Chapter 329: Dreamscape Interrogation
"Who are you?"
Lucius stared at Dudley. He did not recognise the middle‑aged man in front of him. There was not a single familiar feature in that face.
"Does it matter who I am?" Dudley's gaze remained calm.
He already had the Desecrated Card. Being discovered now or five minutes later made no difference.
"This card. Where did you get it?" he asked, turning the Black Emperor card over in his hand.
He was far more interested in the origin of the card than in the fact that he had been caught.
Lucius actually laughed, incredulous.
This wizard had broken into his home to steal from him, been caught red‑handed, and still had the gall to question him about the card's origin?
It was absurd.
"You think you are very amusing, do you?" Lucius said coldly.
He drew his wand from his cane and levelled it at Dudley.
"Speak. Who sent you? What secret is this Tarot card hiding?" he demanded.
The intruder's target had been obvious: the card. He clearly knew it was special. He had even opened it to reveal its true face with ease, something Lucius had failed to do, no matter how hard he tried.
There had to be some earth‑shaking secret behind it.
"Lucius, has no one ever told you it is extremely rude to point your wand at someone?" Dudley said, glancing at the yew wand.
"Answer me!" Lucius snapped, eyes narrowing.
"Cruc—"
"Exile."
Dudley cut himself off and unleashed a Beyonder ability instead. A formless gale burst into existence and hurled Lucius backwards, slamming him into the bookcase behind with a heavy thud.
"Expelliarmus."
A streak of red light flared and struck Lucius squarely.
His wand flew high into the air and dropped neatly into Dudley's waiting hand.
"You..." Lucius lay on the floor, face bloodless.
He had not felt Dudley cast a single spell. One moment, he had been standing; the next, a phantom wind had sent him flying. He had not seen the Disarming Charm either.
In a single exchange, he had been utterly routed and disarmed.
"If memory serves, using an Unforgivable Curse on a human earns you a one‑way ticket to Azkaban," Dudley said lightly, toying with Lucius's wand. "Are you looking for a place to stay?"
"Just... who are you?" Lucius growled, his face a mask of rage and fear.
This man was far stronger than he had imagined, and more importantly, his methods were far stranger. Lucius had never encountered such tactics in all his years in the magical world.
If Dudley had been holding a wand and pointing it at him from the start, Lucius would never have been so careless. But it was far too late now. His opponent was a wizard highly proficient at wandless, wordless magic, a kind of power Lucius had never seen before.
Dudley turned the wand with easy elegance and aimed it back at Lucius.
"Tell me where you got this card," he said. "You really do not want to find out what Crucio feels like."
At that, what little colour remained drained from Lucius's face. His already pale skin went chalk‑white.
His lips trembled as he stared up at Dudley.
He bitterly regretted coming to deal with this intruder alone, without calling for support. He had not wanted anyone else to know about the card.
"Confinement."
Dudley flicked the wand. An invisible wall snapped into place around the study, sealing it off from the outside world.
"Crucio."
He did not hesitate.
For someone like Lucius, there was no need to hold back.
"Aaaahh—"
A ragged scream tore from Lucius's throat as his body contorted. His face twisted, his limbs jerked, and his torso bowed in on itself as agony tore through every nerve.
"Stop... s‑stop..." he gasped, words broken by pain.
Dudley twitched the wand minutely, ending the curse.
"I will give you one chance," he said.
"I... I bought it from a dark wizard," Lucius panted, voice shaking.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead. Even a moment under the Cruciatus Curse had left him wishing for death. He never wanted to experience it again.
"Where?" Dudley pressed.
"I‑In France. A dark wizard in France. I went to Paris last month and met him there. He was selling dark artefacts, and this card was among them," Lucius blurted out.
He did not dare hesitate. The wand in Dudley's hand was still pointed at his chest.
"At first I did not notice anything special about it," Lucius went on, swallowing hard. "But during an inspection, I found the card could not be destroyed. Then I suspected it had been enchanted with a powerful spell. No matter what I tried, I could not uncover its true secret."
Dudley fell silent for a moment, thinking.
"Why buy it at all?" he suddenly asked.
A single Tarot card, bought alone and without its deck, made little sense. No one with half a brain would waste their money on that for no reason. Especially not someone like Lucius, who never so much as got out of bed without profit in mind.
Lucius's breath hitched. He glanced fearfully at Dudley.
"Still not willing to talk?" Dudley's eyes hardened.
"I will. I will..." Lucius cried quickly as he saw the wand lift again.
"It was because, aside from the card, there were a few other dark artefacts that interested me. So I bought the lot together."
Hearing that, Dudley's thoughts moved at once.
If something had been placed for sale alongside a Desecrated Card and labelled a dark artefact, there was a high chance it was no mere cursed trinket but a sealed item, and not a low‑level one either.
"Where are those artefacts now?" he asked.
"I sold them," Lucius said, voice trembling. "The Ministry has been cracking down on dark items lately. I had no choice. I had to get rid of them."
"You did not keep a single one?" Dudley's eyes narrowed.
"He kept a brooch. I remember," Dobby said suddenly.
"DOOOBY!" Lucius roared, turning a murderous look on the house‑elf.
He had forgotten there was a traitorous elf in the room.
"You are not very honest, are you?" Dudley said mildly. "Lying has a price, Lucius."
"In that case..."
He swung Lucius's wand up again.
"Crucio."
The Unforgivable Curse fell upon him a second time.