Veritaserum

She was so angry at Vincent she barely knew how to contain it all. He had no clue how very much he was hurting her. Her grief was more than she could bear just realizing all she stood to lose--everything she loved, and maybe a lot of the people she loved. She knew her father would immediately know if Vincent hurt or killed her, and she counted on Robert knowing to instantly take her daughters and her granddaughter and move them at a second's notice into hiding out of England if it were necessary, if Vincent lost his composure with her. She left her wand laying on his desk and boldly moved, separated Jess from Vincent and helped him back to his chair. Then she took a bold position right between Vincent and Jess, in front of Jess and facing Vincent. Her voice was gentle, but she meant business.

"Vincent, you have more than enough information to accomplish whatever you want. Please--stop this now. You know pretty much who is in the Order and you now know where we are. What more could you possibly need? I don't care anymore--I'll answer whatever you want, if you just let him go. And you won't have to use Veritaserum to do it--you know that. Jess has taken enough physical damage. Let him alone. " If Vincent wanted to get to Jess, her nonverbals were making it clear that he would have to go through her to do it.

Vincent smiled. The curse was broken. Number twelve Grimmauld Place, as he had expected. The Order clearly were stupid, they should have made a new headquarters, one that would not be so easy to find. "I don't think so Potter," he said quietly, but in a triumphant voice. "The Death Eaters are waiting right outside Grimmauld Place. The charm is broken, they can enter it now," he informed him. There was nothing he could do about it now of course. Vincent walked over to his desk and took a parchment, scribbled something on it quickly, then sent the third owl with the letter to Sandra.

He raised his eyebrows as Khaat stood between him and Jess. It seemed like a surprisingly bold action from her. "Khaat," he said softly. "Jess seems to be in okay condition to me... Thank you for healing him, you can go now."

"We'll go. Both of us," Khaat said, "I'm leaving and I'm taking Jess with me. You don't need him anymore, and he still needs medical treatment. You can have Grimmauld Place. Its just a bloody house. We could care less. I understand if you want some sort of victory under your belt. But you leave the people that I love alive. You hear me? You let your minions kill any of them , and we will have some serious things to talk about, you and I. Before you take over the house, can I ask for one thing? One sentimental, nonmagical thing--before its destroyed, please? You can inspect it yourself if you like. It won't mean anything to anyone but probably me at this point, but it matters. " She walked back over to the desk and picked up her wand and Jess's and put Jess's her bag and slung the bag on her shoulder. She fired her wand at Jess. "Finite!" She untied him again.

"I want just a simple piece of wallpaper from Grimmauld, please," she told him. "It's not magical. Just sentimental. May I have it? I'll be happy to show it to you if you want to inspect it."

(Bloody hell, it wasn't actually Veritaserum... I have pointed that out... Jess, you have just ratted us out without any apparent reason)

Wilson took his wand out and pointed it at Khaat. ''He shan't leave'', he said, calmly. This was going to get... rough. ''There is no reason for him leaving, he is safer here than anywhere. If you take him, both of you are dead'', he explained.

"Thats all up to them," Vincent informed her. "If they don't provide resistance, they will be spared. If they do, I can't promise anything." He knew she would fly into a fury at those words, but it was true. "Its up to Sandra anyways, not me," he added, shrugging. He raised his eyebrows as Khaat untied Jess, Vincent took out his wand., he couldn't let Jess leave.

"Hah! Someone else has sense here!" Vincent said, rather surprised at Wilsons comment but also pleased. "But he's right you know. The order will fall, ministry too. Better to pretend this fool is dead, he won't survive easily outside the castle."

''You also have your task to do Vincent and that is to keep him alive. Yes, she won't take him, but you have to assure you will do everything you can to keep him safe... and I do mean everything'', he said. ''Now that the idiot told you where the center of his organization is, thereby jeopadrizing all of its members, he is in deep water. I trust you will, as Headmaster, be able to keep him safe and alive while you keep that position. I trust you enough to hope you will not allow someone like Archer to control your movements and deeds'', he said.

"You both have taken leave of your senses," she said, not surprised at Wilson's treachery. He just never seemed to be on the right page at the right time. As for Vincent's reference to Archer, bah! The woman hadn't stuck around long enough to command firewhiskey out of a bottle. She had no faith in her whatsoever. She seemed to be more figment than fact in this whole business. No, she was directing her attention to Vincent. "Hogwarts is hardly safe for Jess. He isn't exactly getting 5 Star treatment here right now. And for your information, there are still a few safe places left in the world besides here.

"I want Jess, and I want him now," she stood up to Vincent, her voice still calm but iron firm. "I thought you had more control over your little professors than this, but you don't seem to be able to control him even when he does agree with you. You're better than this. You can't fool me with that whole 'he's-safer-with-me' business. I don't see you acting out of any desire to be charitable to the man, but there really is nothing more he can do to be of any service to you with. Or--let him go, and keep me. I'll be your hostage." She calmly then turned to Wilson.

"Go ahead. Kill me. Do you think I'm afraid of you, you bloody great fool? Next time you threaten me, find something I'm actually afraid of, would you?" Death, death, death. That's all they could think of. As if that bothered her. Idiots--they'd forgotten that a true Gryffindor, not to mention a Lupin. never ran from death. Never. It only proved to her that neither of them understood her or her family.

"I'm ignoring your errand boy here, Vincent, " she turned back to him, putting her wand in her bag. "You can let him kill two unarmed people if that pleases you. But we are leaving. Unless you'd prefer to keep me instead. Either way, Jess is leaving--safe and unharmed."

Wilson couldn't help laughing. ''Khaat, let us not be infantile here. Let us not call upon people that do not fit in this situation. The same with arguments.'', he said. ''Jess is not safe here like he would be in a deep Gringots vault, but he is safer here than anywhere you might take him'', he continued. ''Calling upon Gryffindor values, upon Remus... that all gets useless once you know that I myself was a Gryffindor and a very good friend of Remus... and death is probably the easiest way out. Besides, I am not a murderer'', he said. ''Incarcerous'', he fired at Jess, binding him once more. ''He will be fine here, not with a 5 Star Treatment, but he will be fine, and Vincent will assure that to both of us'', he explained. ''There is no need for you to act childish and irrational, causing more havoc than usual, now that this Blabbermouth has told where the main HQ of the main enemy of the Dark Army is. Besides, there isn't much you can do. I have no intention of killing you, you are a former colleague and a good person, and I am sure Vincent feels the same. But Jess has to stay here'', he said.

OOC: you're reading her thoughts now?

(Oh, sorry... that wasn't a dialogue :-S Sorry, misinterpreted it)