The witch appeared elderly, yet her reactions were swift.
Immediately patting herself, a large cloud of black smoke erupted, rendering everything invisible.
The teenager and the boy struggled to open their eyes, only hearing a crackling series of explosions and the sound of spells whooshing through the smoke.
After an unknown amount of time, the smoke dissipated, revealing a wizard who appeared destitute, cautiously approaching with a magic wand in hand.
As the black smoke cleared, it revealed two people inside...
Or rather... one and a half people.
The wizard was tightly bound to the ground by ropes, his face swollen, legs sticking together, unable to move.
His chest had been hit by a crushing spell, bleeding profusely. His body was covered in scabs, blisters, and what looked like burn marks.
He couldn't make a sound, only his eyes darting around in terror.
The petrification spell cast on the teenager and the boy was lifted, and he quickly covered his brother's eyes, preventing him from looking around.
The witch, who resembled a bizarre hag, had mostly vanished... below her stomach, however, remained in place.
"What happened to her?" he asked in horror.
"Split apart," the gray-robed wizard who saved them said slowly, "If one isn't focused and calm during Apparition, this sort of accident happens."
"Will she die?" the teenager furrowed his brows and asked.
"Who knows?" the gray-robed wizard said indifferently, "I've never been split apart."
The teenager saw the magic wand in his hand, and his pupils contracted sharply.
The gray-robed wizard pulled out a vial of magic potion and poured it entirely into the wizard's mouth.
The teenager stammered, trying to dissuade him, "Um... killing is illegal, isn't it?"
"Killing?" the gray-robed wizard rolled his eyes at him, "What are you thinking? This is Life and Death Potion."
"Oh..." the teenager awkwardly scratched his face, relaxing completely.
Life and Death Potion, also known as Living Hell Potion, despite its ominous name, is actually a potent sedative.
"Let's go, I'll take you away."
The gray-robed wizard picked up a crumpled piece of paper from the ground and handed it to the teenager, saying, "Also, there's no curse on that letter, you were tricked."
"Thank you for saving us."
The young boy unexpectedly pulled his brother's hand away, looked at the man, and said:
"I am Light from the Manchini Family, and my brother is Theo... what's your name?"
"You can call me Vener."
The gray-robed wizard said calmly, as Theo silently watched him.
"Is there a problem?" Vener asked him.
Theo glanced back and asked, "Are we just leaving those two?"
"Of course not," Vener said, "Who are they? Why were they targeting you brothers? Are there any accomplices?"
"These all need to be investigated... but the help I can provide ends here."
At the alley's entrance, he paused, looked at Theo, and said:
"Find your parents or elders and inform them of this. Whether you report to the Auror or investigate yourselves is up to you."
Theo paused for a moment, then nodded, "I understand... what about you?"
"Look at the state of those two, can you just leave them behind?"
The wizard waved and said, "You'd better hurry. I'll keep watch here until the people you find arrive."
"Okay."
Theo glanced at him, nodded, and quickly grabbed his brother, running towards the drink shop.
Their father, John Mancini, had returned, standing at the shop's door, gazing outward.
When he saw the two children running over, he immediately said angrily, "Didn't I tell you two to stay in the shop? Why are you running around with your brother?"
Theo quickly recounted what had happened.
John Mancini's expression grew darker the more he listened, although the two kids were right in front of him, he still felt waves of fear.
Only when he heard they were rescued did he relax a bit.
Upon hearing one of the suspected dark wizards had been left behind, his expression changed.
After listening to the whole story, he glared at his son fiercely, "Stay at home, and don't leave! I'll deal with you two later!"
Theo's face stiffened.
John then pointed his Magic Wand at the notepaper beside the counter. Several sheets flew out, automatically folding into a simple paper airplane that zoomed away.
Before long, six or seven witches and wizards emerged from other shops.
The Mancini Family, as a Pure-Blood Clan, may not be as flourishing as the Weasley Family, but they have no shortage of relatives and friends.
