Requital

REQUITAL

Chapter Three: The Triumph

He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Defeated! Death Eaters Caught

By Anne Hopkins

October 31, 2000: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was finally defeated by the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter, and the organization the Order of the Phoenix (led by Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore) last night at his hideout in the old Riddle House in Little Hangleton near Scotland.

Most of the Death Eaters were also caught by the numerous members of the Order yesterday as well. Only a few minor followers escaped. Among those caught were the remaining ringleaders of the Death Eaters: Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail, the rat Animagus who is responsible for the deaths of twelve Muggles and the resurrection of his former master; Rodolphus and Rastaban Lestrange, the two Lestrange brothers, responsible for many torturings and killings; and Draco Malfoy, son of the late Narcissa Malfoy and the imprisoned Lucius Malfoy, responsible for numerous attacks on Muggle villages and the murder of several Order members.

The battle lasted six hours, starting at seven in the evening, when the Order infiltrated the Death Eater headquarters. "Usually, the Death Eaters didn't meet in the Riddle House," Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, 34, said this morning during the official press conference. "This was a rare chance; they only met there once a year, and everyone had to be in attendance. This year, we were lucky enough to find out the date of the meeting."

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"Interrogations, Tonks, are meant to be serious," Kingsley said quietly, taking the newspaper away from her and putting it down. "You have to contribute, whether you like it or not. I'm sorry."

Tonks scowled. She didn't want to be here, interrogating Death Eaters. They had killed Charlie. She didn't want to see their faces, for fear that she would lose control. Kingsley looked at her sympathetically, then boomed to the guards, "Bring in Pansy Parkinson."

Harry stiffened in his corner. Pansy had been in his year. Amelia Bones adjusted her monocle as Ron and Hermione led Pansy in and let the chair bind her to it. Dumbledore coughed slightly in his corner, and Percy Weasley dipped his quill in his inkbottle and positioned it over a piece of parchment, ready to record.

"Miss Parkinson, the Wizengamot found you guilty of being a Death Eater last month. Why have you requested this interrogation? Is it because you want to be questioned?" Amelia said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's because I have something to tell you," Pansy spat. "I can't stay in Azkaban."

"I assure you, you can," Kingsley said stonily. "The Dementors are gone. All that's left are human guards, wards, dragons, and the chill from the sea."

"That's why," Pansy shot back.

"I think everyone's cold in there. What do you want, a palace?" Harry retorted. "In fact, we're cold in here." He glared at her.

"I'm pregnant, that's why, Potter!" Pansy screeched.

There was silence. Percy was staring at her, mouth agape, his quill leaking onto the parchment. Ron coughed uncomfortably. Hermione and Tonks exchanged looks. Amelia and Kingsley frowned disapprovingly. Harry just blinked. "Right," Dumbledore said calmly. "You will be moved to a secure cell in St. Mungo's." He cleared his throat. "Offer my congratulations to the child's father."

"How about Malfoy?" Ron suggested.

Tonks started. "You're his girlfriend?" she said softly, her eyes narrowing.

"I-I..." Pansy said. "Yes, but I don't know if he's the father." There was silence.

"Right," Dumbledore said finally. "Ron, Hermione, if you could lead her away and tell Dawlish and Horn to bring in Mr. Malfoy..."

Tonks buried her face behind the Daily Prophet from the month before again as the door opened, allowing Pansy to exit and the new prisoner to enter. From behind her newspaper, she could hear Draco pull away from the two Aurors and sit down on the chair, muttering to himself. Tonks gulped. He sounded very much like Lucius.

"Mr. Malfoy, you are here because you claim you don't know whether you killed Charles Weasley or not," Amelia Bones said. "Now, we're going to give you one more chance before administering the Veritaserum. Did you kill Charlie Weasley?"

"How many times do I have to say, 'I don't know'?" Draco drawled, as if he had said this sentence many times.

"Liar," Tonks hissed, throwing aside the newspaper. Anger was coursing through her. "You always hated him, cousin. You admitted you wanted to kill him the same day you met him. It must have been a real treat, huh, Draco?"

She stared into his gray eyes. It had been eight years since she had seen him, eight long years in which she mourned the loss of the bouncy, happy child she had known. He was older now. His face looked used to sneering and smirking, but his hair was a mess, like it had been in the past. He was watching her silently, his eyes calculating. Finally, he said, "I'm not lying, Nymphadora."

"Very well," Kingsley said. "Tonks..." he threw her the bottle of Veritaserum, causing Hermione to frown indignantly at the treatment of the precious liquid. "Force it down if you have to."

"No need," Draco said. "I'd like to know myself." He allowed Tonks to pour a few drops into his mouth.

"This should tell us whether he was under the Imperius Curse or not," Dumbledore said lightly. "Draco, can you hear me?"

"I have ears, Professor," Draco drawled, sounding normal. The only difference was the blankness in his eyes and expression.

