"Diffindo."
With a light flick of his wand, Lewis severed the ropes binding Tonks.
Then, with another precise motion, he cut away the gag over her mouth.
"Th… thank you…"
The young Auror squinted, struggling to adjust to the faint light. Just as she began to speak her gratitude, she finally got a clear look at her rescuer—
"You… this… kid, what are you doing here?"
"I came here looking for treasure. Didn't expect to run into poachers—and a captured Auror."
Lewis gave a brief explanation.
As he spoke, he pulled out a vial of Invigoration Potion and helped her drink it.
Her complexion improved slightly after swallowing it. Letting out a breath, she said, "You came prepared… thanks. Do you have anything to eat?"
"Here."
Lewis handed her a piece of dry bread.
"Got it from the poachers' camp. Make do."
He had already tried some earlier—it was dry, tasteless, and unpleasant.
But the Auror didn't complain at all. She devoured it hungrily, then grabbed his water flask and gulped it down.
"Ah! Finally saved!"
After a satisfied sigh, she reached out and ruffled Lewis's hair enthusiastically.
"Thanks, little brother. If it weren't for you, I might've died here… I owe you my life."
"Don't call me 'little brother.'"
Lewis's face darkened. He subtly avoided her hand and handed her two wands instead.
"My name is Lewis Green. Try these—see which one suits you better."
"Thanks, little—okay, fine, Mr. Green. I'm Nymphadora Tonks. Don't call me Nymphadora—just Tonks is fine."
She tested both wands briefly, returning one and keeping the other.
"Shame my own wand got snapped. Where did you get these?"
"Where else? Took them off the guards."
Seeing she could cast normally, Lewis nodded in satisfaction.
"So, Tonks—just call me Lewis. Can you stand? Can you walk?"
"…Let me try. Hey, Lewis, couldn't you at least help me up?"
She attempted to stand but nearly stumbled, her limbs numb from being bound too long.
Left with no choice, she accepted help.
Lewis found her clumsy state a bit amusing. He let her lean on his shoulder and guided her through a few steps inside the room like rehabilitation training.
Soon, the potion and food took effect.
Tonks gradually regained control of her body, shook off his support, and walked a few steps on her own.
Once she confirmed she could move, she followed Lewis out of the room and asked, "You said you ran into two poachers and took their wands. What did you do with them?"
"What else? Couldn't kill them, didn't want them raising the alarm—so I restrained them. Like this. The other one's at the entrance."
Lewis led her to the camp and pointed at the blond wizard frozen in ice.
Only after seeing it herself did Tonks truly believe it.
This boy had taken down two adult wizards alone.
She was genuinely shocked—especially at the use of ice magic, something quite rare.
"I didn't expect someone your age to be this skilled… I definitely couldn't have done that back then. But…"
She hesitated before continuing, "At your age, you should be in school, playing with classmates. You shouldn't be dealing with things like this… You're from Hogwarts, right? What year?"
"I just started this year. Ravenclaw."
Lewis rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.
"Age doesn't determine maturity, Tonks. Don't forget—you were the one I rescued."
That left her speechless.
All the advice she had been about to give died in her throat.
After all, she—so-called mature and experienced—had been captured by a group of poachers.
While this child had handled two adult wizards alone.
By comparison, she really did seem reckless.
Maybe her Auror instructor had been right.
But she refused to lose verbally.
"Don't be so sharp, junior. This is your senior sharing valuable life experience. I'm a Hufflepuff graduate—just finished this year. I'm an Auror trainee, you know."
There was clear pride in her tone.
And rightly so—becoming an Auror required outstanding academic performance.
At least five N.E.W.T.s, all at Acceptable or above. That alone eliminated most candidates.
But Lewis wasn't impressed.
"I can tell. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been dumb enough to get caught by a bunch of petty thieves."
"You call them petty thieves? If Pickle heard that, he'd strangle you…"
After grumbling, she tried to defend herself.
"If they hadn't ambushed me, I could've escaped just fine… I mean, if my Metamorphmagus disguise hadn't been exposed… you know what that is, right? Anyway, if I hadn't slipped up, those poachers wouldn't stand a chance against an Auror like me…"
"Oh? So you weren't caught because you're weak?"
Lewis nodded thoughtfully, then added mercilessly, "Then it must be because you're stupid. Having such a powerful ability and still getting exposed—hard to imagine a smart person messing that up."
"You're really not a likable kid, you know that? Way too good at hitting where it hurts. Even if it's true, you don't have to say it out loud!"
Tonks could only respond with a bitter smile.
"Hmph. That's what you get for treating me like a kid."
They bickered as they walked—and before long, both of them burst out laughing.
Lewis might look eleven, but his mindset was far more mature.
Tonks, on the other hand, was already eighteen—yet still lively and carefree.
Fresh out of Hogwarts, she hadn't fully shed her student nature.
After all, she'd been quite the prankster back in school.
When they reached the entrance and confirmed the other poacher was still alive, Tonks turned to him.
"This place is too dangerous. I'll escort you out first, then head to the Ministry for backup. Sound good?"
She was clearly concerned for his safety.
But Lewis refused immediately.
"No thanks."
"How about this—we go in and deal with them together? You're an Auror, right? Don't tell me you can't handle it. There are six of them inside—how many can you take?"
"Don't talk nonsense! I need to get you out of here first!"
Tonks grew anxious.
"Listen, Lewis. I'm grateful you risked yourself to save me, but this is a fight for adult wizards. I can't let you stay in danger. How would I explain this to your parents? To Hogwarts? So stop this and let me take you back—"
"Thanks for the concern, but I don't have parents. And I can take responsibility for my own safety."
Lewis shook his head calmly.
"So my answer is no."
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