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Testimony [Harry Potter]
Title: Testimony
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: AU: Sirius is brought in for questioning via veritaserum a year after his imprisonment.
Characters/Pairings: Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, OFC, implied Remus/Sirius
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: For my cliche_bingo challenge "truth serums".
Word Count: 705
Testimony
"His testimony will not be admissible in court," Public Prosecutor Wistinia Albatross reminded those present in the little stone dungeon.
"Yes, we know," responded the accused person's Defender, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore. "If you'll recall, I was the one responsible for that ruling."
"Than I trust you won't try to skirt the rules now." Albatross was a sweet and kindly looking girl, even fragile of appearance, but her personality was anything but.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Dumbledore answered. "You may administer the potion. I am sure my client is eager to speak the truth to us all. I trust that you will recall that, while none of his testimony is admissible, any evidence acquired as a direct result of this testimony is."
"Of course." Albatross shifted her straight black hair.
"Sirius?" Dumbledore leaned towards the prisoner. He'd already been drugged and his eyes were cloudy. "What did you give him?"
"A relaxant," one of the guards answered. "He wouldn't shut up."
Dumbledore frowned. "Alright. Let's hope it doesn't interfere with the veritaserum." He pulled a long green vial from his robes and managed to convince Sirius to easily let several drops of it fall onto his tongue.
"Sirius?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Hrm," the prisoner answered.
"Did you sell out James and Lily to Lord Voldemort?"
Sirius' eyes popped open.
"You get right to it, don't you?" Albatross muttered.
"Could someone bring our fellow here a mug of water?" Dumbledore ignored Albatross. The guard rushed to fulfill the wishes of the Chief Warlock.
Water fetched, Dumbledore repeated his question. Sirius had water running down the sides of his face, into his new beard. He'd been in prison without a trial for one year now. Albatross had already stated several times prior to this visit that the convict was probably mad and was unlikely to even understand their questions.
At the comment, Dumbledore had simply reminded her that a man cannot be a convict if he had not been convicted of anything in a court of law.
Once again, at hearing the words Dumbledore spoke, the prisoner's eyes grew wide. "No," he croaked hoarsely. Then, a second time, he answered, "No." This time his voice held far more vigor and conviction.
"Do you know who did, then?" Dumbledore asked.
"Peter!"
"Did you tell Peter where the Potters lived?"
"No, never! If I'd been their secret-keeper, I'd have died to protect them!"
Dumbledore glanced at Albatross meaningfully. "Are you saying you were not their secret-keeper?"
"But I wasn't!"
"Who was, Sirius?"
"Peter. Fucking rat bastard. I'll kill him, if I ever get out of here."
Now confusion marred Dumbledore's face. "Haven't you already killed him? Did you forget the incident in the muggle street?"
"Kill him? I wish. I didn't even cast a spell! He blew up the street, to escape."
"No one could Apparate in that mess," Albatross interjected, but Dumbledore held up a hand to indicate her silence.
"How did Pettigrew escape?" Dumbledore asked Black.
"Rat, rat rat rat," were the prisoner's answering words.
"He has gone mad," Albatross whispered, aghast.
"Who is the rat, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, unflappably. "Is Pettigrew a rat?"
Black's head bobbed up and down.
"Is he an animagus?"
The bobbing continued.
"Are you?"
Still, the bobbing continued.
"Albus, you're feeding him answers," Albatross rasped.
"Just so. Sirius, is Remus Lupin an animagus?"
The bobbing stopped abruptly and the prisoner's winter-sky eyes peered up at Dumbledore when he answered, "Why on earth would he need to be? That doesn't make a lot of sense."
Dumbledore laughed with relief. "Wistinia," Dumbledore turned to her, "take a walk with me. I would like to explain the situation, and then I think you also would agree that Black was not simply swallowing the answers I was 'feeding' him. Perhaps later, once the serums we have given him wear off, he will demonstrate his animagus form for us--"
"Dog," Black muttered behind him.
Dumbledore smiled tightly. "I don't doubt that it is, Mister Black. Come, Wistinia." As Dumbledore left the small room with the public prosecutor, he could be heard mentioning, by way of casual conversation, "Tell me, did you know that the wolf and the dog are genetically not at all dissimilar?"
