An Interruption of Sanity

Chapter Three: Behind Blue Eyes

"Sir," Remus began hoarsely, then tried again. "General, we have just received word the Seamus Finnegan has been murdered by Lucius Malfoy."

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0142, the next morning

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Gunnery Sergeant James Hornet looked across the table at the tired blond teenager. Draco Malfoy looked back at him.

"So tell me about the murder of one of your schoolmates," Jim said casually.

"No." Jim rolled his eyes. The thing about the Veritaserum had been a bluff; since it was an anti-magic room, potions would be rendered ineffective. However, Jim was a skilled interrogator and had already extracted a lot of information from Malfoy.

"Kid, you know that I can make you talk," Jim sighed.

"Bullshit," spat Malfoy. Jim lifted his 9mm handgun and leveled it at Malfoy.

"Then you are of no use to me." His finger tightened around the trigger. Cold sweat broke out on Malfoy's forehead.

"Wait," he pleaded. "I don't know anything about that Irish bug."

"How'd you know it was Finnegan?" Jim asked, grinning. Malfoy hung his head, knowing he had been bested yet again. "Start talking, kid."

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Earlier

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Silence thundered down upon the Order. Following Remus's grave announcement, no one moved. Harry stared at Remus, Dumbledore hung his head.

"When?" breathed Snape after several minutes of silence.

"About an hour ago," Remus said. He looked at Dumbledore. "General, we need to do something. Malfoy's just the tip of the iceberg. If he's willing to murder student, then we need to act--"

"We cannot do anything," Dumbledore said firmly. "Without more information." He looked around at them all. "And I have brought in a specialist to extract information from a prisoner." All heads in the room swiveled to look at Jim. "Gunnery Sergeant, front and center." Jim stood and walked to stand before the officers. He stood at attention.

"Sir, Gunnery Sergeant Hornet reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease," Dumbledore told him wearily. "What do you need to interrogate the prisoner?"

"I need background information on Malfoy, on all his known associates, and his enemies, sir," Jim rattled off. "And I'll need a place to change into my utilities, sir."

"Why?" demanded Snape. Jim hesitated.

"Permission to speak freely, sir?" Snape nodded. "Because if I walk into the holding cell wearing a battle uniform and a handgun, it'll scare him shitless and he'll crack easier."

"You can't just wear the uniform you're wearing?" he sneered.

"No, sir. For one, these plastic shoes are really uncomfortable. For two, the Dress Blues aren't intimidating, they're just dead sexy." This drew chuckles from around the room. Tonks leaned over to another female officer and whispered:

"He's got that right." This comment was not unheard by Jim. He spared a half glance in her direction. The smallest shadow of a smile passed over Dumbledore's lips as he heard this remark as well.

"Very well. We'll have someone get you those files and escort you to a room."

"I'll take him." The volunteer was Nymphadora Tonks. She went a slight shade of pink. "That is, with the General's permission, sir." The small smile crossed Dumbledore's face again.

"Very well," he repeated. "Dismissed." Both Tonks and Jim turned and made their way through the sea of chairs and out the door.

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0157

Interrogation Room

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"So this isn't retaliation?" Jim asked Draco. "It was predetermined hat Seamus would be murdered."

"That is correct," Draco told him. Jim sat back and sighed.

"How does it feel?" Draco looked up at him.

"What?"

"How does it feel to be abandoned?"

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, hoping he sounded offhand, but not quite able to get the quiver of uncertainty out of his voice.

"Kid, you fucked up your mission and now you beloved 'Master' has dumped you." Jim laughed. "And so did your mother, your father, and just about every person who ever 'took a bite out of Death.'"

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Earlier

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The door shut behind Tonks and Jim. There was an awkward silence between them, then Tonks motioned for Jim to follow her up the stairs. Jim followed. They had reached the first floor landing when Tonks broke the silence.

"I didn't catch your name, Gunny," she said.

"James Hornet," he replied. "You can call me 'Jim', ma'am."

"Ma'am?" Tonks laughed.

"That's right. You're an officer, I'm a sergeant. To call you anything else would be disrespectful, ma'am." Tonks laughed at this, too.

"Jim, there are two things that I don't ever want you to call me," she told him. "One is my first name. The other is 'ma'am'. You can call me 'Tonks'. Okay?" Jim smiled.

