TBAY: The Night The Jabberknoll Screamed

[cindysphynx]

No: HPFGUIDX 38890

Well, nothing clears the mind like having a yellow flag bounced 
directly off your *skull*, I always say.  ;-)

I have decided to use the resulting lucid moment to think through 
what might have happened the night the Longbottoms were tortured.  
In my never-ending quest to establish the canonical authenticity of 
Reverse Memory Charm Neville, I have re-worked MATCHINGARMCHAIR 
(Marooned at the Court Hearing, Ill-fated Neville Got a Reverse 
Memory Charm, Hatching Amnesia-Invoking Results) to beef up the 
canon substantially.  

Before we dive into this, I feel obligated to warn you all in 
advance.  The Night The Jabberknoll Screamed was a gruesome 
evening.  Not pretty.  As bad as they come.  Have your FEATHERBOAS 
at the ready, because you might need them to comfort yourselves when 
you're at home.  In your bed.  All alone.  In the dark.

****************

By way of background, I believe that there are lots of reasons to 
dismiss the idea that Neville received a Traditional Memory Charm 
(the kind Bertha Jorkins received) that impaired his magical ability 
and memory.  Thankfully, Elkins covered many of these objections in 
the fabulous Memory Charm Symposium (Messages 38,812, 38,813 and 
38,848).  I have repeatedly and steadfastly maintained that (1) the 
Traditional Memory Charm theory is too obvious and therefore is not 
JKR's style; (2) that Neville was likely too young to have 
remembered the torture and so did not need a Benevolent Memory 
Charm; (3) if the Pensieve Four were to trouble themselves with 
Neville, they would have simply killed him; and (4) most Memory 
Charm theories aren't very Bangy and don't properly account for how 
the Pensieve Four were apprehended.  That last is a controversial 
claim, to be sure, but it needs to be said.  ;-)

Now.  If Neville doesn't have a Traditional Memory Charm, then what 
does he have?  I have always advocated the Reverse Memory Charm.  
But it is actually *more* likely that Neville was given a Memory 
Charm Potion – which is, I contend, a potion that *enhances* memory 
so that witnesses can recount events.

And the key to it all is the Jabberknoll.  According to Fantastic 
Beasts and Where To Find Them, p. 23. "Jobberknoll: "The Jobberknoll 
(northern Europe and America) is a tiny blue, speckled bird which 
eats small insects. It makes no sound until the moment of its death, 
at which point it lets out a long scream made up of every sound it 
has ever heard, regurgitated backwards. Jobberknoll 
feathers are used in Truth Serums and Memory Potions."

With that canon on the table and our FEATHERBOAs in our laps, here's 
what I think happened the night the Longbottoms were tortured.

***************

Frank is home with his family after another long day at the office, 
and the Longbottoms are doing whatever it is that wizard families do 
in their spare time.  Now that Voldemort has fallen and, in 
Dumbledore's words, "everyone thought they were safe", the 
Longbottoms pay a lot less attention to home security than they once 
did.

This proves to be a costly mistake.

The Pensieve Four (the Lestranges, Crouch Jr. and Fourth Man) show 
up and barge their way into the Longbottom home.  Why don't the 
Longbottoms flee?  Who knows.  Maybe they were asleep and the 
Pensieve Four sneaked up on them.  Maybe they were friendly with one 
of the Pensieve Four (Fourth Man or Crouch Jr.).  Take your pick.

Now personally, I like to think that Crouch Jr., being young and 
impressionable, is the key to how the Pensieve Four got the drop on 
the Longbottoms.  Sirius tells us that Crouch Jr. "was caught with a 
group of Death Eaters who'd managed to talk their way out of 
Azkaban."  This suggests that the other three had been sent to 
Azkaban, but Crouch Jr. had not.  He was a neophyte to being an Evil 
DE.  Or he was totally innocent and had no idea *why* Mrs. Lestrange 
was so interested in finding the Longbottom home, but he agreed to 
help out.  

