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sarahlooo · 06-14-2020, 06:43 PM

INTERROGATION ROOMS
The interrogation rooms each have an unbreakable, one way mirror and a heavy door on one wall. Behind the mirror, of course, MLE employees can stand and observe the interrogation currently being conducted. These mirrors are charmed and not always activated. Sometimes they simply appear to be mirrors on both sides. Any investigation carried out within these rooms will be recorded in pensieve form for later review.

There is no escaping these rooms but likewise, if you're within one, you'll be perfectly safe from anyone seeking to cause you harm, unless said person happens to be the employee who brought you in here. Not to worry, while some rough housing does happen from time to time. Law Enforcement officers are required to leave you alive and in relative similar condition to when you'd been brought in.

ROOM 1:
ROOM 2:

HOLDING CELLS
The holding cells are sparsely decorated, closed off with heavy bars. The inside has table and a chair, as well as a makeshift bed which are all secured to either the wall or the floor. In some cases, both. A light hangs from the ceiling. Despite the precarious way it swings gently this way and that it is just as securely held in place and cannot be removed. It casts a yellow glow that is constantly and lazily in motion around the gray room. It may be in your best interest to ignore the occasional screams that come from the neighbouring cells. Not everyone can accept the concept of confinement. Don't be one of them.

There is no escaping these rooms but likewise, if you're within one, you'll be perfectly safe from anyone seeking to cause you harm.

ROOM 1:
ROOM 2:
ROOM 3:

OOC: The only people allowed to post in these rooms are MLE employees including the department head and those who are being held in the Holding Cells. All others will be deleted, unless you have permission from Felixir.

Cassirin · 04-08-2021, 01:52 AM

"I saw my three." Vivi studied a swirl of coffee grounds floating across the top of her cup. Her mother would know if they had some sort of hidden message, but all Vivi could see was a coffee machine that didn't know how to do it's job. The least of her worries, right? "They're dirty and thin and miserable, but they're alive. He kept them locked in a room." Her voice went tight with anger. It didn't do any good to dwell on it at the moment, and Vivi was always good at separating the work from her feelings.

"Honestly, Upstead, none of this makes sense. As best I can tell, your kid made a hundred decisions today that point to no clear motive or allegiance." And it was bothersome when things didn't make sense. She paused to fish some of the grounds off the top of her cup so she could take a sip of coffee. Not that she used this to mask her uneasiness or anything.

"Let's go through. Or would you rather talk to Nemesis? I..." It was too soon to take another sip, so Vivi spent some time shifting her papers around enough to get a free hand for the door. "It won't be hard to spin this with good counsel. They publicly killed at least two high profile Neo-Alliance members and probably shifted the tide in our favor. I witnessed one of those deaths myself. But if they're a danger to others, I think you need to steel yourself to the possibility."

Felixir · 04-09-2021, 01:08 AM

That sounded about right. Er... no, not right, and thank Merlin he'd not opened his big mouth and said that right off the bat. But it lined up with what Jake knew. "My other two as well." The misery part was always a hard one to gauge, with any of his eldest, each for a different reason than the last. His children had always seemed sort of resilient, even Ez to an extent, and maybe the James kids were too. Maybe Vivi had managed to instil some of that quality of hers into those her children.

At least they seemed to be on the same page here, even if that same page was a relative lack of understanding, which really shouldn't have been as much as a relief as it was. Jake didn't even flinch at the outright mention of what his kid had done, but that could well have been a testament to all those years in the job. Or maybe he was trying to decide whether or not he should be proud about the rest. Probably not. Probably hold off on the pride for now.

For a moment longer, he stared at the door, stilled by indecision. Actually, he was getting just a little irritated that so much was bringing him up short in just these last few hours. Work was his domain, he always a handle on things here, even if he floundered at home. Maybe that was what made it easy to suddenly push Dad Brain aside, into the far recesses of his mind where it would stop interrupting him for just five minutes. He drew his wand, pointed it back out of the door; a moment later, his silvery patronus had streaked through it and out of sight.

"I daresay you're right," Jake said now to Vivi, his face set. "I've sent for Senior Undersecretary Fletcher, I'll need his input before I even think about talking to Nem, but let's go through for now." She'd already said that. Right. He made to follow after her. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to take their full statement, do an interview with Fletch-... the Senior Undersecretary sitting in?" It wasn't exactly protocol, but, all things considered, the situation was... exceptional. Not in the good way. Last thing Jake needed was for any sort of suspicion that he had prevented the situation from being handled properly, and not only did he trust the judgement of both Fletcher and Vivi James, he knew they were both people of great integrity

And maybe it would just make him feel a bit better in general.

