I was reluctant, but I ultimately determined that this was to be my role, and that it would inevitably result in my death. To answer your question, Mr. Potter, I did not intentionally betray your parents, but I acknowledge that my actions in fact directly contributed to their murders." While Snape had accepted that his actions were wrong, Harry noticed that he did not attempt to offer an apology, for which Harry was thankful, for he could never forgive the man.
"But you were a half blood yourself," noted Harry with disdain, "just as I am. Why on earth would you join someone intent on eliminating all muggleborns and half bloods?"
"My mother was as pure blood as they come, her family among the elite of pure blood families. My father, though a wizard, was muggle born; however, he had managed to hide that fact. My mother thought he was a pure blood from a lesser-known line. Not until years after my birth was the fact of his parentage discovered, by accident I believe though I never learned the details. My mother was irate beyond description; I was eight years old. Within two months, my father had died. I have no doubt that my mother in some way killed him or arranged for his death. She explained to me that in her mind I was a pure blood and should always hold myself out as such."
Snape tried to move his hands to rub his throbbing jaw, but was reminded of his bindings. No one made any move to remove the ropes.
"Perhaps the knowledge of my parentage caused me to embrace the pure-blood cause more zealously. For whatever reason, I felt myself a pure blood, I lived in pure blood circles, attended elite pure blood parties. I took it all for granted. My mother, whom I loathed, was an early supporter of the dark lord, and she expected that I would follow her lead. At first I silently resisted, but in Hogwarts, I delved into the more obscure areas of magic, and I knew that the dark lord would better serve this interest. At Hogwarts I was a pariah, an unpopular afterthought. I was determined not to be considered such again."
Ron, Harry and Hermione looked at each other and nodded. They had heard enough for the moment, and now the test of veracity would be given. Ron opened the drawer of a small mahogany table and removed a vial of clear liquid. Snape's eyes widened as he immediately recognized the veritaserum potion.
"We will now see, Professor, whether or not you are telling the truth," Ron informed the prisoner, holding the vial aloft for Snape to see. "For your sake I hope that you are."
Snape could not mask his nerves now, despite his best efforts.
"Use of veritaserum by individuals is prohibited by law. Only Ministry officials are allowed to administer it under restricted conditions."
Harry let out a piercing laugh but then stared at Snape viciously. "That didn't stop you from threatening me with it, did it? Didn't stop Umbridge from trying it. You yourself gave the potion to Dumbledore to question Moody, or rather Crouch. I didn't see Dumbledore sentenced to Azkaban. We'll take our chances, but we truly appreciate your efforts to steer us away from a life of lawbreaking," Harry mocked sarcastically.
Hermione took the vial and a dropper, and prepared to administer the potion.
"Five drops I think, Hermione," Harry instructed.
"Harry, the normal dose is only two or three drops. Five drops may cause him damage," answered Hermione in a concerned voice.
"That's a chance we'll have to take. The professor himself taught us that some wizards of especially strong will are able to withstand the effects of a normal dose of veritaserum, and that as many as five drops may need to be used." Harry eyed Snape warily and concluded, "In his case, we better use the five drops."
Hermione paused in thought, then nodded her assent. Ron pulled back on Snape's head, but the older man resisted, keeping his mouth tightly closed. After a few moments of struggle, Ron grasped Snape's long oily black hair by the neck and sharply jerked it, causing the head to snap back and the mouth to open involuntarily. Hermione stood on a stool and dripped five drops in the back of Snape's mouth so that he could not avoid swallowing it. They waited a few seconds to allow the potion take effect. Five drops should allow them at least twenty minutes of forced truth from Snape, who now had slightly glazed eyes, evidence that the veritaserum had been absorbed.
The question from Hermione was simple, "Have you lied to us tonight?"
"Yes."
Harry took over, "Are you loyal to the dark lord, Voldemort?"
"Yes."
His heart pounded in his chest. Dumbledore was wrong. Snape fooled him all these years. "Why did you kill Dumbledore?" Harry managed to ask.
"I did not kill Professor Dumbledore. I could not without killing myself." Snape spoke in the slightly monotonous voice of someone under the effects of the truth-telling potion. "Years ago, Professor Dumbledore made me take a Wizard's Vow that I would never kill him or anyone associated with the Order of the Phoenix. He was trying to assure my loyalty, so I took the oath. The dark lord had instructed me to do so, for he did not need to use me for that purpose. My role was to supply him with information regarding Dumbledore and the Order."
"But I saw you use the avada kedavra curse." Harry retorted, stating the obvious, "How did you not kill him?"
