Felix fell unconscious before he could complete casting the killing curse. Professor Jordan stood behind him with William by his side.
"What? What! Whaaa!" Alfred cried, stunned.
"Everyone okay? Claudia?" Professor Jordan asked them, picking up Felix's wand.
"What just happened? Felix? Avada?" Claudia replied with a blanched visage of sheer terror.
"You are okay", Professor Jordan turned his attention back to Felix, waking him up.
"Sir? Claudia!" Felix groaned before shooting up and hugging Claudia.
Every single pair of eyes in the Great Hall were transfixed on him, forks frozen midway between plate and mouth, jaws slacking.
"Felix, want to explain what happened before I have to call in an Auror to arrest you?" Professor Jordan asked him in a tone of voice that left no question as to the severity of the situation or of the sincerity of his intentions.
"I was imperioed, sir…that all-conquering bliss…please, tell me I didn't hurt anyone? I kept trying to push back, but neither occlumency nor assaulting my attacker aided any…I had flashes of clarity, me stupefying Dimitri instead of what the malicious voice ordered me to do, casting umbra at William to make him sleep along with a multicast of Legilimancy to pass on the dire need for him to call you…then moments of me trying to tell Claudia to stun me…I didn't hurt anyone did I?" Felix felt nauseous at the very notion of him having caused harm to anyone.
"Convenient" Said a Slytherin boy with a bratty voice, and was ignored by everyone.
"Mr. Burton, follow me", Professor Jordan started walking without returning him his wand.
Felix took one fleeting look at a still very shocked Claudia before following his Professor.
Professor walked in a slow, deliberate, agonizing pace, hands behind his back that made Felix want to scream at him to hurry up already.
"Chess Victory", Professor Jordan spoke the password to the gargoyle guarding the Headmistress' office entranceway, when they finally arrived.
They ascended the spiral stone steps to find Professor Horsewood behind her desk signing pieces of parchment, her leopard companion sleeping in front of the wooden desk, her chest going up and down rhythmically with a slight snore of her heavy breath.
Felix and Professor Jordan stood next to each other in front of her, in silence, waiting for her to finish what she was doing.
"Déjà vu Mr. Burton…oh, you can relax. We know you wouldn't willingly try to harm anyone else, much less murder Claudia. Take a seat, please, the Minister of Magic will be here shortly so make yourself comfortable", she told him raising her eyes for moment then returning them to her stack of parchments.
"Uhm…yes, ma'am", Felix sat down, playing idly with his thumbs twirling them around each other while Professor Jordan stayed standing and holding Felix's wand with both hands still behind his back with a face that betrayed no emotion.
Ten minutes later the new Minister of Magic, Asmund Kiserian, arrived escorted by Mrs. Alison, the School's Grounds Keeper.
"Headmistress Horsewood", the Minister said clad in a black overcoat and orange-yellow robes, his green eyes scanning Felix top to bottom.
"Minister Kiserian", she said standing up.
"We detected the use of one of the three unforgivables but were unable to detect which wand committed it. That is not your average Defense Against the Dark Arts Dark Arts. Mr. Burton here the victim?" Asmund asked in his baritone voice.
"I was Imperioed, I am no victim, never again", Felix interjected.
"Be that as it may, Mr. Burton, the person who committed this crime must be found, trialed and sent to Azkaban. Do you know who might it be?" Felix felt three pairs of eyes piercing him and taking no risks he emptied his mind and voice of all emotion before replying to the Minister.
"No, sir. But I am who I am and there's no shortage of potential enemies out there. People my family hurt, people I had to hurt stop my family….take your pick really."
"In that case this is going to be one of two very long days", Minister Asmund told him before looking at Professor Horsewood. "I need to inspect everyone's wands, faculty and students' alike", Professor Horsewood nodded.
Minister Asmund took out his wand aiming at the ceiling and made a horisontal k in the air. A spectral dove, not unlike the spectral raven Azrail had sent him in last year's end, appeared out of thin air flying off through a wall leaving behind a streak of decaying silver mist.
"Aurors will be here momentarily, but meanwhile, your wands please", Professor Jordan offered his and Felix's as Professor Horsewood left hers on the edge of her desk, her leopard growling displeased at the Minister.
"You may not want to point my wand at anyone when you cast Priori Incantantem, sir", Felix warned him in a pleasant voice.