Besides, it certainly makes sense that Popular Auror Frank would 
know Crouch Sr., the head of Magical Law Enforcement, and therefore 
know Crouch Sr.'s family – including Crouch Sr.'s accomplished young 
namesake.  After all, Crouch Sr. babbles to Harry that he is proud 
of his son and says, "My wife and son will be arriving shortly, we 
are attending a concert with Mr. and Mrs. Fudge."  If Crouch Jr. 
socializes with the future Minister of Magic, it isn't such a 
stretch to think that he also knows the Longbottoms.

Yup, that's right.  We have ourselves yet another Ambush!  Crouch 
Jr. set up Frank Longbottom!  Crouch Jr. shows up on the doorstep, 
Frank recognizes him immediately as Crouch Sr.'s terrific boy and 
swings the door open.  Oh yeah.  That's what we need – another 
Ambush scenario!  Before the Longbottoms can apparate away or escape 
or do anything else, they've all been captured.  

Mrs. Lestrange, who is probably the ringleader based on her Take-
Charge Demeanor in the Pensieve, starts off with the Imperius 
Curse.  Now, there's nothing in canon that says anyone used the 
Imperius Curse on the Longbottoms.  But come now.  The logical way 
to get the information out of the Longbottoms is with the Imperius 
Curse.  It's fast, and it's a whole lot more quiet and easy on the 
nerves than all that ear-splitting crying and screaming.  

But the Imperius Curse doesn't work, does it?  That's because Frank 
and his wife have *no idea* where Voldemort is.  I mean, really.  If 
popular Frank the Auror knew Voldemort's whereabouts, Frank would go 
finish off Voldemort himself.  Frank wouldn't stay home eating 
comfort food with his family.  Frank doesn't resist the Imperius 
Curse (oh, he tries, though, he really does), and Frank is not 
playing the hero; he just doesn't have the information.

Now I take note of Elkins' recent suggestion that Aurors probably 
are trained to resist the Imperius Curse and can't easily be 
controlled by it.  Ah, but they can!  When Dumbledore finds Real 
Moody in the trunk, he says, "Stunned – controlled by the Imperius 
Curse . . . "  Nah, Mrs. Lestrange ought to know to at least *try* 
the Imperius Curse (perhaps after Stunning Frank) before taking it 
to the next level – the Cruciatus Curse.

Anyway, Mrs. Lestrange, perhaps thinking that Frank is just 
resisting the Imperius Curse, decides to turn up the heat.  She was 
never one to take "no" for an answer, unfortunately.  She starts 
hitting Frank with the Cruciatus Curse.  Again and again and again, 
he swears that he doesn't know where Voldemort is, and each time he 
says this, he gets another Cruciatus blast.  Mrs. Lestrange doesn't 
believe a word Frank is saying, and the unspeakable torture just 
goes on and on and on.  Finally, Frank collapses into a wreck of a 
wizard who doesn't even move or make a sound when Mrs. Lestrange 
hits him with the Cruciatus Curses.  Frank is Finished.

Mrs. Lestrange is getting rather panicky now, isn't she?  I mean, 
she talked her way out of Azkaban specifically to find Voldemort, 
she hatched the "Torture Frank Half To Death Plan" and it *isn't 
working*.  Desperate, she turns to Frank's wife (which is really a 
long shot anyway because Frank's wife is almost certainly just 
Frank's wife and not an Auror).  Mrs. Lestrange figures it is worth 
a shot, on the off chance that Frank said something Important to his 
wife.  After a long while, a very long while, Mrs. Longbottom 
succumbs and collapses on the floor with Frank.  She, too, is 
Finished.

This is just not working out *at all*, Mrs. Lestrange decides.  In 
retrospect, she realizes that it was a mistake to start off 
torturing Frank -- now he is useless for anything other than 
satisfying the intellectual curiosity of the doctors at St. 
Mungos.  "I was *never* any good at making decent plans," she 
chastises herself.  "That's how I wound up in Azkaban in the first 
place; when will I ever learn?  I am so darn *impulsive*.  I have 
*got* to start writing things down and working out the details 
*beforehand*," she mutters to herself.

