Albus had spoken with bravado at the meeting, but he wasn't sure if this was a good idea. It was worth a try though. He took the familiar route up to the ward where he used to visit Scorpius. That room was the most secure they had, meant for potentially dangerous patients. He recognised the two Aurors that guarded the door.
"What are you doing here Potter? Our shift isn't done for three hours yet "
"I'm not here to relieve you, I'm here to talk to the impostor. I know it is most likely futile, but there are a few things the Minister and Potter want to know."
"Worth a shot I suppose," one of them said. "But why you?"
Albus sighed. He had hoped they wouldn't ask about that. He had tried to avoid talking about how he was related to his own boss, and these men's boss as well.
"She keeps shouting for Potter, doesn't she? He's not going to come, but I am. Maybe that will get her to say something about the few things we don't know."
The two men smiled. Albus was relieved. At least they wouldn't make this awkward.
"Good luck with that. I haven't heard her myself, but several Healers have left here quite frustrated."
Albus did not expect what he saw as he entered the room. Instead of a woman shackled to her bed, like Scorpius had been at his worst, she was sitting in a normal chair. It was as if this was a normal sitting room, and he was a visiting guest! He couldn't let the annoyance show though. He had thought about his strategy on the way over and had decided to make her think all was lost. Which it was, though she still had one bargaining chip that he hoped to remove.
"Harry!" Vane exclaimed. "You came!"
What? He was often told he looked a lot like his father, but not the way his father looked now! Maybe she was descending into madness and thought she saw Harry as she remembered him, from their schooldays.
"You are mistaken," he said. "As you are about everything else you've tried to do." He needed information about the present, not the past and was done playing her game. The smile vanished from Vane's face at once.
"Who are you? Where is Potter?"
"You have a Potter right here. I am his son, Albus. I've been asked to come talk to you, though I don't know why we would even bother. You have nothing more worth of value to say."
"Do you want to know where your precious friend is? Or maybe your brother?"
"No. We've already found them. Maybe you missed the details as you were detained down in the cabin of Dawson's boat, but we've already been to the island and taken away all the people you had there. How long did you think you could get away with this?"
"You lie! That island is Unplottable! You would never find it without me!"
"That's the funny thing about magic, Vane. It always leaves traces. In this case, on the boat. Sure, the island may be Unplottable, but the boat had tracked its position many times. We just asked it to do that one more time."
Vane was speechless for a moment. Then, the ugly expression was back on her face.
"You're trying to trick me. You're trying to make me confirm the coordinates for you, so you can go and find them! Well, I won't. I may be forced to stay here, but I will sleep sweet dreams knowing that Potter will regret not choosing me! I have half his family on that island, and he'll never find them."
"As I've said, we've already found them. I have to wonder though, why did you have to do that to poor Marietta? According to your other friends, whom we also released from the cells you and Sam put them in, she was the only one that was ever really willing to help you."
"Marietta betrayed me! She said she would help and then, when I needed her help to keep Sam in check, she baulked and said she wanted nothing to do with it! Just because Malfoy was involved didn't mean it wouldn't hurt Potter as well! But I got the last laugh there! She will never recover from that! I hit her with a worse Memory spell than anything even Lockhart ever tried. She can go and keep him company now."
"She will, perhaps, for a time. But progress has been made on the Healing front since you were young, Vane. The Healers think she will make a complete recovery. Just like Scorpius did, when he was hit with a similar spell a few years ago." That was a blatant lie, but he didn't want her to feel that she had accomplished any of her goals. "There is one part I don't really understand though. Why did you kidnap Scorpius first? And why arrest him so publicly? You must have known that we would learn of it eventually. If you had just removed him silently, maybe you would have been able to keep this up a lot longer. That is what led us to Dawson's house, where we found him kept captive in a suitcase under his own bed. That dummy was rather impressive, I actually thought it was Scorpius for a moment. I presume you planned to make similar dummies for Ginny and James eventually? Then what?"
"Then Harry would finally be free of that troll Weasley and see true beauty when it appears in front of him! She was never worthy of him!" Vane was getting more and more agitated as Albus mentioned things she thought were secret.
"What does Scorpius have to do with any of this?"
"He is a danger to the family! He swore himself to the Dark Lord, yet he gets out of jail and is now working with other Dark Wizards in Knockturn Alley. Sure, he pretends it is all an act, that he works to gather information, but I have seen the true him! He lurks in the shadows, always ready to fall every which way as it suits him! He's using you, using all of you! I did you a favour, and what is the thanks I get? Recrimination and hate! Don't come crawling back to me the day he betrays you all! I warned you; you should never trust a Malfoy!"
Never trust a Malfoy. How many times hadn't he heard those words before?
"And yet, Scorpius has, by this point, saved about 15 Muggles from a Death Eater dungeon, my brother, Rose, and Hermione. Quite the count, I would say. What have you ever done for the family, other than cause it grief?"
"You have no idea what I've done! You weren't even born yet!"
"Why did you decide to involve Sam Crickey? Sure, he actually managed to dig a hole in the ground, but couldn't you have found someone better than him?"
"He is an idiot. He blindly followed whatever I said, even after he realised that he wasn't part of some undercover Ministry work. He was perfect, no one missed him. Or his brother!"
"Right, the brother. Tom, wasn't it? I was actually a bit surprised you didn't just take him to that island as well. Wouldn't that make Sam more inclined to help you?"
