There was a muted triple-flash from Bones that signified the magical command had taken effect upon the three legal entities in one body she was.
As soon as the triple-flash occurred, another occurred about Dumbledore. Magic had accepted the determination.
With a nod, she declared, "Let the record reflect magic has accepted the determination. From this moment forth, the wizard known as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore will be known as the Dark Lord Dumbledore. This determination may only be overturned by the three who determined it to unanimously agree to do so, or a full sitting of the Wizengamot through majority vote to do so.
"End transcript."
It took a long moment before young auror Fitzwallace was finally able to say, "Errr... yes, Ma'am. Deactivate!... The Dicta-quill is deactivated, Ma'am."
"Thank you, Auror," she replied. "As of this moment, I declare the matter of the questioning of Dark Lord Dumbledore, together with his incarceration within the cells of the DMLE, a Security of the Realm matter. It has a designation of High Secret. Only those in this room and any auror of the rank of Master Auror or higher may know of it. To speak of it outside this room is an automatic sentence to Azkaban and an obliviation of any knowledge of it, other than you breached a High Secret matter of which you once knew."
Having given the old man time to cogitate through his mind he was now a declared Dark Lord, she smirked and said, "You no longer hold any position of any authority, Albus. You're unemployed. Therefore, there is no employer who will question your sudden disappearance. Only your brother will question it if you disappear. Even then, I have it on good authority he wouldn't push for an investigation.
"When I'm done with you - if I'm of a mind to - I can stun you, mask your presence and levitate you down to that lovely room with its lonesome arch... and float your arse through it. As you should well know, anything that goes in there is never seen again. No trace, whatsoever. And Saul Croaker owes me a favour."
It was easy to see Dumbledore was now completely terrified. His half-broken Occlumency shields from the Veritaserum didn't allow him to mask his emotions.
"As I cannot have Veritaserum used on you again for twenty three hours, we'll have to wait to do this again until tomorrow."
Leaning forward and glaring at him, she tapped her list of questions and said, "I'll have these questions answered. It does not matter how much you pontificate your answers, trying to last out the eighteen minutes, I'll have as many lots of eighteen minutes as I need; day... after day... after day. If I manage to accidentally kill you in the process, so be it. You're now a declared Dark Lord. Therefore, if you die, no punishment awaits me.
"Once I have all my answers, only then will I call for your new trial. If you're already dead, then I'll simply try you in absentia. That way, the information that comes to light will all be public.
"By the time I'm finished with you, Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as The Dark Lord Voldemort... if he does actually manage to come back, as you believe he will... is going to be pissed. Because, he'll have lost the title 'The Worst Dark Lord, Ever'."
She sat back and returned her attention to her notes. As she then began to pack them up, she ordered, "Take him back to his cell and put a twenty four hour suicide watch on him. Other than aurors, no one is to see him; and no one, including the aurors, is to talk to him.
"If he attempts to talk to them, he is to be immediately silenced. I will not have him employ his silver-tongued ways to get any... concessions."
Once she had packed her notes and tucked them under her arm, she rose and walked over to the clerk's desk, collected the record of interview and walked out the door without another word.
About a minute later, the two beefy aurors who first dragged him into the room came and got him. Moody and Robards escorted them.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After the morning's classes, Herbology and CoMC, Neville was almost bouncing in excitement. He didn't know if Headmistress Marchbanks planned it that way, but putting Herbology and CoMC one after the other in classes that weren't separated by a morning tea or lunch break was clever. It now meant they could go from working in the greenhouses to working on the grounds, or vice versa, and not have to worry about rushing inside to change clothes between classes before changing back later.
And then there was History with their second new-Professor-taught class for the day. All the Gryff's and the 'Puffs they shared it with thought he was brilliant; though he did scare them, at first, knowing as they did he was also the new Deputy Headmaster. No one slept a wink in his class.
As the Fourth Year Gryff's had a self-study period immediately before lunch, many quickly changed out their books for their afternoon classes, an elective double.
Though early for lunch, the house elves brought up a small portion of the food from the kitchens for those who stopped by early to have their midday meal, like Neville and other Gryffindor Fourth Years; and, apparently, the Hufflepuff Fourth Years, for starters.
Neville was just in the process of building a lunch when MacMillan approached him again.
"Heir Longbottom," he said, getting Neville's attention. "When will we see Lord Potter arrive?"
Neville calmly said back, "I answered that question for you, this morning. My answer has not changed. Is there anything else?"
MacMillan appeared frustrated, but he shook his head and replied, "No." Then turned about and stalked back to the Hufflepuff table.
Neville mentally smirked and thought, 'There goes a very unhappy boy.'
After he finished his lunch he gave Susan and Hannah a signal and walked out the doors into the Entrance Hall, a quick look around and he ducked into the antechamber all the new First Years were herded into on their first arrival at the castle and before the Sort.
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