She surveys the situation.  There is an 18-month old toddler in the 
corner, crying, sucking his thumb.  There are two adults catatonic 
on the floor.  There is nothing to be gained by torturing the tyke; 
there is nothing to be gained by killing the tyke because he is too 
young to give evidence against her.  So the Pensieve Four just 
leave, taking care to fire the Dark Mark into the sky over the 
Longbottom's house, just because . . . well, that's what Death 
Eaters *do*, isn't it?

Before you know it, owls are arriving at MoM carrying panicked 
messages about the Dark Mark over the Longbottom's house.  The 
citizens are coming unhinged at the sight of the Dark Mark again.  
Moody, the best of the Aurors, is dispatched to investigate.  But 
guess who else shows up at the Longbottoms' house?  

Snape.  

Snape, the former DE, the nosy Hogwarts professor who spies for 
Dumbledore.  Severus "I'll do anything to be awarded The Order of 
Merlin" Snape.  The guy who given to trying to bring in the bad guys 
himself, like he tried to do with Quirrel/Lupin/Black.  It is common 
knowledge by this point that Snape is a former DE who spied for 
Dumbledore before Voldemort fell.  Moody, as we learn in the 
Pensieve scene, Doesn't Care For Our Dear Severus.  Not at all.

What do Moody and Snape find in the Longbottoms' house?  Two inert 
people and a little kid.  No sign of forced entry, even.  They have 
no idea at all what even *happened*.  They try "Ennervate" on the 
Longbottoms, and nothing happens -- they don't even *move*.  Moody 
and Snape are getting mighty worried by this point.  It is quiet -- 
deadly quiet.

That's when they hear the faint chirping.  Frank Longbottom keeps a 
Jabberknoll.  This makes perfect sense, when you think about it.  
Frank is an Auror, and he needs to have a supply of Truth Serum for 
interrogating suspects.  Jabberknoll feathers are needed for making 
this Truth Serum, so Frank has a Jabberknoll, which is quite at home 
in Northern Europe anyway.

But why doesn't Mrs. Lestrange notice the Jabberknoll?  Ah, well.  
Criminals do tend to make these hideous mistakes, don't they?  The 
Jabberknoll is tiny, so she simply may have overlooked it, and she 
couldn't make out the chirp of a tiny bird what with all of that 
tortured *shrieking and begging* going on.  Besides, Moody and Snape 
both know all about Jabberknolls, so they know to look around for 
one.

Moody and Snape consider.  They know that if they kill the 
Jabberknoll, it will regurgitate every sound it has ever heard – 
backward.  They know what they have to do.  Snape grabs the tiny 
Jabberknoll and enthusiastically rings the neck of the Longbottom 
family pet.

<Cindy pauses to gaze out the window of the mental image of Snape 
rubbing out a tiny, helpless blue bird>

The Jabberknoll starts regurgitating the sounds of the attack on the 
Longbottoms.  It is pretty much non-stop shrieking interspersed with 
the sounds of the Longbottoms begging for their lives, and it goes 
on for a long, long time.  As chilling as this is, it tells Snape 
and Moody what they need to know – the Longbottoms were tortured for 
a very long time.  And Snape and Moody can hear the voices of four 
assailants.  

But who are the Four Assailants?  That's the problem.  Snape and 
Moody have no physical description, and they darn sure can't 
recognize the voices or make out the words coming out of the 
Jabberknoll in reverse.  The trail is cold already.

Unless . . . unless . . . Moody can persuade Snape to make a Memory 
Potion and feed it to the only witness – Neville.  A Memory Potion 
to be made from the feathers of the Jabberknoll Snape just 
executed.  A Memory Potion that will enhance Neville's memory so 
that he can state exactly what happened that night.

Oh, Snape wants no part of this, does he?  Snape will rub out a 
little birdie, but he's not up for harming Frank Longbottom's son.  
The Longbottoms were *popular* and Snape doesn't want to be 
responsible for what happens to Neville if something goes wrong.  
Snape has no idea what will happen to Neville if he is given a 
Memory Potion.  Aurors have only used that potion on adults, not 
little kids.  No telling what kind of damage will occur if this 
potion is used on a small child.  

