Beyond The Darkness : OWL: To Percy Weasley

Entry tags:

* august 2005, - complete, - owl, percy weasley, severus snape

OWL: To Percy Weasley
Date: 29 August 2005
Characters: Severus Snape, Percy Weasley
Location: Hogwarts, Auror Headquarters
Private/Public: Private
Rating: PG
Warnings: None
Summary: Severus takes certain matters into his own hands.
Completion: InComplete

Severus looked down at the letter he’d just written and debated as to whether he should send it. He was no longer willing to wait for his name to be cleared but this was certainly a risk. He had no way of determining how Percy Weasley would react. Percy had always been the easiest to deal with of the Weasleys. Not the best of them, that title was held by Bill, but certainly the easiest. He had been quiet, attentive, studious and hard-working. He’d been an oddity as a Gryffindor. Severus was convinced he’d have made a better Ravenclaw... unlike Granger who had been well-Sorted into Gryffindor.

Still... Percy wasn’t an Order member, he had no idea of what Severus had been doing and therefore when it came to this, he was an unknown entity. He would have to be ready to move at a moment’s notice just in case Percy decided he wasn’t to be believed and for a moment he cursed the anti-apparition wards around Hogwarts. His advantage in that scenario was that he knew the castle better than just about anyone. Evading any Aurors would be more than possible.

He sighed and folded the letter. He sealed it then summoned Titchy and had him take it up to the Owlery. He could plan for all the contingencies that he wanted but it was a useless activity unless he actually sent the damn letter.

Mr Weasley,

Shortly before his death, I met with Gawain Robards in an effort to clear my name. Needless to say, with his death that process has been somewhat derailed. I, for one, would like to get it back on track.

I will not deny that I have done many of the things I have been accused of but in nearly every case, I was following orders. I have been a spy for the Order and for the Light for twenty-five years, first to defeat the Dark Lord and then to defeat the Lestranges. Minerva McGonagall and Harry Potter can confirm this.

I would like to meet with you to discuss this, preferably in a neutral venue. From what I remember of you as a student, I believe I can trust you to approach this in a fair and objective manner.

Severus Snape

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bd_percy
2007-08-29 19:04 (link)

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Professor Snape,

If you did met with Mr. Robards, the man has left no evidence. Not that it surprises me since he was less than careful with his record keeping.

You must understand that using the leader of a vigilante group and a man who seems incapable of following rules doesn't exactly convince me of anything.

However, I assume from this letter that you have something more than there testimony, which is far from credible. I will listen to anything you have to say and will review any evidence that you can provide.

I am not McGonagall, I don't run private meetings. I meet people in my office. I'm assuming that if you're spying and looking for a way to clear your name, the Lestranges are after you, which again leads me to believe that you've been walking around looking as someone else, and we both know that you have the skills to do. If you feel confident about your evidence, then come to my office. If it is indeed as convincing as you think, then I give you my word that you will be able to leave freely. I will stay in late if that's preferable since there are less Aurors around the office, but that's the best you will get.

Percival Weasley

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bd_snape
2007-08-29 19:32 (link)

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Severus scowled as he read the letter and paced back and forth across his living room. Damn Robards for being a fool!

He was hesitant to enter the Auror Headquarter. It was somewhat akin to willingly putting his head underneath the guillotine. He could probably escape if it all went to hell but it would be messy and would destroy any chance he had of clearing his name. As for his evidence... well, if Weasley didn't accept memories then he had no hope. Neither he nor Albus had ever written anything down. It had been far too dangerous. As much as the thought of showing his memories to anyone made him cringe, right now his desire to escape his cage was greater.

He made an abrupt decision and tossed the letter onto his desk. He stalked into his workroom and over to his potions cabinet. As he selected one of his flasks of Polyjuice he reflected that Draco was probably going to find new and interesting ways to kill him for doing this. He was certainly going to get yelled at again.

He took a mouthful of the Polyjuice and waited out the transformation into the nondescript man he'd used for the battle at Glastonbury Tor. He then changed into less... obvious robes and made his way down into the village. He walked into the Auror Headquarters and waited patiently for one of the Aurors to notice him and approach him.

"I'd like to speak to Mr Weasley please," he said diffidently. "It's in regards to an owl I sent him earlier today."

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bd_percy
2007-08-29 19:49 (link)

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Percy raised his head when he heard the knock on his door. If it kept going like this, there would be no chance that he could ever move his office at Tiberius's house. He wondered if Robards saw that many people in a day. It certainly didn't look like from his records.

