"Thunder Technique and swordsmanship-what are those?"
For the first time, confusion entered Winslet's voice.
Her lips moved as though she wanted to ask more, but the sword tip against her throat made her swallow the rest of her words.
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't. If you want to live, answer what I ask." Gerald narrowed his eyes at the woman who had given him his first taste of the Cruciatus Curse and gently raised the wand in his right hand.
"Full Body-Bind Curse!"
Thick magical ropes shot from the tip of his wand, binding Winslet tightly from her shoulders to her ankles.
Then he added a Summoning Charm. Winslet's black wand flew from her fingers, spun twice in midair, and landed in Gerald's hand.
He twirled her wand between his fingers, then smiled.
"Don't even think about running, or that lovely head of yours will be parted from your body."
It was a faint smile, but it sent a chill down Winslet's back.
"Nagini, watch her." With a thought, Gerald made a coiling gesture toward Nagini.
Nagini immediately slithered over to Winslet. Her enormous body coiled around the woman, enclosing her, and her amber, slit-pupiled eyes hovered less than a foot from Winslet's face.
"You can even command a snake like this? What's your connection to Slytherin?" Winslet's gaze darted between Nagini and Gerald. She was even more shocked than she had been by that bizarre Thunder Strike.
Although Gerald had said nothing, his look and gesture had clearly ordered the huge snake to surround her.
At first, she had thought the python lunging toward her was merely some form of dark magic. Only now did she realize she was a real snake.
After all, snakes only obeyed wizards who spoke Parseltongue.
Yet Gerald had plainly said nothing. The snake