Fic: Search and Suspicion

[author_by_night]

Author/Artist: author_by_night
Title: Search and Suspicion (Part 1/3)
Rating & Warnings: PG-13
Word Count/Art Medium: 2,847
Prompt(s): 47, with shades of 10 and 21.
Summary: Between Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, there is much deliberating about Sirius Black's second break-in - particularly for Remus Lupin and Nymphadora's Tonks, who have personal connections to the convicted murderer. Follows the second half of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Notes:


As a trainee, Tonks had helped quite a few people. But she'd never interrogated a kid before.

"It shouldn't take long," Kingsley told her. "By all accounts, he simply left the passwords somewhere. Still, we need to make sure that's all that happened."

"Am I going with you?"

"I'm afraid not. I'm speaking with the faculty. Dawlish will be questioning him.."

Tonks frowned. "He's going to interrogate a thirteen year old?"

When the Auror Department caught wind of Sirius's second break-in at Hogwarts, Scrimgeour had requested that they investigate. As Kingsley was in charge of the investigation, it wasn't technically Scrimgeour's call, but everyone was just happy the Ministry let actual people look into things, not only Dementors.

"Yes. Scrimegour's the one who decided it should be you and Dawlish." It was clear that Kingsley didn't like the idea any more than Tonks did. They both knew how Dawlish could be.

"I see. What about Ron Weasley? Is anyone questioning him?"

" Arthur Weasley wouldn't give us permission. I don't think he trusts everyone in the Auror Department. Minerva McGonagall wrote down his account and has provided it. Neville's grandmother, on the other hand, feels it would 'significantly boost his character."

"Neville? Neville Longbottom? Alice and Frank's son?"

"Yes."

"Dawlish would have worked with them, then" Tonks said. "Right?"

"He did indeed. Let's hope that keeps him soft towards the boy," Kingsley said.

Neither of them were optimistic.

When Tonks and Dawlish headed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, where they were to talk to Neville, Tonks was surprised to see a man standing in the room.

"Can I help you?" Tonks asked. His robes were very poorly patched, and although he must have been in his late twenties or early thirties, his hair was graying.

"I'm a professor here," the man explained. Dawlish snorted, and Tonks threw him a dirty look. "Professor Remus J. Lupin, to be precise. This is my classroom, and I understand you are going to be questioning one of my students in here."

Lupin... where had Tonks heard that name before?

"It seemed appropriate enough," Dawlish said.

"I don't think questioning him will be necessary. He did nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong? He was an accessory to a convicted murderer's break-in!" Dawlish cried.

"His grandmother has already given us her approval," Tonks added. "I know it was a mistake, but we need to talk to him. He did in fact help Sirius Black sneak into the school."

"Which has him distraught. He's been given detention, you know."

Dawlish laughed. "As though detention makes up for murder."

"No one was murdered."

"Another boy almost was! And god only knows what could have happened to Potter-"

"-no one wants anything to happen to him less than I do," Lupin said.

"Less than you? What do you care?"

Not everyone's as void of emotions as you, Dawlish, Tonks thought to herself. Before she could say it, a boy she assumed was Neville walked in, accompanied by a tall student with red hair and a Head Boy Badge.

Percy Weasley!

When Percy saw Dawlish, he strode forward with an open hand. "Mr. John Dawlish! Percival Weasley. I believe you know my father?"

"Wotcher, Percy," Tonks greeted.

Percy tilted his head. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Tonks. I was a few years ahead of you at Hogwarts, remember? I was friends with Bill and Charlie?"

"Oh, I remember you now," Percy recalled. "You were the silly one." He looked back at Dawlish. "I was just reading in the papers that-"

"-as much as I appreciate my buttox being warmed by kisses," Dawlish interrupted, "I am here on business. Why don't you carry on with your studies, and leave the grown-up work to us?"

Percy's neck grew red; he uttered an apology left hurriedly.

"You're horrible," Tonks whispered.

