21 Chapter 21. First Goal.

[The Next Day]

The next day, the permission for the use of truth serum had arrived, and Dumbledore had entrusted the task to Madam Sprout. The classroom was filled with students, eager to witness the proceedings.

"Professor Slughorn, if you please, provide us with the potion," Madam Sprout requested, and Professor Slughorn promptly sent one of the prefects to fetch the potion.

The prefect returned with the potion, placing it directly into Madam Sprout's hands. Professor Slughorn, ever the experienced wizard, advised, "Please take two drops each. It should be enough for the truth to be revealed."

As the four accused individuals —Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew along I—made our way to the front, I couldn't help but relish the moment.

The anticipation in the room was palpable. I maintained a neutral expression, fighting the urge to smirk. The students beside them nudged the Marauders forward as they seemed reluctant to comply.

Madam Sprout's gaze fell upon me. "Mr. Snape, you will be the first to answer the questions," she declared.

"Very well, Madam," I replied, raising the small vial to my lips and consuming the serum. Its bitter taste filled my mouth, and I prepared myself for the forthcoming interrogation.

"Was everything you said yesterday in the hallway about the incident the truth?" Madam Sprout inquired, her voice firm.

"Yes," I replied, knowing that my previous account was indeed truthful, albeit with certain omissions and manipulations.

"Have you ever used the cloak to spy on anyone?" she probed further, her eyes fixed upon me.

"No, ma'am," I responded, my voice steady. I had used the cloak, but not with the intention of spying on others, although that part remained unsaid.

"Have you used the map?" Madam Sprout continued her questioning.

"Yes, I have used it. When I acquired it from them, it was still open. However, my primary purpose was to study the map," I explained, partially revealing the truth.

"Were you going to submit them to Professor Slughorn?" she asked, her gaze piercing.

"Yes," I lied, the words rolling off my tongue smoothly. In truth, I had no intention of surrendering the items to any professor. Through considerable practice in Occlumency, I had convinced myself of this falsehood.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Severus," Madam Sprout said, her voice softening. "I am glad to hear that you haven't used these magical objects for malicious purposes."

As the questioning continued, the students in the classroom grew restless. One Hufflepuff student suggested, "Since Madam Sprout will be questioning the accused four, why don't we provide her with the questions to ask?"

The suggestion was met with enthusiasm, and the students hastily wrote down a list of questions they deemed important. They were eager to uncover the truth and ensure justice was served.

When I turned to see the student who had made the suggestion, my magical senses were overwhelmed, almost blinding my magical eyes with the brightness of the magic he possessed.

Instinctively, I shielded my eyes, ensuring no one could witness their momentary illumination. As I closed my eyes, I concentrated on my magical senses, and I sensed a dark energy emanating from him—an inner turmoil as if his very being was in a constant state of conflict.

With a focus, I opened my eyes once again, concealing any evidence of my observations. It was a curious discovery that would have to wait for further exploration.

The identity of the mysterious student who possessed overwhelming magical energy remained a puzzling mystery to me. I had never seen him before, yet his power exceeded even my own and that of Dumbledore.

'Just who are you?'

I wondered silently, intrigued by this being. However, I have other matters to attend to for now. Placing a rat in his shadow and another in Amelia Bonnes's shadows, I focused my attention on the ongoing proceedings.

For now, the trial continued, and I remained vigilant, my occlumency shields firmly in place.

I had contributed to the list of questions for Madam Sprout, and now it was her responsibility to interrogate the four accused individuals.

Returning to Narcissa's side, I joined her as we observed the unfolding events. The rest of the process would be handled by Madam Sprout, a professor whom I admired for her unwavering determination and gentle nature.

"He's making all of this up! You shouldn't believe this slimy snake," Black immediately protested as I left their vicinity, his narcissism shining through. "Do I look like someone who needs to spy on girls to see them naked? They willingly reveal themselves, even without my request."

Oh, the audacity of Black's narcissism! His words only served to infuriate the girls further. In response, a girl threw her shoe at him, shouting, "Pervert! Creep!"

"You shouldn't believe him. He's just a Slytherin, and they are all liars," Potter added, worsening his situation by earning the collective disdain of the entire Slytherin house with his biased remark.

Lupin remained silent, while Pettigrew trembled in fear, fully aware that he had indeed spied on girls.

Refusing to take the truth serum, Black exclaimed, "I won't take it! They must have mixed something in it."

"Mister Black, I ask that you take the serum. I simply want to know the truth. After all, Severus took it, and nothing happened to him," Madam Sprout warned, her voice stern.

Reluctantly, they all took the two drops of truth serum. The tension in the room intensified as the interrogation continued.

"I will ask the first question," Madam Sprout began. "Was this map made by you?"

"Yes," all four of them admitted in unison.

"Did you all ambush Severus in the past few days, as he claimed?" she inquired.

"Yes," they responded.

Anger flared in Madam Sprout's eyes. It was evident that she genuinely cared about the well-being of her students.

"Were you all planning on hurting him?" she asked, directing her question at Potter and Black to verify my earlier account of their ambush.

"Yes," Potter and Black admitted.

"No," Lupin countered.

Turning her attention to Pettigrew, she confronted him directly. "I want to know if you used this cloak and map to spy on girls while they were bathing."

