Chapter 11: I'm Useless!~
By the next morning, almost everyone knew that someone important was coming.
The breakfast delivered that morning was no longer the usual roasted potatoes with vegetable soup lacking oil and salt. Instead, it was replaced with beans in tomato sauce, fried eggs, grilled sausages, and oatmeal porridge. The usual black bread was even swapped out for lightly browned toast. More importantly, everyone received a whole Chocolate Frog, a luxury that was utterly unattainable on any other day.
The Dementors hadn't come for their "meal" at all last night. The Hit-Wizards had arrived early to inspect the hygiene of each prison cell, and this time, they didn't bring any recreational items like cigarettes or alcohol for any of the cells. Even bribing them with money couldn't get a single scrap of information.
"Hey, what kind of important person do you think is coming for the inspection to be this strict?"
"With such a big fuss, could it be the Head of the Auror Office?"
"What's the Head of the Auror Office got to do with Hit-Wizards? He's not their direct superior. Why would they work so hard?"
"Perhaps it's the Minister for Magic?"
"If the Minister for Magic were coming, people from The Daily Prophet would have been here taking photos long ago. You think you'd just be sitting around waiting for it to happen?"
"That's true. Could it be that Britain has a new King, and they're planning to grant amnesty to a batch of prisoners?"
"What do Muggle affairs have to do with us? You're overthinking it."
All sorts of speculations circulated among the prisoners, but not a single one knew the truth.
At around ten in the morning, things finally began to progress. Starting from a prison cell far from William's, prisoners were led out of their cells one by one. After a round of questioning, they were sent back. Upon their return, they all claimed to have no idea what they were there for. But as for who was asking, and what was asked, those who came back just shook their heads vigorously, indicating they had been strictly warned not to speak of it.
News traveled fast, but as the pace of fetching prisoners quickened, the inmates were still stumped as to what was happening today. They only knew that the other party seemed to be trying to select a group of people based on these questions.
In William's prison cell, they even started arguing about what the other party's objective was.
Those with longer prison terms were more inclined to believe that the selected prisoners would be taken away directly or have their sentences significantly reduced for future employment. Therefore, they felt it was appropriate to boast a little about their abilities during this investigation to make it easier to leave this damn cage.
Those with shorter prison terms, however, believed that the very reason for using prisoners was because they could sacrifice so much for freedom. Thus, it was best to deliberately feign incompetence during this investigation, lest they be chosen as cannon fodder with no right to refuse.
The two sides argued heatedly, but it didn't affect the speed at which the Hit-Wizards were escorting people. When it was the turn for William's prison cell, he clearly noticed a mix of reverence and joy on the Hit-Wizards' faces—which instantly made him feel that nothing good would come of this investigation.
For someone who could command such reverence from Hit-Wizards to be conducting an investigation, the probability of them looking for cannon fodder was simply too high. William calculated that his prison term was less than a year, so it would be much better to just be a slacker and ride it out.
Having made up his mind to proudly shout "I'm useless" during the investigation, William instantly relaxed.
Although Azkaban was certainly not a good place to lie low and become some reclusive master, compared to running out to be cannon fodder, calmly accepting the strict protection of the Ministry of Magic was not a difficult thing to accept.
Soon, under the escort of a Hit-Wizard, William met his investigator, or rather, his interviewer.
She was a lady with fluffy hair that inexplicably reminded William of a Chow Chow. She wore a pair of thick glasses, and her clothes were outdated and bizarre. If not for her age, William might have easily labeled her a shut-in.
Workaholic, heartless, cold-blooded, desperate to marry—countless negative descriptors surfaced in William's mind, but he forcibly suppressed them.
He knew very well that his preconceived negative emotions were affecting his judgment of her. If he allowed these negative emotions to continue, he would most likely fail to keep up his act of being useless.
The woman glanced at William, then looked up at the ceiling. After about a minute of silence, she asked the two Hit-Wizards, "This is William?"
"That's right."
"Alright, thank you. Take him back and bring the next person, thank you."
That's it?
William was stunned, but he obediently showed no desire to resist—what if he disagreed and the person behind the table shouted enthusiastically, "Excellent! Full of spirit! You're the one!"
Wouldn't he be at a huge loss in that situation?
Utterly bewildered, William was escorted back to the prison. The others also went through the motions and began returning to their prison cell.
Just from the four who had returned to their cell, they had encountered four different investigators. The methods of investigation were also wildly different; some involved conversation, some had them solve problems, and one was even handed a wand and told to perform some spellcasting. It was impossible to figure out what the interviewers were trying to do.
When the fifth guy returned, he started yelling before he even sat down properly:
"My god, that scared me to death! How is Professor McGonagall still so terrifying!"
Subsequently, he turned into a small, hopping rabbit, amusing the entire prison cell.
The Hit-Wizard in charge of escorting him also started laughing, but he still mercilessly conjured a whip with his wand and began lashing out viciously.
The tiny rabbit frantically tried to escape the whip but was still struck solidly a dozen times, writhing on the ground in pain. It only transformed back to its original form after the Hit-Wizards stopped.
"You brat, you had a big mouth when you first came to prison, and you still have a big mouth now despite being explicitly warned not to reveal the contents of the investigation to anyone who isn't supposed to know! If you're caught again, it won't just be a whipping!"
The Hit-Wizard cursed as he left the prison cell. He glanced at the list of prisoners in his hand, began escorting someone from the neighboring cell, and locked the door to William's cell on his way out.
"Tsk, you brought this on yourself. Why'd you have to shout so loud! It's not like anyone's paying you for it. You're already in Azkaban and you still can't control that mouth of yours!"
Big Guy mocked him mercilessly, tossing a bottle of Potion from his own bunk—scrapes and bruises were common in the cell, and this stuff was a form of currency everyone kept some on hand.
"I didn't expect it either! To actually run into the Professor in this godforsaken place, and even get a lecture from her about misusing Transfiguration. My mind went blank when I got back and I just forgot—easy, that hurts!"
"Serves you right, you brainless idiot! Anyone could tell that was the Professor the moment we saw her. Did you really need to come back and shout about it? You think we don't have eyes to see for ourselves? How come none of us said anything, and only you did? Weren't you warned?" Nine-Fingers retorted irritably while applying the Potion.
*You all recognized her?*
*How come I don't?*
*Why didn't anyone warn me?*
*Are we not locked up in the same Azkaban? Who am I? Where is this?*
(end of chapter)