"Your name?"
"Alex Wood."
"Who do you work for?"
"Murphy Darkholme."
"What do you do for him?"
"I help him process potion ingredients, help him make potions, th-then sell them to Muggles."
"How long have you been helping him do this?"
"I, I don't know. I'm not sure..."
"Another question. What potions does he sell to Muggles?"
"Ess-Essence of Dittany, and B-Beauty Potion..."
"Chief!" Watching Alex keep spilling secrets, the Auror conducting the interrogation cried out excitedly, "He confessed! He confessed to everything!"
"But testimony given under Veritaserum won't be accepted by the Wizengamot..." another Auror said in distress.
"Then we won't go through the Wizengamot!" the older Auror said. "Let that reporter in. We'll make his testimony public! That way everyone will know what Murphy did!"
"That's too risky. They might say we tortured him into confessing. We still have to bring him before the Wizengamot before we can convict Murphy."
"It'll be too late once we bring him to the Wizengamot. When the Veritaserum wears off, he might recant again! We'll get nothing! If no one hears his testimony now, they can even say those statements were fabricated! We should let someone else witness what he says!"
Everyone fell silent and looked at Kingsley again. "Chief, make the call."
Kingsley hesitated. He was an upright Auror, and if possible, he did not want to use underhanded methods to convict someone. He wanted to bring criminals to justice openly and honorably.
But that Auror was right. The Wizengamot would not accept testimony obtained through Veritaserum, and once the potion's effect passed, there was a very high chance Alex Wood would recant again. They could not count on him to accuse Murphy in court.
Perhaps letting this opportunity go for now was the most proper course.
Murphy Darkholme was an