I.13. – Truth Be Told

The truth is rarely pure and never simple.


OSCAR WILDE – The Importance of Being Earnest

 “So, kids, I want to see results. What have you got for me?” Damocles rubbed his hands with a mock expectant face and looked around, settling on Narcissa, the most senior member beside himself.

She showed him a series of protocols documenting their latest experiments and was duly ashamed that they had nothing more impressive to show for. As it was, they had been experimenting with a potion based on Veritaserum which was, in theory, supposed to heighten a person’s concentration (with the working hypothesis that undeliberate truthfulness would serve as a sort of ‘filter’ for one’s brains to keep focused only on the significant), but truth be told, despite all their most single-minded concentration on the topic, they hadn’t gotten anywhere much since Cle had last asked. Due to his upcoming finals, he did no longer partake in their meetings and only popped in now and then to look how his protégés were doing.

“The by-products are rather interesting though, don’t you think?” Severus muttered awkwardly.

“By-products? I don’t think I see what you mean, pal.”

“Well, we didn’t get any closer to our declared aim, admittedly,” Lily inserted, sparing poor Severus another blush. “But we have sufficient evidence that this line –” She picked one of the protocols and waved with it – “brings exactly the opposite result.”

“It’s called ‘backfiring’, kid,” Damocles said with a benevolent smirk.

Narcissa shook her head. “The opposite results of Veritaserum, Cle.”

“Well, that is rather wonderful. I’m just not sure what you mean to do with a potion that turns a person into a compulsive liar? The only thing I can think of is sending it to the Ministry of Magic, but I’m afraid they won’t need it. They’re proficient in this subject without our humble assistance.”

They all sniggered and, reluctantly, agreed to give up on that particular project. They’d been researching it for almost half a year now with little enough to show for. Before long, Narcissa would interrupt her attendance, too, in order to prepare for her OWLs, so they decided together with Damocles what to do next so that Severus and Lily could do some basic work before she’d join them again in autumn.

“Don’t look so disappointed, Sev,” Lily comforted her companion after officially adjourning.

“We put so much work into this...”

“You needn’t tell me. But it wasn’t useless altogether. Me, I learnt an awful lot about truth serums.”

“I have a feeling we were really on to something, Lily.”

“Well, we might have been. But you really got to know when something’s really, really over.” He looked surprised and she elaborated, “You’ve heard Narcissa and Damocles. We’ll start with the experiments on Claudandum next week. You don’t seriously want to argue with Narcissa about it, do you?”

He absent-mindedly put the useless protocols into his bag. “Blimey, no... I just thought – we could keep on doing this on the side, could we not? We’ve come so far and –”

Lily shook her head. “Where did we get, then? Because Damocles is right; what’s anyone supposed to do with it?”

He opened his mouth as if for a reply, but shut it again. The was no point in arguing with Lily, that was for sure, all the less since he couldn’t even put his finger on why he thought they might be successful after all. And as for Narcissa – he would never have dared to argue with her. Despite her friendliness, she sometimes intimidated him with her decisiveness.

Well, boys of a less diffident disposition than he were intimidated by her as well, if for very other reasons. A girl half as pretty as Narcissa Black would have sufficed to incite keen interest in the opposite sex in a school full of adolescent teenagers. A girl of her kind of extraordinary beauty, however, simply drove a lot of boys mad, and her strict refusal to do as much as look at any of them only heightened the attraction. Therefore it was little wonder that Lucius Malfoy wasn’t the only one by far who strained to win her good graces by whatever means: clumsy poems were written on her behalf, Quidditch victories were dedicated to her, but nothing ever changed her mind. In fact, she gave the impression she hardly noticed the efforts more than she’d notice some irksome insect – she just brushed them off absent-mindedly. From trying to persuade her to trying to coerce her, it was only a small step.

One Saturday afternoon in the Great Hall, she was brooding over her Transfiguration notes to start preparing for her OWLs, absent-mindedly stirring her coffee, just lifting the cup to her lips, when she noticed an ever-so-faint, hardly discernible smell. She wrinkled her nose but otherwise ignored it, only a far-out corner of her mind registered habitually ‘blueberries – poppy seeds – dragon blood – a hint of leather…’ She always did that, counting all the potions coming to her head containing such ingredients as means to train her memory. It also worked to impress her father when she did the same with a good vintage wine. Blueberries, poppy seeds, dragon blood and a trace of leather could be included in… Hubanum… Emphalis… Amorandum…

She had almost taken a sip when that thought caught up with her. Amorandum? The nose-wrinkle got more pronounced and discerned further smells, all of them ingredients of Amorandum as well, which was a strong, illegal love potion she had read about lately. Narcissa was no fool. She could easily imagine why someone would spike her drink with such a substance, and the sheer thought enraged her as much as it disgusted her; she found the usage of love potions only one, and a very small one it was, step from rape. To test her theory, she raised her wand, flicked it and murmured, “Freia?”