The moment that Hornell mentioned the owl he had received, Percy's annoyance disappeared. "Bring him in."

Percy waited until the man had stepped into his office and locked it. "I didn't expect you so soon, Professor. Please, sit down. I'm sure this will take some time."

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bd_snape
2007-08-29 20:04 (link)

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"I have a certain amount of self-interest in seeing this done," Severus said dryly. "And I have waited long enough. My current accomodation is pleasant enough compared to where I have recently been living but it is still a cage."

He took a seat, tense and wary despite the locked door and Weasley's apparent politeness.

"Before we start, Albus and I never wrote things down," he said grimly. "It was too dangerous. The only evidence I can offer you are my memories so a pensieve will be needed."

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bd_percy
2007-08-29 20:14 (link)

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"You've left Hogwarts eight years ago and you haven't done anything, and yet you're in a rush," Percy commented, as he stood up. He opened the door and looked around. "Hornell."

The boy came running, and Percy loved trainees, they were extremely helpful. "I need a Pensieve, and before you ask, yes, we have them. Storage room, requisition one."

He left the door open as they wait. "He's the only one of two trainees this year. If we keep going like this, we'll have no new Aurors." He wasn't sure why he was even telling Snape this, although he was mostly talking to himself. He still had to talk to Tiberious about the foreign aurors.

"Thank you," he said when Hornell returned with the Pensieve. Percy closed the door again, and put the pensive on his desk. "Why did you kill Dumbledore?" he asked, knowing that he'd probably see it, but he needed that answer. He needed to know why he was wasting his time other than the fact that logic told him that Snape wouldn't be here unless he could prove his innocence.

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bd_snape
2007-08-29 20:33 (link)

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"I've been in Upper Slaughter spying for the Order until only a couple of months ago," Severus said dryly. "I've hardly been idle."

He tensed when Percy got up then let himself relax a fraction when he simply sent for a pensieve. He did arch an eyebrow at Percy's comment. The Aurors had always been a popular career path thought given the way the Death Eaters targetted them, it wasn't that much of a surprise that their numbers were dwindling faster than they could replace them.

"Rodolphus gives orders to target Aurors," he said calmly. "He views the Aurors and the Order as his main threats. If he can get of both then he feels the wizarding world will be his for the taking."

He fell silent when the young Auror returned with the Pensieve then flinched at Percy's first question. He'd known it was coming.

"Because he ordered me to," he said in a grim voice. "He'd found one of the Dark Lord's Horcruxes and in his attempts to destroy it, he released a curse. He delayed too long in calling for me, wanting to destroy the Horcrux first. I was able to contain the curse to his hand but not get rid of it entirely. In doing so I bought him time... a year at most." He paused for a moment. "He asked me to kill him rather than suffer the death that was coming his way from the curse. I agreed... reluctantly."

He paused then rose to his feet. He pulled his wand out and placed it at his temple for a moment before drawing out the memory of that particular incident and placing it into the pensieve. He sat down again and waved at the pensieve.

"You may see for yourself."

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bd_percy
2007-08-29 20:48 (link)

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Percy listened to the information, not surprised. You didn't need to be a genius to know that the Aurors, and in part the Order, were the only ones standing in the way of the Lestranges.

The information about Dumbledore was more interesting. Somehow, Percy believed Snape because it sounded like something stupid, self-important and arrogant that Dumbledore would do. After all, this was a man who created his own Auror group, because he didn't trust the proper authorities.

"I intent to," he told Snape, before dipping his fingers into the silvery liquid. He watched as Dumbledore spoke to Snape about Malfoy, about the mission, about killing him. He heard Snape's dry answer, and Percy wondered if Dumbledore already had the effigy ready, he probably did. He watched from every angle, looking for anything that could show that Dumbledore was saying it under duress, but there was nothing.

Percy took his fingers out, and went behind his desk, sitting down. "We can't show this to the entire wizarding population," he said after a moment, "but without this, someone will lynch you the moment you get out of this office. For some arcane reason, people liked him." He looked up. "Do the people in the Order know?"

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bd_snape
2007-08-29 21:12 (link)

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Severus watched tensely as Percy viewed the memory then sat down again behind his desk.

"Yes," Severus replied. "Minerva and Aberforth have known since shortly after Albus' death... though Aberforth was only told to stop him from actively hunting me down and killing me. Potter and Lupin were told at some point after that but I don't know when precisely. The rest of the Order was informed at a recent meeting since there was some... loud questioning as to why I was there. The information was kept from them so that they would react normally if they encountered me."

