"Against cunning criminals, we have no choice!" an Auror declared. "Ms. Skeeter, why don't you listen to Mr. Alexis Wood's testimony?"
"Alexis, repeat everything you just confessed!" the Auror ordered.
"I, I'm Alexis Wood, I work for Murphy Darkholme, I..." Alexis twitched in his chair, appearing dazed. "I make potions for him and sell them to the Mugg... Muggles."
"Muggles!" the Auror corrected him. "The Veritaserum makes him a bit incoherent, but that doesn't affect the truthfulness of his testimony. Murphy Darkholme, what do you have to say now?"
Murphy frowned, looking at Alexis, then at Barty Crouch, Sr., and finally turning his gaze to Kingsley. "Is this your so-called testimony, Captain Kingsley?"
"What, you want to deny it?"
Murphy stepped forward, halted by the Aurors, and looked at Alexis. "I'm asking you, where did you make these potions, how did you sell them to the Muggles?"
"I... I don't know... I don't know..."
"Do you have any evidence to prove what you're saying?"
"I... I don't know, I don't know..."
Suddenly, Alexis clutched his chest. "It hurts... my chest hurts..."
"You said I was selling potions to Muggles, how did I do it, how much did I sell? Do you have any evidence?" Murphy persisted.
"I don't know, I don't know, they didn't tell me..." Alexis began struggling violently, crying out in pain. "It hurts! Help! Help..."
"Murphy, you..." Kingsley, thinking Murphy did something to Alexis, was about to reprimand him.
But Murphy shouted first: "What have you done to him! Stop! Are you trying to silence him?!"
Kingsley was stunned.
Silence him? Why would I silence him?
But Alexis's struggles grew more intense, and he screamed miserably, "No, please, I understand, I'm Alexis! Stop! Please, I remember! I work for Murphy, please stop..."
All the Aurors were shocked, not understanding what was happening.
Rita Skeeter was also stunned by this sudden turn of events, but her journalistic instincts quickly kicked in, and she instructed the photographer to capture several shots.
Major news! This was definitely a big story!
"What spell did you use on him? Crucio?" Murphy accused.
"What?" Kingsley was shocked by the scene. "Impossible, he must have been cursed! Quick, lift the curse!"
Murphy raised an eyebrow, quick reaction.
But it was too late.
His consciousness followed the magical link to "Alexis" and commanded, "Well done, now you can die, Isaac."
Indeed, the so-called "Alexis" was Isaac, who Murphy had captured and disguised a few days ago.
After numerous Legilimency sessions and memory charms, Isaac was tormented by Murphy into a puppet, only able to repeat a few lines.
Now, the puppet's performance was over, and it was time for him to exit.
The power of the Thorn Oath Curse flowed through the link into Isaac, instantly triggering the curse implanted in his body. Isaac felt as if he had fallen into a thorn bush, with thorns growing even inside his organs. The thorns entwined him, tightened, and then violently twisted.
Isaac let out a pitiful scream and then lost consciousness and stopped breathing.
"Finite Incantatem! Finite Incantatem!" An Auror tried several counter-curses on Isaac, but to no avail. "Boss, he's not breathing!"
"Healers! Quick, get the healers!" Kingsley shouted.
"You killed him!" Murphy accused loudly. "What did you do to make him confess?!"
"What? What are you talking about!" The Aurors were still in shock from Alexis's sudden death.
"Did you curse him?" Murphy interrogated. "You forced him to confess, then cursed him to prevent any slip-ups!"
"Us? Curse him?" An Auror laughed angrily. "Why would we curse him?!"
"To make him confess, to prove I'm a criminal!"
"Nonsense!" Kingsley roared in anger. "It must be you! You cursed him to keep him silent!"
The burly black Auror glared at Murphy. "Murphy Darkholme! You are heartless! He was your assistant! He had a family to care for! And you..."
"Captain Kingsley, you seem quite biased against me," Murphy retorted fearlessly. "Do you have any evidence that I killed him? It seems to me he died after being illegally arrested and secretly interrogated by you! You're the one who should be responsible for his death!"
"Rubbish!" Kingsley was furious, feeling hatred for someone for the first time.
The young man before him, no more than eighteen or nineteen, was like a humanoid demon, indifferent to human life, disregarding all laws and rules!
He was almost like a reincarnation of the Dark Lord!
Kingsley could barely restrain himself from punching that smug face.
"Stop!"
Barty Crouch, Sr. intervened.
"Are you mad, Kingsley! This is the Ministry of Magic! This is the Auror Office! Not a place for brawls!"
Kingsley forced himself to calm down and said to Crouch, "Minister, you heard Alexis's testimony. Murphy Darkholme's guilt is evident. I request his immediate arrest!"
"Oh? And then what, continue to torture me until I confess and suddenly die?" Murphy scoffed.
"Silence!" Crouch also yelled at Murphy. "Immediately summon experts to examine Alexis's cause of death. Until it's determined, no one, leave the Auror headquarters!"
However, as he finished speaking, a wizard suddenly burst in.
"Davies?" Crouch looked at him, puzzled. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm Minister's secretary, Davies Pruitt. The Minister sent me to inform Mr. Murphy that Mr. Alexis Wood has been found. He just traveled to Germany via the international Floo network to visit relatives."
"What?" Murphy was stunned. "Are you sure? Are you sure it's Alexis Wood himself?"
Everyone in the interrogation room turned to Davies.
The latter, somewhat confused, replied, "Yes, it's Alexis Wood. We checked his international Floo travel application, and the staff responsible for that fireplace, who was his classmate, also confirmed his identity."
Silence fell in the interrogation room.
"If Alexis is in Germany," Murphy turned to the corpse behind Kingsley, "then who is this person?"
Rita Skeeter was also shocked.
The Aurors caught the wrong person and killed him?
This was big news!
"Quick! What are you waiting for? Take photos! Photos!"