Chapter- 69 : Greetings Part - 6

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Quick as a flash Harry summoned a second bezoar and as soon as it sailed through the broken window forced it down the boy's throat with a little more gentleness than he had been forced to endure. Paralysed, Brian wasn't capable of swallowing though, so Harry had no choice but to guide it down with his fingers, almost getting them bitten off when the boy gasped and shuddered violently before going into convulsions, causing his jaw to snap closed.

Harry knelt in front of Brian as the boy doubled over and put both hands on his shoulders, squeezing them to offer what little comfort he could until the worst of the muscle cramps passed.

They boy stilled, but never removed his head from between his knees as he quietly wept and continued murmuring slurred apologies. "Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry."

Finally coming down from the rush of adrenaline, Harry let out a long sigh. "It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Brian didn't look like he heard him and Harry growled at seeing a bright young boy reduced to such a state. "I really hope that dick is not your father."

That finally got a response.

Brian looked up and around until his gaze found the unconscious man cocooned in ropes and dangling from the ceiling like a giant spider's victim and flinched, his chair sliding back a few inches, grinding harshly along the wooden floor.

"He... he..." Brian took a deep breath and swallowed. "He came to our house and attacked dad out of nowhere. And then he drank something and... bubbled until he looked like him. That's when he..." He faltered.

"That's when he cast the Imperius on you," Harry finished for him. Brian nodded his head a fraction of an inch before shuddering in disgust and glueing his eyes to the floor again. A little awkwardly Harry patted his knee.

"The good thing about polyjuice is that it's impossible to take the appearance of a dead person, so your father is alive."

"But I don't know where!" Brian wailed. "He disappeared with dad somewhere before taking me here."

Harry narrowed his eyes before standing up in one swift movement. "Well then, let's find out."

A quick Finite had the man unstuck and falling. Not feeling generous Harry let him bounce on the floor once before levitating him and sticking him to the wall, his feet inches from the ground.

"Enner-" He stopped himself mid-cast, tilting his head. Though it galled him to admit it, maybe a Death Eater could teach him something. "Accio wands! Accio portkeys! Accio potions!"

No less than five vials came zooming through the air, as well as an innocuous looking silver button that Harry hastily sidestepped before it hit him.

Harry's eyes glinted. "Ennervate!"

The man groaned groggily as he woke before starting to struggle as he realised his predicament.

"What is your name?" Harry barked harshly.

The man stilled and furrowed his brow in confusion, looking a little frightened. "I'm Mortimer Henderson. Where am I? Release me at once!"

"Dad?" Brian asked desperately, sluggishly rising to his feet. Harry put a hand on his chest to stop him coming closer.

"Ask him something only your dad would know," he said, never taking his eyes off the man stuck to the wall.

"Um... What's missing from the shed that mum won't let you buy?"

The man looked incredulous for a second before violently bucking against his restraints. "I can't remember!"

Harry snorted. "Yeah. Not your dad, kid. Don't worry though. He'll tell us where the real Mortimer Henderson is."

"I will tell you nothing!" The Death Eater spat disdainfully, giving up on his charade.

"Oh no!" Harry mocked. "What are we going to do? If only we had some truth serum."

To his surprise the Death Eater cackled. "I drank the antidote before you came here, moron. Not giving the game away by drinking from the same jug of juice and all that."

"Oh."

"Yes, oh. You'd best let me go now or you'll never see daddy again."

Harry scratched his head, deep in thought and completely ignoring the impotent ramblings of a caught Death Eater.

How to make the bastard talk?

It came as a surprise that his mind started going over his knowledge of Divination for possible solutions. His faith in the branch of magic truly had shot up with leaps and bounds. Maybe that vision he'd been wondering about would even have predicted... this...

He smacked his forehead in irritation.

A serpent, symbolising poison. A goat, known for the stones formed in its stomach that counteracted them. Sure, it was obvious now, but there was no way he could have known ahead of time. What use was an uninterpretable prediction?

Maybe it was more versatile than that?

He pursed his lips. "Brian, are you any good at potions?"

"Not really," the boy said softly. "Professor Snape and I don't really get along-"

Harry raised his hand. "Say no more." His eyes zeroed in on the Death Eater's face, searching for any kind of hint. "I'm just wondering if a bezoar works on poisons only or if it neutralises other potions too."

There! Was that a twitch?

"Accio bezoar!" he called out.

Someone out there must be getting pretty annoyed by now, he pondered absently as the third stone of its kind came zooming through the window in a fifteen minute interval. Bezoars weren't the cheapest objects in existence and so far someone had lost three of them.

The Death Eater resisted swallowing and Harry absently petrified him before jamming the stone down his gullet. "He's fighting it, so that's a good sign. Let's give it a few minutes to work and we'll get your father back."

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If you're eager to delve deeper into the story, consider joining my Patreon for exclusive content and early access to new chapters

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