Madam Sprout's voice dripped with barely contained venom as she addressed the accusation.

"Yes," Pettigrew confessed, causing outrage to erupt among the girls. They rose from their seats, wands at the ready, pointing at the four accused students.

"Wait! I haven't finished asking my questions yet. You will have your justice once the questioning is complete," Madam Sprout reprimanded the students, restoring order to the classroom. She continued, "Even though you were aware of your friends' misconduct, is it true that you never reported them?"

"Yes, but I didn't know about the spying," Lupin answered. It was a question I had written, aimed at exposing Lupin's negligence.

"I thought you were a good student, Mr. Lupin, but it seems I have misjudged you," Madam Sprout remarked, disappointment lacing her words. She then turned her attention to Sirius Black.

"Mr. Black, what did you do with the map?" she inquired.

"I used it to spy on Slytherins and prank students from other houses," Black admitted.

"Did you even target first-year students in your pranks?" she asked, her grip on the paper tightening.

"Yes," Black answered, eliciting a visible reaction from Madam Sprout. Her anger threatened to tear the paper in her hands.

"Do you enjoy tormenting your fellow students?" she shouted at Black, struggling to contain her emotions.

"No, but it is satisfying to see those wannabe Death Eaters in pain," Black responded callously, projecting his anger towards his own parents onto the Slytherin students.

"They are just children! They will learn the difference between Death Eaters and all other things as they grow older," Madam Sprout retorted, her voice filled with righteous indignation. Professor Flitwick intervened, calming her down and urging her to continue.

Finally, Madam Sprout turned her attention to Potter and posed the question that I had included. "Did you use the map to spy on a girl named Lily Evans, to know her whereabouts and observe her, even when she sat in the library with her friend?"

Potter's response confirmed what I already suspected. He had indeed used the map to spy on Lily and, dare I say, myself as well. Although Lily was no longer a friend, I had no intention of allowing Potter to come near her again.

"Yes, but I never used it to spy on her in any compromising situations. I merely wanted to know where she was and catch a glimpse of her," Potter admitted, unknowingly sealing his fate. It seemed his pursuit of Lily Evans, or any girl for that matter, would forever remain out of his reach.

Madam Sprout continued her relentless questioning. "Did you steal potion ingredients from Professor Slughorn's office?"

"Yes," they all answered in unison, their voices echoing with guilt.

At that moment, Headmaster Dumbledore arrived, silently observing the scene from a corner of the room. The weight of judgment hung heavy in the air.

"There you have it, Headmaster. One of them used the map and cloak to spy on girls in compromising situations. Another one stalked a girl. They all stole from the office and ambushed first-year students. Now, it is up to you to decide what we should do with them and the map," Madam Sprout proclaimed, her frustration palpable as she threw the paper in anger.

"Burn it!" the girls shouted vehemently, their voices filled with righteous anger.

Dumbledore listened to their pleas and declared, "That I shall do." Without hesitation, he complied with their request and set fire to the map, its secrets vanishing into ashes.

"Expel them! Hang them upside down!" the girls continued their cries for justice.

"For bringing forth your honesty, Mr. Snape, I award you 50 points. I thank you for your truthfulness," Madam Sprout announced, acknowledging my contribution to exposing the Marauders.

With this recognition, my image around the school underwent a complete transformation. From a perceived Death Eater sympathizer, I was now seen in a more favorable light—a champion who had unveiled the dark truth about these despicable individuals. This newfound reputation would undoubtedly aid me in my plans and gather support from other houses.

But it comes at a price -the price of perception.

Ah, the delicate dance of perception. People, oh how they are swayed by appearances. A handsome countenance, a pleasing visage, and suddenly all is forgiven, justified, and forgotten.

How hypocritical, you might say. Yet, here I stand, justifying my actions and desires, at the expense of my mother's death.

Such is the way of the world. It isn't always divided into white and black, it is a canvas painted in shades of grey. But....

What other choice do I have?

What way is the most effective to ease the pain I feel?

What other way can I make people forget my action, the damage I have done?

What other way will they give me a chance to change, to show them it is possible, what other way?

But alas, I know the best one, All they need is a handsome face and a sad story.

I wish there was someone, someone who under.... Leave it.

Let us not dwell on the intricacies of my morality. No, let us focus on the plan at hand. To ensure its success and lasting impact, I have changed the way I dressed, and the clothes I wore, altered the very face I had.

All to plant the seeds of doubt, to insidiously infiltrate their minds. For them to ease up, give me my chance to show them. Show them that I have changed.

For I have tainted my name, and tarnished my reputation, in the past few years.

As the echoes of screams filled the room, I was abruptly pulled back to reality. All around me, students, both girls and boys, raised their voices in gratitude and appreciation. "Thank you, Severus," their words reverberated, a chorus of success of my plan.

"So, how was the show?" I asked Narcissa, who directed her glare towards the four students now returning to their table.

"I believe they should be expelled from the school, and that pervert should be locked away in Azkaban. That bastard spied on girls while they bathed," Narcissa's words dripped with icy coldness. Her disdain for the accused was palpable.

Dumbledore's voice resonated throughout the room, silencing the uproar. "Now that everything has been clarified, I request you to be patient. The appropriate punishments shall be decided upon."

With this, I had achieved my first goal.

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Give me my STONES.