Chapter 6: More Questions than Answers
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A few hours later, Amelia came back after interviewing Harry Potter. She had sent the boy back to the castle, free and clear. She sat down in the chair in front of the desk that Jethro occupied. She sighed heavily.
"What's the matter, Amelia?" he asked, handing her a cup of tea, which he had available just for her. It might not be as hot as she liked, but she could magically make it hot again. He took a sip of his coffee and waved at her to begin.
"That kid has had one rough life. I can't imagine going through half of what he's gone through," she said, taking a large sip of her tea and sighing with happiness of the beverage. She then sighed in frustration over what she had learned about the Potter boy's life.
"You mean all those stories are true?" he asked, shock evident in his voice. He thought perhaps half would be true, but all of it? That was unbelievable.
"Every single one of them. He has faced Dark Lords, Basilisks, trolls, dragons, Merpeople, werewolves, escape prisoners, demented teachers, and dementors. And that's just in the five years he's been at Hogwarts. That's not to count the years of abuse he's had with his so-called guardians," she stated, drinking from her cup again as if to fortify herself for what she was about to tell.
"Just how abusive were they?" Gibbs wanted to know. He'd try to help; his case be damned. Any kid who faced all that deserved to be assisted. If he had to step on toes, so be it.
"They locked him in a boot cupboard under the stairs. They would starve him for days at a time. They would punish him anytime he got grades better than his cousin. They would let the cousin beat him up any time he felt like it. While the adults themselves never laid a hand on him, the boy did many times. That's where the bruises came from," she stated, going over the large number of notes in her hand. It was a folder full of them. The wizarding world didn't have a Child Protective Service, or anything like that. They needed to find a way to get the kid out of the care of his relatives.
"So, the adults kept their hands clean?" Gibbs asked, wondering if that counted. He wasn't a child abuse specialist.
"As much as they possibly could. I mean, they starved the boy and kept him in a boot cupboard," she stated, waving her hand in a general way. "They were emotionally abusive, as well, but he seems to have overcome that."
"Can we get him out of the house?" Gibbs asked, looking at her with all seriousness.
"According to Harry, his godfather is innocent. I'm going to do my best to see that Sirius Black gets a trial. If I can see him freed, then I can see Harry Potter out of that house. Until then, I'm going to see if I could keep him at Hogwarts," she stated, thinking if worst came to worst, she'd see him at her house.
"He hasn't been exactly safe there either," Jethro pointed out.
"This year the only danger he faced was Umbridge. Well, that's not true either. It seems that Snape has been mind-raping him," she said, going over her notes again. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Oh, how so?" he asked, putting his coffee down and grabbing a pen.
"You do know what occlumency is?" she asked, not sure if the USA taught that to their agents.
"Of course, I know. We're taught that in basic training," Gibbs said, a bit offended that she would ask. It was the standard operating procedure.
"Snape has been trying to teach him that since the beginning of the year, but he's been teaching it in such a manner that it's basically mind-rape. All he does is tell the boy to clear his mind and then cast the spell at him," she explained, referring to the notes once again. It was what the boy said happened.
"That's no way to train that spell. It takes months of meditation."
"I know that, you know that. But it seems that Snape doesn't know that, or if he does, he's not practicing it." She once again wrinkled her nose in disgust. She would arrest Snape, but there were no laws against this type of training. Now, if it weren't under the guise of training that would be a different story, but…
"That's just one more thing I'm going to have to question him about tomorrow, isn't it?" Gibbs said, jotting that down. He might bring it up, but he might not be able to. It didn't pertain to the case and the man had lawyered up. "What about the dark magic in his head? Does the boy know anything about it?" he asked, wondering what that was all about.
"He knows nothing about it, he just knows that it hurts every time he's around You Know Who," she said, reading the notes. "I'm going to get him to the goblins. They have the best healers. Or I'll get his new guardians to do it." It was true, the goblins were the best at dealing with Dark magic. They would be able to deal with this. For a fee, of course.
"Why don't you call him by his real name?" the head cop asked, the Head of the DMLE.