Cassirin · 04-10-2021, 12:52 AM

"I don't suppose I could decline the Senior Under-anybody sitting in, do you?" Viv thought she might be annoyed at that sudden display, like how special was Upstead that he could just ring up Fletcher, but she was weary of feeling so much all the time. She was tired, and if Fletcher could move this along, he could tap dance on the top of her head.

"Do you want something? Coffee? Maybe tea, like a civilized human." She herself was not civilized, but no surprises. Vivi retrieved her paperwork from Upstead and tidied the stack. "Let's hope Fletcher hurries."

BanaBatGirl · 04-10-2021, 01:21 AM

And lo and behold, the damsel-in-distress call had Acting Minister (and Senior Undersecretary) Fletcher on the move. He had started for Level One at a jog before he remembered that they were more or less at peacetime now, and so he needn't rush and risk adding a wrinkle to his suit.

Alas, the stress of this job was getting to him already. He could feel his blood pressure rising somewhat just as he neared Jake and… what’s her name, James. Right. This would be fine, it was no big deal, probably just something procedural that Charles would have overseen, maybe, were he in the right condition to do so.

“What do you need?” he stated first as he neared the pair of aurors, smoothing down his tie and then his vest, a nervous habit as of late, but one which made him look as though he had, in fact, hurried. “I mean, hey, hi, how’s it going, thank you both for continuing to work here in such tumultuous times.” The ever-charming Glitterpuff did his best to smile at his former classmates and Ms. James, but it fell a bit short of the kind of smile that truly reached the eyes. There was too much tension here and Fletcher could sense it, even if he was unaware that the cause was in the holding cell behind them.

As for the tea/coffee discussion he'd just walked in on? "None for me, thanks." He had Kaiser for that.

Felixir · 04-10-2021, 04:42 AM

Even if there had been annoyance, or obvious snark, Jake would have missed it entirely regardless. Not to point out the obvious or anything, but a lot had happened, was still happening, was set to continue happening, and Jake was slightly concerned it was all rapidly reaching the point of 'too much', so little things like social cues were falling by the wayside. Then again, he'd never, not once in his Ministry career, been so overwhelmed at work that he'd had to withdraw from a situation where anyone else might have managed, and he wasn't planning on breaking that streak today.

"I'm good. Thanks." He rubbed a hand over his face again. "Reckon one molecule of caffeine might finish me off." So maybe that comment had been ill-timed, given the circumstances, but Jake was spared(?) the need to linger on it, thanks to the arrival of Senior Undersecretary Fletcher. Hufflejock. Champion. Ex-dorm-mate. Acting Minister. What a day.

"Right. 'Course. No problem." Jake glanced at Vivi again, then the door to the holding cell, and back at Fletcher. Small talk over? Good. "We've got a sixteen-year-old kid in custody. But the situation's a bit confusing, and also he's my kid." So, the Glitterpuff could maybe see, that while Jake was not freaking out at all right now, if he did suddenly decide he was partial to the idea, it would not be totally unwarranted. "James brought them in, saw some of what happened. I wondered if you might... advise? Maybe sit in on the interview, if you have the time." Really, Jake wanted to get in there and talk to Nem first, for all the good he expected it would do. Perhaps it would be best if he didn't, but even a minute, just a minute to get an idea of their state of mind and see that they were otherwise okay, would be enough.

Oh yeah. Also. "Sorry to bother you with this. Any other time, I'd get the department head's input." But. Well. That was a bust, so going higher had made the most sense. To Jake, at any rate.

Cassirin · 04-11-2021, 01:34 AM

Well, FIRST, Vivi had not been offering Mr. Underpants any tea, and SECOND, did he just thank her for showing up to work today? Was it really that bad out there? Vivi's expression was as dry as was polite, considering she did want to keep coming back to work tomorrow.

"Well, I'm the arresting Auror, and I'm going to take a statement and try to figure out what in Hades is going on here. You're welcome to join me... sir. Under the circumstances, I think it's best that Upstead watch from the other side of the glass. Coming through?" She wasn't much on small talk, and honestly, the poor kid had been sitting in the interview room for a while now and it was unlikely they were going to be softened up by the experience.

BanaBatGirl · 04-11-2021, 03:11 PM

The situation's confusing? How could it be--- never mind. The Glitterpuff shook his head as he had a thought about himself at the age of 16, and decided he'd not hassle Jake and Jake's kid right now. The fact the kid had gotten caught in the madness said enough, plus he could read the faces of everyone around and... he did his best to keep his expression one of polite interest. "I'm sure this will be fine."

Anyway, it was time to get on with this statement.

"Right, I'll follow you Ms. James." Fletcher's smile was firmly fixed now. He gave Jake a Charles-like squeeze of the shoulder and then trailed after Genevivienne Whatever into the room.

