Voldemort's henchmen will be spared for the time being.
That's the reason.
Ian has more important things to focus on.
and.
I'm going to use that Death Eater to fish.
Before that.
He also needs to figure out why this happened.
He met Ian's gaze.
Jorkins is under a lot of pressure.
Feeling Ian's gaze and the oppressive force behind it, Jorkins tensed up and hurriedly said, "Please, please ask! I will tell you everything I know!" He appeared very frightened.
He probably had no idea that the mysterious Great Wizard standing in front of him was actually his junior, a Ravenclaw Wizard.
"Well, I hope you can clear things up for me." Ian's gaze swept over the "normal" Muggle Street around him, then returned to Jorkins' face, his eyes deep.
"I can roughly reconstruct the path you took when that Death Eater chased you, from the initial encounter to being forced to reveal yourself here. Given your location and surroundings, there were at least three other shorter, more concealed routes that would have allowed you to encounter other Wizard or escape directly back to the Ministry of Magic's safe house. However, you chose a roundabout route that crossed a relatively open Muggle area and ultimately revealed yourself right in front of the ' Royal Catherine Hotel '."
His tone, stating the facts, instantly made Jorkins break out in a cold sweat again.
"This makes me very curious," Ian continued, his tone now tinged with inquiry. "Is it a coincidence? Or... did you deliberately lure him here? Yes."
This is the strange thing Ian discovered in the Death Eater ' memories.
Upon hearing this, Jorkins ' face turned deathly pale. He frantically waved his hands, "No! No, sir! How could I deliberately lead such a dangerous guy to the Muggle neighborhood? And right in front of you? I swear I absolutely didn't mean it! I was just trying to escape, my mind was a complete mess..."
He was afraid Ian would misunderstand.
He's desperately trying to explain.
"So, this was Mr. Crouch. Barty Crouch's arrangement?" Ian interrupted Jorkins, his tone still calm, but a very subtle glint of sharpness flashed in his eyes when he mentioned that name.
Among the fragments he sifted through the Death Eater' memories, there was indeed information about Jorkins working for Crouch. And Barty Crouch... in the original Timeline, was a complex figure who would stop at nothing to combat Dark Magic, even showing ruthlessness towards his own son. If he knew Jorkins was being hunted, would he have used this opportunity to set a trap, perhaps even resorting to using Muggle areas and unknown powerful beings to weaken the Death Eater?
This conjecture caused Ian's gaze to turn slightly colder. He disliked being used, especially being drawn into the potentially ruthless schemes of high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Magic.
certainly.
There's one inexplicable aspect to this conjecture: it would require Crouch to know of Ian's existence, which is highly unlikely.
Thinking about this...
Ian's confusion and curiosity intensified.
"Absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Crouch!" Jorkins' voice rose sharply, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, filled with fear and urgency. He even temporarily suppressed his awe of Ian.
" Director Crouch has no idea I discovered that thing! I haven't even had a chance to report it to him yet! I swear! I swear in Merlin's name! This was entirely my personal discovery and experience from beginning to end, and has nothing to do with the Director or any official orders from the Ministry of Magic!" It's clear this guy is very loyal to the Ministry of Magic.
He was so anxious he was incoherent, fearing that the terrifying figure before him would take his anger out on Director Crouch, or even the entire Ministry of Magic. He couldn't even imagine the consequences.
Ian watched him silently as he frantically tried to explain himself, without speaking immediately. His calm gaze seemed to pierce through all pretense, reaching straight to the heart. Jorkins felt like a specimen placed under a microscope, with nowhere to hide.
I'm telling the truth!
He forced himself to explain.
"Oh?" Ian uttered a single syllable, the last syllable rising slightly, carrying an unmistakable skepticism. "If it wasn't Crouch, and it wasn't a coincidence... then can you explain why, in a life-or-death situation, your 'instinct' choice so precisely led you to this particular location?"
He paused, then added, his tone carrying a chilling insight. "You see, I just 'saw' some of that Death Eater's memories. Though arrogant, he possesses the basic logic of tracking and interception. Your several detours and path choices, from the perspective of escaping pursuit, were not optimal, even somewhat... deliberate."
