Chapter 780: Intimidation
Chapter 780: Intimidation
To some extent, the Death Eaters were quite stubborn, and due to their fear of Voldemort, it was difficult for the Ministry of Magic to extract useful information from them unless they employed Legilimency or Veritaserum.
The captured Death Eaters were no exception. Even though they were all tied up, they maintained an attitude of defiance, stiffening their necks and remaining silent, as if certain that Mr. Weasley would not torture them.
Of course, they were not wrong in their assumption, as Mr. Weasley would not resort to such measures. However, there are always exceptions.
"So, you were just sent to cause chaos in Diagon Alley, and you know nothing else, right?"
As Kyle returned, he witnessed a chilling scene.
Mr. Weasley was squatting, conversing with a disembodied head, while the headless body lay less than five feet away, guarded by a shopkeeper.
"Yes, I've said it three times now. We truly only know this much!" The head's voice quivered slightly, "Please, put me back quickly. It really hurts."
"No rush," Mr. Weasley said calmly. "As far as I know, the Apparition-induced separation can last for about thirty minutes, and we still have..." He glanced at his watch, "...seven minutes left to talk."
"No, don't... You mentioned it was an approximate time... It really hurts now..."
"We truly don't know anything else... Oh, right, it was Lord Axley who sent us..." The man's voice grew softer, "...and Lord Lestrange. They seemed anxious... They said before leaving..."
"Shut up, you traitor!" A Death Eater shouted angrily, "The Dark Lord will kill you for your betrayal!"
His voice trembled with fear, not anger, as he was terrified of incurring Voldemort's wrath.
But the "head" paid no attention to the angry shouts behind him. Instead, he continued in a feeble voice, "They said... to return to the master as soon as possible... the Dark Lord... only the most trusted Death Eaters... can become his servants..."
"Servants... It's simply unbelievable," Mr. Weasley said gravely, puzzled by the Death Eaters' mindset.
"Please... please... I truly, I know no more..." The man's voice grew softer, and his face turned deathly pale.
Mr. Weasley quickly lifted the head and placed it back on the neck, then turned to the nearby apothecary shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper reluctantly took out a bottle of White Fresh Essence and smeared it haphazardly on the man's neck.
At that moment, Kyle approached.
"You came just in time," Mr. Weasley said. "I've just learned some interesting things."
"I heard it all," Kyle said. "I believe the Dark Lord should know something."
"It's not surprising," Mr. Weasley replied. "After all, he's up against Dumbledore. We just don't know where the Dark Lord is hiding, otherwise, we could take this opportunity to launch a decisive battle against the Death Eaters."
"Maybe others know," Kyle scanned the surrounding tied-up Death Eaters. "There are so many of them here; we can interrogate them thoroughly."
Upon sensing Kyle's gaze, the Death Eaters burst into cold laughter.
"Dream on, kid. We won't betray the Dark Lord."
"Go home and drink your milk..."
"You kneel and kowtow twice, and maybe I'll tell you out of goodwill."
"Hahaha... Yes..."
The last Death Eater's laughter abruptly stopped as the body of the man who had been speaking suddenly started foaming at the mouth, rapidly turning purple, and lying motionless on the ground.
The scene was eerie, and an eerie silence enveloped the area.
The Death Eaters' arrogance stemmed from their belief that the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix would not harm them. Based on past experiences, they expected, at most, to face interrogation and subsequent imprisonment in Azkaban.
At that time, the Dementors' intimidation was still formidable, but now, with the Dementors under Voldemort's control and Azkaban almost becoming their backyard, these Death Eaters had no reason to fear.
However, they suddenly realized that something seemed amiss.
"Tewa, Tewa!"
Someone shouted the name, to no avail, as the man was clearly dead.
The crowd fell silent.
It was only then that they realized this was not a game but a real war. It was not just about them taking pleasure in tormenting others, but also about the possibility of others turning against them and killing them.
"What have you done!" someone asked, their voice trembling.
But Kyle didn't even glance at them.
"You're finished..." someone shouted, trying to bolster their courage with a louder voice. "Using the Killing Curse... even as an Auror, you'll face judgment..."
Kyle, however, remained unmoved.
"You shouldn't have done that," Mr. Weasley frowned, speaking softly.