Felixir · 04-13-2021, 12:45 AM

Yes. Yeah. Probably for the best. From an official standpoint, at least. The jury was still out - actually, maybe also for the best to not start thinking about juries - on whether it would really be for the best for his kid. Nem had always...

... come to think of it, this arrangement was probably ideal. Jake nodded, made as though to say something, seemed to think better of it, and simply nodded a second time instead. Could Fletcher tell how tense he was from that shoulder squeeze? Nine kids did that to a person. That's where he kept them, all nine, plus another, in that shoulder.

Running a hand through his hair, Jake made his way around to the viewing room, half dreading what he was about to hear, and half desperate for every last detail.

_____

Nem had been in here for a while. Plenty long enough to sit and think through exactly what it was they were going to say about all this, and then stew in boredom - what was new there - until someone showed up. That wasn't what had happened, though. In actual fact, mere minutes after they'd been left here to sit and wait, Nem had put their head down on their arms, blocking out the light as best they could, and took advantage of the time to grab some shut-eye. It had, after all, been a very long, very eventful night.

Now they awoke quite suddenly, sitting bolt upright despite the lingering all-over ache. Nem rubbed at one eye with the heel of their hand, squinting through the other at those who entered, looking distinctly disheveled from battle and from sleep.

Cassirin · 04-13-2021, 01:27 AM

Interviews were not Genevieve's favorite part of the job, but she was well practiced at them. She entered the room silently, dropping her papers onto the small table before summoning an extra chair on the side opposite Nemesis. Let his grand Underpants sit on one of the rock hard stools provided, and perhaps he'd find a way to approve some of the furniture requisition forms that made it across his desk later this month.

Vivi seated herself and gave the exhausted-looking teen across from her a weary smile. "Alright, Nemesis... okay if I call you that? Let's just walk through the happenings over the past day. Perhaps we can start from the moment you realized that the castle was under attack from the Minister and the Order?" And everyone else. Vivi had the thought that she wished she'd had a chance to hear from Phoebe, Theodore, and Kinsay their own thoughts about the past day. She'd only had enough time to smoosh their faces before leaving again.

BanaBatGirl · 04-13-2021, 03:03 AM

Jake was tense. Poor Jake and all that, but the Champion was here to save the day. He tried not to stare at the kid in question too much as they entered the room, looking instead to the chair Genevieve conjured up and then at the dunce stool that was left for him. Hah. Yeah, sure. Surrrrrre he'd sit there. See, THIS was why he didn't always immediately sign the furniture requisition forms for the surly crew on Level Two. Sure, Fletcher could settle himself and his fancy pants on the stool, which was admittedly uncomfortable just to LOOK at, OR he could silently transfigure said stool into a bit of a throne which would be more suitable for THE acting Minister.

Just a small one. A small gilded chair, French-like in origin, probably something he'd seen as a teen back in his glamorous magazine days. He completed this fancy bit of nonverbal magic with a mere tap of his wand on the stool and settled in, said wand sliding smoothly back into his wrist holster and up his sleeve like he did this everyday.

Which, well, he kind of did.

Fletcher steepled his fingers and watched the kid, wondering why they were talking to an obviously... youthful capture, and not one of the REAL pain-in-the-necks like Bain. But alright. "Nemesis," he repeated, the name leaving his mouth before he'd really thought through what he wanted to say. Whups. That happened on occasion. "Er, that's not your real full name, is it?"

Not to interrupt, but, to totally interrupt. Didn't they need the kid's full governmental for the rec--- oh, wait, Jake could take care of that. Fletcher released one of his hands from his finger tower and rubbed at his temple. This day was a day already. "Sorry, Nemesis, please continue." His bad. He DID want to hear this story. It was not his job to question, just to advise. Right right.

Felixir · 04-13-2021, 04:28 PM

No Jake, Nem couldn't help but notice, though they weren't sure if they'd expected him to be in the room or not. They were sixteen, only just, yet still sixteen and therefore not a kid, but still not yet of age. Blinking as they adjusted to the light, Nem folded their arms on the table and looked right at the mirror on the wall, not at their reflection but in the vague direction of who was potentially hiding behind it.

Back to the two who had actually joined them, and Nem let their eyes linger on this bloke and his throne for a moment, expression clearly wary. An effective tool, especially after such a traumatic experience. They didn't ask who he was, didn't say anything to or about him yet - though the 'who is this?' was implied - and after a moment, turned to look instead at the Auror who'd brought them in, and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Most people call me Nem." Not friends, mind. Just people. Even if Nem was going to go back to pretending, it could only be singular anyway. They were about to continue, when His Majesty chimed in, and Nem glanced at him again. "... Xander. Xander Nemesis Upstead." With each word, they tapped their index finger, then their middle finger, then back again, on the surface of the table. "Nem." So jot that down.

Anyway. The show must go on.