Not a minute later, her great eagle owl flew in and landed on the table next to her. Narcissa fed her a piece of cake, patted her feathers and whispered, “I am so sorry, hon, but you’ve got to help me. If I’m mistaken, you’ll just have a drop of awfully bad coffee. But if I’m right…”

Freia trustingly ruffled her feathers and opened her beak, so Narcissa could feed her a biscuit soaked with some drops of coffee, and saw in the next moment that her suspicion was well-founded. Freia’s eyes turned blurry for a minute, then she darted up into the air, shrieking shrilly and purposefully towards the entrance, where Narcissa could just see someone turning around the corner and out of sight. Oh, just as well.

Just as well, indeed! The few drops of love-potion-laced coffee affected the poor bird for no more than two hours, but the effects on the perpetrator lasted much longer. That night at dinner, Elias Yaxley, that abominable git, showed up with an entire set of lovely scratches inflicted on him by a lovesick owl, and decidedly avoided looking over to his intended victim. Narcissa pursed her lips in contempt. Yaxley’s older sister Venus was renowned for her talent with potions. No doubt she had equipped her brother with that stuff! Venus Yaxley, ph! She was another of those school beauties, pretty beyond words and taking advantage of it in every possible way. She’d also dated Lucius Malfoy for two weeks or so two years ago. Until he had dumped her, that was!

“What’s wrong with him?” Graham asked before shoving a half a kidney pie into his mouth.

Bertie giggled. “His first attempt on shaving?”

“Side-effects of a love potion,” Narcissa snarled drily and received some curious glances for that remark, forcing her to elaborate, “I found it in my coffee today –”

Lucius stared at her. “What?!”

“I literally sniffed it out and fed it to my owl then.”

Bertie appraised Yaxley with a disdainfully curled lip. “I guess she tried to show the originator a whole lotta lovin’, eh?”

They all burst out laughing, but later, on their way back to the Slytherin dungeons, Lucius caught up with her and muttered under his breath, “I promise I will make the jerk pay for this, Cissa!”

She sniggered and patted his arm. “That’s very sweet of you, Lucius, but your intervention won’t be necessary.”

“A few scratches, that’s all he’s got! He deserves to be made paying!”

“How chivalrous you can be, Lucius!”

He swallowed, then caught her elbow and pulled her into a small niche. “I know you think I’m a cad in every way concerning girls, Cissa, but I want you to know – to really know that I’d never –”

“Yes, I know,” she interrupted him, smiling. “I know you a little bit by now, don’t you think?”

She held the same speech to Andromeda that night, who had heard of the incident and reacted similarly irate as Lucius. “At first I thought it had been Malfoy who –”

“He wouldn’t, Andy. Ever. He’s not like that.”

“He’s not like that?! Not like that?!” Andy grimed, forgetting her initial wrath. “He’s the godfather of every prat mistreating girls in this school! Their big idol! The textbook example!”

“I know him better than you, Andy. He is my friend –”

“Your friend! Merlin’s beard, I felt more at ease when you still refused having any!”

“At any rate, he wouldn’t slip me a love potion, or any other girl, come to that. Takes the triumph out of victory. Lucius Malfoy wants to win.”

“But he isn’t above cheating if he can’t win the proper way!” Andromeda narrowed her eyes. “You… You’re not starting to fall for the bollocks he’s telling you, are you?!”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Andy,” Narcissa retorted quickly and angrily.

“Be that as it may, I will report Yaxley to Professor Slughorn and –”

“No, please don’t. I’ve got other plans for him.”

Andy tilted her head. “Do I, in my capacity as the Head Girl who also happens to be your sister, want to know the details of these plans?”

Narcissa grinned. “No need to worry. Let’s say it’ll be a little surprise.”

Oh, indeed. Yaxley thought he could drip potions into her coffee to take advantage of her? That principle worked in both ways, didn’t it! Venus Yaxley might be three years her senior and in her first year at College, but Narcissa prided herself on her own gifts with potions. She’d accept Damocles as her superior, but not Venus Yaxley, that little sl- – and a potion she would use for her revenge.

