The Beginning of an End

Marcus listened to Khaat's briefing. "I'll make sure the infirmary staff in Azkaban so that won't be a problem. And arresting her was right. Hopefully Robert willa arrive soon...." Marcus examined Athena. She was cut up badly by multiple sectumsempras, as Khaat had said, and there was clear evidence of the Cruciatus Curse. Marcus could see it. Nice job taking that wench out. Marcus thought as he looked directly into Athena's eyes. He really wished she could hear him because if he had said that out loud, his position would be in peril.

"Brian, You can take her away to Azkaban. I'll alert the staff," Marcus said to Brian. "Khaat, can you get some one to contain the corpse? And get them to clean up a little...." Marcus joked a little but overall serious.

"Certainly," Khaat said. She heard her father's footsteps on the tile as he approached. She had seen Brian's reluctance to leave her unguarded, but when the both recognized Robert's steps, Khaat nodded to Brian.

"On my way," was Brian's reply to Marcus. He didn't like the fact that the student had killed either. She didn't exactly belong in Azkaban but there really wasn't any place for a student. There was no alternative. He was almost glad that Dakota had sent him on the dismal trip with her. Someone needed to keep her medically stable on the trip.

She watched her father order hospital security to take the body into custody and deliver it to the hospital morgue for autopsy. They moved into action quickly.

"Shall I notify Headmaster Lyons that her student will not be in class for awhile?" Robert asked Dakota. "Or would you prefer to send that owl? I do not believe that there is another family member left, but I presume you will be checking into that for the Goyle girl. Are you sure she did it, Khaat?"

"Brian and I were eyewitnesses, unfortunately," Khaat said. Her father looked up at Marcus Dakota.

"How can I assist you in your investigation?" Robert asked.

Robert had arrived. "Great Robert, you're here. As you can see, there's been a murder," Marcus said grimly. "That young woman being escorted down the hall is the murderer, I hear. Khaat and Brian were both eyewitnesses." Marcus just remembered that he would have to notify Amelia about the incident and how Athena will not be attending her classes for a very long while.

Marcus was surprised to have the Minister himself offer assistance in this investigation. "Robert, can you please notify the rest of the aurors? I have to return to Hogwarts for my post and to notify Amelia."

"Of course," Robert said. "Are there tasks you want them to do? My security staff are former aurors and will work on preserving any evidence. I presume you want statements from Khaat and Brian at some point. Brian's can be Ministry documentation if you like. Technically, I suppose Khaat's could be too, but it might be better being dealt with by law enforcement."

"But is it not protocol for a witness to write their own statements by hand and to have it ratified by an auror only that I wrote it entirely myself?" Khaat asked.

"Indeed," Robert said.

"Then perhaps all another auror would need to do is to sit with me and validate that the statement was all my own work," Khaat said.

"If that works for you," Robert said to Dakota.

"Yes they can. Please have them gather as much evidence on this case as they can. Also please instruct the aurors to do the same," Marcus told Robert. He walked over to Khaat and whispered in her ear. "I feel really bad about having to arrest her. Just between you and me, I would let her go with a light sentence of a different punishment if it wasn't a matter of the Avada Kedavra curse." Marcus was upset to have to put a seventh year into prison.

"Khaat, I need you and Brian to meet me in my office at anytime. I just want to gather every little bit of information," Marcus said out loud. "I have to go to Azkaban now to sort things out, but I would appreciate as much help as I can get." Marcus had a grim expression and left.

What was there left for her now? Athena’s eyes were glazed yet did not suggest any misunderstanding of what she’d done. As she felt the Cruciatus dissipate she immediately became aware of the clamps that came down around her core of magic. A hiss left her lips and she looked up, glaring at the wizard whose binds had woven themselves around her core. She hung her head again, her eyes falling to her hands, and observed the blood caked into her palms. She lifted her hands up to her face and brought her left one to her right before scraping her nail across her palm, scratching away the clotted blood. So now, she was a Muggle. It was a shame she hadn’t bled to death there on the floor but where was the honour in that? She would have, mind you, later, but Athena had high confidence in her ability to find someone to help her. She knew her limits. Those at the Ministry didn’t seem to; though evidently they were very pleased to be the one’s in control. Yet, they seemed to look at her with pity, almost, something Athena didn’t take particularly kind to and though she returned the gaze, she looked at them plainly, not a single flicker of emotion shown in her eyes - just the grim understanding of exactly what she’d done.

Athena glanced at the man who Lupin had identified as Brian. She raised a slight eyebrow and narrowed her eyes in his direction before widening them back and staring ahead, waiting for the person Lupin had asked for: the Head of Law and Enforcement; oh, what fun. Athena could feel her body begin to ease though she could not shake off the imbedded feeling of the Cruciatus Curse, knowing full well it was a slow burning one, doomed to last her long after the original spell was cast. Athena unclenched her jaw and stretched out her lower facial muscles, taking on an appearance of nonchalance which was far from tasteful considering the circumstances. She reached up and ran her hadn through her hair, well aware of the blood that had matted into the topmost layer of her dark locks. She grimaced in distaste, hastily dropping her hand as the blood began to stick to the soft, ever so slightly calloused skin of her wand hand.

The dark haired girl met the gaze of the Head of Law and Enforcement with a defiant stare of her own. She brought her lips together and quirked an eyebrow at him as he observed her like she was some sort of attraction that was there for everyone to freely stare at. Athena’s eyes narrowed at the Head of Law and Enforcement.

“I am not an exhibit,” Athena told him coolly. “Please refrain from staring. Are you completely unaware of how rude it is; did your mother not teach you that?”

When the Minister of Magic arrived, Athena couldn’t help but roll her eyes, especially with the briefing that follows. The Head of Law and Enforcement stated the obvious immediately and Athena cast a glance in the direction of her step-mother, frowning at the woman as if silently telling her to get up, before taking her eyes back to the Minister. The discussion that followed was not one that Athena was to be privy to as not a moment later she found herself being led down the hallway where there would only be one destination afterwards. She inhaled shakily and licked her lips, wincing as her salvia stung at the cuts there, and followed Brian, deciding that she’d comply; for now anyway.