"We don't know his real name. Well, actually I do now, Harry told me. His name is Tom Riddle," she said, tapping her finger on her teacup.
"That's good to know. Do you know if he's any connection to my case?" he asked, jotting that name down just in case.
"Not according to Mr. Potter."
"Still, it's good to know that You Know Who's name is Riddle. I'll make sure to note that and have everybody else I know, know," he stated, wanting everyone to get over calling the man by those silly made-up names. He, himself, called the man Voldemort, but now he'd call him Riddle, because Voldemort was a stupid name too.
"I'll pass the word along myself. During the last war there was a taboo on the name. If everybody knows his real name, then they will not fall for the taboo and less people will die," Amelia stated, stretching and reaching for her cooling tea. She waved her wand over it and heated it back up. It was almost gone now, but she'd drink the last of it. She was dog tired. It had been a long day.
"Sounds like a plan. What do you know about Professor Trelawney?" Gibbs wanted to know. He wanted every bit of information on the woman he could get. Even if it was gossip. He could trust Amelia though. Then again, perhaps not. She thought Harry Potter was an attention-seeking brat, until today. Still, he'd see what she had to say.
"I know she's the Divination teacher and that she's a hack," Bones stated as fact. Her voice was neutral. Like she didn't have much of an opinion on the woman one way or another.
"Is that all you know about her?" he asked, disappointed. He had been hoping for more.
"There's a rumor that she's a drunk." She shrugged her shoulders. She only knew what Susan said, and the girl had been wrong about Harry.
"It's not a rumor. That's how we found her."
"That's all I know about her. As far as I know, she's never given a true prophecy," Amelia stated, upset that she couldn't tell him more.
"I have an interview with her first thing in the morning and then I'm going to be interviewing Snape," he said, tapping his pen on the desk. He was formulating questions in his mind.
"Good luck with that. From what I understand that woman wouldn't give you a straight answer if you gave her a ruler," said Amelia with a straight face. She didn't envy him that session. She hated questioning psychics. It was all about the stars, or the cards. It was never a straight answer. The Centaurs were the worst.
"I hear that's how most Divination teachers are," Gibbs said, like it was a given, and he hated it too.
"Well, I'd better be off. I've got stuff I have to do if I'm going to clear Sirius Black." She got up, drained her cup, and moved off to the lifts.
"Good luck with that, I hear the minister has it out for him." He got up and walked with her. He wasn't going to leave just yet. He was just being gentlemanly.
"You have no idea. It's gonna take every effort I have to keep that man off this case," she said, pushing the button to call the lift.
"Well, if you need my help let me know," he said, when the doors opened.
"Will do. Goodnight, Jethro," she said, going into the elevator.
"Goodnight, Amelia."
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The next morning, Jethro went to interview Sybil Trelawney. She came into the interrogation room looking very lackluster. Her hair was limp, her skin was pale. And she looked like she could use a stiff drink. She sat in her chair drooping and looking like she'd just been dragged out of bed. She was still dressed in the clothes she had been wearing the day they brought her in. She had been offered prison clothing but refused to change.
"Good morning, Professor Trelawney. How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked as he and Jen sat on the opposite side of her. She had been asked if she wanted a lawyer, but she refused.
"I could use a sherry," the woman said, looking up with desperate eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can get you a glass of water, but that's the best I can do for you. Do you know why you are here?" he asked, pouring her some water and setting it down in front of her. She took it with shaky hands and gulped it down like it was sherry.
"No, the last week is a bit muddled for me. I vaguely recall… a murder?" she said in an airy tone. Her eyes behind her coke bottle glasses were wide and vacant.
"Yes, somebody has been killed and your fingerprints are on the gun. Can you tell me how they got there?" Gibbs asked, leaning forwards a bit to peer in her eyes, trying to get her to concentrate on him.
"No, I don't recall any such thing," she said, looking at his nose.
"How do you know Professor Umbridge?" he asked, changing the subject slightly.
"She was a very, very mean woman. She said awful, awful things to me. She came into my classroom and disparaged me in front of the children. She was going to boot me from the castle. It is my home. It has been my home for fourteen years, and she was going to take that away from me," Sybil said, a wail in her voice. She was fretting her shirt with her shaky fingers.