Fandom: Harry Potter
Summary: AU: Sirius is brought in for questioning via veritaserum a year after his imprisonment.
Characters/Pairings: Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore, OFC, implied Remus/Sirius
Rating/Warnings: PG
AN: For my cliche_bingo challenge "truth serums".
Word Count: 705
Testimony
"His testimony will not be admissible in court," Public Prosecutor Wistinia Albatross reminded those present in the little stone dungeon.
"Yes, we know," responded the accused person's Defender, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Dumbledore. "If you'll recall, I was the one responsible for that ruling."
"Than I trust you won't try to skirt the rules now." Albatross was a sweet and kindly looking girl, even fragile of appearance, but her personality was anything but.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Dumbledore answered. "You may administer the potion. I am sure my client is eager to speak the truth to us all. I trust that you will recall that, while none of his testimony is admissible, any evidence acquired as a direct result of this testimony is."
"Of course." Albatross shifted her straight black hair.
"Sirius?" Dumbledore leaned towards the prisoner. He'd already been drugged and his eyes were cloudy. "What did you give him?"
"A relaxant," one of the guards answered. "He wouldn't shut up."
Dumbledore frowned. "Alright. Let's hope it doesn't interfere with the veritaserum." He pulled a long green vial from his robes and managed to convince Sirius to easily let several drops of it fall onto his tongue.
"Sirius?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Hrm," the prisoner answered.
"Did you sell out James and Lily to Lord Voldemort?"
Sirius' eyes popped open.
"You get right to it, don't you?" Albatross muttered.
"Could someone bring our fellow here a mug of water?" Dumbledore ignored Albatross. The guard rushed to fulfill the wishes of the Chief Warlock.
Water fetched, Dumbledore repeated his question. Sirius had water running down the sides of his face, into his new beard. He'd been in prison without a trial for one year now. Albatross had already stated several times prior to this visit that the convict was probably mad and was unlikely to even understand their questions.
At the comment, Dumbledore had simply reminded her that a man cannot be a convict if he had not been convicted of anything in a court of law.
Once again, at hearing the words Dumbledore spoke, the prisoner's eyes grew wide. "No," he croaked hoarsely. Then, a second time, he answered, "No." This time his voice held far more vigor and conviction.
"Do you know who did, then?" Dumbledore asked.
"Peter!"
"Did you tell Peter where the Potters lived?"
"No, never! If I'd been their secret-keeper, I'd have died to protect them!"
Dumbledore glanced at Albatross meaningfully. "Are you saying you were not their secret-keeper?"
"But I wasn't!"
"Who was, Sirius?"
"Peter. Fucking rat bastard. I'll kill him, if I ever get out of here."
Now confusion marred Dumbledore's face. "Haven't you already killed him? Did you forget the incident in the muggle street?"
"Kill him? I wish. I didn't even cast a spell! He blew up the street, to escape."
"No one could Apparate in that mess," Albatross interjected, but Dumbledore held up a hand to indicate her silence.
"How did Pettigrew escape?" Dumbledore asked Black.
"Rat, rat rat rat," were the prisoner's answering words.
"He has gone mad," Albatross whispered, aghast.
"Who is the rat, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, unflappably. "Is Pettigrew a rat?"
Black's head bobbed up and down.
"Is he an animagus?"
The bobbing continued.
"Are you?"
Still, the bobbing continued.
"Albus, you're feeding him answers," Albatross rasped.
"Just so. Sirius, is Remus Lupin an animagus?"
The bobbing stopped abruptly and the prisoner's winter-sky eyes peered up at Dumbledore when he answered, "Why on earth would he need to be? That doesn't make a lot of sense."
Dumbledore laughed with relief. "Wistinia," Dumbledore turned to her, "take a walk with me. I would like to explain the situation, and then I think you also would agree that Black was not simply swallowing the answers I was 'feeding' him. Perhaps later, once the serums we have given him wear off, he will demonstrate his animagus form for us--"
"Dog," Black muttered behind him.
Dumbledore smiled tightly. "I don't doubt that it is, Mister Black. Come, Wistinia." As Dumbledore left the small room with the public prosecutor, he could be heard mentioning, by way of casual conversation, "Tell me, did you know that the wolf and the dog are genetically not at all dissimilar?"