Ian's statement is not without merit.
These are some of the inconsistencies he gleaned from the Death Eater' memories.
"So?"
Jorkins opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He recalled the chaotic thoughts he had during his escape. Yes, now that he had calmed down and thought back, there were moments when he could have easily turned into a more familiar alley or rushed in another direction where there might have been Auror patrol. But...
Somehow, a voice in his head, or rather a strong intuition, drove him to run in this direction, even ignoring other seemingly safer options.
That feeling... was like being pulled by some invisible force.
The color drained from his face, and a chill deeper than that of being hunted by Death Eater rose from the Follow One's Heart. Could it be... that he had truly been influenced by something without even realizing it?
Seeing the changing expressions of fear and confusion on Jorkins' face, Ian understood.
The other party wasn't lying, at least not on his own level of understanding; he didn't do it intentionally. But this raises another, more noteworthy question: Why?
Why did Jorkins do that?
You need to know.
There are no coincidences in the Wizarding World.
"Think about it carefully, Mr. Jorkins." Ian's voice softened slightly, but it still carried an undeniable guiding force, making the other party feel pressured.
"Before this pursuit, did anything unusual happen? Did you encounter any unusual people? Or... hear any special 'advice' or ' Prophecy '?"
Ian has also studied similar situations.
So the guessing started.
"Ah?"
Jorkins jolted, jerking his head up. A look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, quickly replaced by deeper confusion and a hint of fear. "A... a special person..."
"I met someone," Jorkins murmured, the floodgates of memory opening. "About two weeks ago... in Diagon Alley, in that narrow alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, the one piled with junk."
He drifted into memory, his speech slowing with uncertainty: "That day I worked late and went to Diagon Alley to buy some Invigoration Draught. As I passed that alley, it was dark, and I thought I saw a figure leaning against the wall, wearing a very loose black robe, the hood covering his face, so I couldn't make out his features." "I was about to hurry past, but he... he suddenly called out to me."
Jorkins hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.
"What did he say?" Ian pressed, his gaze focused.
"His... his voice was strange, a little hoarse, and it sounded like there was something between his ears, I couldn't hear it clearly." Jorkins Hard Work to recall his story, "He said... 'Beware of the claws in the shadows, they've caught your scent.' I was startled, thinking it was some drunken Wizard rambling on."
"Or maybe it's some new kind of scam opening line. I ignored him and tried to leave." The more Jorkins thought about it, the more uneasy he felt, sensing something amiss. His cold sweat poured down his back.
Well, how should I put it?
As a Ravenclaw student, he certainly possessed basic intelligence, so Jorkins was able to clearly realize at that moment that he had been tricked.
"Then what?"
Ian continued to calmly question you.
Then he said something else.
Jorkins' face showed lingering fear. "When darkness closes and there's nowhere to hide, remember to run towards the light... towards the sanctuary marked by the golden Lion." With that, he seemed to... melt into the shadows and vanish. I looked around, but the alley was deserted. "I was exhausted and annoyed at the time, feeling utterly bewildered and even a little creeped out, so I quickly left. I didn't think much of it afterwards, just assuming it was some strange madman or a hallucination."
Jorkins continued to break out in a cold sweat.
His eyes held a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
A sanctuary marked by a golden Lion? Ian's heart skipped a beat. The Royal Catherine Hotel... The name itself doesn't have an obvious connection to Lion, but many old-fashioned United Kingdom hotels, especially those with "Royal" in their name, often incorporate Lion elements in their coats of arms or interior decorations.
And "a place of refuge"... hotels do indeed provide shelter. This is a rather subtle implication.
"Just now... when I was cornered by that Death Eater and almost caught, my mind went completely blank," Jorkins said, his voice filled with lingering fear and disbelief.
