Can Sins Be Forgiven (Persephone, Remus)

[Persephone Silverton]

The first week of classes was over. Everything had gone by swimmingly... sort of. By now, the Prophet had run the story on her. She was marked for Death. A blood traitor. The passwords reset, the order of things reshuffled. Voldemort would have, by now, chosen a new Agent of Death. She wouldn't be surprised if it was Lestrange herself. That wouldn't be so bad... in some ways. Bellatrix was predictable... But she was insane as well. There were other things that Persephone had to worry about first.

Namely the trial. Sirius told her, in about as friendly a tone he could muster, that it was a formality. That they technically had no evidence that she'd committed any crime that she could be prosecuted for, and this was just pomp and circumstance. Most likely, she'd be pardoned for her service to the Ministry, and she would be able to lead a relatively normal life with the stigma of once being a Death Eater not withstanding. Perfect. She'd already had to deal with the critical eyes of her older students who still didn't believe, despite the confirming reports from the Minister and the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement, that she was not working for the Death Eaters any longer. She should have expected this, though. She'd been following Voldemort all of her life. Obviously people would be skeptical when she just decided to give it up.

There was also the trouble with her social life. She was a pariah. Feared, respected, but not liked. She no longer fit in with the Death Eaters, and she doubted Sirius would open the Order doors to her yet. But the fact was, for as long as the war had been waged, Persephone had always fought in it. She could not imagine not being on one side. Clearly, her ideals had switched between her younger years and now. Yes, she still had differing beliefs, but she did belief in the sanctity of life, and after teaching some brilliant, not pure-blooded students, she also believed that perhaps the Death Eaters had been wrong about their prejudices from the start.

She was at a loss for what to do. She felt useless...

[Remus Lupin]

As horrible as the very thought of it was, he had to apologize to Silverton. McGonagall had bullied him into it and after a guilt trip, he decided that it may be better to get it out of the way as soon as possible. It felt a little as though he was back in school, when a Professor forced him or one of his mates to apologize for jinxing a Slytherin. The forced handshake and then the ranting about it afterwards, late at night in the common room. Though of course this time he was no naive schoolboy. He wasn't even a normal adult. Well, not in that sense he wasn't. He was the Minister for Magic and that meant that he had to be the better man sometimes, or something. So after having marked some astonishingly alright History of Magic essays and then a couple more essays that were clearly jotted down in the minutes before entering the classroom, he made his way over to Persephone Silverton's office.

He straightened his tie that had somehow come undone while mustering up the willpower to actual knock. Sometimes McGonagall truly did make him feel like a schoolboy again. So, with a reluctant sigh, he knocked on the door. Once, twice, three times and waited. When the door opened he cleared his throat, fighting the urge to bail and leave her standing there. He founds it difficult to forgive. A lifetime of crime couldn't be undone by one little good thing in his book. "So... uh... you got a minute?"

[Persephone Silverton]

Persephone looked up from the Arithmancy papers she'd been grading for her NEWT students. Not that she'd been actively grading much... Her mind was in a million different places. The knock on the door sounded so far away... Maybe it was in how things echoed down here in the dungeons. Standing quickly, she went to open the door, muttering, "Come in," before she realized who was standing opposite the threshold. Her heart seized for a moment or two, but she kept her expression unreadable. Or as unreadable as she could. Stepping aside so that he could walk passed her, she closed the door behind him and said, "For you, Minister, I have several." It was hard to keep the practiced bitter tone out of her voice. After all, this man had her condemned in his mind already, despite how she desperately wished he was different.

She'd harbored feelings for him since he was a first year and she was a second. She had thought by now they'd have vanished, but they only grew stronger with every school year. When he was named a prefect, she was forced to see him more and more. And of course, when she was head girl, she was forced to delegate his duties to him... so it hadn't been until the official start of the war that there'd been an opportunity to get over him... but she never did.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

[Remus Lupin]