"He was smarmy. I don't like smarmy people. Especially when their fathers are Arthur Weasley."

Neville was watching them nervously.

"Sit down," Tonks told him kindly. She looked at Lupin pointedly.

"I'm staying here," Lupin told her. "This is my classroom, after all."

"Sir, I'm sorry, but it's best we speak to Neville alone."

"You really don't want to make trouble," Dawlish added. "You're in no... condition.."

That was when Tonks remembered that he'd been on the list of registered Dark Creatures. He was a werewolf, which must have been Dawlish's main motivation for antagonizing him Tonks felt her loathing towards Dawlish increase.

She looked back at Neville. Did he know Lupin was a werewolf? Whether he did or not was uncertain. What was certain was the fact that he was standing close to Lupin. Clearly Neville trusted him. And with Dawlish in the room... trust might not be a bad idea.

"Dawlish, can I talk to you outside for a minute?" Tonks asked.

"Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them."

Tonks cocked an eyebrow. "Very well, then. The password for the Auror office is -"

"Very well, then." Dawlish glared at Neville and Lupin and stormed outside the room.

"You're wasting our time," he told Tonks angrily.

"No, we're wasting time fighting Lupin. I think his presence will help us."

"Help? How could he possibly help?"

Tonks thought fast. "Neville's more comfortable with him around. He'll talk. Besides... I just remembered something. Lupin knew Black-" Tonks caught herself. "Black's victims. The Potters and Pettigrew. I'd forgotten, they were close friends."

"How do you know that?"

Tonks couldn't tell him that she remembered them visiting her house once or twice with Sirius, so she decided on a white lie. "I remember Kingsley saying they had testimony from him. Lupin's on our side. If we let him do his job, he'll let us do ours."

Dawlish checked his watch. "I've a meeting I cannot be late for, so I won't argue with you. This time. You owe me one."

"Oh, good," Tonks muttered.

When they returned, Tonks pulled two chairs and placed them in front of a desk. She once again motioned for Neville to sit, and turned to Lupin.

"You may stay," she said, "but we ask that you not interfere with the questions. You must act only as moral support. Understood?"

Lupin nodded. "Understood."

"First order of business!" Dawlish barked. "How did Black obtain the passwords?"

"I - I don't know," Neville stammered.

"You don't know? Really?"

"I mean... I left them by my bed. Or I thought I did. It's possible I left them somewhere else."

Tonks cringed. A suspect changing their story was never good, no matter what.

"What do you remember about that night?" Tonks prompted in a decidedly calmer tone of voice.

Neville looked down. "I can''t remember anything."

"A likely tale," Dawlish snorted.

"It's okay, Neville," Lupin said gently. "Just close your eyes and think. Imagine Snape as a Boggart, if you must."

For some reason, this made Neville's lips twitch.. He closed his eyes.

"After the Quidditch game, I headed straight for the Common Room. Gryffindor'd won, so I knew there'd be a celebration. Malfoy tripped me on the way. He'd got in trouble for impersonating a Dementor, so he was in a bad mood. I went into the Common Room. I must've used the password... but no, I didn't, because Ginny Weasley was right ahead of me." Neville looked miserable now. "I could've sworn I saw it on my nightstand, though. I swear I remember putting it there before joining the party downstairs."

"Swear all you want, but that's obviously not what you did," Dawlish pointed out.

Tonks could barely resist the urge to throttle Dawlish. "Did you hear or see anything strange that night?"

"Only that as I was falling asleep, I thought I heard something in the room. It was just Crookshanks, though."

Dawlish frowned. "Who's Crookshanks?"

"Hermione Granger's cat. You don't think... he might've stolen the passwords, do you?"

Dawlish burst out laughing; Neville's lips quivered, though his expression remained resolute.

"I just mean," he said loudly, "Crookshanks is a smart cat. He found Trevor for me - Trevor's my toad. And he's got it in for Ron's -"

"You need a much better alibi than that, son," Dawlish said.