"It's fine," Kyle replied dismissively. "With the Ministry in disarray, we can ignore all the rules until a new Minister takes office."
"No, what I mean is, you shouldn't have killed him in front of so many people," Mr. Weasley sighed. "I suspect the next Minister will be Amelia Bones. I know her; she's fair, but sometimes a bit inflexible."
"If so many people file a complaint against you, you might face some trouble, even in these exceptional circumstances. You'll likely lose your position as a Senior Ministry Assistant."
"Ah, it's no big deal," Kyle said with a smile. "I wouldn't mind losing the job. In fact, I'd rather not work at the Ministry."
"But you wouldn't want to undergo frequent investigations, would you?" Mr. Weasley continued. "Even if an Auror uses an Unforgivable Curse, they must participate in at least three investigations. And you're not even an Auror yet, so the number of investigations will only increase, along with interrogations and a Wizengamot trial."
"What a hassle," Kyle furrowed his brows, waving his wand. "Might as well kill them all and save them the trouble of reporting."
A green light suddenly appeared, enveloping the Death Eaters in front of Kyle.
"No..." Mr. Weasley reached out to stop Kyle.
"I said, I said!"
"Don't kill us!" the Death Eaters cried.
Apparently, Kyle was going to do it, and a chorus of wails erupted, with some of the more timid Death Eaters fainting on the spot.
But soon, they realized nothing had happened to them.
"I'm just kidding," Kyle laughed, raising his wand. "Can't even tell the difference between the Killing Curse and the Incendio Charm. Poor show."
The Death Eaters in front turned red with embarrassment. They felt insulted, as if they were the magical creatures on display in a circus, and this insult was more painful than being killed.
The last straw!
Just as they were about to say something, Kyle spoke again.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A more blinding green light grazed their heads and hit the wall behind them, creating a shocking crater.
"This is the Killing Curse," Kyle said, glancing at them indifferently. "Now, what were you about to say?"
"You did well," the leading Death Eater spoke up. "I've always found Tewa annoying, arrogant and obnoxious. He deserved to die."
"Yes, yes," someone chimed in. "Even if you hadn't done it, I wouldn't have let him off the hook."
"We'll keep quiet about this. We won't tell anyone," they assured.
"No, no, no," Kyle shook his head. "Words can be dangerous. I haven't used an Unforgivable Curse, nor have I killed anyone."
"Why don't you take a closer look? Did he really get hit by the Killing Curse?" Kyle suggested.
Everyone, including Mr. Weasley and the shop owners, turned to look.
"Wait, this doesn't seem like the Killing Curse," someone said.
"It doesn't look like it..."
"It doesn't resemble the Killing Curse..."
"I've never heard of the Killing Curse turning a body purple."
"It's like some kind of venom... Is it the Acromantula?"
The crowd discussed in hushed tones.
"Let me tell you, this has nothing to do with me," Kyle said with a smile, pointing to a small, sprout-like creature that had appeared beside him. "The culprit is right here."
Unconsciously, everyone turned to look, and someone immediately recognized its identity.
"A Niffler?"
The person blinked, feeling absurd.
What a joke! Even if you're going to lie, come up with a slightly more plausible reason. Could a Niffler, an XX-level magical creature, silently kill an adult wizard?
Nonsense!
But the next second, Mr. Weasley found a tiny wound on the person's neck, perfectly matching the Niffler's slender, sharp fingers.
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Everyone fell silent.
The Niffler killing an adult wizard was the most incredible thing they had heard in recent years.
However, given the current situation, they had to believe it, especially since there were no other traces on the body except for the wound.
Everyone felt their heads spinning... Could the Niffler be venomous, capable of instantly killing an adult wizard?
Never heard of that! Or has a new edition of 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' been released?
Of course, Nifflers are not venomous. Newt is a dedicated magizoologist, but Kyle's trunk does contain venomous magical creatures.
Just now, the small creature had used a snake fang, carefully sharpened by Kyle, to prick the person.
This was one of Kyle's prepared methods to deal with the elite Death Eaters, and the effect was immediate and impressive. It was indeed a clever strategy.
However, he wouldn't reveal this, especially since few knew about his snake fang, and even fewer would suspect that he had sharpened it to needle-like precision. As long as he didn't speak, no one would know the truth.