"So, you have motives to kill her?" was the next question.
"Why yes, I do, but I don't believe I did it," was the airy answer, as if that came as a surprise. "At least I don't think so. Would I have done such a thing? I don't know. Can I have a sherry? It's my nerves, you see," the woman pleaded with him.
"No, you may not have a sherry," Gibbs said, firmly, pointing to the water. "Tell me what you can remember the day of the murder. That was the day we brought you in. What was the last thing you remember?"
"The last thing I remember? Oh, I was talking to my class, I dismissed them, I remember that. I had told the Potter boy the horrible way he was going to die that day. He has a terrible, terrible future, you understand. The Dark Lord is after him. He is going to die a horrible, horrible death. And then I took to drinking to calm my nerves, you see. And then? I remember a hallway. Professor Snape. A very loud noise and then running back to my room." She was talking like she was in a dream. Her eyes were not focused on anything.
"Do you remember seeing Professor Umbridge at any time?" he asked, jotting it all down, but not liking how this was going.
"There was an argument. People were yelling. I'm not sure who. I think I was yelling. But I'm not sure who. There was a gun. I remember I picked it up. But then there was a loud noise, then I got scared and I ran back to my room," she stated, looking at Gibbs with confusion showing on her face.
"And that's all you remember?" he asked, sounding put-out that she couldn't give him a straight answer. It sounded like she did it, but then again, there could have been someone else there. It was hard to say with what she was saying.
"Yes, may I have my sherry now?" she begged, looking very pitiful.
"DiNozzo, take her back to her cell and make sure she gets plenty of water. Try and see if you can get anything more out of her. We can't talk to her until she clears her head more," Gibbs said, to the mirror/window.
"I'm not sure her head can get any clearer, boss," Tony said as he came into the room.
"We'll give it another day or two and see if you're right. If not, then we'll see what the doctor says," the head cop said, picking up his notes and looking at them with disdain.
"All right, boss." Tony said, leading the very confused teacher away. She followed along like a lost puppy.
"OK, Jen, bring Snape in," Gibbs said, after he was sure Trelawney was gone.
Snape came in with his lawyer, who looked an awful lot like him, but with cleaner hair and better dress sense. The man's name was Alan Rickman. They both sat at the other end of the table. Both were very well mannered and sat bolt-up straight. If Gibbs didn't know better, he'd say they were cousins.
"All right, Snape, now that you've got a lawyer, what were you doing in the hallway at the time of the murder?" he asked, looking at the dour man.
"I was on my way to see Professor Umbridge," the Potions Professor answered in his silky voice.
"Why?"
"She wanted me to bring her some Veritaserum," came the shocking answer.
"Why?"
"She wanted to dose some of the students to find out if the headmaster was creating an army," the man said, again shocking his audience.
"Why on earth would she want to know that?" Gibbs asked, writing all of that down.
"She had heard rumors that the students were creating an army to fight against the ministry," Snape said, adjusting his sleeve and smirking at the stress he was creating.
"You know that Veritaserum is a government-controlled substance, right?" Gibbs asked, looking at the man before him with a 'I know you know that' look.
"Yes, I do know this. And I told her this, but she would not listen to me."
"So, you did not give any to her?" Gibbs asked, wondering if the man would have done so later if pressured.
"No," was all the answer he got.
"Did you see Professor Trelawney in the hallway at the same time you were there?" Jethro asked, after writing his notes down.
"Yes, the drunk was there," Snape confirmed, his lips curled in a sneer, like he didn't like the woman.
"What did you see happen?"
"I was leaving the room when Trelawney went inside. She was mumbling something about how she was not going to let the witch get away with anything. How Hogwarts was her home, and she was not going to let anybody chase her away from it. She was mumbling incoherently with the rest of her statements. She was extremely intoxicated. And then I left," Severus stated, like it was no big deal.
"So, you did not hear the gunshot?" Gibbs asked him, like he would not believe him. Hermione Granger heard it from three halls away.
"No."
