Chapter 2: Of Many Questions “Stand aside!” A deep voice commanded loudly. “No.” A lighter and familiar voice answered back calmly. “Get out of my way girl!” The first voice bellowed in rage. “No.” The second answered back softly but firmly. “SECTUMSEMPRA!” Harry awoke from his dream to find himself firmly bound by ropes to a wooden chair. The first thing he noticed was a faint buzzing noise in his head. It was really irritating and made it hard to focus. “Who was shouting?” Harry thought. “Their voices sounded so familiar.” His thoughts were disrupted however when a gruff voice in front of him said, “Arthur he’s awake.” Harry opened his eyes. He found himself in a dimly lit room. In front of him he could see the scarred face of Mad-Eye Moody. On his left sitting in a chair was Arthur Weasley. Harry could also so Tonks and Lupin sitting in wooden chairs behind Moody. The room itself was made out of stone and wouldn’t Harry thought, look out of place in the Hogwarts dungeons. The only exit from the room Harry could see was a wooden door about 10 ft behind the others. “What is going on?” Harry asked. Hoping against hope this was all a bad joke Harry asked, “Lupin is this what I get for my birthday? This isn’t funny guys.” Exchanging a quizzical look with each other Moody glanced at Lupin, keeping his magical eye fixed on Harry who shrugged before Moody returned his normal eye to look at Harry before saying in a dead series voice, “Are you Harry James Potter?” “Of course I am Harry James Potter. What kind of stupid question is that?” Harry replied annoyed, the buzzing in his head didn’t help his mood. “Very well,” Moody continued, “you have been brought in front of three representatives of the Order of the Phoenix on December 13th -” “WHAT,” Harry interrupted. “It is July 31st!” Moody continued like Harry had never spoken, “2006. Here we will question you about your actions as of late and will determine the appropriate consequences. And you have been drugged as to prevent you from using wandless magic” “This is ridiculous!” Harry shouted. “Remus tell him to stop it. Actions as of late, I haven’t done anything. Over the past week all I have done is research in the Hogwarts library, play quidditch in the backyard, and spend time with Ginny. What is going on here?” Moody glanced at Lupin who spoke for the first time in a tired and worn out voice. “Harry this is series. It is only because it is you that you are not dead already. We know what you did. Hell, even I saw you do it. Bill, Bill is dead Harry. You, you...” his voice faded off. Arthur continued calmly, “I treated you like a son Harry. And you betrayed us. Remus and the others caught you. Now all we are asking is why. Why did you do it Harry?” Shocked at the seriousness of what he was hearing Harry looked Lupin in the eyes and said, “I don’t know what you are talking about. That last thing I remember is kissing Ginny goodnight and going to sleep.” “You leave us no choice Harry.” Lupin said. “We will have to use veritaserum.” He proceeded to then take a small white vial out of his faded and tattered robes and handed it to Moody. Moody uncorked it and dumped it down Harry’s throat. Instantly sweet and utter bliss swept over Harry. It was like all the cares and burdens of the world were suddenly lifted from his shoulders, releasing him to sail freely among the clouds and stars. Then, like from far away Harry could hear a sweet voice ask, “Why were you at the Department of Mysteries?” A silly question really Harry thought. Everyone knows that. But he couldn’t deny that gentle and lovely voice that reminded him so much of a beautiful redhead he loved. “Ron, Luna, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and I went to the Department of Mysteries to rescue Sirius Black from Voldermort, who we thought was holding him as prisoner.” Ginny’s voice came back again reverberating gently off the clouds, “Yes. But why were you at the Department of Mysteries yesterday?” Yesterday, Harry puzzled. I wasn’t there yesterday. I woke up there today but I have no clue why I was there. He told the voice that but felt disappointed in himself for not being able to help that lovely voice. “You woke up in the Department of Mysteries today?” she asked. “Yes. I awoke in the Veil room but I don’t know why I was there. I wasn’t there yesterday.” A brief silence followed his answer before, “What was the last spell you cast verbally or non-verbally, with or without a wand and why?” Harry felt embarrassed inside at the answer but he couldn’t let Ginny down, “I cast a silence spell, muffliato on Ginny’s room. Ron kept barging in whenever he heard Ginny and I kissing and we wanted time to ourselves.” “And this was yesterday?” “Yes.” “Then how is it that Lupin claims that you knocked him out yesterday with a wandless and non-verbal spell.” Harry pondered this one for a moment before answering, “He must have encountered an impostor,” “Then, have you ever used the Avada Kadavra curse before?” she asked sounding just as sweet and beautiful as before. “Never,” Harry replied. “Finally, have you ever heard of the Staff of Death?” The sound of the staff sent a slight shiver down Harry’s spine disrupting the wonderful environment just for a moment before it returned to bliss. Harry repeated, “Never.” Then, the voice of Ginny faded away, leaving Harry alone in paradise until he eventually slipped away into blackness. ----In the Interrogation Room---- “Tonks has it ever been recorded of a person overthrowing the effects of veritaserum?” Arthur asked. “No Arthur. No one has ever done it, especially one brewed by such an accomplished master like Snape.” “Then what does it mean?” Arthur asked feeling confused. “It means,” Lupin answered, “that either Harry has found a way to overthrow the effects of veritaserum, that I truly faced an impostor at the ministry and all the attacks were by a different person and Harry has somehow lost track of the date, or like I believe, he has lost his memory of the past up to his birthday.” “But what do we do Remus?” Tonks asked. “Harry is a good person Tonks; well he was before his quest. If he has truly lost his memories up to that point then he is innocent and deserves a chance to live, a second chance.” “But the memories could come back,” Moody growled. “What happens if they come back and he tries to finish what he started?” “Then old friend,” Lupin responded solemnly, “we will have to take him out. But Harry is like a son to me. I thought he died yesterday. I was wrong. I would hate to have to lose him a second time.” “But Bill and Ginny,” Arthur said, “the family won’t understand. They might not take him back, and I can’t blame them after what he did. But he won’t even understand. What do I tell him? What do I tell my family?” “Tell them the truth Arthur.” Tonks replied. “Harry has been given a second chance in this world. The Order has kept everything he has done quiet. No one outside the Order knows. Maybe with some help from his friends things will turn out differently than before.” “I can only hope so.” Arthur replied sadly, before he got up and left the room.