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bd_percy
2007-08-30 08:37 (link)

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"I've recently met Mr. Dumbledore, and I can understand you're concern," he said smirking. "You do understand that if you want to walk free, we need to have an official investigation. It's the only thing that will appease the public at large... McLaggen or maybe Vaisey, someone not connected to the Order so there is no shadow of impropriety."

He tapped on his desk, trying to think how to best resolve this. "We'll use the Pensieve, since it's allowed evidence, but you'll have to testify. I know Veritaserum isn't legally binding, but it would go a long way to prove your innocence with lay people if you did take it. If you'd like, I'll do the questioning so that it's limited to the night in question. The portrait? Did he have one? All Headmasters did, we could use that as well."

That left the most important part still unresolved. "Just because he ordered you to kill him, it doesn't make it less of a killing. I know the Headmaster wasn't very keen on the rules, but we'll have to find a way - a legal way - to explain why you aren't being charged for his murder, and I assume that there were more if you spied for twenty-five years..." He shook his head. "I should lock you and everyone in that Order up. You do what you want, and then ask us to clean up your messes. Now, you want to be free, and what do we get in return? A lot of paper work, and an increase number of Death Eaters in the area, because the Lestranges can't be too happy with this turn of events."

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bd_snape
2007-08-30 13:33 (link)

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Severus winced at the thought of an official investigation but nodded. He had anticipated that it might need to happen but that didn't mean he was happy about the idea. He'd been a spy for too long to even remotely pleased about attention being focused on him. He also knew he'd much prefer Vaisey but felt it wise to keep his mouth closed about his preferences.

"You will not be able to use veritaserum," he said with a grimace. "I take the antidote everyday. Rodolphus wants me and he wants me alive so that he can find out everything I know." He presumed he would not need to go any further into that. "I can stop now and will be clear of any remaining antidote in a day or two but there will still be a problem of making people believe that I am not taking it."

There was a way around that but there was no way in hell he was going to suggest being confined in a cell or anywhere else for a day or two.

"There is a portrait in the Headmistress' office," he said. "And I... also have a portrait. But you will find that the portrait version of Albus is as infuriatingly obtuse and annoying as he was in real life."

He hesitated for a moment. "I do not know if this will help or hinder but that year I was operating under the influence of an Unbreakable Vow, the third condition of which was to kill Albus if necessary. I can also detail the actions of the curse had it been allowed to kill Albus. Euthanasia is a contentious subject but few would want to die from the curse that was going to take Albus."

He arched an eyebrow at Percy. "Ah, but I know who the Death Eaters are." A tiny smirk grew on his face. "And what makes you think I won't tell you who they are? I have a certain loyalty to my fellow Slytherins as long as it doesn't endanger me but loyalty to my 'fellow' Death Eaters? I have never had that." He shrugged. "You will not be able to arrest them, of course. The ones here have legitimate covers and you will struggle find any evidence to arrest and charge them. But I am sure that being watched by Aurors, even intermittently, will put them on edge and make them wary."

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bd_percy
2007-08-30 19:14 (link)

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"Can't you use some other type of truth potions?" Percy asked, and for a moment he felt like he was back in school, waiting for the instruction, but he did trust Snape when it came to this. "If not, we'll figure something else."

Percy snorted. "I didn't expect him to be any less annoying. However people revere him, and to hear it from his own mouth might be better than anything else we can say or do."

He leaned forward, elbows on his desk. "I think the Unbreakable Vow will give us the legal leeway to get you out of this. Professor, I don't have the man power, but if we get those names, I'll find a way to get people. Would you be willing to go over old cases and tell us what you know? We might not get the culprit, but at least we don't waste time looking in the wrong place. At this point, that's almost as good as arresting the perpetrators."

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bd_snape
2007-08-30 20:01 (link)

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Severus grimaced. "There are others that can be used but veritaserum is the most reliable and the most powerful. As I said I will stop taking the antidote for now but convincing others that I have done so will be the difficult part."

He echoed Percy's snort. "I can only hope he will choose not to play games. He knows how I feel about this matter."

He nodded a little. "I will need to inform Draco that this will occur. The Unbreakable Vow was in regards to what he was forced to do that year. He deserves a bit of warning that it will be dredged up again." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. He didn't particularly like talking about this but he felt he did owe Percy a little honesty in return for his reasonable attitude. "I will make a list for you. Unfortunately there is no Dark Mark this time to give you proof positive of people's allegiances."

