Leonard had no intention of being polite to this short, fat, and thoroughly unattractive middle-aged man. He grabbed the potion bottle, jammed it into Peter Pettigrew's mouth, and began forcing the liquid down his throat.
Peter Pettigrew choked instantly. Half the potion went straight up his nose, nearly suffocating him.
Is there really any need to be this rough? I already agreed to drink it!
He thought miserably, convinced he'd just been fed poison and that his days were numbered.
Yet to his surprise, aside from the agony of choking, he felt no discomfort at all. Instead, a surge of vitality flooded his body, as if energy were welling up from every limb.
Leonard observed Peter Pettigrew closely through Magical Sight. Once the potion had been completely forced down, he saw those tentacle-like strands intertwine like living creatures, locking together into a seal that wrapped around Peter Pettigrew's entire body.
When the lock fully formed, Leonard noticed a change in the flow of magic within Peter Pettigrew.
It seemed stronger.
Peter Pettigrew trembled as he stared at Leonard's eyes, now filled entirely with a silver-white glow. Those unnatural silver eyes filled him with overwhelming fear.
This kid… he's not a normal wizard.
"Do you feel anything?" Leonard asked calmly, silver light flickering in his eyes.
Peter Pettigrew shuddered. "I feel incredibly energetic. Like I have strength to spare."
For some reason, when faced with those eyes, he didn't dare lie.
Energetic? Endless strength? That sounded like nothing more than a basic Invigoration Draught.
Leonard frowned slightly. He said nothing, stepping aside as he continued to watch Peter Pettigrew.
With a snap of his fingers, the Levitation Charm vanished. Caught off guard, Peter Pettigrew fell hard onto the floor. Before he could even react, the ground shifted, five stone pillars rising up to trap him inside.
"From now on," Leonard said coldly, pulling out a pocket watch, "you're going to jump. Keep jumping. Don't stop."
"Jump?" Peter Pettigrew stood up, completely bewildered.
"When I tell you to jump, you jump," Leonard said, lifting a finger. Sparks erupted at Peter Pettigrew's feet, making him yelp in fright.
"Yes! I'm jumping!" Peter Pettigrew screamed as he began hopping frantically inside the cramped stone cage.
With a body that hadn't seen exercise in over a decade, jumping like this should have exhausted him in no time.
Yet he felt as though his body was overflowing with energy.
Leonard watched the pocket watch, supervising him in silence, and simply stood there as Peter Pettigrew jumped nonstop for a full half hour.
During that time, Leonard occasionally used Magical Sight to observe the "lock" around Peter Pettigrew's body. He noticed that as the jumping continued, the lock slowly began to fracture.
When it finally collapsed completely, Peter Pettigrew lost his footing and dropped to the floor.
"I… I can't… please, have mercy…" Peter Pettigrew gasped, completely spent, barely able to catch his breath.
Leonard said nothing, studying the panting man thoughtfully.
Judging by the results, the Invigoration Draught brewed with assistance from the Philosopher's Stone clearly had an extremely powerful effect.
Not only did it replenish depleted stamina, it also delayed physical exhaustion for a full thirty minutes.
As for side effects… none were visible for now.
Leonard looked at Peter Pettigrew slumped on the ground. At the moment, he was merely exhausted, but it was impossible to say whether other reactions would appear later.
That would require at least a week of observation, and during that time it would be best not to administer any additional potions to avoid confounding the results.
But how was he supposed to make this man come back after a week?
With that thought, Leonard drew his wand.
Perhaps he could try the Imperius Curse.
After studying magic for so long, he had witnessed Midgard controlling the Gringotts goblins, personally experienced the Imperius Curse at close range, and observed its magical manifestation in action.
With all of that combined, Leonard felt he should be capable of attempting this Unforgivable Curse himself.
Unforgivable or not, Leonard had never expected forgiveness in the first place. He hadn't even blinked when killing pureblood wizards. Why would he hesitate over using an Unforgivable Curse?
Recalling the hand motion and the final magical structure of the spell, Leonard pointed his wand at Peter Pettigrew.
"Imperio."
Peter Pettigrew's eyes immediately went dull. In Magical Sight, a mass of dark green magic invaded his brain and settled there.
"Did it work?" Leonard muttered, observing the magic at Peter Pettigrew's brain, still a bit uncertain.
"Peter Pettigrew," Leonard called.
"Yes," Peter Pettigrew replied.
"Do a backflip," Leonard ordered.
Peter Pettigrew froze for a moment, then bent forward and awkwardly tried to flip backward.
With his physique, there was no way he could manage it, especially after having just exhausted himself.
And yet he kept trying, again and again, as if he wouldn't stop until he succeeded, no matter how much it hurt.
"Hm…" Leonard watched for a full five minutes, observing Peter Pettigrew repeatedly injure himself in his attempts, before finally speaking up.
"Stop."
Peter Pettigrew immediately stopped, baring his teeth as he rubbed at his bruises.
It seemed the Imperius Curse had taken effect.
"All right. That's enough for today," Leonard said, restoring the floor from its cage-like form. He stepped in front of Peter Pettigrew and pointed his wand directly at his head.
At this distance, Leonard only needed to release a trace of magic to destroy Peter Pettigrew's brain.
The threat made Peter Pettigrew tremble violently, terror filling his eyes. Yet he didn't dare resist in the slightest, standing rigidly in place.
Seeing this, Leonard was satisfied that Peter Pettigrew was still firmly under the Imperius Curse. He spoke again.
"Obliviate."
The spell flashed white. Peter Pettigrew's eyes went unfocused for a brief instant before clearing again.
Leonard erased every memory Peter Pettigrew had of him. From Peter Pettigrew's perspective, he had simply appeared here out of nowhere and fallen under the Imperius Curse.
"One week from now, come to the eighth-floor corridor at Hogwarts. Understood?" Leonard said.
"…Yes…" Peter Pettigrew nodded blankly.
He had no idea why he was here or what had happened, but the Imperius Curse offered no explanations. It only enforced obedience.