Kidnapping and Reckoning

Fabian Aiken remained conscious, straining to open his eyes to look at the figure, trying to decide whether to beg for mercy or threaten.

However, the person had no intention of letting him see his true face. After a series of light footsteps, the person walked up behind Aiken.

"Let... let me go..." Aiken's muscles were all out of control, and even his tongue was numb. He used all his strength to squeeze out the last sentence.

He had broken free from the student's mindset and wouldn't consider this premeditated behavior as mere playfulness. Unable to resist, Aiken could only beg for mercy.

Wearing a gill filter mask, Sean curled his lip behind the paralyzed Aiken. This guy's got a pretty good grasp of the situation...

His original plan was to take Pudding and become invisible together after the other party removed those Magical Item, and then suddenly rush in front of the other party to use hypnosis, but Aiken never took off the Gemstone Necklace around his neck, so Sean had to change to another method.

He put a large amount of Paralysis Potion into the pool water. This agent is best taken orally; just one spoonful can paralyze the user's muscles for two hours. If it is taken through skin contact, the agent takes effect more slowly, and the dosage will be increased accordingly.

Sean poured a whole bottle into the pool water. Although it was expensive, the effect was still satisfactory.

But this stuff won't make you lose consciousness... Sean decided that next time he'd write to his father and ask him to send some Benzodiazepine Sedatives. These controlled psychotropic drugs are relatively easy for private hospital owners to obtain...

Why do I feel like I'm becoming more and more like a villain? Sean shook his head, clearing the thought from his mind.

He put on the Dragon-hide gloves and took off the necklace from Aiken's neck. He had seen the same thing in Diagon Alley, displayed in the most prominent position in the magic shop.

Self-Activating Curse Resistance, assist its master in activating the Shield Charm, the Anti-Summoning Charm, and the Anti-Severing Charm. It can even record the master's location and leave behind the surrounding scenery when the curse is activated.

The effect was excellent, but the price was also very attractive, a full three hundred Galleon. Even the owner of the Magical Item shop wasn't planning to sell it—at least not to the Muggle Family wizard like Sean who only had money but no power.

I wonder if this thing will record the current scene... Sean deliberately wore tall boots that increased his height, and his face was completely hidden under the mask.

Sean casually tossed the necklace into the pool, then walked behind the immobile Aiken.

"What is he going to do!" This was Aiken's last thought before he lost consciousness in a panic.

Wrapped himself in a towel, Sean had Pudding carry Aiken into the ring. His Stupefy state wouldn't last long; he needed to get out of there quickly.

Thanks to Grindelwald's tutelage, Sean's use of the Disillusionment Charm became increasingly proficient. Trevor, whose mental focus was already weak, didn't even notice that an invisible man had slipped out of the bathroom.

It wasn't until an hour later that Trevor realized something was wrong; Aiken had been in the bathroom for far too long.

"Aiken?" Although he knew his employer hated having his private time disturbed, Trevor still decided to fulfill his duty of protection.

He called out the other person's name and went into the bathroom, but apart from the clothes he had taken off, his jewelry, and the wand placed by the sink, Fabian Aiken had vanished.

"Something terrible has happened..." Trevor muttered, standing frozen in place.

That evening, a group of wizards in a hurry entered the castle of Newmontgard. A student from France recognized the middle-aged man in the lead, whose face was ashen.

"Isn't that Old Man Aiken?"

"The largest supplier of Magical Item in France? I heard that the cheapest item in their store costs five Galleon."

"Of course, the Magical Item in France are almost monopolized by Old Man Aiken. He maintains good relations with most of the local alchemists, while new merchants who want a share of the pie are suppressed by the power of the Pure-blood families."

"That Fabian Aiken?"

"Look, this is Old Man Aiken's son."

In the Headmaster's Office of Newmontgard, the obese Old Man Aiken stared at Vita Rosier, who was sitting in his office chair, with a grim expression.

"Ms. Rosier, all I want to know right now is where my son is!"

"Mr. Aiken, please calm down. This is precisely why our faculty and staff are searching for you with all our might," Professor Rosier said with a serious expression.

"Three hours have passed since I received the owl letter and rushed to Newmontgard, and you still haven't given me a satisfactory answer!"

"We are doing everything we can to find Mr. Little Aiken," Professor Rosier repeated.