He nodded. "I can do that. In some cases I may know, in others I can probably speculate." He paused. "I don't know how much your people have discovered in regards to the Vane murder but I can give you some information there. I doubt it will help you catch the murderer but it will perhaps answer some questions that have no doubt arisen."

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bd_percy
2007-08-30 20:11 (link)

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"Yes, and if I remember from your class, no truth potion is one hundred percent fool proof, even without the antidote, and that's why they are not allowed in court. The truth potion is window dressing for the masses. You could be drinking water for all I care," Percy said.

Percy tapped on the desk. "We can make part of this proceeding secret. Keep as much as we can out. I want the Headmaster's testimony and that memory public as well as your part of your testimony." He wanted to keep as much as posible away from the public. "I think there might be spies in the Ministry. That's why anything that isn't directly related to getting you off will stay private."

He almost laughed when he heard Snape mention Vane. "It's been frustrating to say the least. We have come up with different scenarios, but nothing seems to make sense."

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bd_snape
2007-08-30 20:45 (link)

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"Correct," Severus said with a nod. "Anyone with sufficient willpower can... not overcome them but certainly circumvent them. They require you to tell the truth but you can control what that truth is."

"Thank you," he said with a certain amount of relief. "And yes, there are spies in the Ministry. I will have to go through what I know to see if I have any names but some of the details I know may point you in the direction of people who may have known and therefore leaked that information even if I don't know their names."

He nodded and snorted. "No doubt. I was summoned to help shortly after she was returned. I do not know by whom. The request was accompanied by a portkey and I did not recognise the house nor did I recognise the house elves who aided me. Vane was seriously ill. She had been poisoned by Bellatrix to miscarry or to kill her or both."

He leaned back in his chair with a sneer on his face, something that probably did not translate well in this body. "The fool had fallen pregnant to Rodolphus. He can charm the birds out of the trees when he wants to and she clearly fell for it since from what she said it was consensual. I expect that cost him a great deal in self-control considering his tastes in the bedroom. He would have welcomed her preganancy though. I have no doubts about that and her words confirmed it. He has wanted an heir for some time. He and Bella had a child some years ago but it... died. There were rumours that the child had help doing so... from Bella."

"However that was not why she was kidnapped," he continued. "That was because she overheard part of a plan for my capture which involved information about where I am currently staying. Rodolphus kept her to stop her from warning anyone. Bella obviously found out about her though and decided she would not tolerate any competition for her husband's attention."

He grimaced. "As for Vane's death... it did not come as a surprise to me. I was merely surprised that she was allowed to leave Upper Slaughter alive. Either her death was ordered by Rodolphus in order to correct that oversight or Bellatrix decided to finish the job."

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bd_percy
2007-08-30 21:00 (link)

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Percy smiled. "Yes, and I believe that was part of the NEWTs, and at least one student was paying attention. So we'll worry about the potion when the time comes, although it's sort of pointless since the two people who could prepare most potions are you or Mr. Malfoy."

He listened to the explanation about Vane's death, and he wasn't surprised that their scenarios made no sense. There were Muggle mysteries which had less intrigue than what the Lestranges were up to. "I believe that will be help us close the case, although I doubt we can actually arrest them for this murder," he said sarcastically.

"I'll rather do this quickly. If we drag it too long, we'll lose credibility. McLaggen is working on the Lockhart murder. I can have Vaisey work with you on this. I'll speak to him and we can have another meeting and put everything in motion. We can find somewhere else to meet until we're ready to go public with this. I also want to read up about the Unbreakable Vow and see how we can use it." He looked up at Snape. "Expect an owl from me soon, maybe even by the weekend."

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bd_snape
2007-08-30 21:45 (link)

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"I'm glad someone was," Severus said with arch amusement.

He snorted. "Add it to their tally. It is about all you can do. I will admit I investigated the possibility of poisoning them but their house elves are remarkably loyal... mostly through fear I believe."

He nodded, relieved to hear that Vaisey would be used. He would rather trust his life to a Slytherin than a Gryffindor.

He also recognised a dismissal when he heard one and rose to his feet. "Very well. Under the circumstances, I believe I am at your disposal. Thank you for hearing me out. I shall await your owl."

He inclined his head to Percy then waited for him to unlock the door before leaving the office and heading back up to Hogwarts.

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