To be honest, Leonard had never expected to see this symbol in Germany.
It was a composite emblem made of three shapes: a triangle, a circle inscribed within the triangle, and a vertical line running from the apex of the triangle through the circle.
The description sounded a little abstract, but both its appearance and its name were thunderously familiar to Leonard.
The Deathly Hallows.
That was right. This symbol represented the Deathly Hallows, and it was also the emblem of the Grindelwald supporters, the organization that had been at the height of its influence more than fifty years ago and had threatened the stability of both wizarding society and the Muggle world.
And the man who led them was none other than the dark wizard whose defeat had cemented Dumbledore's reputation as the strongest wizard alive, the predecessor Voldemort could never surpass, Grindelwald.
But that raised a problem. Wasn't Grindelwald imprisoned in Nurmengard in Austria, the place that had once served as his followers' headquarters? If he was locked up there, how was he sending people into Germany to stir up trouble?
Were the wizards guarding Nurmengard all complete idiots?
"You're Grindelwald supporters?" Leonard stared at Schneider and demanded an answer.
Schneider still said nothing, but his thoughts could not escape Leonard's eyes.
For the glory of Grindelwald's cause.
That sentence repeated itself over and over in Schneider's mind, as if it were some sacred creed.
Leonard clicked his tongue in annoyance and continued, "Where did you take those werewolves?"
"..."
Schneider remained silent. Even in his own mind, he was clinging to that same line, repeating it again and again to resist Leonard's Legilimency.
People with faith really were troublesome.
Leonard stared at Schneider, who seemed completely impervious, for a moment, then shifted his gaze toward the others around them, Theodore's subordinates.
"What's the point of stubbornly holding out here? Are that dead man's followers as loyal as you are?" Leonard said with a cold laugh.
"Try it and see." This time Schneider did answer. He stared at Leonard with a mocking smile on his face. "You don't think we're like those cowardly Death Eaters back in Britain, do you?"
"I wouldn't know. I've never tried torturing a Death Eater before." A horrifying smile spread across Leonard's sanity-draining face.
A vine dragged over a wizard whose legs were soaked in blood and threw him down in front of Leonard and Schneider.
The thorn-covered vine was buried deep in his flesh. As it dragged him, the thorns gouged even deeper, tearing open the wounds further.
The wizard's face was white as paper.
A trail of blood marked the path where he had been dragged, and he let out shrill screams as he struggled against the vine hauling him forward.
"So your people aren't as tough as you claim. At the very least, you bleed, you feel pain, and you know fear." Leonard spoke softly as he watched the screaming wizard.
Schneider's expression darkened, and his pale lips trembled.
But his eyes remained resolute, and the look he gave that wizard was full of encouragement.
For a moment, Leonard had the strange feeling that he was playing the villain. Though, from their point of view, that probably was not a misunderstanding at all.
And if he was the villain, then naturally he should do what a villain was supposed to do.
Leonard crooked a finger, and the vine hoisted the wizard into the air. That process naturally came with heart-rending pain, but perhaps Schneider's encouragement had done its job, because the wizard actually endured it. He clenched his teeth and did not make a sound.
Leonard admired that.
So he decided to give this faithful wizard something a little more special.
The vines under his feet rose up. Soft, but covered in sharp thorns, they condensed under Leonard's plant modifications into countless needles as fine as cow hair.
"Do you know," Leonard said as he manipulated those long, thin needles as easily as moving his own fingers, "Muggles may not have magical power, but in the pursuit of truth, they've gone farther than wizards in some fields."
Schneider stared fixedly at the plant needles Leonard was controlling. Experience told him these were some kind of terrifying torture instruments, even if he had no idea what they were supposed to do.
He also could not understand why Leonard had suddenly started talking about Muggles.
"Looks like you really have no idea." Leonard smiled, raised a hand, and under Schneider's horrified gaze, guided those plant needles into the wizard through his nostrils and ears.
Before long, the wizard's eyes rolled back and his whole body began convulsing, as if he were suffering pain beyond words.
"Muggles can't understand magic, so they developed their own rigorous science instead. One branch of that science studies the human body. They don't understand the soul, so in their view, all human memory is stored in the brain."
Leonard explained everything conscientiously while he worked, looking exactly like some deranged scientist.
Schneider had no idea what a brain even was. Modern wizards were very different from the old practitioners of bloody magic. They knew almost nothing about anatomy. Even the healers at St. Mungo's did not really understand the structure of the human body.
All Schneider understood was that Theodore's subordinate seemed to be in unbearable agony.
Then suddenly, the convulsing wizard let out one long breath, and a large amount of clear, sticky fluid began to run out of his nostrils.
"Ah. My mistake. Looks like I used too much force. Cerebrospinal fluid is leaking out." Leonard withdrew his hand regretfully, glanced at the now motionless wizard, and casually tossed him aside.
Perhaps worried Schneider would not understand, he even kindly explained, "This is my first time researching this area, so naturally I'm still a little clumsy. But don't worry. You have plenty of people here. I can build up experience slowly."
"Don't worry, I'll save the last one for you. I promise I'll make it feel nice and easy."
Another wizard was dragged over. After seeing what had happened to the first one, he immediately started begging Leonard for mercy, looking as though he wanted to drop to his knees on the spot.
But it did him no good.
Leonard was like a cold machine. He drove dozens of fine needles, each connected to vines, through the man's nostrils and into his brain.
At the same time, Leonard's eyes shimmered with intertwined green and silver light.
He was not simply butchering these wizards. Just as he had said, he really was trying to use this method to steal memories directly, mainly by relying on Blood Grapes' control over individual bodies.
Legilimency was not always convenient. If magical methods were unreliable in some situations, then physical ones would have to do.
He could treat this as practice. Under normal circumstances, Leonard would never be able to get his hands on so many living test subjects.
After all, he still had an image to maintain. A good student with excellent grades and conduct was not supposed to use living people as experimental material.
One moment of distraction later, Leonard accidentally damaged this wizard's brain too. Looking at the cerebrospinal fluid spilling out, he shook his head helplessly and casually threw the body aside.
"Don't worry. It'll be your turn soon enough." Leonard summoned another wizard over, while Schneider, watching the convulsing men on the ground, sank into a terror beyond words.
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on P@treon.
Also, join as a free member to read free advanced chapters.
[Upto 50 chapters ahead for now]
[email protected]/BlurryDream