His Equal [Tom Riddle]

fifteen

Kepi strolled into the dining hall, her tie tossed over her shoulder as she fastened an earring. 

"Sleep in, eh Nassor?" Dean grinned, his eyes dancing with amusement at the girl's disheveled appearance. 

"Late night," she murmured, sliding into her seat next to Cicely. "Morning, Cic."

"Croissant?" Cicely offered her the pastry, which Kepi gladly took. 

"After classes we're planning on celebrating down by the lake - you in?" Dean inquired, pushing Kepi's preferred marmalade over to her. "Last day before exams start next week."

"I have some studying to do," she replied casually, glancing at Tom. Their gazes met knowingly. "But maybe after."

"You'll ace your exams no matter how much studying you do - or don't do," Walburga stated, clearly miffed at her friend's intellectual prowess. "Loosen up a little."

"Walburga," Kepi warned, not in the mood to entertain the girl's incessant need for conflict.

Dean barked a laugh at their exchange and sat back in his seat. "Well, you'll be missed. Try to make time for us."

--

After classes, Kepi booked it to the library. It was surprisingly empty for this time of year, though she did hear a rumor that those not taking their O.W.Ls or N.E.W.Ts were exempt from their exams due to the year's events.

"Books on foreign politics?" Kepi questioned the librarian. The woman, with a warm smile, directed her toward a couple of shelves in the center of the room, adjacent to the Legal Section. 

She tilted her head to read the spines as she looked for anything on the Parliament of Egyptian Wizardry. The books were easy enough to find, but the titles didn't look particularly promising. Prime Ministers of the PEW, British Occupation of Magical Egypt, and the biography of the most recent Prime Minister: nothing to tell her about the interrogation tactics of her country. 

Given the fact that the foreign politics section only had three books on Egypt made Kepi doubtful that she'd be more successful in the legal section, but she decided to check anyways. She was determined to find this spell. 

To her relief, the third shelf in the Legal Section was all about foreign law. Interrogation Tactics of the Magical World caught her eye immediately, and she snatched it off the shelf eagerly. 

Unfortunately the book was dominated by American, British, and Russian policies. Egypt was tucked into one chapter titled "The Middle East". It was a tad insulting - Egypt warranted its own chapter, she reckoned, but seeing as the author was named "Arthur Penn" she was not surprised. 

Egyptian interrogation practices are less refined than some other countries - 

Kepi nearly closed the book right there, but she pushed onward. 

"While the superpowers of the world tend to use veritaserum, the PEW uses a truth-seeking charm. An orb floats above the person in question's head, and it turns red when it detects a lie. The main issue herewithin is that, if the subject believes they are telling the truth, the charm can be deceived."

As if that weren't already an issue with veritaserum ... The Daily Prophet had literally just published a headliner on its reliability following a questionable trial regarding one of Grindelwald's followers. 

"The subject is completely aware of their responses, making it difficult to discern truth from a well-practiced lie. This spell used by the PEW  can be found in Appendix D."

And that was the extent of the author's information on her country. Her former History professor - who wasn't even from Egypt, but Pakistan - managed to speak for forty-five minutes on Egyptian interrogation practices. This author could barely muster together a few sentences.