Chapter 122: Investigation and Pursuit
Chapter 122: Investigation and Pursuit
The witch, despite her aged appearance, was quick to react.
She snapped her fingers, and instantly a large cloud of thick, black smoke engulfed her, obscuring her from view.
The boy and the young man struggled to keep their eyes open, hearing only the crackling of spells zipping through the smoke.
After an unknown amount of time, the smoke cleared to reveal a shabbily dressed wizard slowly approaching, wand in hand.
As the dark mist dissipated, two figures—or rather, one and a half—were revealed.
The male witch was tightly bound with ropes, his face swollen, and his legs stuck together, immobilized. His chest bore the mark of the Blasting Curse, bloody and raw. Sores, blisters, and what looked like burn marks covered his body.
He couldn't make a sound, his eyes darting wildly in fear.
The petrification curse that had afflicted the boy and the young man was lifted, and the young man quickly covered his brother's eyes to shield him from the gruesome sight.
The strange witch, resembling a hag, was no longer whole; only half of her body remained, from the waist up.
"What happened to her?" the young man asked, his voice laced with fear.
"She split," replied the middle-aged wizard in a grey cloak, nonchalantly. "This is what happens when you don't focus and remain calm while performing a Disapparition."
"Will she die?" the boy asked, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Who knows?" the grey-cloaked wizard replied with a shrug. "I've never split myself before."
The boy's pupils dilated as he noticed the wizard's wand.
The grey-cloaked wizard produced a bottle of potion and poured its entire contents into the bound witch's mouth.
"Umm... isn't killing someone against the law?" the young man stammered, his voice trailing off.
"Kill?" The grey-cloaked wizard shot him an annoyed glance. "What are you talking about? This is a Living Death Potion."
"Oh..." The young man scratched his face awkwardly, his entire body relaxing.
Also known as the 'Inferi Ingredient', the Living Death Potion, despite its ominous name, was simply a potent sleeping draught.
"Let's go. I'll escort you out," the grey-cloaked wizard said as he picked up the crumpled piece of paper from the ground and handed it to the boy. "Also, there's no curse on that letter. You were tricked."
"Thank you for saving us," the little boy blurted out, tugging his brother's hand away from his eyes. "I'm Light from the Mancini family, and this is my brother, Theo. What's your name?"
"You can call me Venal," the grey-cloaked wizard replied calmly as Theo stood by, silently observing him.
"Any questions?" Venal asked, looking at Theo.
Xiao turned and asked, "What about those two? Are you just going to leave them?"
"Of course not," Venal said. "Who are they? Why were they after you two? Are there any more accomplices? These are things we need to find out."
"We need to investigate to get those answers... but I can't help you any further," the grey-cloaked wizard said.
When they reached the end of the alley, he paused and said to Theo, "Go find your parents or guardians and tell them what happened. Whether you report this to the Aurors or choose to investigate on your own is up to you."
Theo nodded after a moment of silence. "Alright... what about you?"
"Can you leave those two alone, considering their condition?" Venal gestured to the pair.
The male witch waved his hand dismissively. "You'd better hurry. I'll keep watch here until the people you send arrive."
"Okay."
Xiao nodded and, with one last glance at the wizard, took his brother's hand and sprinted toward the drink shop.
His father, John Mancini, had returned and was standing at the entrance, looking out anxiously.
Seeing his sons running towards him, his face twisted in anger. "Didn't I tell you two to stay in the shop? Why did you take your brother out and run around?"
Xiao quickly recounted the events that had just transpired.
John Mancini's expression grew grimmer as he listened, and despite his sons standing right in front of him, he felt a lingering sense of dread.
It was only when he heard that they had been rescued that his features softened slightly.
However, upon learning that one of the suspected Dark Wizards had also been left behind, his demeanor changed once more.
After hearing the whole story, he glared at his son. "Go home and stay there. Don't leave the house! I'll deal with you two later!"
Xiao's face froze.
Then, John pointed his wand at a stack of sticky notes on the counter, and several of them flew out, folding themselves into a simple paper airplane that zoomed out of the shop.
Soon, half a dozen male and female wizards emerged from the neighboring shops.
