Chapter 139: Catch the Werewolf
"Rest assured, miss. The matter is already being handled," Ralvin said with a smile.
In the distance, the werewolf, as if facing its natural predator, was about to let out a defiant roar when several figures appeared out of thin air. Red beams of light shot from their wands, stunning it and sending it crashing to the ground. A moment later, the figures hoisted the fallen werewolf and vanished.
"What about the Memory Charm?" Ralvin asked, unsure of what to do.
"We'll still need to use it. But why hasn't anyone from the French Ministry shown up? We don't know the specifics of this werewolf situation either—" Since becoming Nicolas Flamel's apprentice, Ryan was now half a member of the French wizarding community, and an important one at that—a future board member of Beauxbatons. He understood perfectly why Ralvin, as an outsider, was hesitant. Whether he did too much or too little, did it well or poorly, it could all become a point of contention later.
"Actually," Ryan said, "a Memory Charm might not be very effective this time." He released a dazzling ball of light, which shot up above the crowd's heads and exploded.
"Why do you say that?" Julia asked in a small voice. She couldn't understand why the young man would say such a thing. The Memory Charm was the wizarding world's infallible trump card. Why wouldn't it work this time?
"Because of the internet," Ryan said with a shrug. "Memory Charms don't work on electronic data." Digital data was immune to magical attacks; it only succumbed to physical ones.
As they spoke, countless motes of light rained down like gentle raindrops. Everyone, injured or not, who was bathed in the light felt a sense of relaxation and ease. The wounds of the injured began to heal rapidly. Severed limbs flew back to their stumps and reattached, mending completely under the shower of light. But as the motes fell, a sense of drowsiness washed over them. They grew groggy, as if falling into a deep dream from which they would awaken with no memory of what had just transpired.
At the same time, the motes of light that landed on the ground cleansed the bloodstains more effectively than the most powerful cleaning agents, even suppressing the scent of iron in the air. Master magic, and you won't even need hydrogen peroxide.
As the tourists began to come to their senses, confusion spread.
"What happened to us?"
"I don't know."
"I was here with my friend... where's my friend?"
"Why are we all standing in a circle? What's that empty space in the middle for?" someone asked, pointing to the clearing. A chill ran down the spines of many as they looked. In the middle of a bustling tourist spot, why was there a perfect, empty circle, as if everyone had instinctively avoided it?
"Let's go, let's go. Something's wrong with this place."
The sentiment spread through the crowd like a plague, and soon, everyone was leaving the area in an orderly fashion. But the photos on their phones, and the ones already uploaded to the internet, were still out there, fermenting.
Nava felt a dizzying sensation, and then she was in a lavish private room. On the table were many plates of steaming food, with cutlery and dishes that were clearly in the middle of being used, as if the occupants had just stepped out for a moment.
In a corner of the room, the rampaging werewolf was bound by illusory, transparent, rainbow-colored chains. The chains looked like soft, painted lines but were as strong and unbreakable as steel, pinning the powerful beast to the spot.
The two men who had brought them there were standing by the window, looking outside. There were other men in the room, some in sharp suits, some in loose, comical-looking robes, and others in bizarre, eclectic outfits. They were all studying the two women with appraising eyes, their attention particularly focused on Nava, as if they were all wondering why this woman, who didn't seem to be a witch, was here.
Nava's heart pounded with excitement—the thrill of having a secret truth revealed, of exploring the deeper knowledge of the world.
Ralvin, looking out the window, frowned. "Ryan, wasn't your work a bit sloppy?" From what he knew of Ryan, the normal procedure would have been a long-term stupor, with the Muggles guided to disperse and return home, not just a short-term memory loss on-site that would leave them with lingering questions.
"I told the Headmaster before we came. The professors all know. I wouldn't be surprised if they're spying on us from somewhere right now. Since they haven't done anything, I don't see why I should go to all the trouble of tying up every loose end. Besides, I can't control what's on the internet," Ryan said, scanning the area outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the senior supergroup.
"No wonder you were so slow to react."
Ralvin fiddled with his cuff. "Could it be that... the Headmaster and the others... also..."
"Don't ask me. I don't know. Don't spread rumors," Ryan said, giving the standard three denials. He genuinely had no idea what Dumbledore was thinking.
"Excuse me, sorry to interrupt," Julia said, stepping forward. "Mr. Welles, my name is Julia Wilkinson. I'm an Auror from MACUSA." She was relieved to have found other wizards, especially after hearing the name "Hogwarts." The one who had hurt them the most had only been defeated after Dumbledore had stepped in. Because of this, MACUSA members had a natural positive bias toward Dumbledore—though this was limited to his personal charisma, not their official assessment of his power level.
"I've always admired Headmaster Dumbledore. He is the greatest wizard of this century, and one of the greatest in all of magical history!"
"Miss Wilkinson, I accept your praise on behalf of the Headmaster," Ryan said, turning around. "Please, have a seat. Let's talk."
"Oh, yes, of course. By the way, this is my friend, Ms. Nava Morgan," Julia said, pulling Nava down to sit, realizing she had forgotten to introduce her.
Ryan and Ralvin conjured two more chairs and sat down. Someone else went out to order more food.
"Miss Wilkinson, I've heard your name before," Ryan said, his face a perfect mask of sincerity. (In reality, he had only heard of the Wilkinson family, one of the original twelve Auror families of MACUSA, and had never heard of a Julia Wilkinson.) "I wonder if you could enlighten me as to what exactly happened today? How did you end up in France?"
"I was on vacation with Nava," Julia said, and proceeded to tell her story, from investigating the Great Lakes incident to meeting Nava Morgan, to how she had found life so enjoyable she hadn't wanted to return. They had come to France for a holiday, and then, for some unknown reason, the werewolf had seen her and suddenly attacked, forcing her to fight back.
"Which one of you guys has had Auror training?" Ralvin called out to the room. "Go and... apply some pressure to our werewolf friend over there. Ask him what his intentions were."
"I have. I know how to make him talk," Julia said, raising her hand. But everyone ignored her. Nava gently patted her little sister's shoulder.
"The stuff you learn in Auror training works on wizards, but on a werewolf, it's just like tickling them. You're better off using Veritaserum," an active-duty Auror from the British Ministry said, offering his professional opinion. His words carried far more weight than Julia's.
Nava was listening intently. She was curious why so many people were unaware of the existence of wizards and why wizards felt the need to hide. She was also curious about magic itself. What was this Memory Charm they had mentioned? At the same time, she was trying to understand the subtext of their conversation. She concluded that these wizards were planning to interrogate their prisoner.
Suddenly, her image of wizards shifted from handsome and mysterious to handsome and... barbaric. Not the barbarism of uncivilized savages, but a sense of realism. The image of the wizard was slowly stepping out of the fairytale and into the real world.
Just then, she noticed the younger one, Ryan Welles, flick his wrist. A small, crystal vial appeared in his hand. She watched as he placed it on the table and gave it a gentle push. "What a coincidence. Professor Snape taught me how to brew this, and I was a very diligent student. Shall we offer our werewolf friend a taste?"
"You can't do that!" Julia cried out. "The private use of Veritaserum is against wizarding law! We've already violated the Statute of Secrecy!"
Wizarding law? The Statute of Secrecy? Nava's ears perked up.
~~~
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