And leave a little mystery, which would also have a significant impact on intimidating the Death Eaters.
After the recent incident, the previously grumbling Death Eaters had all quieted down, each as docile as a mooncalf in the sun.
Some didn't even dare to lift their heads, afraid they might be poked as well.
Being killed by a Niffler was so bizarre and even a little funny.
Perhaps fearing that Kyle might do something else, Mr. Weasley didn't dwell on the Niffler anymore. Instead, he turned and asked, "Are you all willing to talk now?"
The crowd became much more enthusiastic. Under Kyle's watchful eye, each person actively cooperated with Mr. Weasley, sharing whatever information they had.
Sometimes, when their information overlapped, they would even argue over who said it first, but overall, they were quite lively.
However, this behavior put Fred and George, who had just arrived, in a difficult position.
They had been thinking that if the Death Eaters refused to cooperate, they could continue the interrogation and get some satisfaction.
But now, seeing the Death Eaters' high level of cooperation was almost unbelievable, even a bit excessive. How could they find a reason to interrogate them now?
Two hours later, they left Diagon Alley and returned to Grimmauld Place No. 12.
By then, the sky outside had already started to brighten.
As soon as Mr. Weasley opened the door, Mrs. Weasley rushed over.
"Arthur, thank goodness!" she exclaimed, "Where did you take the children just now? Why didn't you let us know? You have no idea how worried we were when we realized you were missing."
"Sorry, Molly, sorry," Mr. Weasley quickly apologized and explained what they had discovered at St. Mungo's.
"Did you recognize the person from Flourish and Blotts?" Mrs. Weasley asked with a frown.
"Yes, so we thought we'd check Diagon Alley," Mr. Weasley said, "And we were just in time to deal with several dozen Death Eaters."
"Even so, you should have let us know," Mrs. Weasley still seemed a bit displeased, "We could have gone together."
"I thought you all were a bit tired, so I didn't mention it. And as members of the Order of the Phoenix, it doesn't matter who goes, right?"
"But you shouldn't have taken Kyle with you."
"Fred and George have been graduated for a long time."
"Don't be silly, Arthur. I'm talking about Kyle."
Kyle?
Unconsciously, Mr. Weasley thought of what had happened in Diagon Alley, and his eyes twitched slightly.
The most intriguing thing about Kyle was his age... His recent graduation made it easy for many to underestimate him.
And this underestimation could often be fatal.
Before this, Mr. Weasley couldn't imagine that Kyle could kill a Death Eater so casually, and with so many people around, not one knew what he had done.
When they decided to leave Diagon Alley, the Death Eaters' eyes were filled with relief for some reason. Mr. Weasley hadn't shared this with Mrs. Weasley, and he had instructed Fred and George about it before entering.
"You must be hungry," Mrs. Weasley said, hugging Kyle.
Hearing this, Kyle indeed felt a bit hungry.
They hadn't eaten much during dinner, and with so many things happening afterward, they had been busy until the early hours of the morning. Feeling hungry was normal.
"Let's have a snack before bed," Mrs. Weasley said, leading everyone to the kitchen.
Half an hour later, a steaming hot midnight snack was ready.
Mrs. Weasley was worried about Percy, so she wasn't in the mood to cook. This meal was mostly prepared by the house-elf, Kreacher, though he was a bit reluctant and insisted it was for Kyle.
But no one minded.
During the meal, Mr. Weasley also briefly mentioned what had happened in Diagon Alley, intentionally glossing over the parts related to Kyle, only sharing a few details without much impact.
"Are you saying the Dark Wizard is injured?" Mrs. Weasley asked in surprise, "But he's the Dark Wizard. Could this be a false message to lure us into a trap?"
"I don't know, but I believe that's correct," Mr. Weasley said, "Can we contact Dumbledore now?"
"No," Mrs. Weasley shook her head, sounding a bit worried, "We've tried earlier, but Dumbledore's contact coin hasn't responded..."
"Or we can try contacting Sirius," Kyle suggested, "Professor Dumbledore is probably still discussing matters with Professor Bones. If Sirius and Tonks are at the Ministry, we should be able to find them."
"That makes sense," Mrs. Weasley nodded, "I'll go now."
...
(End of Chapter)
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