"What the hell!" Old Man Aiken cursed angrily. His only son's sudden disappearance had made him extremely anxious, and his tone towards Vice Principal Newmontgard was also unfriendly.

"Watch your words, Mr. Aiken." Professor Rosier's eyes sharpened.

"That's your school's responsibility!" Old Man Aiken roared. "Where are the school's protective magic? Where are the anti-disappearance spells?"

He seemed to choke, his wrinkled face turning red, and finally he said in a trembling voice, "Let me see Mr. Grindelwald."

"Mr. Grindelwald is outside. I have informed him, and he is on his way back."

"Damn it!"

In her right hand, concealed by her robes, Rosier gripped her wand slightly, lowering her head to hide the dangerous glint in her eyes.

This is utterly rude! How dare they shout like that in Newmontgard...

Her gaze grew increasingly dangerous. Had Lord Grindelwald been far too lenient all these years? So lenient that the Paris had already forgotten that great fire...?

The conversation in the vice Headmaster's Office ended unhappily, Trevor led Old Man Aiken and his group to the Prefect's Lavatory.

"This is it," he said, pointing to Aiken's clothes that hadn't been put away in the bathroom.

Trevor's face was still bruised, clearly from being punched.

Old Man Aiken gave Trevor a cold look with drooping eyelids. "Remember every detail. If anything happens to Fabian, you know what will happen to you."

"... Yes, Mr. Aiken."

Old Man Aiken pulled out his wand and a ruby. "Trace and Shadow..."

Under the spell, the ruby trembled and then floated straight up to the top of the pool.

At his signal, the group jumped into the pool, and finally someone stood up holding the Gemstone Necklace that Sean had thrown into the pool.

Old Man Aiken took the necklace and recited a spell, and a blurry image was projected from the gemstone.

From Aiken's first-person perspective as he sits in the pool, he sees Sean's figure.

"Around 1.75 meters tall, rather thin, male, wearing a gill filter mask, and with a high level of mastery of the Disillusionment Charm..." Old Man Aiken quickly formed a preliminary impression.

"But how did he kidnap Fabian? The defenses on the necklace didn't work..."

Old Man Aiken glanced at the pool water and immediately ordered, "Go, check the pool water."

Immediately, a follower skilled in Potions bent down, and after a moment he stood up straight. "There are signs of residual Potions. If you want to take the young master away, you'll have to use a very large amount."

Old Man Aiken's breathing became heavier. "Go, immediately contact any Potions suppliers you can reach, and investigate whether anyone has recently purchased a large dose of paralysis Potions. Ask the herbalist suppliers as well; if that person is making it themselves, the main ingredient, the Spiny Tree Lizard, will require a large quantity. Also, ask the armor merchants; very few people buy gill filter masks, so they should remember who sells them."

"Oh, and by the way," he added at the end, "Investigate Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley in England as well, and write to Regulus Black and ask for his help."

After giving all these instructions, Old Man Aiken looked at Trevor: "Trevor, before this, did Fabian encounter any strange people, or did he do anything that offended anyone?"

According to Trevor, everyone who had previously interacted with Fabian was mentioned, including the Newmontgard fifth-year student that Sean was impersonating, Ernie Macmillan, and Sean himself.

Everyone was called into the office one by one to be questioned, and the news of Fabian Aiken's mysterious disappearance on campus was also spread.

Watching the unfamiliar people from other schools constantly moving around inside the castle, Sean curled his lip. The Aiken Family's power was even greater than he had anticipated...

But he wasn't worried about being discovered. The paralyzing Potions was a gift from Lily Potter's private collection, and the gill filter mask was something he found in Grindelwald's collection room. Cleaning the Golden Egg should at least earn him some reward, shouldn't it?

As for himself, his Illusion Charm remained in effect within the Golden Dawn's club, with only Hermione and Daisy present.

Meanwhile, Fabian Aiken was lying naked inside Sean's ring, having been fed a large spoonful of the Draught of Living Death."

Sean was standing outside the office when a group of people he had contacted were called in to ask about the situation. Before him, the fifth-year student from Newmontgard whom he had disguised himself as and Pena had just come out. They looked puzzled, but their expressions were not good.

Clearly, the other party believed they were not the murderers, but their questioning was rather impolite.

"Mr. Wallop— " someone called his name.

Sean walked into the office and saw a group of wizards from other schools. The one in the lead was obviously Old Man Aiken, and the expression under his wrinkles was exactly the same as Fabian Aiken's.

