Ad Mortem Festinamus

Severus took a deep breath and entered the Headmaster's office. The last time he had been here... Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, a faint smiling playing on his lips, but his eyes focused and sharp.

"Good evening, Severus... I must say, I was surprised to hear from you."

"Good evening, Sir. Let me say that I am surprised to have come so far."

Dumbledore inclined his head. "Am I mistaken to assume that your visit hasn't remained unnoticed?"

"No, Sir, you aren't mistaken. As a matter of fact, I am here because the Dark Lord has ordered me."

"Aha... I admire your honesty, Severus. Has he ordered you to try and kill me?"

"No, Sir. He wants a spy in Hogwarts."

Dumbledore waited for a whole minute if he would say more, but he didn't, so he asked, "I can imagine only two reasons why you should tell me that. Either you mean to turn against your master, or you mean to gain my trust by pretending it."

Severus was glad that they had come to the point so quickly, and said what he had come for, ending with, "Please, Sir, I ask you to use Veritaserum on me to support the truth I've told you."

"I reject Veritaserum."

"That's what I've thought, Sir. Still I don't see another way. I am a good Occlumens, though I say it myself. I did manage to deceive the Dark Lord, and I don't think you will believe me that I did, without some other means than Veritaserum."

"Why are you doing this, Severus? You know you risk your life, everything you care for, when you are indeed serious with your offer."

"I have nothing to lose but my life, Sir. My mother has passed away, and everyone in the Dark Order knows that they'd do me a favour if they did anything to my old man. When I joined up, I thought I'd get the possibility to learn... To prove myself... I thought... Oh well. But the Dark Lord has crossed the line when he... I will not partake in any scheme that harms - the innocent -"

The old Headmaster didn't insist, eventually agreeing on the Veritaserum. He wouldn't leave his guest alone in his office, so they marched down to the dungeons, the potions storeroom, and with a grim look, Dumbledore found a bottle of Veritaserum. They went back in silence, he sealed his office again, and turned around with a quizzical look. "I'd feel better about this if you weren't alone, if you had a kind of guardian to watch over the procedure."

"Who should that be, Headmaster? Don't mistake me, I don't mean to be a sycophant, but you are the only one I can trust now..."

Veritaserum has a number of specific effects, one of them is that the subject cannot remember the interrogation. This interrogation however must have been thoroughly satisfying, because Severus regained his consciousness and found the Headmaster benevolently smiling at him. "Welcome, Severus. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance, and you have chosen the right way."

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'Maybe There Will Come...' - From: Nine Inch Nails, 'Ruiner'.