The Mancini family, as a pure-blood family, wasn't as large as the Weasley clan, but they still had a significant number of relatives and friends.
In addition to his father, John, who owned the shop, his uncle Jason ran a magic supplies store, and several aunts, cousins, and other relatives also worked in Diagon Alley.
John Mancini explained the situation to the group, and they rushed angrily toward the alley.
Only Theo's cousin stayed behind to watch over the two children and ensure their safety.
Pretending to be obedient, Theo pulled his younger brother along as he whispered, "Light, I need to go out for a bit. Distract our cousin, okay?"
"Leave it to me!" Light replied confidently. "Mission accepted!"
Immediately after, he let out a heart-wrenching wail.
"What's wrong?" Theo's cousin was startled and quickly rushed to comfort him.
"It's so scary!" Light wailed, tugging on her sleeve. "We almost got taken away by bad people... waaah..."
"Weren't you so brave just now?" His cousin sighed. "Stop crying now. I'll show you some magic, alright?"
As she frantically tried to soothe Light, Theo quietly slipped out of the shop.
He ran back to the alley but couldn't find Venal. Instead, he saw that the male witch had been given an antidote for the Living Death Potion by his father and was now awake.
"Here, three drops of Veritaserum should be enough," Uncle Jason said, holding a small vial. "It wasn't easy to get this, so don't waste it."
John pried open the male witch's mouth and poured in three drops of the clear potion.
The witch's struggles ceased, and his eyes glazed over as he answered every question obediently.
"Who are you?" John asked.
"I am Chad Breek, a..." His eyelids twitched, and he continued in a low voice, "werewolf."
The expressions of the Mancini family members changed drastically upon hearing this.
During the war, there were frequent cases of children being abducted by werewolves and subsequently becoming infected themselves.
From a young age, these children were instilled with fear and hatred toward wizards. When they grew up, they became part of the werewolf army, following Fenrir Greyback in attacking wizards.
There were also cases where bitten children were left with their parents, turning into werewolves once a month and indiscriminately attacking those around them.
This was undoubtedly a devastating disaster for any family.
If the Mancini brothers had been taken by this werewolf, the outcome would have been almost certain.
However, in recent years, such incidents had become rare.
John took a deep breath, suppressing his anger as he asked, "Then why did you target those two children? Do you have a grudge against the Mancini family?"
"No," Chad Breek replied in a monotone. "I was in a bad mood, and they just happened to cross my path when their parents weren't around..."
"You scum!" John punched him, but his brother held him back.
"Who is that old witch? Do you have any other accomplices?" Jason asked, relatively calmer.
"She calls herself Ursula. I met her in Knockturn Alley," Chad answered.
"I don't have any accomplices. She likes children's eyes and fingernails. When she saw that I had taken the two kids, she wanted to get a share of the spoils..."
"You filthy beast!" John Mancini cursed.
Theo stopped listening and tried to recall Venal's initial direction and attire. Suddenly, he thought of something.
There was a street in Diagon Alley filled with second-hand shops.
Wizards who were short on money often scoured these shops, occasionally finding great bargains, but most of the time, they sifted through trash to find something slightly less trashy.
Theo sprinted over and soon spotted the gray-cloaked wizard from a distance. Venal was bent over, examining a pile of miscellaneous goods that the shop owner had placed outside.
Theo ran up to him and hesitated, unsure how to address him. "Um... Mr. Venal..."
"After experiencing something like that, you still run around recklessly," Venal chided, turning around. "Don't you care about your own safety?"
Theo suddenly dropped the act. He feigned tears and said, "So, are you going to kidnap me too, Mr. Venal? Or maybe..."
His lips moved silently:
[...Voldemort.]
Voldemort's eyebrows arched, and he didn't deny it. Instead, he looked down at his attire and asked, "Any other flaws?"
Theo pointed to his sleeve and whispered, "I recognized your wand."
Voldemort sighed. "There's nothing I can do about that since I haven't acquired my second wand yet."
Theo realized that Venal had been examining a bunch of old wands that the shop owner had placed in a wooden barrel, some with their cores exposed.
"There's nothing good here," Theo said. "Come with me. I know where to get reliable second-hand wands."
(End of Chapter)
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