"I'm not your son, I'm Alice and Frank Longbottom's!" Neville yelled. "And I don't think your former colleagues would appreciate you treating me like..."

Neville froze, unable to go through with his outburst. But it was effective; Dawlish's face had paled.

"I remember them," Dawlish said after a minute. His tone was less harsh now. "Tell me.... did anyone goad you into giving something to them?"

"No," Neville said firmly.

"Could someone have taken it from you?" Tonks asked.

"I don't... I don't think so."

"Is there anyone who might want to? Has anyone been hostile towards you?"

"I mean.. there's Sn...." Neville stopped.

Tonks reached her hand across the table. "I can promise you that nothing you say will be told to anyone outside of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. And Professor Lupin. By Wizarding law, we can't relay it to anyone else."

Neville looked at the door, then at the table. After a minute, he said, "there's also Malfoy."

"Who was the first one?" Dawlish demanded. At the same time, Tonks asked, "Draco Malfoy? Lucius Malfoy's son?"

"I... erm... yes," Neville said.

Lucius Malfoy. Tonks's uncle, who Andromeda never doubted was a Death Eater.

Tonks took note of it on her parchment. "What has he said or done in particular?"

"Well, he's always having a go at me, see. Trips me. Hexes me. Threatened to kill Trevor after Snape couldn't once."

"It's been a hard year on him, though," Dawlish pointed out. "What with the Hippogriff attack."

"Everyone knows that's rubbish," Neville said dismissively. "That's the thing. He sabotaged Hagrid on purpose, and doesn't even care that Buckbeak's going to die. He hates Harry, too."

"Petty rows are normal among children, though," Dawlish said. "His father, Lucius, has made generous contributions to many causes."

With a glance at Tonks, who nodded encouragingly, Neville shook his head. "It's not normal to joke about the deaths of someone's parents."

Lupin moved suddenly; for a minute, Tonks thought he was going to say something. But with obvious restraint, he remained silent. She wished he hadn't been in the room to hear that.

"He's always calling Hermione a... a... the nasty word for Muggles and Muggleborns, too," Neville continued. "It doesn't help that she's friends with Harry. Really, anyone who's friends with Harry is fair game."

Death Eater parents... a grudge against Harry...

But could a teenage boy really be that terrible? Terrible enough to lure a murderer into Hogwarts? Besides, Sirius hated his family. And Andromeda had always insisted he was never a Death Eater, that there was more to the story somehow; assuming her mother was correct, why would he even work with Narcissa's husband?

Of course, her mother might have been wrong all along. Besides, Draco Malfoy might not even know.his parents' history with Sirius Black. He might have just been eager to help a tough man. Taken a bribe, perhaps...

Tonks chose her words carefully. "Has Draco Malfoy ever said anything about Sirius Black to you?"

Neville paused. "I don't think so. Well. I overheard him say something to Harry in Potions once, but I wasn't sure what. He was taunting him, though. But... I didn't mean to suggest he's helping Black!"

"No one's saying that," Dawlish said sharply. "Tonks's questions are simply a formality. Is there anything else, Mr. Longbottom? Has anyone else threatened you?"

"Snape," Neville said. "He also he hates me. And Harry. But he's just strict, he wouldn't... would he?"

Dawlish looked at his notes. "I think that's all. Thank you, Mr. Longbottom. Let us know if you see anything suspicious. Or remember anything. If you'll excuse me, I'm running late."

He strode out of the room, and after a brief word with Lupin, Neville also left. Tonks, however, hung behind.

"Sorry about Dawlish," she told Lupin. "He's an arsehole."

"I can tell. Thanks for letting me stay."

Tonks nodded. "I thought it might be best. By the way... I remember you. You were friends with... the Potters."

"You can say Sirius," Lupin said. "Or can you?"

Tonks laughed. "I'm not angsty about it, if that's what you mean. I like remembering who he was then, before... whatever happened. What was your name again?"

