alisanne

Title: Interrogation
Author:

alisanne
Pairing/Characters: Severus Snape/Kingsley Shacklebolt, Frank Longbottom/Alice Longbottom, Augusta Longbottom, Peter Pettigrew.
Word Count: 100 x 8
Rating: PG
Challenge: Written for

snape100/

snape100's prompt # 716: Snape's Library - The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts.
This is part Twenty-Eight of my Snape: Horcrux Hunter series (LJ/IJ/DW).
Warning(s): AU.
Beta(s):

sevfan and emynn.
Disclaimer: The characters contained herein are not mine. No money is being made from this fiction, which is presented for entertainment purposes only.

~

Interrogation

~

“I’m not telling you anything!” Pettigrew cried. “And when I tell the Dark Lord you’re a traitor—”

“You have to get to him first,” Severus drawled, inspecting his nails.

“You can’t hurt me!” Pettigrew’s bravado was cracking. “The Aurors won’t let you!”

Eyebrow raised, Severus looked around. “Do you see any Aurors here now?” He leaned down. “It’s just you and me, Peter. You, me, and—” Severus tapped his forehead, “my knowledge of the Dark Arts.”

“I know Dark Arts, too!”

Severus smirked. “My favourite book is The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. Are you familiar with it?”

~

“I’ve heard of it.” Pettigrew licked his lips.

“Have you ever read it?” Severus asked. “It’s fascinating, really. You’d think a book with the title The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts would be historical, and it is, but it’s also practical. It even has hints about how to get away with Unforgivables.”

Pettigrew’s eyes went wide. “You can’t use Unforgivables on me! There are Aurors here!”

Severus sighed. “Peter, again, are any of them in the room right now? Really, you shouldn’t worry about them. Worry about me.”

Pettigrew’s throat worked. “Fine! Do your worst! I’m no traitor!”

~

“Really?” Severus made his voice low, menacing. “The Potters made you their Secret Keeper, and you plan to betray them to the Dark Lord. That’s the definition of traitor.”

“I…I meant to the Dark Lord.” Pettigrew drew a shaky breath. “If you free me, I won’t tell him. I promise! Just…let me go!”

Severus cocked his head, pretending to consider it. “No.”

“I’m not telling you anything!” Pettigrew’s tone was sharp with fear. I wouldn’t even if you had The Rise and Fall of The Dark Arts with you!”

Severus reached into his robes. “Who says I don’t?”

~

“You carry a Dark Arts book with you?” Pettigrew’s voice sounded panicked.

Severus pulled out his personal copy of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, caressing the battered cover. “I like to be prepared for all eventualities,” he said. “And you never know when you’ll need some spell or charm, after all.”

Pettigrew began hyperventilating. “Curse you,” he hissed. “You’re not hexing me! I’ve heard stories about you—”

“Oh?” Severus bored his eyes into Pettigrew’s. “Good. Then you know you’ll tell me what I want to know eventually.”

“Only if you catch me!” Pettigrew screamed, and he changed.

~

One moment Pettigrew was in the chair, ropes binding him tightly, and the next he was a rat, jumping off the chair and scurrying towards the wall.

“Stupefy!” Severus shouted, but the spell missed, and Pettigrew continued scurrying, gaining speed.

Desperate, Severus threw his copy of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts at him, and it glanced off him.

The rat stumbled, and Severus shot off another Stunning Spell. Happily, that one hit Pettigrew, and he went down, his little rat legs still.

Bursting into the room, Kingsley looked around. “Where’s Pettigrew?”

Severus picked up the rat. “Here.”

~

“Pettigrew’s an unregistered Animagus?” Frank groaned, collapsing into a chair. “Bloody hell, this day’s getting more and more complicated.”

“It’s fascinating,” said Augusta, staring at Pettigrew in rat form. With all the shouting, she’d re-entered the room, and no one had thrown her out. Severus certainly wasn’t about to try.

“Fascinating and annoying,” said Kingsley, pacing. “It makes getting answers from him a challenge, too.”

“Anyone know how to force him back into human form?” Alice asked, pursing her lips.

Leaning over, Severus picked up The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts. “No, but I know where to look.”

~

“You carry this on you?” Kingsley asked, peering over Severus’ shoulder as he searched The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts for spells to reverse Pettigrew’s Animagus transformation.

Severus smiled tightly at him. “I do now. I’ve been caught out too many times recently. That inferi situation could’ve been prevented if I’d been carrying this. I picked it up when we were at mine earlier.”

“I should invest in a copy.”

“You can borrow mine,” Severus murmured.

“Sharing books is serious for a Ravenclaw,” replied Kingsley, tone teasing. “You’re sure?”

Looking up, Severus got lost in Kingsley’s eyes. “Definitely.”

~

“How adorable,” deadpanned Frank, who was scanning another book from their library. “Can we return to the task at hand?”

Flushing, Severus quickly returned to his perusal of The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts, while Kingsley selected another book to search.

Alice and Augusta watched Pettigrew, taking turns renewing the Stunning Spell on him at regular intervals to prevent another escape attempt.

Eventually, Frank cried, “Aha!”

“Found something?” Kingsley hurried to Frank’s side.

“Maybe—”

Searing pain engulfed Severus. He hissed.

“What?” Kingsley asked, wand drawn.

“It’s the Dark Lord,” Severus groaned, clutching his left arm. “I’m being summoned!”

~

Continued in Tricky Sorts (LJ/IJ/DW).