"Is it your opinion that Trelawny is the one who killed Professor Umbridge?" he asked, not that he could use it in court, but he wondered what the guy thought.
"I don't think that drunk could have held a gun if she wanted to. She was too inebriated," Snape gave his opinion.
"Did you see the gun while you were in the room?" Gibbs asked with a tilt of his head. The man's prints weren't on the gun. It was the first thing they checked.
"Yes."
"And what did you do with it?"
"Nothing."
"Why?" He knew the man knew what a gun was. He was muggle-raised.
"I did not want my fingerprints anywhere on the gun," was the honest answer.
"Why?"
"I have a criminal past," Snape said, like it was obvious.
"Why did you not take the gun and put it somewhere safe? You're a teacher. You should have put it somewhere the students wouldn't have found it," Gibbs stated, slamming his fist on the table.
"I do not know," Snape deadpanned. He had his reasons, but he wasn't going to tell.
"I don't trust you, Snape. I think you were trying to get somebody else in trouble, say Harry Potter. I know you were mind-raping him," Gibbs stated, throwing that tidbit in there.
"That insufferable brat, why would I want to get him in trouble? Is he telling tales out of school? I'll see him expelled for sure this time," Snape stated, as if he had just won the lottery.
"You're always trying to get him in trouble. I've read the report about all the detentions you've given him, and all the complaints you've had against him. If I find out that you put that gun in his trunk, I'm gonna throw the book at you," Jethro stated, standing and putting his hands on the table and leaning forward.
"Prove it," Snape said, not backing down one bit.
"I think that's enough questioning for now," said the lawyer, putting his hand on Snape's shoulder. "My client has answered all your questions truthfully and you have nothing against him."
"Very well, you may go. But I'm watching you," Gibbs stated, standing to the side and watching them leave.
With that, Snape and Rickman left the interrogation room, leaving just Jen and Gibbs. They gathered their papers and went back to the bullpen to go over what they had discovered. They were joined by Dinozzo and Todd.
"All right, people, what have we got?" Gibbs asked, very frustrated over how this day's questioning went.
"Well, my money is on Trelawney," Tony said, throwing some paper in to the wastebin. He scored and put his hands in the air.
"I don't trust that Snape guy," said Kate, putting her jacket on the back of her chair and sitting in it.
"Yes, but I think he told us the truth with everything he said, except for what he did with the gun," said Gibbs, grabbing a pen and jotting down an answer to a message he got from Amelia. He then picked up his empty coffee cup and threw it away. He'd have to get some more soon.
"We can't prove that, so don't go throwing around accusations," cautioned Jen. She knew Gibbs was a hothead and could get into trouble if he found a cause. And it looked like Harry Potter was now his cause.
"His fingerprints aren't on it," said Tony as if that proved anything in the world of magic.
"Whose are the fourth set of fingerprints?" Gibbs wanted to know. That was beyond frustrating.
"We don't know, boss," DiNozzo stated, standing and looking through the reports on the gun and the suspects.
"Well find out," Gibbs barked, like that would make a new suspect magically appear.
"Unless we fingerprint everybody in the castle, we don't have anyone else to go on. The only other person we haven't tried so far is the Granger girl," Kate said, as patiently as she could.
"Call her parents and get their permission to get her fingerprints. If they want a lawyer up, let them," the head cop said, pointing to DiNozzo.
"On it, boss."
"Alright, let's put this to rest for now and wait for those fingerprints to come back. As of right now, Trelawney looks like our best bet. I still want to know how that gun got into Harry's possession. I'm still thinking it's Snape," Gibbs stated, liking the man for the switching spell.
"I wouldn't lay my money on it," said Jen. "He seems too much wanting to stay out of trouble to do something like that."
"Well, the Granger girl's his friend, so I don't see her doing something like that either," Kate said.
"It's a mystery we may never solve," said Tony, waiting for someone to pick up at the Granger residence. "There're just too many people in that castle, and then there's the secret passages that could have people coming in and out of it at any time. I don't put my trust in those wards."
"I don't like unsolved mysteries," said Gibbs, getting up and going in search of coffee. "We'll figure this out one way or the other."