"Okay," Nem said to the blonde Auror, the familiar-looking one. If they'd heard her name yet, it was already gone. More reasons they were never letting that kind of exhaustion take hold again. "It's all sort of jumbled up, you know? A lot of things are. But... well, I didn't know it was the Ministry at first, but I kind of guessed it might be. There was the explosion, that must have been the gates, and I just knew there would be fighting, so I ran to find the Neo-Alliance lot. Or... or to get instructions from Lucien. Lucien Rosier."

Here, Nem stopped, expressionless for a moment before they took a sudden deep breath and covered their eyes with the heels of their hands, breathing out shakily. Still with their face covered, they spoke again, sounding almost desperate, "It's not just this past day, though, it's the past two years. I don't even know what... I don't..." Lucien Rosier's face swam in front of their eyes, then the image of a toppling pillar. It was a shame he'd turned out just like all the rest of them, but not terribly surprising in the end. There was only ever one person worth believing in.

Another shaky breath. A firm suppression of the urge to peek.

Cassirin · 04-14-2021, 12:26 AM

Vivi was fine with ignoring Fletcher, since he insisted on making a production out of things. Like that bit with the chair? And interrupting her to ask about the kid's name? She gave him a very looooong slooooow blink of disapproval before returning her attention to Nemesis. Nem. Upstead, she reminded herself. Nem belonged to Upstead, so they couldn't be all bad.

"So when you realized the castle was under siege, you went looking for Rosier." It didn't go unnoticed that Nem called the former fake!Headmaster by his first name, almost like they were grand old buddies or something. "What did you hope would happen, when you found Rosier? Or should we go back further? What's been happening for the past two years?"

It would be a pretty convenient story if Nem insisted they'd been under a spell for that long, but not impossible to prove one way or the other. Vivi laid her hand on the table, careful not to touch them. "Hey. Do you want water?" She flicked a glance at Upstead behind the glass.

BanaBatGirl · 04-14-2021, 04:03 PM

Fletcher could take a cue, alright, Vivienne Westwood. He'd had many friends who attended WADA back in the day and he was, after all, a PR prince....sort of. So long as Goldwasser didn't release any dirt he'd gathered on him in the past year, all would be well. Some things were just better left unsaid sometimes. After all, Paradise was still a possible target for the Neo-Alliance stragglers they had to round up, even after its burglary, and of course he had to think about Mallory, and Jessa, and Du---

Uhh right. No, wrong. Something strange was happening here, maybe more than one something, or maybe it was something with Upstead's kid. He could sense it in the hairs on the back of his neck, even as his moving tattoo swirled about somewhere on his chest. Fletcher lazily crossed one leg over the other, his right ankle resting loosely on his left knee. He should have made an ottoman for this throne, huh. His left arm drifted toward his mouth while he rested the fingers of his left hand near his lips in concentration, gold wedding band glinting in the light. Forget the ottoman, he supposed. He owed it to his classmate and colleague to help out here and pay attention to just what the kid was saying, so he focused his thoughts back on ~~Xander~~ Nem.

Nem Upstead.

Cute kid, but a bit of an actor, eh? Fletcher had a lot of thoughts as the kid talked but he remained quiet and diligent, his warm brown eyes focused solely on the minor with the shaky breath. Hmm. Going off James' questions, err, again, something just wasn't adding up here. If the kid had been brought in for questioning, he must have done something noteworthy. He couldn't just be a tired witness in Lucien's death.

But, alas, the Glitterpuff had plenty of heart and gumption, so instead of faffing about like the blonde beside him, he just sighed and conjured up a cup of water for Jake's kid. Taking care of things as a father would and should. "Wouldn't want you to perish before you finish your story, Nem. I know you must be tired. We all are. But like Ms. James here, I'm just wondering why you wanted instructions from Rosier and the Neo-Alliance? When I was 16 at Hogwarts, I would have grabbed my girlfriend of the moment and ditched the whole scene."

Or he might have grabbed his BFF Sal and stayed to fight, whatever. He wasn't THAT attached to whichever hot Slytherpuff chick he'd been talking to back then. Fletcher didn't particularly WANT Nem to go back two years or whatever James was doing over there. He was tired, alright? A two-year story might keep them here all night. But he didn't look at her yet. Nope. He was still staring at Jake's kid.

Felixir · 04-14-2021, 09:21 PM

Nem didn't speak again right away, only nodded to confirm that, yes, they'd gone looking for the Big Man. Wasn't such a Big Man now, being dead and all. Now he was only Lucien Rosier, The Greater Corpse, but he could still be just as helpful to Nem and he had once thought Nem could be to him. Being used as a means to an end could go both ways, that was what made the man's game so tolerable, and so worth their time. Rosier's precious cause had blinded him to so much.