Besides his father John, who runs a shop in Diagon Alley, his uncle Jason also owns a Magic Supplies Shop, and other relatives like his aunt and cousins work in Diagon Alley as well.
John Mancini explained the situation to them. The group was furious and quickly headed towards the alley.
Only Theo's cousin remained behind, keeping an eye on the two children lest they encounter danger again.
Theo pretended to be obedient and pulled his brother back, whispering softly to him: "Light, I need to slip out for a bit. Try to distract our cousin."
"Consider it done!" Light said confidently, "I'll make sure the mission is accomplished!"
Immediately, he let out a startling cry: "Waaaahhhh..."
"What's wrong?" Theo's cousin was startled and hurried over to comfort him.
"It's so scary!" Light grabbed her sleeve and wailed, "We almost got taken by bad guys... boohoo..."
"Weren't you just brave a moment ago?" the cousin said helplessly, "Stop crying, I'll perform some Magic for you, alright..."
As she anxiously tried to comfort the child, Theo quietly slipped out of the shop door.
He quickly ran to the alley but couldn't find Vener; he only saw that the Wizard had been given the antidote to the Life and Death Potion by his father and had woken up.
"Veritaserum, three drops will do," Uncle Jason took out a small bottle, "It wasn't easy to get this, don't waste it."
John pried open the Wizard's mouth and poured in three drops of clear potion.
The Wizard's struggles immediately ceased, and he stared vacantly at the sky, answering any questions asked.
"Who are you?" John asked.
"I am Chad Brick, a..." he hesitated slightly, then whispered, "Werewolf."
The Mancini Family members' expressions changed drastically.
During wartime in the Wizarding World, children were often kidnapped by Werewolves and infected as Werewolves.
They were raised to fear and hate wizards, eventually joining the Werewolf army under Fenrir Greyback, attacking wizards.
Some children, after being bitten, are left with their parents, transforming into Werewolves every month, indiscriminately attacking everyone nearby.
This is undoubtedly a devastating disaster for a family.
If the Mancini brothers were taken away by this Werewolf, the outcome is almost unspeakable.
But recently, such incidents have become rare.
John took a deep breath, suppressing his anger: "Then why target those two kids? Do you have a grudge against the Mancini Family?"
"No," Chad Brick said with a flat tone, "I was in a bad mood, and they happened to run into me while their parents weren't around..."
"You bastard!" John threw a punch, but his brother held him back.
"Who is that old witch? Do you have other accomplices?" Jason asked, relatively calmly.
"She calls herself Ursula; I met her in Knockturn Alley."
Chad Brick said, "I have no accomplices. She likes children's eyes and nails and wanted a share when she saw I took those two kids..."
"Filthy beast!" John Mancini couldn't help but curse angrily.
Theo didn't listen further; recalling Vener's initial direction and attire, he suddenly realized something.
There's a street in Diagon Alley full of second-hand goods sellers.
Penniless wizards often rummage there for bargains, sometimes finding valuable items, but mostly choosing among items that are just slightly less junk.
Theo ran over quickly and, sure enough, from afar saw the gray-robed wizard's back as he bent over to inspect the pile of miscellaneous goods displayed by the shop owner.
Theo approached, suddenly unsure how to address him: "Um... Mr. Vener..."
"After going through something like that, you're still running around," Vener turned, admonishing, "Do you care so little about your own safety?"
Theo suddenly decided not to pretend anymore, squinting his eyes: "So, are you going to kidnap me too, esteemed Mr. Vener? Or perhaps..."
His lips moved silently:
[...Vid.]
Vid raised his eyebrows but did not deny it. He glanced down at his attire and asked, "Where did I slip up?"
Theo pointed to his sleeve and whispered, "I recognized your Magic Wand."
Vid sighed and said, "There's nothing I can do about that, as my second wand hasn't been procured yet."
Theo found that Vid had been looking at the shop owner's display of old Magic Wands in a barrel, some with the core exposed.
"There are no good goods here," Theo said, "Come with me; I know where to buy reliable second-hand Magic Wands."