Chapter 39

Hu Yetao licked his lips and kept his gaze on Silong, ignoring the suspicious looks from the other Board members. "If Oscar, or any other Nundu, transformed into their cat form to attack someone in vengeance, tell me, would that person have walked away from the incident?"

Silong frowned, considering the question.

"Or perhaps a better question would be: has anyone ever walked away from being attacked by a Nundu?" Hu Yetao amended, leaning forward in his seat.

Surprisingly it was Luo Kan who answered. "The only people to ever survive a Nundu attack are fellow Nundu," he said arrogantly, "and even then, they are almost always severely injured."

Hu Yetao privately thought Luo Kan looked quite proud of that fact but Hu Yetao didn't care at that moment if it supported their case.

"This is true…" Silong murmured, glancing at the other Board members to ensure that this point had been received by all of them.

"Zheng Naixin would be capable of using magic to injure another student but I do not think she would have been willing to kill him," Oscar added, looking between the Board members, clearly sensing their vacillating positions. "I believe she injured Mr. Kazuma with a shallow cutting curse, left him out in the open to ensure that a passerby would happen across him, and then brought her accusation to the Board to enact her revenge on me." Oscar paused and arched a brow. "She was the one who brought forth the accusation, was she not?"

Hu Yetao held his breath while Silong pressed his lips together, deliberating.

"Yes, she was," Su Miake replied stridently before Silong could make a sound.

Hu Yetao started and spun around in his seat when there was a very loud roar from behind them which seemed to vibrate through the floor itself. He immediately withdrew his wand and held it clenched in one hand as he quickly tried to seek out the source of the outrage. Oscar, meanwhile, had stood up out of his seat and placed a knee on the side of Hu Yetao's chair, hovering over him like a human shield, his free hand gripping his wand and leveling it to the rear left-hand corner of the room.

Hu Yetao quickly spotted the large cat who was growling and spitting in protest, tail slashing the air violently, as those around him took a few steps back, their tails flicking backward and forwards in agitation.

The Board Chair rose out of his seat and beckoned to the cat. "Mr. Zheng, please calm yourself and come forward," he said in a commanding tone.

The livid Nundu narrowed dark eyes and prowled forward, large head low to the ground and gaze pinned to the Board Chair.

Hu Yetao tensed as the feline walked past him on silent paws, close enough to see that his dark eyes were a deep chocolate brown and some of his black whiskers were tipped with white.

Oscar sat down and wrapped an arm around Hu Yetao, pulling him into his side, wand still in hand and darkened brown eyes locked on Mr. Zheng.

Hu Yetao would have protested the overly-protective behavior, but in truth, he was quite glad for it; Mr. Zheng cut a very imposing figure in his feline form.

Xiu Silong remained standing. "Mr. Zheng please transform so that we may discuss this matter."

Hu Yetao held his breath, half expecting him to refuse and pounce on the elderly Board Chair.

The large cat shook itself as though shaking his coat free of water, then there was a brief flash of light and instead of a large, prehistoric-looking jungle cat, there was now a man who appeared to be in his early fifties, very thin, with greying hair, standing before the Board with a fierce scowl on his face.

Hu Yetao relaxed a little, relieved that Mr. Zheng was now in human form and therefore on a level playing field so to speak. Oscar didn't lessen his protective hold on him though.

"Lu, you know we must explore every aspect of this case," Silong said before lowering back into his seat.

Mr. Zheng swiveled his head to glare at Oscar and Hu Yetao's grip tightened around his wand.

"He is throwing out false and detrimental accusations about my daughter!" Mr. Zheng exploded, turning back to the Board. "She is a child and not capable of such a monstrous act!"

"May I remind you that your daughter is near to the same age as Mr. Wang, so be careful of what you say, Mr. Zheng," Silong pointed out evenly. He paused, staring hard at Mr. Zheng for a moment before looking to the male house-elf at his side; the same one that had led Hu Yetao and Oscar into the room. "Liao, would you please fetch Miss Zheng Naixin from Hogwarts?"

The stern little elf nodded and disappeared with a loud crack.

Hu Yetao slipped his hand into Oscar's without looking at him, needing to ground himself, and hopefully ground his mate as well. If they couldn't prove that it was Naixin, they had no other leads. This either worked or it didn't - and if it didn't, then Oscar would be executed tonight.

Hu Yetao clenched his jaw and his hand felt clammy as it tightened around his wand. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he did know that he wasn't going to let that happen. He'd thought about it all week; if the Board decided that Oscar was guilty, he wasn't going to let them execute his mate without a fight.

Liao reappeared with another loud crack of elf magic, his gnarled hands firmly gripping the arms of both Naixin and Meng Zheng, both of them wearing their dressing gowns and blinking in wide-eyed surprise.

Liao released his hold on them as Mrs. Zheng rushed forward from the back of the room and pulled her daughters into her arms. The house-elf walked up to Mr. Silong and took up his station next to his chair once more.

"We were expecting only one girl," Silong said with a frown of confusion, glancing at Liao.

"They were together and the other one insisted on coming too," Liao explained subserviently.

"I'm sorry for the disturbance," Silong said, his tone kind as he turned back to the two girls who were standing huddled together with their mother.

Hu Yetao would have felt sorry for them if not for the fact that his mate's life was on the line thanks to Naixin.

Silong cleared his throat and folded his arms on the desk in front of him. "Now, which one of you is Naixin?"

"M-me," she replied, hands clenched around her mother's arm as she stood plastered to her side, looking much younger than her seventeen years.

"Miss Naixin, we have brought you here tonight because we're trying to find out the truth about the incident that you recently brought to our attention."

"T-the truth?" she stuttered anxiously.

Silong nodded. "Yes, the attack on your fellow student," he said calmly. "Mr. Wang has claimed that he is innocent, and has said that he suspects you in this event."

Naixin's dreary eyes widened. "M-me?" she repeated, stunned. "But why… why would I have done it?"

Hu Yetao felt his insides twist as he watched the fear play across her face; she was either a remarkable actress or she truly was innocent.

"You were promised to Oscar before he found a mate in Hu Yetao, were you not?" Silong asked.

"Yes," Naixin answered quietly, glancing at her mother. "But… I didn't do it, I didn't attack Kazuma."

Silong's expression lost its sympathetic appearance as he narrowed his eyes at her gravely. "This is a very serious matter, Miss. Naixin; Oscar's life is on the line. Do you understand that?"

Naixin's face crumpled a little and her eyes filled with tears. "Y-yes I know. I didn't want to tell… I don't want Oscar k-killed."

Hu Yetao glanced at Oscar and was met with a look of hopeless defeat that tore at his heart. Oscar was thinking the same thing; that Naixin didn't have anything to do with it after all. Hu Yetao felt his pulse race and his palms sweat, mentally preparing himself for the worst. He subtly glanced around the room, checking for possible exits. He knew they couldn't Disapparate out as there were wards in place to stop them, but perhaps he could create a distraction and make a run for it…

Hu Yetao glanced at Naixin again and wished for the hundredth time that they could just use Veritaserum - on her or Oscar. If only…

Hu Yetao sat up suddenly and turned sharply to the Board Chair. "Mr. Silong?"

"Yes, Mr. Yetao?"

Hu Yetao licked his lips and glanced at the huddled Zheng family. "Couldn't you just use Prior Incantato on Naixin's wand to see if she used some sort of cutting spell?"