"No, having him in Azkaban was a lot more efficient, that way I could use the threat of placing him in the cell with some Death Eater when he became a little reluctant. He didn't know that that wasn't possible! Tom isn't even officially there, no way I could place him in top-security! Not that that really mattered. I told Sam I had released him, since I didn't need that threat anymore."
"That was to stop him asking about it, I guess? You know, I am actually a bit impressed by this Sam. I had never met him before, but the engineering he made out there was really well done. Or was that your work and he just managed it? He wasn't very clear about that in his testimony."
"We made the plans together, but he built most of it. Even the top-security cells. He probably told you I did that, didn't he? He is just as guilty in this as I am."
"Sure, he may have to do some restoration. But I doubt either Ginny, Scorpius, or James would want to testify against him. They all heard his story and felt sorry for him." Well, his mother did anyway. He wasn't so sure James and Scorpius felt the same.
"They're weak. All of them! Always going on and on about second chances! Dumbledore said the same and look what that brought him?"
She was still stuck in the past. It was like she was still at Hogwarts, but that was well over 25 years ago! At least he had gotten the one answer he needed. Tom was probably still in Azkaban, and not in his own name. He needed to end this conversation without revealing that that was new information.
"Anyway, I have a lot to do. You've certainly made us have a lot of paperwork to finish. I was sent here to tell you that everything you tried to do has failed. And that my father is not coming to see you. I've done that, there is no need for this conversation to continue."
"That's what you think! You have no idea what I've done! I've been planning this for 20 years; you think you can undo all of that in a few days?"
"Days? No, it took us at least a week."
"You think this is done? You said you've found the island and the dummy. And apprehended Sam. That's just the beginning."
"Don't forget Marietta. And Dawson, who most certainly did not deserve being at the bottom of a suitcase for months. Why him? Was it just because he had a boat available?"
"And he had Harry's trust, without being too close to him. And he could give orders to you kids, and you would follow them. Do you think it was a coincidence that all three of you were away on missions that led to nothing while I arrested Malfoy? I had to be careful, but I managed it eventually."
"Yes, quite clever. But it doesn't matter now. He is back with the family, where he belongs. And it would have been much smarter if you had just taken him straight to the island without arresting him in public. Like I said, word got around, and we realised he was in trouble quicker than we would have otherwise."
"You're rearing for disaster keeping a man like that near your family. He waits like a snake in the grass, for his moment to strike. The Malfoys always do that. They use all the right words to make you believe them, then they leave you in the dust when they're done with you."
"Sounds like you're talking from experience?"
"Wouldn't you like to know! I'm not telling you anything."
"I've noticed. But, as I've said, I'm not here to make you talk. I'm here to tell you that you failed. I'm leaving now, unless there is anything else you want to know?"
"When will I have my trial?"
"Trial? Who said anything about a trial?"
"You can't convict me without a trial!"
"We won't convict you. You are being detained as a danger to yourself and to society. No need for a trial."
"You can't do that! Harry has to lead the trial!"
"If there had been a need for a trial, Harry would not have led it, as that could be seen as detrimental for the defence. Perhaps Hermione could do it, but most likely, we would bring in a substitute. But again, at the moment, we won't have a trial."
"You're lying! I know the law; you can't keep me against my will!"
"Have you studied Magical Law? That would be news to me. They don't teach that at Hogwarts, though perhaps they should."
It seemed this was the last straw. Vane finally lost her last part of self-restraint and launched herself at Albus. He lazily put up a Shield Charm. He backed away towards the door as he said his parting words.
"See? This here proves our case. You are not fit to be in public. A courtroom is much too strenuous, if you can't even keep calm when talking one-on-one. No, a mental asylum is the best. But don't worry, it won't be the same place as Marietta is in. She won't need to be restrained after all."
He barely listened as he went out the door. Her shrieks could be heard even through the locked door. He suspected she was right behind it, still trying to curse him. Albus couldn't help but smile at the sound.
"That lasted longer than I thought," one of the guards said.
"Longer than I wanted. But it wasn't a complete waste. If nothing else, seeing her realise she has nothing left to hold over our heads was a small payback for everything she's put us through. Her last hope, what made her lose her marbles at the end was when she realised that she wouldn't even get to see Potter at a trial."
"Oh, is that what she's been waiting for? I was wondering why she hasn't tried to bargain with us before."
"What good would her getting a trial do?" the other asked.
"Nothing. Potter is disgusted with her. But she still thinks she can win him over. That was her end goal in all of this."
"Has Potter ever given her any sign of affection?"
"No. He didn't even recognise her when he saw her again. But you can't reason with insane people."
"That's true. Well, I suppose you need to go back to the Ministry and recap this riveting conversation. Make sure to make a detailed report this time, eh?"
Albus laughed. "Don't worry. I save all my report words for the important reports. This one qualifies."
All three of them chuckled as he left the mental ward. He gave a quick recap to the Healer on his way out, and he sighed.
"You just made my job harder. She has cooperated up until now, you've taken away her last hope. We may have to restrain her now."
"I wish I could say I am sorry, but that would be a lie. I am surprised you haven't already restrained her."
"The room looks like just any room, I agree, but looks can be deceiving. There is no way out of that room, not even with a wand. She has tried pretty much everything by now."
"I am sure Potter, or the Minister will contact you again shortly to arrange transport to whatever location they have found best suited to contain her," Albus said as he left. He had what he wanted. He hoped he never had to see Romilda Vane again.