"Okay." Tonks led him into a huge, warehouse-sized, magically expanded room that was divided by rows upon rows upon rows of filing cabinets. "Damn," Jim whispered.

"What's the matter?" Tonks asked.

"Nothin'. It's just I don't think that even the Army has this much paperwork." He looked around the space. "So where's the file on D. Malfoy?"

"This way," she said. Tonks led him down to one end of the warehouse-like room. The walk took about five minutes. By the end of it, Jim had begun to wonder why the hell there were even this many filing cabinets in existence.

"Here we are," Tonks finally announced. "'Malfoy, Draco Lucius.'" She opened the draw and pulled out a folder that was at least five inches thick. "This is the condensed version. If you ever have anything else to get from here, let me know and I'll help you find it."

"Right."

"Need anything else?"

"Just a place to change," he said.

"Come on, I'll show you to the room General Dumbledore has for you." Another five minute trek back, and then up two flights of stairs, Tonks took Jim to a door that had a plaque reading: 'Gunnery Sergeant James Hornet, USMC."

"This is your room," she informed him unnecessarily. "If you want, I can wait and show you to the interrogation room."

"Yeah, that'd be great; thanks." Jim entered to find himself in a spacious, well appointed room. There was a large four poster bed with several large pillows on it. A fire was crackling merrily in the grate with a loveseat and several armchairs around it. Jim sighed, knowing full well that he would feel very out of place in this room.

Nonetheless, he shut the door, tossed his sea bag on the bed and changed out of his Dress Blues into his utilities. He pulled out his 9mm service pistol, checked it, and holstered it. He checked himself in the mirror and put his cover on.

"From the Halls of Montezuma," his mirror sang softly.

"Shut up," Jim instructed it.

"What?" it asked innocently. "I was only being supportive."

"You can be supportive by keeping your mouth shut," he snapped. Jim turned to leave and distinctly heard it mutter:

"Semper Fi, Marine." Jim shut the door.

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0213

Interrogation Room

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Jim came back into the room with a blanket and a pillow. He tossed them in a corner. He seemed to be trying to say something that he was not pleased with.

"You're lucky," he finally said to Draco.

"I'm sorry?"

"You're lucky. If it were up to me, you would be squeezed dry of all information, then executed. But, I've spoken to General Dumbledore and he has told me to treat you humanely." He sighed. "You've got seven hours until I come back to wake you up. Get some sleep." Jim turned and walked back out the door, locking it behind him. Draco laid down on the deck, covered himself with the blanket and fell asleep almost immediately.

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Jim shut the door behind him and faced the officers that were waiting there. The wall had been bewitched to act like a one-way mirror, only without the mirror. Those gathered there were Harry, Tonks, Remus, Dumbledore, and Snape. These five had watched the last half-hour or so of the interrogation.

"That was unnecessary," Snape said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, sir?" Jim asked.

"That last part." Snape looked up at Jim. "You didn't need to tell him that you wanted him dead."

"With all due respect, sir, if had led him to believe otherwise, it would have been dishonest," Jim murmured.

"Nonetheless, Gunnery Sergeant," said Dumbledore. "You believe that the information he presented you was the truth?"

"That is correct, General," Jim told him. "We learned from him that his father's status in the inner circle doesn't allow him any special privileges."

"How do you figure?" asked Harry.

"Well, sir, he was stuck with a lousy assignment, had to act the goody-goody part, and he was left for dead by the Death Eaters as soon as he was caught." The officers all looked around at each other. "Oh, and we learned one other thing."

"What's that?" inquired Remus.

"You ever wonder how he was reporting what he found?" The others shook their heads no. "Think about it. He had no way to contact anyone remotely suspected of being a Voldemort supporter, because Fred Weasley was a recruiter. So how did he get information out?" Comprehension dawned on the officers' faces.

"We have another mole," said Tonks.

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0437

Interrogation Room

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A concealed door in the Interrogation Room's wall opened silently. The person behind it slowly crept into the room, towards the corner in which Draco slept. The shadow stood over him, watching him with longing eyes. She kneeled next to him and gently brushed the hair back from his forehead. He stirred and slowly came awake. She pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shh," she whispered. He sat up and their lips met. Softly at first, but with increasing ardor. "Where did you learn to kiss like this, Draco?" she murmured between kisses. He grinned around her lips.

"Same place you did, Ginny."

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