Despite her efforts, he could see that she had trouble disguising the bitterness in her voice. Even if he tried, he could hardly blame her for it. He had not exactly been treating her kindly. But he hadn't known! How could he expect someone who had murdered other people in her lifetime, to suddenly turn out to be a double agent? He had half expected McGonagall to shout April-Fools, even though that wouldn't have been in order or in character at all. So now Remus was standing, his hands clenched into tight fists in Persephone's door. Finally he stepped across the threshold and into her office. He looked around appreciately while trying to think of a topic to breach before things got to uncomfortable. Somehow it did not feel right to address his ungentlemanly behaviour from the previous night right away. So, looking around at the office his mind fought over something to compliment. "You have a nice office," he stated in a forced sounding, polite type of tone. "Very... quaint." Which was true. Her office was situated in the dungeons but somehow she had managed to make it look hospitable all the same. He took a seat when she indicated for him to do so. He allowed himself a brief glance at her eyes before finding a spot by the far end of the wall to glance at.

She was such a tall woman, even though he still managed to tower over her and for some reason he found her strangely attractive. This was not all that unsual, actually. Persephone was an incredibly attractive woman. In fact, during his Hogwarts days, he had been obsessed with impressing her in the same way that James had tried to impress Lily. He had been a tad more subtle about it that James, though. But then she had turned out to be what she was, a Death Eater. So she had turned out to be what everyone predicted her to become even when he had hoped differently. She had been cruel and dangerous as a Death Eater. But still...

Now he looked at her, clearing his throat once more. "I just wanted to say that I feel that an apology is in order for my - uh - attitude last night. That was not in order and I can assure you that it won't happen again." It sounded impeccably formal, even for his taste. But he still did not feel that he could trust her. Not after everything. "Oh and good luck for the trial, Miss Silverton." He wanted to say more, given that the idea of a trial was probably rather intimidating, even for a woman like her. McGonagall would be rooting for her, he knew. He was still unsure about his view on things. Could she be pardoned? It was highly unlikely.

[Persephone Silverton]

Persephone walked around her desk, pausing before sitting as he complimented her office. She looked around, feeling that it was actually rather simple for something that belonged to her, but at the same time, she realized what he was doing. This was an ice-breaker, was it not? She was not quite sure. She never understood warming up into a conversation. When she had something to say, she just said it. "Thank you," she said, adjusting her robes and sitting down. "I would offer you something to drink, professor... Or is it Minister... which do you prefer?" she asked. "Anyway, I would offer you something to drink, but I'm not quite finished moving in. I had hoped to leave some hints of my sister's decorations. A silent tribute to her... But that does give me some limited ideas as to where to put certain things." Like her bar.

"You were close with Gabby, correct?" she asked. She was not sure how the marauders had exactly gotten along with her. Obviously, Sirius loved her. They had a child together. And James seemed crushed when he discovered that she was dead. Remus would then, one would assume, be close to her late sister? "I only ask because it did matter to me... Or rather, she did matter to me. Still does... I may have my opinions about certain people, but I am eternally grateful to all those who made my baby sister feel loved and appreciated during her life, no matter how unfairly short her life was."

She lifted a black brow at his... apology? If that's what it could be called. If she'd ever heard something forced... "You don't have to do that," she said. "I don't blame any of you for thinking the worst of me. I made my decisions when I was younger, most of them turned out to be monumental mistakes, but that said, I realize that I must live with the choice I made and the path I walked. If that means that the staff here at Hogwarts treats me as you have so far treated me, that is just a price I must pay to atone for my sins." And there were many. Very many. None of which were murder, however, and that's why she knew she would be exonerated. "Again, thank you, Remus." She'd just drop the Minister/Professor title. Though, her fate technically did rest in his hands... and it seemed he was on the fence. "I have no doubt that after I've made my testimony, I will be pardoned."

[Remus Lupin]

"Professor," Remus said immediately. It was an automatic, gun-shot type of response. He never could stand being called Minister. It still sounded foreign to his ears. At school he had never been much of a leader. That was James and Sirius' job. Sure, he had kept the others in line more often than not, but that did not mean that he liked the leadership role. In his opinion he was not meant to be the Minister for Magic. Power never did become him, but he had done it because Sirius had asked him to. But never did he want or ask to be called Minister. "I've had my students call me Professor, I don't like to bring politics into the classroom and I don't feel it would be fair to outcast myself from the rest of the Professors here at school. But we can drop formalities entirely, if you prefer. Remus has always suited me quite fine."

