The Punishment Tailor-Made for Voldemort
"Very good!" Voldemort nodded in satisfaction. "Circe, you are far more sincere than Herpo."
He stared at Circe, whose body had gone rigid. "As a sincere guest, I hope you can give me a reason..."
"Tell me... why, at such a crucial time today, when Severus needed you, you failed to remain here."
Circe felt her back drenched in sweat, as though it were about to soak through her robes.
"Because... because over in Canaan..." She swallowed hard and answered with some difficulty, "there were matters that needed my attention..."
"I was inciting those Muggles... making them slaughter one another... throwing the whole world into chaos... Handling this properly... would take some time."
"Oh, so that was it..." Voldemort nodded. "Circe, you truly are very sincere."
"If you were handling important business, then being late... could be considered understandable. Don't you think?"
"Of course!" Circe agreed without hesitation. "The moment I learned that you needed me, that your servant needed me, I returned at once!"
"Oh?" Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "How did you learn of this?"
"I recall..." He toyed with his Wand as he thought back over what had happened earlier. "Herpo seemed perfectly normal the entire time. When did he communicate with you?"
Since Voldemort had already asked this much, Circe could only continue. "It was not long ago..."
Her gaze fell upon Voldemort's Wand as she weighed what she should do next.
She soon had her answer. Rather than be tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, she might as well reveal the secret.
"Not long ago..." She took a deep breath and continued, "he used a certain kind of magic to communicate with me. This magic can directly transmit thoughts, without the need for verbal communication."
After saying that, she actually felt much