Snape continued as if he had not heard Harry's question, "I had also taken a Wizard's Vow with Narcissa Malfoy that I would help Draco fulfill the task assigned to him by the dark lord, and that if Draco should be unable to complete it, I would complete it for him. However, I was not aware of the specific nature of his assignment, only that he was working on a project in the Room of Requirement. The dark lord had also instructed him to kill Dumbledore if circumstances permitted, but I know that the dark lord did not take that order seriously and assumed that Draco would fail. He was primarily interested in the other project and refused to tell anyone else about it. When I took the vow with Narcissa, I was only aware that Draco was charged with the project, not that he should kill Dumbledore. When I learned of the additional order, I was not sure whether my vow with Narcissa only forced me to help with the project or also to assure the death of Dumbledore."
Professor Snape again winced in pain as he had shifted his weight while speaking. The veritaserum had taken full effect by now, and his black eyes were glazed and he spoke in a deeper monotone.
"When Flitwick informed me of the disturbance in the North Tower, I knew that Draco had somehow completed his project and that death eaters had gained entrance into Hogwarts. I stunned Flitwick and then ran to the tower to make sure that Draco was not harmed, for the dark lord has special plans for him. When I arrived, I saw that Dumbledore was weak and wandless, but Draco clearly was not going to kill him, for he had ample opportunity. The others were waiting for Draco, but when they saw me, as the most senior of the group, I was expected to do the job. I did not know whether I had to kill Dumbledore to fulfill my vow with Narcissa, or whether I must not kill him to fulfill my vow with the headmaster. Either way I could die. We needed to escape as quickly as possible, as unexpectedly members of the Order of the Phoenix were guarding Hogwarts and were closing in on us. There was no time for a considered evaluation of my problem. My hope was that Draco's success with his project in the Room of Requirement fulfilled my vow with Narcissa. I knew that I must appear to kill Dumbledore without actually killing him; otherwise I would die also. Therefore, at the same time I spoke the killing curse, I performed an unspoken stunning spell. By splitting my magical power between two spells, the killing curse did not have sufficient force to kill Dumbledore, or so I hoped. The combined force of the two spells, however, was much greater than I expected, and Dumbledore was thrown out the window, which I did not anticipate. When this occurred, I was sure I would die immediately, for I had caused the headmaster's death, but for reasons I cannot explain, I did not die. There was no time for questions, and I led the others to safety."
As he absorbed the words of the death eater, Harry was filled with sorrow and anger, in equal measures, and he was sorely tempted to begin round two with his fists. For the moment, however, he could not. Veritaserum can only be given once, as it will have diminished effectiveness for several days thereafter if a new dose is given. Thus they needed to cram in their questions now, before Snape regained control of his natural ability to lie.
As far as that went, Harry knew all he needed to know about the events of June. The only relevant fact was that Snape was a liar, was and always had been a death eater, and had somehow fooled Dumbledore for all these years. It was time to move on to more personal matters, as this may be Harry's only chance, for they would soon turn over the death eater to the Order.
"Why did you hate Sirius Black, James Potter and Lily Potter?" Harry did not ask why Snape hated him, as that no longer concerned him.
"We grew up in the same circles. The Blacks and Potters are both elite pure blood families, but the Potters were considered traitors by most of the other families. They did not believe in protecting the purity of wizard blood. The Blacks were at the other extreme, but Sirius always was at odds with his parents and brother. James and he always played together. As a child I spent time with Regulus Black, who though younger than I, shared many of my interests. Regulus and I always were bickering, or worse, with James and Sirius. This intensified at Hogwarts, only it was worse, as James and Sirius were handsome and popular, while I was considered odd and to be avoided. It was a hatred of a lifetime."
Snape's eyes softened slightly, and Harry wondered whether the serum was wearing off, but the death eater continued, "I did not feel the same about Lily Evans, at least not until she paired off and married Potter. Despite the antagonism between Slytherin and Hogwarts, she treated me well, not as an enemy. But she made her decision. She married Potter and defied the dark lord. Her fate was inevitable."
The fire in Harry's gut reignited, and only quick action by Hermione prevented another pummeling.
"We don't have much time, Harry, look at his eyes. Ask him about Regulus." In fact Snape's eyes were losing the glazed look, meaning that they only had perhaps three or four minutes left.
"You ask him," Harry responded, for he did not trust his ability to control his anger. He forced himself to stand next to the unlit fireplace.
Hermione knew she had to get right to the point. "Why was Regulus Black killed?"
"He took something which was of great importance to the dark lord. None of us knew what it was, but the dark lord was in a fury as we have rarely seen. He ordered Regulus' death."
So Snape did not know; he was not the one who helped Regulus.
"Did Regulus have any close friends?" asked Hermione, now grasping at straws.
"Among death eaters, he had none, besides myself. In fact he was always quite unpopular, and many did not believe his dedication to the dark lord. At Hogwarts he was always close to a Ravenclaw from his year; her name was Amelda Barlow. She was a half blood, so he could not allow their friendship to develop further, though I believe that was his desire."