When she brought up Gabby, he felt the distinct desire to shut off completely. As he and most people he knew, especially Sirius, had done. Though his mate had very little time to do so because of Lilianna. Sure, she had been one of his better friends. The Marauders and Lily and Gabby. He nodded slowly. "We were friends, yes." Did he believe that she regretted her sisters' death. Oh, yes. Although Gabby and Persephone had battled ferociously when encountering one another, Persephone having been a Death Eater and Gabrielle an Order member, there hadn't been a moment where he had doubted that they loved each other. So, it was completely true when he said, "I don't doubt that you did." But who didn't? It was difficult to not like Gabby. "She was an amazing woman."

One would have to blind to miss the way her eyebrow moved. He stared, mesmerized at her face for a second before realising that she had in fact spoken to him. "Uh..." he struggled briefly to recall what she had asked and to piece together an appropriate response to it. "No. No, I do have to do this." And he did. And this time he felt that it was genuine. "Despite all of the controversy surrounding your situation, Persephone, I should have thought about what I was saying before blurting it out. I wasn't having a very good day, of course and as the Minister I do have certain standards that I have to live up to. To say the truth, I fell short of those standards and that wasn't fair to you, myself or Minerva. So that is what I apologise for."

He still had his reservations about her but they had shifted somewhat ever since having entered her office. Really, she had been friendly so far. She had even been a good host, what, with the drink offer and everything. "Right." Her testimony. "I'm sure everything will turn out alright. I might even find a way to get over my reservation for you, though you do have to understand, given our history that it is not easy. I will give you a chance though, Persephone. It's only fair to do so."

[Persephone Silverton]

Permission to call him Remus? Persephone had to let that settle for a moment. She'd never had leave to call him by his first name (even if she had just done it). At Hogwarts, she'd always just gone by his last name like everybody else had done. "I suppose that makes sense," she said. "Truth is I'm not quite used to being called professor. It's quite a change from agent of death," she admitted, realizing that probably wasn't the smartest thing to say, but it was true. "It's a welcome change though... "

He tensed when her sister was mentioned. Remus probably didn't even realize he did it, but there was definite apprehension. "Yes... amazing," she repeated. She might have loved her sister, but there was always a degree of envy. Mostly in that everybody seemed to dote on Gabriel. She was the one shaping up to be the greatest witch of their time. She was the one everybody wanted to be friends with. She was the one everybody wanted to marry. The one they wrote about. She was venerated. Revered. Even with their birth parents, it was Gabrielle who was the beautiful one. The one who had done something good with her life. The one that they were proud of. Persephone needed to be more like Gabrielle. It would seem the rivalries never stopped even when they weren't on the battlefield.

"Yes. If we all just thought before we spoke, it would be a much more agreeable world. At any rate, I do appreciate that you felt you needed to come say this to me." Even if he did not mean it. Though he did seem more sincere this time around. "I wish I could have told you and Sirius sooner. Minerva told me not to, and more than that, you most likely would not have believed it anyway. Not that I know you well enough to make that assumption, but just based on perceptions of me... I have been a Death Eater since Hogwarts... This is rather... new... Not being one, that is. I have to try to figure out a way to navigate now through this world without fighting in the war... It's weird not being on a side."

She didn't know how to take what he just said. "Yes... Fair. It was the platform you ran your campaign on. Equity." Not that she'd voted for him... Or voted at all. "I believe that once you hear my side of the story, you will." Though she was not sure how to word it. She'd never once before explained why she had done what she did... Why she joined. Why she kept fighting for them...

[Remus Lupin]

"Agent of Death," Remus repeats,as though thoughtfully. "I can see your point," he adds, with a slight smile. He realizes then that he's not mocking her, nor is he being sarcastic or mean. He's treating her the way he should have been treating her, the way he neglected to. He shakes the thoughts from his mind as a more serious topic is breached. Even as she speaks of Gabrielle, of how amazing she was, he catches the underlining hurt in her tone. So the fact that everyone did love Gabby must have effected Persephone too, in some way.

That certainly was interesting to know. "Yes, she was quite amazing." With that, he considered the topic discussed and over with. In truth, he hoped not to return to it again. It was a painful memory that he really just wanted to push into the back of his mind, especially when there were so many things he had to worry about.