She chose Veritaserum, for the simple reason that she, Cle, Severus and little Lily had lately experimented with a potion based on it, and they had a bit left still for experimental purposes. Otherwise, it would have taken too long to brew it anew – revenge should be a cold dish, but not one served when the perpetrator had already forgotten the crime, right? What was more – a truth serum seemed like a very good way to get back on that slimy, two-faced maggot. Also, it was a transparent fluid without any scent or taste of its own.

“Lucius, I believe I heard you say that you wanted to get back on your roommate Yaxley for the Amorandum stunt he pulled the day before yesterday…”

“One word from you, Cissa, and he’s toast!”

“Toast may come into it somewhere, yes, but not in the way you’re thinking of. I don’t want you to curse the wretched worm. I want you to intoxicate him.”

She winked at Lucius, who shot her a curious look. “Go on, I’m all ears!”

“This –” She produced a vial and showed it to him. “– is the most powerful truth serum known to mankind. It is so powerful, it could make the Minister for Magic admit in public that he is nothing but a power-crazed dunce accepting every bit of bribery coming his way, and it’ll make Yaxley spill the beans, too. As his dorm-mate, I think you can come closer to him than I ever could without raising suspicion, and I am certain that you also know the easiest way to give it to him.”

“I love the underhandedness!”

“I thought you would appreciate the scheme.”

“Subtle, sly and vicious!”

“I’ve learnt from the best!”

They grinned at each other like sharks. Of course, Narcissa had never done anything that had not won Lucius’ full and unreserved admiration, but it were moments like these that made him so perfectly certain that there’d never be another girl for him. Narcissa Black was outstandingly beautiful, oh yes, but that wasn’t what captured his imagination. She was the most intelligent person he had ever met, no doubt, but this didn’t engage his fancies either. It truly was her temper, that indescribable blend of amicability and deviousness, the air of total control, cunning vindictiveness, the utter coolness she emanated. She was so cool, she was like a guy, a real mate. His soul mate… Oh Merlin, he loathed himself for thoughts like this, it was so bloody sentimental; she’d despise him if she knew what was going through his head in a moment like this.

It all happened according to plan. Lucius slipped the potion into Yaxley’s flask while the boy was in the shower and Graham sprinkled a handful of salt into the bowl of scrambled eggs – Yaxley’s favourite breakfast dish – in the Great Hall before any of the other boys from their dorm arrived. They had carefully chosen the day of the execution – this morning the Seventh Years would practice for their oral NEWT exams with the Professors Sprout and McGonagall, and younger students were allowed to watch the mock exams to prepare for their own. Normally, only Sixth Years were permitted, but Narcissa had pleaded her case by claiming she’d like to be properly prepared for her OWLs. She’d have hated to miss the show.

Yaxley ate the over-salted eggs together with some rashers of bacon and was all serene complacency, foreseeing a great success that morning. He marched to the Herbology exam and passed in style without taking a swig from his bottle. Narcissa was secretly glad; she’d prefer him to crack in front of McGonagall. So much more fun. And then, in the Transfiguration classroom, he finally did get thirsty, he did take a few big sips. Narcissa and Lucius exchanged a fleeting look, suppressing a smile and instantly refocusing on the ongoing test. It was Graham’s turn; he was sweating as if he had just played an entire Quidditch match, and stuttered whenever he opened his mouth to answer a question. His answers were no good, bordering on idiocy at times, but for once in her life, Narcissa didn’t feel like mocking such intellectual inferiority. She truly felt for the boy. At least, McGonagall didn’t feel like tormenting him and ended the humiliating spectacle soon, giving him a whole lot of tips how he could still improve. Narcissa, in the background, gave him her warmest smile, mouthing, “We’ll manage!” and received a grateful nod in return.

Another student was tested and then it was Yaxley’s turn. He walked confidently to the front, flashed his teeth and answered to the first three or four questions without blinking, and rather brilliantly, too. The Professor nodded appreciatively.

“Quite fine, Mr Yaxley. Being so advanced, I’m sure you can also tell me in which relation the Transfiguration of part-humans stands to La Motte’s Fourth Law?”

Narcissa had seen this question coming – she’d learnt with Lucius and knew their curriculum – and Yaxley didn’t let her down when retorting condescendingly, “La Motte’s Law, sod’s law! I knew you’d ask me that, you old hag!”