"Remus. You're Nymphadora? Andromeda's daughter?"

Tonks winced. "Call me Tonks. Or Dora, if we become acquainted enough."

Remus smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Tonks. I remember you wanted to become an Auror."

Speaking of Auror duties...

"I did want to ask you about Draco Malfoy," Tonks said. "Without Dawlish present. What is he like?"

Remus hesitated. "I don't really like talking about my students... but then, maybe it's just as well I tell someone other than Dumbledore what I have observed."

Tonks raised her eyebrows. "What you've observed?"

"First, there's what Neville mentioned. Knowingly getting an innocent beast executed for the sake of hurting someone he doesn't like... taunting classmates... then there are the things he's written in his essays. He's mentioned were things people his age shouldn't know. I daresay Malfoy's a little troubled."

"Do you think he's being mistreated at home?"

"I could be wrong, but it seems to me he's rather pampered and spoiled, actually. No, the problem is that his family is, well, the Malfoy family. I worry about him, that if he caught hold of something dark and powerful..."

"He'd put it to use immediately, regardless of the possible consequences," Tonks finished.

"Yes." Seeing the look on Tonks's face, Remus continued, "He's still a thirteen year old boy, you know. I'm not trying to suggest that at he could be mixed up in this, and I certainly wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he is."

"I know," Tonks told him.

But I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that he isn't.

Thirty-Six Hours Earlier

Sirius had known this moment might come. He'd been dreading it since he spotted him at the Quidditch game.

Remus.

It had taken several weeks for Sirius to work out why on earth they weren't all searching for a black dog. Then it hit him: Remus wouldn't tell. He'd be too ashamed. Because it was Remus.

How'd he ever suspect him of being the spy? This question had tortured Sirius for years. Now, he was more worried about how he'd explain himself. He hadn't spoken to anyone much in years.

They were deep in the forest by now. There wasn't much else to run toward.

"Moony," Sirius said. "I've been waiting for you.

His old friend's grip on his wand grew tighter.

"What do you want?" Remus asked angrily. "Haven't you done enough?"

"I want him dead," Sirius snarled. He would only realise much later how that sounded.

"Harry is James's son, Sirius. James, damn it. I never understood why you turned. Do you even know what you did?"

"I KNOW WHAT I DID, MOONY!" Sirius yelled. "As for what happened, it's a long story... just put your wand down..."

"No," Remus said. "I'm not doing that. And I haven't all night. I'm turning you in to Dumbledore immediately, but I wanted answers from you before the Kiss."

Sirius laughed. "You wouldn't do that, Moony. You never turned me in when we came here as students, and you were a Prefect. Have you even told Dumbledore how I've been getting into the castle?"

"I don't know how."

"Don't lie to me, Remus. We both know how. Good luck explaining that."

"I plan on telling them exactly how I found you. The details aren't important."

"And I plan on telling them how exactly I got into the castle. Details are very important to me. Won't look good for you, will it?"

Remus's grip weakened, and Sirius rose to the occasion; with no particular plan in mind, he grabbed Remus's wand and pushed him against a tree.

"You wouldn't," Remus said.

"Why do you think I wouldn't? You already think I killed our best friends."

"You did, Sirius. I don't know how you've managed to rationalize it these past years, but you killed them. I remember, I was the one who had to make all the funeral arrangements, including Peter's because his mother could barely stand for all the sobbing she was doing."

"Obliviate!" Sirius cried.

He knew he had just a few seconds. In that time, Sirius put the wand back in Remus's hand. He wouldn't know the difference; he'd figure that he'd just run as far as he could, and would go back to the castle defeated and tired. In the meantime, Sirius could lie low elsewhere for a few nights. The guilt would pass; and anyway, in comparison to letting James and Lily die at Peter's hands, it was a pretty forgivable crime.

There would be a time, a place and a way to explain. Tonight clearly wasn't it.