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Minister Fudge and Madam Bones stood silently in the observation room, their eyes locked on the scrying mirror that displayed a live view of the holding cell. Inside, Lord Thane Fae sat handcuffed at a plain metal table, entirely composed. The young lord didn't fidget, didn't glance around nervously, didn't even tap his fingers. He simply sat there—perfectly still, as if the room itself was merely an extension of his will.
"What is he doing?" Fudge whispered, his voice tight and strained as he leaned closer to the image, squinting suspiciously. He spoke as though Thane might vanish the moment he blinked—or worse, do something impossible.
"You do know he can't hear us, right?" Madam Bones asked dryly, arms crossed, her tone cutting through the minister's tension like a blade through parchment.
Fudge shot her a glare—sharp and defensive—but Bones didn't so much as blink. She held his gaze with the unflinching calm of a woman who had faced down death eaters and worse.
Scowling at her impassiveness, Fudge turned his attention back to the scrying mirror, his lip twitching with agitation. "Don't be ridiculous, of course I know that," he snapped, though his voice lacked conviction. "I just… I was wondering why he hasn't done anything. You said he hasn't spoken at all since your people arrested him?"
Madam Bones nodded once, curt and precise. "Not a single word. He hasn't asked for legal counsel, hasn't made demands, hasn't questioned the charges. Just sat down and locked himself in that silence like it's armor."
"Which could be a calculated move to avoid self-incrimination," she continued, tapping a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "But he hasn't even asked for a lawyer or to send out a notice. I can't figure out what his angle is."
"He's hiding something" Fudge interrupted quickly, eyes narrowing. A bead of sweat rolled down his thick neck, tracing a path through the valleys of his triple chin. He dabbed at it with a handkerchief but didn't take his eyes off the mirror.
"And remind me again," he asked, voice unusually high-pitched, "why exactly was he arrested?"
"The official charge is obstruction," Bones said crisply, her eyes still locked on Thane's unmoving form. "But after a thorough round of interviews and witness statements from students on the train, here's what we know: a few dementors were released to sweep the train for security purposes. But then a powerful aura was released from inside the train which drove all of the wraiths mad and they swarmed. Multiple witnesses say Thane stepped into the corridor and allowed his aura to spill out deliberately."
Fudge swallowed hard.
"Following that, several students claim they saw him cast a corporeal Patronus—wandlessly," she added with emphasis, "and that it proceeded to attack the dementors. The surviving wraiths scattered. And yes, according to reports, most of the dementors were destroyed before they could escape."
Fudge's skin took on a waxy pallor. His jowls trembled slightly as he pulled at his collar.
But then—something shifted.
A glint appeared in the man's watery, mud-colored eyes. His mouth twisted slowly into what could only be described as a calculating smirk.
"S-so… what you're telling me," he said carefully, his voice slick and oiled with political venom, "is that Lord Thane Fae, in a moment of unchecked hubris, interfered with a sensitive Ministry operation, endangered the lives of dozens of students, and may have compromised the containment of one of the most dangerous fugitives in recent history?"
Amelia Bones turned slowly to look at him, one brow raised in measured judgment.
"Cornelius," she said flatly. "You cannot possibly be suggesting—"
But she stopped herself with a sigh, seeing the gears turning behind his dull expression, grinding toward a plan that stank of desperation and ego.
Fudge placed a hand on his chest as if invoking some grand moral imperative. "We must uphold the law, Amelia," he said solemnly, puffing up his chest in a way he clearly believed made him look noble. "Such recklessness cannot be swept under the rug. The people—our people—need to see that the Ministry is in control. That we don't let titles or names excuse behavior that puts lives at risk. The Houses aren't the ones running this government."
Bones' eyes narrowed to slits. "And you're confident that this is the battle you want to pick? That he is the example you want to make?"
Fudge nodded enthusiastically, his eyes glowing, "If we can show the public that not even Thane Fae, with all his silver-tongued charm and noble privilege, can talk his way out of this—then the others will fall in line."
---
Thane looked over as the door opened, and he stared at the Auror who had arrested him, "Was there an issue with processing my information...while I'm not well versed in the specific proceedings, I doubt it's supposed to take the better part of an hour."
The Auror coughed once, staring at Thane, not bothering to hide the frustration in his eyes as he sat down across from Thane, "No, there was no problem processing your information Lord Fae, but you caused quiet a mess back on the express so forgive me if we couldn't wait on you hand a foot."
"You mean the mess I cleaned up after you lost control of your soul-sucking wards," Thane corrected without missing a beat, his face still neutral.
The Auror's nostrils flared. "The only reason the dementors lost control was the stunt you pulled with your aura. Before that, there was no danger posed to any students onboard."
"And how was I supposed to know that," Thane countered with a look of concern on his face, "From my point of view, the train was under attack. There was no warning or notice that the dementors were under your supervision."
"There was a notice!" The auror countered, "It was sent to all attending students that Hogwarts would be cooperating with the Department of Magical Law enforcement in order to station dementors on school grounds as added security in light of certain events."
Thane smiled, "You mean Sirius Black? Is that what the dementors were sent out for, to search the train and find if the madman has snuck on board."
"Yes," The auror confirmed with a hiss, "Unfortunately, thanks to your carelessness, Black could have escaped before the dementors could locate him."
"I doubt a man who escaped Azkaban would be caught in such a simple manner or chose a path so obvious to get back at a teenager," Thane dismissed the officer's accusation before his eyes went cold, "Now how about you tell Madam Bones, that I'm getting tired of this pretense. Tell her to make a move; I want to finish this game as quickly as possible. I already missed the sorting ceremony. I have no interest in drawing this out for a month."