Dumbledore's mouth curled upward slightly. "Well. Did you kill Charlie Weasley?"

Draco shuddered for a moment, then said, "Yes."

Tonks started forward. Hermione held her back. Dumbledore held up a hand for her to wait. Then he said, "Was this under Voldemort's command?"

"Yes."

"Did you want to kill Charlie?"

Draco shuddered again. "Yes."

Tonks screamed in frustration and started forward again. Hermione struggled to keep her back. Dumbledore blinked, then asked, "Describe what happened that night."

Draco took a deep breath and began. "That night, the Dark Lord called us to him. It was just a rendezvous, pretty much, to see who could bring in a prisoner. Pansy and Nott brought in Weasley that night."

"The Dark Lord asked Weasley to reveal the Order's plans. Apparently, he wasn't too concerned, because we were not asked to torture for information. When Weasley refused, the Dark Lord decided to kill him. Rodolphus Lestrange wanted to kill him, but the Dark Lord refused him. Then Pansy said she should have the right. The Dark Lord had me put the Cruciatus Curse on her for punishment."

At this, the interrogators looked at each other incredulously. "Continue," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Then he ordered me to kill Weasley." Draco gulped. "I wanted to. I was looking forward to it; I had been since I was six years old."

Ron's eyes widened. "What six-year-old knows the Killing Curse?"

"You'd be surprised," Draco said monotonously. "Father had taken me aside earlier that day to tell me that one day, I'd be able to kill the worthless Muggles with a single curse. At the time, I was unable to remember the syllables, so I called it 'Avocado'." He went back to talking about the day he killed Charlie. "I was about to when I noticed something on his hand. It was an engagement ring."

Tonks let out a dry sob. Hermione sniffed. "I knew my cousin Nymphadora was his girlfriend, so I knew they were engaged. I didn't want to kill Weasley anymore."

"Why not?" Dumbledore prompted.

"When we were younger, Nymphadora was like my older sister. She was my first friend." Tonks stifled a sob. "Mother and Father disapproved, but Mother would allow me to see her because she would do anything for me. I only met her mother a few times and her father once, but I used to dream about living with them. In a way, I was curious about the Muggles. The other reason was that my father was cold and remote, and my mother wasn't the same as my aunt. Then I grew up. Father told me they were inferior, and I didn't want to anger him. I got used to the idea. My cousin and I drifted apart."

"I see. And what happened after you saw the ring?" Dumbledore said quietly.

"I tried to convince myself to kill Weasley anyway, but I couldn't. I felt as if I owed Nymphadora something. So I refused."

"Sure," Ron said derisively.

"He's under Veritaserum," Harry said tiredly.

"He could have found a way past it!" Ron said.

Dumbledore sighed, then asked, "What happened next?"

"The Dark Lord became angry with me." Draco blinked, as if getting past something. "He put me under the Imperius Curse and forced me to kill Weasley."

"He's lying! He doesn't need the Imperius Curse to kill anyone!" Ron said. "This is Malfoy we're talking about!"

"Ron, he's under truth serum," Hermione said.

"Mr. Weasley, he's telling the truth," Dumbledore said softly. "Very well. End your story, Mr. Malfoy."

"I killed him. The Dark Lord released me from the curse, and I didn't know what happened. All I saw was Weasley, dead, and the Death Eaters Disapparating, since the meeting was over."

Dumbledore nodded and waved his wand. Draco blinked a few times, then looked up. "So what did I say?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

"You killed him under Imperius," Amelia said shortly. "Thank you, Mr. Malfoy. Dawlish, Horn..."

"I'll bring him," Tonks said suddenly. She waved her wand, and the chains on the chair unraveled. Draco stood and looked down at her, his eyes piercing through her. Tonks pointed her wand at him, her hand shaking. Silently, she forced him through the door and out into the winding corridors.

It wasn't until they had reached his cell that Tonks spoke. "So we meet again, after eight years."

"I suppose," Draco said quietly. He glanced at Tonks. "I seem to be taller now."

"Get in," Tonks said, pushing him roughly.

"I think you're wondering where the Draco you knew went. He's gone. All that's left is me, Malfoy. Face it, Nymphadora, the past is over. I know what you were trying to do all those years. You knew I would become a murderer, and you were right. I killed the innocent part of me when I became a Death Eater."

Tonks closed her eyes as she turned her back on her cousin.

"Who are you?" Nymphadora demanded, getting up. No doubt the boy was a Dark wizard or something... "How do you know me?"

"Just call me Malfoy," the boy said, sounding amused...

To Nymphadora's horror, Malfoy pointed his wand at Draco. "Avada Kedavra," he said, smirking contentedly as Draco slumped to the ground, lifeless.

Tonks gulped. The dream. She had forced herself to forget about it. She knew who Malfoy was now. Stiffly, she began to walk away from her cousin's cell.

"I'm sorry," Draco whispered, but Tonks didn't hear.