"Professor Kahn said his Billywig only used the minimum amount of venom, so he can only forget one or two days of memory at most."
"So can our plan work or not?"
"Don't know; let's try it first. If not, we'll use other methods."
Hazy voices rang in the burly man's ears, though not very clearly. However, the next second came a distinctly clear experience.
"Splash!"
Being doused with cold water across his face, the rough-looking man gradually regained consciousness from his stupor, blinking his eyes somewhat bewilderedly as his thoughts began turning again.
Some fragmented images remained in his mind. Something seemed to have pounced on his face earlier, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't remember what exactly had happened.
He felt like he had forgotten something important.
But that wasn't what mattered now. What mattered was that he should be sleeping peacefully in the camp right now. Which bastard had the audacity to splash cold water on his face?
Opening his eyes angrily, he saw two twin boys standing beside him. They put on fierce expressions, but their obvious youth made their intimidating attempts completely powerless.
Just as the man was about to laugh and get up to teach these two children of unknown origin a proper lesson, he suddenly discovered his body was completely bound with thick ropes, and even his magical energy felt somewhat depleted. He couldn't cast spells at all.
"Boss, he's awake!" The boy standing to the man's left shouted behind him.
Footsteps gradually approached, and soon a youth who looked as steady as a block of wood came before him, his expression attempting fierceness but still carrying obvious traces of childishness.
Some confusion arose in the man's heart. Where had these people come from? And didn't his group have over twenty members? Why was he tied up here without knowing anything about what had happened?
While he puzzled over these questions, that youth had already positioned himself directly in front, placing one foot on a nearby chair in dramatic bandit fashion, glaring at him with practised intensity.
"Speak! How many times have you done this kind of thing! How much is the bounty on your head!"
Hearing this demand, the man disdainfully turned his head away, far too experienced to be intimidated by such obvious amateur tactics.
Although he didn't know how he had fallen into this predicament, asking questions so directly like this... did they not take him seriously at all?
Seeing that the prisoner wasn't particularly cooperative, Fred moved closer, tugging at Little Cloak's hem to shroud his face in ominous black mist while speaking in what he hoped was an eerie voice: "Let me tell you, we're the Dark Lord's subordinates. If you don't answer honestly, we'll definitely make you die without a burial place!"
"Pffft."
Hearing this claim, the man couldn't help but burst into genuine laughter.
Although he didn't know what force these young people actually represented, the Dark Lord? Really?
"We've never had any contact with Death Eaters, and they've never shown interest in magical creature affairs."
"Besides, I'm pure-blood. We poachers don't conflict with their ideology in any way. Why would they bother with small fry like us when they have bigger concerns?"
"Also..." Looking around at his captors with obvious amusement, the man continued: "You obviously look like students who probably haven't even seen real blood yet. You want to impersonate those people?"
He had encountered some genuine Death Eaters before. Whether those arrogantly proud pure-blood nobles or fanatical believers in the Dark Lord's twisted theories, none could possibly look this innocent and inexperienced.
"What do we do, Wood? We don't seem able to bluff him," Fred admitted, turning back to their leader.
"How about we go borrow Professor Kahn's Billywig to make him forget what just happened and start over?" Percy suggested from nearby.
"Forget it, let's just begin the interrogation directly. Anyway, Professor Kahn said these people belong to us now. The more information we extract, the more bounty money we'll collect!"
Wood shook his head decisively, cracking his knuckles with a series of satisfying pops. Professor Kahn had promised them substantial benefits from this operation. Once they brought these criminals back to claim the various bounties, the money they received could even buy the entire Quidditch team a complete set of new equipment.
Ha! Those smug Slytherin players... wasn't it just about having superior gear? Well, they could acquire some premium equipment too!
Moreover, he'd heard rumours that the famous broomstick craftsman Basmore was developing a revolutionary new model called the Firebolt. According to leaked information, its performance specifications could leave the entire Nimbus series completely in the dust!
Although such custom racing broomsticks were generally extremely expensive, after they collected this bounty and pooled additional resources together, gritting their teeth to purchase one shouldn't prove too difficult.
By then, giving such an amazing broomstick to their most talented Seeker... wouldn't future Quidditch championships be within easy reach?
Just thinking about being able to thoroughly crush those arrogant Slytherin players in the coming matches, Wood could no longer suppress his excitement, looking at the bound prisoner with gleaming eyes.
As long as he interrogated thoroughly enough, their future equipment upgrades would be completely secured! From this moment forward, he was a ruthless interrogation machine.
Slapping the chair beside him for dramatic effect, Wood maintained a stern expression and shouted with authority:
"Let's start with the simplest questions! Name, age, current address!"
On the other side of their makeshift camp, in a crude tent hastily erected for medical purposes.
Hermione was carefully treating the rescued Niffler's wounds in a corner of the tent. Thanks to Lady Hufflepuff's comprehensive teachings during their time in that magical secret realm, she had developed considerable skill at healing common magical creature injuries.
Beside Hermione, Ron sat on a camp bed with obvious worry written across his features, clear disappointment evident in his expression.
"I really want to help with the interrogation too."
"You? Forget it." Harry glanced at Ron with obvious scepticism. "Cedric and the others can barely pass as looking intimidating despite their age. At our level, what kind of threat could we possibly pose if we went over there?"
"Besides, even if they did let you participate, would you actually dare use any serious torture methods?"
"Not necessarily!" Ron's face flushed red as he retorted defensively: "What if I turn out to be some kind of natural interrogation genius?"
Having made this bold claim, he launched into elaborate explanations about having read numerous interrogation stories and knowing several interrogation-specific curses from his extensive reading. The tent filled with a surprisingly cheerful atmosphere despite the serious circumstances.
Ignoring the self-proclaimed interrogation genius's passionate defence of his theoretical abilities, Hermione tied the final bandage around the rescued Niffler with gentle precision. Seeing that the creature had recovered some of its natural spirit and alertness, she sighed softly with relief.
Noticing that Hermione had completed the medical treatment, Nana nearby stepped forward with obvious heartbreak, carefully observing her fellow Niffler with deep concern.
Even after professional treatment, countless large and small wounds could still be clearly seen covering the creature's body, providing stark evidence of what kind of horrific life it had endured under the poachers' care.
"Squeak!"
Don't worry! Follow me from now on, and you can eat well and live comfortably every single day!
Nana possessed complete confidence in making this generous promise. After all, since first meeting Evans, the Niffler burrow community in the Forbidden Forest had undergone several territorial expansions and was rapidly approaching the status of a proper Niffler kingdom.
Moreover, their extensive territory remained filled with accumulated gold, silver, and precious treasures. Much better living conditions than those cats' shabby castle establishment next door!
Watching the two Nifflers' touching interaction with obvious fondness, Hermione withdrew her gaze and looked toward another tent positioned outside their medical facility, genuine curiosity sparkling in her eyes.
After everything had concluded, Professor Kahn had taken that captured young poacher into that separate tent and hadn't emerged until now.
What exactly was he doing in there?