Wit Beyond Measure

The Interrogation

"It's not what you think."

She then proceeds to run her eyes up and down his body. Not in a "I'm checking you out" kind of way (Please get your minds out of the gutter), but in a purely condescending kind of way. As if to say, "Really, because you're literally covered in the evidence against you."

Sirius looked down at himself, looked back up at her, and then said, "I can explain."

"That's what they all say." She sighed. "But first, I'm gonna need you to swallow some of this."

Sirius took a second to read the label. He looked at her in the eyes to gauge any dishonesty. "Are you serious?"

She looked at him completely unimpressed, "Do I look like a middle-aged man that just crawled out of a Unicorn's ass?"

Sirius snorted, and while still chuckling to himself said, "Touche. But, really, where did you get that?"

"Snape's private stores." She said, shrugging as if it doesn't really matter. "He's still convinced that it was Crabbe and Goyle that took it."

Sirius then proceeded to start laughing so hard, that the chair was creaking ominously under him. After several minutes, Sirius was finally able to calm down and stick out his tongue. She placed the recommended three drops on his tongue, and then waited a few seconds for the Veritaserum to take effect.

"What is your name, and date of birth?"

"Sirius Orion Black, November 3rd, 1959."

"Are you an animagus?"

"Yes."

"What is your animagus form?"

"A large black dog."

"Why did you break into Hogwarts?"

"To protect my godson."

She took a moment to process this before asking her next question. "Who is your godson?"

"Harry James Potter."

The pause this time was a bit longer than last time. But, finally she was able to get her next question out.

"Who are you protecting him from?"

The answer came in a barely suppressed growl. "Peter Pettigrew."

"Is Peter Pettigrew alive?"

"Yes."

She didn't know what else to ask next. She did not expect these answers when she followed him to the spookiest tree to ever live, and then dragged him to the spookiest house on the hill.

She gives herself a little shake, and is about to ask another question, when a voice behind her beats her to it.

♛♛♛♛

Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Lupin follow the trail of glitter and in some places on the trail dried paint from the castle, under the Whomping Willow, and to the Shrieking Shack. Upon entering the decrepit house, Lupin points upward to the master bedroom.

Placing silencing spells on themselves, they crept up the stairs and down the hall. They stood on the other side of the door, with just a sliver to look through, as they listened in on the conversation.

As they listened and watched, they became more and more horrified. Lupin more so. It was only when the questioning had a lull in it, that they decided that they couldn't stand in the hallway anymore.

"Did you betray the Potters?" Dumbledore asked, making their presence known. Causing the Gryffindor girl to jump a foot in the air, turn and look at them with a 'deer caught in the headlights' look.

"No."

"Who betrayed the Potters?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

"Did you kill those twelve muggles twelve years ago?"

"No."

"Who did?"

"Peter Pettigrew."

The three professors looked horrified and heartbroken, but amongst all of this, there was another question that needed to be answered, and the adults didn't look like they were going to think of it any time soon.

"Why would breaking into the Gryffindor's Tower protect Harry Potter?"

"Because that's where Pettigrew is."

The blood in all three teacher's faces drained to their lower extremities. Lupin most of all, looked like he was going to be sick.

"What do you mean? How do you know that he would be there?" McGonagall asked, but she looked like the pieces were forming together to create a picture, and she didn't like the picture at all.

"He's an animagus."

"What form does he take?" Dumbledore asked.

Lupin closed his eyes as Sirius said, "A rat."

"How did you know that he would be in the same dormitory as Harry?"

"It was in the paper that Fudge gave me. A picture of the Weasley family and on the youngest son's shoulder was Pettigrew. It said that he would be going to Hogwarts in the same year as Harry."

"Is that why you broke out of Azkaban?"

"Yes."

Sirius blinked as the potion wore off. Looking up, he was surprised to see Dumbledore, McGonagall and his old friend Remus standing there next to the girl, all looking like they're going to be ill.

Remus stepped toward him, and raised his wand to cut the rope. However, as the wand was being raised, Sirius flinched. And that, that cut deeper than any full moon without his friends.