If it weren't for the biting cold coursing through his body and the young voice that had just cast the spell, Ted would never have associated his attacker with the child standing before him—even with his wand now in the boy's hand.
"Why are you here?"
The boy's youthful voice carried an icy indifference.
"Think carefully before you answer. For every lie you tell, I'll let the frost creep another inch up your waist."
As he spoke, Lewis casually waved his wand. Ice spread further over Ted's wrist, locking it in place.
The shock of the cold instantly sobered him.
He didn't know what spell had been used, but once he realized the boy truly controlled the ice, panic set in.
He knew exactly what would happen if the frost climbed just a little higher.
That part of his body was far more fragile than his limbs.
If it froze, there were only two possible outcomes—
Either it would stay permanently stiff, or it would never stiffen again.
Neither option was acceptable.
Trembling violently, he stammered, "W-We're grave robbers… we came to loot burial goods… please spare me… sir… ahhh!!"
Before he could finish, the cold surged upward another inch.
Now even his most sensitive parts felt the chill.
"Hmph. Still lying. Grave robbers in the Moonstone Garden? Do you think I'm young and stupid?"
"You… how do you—?"
The moment Ted heard the words "Moonstone Garden," he knew he couldn't deceive this boy.
Even his boss had only learned of this place after digging through countless forgotten texts.
Yet this child spoke its name so casually.
That meant the boy was far more formidable than he had imagined.
Their entire operation might already be exposed.
The only question was—
Was he from the Ministry, or something worse?
Ted's mind raced, but his mouth kept apologizing.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to lie! Please, there's no conflict between us, right? If you let me go, we'll reward you generously—ahhh!!"
This time, before he could finish, the frost surged again, freezing his entire arm.
"I ask, you answer. If I don't ask, you shut up. Or you can choose to lose your arm."
"No—no, don't! I was wrong! Just ask—I'll answer anything!"
Now he was truly terrified.
The boy's cold ruthlessness, his decisive violence—it was nothing like a child.
Ted was convinced this had to be some ancient wizard rejuvenated into a young body.
From that moment on, he didn't dare think for himself.
He answered everything Lewis asked.
Very quickly, Lewis pieced together the situation.
They weren't dark wizards.
They were poachers.
In the wizarding world, poachers weren't much different from their Muggle counterparts—
Except their prey were magical creatures.
And compared to Muggle poachers, these people were far more extreme.
The profits were simply too great.
In the Muggle world, animal parts were little more than luxury goods.
But in the wizarding world, magical creature materials could be used to create powerful potions and enchanted items.
That made poachers far more ruthless.
Since the Statute of Secrecy, conflicts between poachers and the Ministry had only intensified.
Some poacher groups had even grown bold enough to establish strongholds and openly oppose the Ministry.
The 18th and 19th centuries had been the height of their activity.
Britain had once been the same—
Until the late 19th century.
At some point in forgotten history, all dark wizard groups and poachers around Hogwarts had vanished without a trace.
For nearly a century afterward, poaching in Britain had gone quiet.
It wasn't until the rise of two Dark Lords that such forces began to re-emerge.
According to Ted, their leader, Pickle Curtis, descended from one of those old poacher families.
His ancestors had once dominated the region near Hogwarts before mysteriously going dormant a century ago.
Then, decades ago, taking advantage of the Dark Lord's rise, Pickle revived the family trade and gathered a crew to resume poaching.
They had come here because Pickle discovered records of a treasure in his family's archives.
It was said to be connected to centaurs—and to a nearly extinct magical creature: the Snidget.
A tiny golden bird capable of unbelievable speed and maneuverability, thanks to the flexible joints in its wings.
In early Quidditch, Seekers didn't chase the Golden Snitch—they chased live Snidgets.
But as the sport grew, the species was hunted to near extinction.
Now, they were strictly protected worldwide.
Which meant—
If this group could obtain one, the profit would be unimaginable.
So Pickle Curtis had brought eight subordinates here.
After understanding everything, Lewis nodded.
"I understand your group now. But you haven't mentioned the Auror. What happened to her?"
At this, Ted began trembling again. His face turned pale as frost.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hide it! I just… forgot! Please don't let the ice spread anymore…"
This time, his fear was genuine.
The fact that Lewis already knew about the Auror convinced him even further that nothing had escaped this boy's notice.
Lewis almost found it amusing, but his expression remained cold.
"Enough. Tell me what happened to the Auror."
"Yes!"
Ted stopped rambling immediately.
"We… we ran into her before entering. She's a Metamorphmagus—she tried to disguise herself as a villager nearby, but we saw through it. We captured her… but we didn't harm her. The boss was in a hurry to explore the ruins, so we just tied her up and locked her in a separate room."
He swallowed nervously.
"She's young—just graduated this year, I think. Pink hair. Very noticeable."
Lewis nodded.
He already knew who it was.
"One last question. Does anyone among you carry anything related to a griffin?"
Ted hesitated for a moment, then hurriedly answered when Lewis's patience wore thin.
"Yes! Yes! Our boss, Pickle, has a griffin-beak pendant. He always wears it on his chest and loves showing it off. He says it's a family heirloom—a symbol of the Curtis family's glorious past."
Glorious past?
So they had hunted a griffin before.
Typical of a poacher family.
Lewis nodded.
Now, his objective was clear.
As someone once said—
If you possess a treasure like that,
then you've already sealed your fate.
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