Title: The Inquisition

Author: Breslin

Email: vanillafroggie@yahoo.com

Pairing: Neville Longbottom / Draco Malfoy

Rating: NC-17

Category: Angst

Warnings: Underage

Summary: Snape goes too far. Neville tells the whole truth.

Disclaimer: Not mine! No profit is being made. All things relating to Harry Potter belong to J.K.R.

Notes: This fic is part of the 'Gardeners Delight' Neville Fuh-Q-Fest (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gardenersdelightslash/).

Scenario: 33) Poor Neville! They've been making veritaserum in Potions class, and *of course* he botched it. That wouldn't be any different from any other Potions catastrophe, if Snape didn't make them test their potions on themselves, and then proceed to ask highly personal and embarrassing questions. Snape's idea, of course, is that no one will answer the questions unless their potion was done right. Neville is faced with a choice -- he can either admit that his potion is not working and fail the class, or he can pretend that it is working by answering the questions truthfully. (Carly)

Neville wiped his sweaty palms on his already damp robes.

It was like watching a horror show. The flickering torch light cast shadows across Snape's face, making him appear even more malignant and evil than usual. A cruel smirk had turned up the corners of his mouth grotesquely, and his black eyes flashed as they fell upon his next victim.

From behind Neville came a stifled sob. He guessed it was Lavender, but he didn't turn to look. He couldn't take his eyes off Snape.

"Mr. Weasley..." Snape almost purred the words, and his cold smile became uglier still. "Open wide."

Obediently, Ron opened his mouth, but Neville could see how pale he had become, his red hair a stark contrast to his face.

Ron cringed and made a disgusted face as the drop of liquid made contact with his tongue, but the next moment his muscles seemed to relax, his expression becoming blank and his eyes glazing over.

"Now," Snape said, leaning back against a desk and smirking, "why don't you tell us what you were doing in the Astronomy Tower two nights ago."

By Neville's side, Hermione made a helpless choking sound in her throat. She had already had her turn, but it seemed her humiliation was not yet over.

Even the Slytherins were silent and still; a far cry from their usual smirking, snickering selves. Even they recognized the change in Snape, and the danger in angering him.

Neville tried not to hear as Ron was forced to recount his late-night tryst in all its humiliating details. Neville could see the struggle play out on Ron's face, as Ron tried desperately to control his tongue. A full dose of Veritaserum would have forced Ron to answer questions without thought or feeling, but Snape gave them only enough to suppress their ability to resist answering. It was more horrible that way. They knew what they were saying; they felt the full humiliation and anger at being forced to reveal secrets they had kept from even their closest friends, but they were powerless to stop themselves.

Neville glanced down at the goblet on the desk in front of him. He was pretty sure the potion had not come out right. He had added the ingredients in the wrong order.

Then he glanced at Harry, standing off to the side, his face pale and drawn. He looked too drained to even be angry about Snape's treatment of Ron.

Part of him wanted to do what Harry had done. Harry's potion had been made correctly; Hermione had been helping him. But as Snape announced his intentions, Neville saw Harry pour a full flask of oil into his goblet, ruining the potion. Snape had glowered and glared, but all he could do was give Harry a failing grade. Then he had turned to the others, and the viciousness with which he proceeded to interrogate them left no doubts about his feelings.

But Harry could afford a failing grade in Potions. He was doing well in all his other classes. If Neville failed, this would likely be his final year at Hogwarts.

He was quaking inside. After Harry, Snape liked to torment him best. But a part of him knew what he must do, regardless of how painful and humiliating. He didn't make it to sixth year just to be kicked out of the school.

Snape had finished with Ron, and as the antidote took hold Ron practically ran to the back of the room.

"Mr. Longbottom," Snape said, his face suddenly so close to Neville's that Neville could not contain a whimper. "Your potion, please."

With trembling hands Neville handed him the goblet. Snape stirred it and slowly spooned a single drop with a small glass ladle.

"Open wide."

Neville forced his mouth to open. His tongue felt dry and his throat tight. He thought he might choke at any moment.