Moody and Snape argue, with Moody questioning Snape's loyalty and 
all.  You think Snape and Moody tangled in "The Egg and the Eye?"  
That was *nothing* compared to the confrontation here where Moody is 
trying to get Snape to use a Memory Potion on a toddler.  

Then, Crouch Sr. shows up.  Crouch Sr. will stop at *nothing* to 
catch Dark Wizards, and judging by the flock of owls that were 
streaming into MoM that night, there's going to be some *serious* 
pressure for an arrest.  "Power hungry" Crouch Sr. isn't going to 
let one little toddler stand between him and being Minister of 
Magic, is he?  We're talking about "very harsh measures against 
Voldemort's supporters" Crouch.  "Fought violence with violence" 
Crouch.  "Ruthless and cruel" Crouch.  Crouch Sr. *orders* Snape to 
make the Memory Potion right then, and Snape, never being willing to 
stand up to authority (as demonstrated by his allowing Fudge to 
bring a dementor into the castle in GoF), caves and does what he is 
told.

Snape makes the Memory Potion, which causes Neville to be able to 
communicate exactly what happened.  But Snape was right about the 
side effects – Neville`s memory and magical ability are in fact 
compromised.  Neville's memory of the torture has been permanently 
enhanced, and he hears the screams of his parents to this day.  Ever 
since Snape gave the potion to Neville against his better judgment, 
Snape is searching for some sort of potion that will reverse the 
effects of the Memory Potion on Neville.  So far, no luck.  

Neville in GoF and PoA displays tremendous fear of Snape and 
Moody.   And for good reason, I think.  Indeed, I like Elkins' idea 
that Neville has been crying in the scene where Crouch/Moody takes 
Neville to his office for tea.  Crouch/Moody knows perfectly well 
that Neville fingered him all those years ago.  So, no, Crouch/Moody 
doesn't give Neville a Memory Charm to help him.  And Crouch/Moody 
doesn't enhance Neville's Memory Charm because Neville doesn't 
*have* a Traditional Memory Charm.  

No, Crouch/Moody explains what happened The Night The Jabberknoll 
Screamed.  After all, Snape, Moody, and Crouch Sr. are the only ones 
who even know about this Memory Potion.  Crouch Jr. learns about the 
whole thing from Real Moody.  Crouch/Moody explains to Neville what 
happened that night and explains that Neville had his memory 
enhanced with the Memory Potion.  Does this make Neville feel 
better?  Heck yeah!  Now Neville knows he helped avenge his parents, 
and he knows all of his problems are *not his fault*.  Crouch/Moody 
wins Neville's trust.  Winning Neville's trust proves to be rather 
useful, doesn't it?

Now, I'd like to be able to take credit for the whole Memory Potion 
thing.  I really would.  But I can't.  No, the person who first 
proposed a Memory Potion (so far as I know) as an alternative to a 
Reverse Memory Charm is one of the leading experts on Memory Charms –
 Elkins!  Here's a bit of what Elkins wrote in Message 35,902:

>The Reverse Memory thing wasn't actually a 
>charm at all. It was a *potion.*

<large snip>

>And that's the real reason why Snape's so cranky about Neville's 
>incompetence in his potions class, you see. That's *guilt,* is what 
>that is. Guilt, and anger that he was made to look like such an
>incompetent by that blithering moron Crouch, who simply *would* not 
>listen to him when he had tried to explain that his tests had not 
>yet been completed, and that he could not therefore make any 
>promises at all that his new potion would not, in fact, turn the 
>boy's brain to mush.

>It's also why Dumbledore's asking him to brew up that Wolfsbane 
>Potion for Lupin was such a very big deal to Snape, and why he 
>became so very irritable when Lupin seemed to be hesitating before 
>gulping it down. And why it was really quite kind of Dumbledore to 
>insist on using Snape's "strongest" Veritaserum on Crouch at the 
>end of GoF. 

>That was a gesture of trust, that was. And I'm sure that Severus
>appreciated it.

Why, thank you, Elkins!  Couldn't have said it better myself!

Cindy (who desperately wants to make Moody Ever So Evil in this 
theory, but who thinks it best to introduce these things very slowly)