Releasing another deep breath, Nem took their hands away from their face again, and wrapped their arms around their skinny torso instead. "Sorry. Being stupid." They looked for a long moment at the cup of water before ultimately ignoring it, hugging their own body a little tighter instead. There was one thing though. James. That was it, that was what was so familiar about her, it was Phoebe James they could see in the Auror's face, could almost hear her in the way she spoke. Nem made sure to file that little detail away.

As they answered His Majesty's question, they let their voice fall flat so genuine tiredness was all that could be discerned, their expression distant. "Because I joined the Neo-Alliance, months ago, but it isn't what it sounds like. I was never interested in what they were doing, it was Lucien I wanted to follow. Rosier, I mean. And it wasn't even entirely about him, especially in the end. It was an act, and I suppose it sort of worked, if Krafft and Truebridge really are gone." Nem's throat was dry, they were absolutely parched; there had been so much fire and smoke, so much running until their lungs burned. They could have done with several cups of water, but aside from preferring not to take any for appearances' sake, they genuinely did not want to risk it either. Nem was not paranoid, but they weren't so stupid as to blindly trust His Majesty, with his gold throne and his gold rings. Or James, with her... good cop thing.

They didn't particularly want to get into too much detail here either; the less they said, the better, but not enough, and they'd be too evasive. Diricawling. Nem took a bracing breath, stared at a point on the table in front of them, and began their explanation. All the way back, like James more or less gave the go-ahead for.

"It's not a very long story, and it's confusing. At the start of my fourth year, I went to see Headmaster Trent about taking some OWLs early, because I wanted some kind of challenge. He'd been acting off that day, because he was actually Rosier, but I didn't know that at the time." Wild to think about now, Rosier wearing Trent's face. What a downgrade. "He said no, but that he could arrange something else, and he told me to meet him in the Duelling Arena, so I went. He started giving me private lessons, advanced sort of magic, and we did those the whole year. Trent never liked me, you know, I could always tell, but now suddenly he did. He saw I had potential, and he taught me stuff he didn't teach the others, and he didn't give me those looks that other people sometimes give me. I felt so special, and I wanted to prove myself to him. I got his attention, and his approval, and his acceptance. It's obvious, now, that it really wasn't Trent at all."

Nem paused, and looked up at the two across the table, to try to ascertain if either of them understood. Really, truly understood.

Cassirin · 04-15-2021, 01:01 AM

Vivi clenched her jaw and tried not to look pained, and her eyes may have strayed back to the window again. Upstead, SERIOUSLY, did you have to bring this Annoyance among us? She had an ebb and flow to her interviews, and this man was stomping around in the ocean like a toddler who didn't understand undertow. If he drowned, she wouldn't be sad.

At least Nem was talking. Vivi ignored Fletcher, leaning her weight against the table and giving Nem all her attention. Her blond ponytail fell over one shoulder, and she flicked it back out of habit. This feeling that they expressed, the special attention of someone they respected, the being known when at an age and in a situation where being known seemed impossible, those were things Vivi understood. Maybe Nem would hate her for feeling empathy as they explained, but at least she believed them. At least those words were being taken at face value.

Rosier was canny, wasn't he? Found a kid who wanted to be accepted, who was hungry for affection and magical training, and groomed them into a perfect weapon against the other students. It made her sick, honestly, and glad that Rosier hadn't found trusting Teddy or Fee in her moments where she fought against her limitations... "Did you know that Rosier was posing at Trent before this term began? Or was that news to you, as it was to everyone else? I guess I'm curious as to how much of Rosier's plans you were party to over the past two terms."

BanaBatGirl · 04-15-2021, 02:17 AM

Kid didn't want water, fine by him. Maybe Upstead fed Nem juice all the lifelong day; that would explain their slight and undernourished frame. Dunk could probably take Nem in a Muggle fistfight and win, not that Fletcher was comparing his offspring with Jake's. Psh. Unlike Blondie over there, nearly hitting him with her big ponytail, Fletcher was actually concerned for this child's welfare.

He glanced at James once and shook his head ever-so-slightly. Freaking aurors. They could not think of anything besides beating a dead horse. In this case, literally. Rosier was dead. Why keep rehashing his plans? Surely they died with him. The other two that had died? Maybe it was a good thing they were dead if they'd been Neo-Alliance. He tapped one of his index fingers on his temple and continued figuratively stomping around this interview in the hopes of helping. He WAS helping, alright. It wasn't his fault if no one else around here knew how to answer a softball of a question. It was like they'd never been detained before, either of them.

He did best to keep his tone patient and understanding.

"What kind of magic was he teaching you, Nem?" Fletcher asked right after James, his eyebrows crinkling together slightly in concern. "Did any other children at the school join in these lessons? Were any other adults present?" Why did the thought of Alphonsine's brother being alone with anyone disturb him so much??? This would be a nightmare if this made it to press...

