Beyond the door was a narrow, cramped room, dimly lit.
Rolando Stern sat alone on a hardwood chair in the center of the interrogation room, shackled all over, his hands fastened to the back of the chair.
He looked far more haggard than before, with sunken eye sockets and disheveled hair. His head hung low, yet his face bore an unnatural air of relaxation.
Two Aurors were also in the room guarding the dangerous criminal. One leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, dozing, while the other sorted through a thick stack of parchment.
The middle-aged official who had led them there knocked on the door, entered, and whispered a few words to the two men. The one who had been dozing then left the interrogation room.
"Please come in, Miss Vanderbilt," said the gray-haired Auror quietly. "We'll be right outside—this fellow is, after all, a Scourer guilty of every evil. Please be careful."
"Yes, thank you."
Elsie adjusted her cloak and entered the interrogation room.
Wade saw that the younger Auror had intended to take all the documents from the table, but the official tugged his arm. After hesitating, he set them all back down.
"You will probably have half an hour for your meeting."
The middle-aged official checked his pocket watch and said with a smile, "No one will disturb your meeting during that time."
Just as he was about to leave, he turned back as though he had only just remembered something.
"Oh, right. This fellow has had rather too much Veritaserum lately. His mind is a little muddled, and he tends to ramble incoherently... I hope you're prepared for that."
The middle-aged official left the interrogation room, while the Auror's gaze lingered briefly on Wade with professional scrutiny.
Then the door was gently closed.
Stern