McGonagall’s brows rose so high they disappeared under her hat. Narcissa bit her lips to keep herself from laughing, Lucius pressed his fist to his mouth to achieve the same, most other mouths in the room had simply dropped wide open. Yaxley looked thunderstruck, unable to believe what he had just said.

The teacher pursed her lips. “Care to repeat that, Mr Yaxley?”

“The old biddy’s deaf,” Yaxley replied, his bulging eyes showing his panic, but he seemed incapable to stop himself. “Which part didn’t you hear, then? About blithering La Motte’s Law – damn lover of Mudbloods he is – or didn’t you catch the bit about being an old hag?”

“You have clearly taken leave of your senses,” McGonagall stated almost scientifically, like a Healer examining a sad case.

Yaxley’s eyes nearly popped out of his face; he swivelled around and pointed at Narcissa, who was sitting in the last row. “It’s her! She did that!”

McGonagall followed his pointed forefinger. “Miss Black?”

Narcissa rose to her feet. “Professor?”

“Would you enlighten me what the young man is babbling about?”

Narcissa smiled. “I would think that Mr Yaxley suspects me of feeding him a truth serum, Ma’am.”

“And why would he do that?”

“You’d better ask him, Professor.”

McGonagall tilted her head, glaring at the girl, but turning back to Yaxley. “Is that true? You suspect Miss Black of giving you a truth serum?”

“Yes! Darned cow!”

“And why would Miss Black do such a thing?”

“Because she knows I spiked her coffee with Amorandum last weekend and wants to get back on me!”

He received the most withering glance yet for that confession. “You did what?”

“I gave her Amorandum, silly!”

“Are you aware that Amorandum is not only a banned substance in this school, but also considered as illegal in general?”

“Of course I am. So what’s the big deal!”

Narcissa saw that the Transfiguration teacher could smile like a shark as well. “Didn’t I hear you say you wanted to study Wizard Law after your graduation, Mr Yaxley? In that case, the ‘big deal’ shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to you. You’re going to see your Head of House after this lesson, he’ll keep you informed about the rest. – Now to you, Miss Black. Is it right you fed Mr Yaxley that truth potion?”

“No, Ma’am, it is not right. But then again, I didn’t swallow any truth potion either, so you could hardly expect me to own up if I had done it.”

A battle was raging on the teacher’s face, but her sense of duty won in the end. “I think you should see Professor Slughorn as well, Miss Black.”

“Certainly, Professor.

And so, not five minutes later, the inebriated Yaxley, Narcissa, and her sister in her capacity as Head Girl, marched down to see their Head of House. Yaxley kept on swearing under his breath, mostly indistinctively, but here and there, one could hear harsh insults and the occasional threat.

“Mark my words, Black, you’ll pay!”

“Oh, get off it, Yaxley. I like to think we’re even.”

“Even! You think that, prissy Cissy, you just think that! But I will get you for this and you’ll wish you’d never been born then, you –”

Andromeda swivelled around, snatching his wrist like a vice and forcing him, even though he was a good deal taller than her, to look straight into her face. “Listen to me, Yaxley, listen very well,” she bellowed. “You dare touching her and it’ll be the last thing you’ll ever do, you mangy rat!”

“I won’t be bossed around by some Mudblood lover!”

She gave a dry, derisive laugh. “I think you just are, and you’ll endure it!”

“Andy –”

“No, Cissy, this pathetic excuse for a human being had it coming!”

“All I meant was that we shouldn’t be dawdling around. I want to see him facing Slughorn before the effect wears off.”

“Good point.” Andromeda dropped his wrist like a bit of Hippogriff poop and seized his sleeve instead, pulling him along like a misbehaving dog. Narcissa followed them leisurely. No matter what punishment she’d have to face for this stunt, it was worth it. But it didn’t come as bad, not nearly as bad as that. After informing Slughorn on the cornerstones of the accusation, he scarcely cared for the Veritaserum any longer. This might be connected to the fact that he must be aware that only a very few students could lay their hands on such stuff, among them Narcissa herself and Damocles Belby, neither of whom he wished to see incriminated. Yaxley’s furious rants on this head he simply ignored. Instead, he sent the poor boy into six weeks of detentions with the caretaker and condemned him to stock up the store cupboard in the Potions lab as far as sliced flobberworms, ground dung beetles and harpy claws went.

“And if I hear as much as a whisper that you tried something like this again, Mr Yaxley, I shall not only have to inform your parents, but also the Dean of Artemis College. I sincerely doubt you’ll be accepted with a criminal record!”

*****

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