Felixir · 04-15-2021, 07:50 PM

Nem looked between the two, keeping their own features inscrutable so as not to seem too astute in that moment. Looks, hair flicks, side-eyes, shakes of the head, all the rest of their body language. This was Nem's time to shine, and here were these two having a silent domestic. Unbelievable.

It was, by now, abundantly clear that His Majesty was not an Auror, or Hit Wizard, or some higher-up member of the department, the latter of which had been an earlier theory, what with the throne and all. Bulldozing over James' question like that - and she was, clearly, the more adept of the two - it was almost laughable.

Looking from James to His Majesty, Nem chewed on their bottom lip for a moment, then looked back to the former, to answer her question first.

"I found out when everyone else did. He didn't tell me any of his plans, even once he showed his face and brought in the Neo-Alliance and let me join. I knew he wouldn't trust a kid with that kind of stuff, so I never risked upsetting him by asking." All true. Here they paused, a long moment of hesitation, and gathered the cuffs of their sleeves into tight fists. "But I did think something was up in that first year. I wondered about Polyjuice Potion, but decided I was overthinking it. Nobody was all that alarmed, and there were people there who knew Trent way better than I did - his kids, the professors, older students - so I just figured it was all normal, or that people just change sometimes." Another pause, a half-hesitation. "And I didn't want to say anything. After a while, I just didn't care, I liked things the way they were. If he'd gone back to how he was, or left the school entirely, or if I was wrong and he'd found I'd said anything, the spell would have been broken. Not literally, but... you know what I mean?"

Eyes shining just a bit brighter than before, Nem turned their attention to His Majesty once again. They'd known his first question would come up, and did not shy away from it.

"Private lessons." Idiot. "Nobody else. And it was... it was torture curses, and Legilimency." Nem looked away again, back down at the table, where it was impossible to make eye contact with anyone. "He could get inside my head, and he was teaching me how to do it too."

Cassirin · 04-16-2021, 01:35 AM

Vivi gave Nem a 'can you BELIEVE this man' expression before taking a sip from the glass of water that Fletcher had provided. Taking down a wanted Dark Wizard with 6 felonies under his belt was less exhausting than interviewing this teenager. With this Underwhatever 'helping'. Within hours of the end of a Wizarding war. She wasn't going to be able to drag this out much longer, so might as well get to the point.

"So suffice it to say that you followed Rosier for personal reasons rather than ideological ones?" She hated to put any words in Nem's mouth, especially if those were words they could use later to wriggle out of trouble, but since they'd been more honest than was really wise up to this point, it didn't seem a big threat. "Let's move forward to the battle at Hogwarts. You went looking for Rosier when the commotion began, but you were spotted outside the castle. And responses vary wildly about what side you were fighting for."

That shouldn't be surprising news, right? They'd cast Fiendfyre at Vivi herself, and that fire had proven enough of a distraction that it had cost Newell his life. But... "You were personally responsible for removing Simone Krafft and Anastasia Truebridge from action, correct?"

Felixir · 04-16-2021, 11:51 PM

For the record, Nem could watch this show - Auror James and His Majesty - all day. Or maybe not all day, but at least until it stopped being entertaining, until they had no interest in nudging it onto the right track. Of course, Nem had already taken a short break from watching anything, with the tablewards stare and all.

They looked up again now though, at James, and nodded a confirmation. This was easy; with some careful phrasing, Nem had barely had to lie at all so far, which could only make their story that much more palatable. The only downside was that this wasn't really the speed they liked to play at these days, especially with His Majesty giving his input by stomping over the process in his size-thirteens. After the thrills of the night, what they had done and seen and come close to losing and actually lost, nothing else was measuring up. Even as Nem acknowledged this, and silently admitted to themselves that they'd already known it was coming, that same heavy emptiness that always dogged their footsteps suddenly loomed over them, simultaneously trying to weigh them down and threatening to swallow them whole. Super fun.

The mention of the battle elicited no immediate reaction from Nem, who sat in their private bubble of void and waited for something that warranted an answer. Eventually it came. Technically, Burnbridge sent herself toppling down with the bridge - Nem could even have argued that it was her own fault the structure went down in the first place - and they'd just helped her along a little bit. They held off on mentioning that - suddenly didn't feel much like talking anyway - and nodded again. "Yes, I was." Their mind strayed for a moment back to the direct aftermath of the first of those incidents, and then the second, but failed to drum up any of the feelings they had been certain had occurred, nor even a reliable memory of them.

Nem blinked, once, and stared blankly at Auror James, and then at His Majesty. "Am I going to prison?"

BanaBatGirl · 04-17-2021, 01:22 PM

Fletcher, being the mature and handsome Senior Undersecretary he was, had decided to just ignore Vivica A. Painthe Neck, and had settled back into the throne. His hands were now steepled together as he considered what Nem and Nem only was saying.