Such as the situation with the Death Eaters and the hearing and the ex-Agent of Death sitting in front of him. "I'm sure that Minerva did what was right." Though he did wish that she could have included him in the know, it sort of irked him that she considered him that judgemental that he wouldn't even consider her. But then again, he had been judgemental from the very beginning. He decided not to press her on the matter of sides and forming neutral ground.

Some part of him still doubted whether she could actually pull it off. It wouldn't be easy and though she was a strong woman, it took a wholly different type of strong to defeat years of practice. He nodded when she appeared to remember that. It seemed like such a long way back now. Of course he'd been for equality, he was a werewolf after all. He had been repressed for so many years, labelled as the monster he became instead of who he was as a person.

Those scars would likely never go away. He was just glad he had Sirius and James for all those times. "I learned from the best," he said humbly, refering to Dumbledore. The basis of everything equal. He raised his eyebrows ever so slightly, a little bit doubtful, though intrigued at her confident tone. "Oh, I will?" He did not want to condemn her but considering the accusations, the odds just weren't in her favor. "How do I know whether I can trust you?" he asked, thoughtfully.

[Persephone Silverton]

He wasn't really saying anything that she could grasp on to. Though she did wish for him to remain. She couldn't explain why. Maybe it was because he was one of them. He was on the side that would judge her. That had already seemingly condemned her. Was there any hope in Sirius Black? Perhaps in James. He had already expressed his gratitude towards her for saving his son. For being there for him and protecting him. But that did not necessarily mean a man in her corner. She was alone. The Death Eaters marked her for death. The Order didn't trust her. And here before her sat the Minister, not really giving her much of a chance either. Well, perhaps that was untrue. He was sitting her before her. That had to be worth something, right?

"Of that I have had little doubt," she said, referring to Minerva's decision to keep this between the two of them. "The more people involved in a secret, the harder it is to keep quiet. It was imperative that the Death Eaters not know that my loyalties had been turned. It was becoming increasingly impossible for Severus to do his job properly... They all suspect him. Especially Bellatrix Lestrange. But I still commanded respect within their ranks. The slightest whisper would have alerted them and then it'd have become just as difficult for me to obtain information as it had been for Severus. This was the right path to take. I just wish I had not been forced to blow my cover so soon... To think of the things I could have prevented if I would have been able to pose as their member still..."

She wondered who the best was, but did not ask. There was only one thing she cared about now. The doubt in his tone... Like he didn't believe that she was innocent. "You don't know if you can trust me," she said. "Inversely, I have no idea if I can trust you. You're about as likely to put the proverbial knife in my back as I am. Though, consider that this entire time I have been a resident here at Hogwarts, I have not said or done anything against you, while I have had to endure harsh words and very telling sentiments from both yourself and Mr. Black. If anybody here should be questioning anybody's trust or perhaps even partialty, it is I."

[Remus Lupin]

Remus was torn. Part of him wanted to condemn her, wanted to make her responsible for all the deaths the Death Eaters had brought on. It would put the Ministry in a good light to have someone in custody - something that would put the Prophet at rest and allow him some time to deal with everything that was gradually piling on top of his desk. He couldn't even see the mahogany anymore. But then another part of him, the moral part, knew that he couldn't do that. She would receive a fair trial, just like everyone else. He would listen to her side of the story and he would do his very best to be objective about the entire matter. His brow knitted, though he hardly registered it, in agitation as he considered the woman in front of him. A woman he so badly wanted to hate but knew that he couldn't.

"That doesn't have to mean much," he said. He was referring to her not having done anything to deserve their accusations. She was making him and Sirius seem like the bad guys! "You're too smart of a woman to do something that foolhardy. In all fairness, myself and Sirius are in a higher position than you are at this school. It would have been quite a liability to attempt to do or say anything against us, especially since we have already had our doubts in you back then. Affirming our belief wouldn't have been very productive. But like I said, I've already apologized for myself, it's Padf - Sirius' business whether he chooses to do the same as of yet." He let his gaze wonder through the room before turning back to her. "I never said that I trusted you. You can't expect to earn trust so easily. I trust McGonagall," he said simply. But his job at the Wizengamot was to be impartial... which would be difficult. His distaste for Persephone wasn't unfounded of course.