"Do you know what has happened to Amelda Barlow?" Hermione asked quickly, not knowing how much time was left to them.
"I do not know. I did not know her well; she was not in my house or year at Hogwarts. I only recall that she was quite intelligent but not especially pretty. She was not the type of person who made an impression."
Snape answered, but his eyes were now clear, back to the malevolent black that they knew so well. The interrogation was at an end.
"What should we do with him?" Ron asked, appearing as if he would like to have a go at the death eater as well.
"Can you bring Hedwig down for me, Ron?" Harry requested.
While Ron left, Harry quickly wrote a note to Remus:
Remus:
Come to my home right away. I have a present for you.
Harry did not sign the note; he knew Remus would recognize his handwriting, and he wanted to write as little as possible in case the note was intercepted. The professor remained standing, looking defiant but defeated. He knew that everything had gone wrong.
"Why did you meet me tonight?" Harry asked out of curiosity.
Snape could have lied by this time, but there was no need.
"The dark lord believed your note. He thought that I could reestablish myself in the Order and continue to provide him with information. I disagreed, but the dark lord insisted."
"And you don't disregard Voldemort's orders, do you?" Harry taunted, intentionally emphasizing the dark lord's name to irritate the defeated man. "Looks to me that you were expendable," commented Harry, "since Dumbledore is gone and you can't attend Order meetings anymore. What did Voldemort have to lose by sending you?"
The question was rhetorical, and Snape said nothing. He knew Harry was right; in fact he had known it from the moment Voldemort had ordered him to go. The probability that Harry's letter was a trap was high, and Snape had no intention to come, but the dark lord's knowledge of his headquarters is uncanny, much as Dumbledore seemed to know everything that happened in Hogwarts. The death eater had no choice but to show him the note.
Ron took an ounce of pity on the prisoner and pushed him onto the sofa, hands and legs still bound. The three captors anxiously awaited Lupin so that they could discuss all that they learned, but until he arrived, they spoke little. Harry studied his enemy closely. Snape was thinking furiously, hoping beyond hope that somehow he could escape his fate. The best that could happen, Harry guessed, would be to be turned over to the Ministry and ultimately sent to Azkaban Fortress. Voldemort probably could break his servants out of the prison whenever he desired. But Harry was sure that the Order would not yet turn him over to the Ministry, which was in a state of crisis. No, Remus would take him to a secret, secure location, where Snape would be mined for information.
"It's our choices that define us," recited Harry, remembering the words of his mentor, Albus Dumbledore, "What do you think of your choices now, Professor?" Snape remained silent.
Remus arrived about two hours after Hedwig departed, bursting through the fireplace gracefully. "Harry, what's the problem, I came as fast as . . . ." He saw the man on the sofa.
"There's your present, Remus, all wrapped and ready for delivery," Harry said with a smirk. The smile immediately left his face as he added, "He's yours now. We've asked our questions. He's a death eater, Remus. Dumbledore was wrong. He's been spying against the Order since day one."
Ron and Hermione failed to suppress smiles at Remus, who stood stunned. Remus, however, did not smile and glared at his long-time enemy. Thinking back, he asked Harry, "But what about Dumbledore's letter to you, what you told us before?"
"I told you, Dumbledore was wrong. Snape fooled him all these years," Harry bitterly replied. The thought of doing such a thing to a great and good man like Dumbledore was beyond his comprehension.
"How do you know, Harry? How can you be sure?" Remus asked. In his experience, Dumbledore was usually right about people, and he had assured Remus countless times of Snape's loyalty.
Harry looked over to Hermione and nodded his head. Hermione held up the vial of veritaserum.
"Where did you get that?" Remus asked but then thought better of it, "No, I don't want to know. So you are sure? Completely sure?"
"Completely," replied Harry, and Ron and Hermione also murmured their agreement.
"We questioned him without the potion first, when he didn't know we had it" Hermione explained, "then we gave it to him. He had lied about almost everything. He admitted to being a death eater, to being loyal to Voldemort, to deceiving Dumbledore. You can give him more veritaserum in a couple of days and find out all you want."
"Don't worry, we most definitely will," growled Remus, now glaring at his former colleague with hatred.
"How did you capture him?" the werewolf asked.
The three captors looked at each other, and finally Harry responded, "Perhaps it's better if you don't ask."
Remus smiled. "Ask what? I already forgot." They all chuckled briefly before returning their gaze to the subject at hand.
"What are you going to do with him?" asked Ron.
Remus turned to Ron and repeated Harry's line, "Perhaps it's better if you don't ask."
A/N: When I wrote this, I did not know if Snape would end up good or bad in book 7 (and after reading DH, I'm still not entirely sure what to think of him), but for purposes of my story, he had to be bad. For all of you Snape defenders out there, I offer my apologies.