Poor kid was clearly very deeply impacted by the events of the last year, as they all were. Perhaps it WAS for the best that Upstead wasn't interviewing his own childe. He FELT the sadness when the kid turned their cold, weary blue eyes on him, even if he sensed there could be something more to the story. As he listened (and attempted to ignore the crassness of the auror drinking the suspect's cup of water), Fletcher felt himself getting caught in a bit of a worry loop for the wellbeing of all the kids at Hogwarts. He'd tried though; he'd really tried to question Charles when they had first received word that all communication was being cut off from the school. He'd tried to get in around Alphonsine when the parents started owling and howling and irritating his entire office, as though it was Level One's fault that a cult had taken over the School.

But he was careful not to allow his emotions to show on his face; he was, after all, a man in a man's world, and thus, incapable of showing emotion sometimes, but he did fidget with his wedding ring, gently twisting and spinning it slowly as he thought through these worries.

"No," the acting Minister answered promptly and firmly when Nem pulled him back to the present. "You are not going to prison. I do recommend some kind of counseling for you, however, before you return to Hogwarts, if your parents wish for you to still attend. I'll speak to your dad but the counseling is something my office can set up. You shouldn't have---" here he hesitated and briefly spared James a heavy don't argue with me, look, "---you shouldn't have been subjected to any kind of private lessons with Rosier, regardless of your reasons for seeking him out. I think you're a victim of circumstance, Nem, and an intelligent young person who is still learning how to make good choices."

And honestly, Fletcher could not care less about whomever Nem took out in the battle. He sat up as though he were preparing to leave, straightening his vest and adjusting his cuffs now. He cleared his throat importantly. "I think that's quite enough, Ms. James. Does it really matter which side Nem intended to fight for, so long as they did the right thing in the end?"

Regardless of whoever the hell Anastasia Truebridge was, and the name simply wasn't ringing a bell in this moment, Fletcher was happy just to have Simone gone. "In fact, perhaps we should be thanking Nemesis for removing two threats from the school." He flicked his eyes from James back to Nem. "So long as Nem knows killing is wrong in most instances and promises to never do such a thing ever again...."

Listen, he had a ten-year-old at home. It wasn't his fault if he spoke to all children the way he spoke to Dunk. He cued Upstead the Kid into reading between the lines with a bit of stare in their direction.

Cassirin · 04-18-2021, 02:02 AM

And that was Fletcher, ruining her interview. Completely ruined. Vivi was going to have very cross words with Upstead when this was over. She'd like to have cross word with Fletcher, but she was professional enough not to do it in front of their prisoner.

"I'm afraid that Mr. Fletcher doesn't have authority to make that decision, Nem, and it'll be up to the Ministry Prosecutors to decide if they have a case. We don't have any reason to hold you, though, as long as you are released into the custody of your father. And promise not to leave the country," Vivi flashed a very brief mile to indicate that was her attempt at un-funny Auror humor. "I'd like to have you in again over the summer. We have a great number of Neo-Alliance members to prosecute, and your proximity to Rosier makes you an invaluable witness. I think Mr. Fletcher's mind will be put at ease regarding your allegiances if you could testify against any of them."

Felixir · 04-18-2021, 04:07 AM

For the record, Nem was getting a few mixed messages here. They thought about pointing that out, but swiftly decided that they simply did not care enough to do so. Interesting to note, though, just how smoothly things ran around here. It was anyone's guess how the wizarding world had nearly fallen to Rosier with such cohesion in the ranks at a governmental level.

Anyway. Condescension aside. "I won't do it again. And I don't need any counselling, thank you." Not a chance. Though, if they were pushed into any situation of the sort, they had a foolproof strategy for getting through it. Nem swallowed hard, felt a prickling in their eyes, right on cue. "I'm not messed up or anything, I just... can't believe he's gone." Or whatever. As for returning to Hogwarts... go back to normal after what this past two years had been? Nem couldn't think of anything more dull, or more pointless, but no doubt that was a fight to have with Jake and Becca. Unless they did go to prison, which was apparently an option back on the table. As much as Nem was certain spending all day in a cell would make them feel no less stimulated on a day-to-day basis than they already were, they weren't thrilled about the idea. They weren't exactly scared of it either. They weren't anything. They felt nothing. Not right now.

Nem heaved a world-weary sigh - really, very little acting needed - and ran both hands over their face, smudging the few tears that had collected so they were just barely discernible. Wake up, wake up. They dropped their hands again, looked right at James. "I won't go anywhere." ... But that was interesting, and it might serve. Nem considered her a moment, His Majesty - Mr Fletcher - as well. "You want to use me. You as well," they said bluntly, looking back and forth between them, eyes welling up properly this time. Just like old times, and all it took was flat-out exhaustion. "How will I know you won't let them lock me up once I testify? How can I trust-..." They shook their head and buried their face in their hands again, leaning their elbows on the table. "You're confusing me. I'm tired. I want to go home."

