A Web Of Magic - Volume 1 Chapter 70 Information

A cloaked figure slowly materialized in front of Mundungus. Mundungus tried to cast a spell as quickly as he could but he felt his wand fly away from his grasp into his opponent’s outstretched hand. Before he could process what happened, his body was lifted above the ground and was pinned to the wall behind him. Mundungus was now scared for his life. He didn’t even see a wand in the cloaked person’s hands. This wasn’t something any random wizard could do. Wandless magic at this level is a mark of a powerful wizard. Either that or the opponent is from outside Britain, but even those who practice magic without a wand aren’t as fast as the one in front of him. Mundungus could only hope that it wasn’t his life the opponent is after.

“Now, if you give up your resistance, we can get started. Answer truthfully and this doesn’t have to get dirty. Anything but the truth and you’ll wish you weren’t born. Understood?” the man spoke calmly, yet there was this compulsion from his piercing blue eyes that made Mundungus want to tell the man everything he is asking. ‘It’s almost like-yes, it’s like talking to Dumbledore,’ Mundungus recalled this sensation. With Dumbledore the feeling is just more subtle. This only made him give up any form of resistance. If the man really is of the same level as Dumbledore, there’s nothing he could do to oppose. ‘Better get this thing over with, he’s only here for information, right?’ Mundungus consoled himself. He quickly nodded his head like a chicken agreeing to the man’s words.

“Good. Now I ask and you answer. There’s this dark wizard I’m chasing you see. The clues lead to you or more specifically the information you sold to the Webb family. You remember the Webbs?” the man questioned.

“Thomas and Selene?” Mundungus swallowed nervously.

“Yes. You realize your false information led to their deaths?” the man asked in a dangerously low voice. The man was of course Magnus in disguise. A generous application of the mind arts gave his eyes and voice a coercive effect. Of course, a prolonged exposure might lead to mental problems for the recipient so he usually doesn’t use it on people. Even now he’s holding himself back from just letting lose. Now if Mundungus was really involved then that would be a different story.

“No, please I didn’t know that it was fake. It came from a trusted source. I’ve been dealing with the bloke for years. I didn’t know it would lead to the hags! It was some sort of a bloody set up. Please you have to believe me. I liked Thomas and Selene. They were nice people. I’ve done business with them many times and they always paid well. I don’t want my paying customers to die. That’s bad for my business,” Mundungus pleaded as he spoke quickly without a break.

Magnus looked into his eyes deeply. His wand stealthily made into his hand as he cast Legilimens. While he couldn’t read Mundungus’s memories, he could skim through the surface thoughts. That’s the limitation of Legilimency. It’s not complete mind reading that people believe it to be. You have to direct the person’s mind towards the topic that you want. When they think about that topic, you can read the surface thoughts that pop up regarding that topic. Of course, if you are skilled enough you can brute force yourself into the mind but that would leave permanent damage to the mind. While it is possible for someone to protect themselves against Legilimency, Magnus doubted the shady thief is that proficient in the mind arts. If Mundungus was that talented, he wouldn’t need to rob and deal with illegal items for a living.

Magnus observed Mundungus closely. For all intents and purposes the thief seemed to be telling the truth, or at least what he believes is the truth. ‘It’s too hard to find ingredients for Veritaserum, if not I would’ve brewed that,’ Magnus thought with pity.

“You seem to be telling the truth. Alright, now how do you know about the hags? The ministry never mentioned anything about them. They only said it was dark wizards who were the criminals,” Magnus pointed out the slip up. His eyes narrowed which put more pressure on Mundungus who felt cold sweat cover his back.

“I-I knew about it from some of my merchant friends in Egypt. A man of my trade needs to know buyers from different places you see. When I heard about Thomas and Selene, I did some enquiries. Please, I’m not a murderer. I’m just a thief. I don’t want blood on my hands,” Mundungus pleaded. Magnus understood it must be from one of the underworld brokers. Magnus heard about them before. They help move around the stolen goods and sell them. It’s no surprise they know about the hags.

“Tell me about your friends in Egypt,” Magnus asked.

“That’s against the code. I can’t just rat out my fellow merchant. That would be bad for business,” Mundungus objected nervously.

“It’s not a request,” Magnus tightened the spell around Mundungus to encourage him.

“Alright, alright. It was a man called Keelo from the Cursed Mane shop near the Bazaar in Cairo, Egypt. He’s trustworthy when it comes to information. He told me about the Widowed Hags. They are a bunch of lunatic hags according to him. They weren’t much of a threat usually. They stay in the forests, they hardly come to the cities. Someone supplied wands to them, which made them very dangerous and more mental. They say someone is suppressing this news from getting out. The ministry there wouldn’t let them go if they come to know that they supplied wands to Beings like Hags. The goblins would get riled up if they got wind of it. They’d demand their own wands,” Mundungus explained more than what he had been asked.

Magnus didn’t care about the part related to the goblins. It’s not like the goblins couldn’t get hold of wands with their money. What they want is official recognition and status that come with that. It’s not his problem. Magnus already knew about the Hags from Mr. King. It’s the just that he didn’t have any details.

“Who’s suppressing the information? Who supplied the hags?” Magnus questioned. He got more information from Mundungus than the Ministry. Couldn’t they do even this much?

“I don’t know but it must be someone very powerful in Egypt. That’s all I know,” Mundungus said truthfully. Magnus went into deep thought. It looks like the problem is on the Egyptian side. The British ministry is just plain lazy.

“Tell me about your informant here. Tell me everything you know,” Magnus asked with intense eyes. Mundungus did not delay and told everything he knew. Only once Magnus was sure that it was all Mundungus had to offer, he released his grip on him. Mundungus fell on the ground in relief. He’s sure his life isn’t on the risk anymore. The other man only wanted information. ‘I would have gladly told the information for some money. It didn’t have to get so rough,’ he lamented in his heart but he didn’t dare voice his opinion.

“It was nice cooperating with you Mundungus. Ill verify your information. It’s all good if it pans out. I’ll find you again,” Magnus said as he disappeared right in front of Mundungus’s eyes. Mundungus was both scared and awed. He’s now sure that it wasn’t a Disillusionment charm or an invisibility cloak. It looked like some high-level application of Apparition. Just with no sound or twisting. This made him sure that it was someone like Dumbledore. Only someone like that can perform such complex magic effortlessly. He didn’t know what the man is after, but he’s sure about one thing. Neither the informant nor the Hags are getting away scot free. ‘But what’s that got to do with me? I’m just an honest thief. Hmm, maybe I can use his reputation as a backer? Shit, I didn’t ask for his name!’