"And why is that, Mr. Burton?" The Minister looked at him suspiciously.
"You don't want the spell I hit Azrail with, severing his connection to Magic and turning him into a Muggle impacting anyone in this office, do you, sir?" Felix said meeting the Minister's gaze.
"Right, I had almost forgotten you since your third year. No, I don't think I want that, indeed", the Minister said aiming Felix's wand at the floor. "How is your mother and cousins? All good I hope."
"Yeah, they're doing fine. Thank you for asking, sir", Felix replied casually as his wand started casting spells in reverse.
"And you? How have you been?"
"Fine, sir. Very busy with my upcoming NEWTs and activities."
"That was an excellent paper you had published last year, well deserved", Asmund pointed with his right index finger at the 'Head Boy' badge at the center of Felix's robes. "Not looking for the Spring, I hope?"
"Oh, no sir. I've not had a need to look for it", Felix said drawing his Professors gazes. He remained relaxed.
Just as the Minister stopped the charm short of reaching the end of the sixth year Mrs. Olive came back in the room, escorting four Aurors in long black robes and overcoats.
The Minister then investigated Professors' Horsewood and Jordan's wands as the Aurors waited for his instructions in silence.
"Olivia, please gather all students and staff in the Great Hall", Professor Horsewood instructed her.
"Yes, ma'am", she said departing the office.
A timespan later Felix sat in the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall, students whispering about at this abnormal interruption to their school day as well the Minister of Magic being present.
The Headmistress stood behind the Owl Lectern, motioning them to stop. "Earlier today someone, a student…or a member of the Faculty performed one of the three Unforgivable Curses on a student, almost succeeding in having them commit murder by the Killing Curse. Thankfully, no one was hurt seriously in the process. The act itself remains a criminal offence punishable by life imprisonment in Azkaban. So, the Minister of Magic is here with four Aurors to inspect everyone's wands, students, and Staff alike. Anyone who will not willingly surrender their wand for inspection will be instantaneously expelled or fired. Please stay seated at your table and place your wands in front of you. An Auror will pass to inspect them one by one", Professor Horsewood said in a clear, loud authoritative voice.
The four Aurors divided one per House table inspected each and every student's wands one by one while the Minister inspected the wands of the Staff.
An hour later the Aurors stood on either side of Asmund as he looked at Professor Horsewood troubled.
"We'll have to come back with Veritaserum and a Ministerial Pensieve, the search of the wands yielded no results…this is most troubling", he said before making a small bow with his head and leaving the Great Hall in a hurry.
Whispering begun anew in the Great Hall as the students started leaving, heading back to the remaining classes of the day.
"Well, that was exciting", Uriel said in a droll voice.
"Who would even want such a thing? To use Imperio to have you murder Claudia?" Ariana asked, shocked.
"It's not like I've not made enemies the past few years", Felix said shrugging.
"You have but that's bullshit", Claudia said angrily. "You know who has done it and why, even if you may not know who it is, actually."
"How can you know who but not know who?" Emerick's eyebrows furrowed in question.
"It was whoever betrayed the Blake's existence to Azrail, they've tried using Legilimancy on me twice to ascertain whether or not I know who they are. Now, they tried to have me thrown in Azkaban a murderer. But I am very good at Occlumency, and their plan failed yet again. Despair a good ally does not make", Felix said, his face darkened.
"Right, but now they've committed another crime, and for what? It's not like you do know who they are!" Emerick exclaimed.
"Oh, yes, yes I do. I have known ever since our Fifth year", Felix admitted with disdain.
Uriel chocked on his own saliva, coughing as Ariana facepalmed with a loud smacking sound and Claudia rolled her eyes muttering swear words in Italian. Emerick seemed too shocked to react.
"Uhm…why then…?" Emerick asked finding his voice.
"Aren't they dead or in prison?" Felix asked what he thought Emerick's question was. "Because I've had bigger fish to fry, because I am not going to Azkaban for them, and because I have devised an intensely more appropriate punishment to suit the crime. Death or prison alone would be too little for them."
"I think", Claudia appeared to be on the verge of losing her calm to seething rage, "the question was "why the fuck not tell a Professor or the Headmistress?" Darling", she asked him, trembling.
"No, they be mine, I'll deal with them and no one else", Felix left hurriedly for their next class.
"Sometimes…I swear to Merlin's fat arse…" Claudia let out a deep breath leaving with Emerick and the others.