Woe.

BanaBatGirl · 04-18-2021, 12:50 PM

Fletcher was the Acting Minister, @ everyone in the room, so he DID have the authority to declare this over. This was what he told himself in his mind as he ground his teeth and clenched his jaw.

After James' little badge-flashing tirade, he stood up and waved his hand to vanish his throne. The kid's crying was both cute and pathetic and he was once again torn on whether or not he should believe the emotional outburst or not. He was just so tired at this point in the day and, admittedly, also wanting to just go home. "We're not using you, Nem," he sighed his own world-weary sigh as he went to open the door of the chamber. "We're trying to help you."

At least, he was. James was one of the most mixed-signal traffic lights he'd ever met. Thirsty one minute, then stern the next. Ridiculous. Fletcher heaved open the door and leaned against it, tipping his handsome head back so it rested against the plate of glass.

"Upstead, get in here and collect your children. Also, we need to talk." About said children, clearly. They'd be having a talk about James first. Mister Fletcher. Excuse her, the title was obviously acting MINISTER Fletcher. The nerve on these aurors. See? See, THIS was why he avoided this entire floor. And Level 3, too. They both should have caught fire in the battle.

Cassirin · 04-19-2021, 01:48 AM

Vivi was all for being done with this interview, especially with Fletcher consistently undermining her efforts. She tidied her papers while he spoke, and she didn't bother contradicting him when he said they weren't using Nem. Perhaps Nem was under the misapprehension that they could assist the leader of a terrorist organization for two years and walk away without paying restitution or dealing with consequences. Perhaps the Minister's pet didn't want to deal with the situation because he bored easily.

Whatever.

"You're free to go, Nemesis." Or perhaps they needed to wait in the other room while Pet Fletcher had his fit. There was definitely a fit coming. There was always a fit. Administrators!

Felixir · 04-19-2021, 03:47 AM

Jake did not need telling twice. Actually, he didn't even need telling once; he was already on his way out of the viewing room the moment Fletcher had risen to his feet. His mind buzzed unpleasantly; all kinds of guilt and grief and concern and unease and a whole bunch of other things Jake was not terribly comfortable with fought to break through the surface, and so he simply forced them all back. Later, when he sat and spoke to Becca about all everything, shared the horrible details about what had been happening with their children, and broke her heart with it all, maybe then he'd let his own heart break a little bit too. Not yet.

For the record, Jake was not at all surprised that it had been an interview with Nem that had caused enough tension between Vivi and Fletcher that even he had picked up on it relatively easily. He wasn't even sure Nem had done much to trigger it, per se, but it was oh so fitting that they'd been at the centre of it. He could not think of a worse person to have witnessed it.

Appearing in the doorway by Fletcher, face pale and expression grim, Jake looked in at his ~~eldest~~ second eldest kid, still sitting with their face in their hands. He'd not seen them give in to emotion(?) in so long, and it was jarring to see it now. "C'mon Nem. I'll take you home." Where they would... talk. Maybe. Probably should, but Jake would honestly rather take the battle all over again. "Wait for me in reception, I won't be long." He gestured for one of the other Level Two employees working this area to let them out, and make sure they found their way.
_____

For what it was worth, Nem really was tired. They weren't confused, they didn't particularly care where they went next, and home was just as whatever to them as anywhere else, but they were so utterly exhausted that it was getting difficult to think straight. Not confusion, but definitely unhelpful. With their face covered, and their eyes closed, they just kept seeing Rosier's face, staring intently at them across the desk in the Headmaster's office as he told Nem there was nothing wrong with them. His crumpled body in the courtyard. A falling pillar. They replayed it, over and over. And over. Idiot. Just another idiot.

This had stopped being fun. Nem wasn't sure when exactly, but it had. Not until they heard Jake's voice did they uncover their face and stand, pausing for a moment to adjust to being upright. They didn't look at anyone as they left for the waiting area, just kept their eyes determinedly downcast.
_____

... "And ask Muriel if she can find you something to eat," Jake added, this time to Nem's retreating back. Call him a bleeding heart Hufflepuff, but he sort of preferred it when his kids didn't look dead on their feet. Uh. Still an ill-timed comment? At least he'd not said it out loud this time.

With Nem out of the way, Jake back turned to Fletcher and Vivi and ducked into the room with them, already rubbing his face in frustration. A throne. Why did it have to be a throne. "Right." A throne. In front of Nemesis. "... Right."

Just let him silently judge Fletcher for a moment, before Fletcher could judge him first. Just allow him that much.

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