The headmaster and the board of governors both had a headache over the three people who refused to yield to either persuasion or force.
At that moment, Xiwen took out the bottle of Veritaserum he had obtained from Professor Slughorn and placed it on the table. In a low voice, he said, "I suggest using Veritaserum. I happened to—"
"I asked Xiwen to keep that for me," Professor Slughorn suddenly rose and said.
Xiwen looked at his Head of House in surprise. Seeing the meaningful look Slughorn gave him, he silently shut his mouth.
"Armando, and members of the board, let me administer Veritaserum to these criminals. I will control the dosage," Professor Slughorn said, looking at Headmaster Dippet and the members of the school board.
"I have no objection," Mr. Malfoy agreed first, as though he had long grown accustomed to such things.
Naturally, Sandrine had no objections to the method proposed by her son either, and nodded in agreement.
The remaining board members did not care about breaking a minor rule, and all voiced their approval.
After hearing that Veritaserum would be used, Professors Lore and the other two finally lost their earlier composure, their expressions turning uneasy.
"Using Veritaserum privately to interrogate others is no different from taking the law into your own hands. You have no right to do this!" Professor Lore forced himself to remain calm as he spoke. "Headmaster Dippet, you value rules above all else. Surely you will not allow anyone to violate Ministry of Magic regulations right under your nose!"
Everyone's gaze shifted to the elderly headmaster.
Headmaster Dippet's expression flickered uncertainly. Several times, he gritted his teeth and tried to speak, only to fall silent again. He was struggling fiercely within himself.
Mr. Malfoy gave a cold laugh. "Headmaster, this is