"That phrase... 'When darkness closes in and there is nowhere to hide, remember to run towards the light... towards the sanctuary marked by the golden Lion.' It was like someone suddenly repeated it in my head at a loud volume! Very clearly! And then I... I don't know what happened, my body seemed to have a mind of its own, and I just ran desperately in that direction... I didn't even have time to think about the optimal route..." Jorkins swallowed. He had already realized it.
An ordinary, unremarkable person like myself.
Perhaps he'd been caught up in some terrifying incident. After saying this, he looked at Ian anxiously, afraid that the other would think he was making up a bizarre story to shirk responsibility.
Ian listened quietly, his expression unchanging, but a slight glint appeared in his deep eyes. Two weeks ago... the narrow alley of Diagon Alley... the mysterious the Black Robed Woman... words carrying Prophecy and suggestive meaning... a "guidance" triggered in a moment of crisis... This didn't sound like something Jorkins could have fabricated, and it seemed to exceed the scope of Barty Crouch's pragmatic style. It was more like... a pre-installed "insurance" or "guide."
"A Prophecy?"
Ian murmured to himself. He looked at Jorkins, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes. " Mr. Jorkins, are you willing to testify to your statement?"
"I'm willing! Of course I'm willing! How about Magic Contract?" Jorkins nodded eagerly, as long as he could prove his innocence and that what he said was true.
He's willing to do anything.
"There's no need for that."
Ian shook his head, his tone still polite but carrying an undeniable certainty, "I have a more direct way to verify whether you're lying, and... to see what that 'hint' is all about."
Jorkins paused, then asked, "A more... more direct method?"
"Yes," Ian said calmly, looking at him. "If you don't mind, I'd like to check your memory of this matter. That's the clearest and most reliable way."
Viewing memories?!
Jorkins ' pupils suddenly contracted.
Legilimency!
This mysterious adult actually proposed using this advanced magic, which could easily touch on privacy and one's mental defenses! In an instant, instinctive resistance and fear surged into my heart. No one would be happy to have their memories casually flipped through like a book, especially when it involves personal privacy, work secrets, or even some less honorable thoughts.
Moreover, given that the other party is such an unfathomable being, to what extent will his Legilimency penetrate? Will he see things he shouldn't? Or even... cause irreversible damage?
Jorkins's heart was in turmoil.
However, this initial resistance vanished the moment he met Ian's calm, unwavering eyes, which seemed to see through everything. At that moment, Jorkins recalled the terrifying power Ian had just displayed—easily imprisoning Death Eater, massively altering Muggle memories, and even extracting information from Death Eater minds.
Faced with such an existence, his pitiful privacy and mental defenses were probably as fragile as paper. Moreover, when the other party made this request, the tone was polite and "requesting," but the underlying sense of "this is the best way," and the absolute confidence, all made Jorkins understand that this was actually a "notification."
Do you agree or not?
The difference may lie only in whether the other party enters "politely" or "forcibly" in.
More importantly, Jorkins asked himself honestly, and he was certain that his memory of the incident was genuine. He desperately wanted to prove his innocence and clear himself of suspicion of "deliberately causing trouble." Letting the other party examine the evidence might be the quickest way to clear his name and even find out what strange event he had encountered. Should he do that?
most!
After a brief internal struggle, Jorkins gritted his teeth, his face revealing a resolute determination, or rather, resignation.
He took a deep breath, Hard Work to make his eyes appear sincere and open, though his voice still trembled slightly. "I... I agree, sir. Please... check it. As long as it can prove I wasn't lying, and clarify what really happened... I... I have no objection."
He even deliberately relaxed his Mental Barrier— which wasn't particularly strong for a Wizard who wasn't a combat or mental magic specialist.
"Very good, very honest."
Seeing that Jorkins, though terrified, still Hard Work relax and show utmost sincerity, Ian finally revealed a faint, gentle smile. This smile wasn't feigned, but rather an acknowledgment of a pragmatic and courageous attitude. In the Wizarding World, especially in this turbulent era, Wizard who so readily accepted Legilimency examination were rare. Of course.
As a Ravenclaw House student, the other party must be well aware of this fact.
reject.
I couldn't stop myself.
That is indeed true.