Chapter 918
The Silent Gaze
Chapter 918 The Silent Gaze
The heavy black wooden door closed silently behind him, shutting out Stern's suffocating despair and madness.
Although the lights in the corridor weren't particularly bright, they didn't have the dim and oppressive atmosphere of an interrogation room.
The middle-aged official was pacing outside the door. Hearing the door open, he immediately turned around and smiled.
"Is your meeting over, Miss Vanderbilt?"
“Of course.” Elsie nodded and smiled. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
"You're too kind. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything. I'm always ready to serve you," the official said hastily, as if he were very honored.
Just then, the gray-haired Auror who had been standing guard outside the door like a statue, staring at Vader, suddenly spoke:
"May I ask who this gentleman is...?"
Wade looked over calmly and said, "Lawrence Galecki."
Elsie turned her head and frowned, "Mr. Auror, do you have any complaints about my bodyguard?"
The grey-haired Auror's sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on Vader, his gaze filled with suspicion and scrutiny.
The young man opposite him had an exceptionally calm and clear gaze, appearing very composed, without a trace of superfluous emotion.
After a brief eye contact, the gray-haired Auror seemed to have confirmed something and lowered his gaze.
"No, of course I have no objection."
He bowed to Elsie and said, "It's just that everyone who has entered or left the interrogation room needs to register, that's all."
……
Once the two Vanderbilt family members had walked far away, and even the sound of their footsteps had completely disappeared at the end of the corridor, the official who had been barely maintaining a smile suddenly turned serious.
“You were being far too reckless, Samuel Goldstein!”
The middle-aged official retorted, "That's the eldest daughter of the Vanderbilt family. Do you know how much in donations we get from them every year? She brings a bodyguard to check on the prisoners, what are you interfering with for?"
The gray-haired Auror did not answer immediately; he walked into the interrogation room expressionlessly.
Stern remained slumped in his chair, his eyes vacant, radiating a sense of bewilderment and calm that followed an intense emotional outburst.
Samuel Goldstein drew his wand, tracing several complex arcs in the air, and a faint blue light fell upon Stern.
The middle-aged official, being a member of the Auror's office, understood the spell. He frowned, but breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the blue light had no reaction.
But Samuel Goldstein did not let up. He stepped forward, turned Stern's head around, and the tip of his wand emitted a bright white light as he carefully examined the prisoner's eyes.
Then he pinched open his jaw and examined his teeth and the inside of his mouth, as well as the involuntary swallowing in his throat and the rise and fall of his chest with his breathing.
After doing all this, he let go, allowing Stern's head to droop limply again.
The middle-aged official relaxed completely, letting out a short, almost snickering laugh.
"You're worried the prisoner has been switched? Switched with Elsie Vanderbilt?"
He shook his head, seemingly finding the other person's idea utterly incomprehensible.
"Who is she? The entire Magic Congress has to give her family some face! What kind of information does she want that requires such a high-risk method?" "To be honest, if the Elsie family really had a request, the higher-ups might just send this prisoner to their doorstep!"
"Goldstein, I think you're just suffering from a serious occupational hazard; you see everyone as a criminal. If you weren't so neurotic, you wouldn't be stuck here with me, getting moldy, while your sister has already gone up there!"
Despite being mocked like that, Samuel Goldstein showed no offense, only whispering:
"I'm just doing this in case. Didn't a news story break in Britain not long ago? A high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic used Polyjuice Potion to get his son out of prison years ago."
The middle-aged official also recalled the news, but then shook his head:
"That's his son, his own flesh and blood! But this bastard purger is connected to the Vanderbilt heiress? You're really overthinking it!"
Samuel Goldstein, however, seemed to have thought of something, and a smile that was both mocking and bitter appeared on his lips.
"A distinguished status does not equate to absolute correctness. Human emotions and stances are the most unpredictable things in the world. What we can do is not gamble on which important figure is in a good mood or on what side they hold today..."
He stopped at the doorway, turned his head to the side, and the light from the corridor cast a deep shadow on his face.
"...but rather to prevent all possibilities."
The middle-aged official stood there, his face a mixture of dissatisfaction and a hint of unease.
Seeing that Samuel Goldstein was about to leave, he couldn't help but shout:
"That sounds nice... but why don't you try climbing the ladder! What good is it if you're stuck in this rotten interrogation room, no matter how capable or principled you are? Who can even see you?!"
Samuel Goldstein paused for a moment, but said nothing and walked away.
……
"What's wrong? You look so serious." Elsie asked, noticing Vader's expression. "Is the story of the Purifier bothering you?"
Vader's gaze swept over the crowds coming and going in the courtyard of the Magic Congress, and he said softly:
"It's not exactly a problem... it just reminded me of another person... someone whose life was also ruined by aphrodisiacs..."
"what……"
Elsie sighed softly, not pressing for details about who the person was, but instead said:
"The Magic Council has always prohibited the misuse of magic potions, especially love potions. But it doesn't seem to be very effective. Even students at the school sometimes secretly brew a pot of them."
After speaking, she paused, then added, seemingly casually, a reminder:
"You'd better watch out, Wade. There might be girls at Hogwarts trying to use love potions to seduce you!"
“I won’t fall for such a crude trap,” Wade said.
Elsie smiled and said, "Then you have to remember, don't eat other people's chocolates on Valentine's Day."
Then, she naturally changed the subject: "So, what are your plans next? To rescue Professor Abigail?"
In Stern's testimony, the Purge leadership seemed convinced that Abigail had a good relationship with Wade Gray and even considered having the former professor gain Wade's trust.
But later, they began to doubt Abigail's loyalty, worrying that if she were sent out, she would not only fail to complete the mission, but would also turn against the organization. Therefore, they abandoned the still-developing plan.
Later, Abigail was even expendable...
Although Elsie wasn't sure if Sierra Abigail was really that popular at Hogwarts, it was clear that Wade's emotions changed significantly when he saw the intelligence report.
Elsie asked, her gaze fleeting across Wade's face like a dragonfly skimming the water before quickly drifting away. But less than a second later, her gaze involuntarily returned, quietly settling on his face.
(End of this chapter)