The droplet was ice cold, but burned like fire. Neville felt tears spring to his eyes. Then, remembering what he was supposed to do, he tried to force his face to go slack and his eyes not to blink.

Snape's eyes narrowed suspiciously, and for a long moment Neville thought he would surely see through the deception. But Snape seemed satisfied, judging by the cruel smile that had returned to his lips. Neville waited, hardly breathing. He knew whatever Snape asked, it was bound to be something horrible.

"Are you a virgin, Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville shuddered involuntarily as his brain tried frantically to decide on an answer. This was it; truth or lie, he had to decide now!

"No," Neville said, feeling the heat creeping up his neck.

Involuntarily he looked past Snape and his eyes met a pair of shocked, round ones. The boy's mouth was an O of surprise and horror.

Snape had been leaning back nonchalantly, but now he straightened, like a predator ready to pounce. His eyes were once again narrowed and suspicious.

"No?" he repeated in mock surprise. "That is quite shocking, Mr. Longbottom. Pray tell how you came to lose your virginity."

There was a wave of whispers around the room. Snape silenced them with a single look.

He turned back to Neville. "In detail."

Neville almost turned and ran. What was a failing grade compared to this?

Then his rational mind took hold again and brought him out of his panic. Snape hadn't asked him whom he had been with.

"I--I was--in the P-Prefect's bathroom," Neville stuttered, the words almost refusing to come. Snape wanted details!

Snape's face had gone rigid. Clearly he had expected to catch Neville in a blatant lie.

"I--that is, we were cleaning up after the food fight."

An angry look passed over Snape's face at that reminder.

"And, well, we didn't know anyone else was in there when we came in, so we--we undressed and we--" Neville felt his face flushing and had to force himself to go on. "We got in the shower before we saw each other."

The room was deathly silent. Neville took a deep breath.

"And then--uh--we saw each other. And we--uh--got--uh--hard," Neville's voice was just a squeak. "And we had to confess that--uh--we were both... gay."

Neville was blushing furiously, but across the room he could see someone who was having an even worse time of it.

"And he--uh--asked me if I'd ever... gone anything. I said no. He asked me if I wanted to. With him, that is. Then we--uh--we... he got on his knees and..."

The eyes boring into Neville's were pleading with him.

Forgive me, he said silently, I can't stop now.

"He--he sucked my..." Neville almost choked on the word, "cock."

There was a murmur rippling across the room. Neville swallowed hard. His humiliation would be the same whether he continued or not.

Snape was staring at him with a somewhat stunned expression. For a moment Neville thought he might put a stop to this, but Snape made no move to do so.

"And then, he asked me if I wanted to do more, and I--I said yes, I did," Neville said. "We used lotion because we didn't have any lube--lubricant, and he--he put his--" Neville couldn't say the word again "--his thing in me. And then--"

Snape put up a hand. "Stop. Enough."

Neville swallowed hard again, trying to push down the horrible lump that was in his throat.

"Well," Snape said, his expression grim, "that certainly was entertaining, Mr. Longbottom. I wouldn't have guessed what a lively existence you lead."

It was over. Neville's gaze flew once again across the room, and this time he saw a very relieved face looking back at him.

"I suppose I have no choice but to give you a top mark," Snape continued, but he looked with obvious distaste at the contents of Neville's goblet, still unconvinced of its potency. "Your first in six years, I believe. But before I do..."

Neville choked on his sigh of relief.

"Would you mind telling us whom, exactly, you lost your virginity to?"

A smirk was back on Snape's face. Clearly he was making a last ditch effort to force Neville to admit that his potion had been a dud.

Neville opened his mouth, but no words came out. Across the room, a desperate shaking of the head and biting of the lip told him just how much rested on his choice.

I'm sorry, Neville thought fervently. I'm sorry!

"Draco Malfoy."

Snape dropped the goblet.

It hit the ground with a loud clang, spilling the remainder of the potion across the stone floor, but the sound did nothing to mask the slam of the dungeon door as a pale, white-haired figure streaked out of the room.