Professor Rosier and Professor Goodman stood expressionless to the side.

"Sean Wallerup, where were you this afternoon? Who can vouch for you? Also, I need to check your belongings." Old Man Aiken spoke aggressively as soon as he entered.

"Watch your words!" Professor Goodman, who had been expressionless, suddenly roared.

Old Man Aiken was somewhat surprised. He didn't understand why Professor Goodman was so excited all of a sudden, when the person opposite him was just a second-year student from Hogwarts, and a Mudblood.

He had tried his best to control himself when questioning the students of Newmontgard, but now that the other party was not even a student of Newmontgard, Professor Goodman became agitated.

That means there are two possibilities. First, this Sean Wallerup is related to Mr. Grindelwald, which is why Goodman is so eager to stand up for him. Second, the little wizard in front of him is the murderer who kidnapped his son!

Old Man Aiken's droopy eyelids slid into a thin slit, and his gaze grew increasingly cold.

"Professor Goodman— " he drawled, "Your school is powerless to help the missing student. As the parent of the missing student, I admit that my words were tinged with emotion—please forgive a father's anxiety."

"But—" Old Man Aiken changed the subject, "I must use my own methods to investigate my son's whereabouts. I hope your esteemed school will understand."

He finished speaking slowly and deliberately, as if he had made up his mind.

Sean, who was indeed the 'murderer,' looked ashen-faced. He seemed very dissatisfied with the arrogant Old Man Aiken, and his interrogation-like tone was quite uncomfortable.

"Then," Old Man Aiken turned to Sean, "Answer my question, Sean Wallerup."

Sean raised his head and looked at the other person with an expression that no one could understand, and slowly said, "I'm here in Newmontgard for Academic Exchange, not to be a prisoner—by the way, who are you, old man?"

Old Man Aiken showed no displeasure at Sean's arrogant tone; he merely raised his chin slightly. "Your courage is commendable—but get your facts straight, Mr. Wallop."

Old Man Aiken scoffed at Sean's words, believing that the other man was at most backed by Dumbledore. But this was Austria, and he was the head of the most powerful Pure-blood families in France. Dumbledore great, was just a wizard—and didn't Hogwarts have School Governor?

He didn't care about the other party's unknown relationship with Grindelwald.

Aiken speculated that the young wizard before him might possess exceptional talent, which had piqued Grindelwald's interest.

This idea, however, solidified his deduction that the killer was Sean, stemming from both his intuition and Sean's talent.

He'd already heard that Sean Wallerup was vengeful and extremely skilled with Disillusionment Charm. Coincidentally, his own son had suppressed Wallep's newly established club; wasn't it perfectly normal for him to want revenge?

As for paralyzing Potions and gill filter masks, once the perpetrator is identified, their origins can be traced.

"My situation?" Sean scoffed. His politeness was always reserved for those who were equally polite, and he never had the self-awareness of a gentleman when the other party was completely ill-mannered.

"Falsely accusing an underage wizard from another school and using his power to oppress others, what audacity this old man has!"

"Sharp-tongued Wallerup, what you need to do is prove your innocence, understand?" Old Man Aiken said condescendingly.

"I've always been innocent, why should I prove it?"

"Then I'll lend you a hand..."

Old Man Aiken seemed convinced that Sean was the murderer. He turned to his attendant and said, "Give me the Veritaserum."

"How dare you!" Professor Goodman and Professor Rosier shouted in unison.

This goes beyond the level of Sean and Grindelwald's close relationship; the other party dared to do such a thing to a student in school, completely disregarding them!

Old Man Aiken was not to be outdone; he was practically threatening the two professors. "Professor Rosier, Professor Goodman, if anything happens to my son, I will join forces with others to withdraw all our investments in Newmontgard. Initially, because of Mr. Grindelwald's reputation, we investors didn't care about a title of School Governor, but now I have no choice but to use some of my power."

Professor Rosier stood his ground. "Oh? Are you threatening Newmontgard?"

"I wouldn't dare." That's what he said, but Old Man Aiken's face was full of threat.

After saying this, he tilted his head and gestured for his men to bring out the Veritaserum.

Sean's face darkened. He hadn't expected the other party to be so audacious in Newmontgard.

Luckily, I had a backup plan...

However, before Sean could use the record, and before Goodman and Rosier could speak again, a blue flame ignited in the office.

"Aiken, your courage is admirable."