Alex couldn't help but smirk. The bearded man's pitiful display was almost laughable. "Cooperation, huh?" Alex leaned against the sink, his tone cold. "Fine, but I don't waste time on useless people. What can you offer me?"
"I—I can help you! I'll do whatever you need, even... kill if you want me to. I've never done it before, but I could. And I know things—important things. I could advise you!" Karkaroff stammered desperately.
"Advise me?" Alex raised an eyebrow, his interest mildly piqued. "All right, then. Tell me something useful about the Death Eaters."
Karkaroff swallowed hard. "I know their identities—many of them, even those who hide under false pretenses. Like Severus Snape! He's one of them, a Death Eater! He's even working at Hogwarts as a professor—practically the Dark Lord's right-hand man!"
Alex sighed. "You're telling me things I already know." He grabbed Karkaroff by the collar, ready to dive into his mind with Legilimency.
"No, wait!" Karkaroff yelped, his voice panicked. "I know something else! Torquil Travers—he has a secret!"
Alex paused, narrowing his eyes. "Go on."
"There's a basement in this house, protected by powerful enchantments. I've seen it before, just once. Whatever's down there, it's important. Really important."
Listening to Karkaroff's rambling explanation, Alex couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. Still, he managed to make sense of the story. "So, you're saying you discovered there's a basement in this house, and you suspect there's some kind of secret hidden down there?" Alex clarified, smoothing out the jumbled words for him.
"Yes." Karkaroff nodded nervously, swallowing hard.
'That's odd. I don't remember seeing anything about this in Torquil's memories. Could it have been concealed under some kind of protective spell? If so, there might really be something valuable down there.'
"Alright," Alex said after a moment's thought. "Let's check it out. But first, eat this."
From his pocket, Alex retrieved a tiny pill, no larger than a fingertip. Its appearance was strange—metallic yet textured like wood. "What is this?" Karkaroff eyed the pill suspiciously, a hint of fear creeping into his expression.
"Stop wasting time." Alex didn't bother explaining. He grabbed Karkaroff by the jaw, pried his mouth open, and shoved the pill in.
Karkaroff gagged and tried to spit it out, but it was too late. The pill slid down his throat, leaving a cold, nauseating sensation behind. Moments later, he felt something unsettling. The pill seemed alive, wriggling inside him like it had legs. It crawled through his stomach before anchoring itself to the stomach wall. Then came the sharp, searing pain, as if roots were burrowing deep into his flesh.
Karkaroff collapsed to the floor, writhing in agony and drenched in sweat. "If you ever think about betraying me or stepping out of line..." Alex raised his right hand, spreading his fingers before snapping them shut in a threatening gesture. "One snap, and you'll be hit with a Boom. Got it?"
Gasping for breath, Karkaroff nodded weakly, his face twisted in fear. His life was now entirely in Alex's hands, and he knew it. Satisfied, Alex generously removed the binding spell holding Karkaroff in place.
Karkaroff, still trembling, climbed to his feet, one hand clutching his aching stomach. His posture was hunched, and his demeanor radiated submission as he stood silently by Alex's side. "Show me where the entrance to the basement is," Alex ordered.
"Yes, Master," Karkaroff mumbled, bowing slightly before leading the way down to the first floor.
When they reached the staircase, Karkaroff stopped and pointed to a section of the smooth wall beneath the stairs. "It's here," he said. "I saw Torquil open a hidden trapdoor in this spot. He went in through a small door that appeared on the wall."
Alex examined the wall, his wand emitting a faint light. "Alright, step back."
From his belongings, Alex pulled out the Hammer Without Injury and gave the wall a firm whack. Karkaroff watched in confusion as Alex repeatedly struck the wall with what appeared to be a mundane hammer. He opened his mouth to question him but stopped when glowing lines began to appear on the surface. The patterns were intricate, forming a web of magical runes that shimmered faintly in the dim light.
After a few more hits, the runes fully revealed themselves. Alex leaned closer, studying them with interest. "The main spell is a 'Comprehensive Protection Charm.' It's got layers of enchantments: Anti-Apparition, Safeguarding, Shielding, Ciphering—you name it. Pretty solid work. Regular wizards wouldn't stand a chance of breaking it," Alex muttered, nodding in appreciation.
But this wasn't a challenge for him. Drawing his wand, Alex tapped several key nodes within the magical lines. The glow began to fade, and soon the entire wall shifted. Like an intricate mechanism, it folded inward, revealing a small doorway just over a meter high.
Alex summoned a ball of light, sending it floating into the opening. The warm glow illuminated a steep stone staircase leading downward, though the bottom remained shrouded in darkness. He glanced at Karkaroff and motioned toward the door with a jerk of his chin. The message was clear: You first.
Karkaroff's face twisted into a grimace, as though he'd been asked to sign his own death warrant. "Move it," Alex snapped when Karkaroff hesitated.
Reluctantly, Karkaroff ducked into the narrow opening and began descending the staircase, each step slow and cautious. "Faster!" Alex barked. "It's not like you can't see—I've got the light right in front of you!"
Startled, Karkaroff quickened his pace, though his movements were still jittery. "Anything dangerous down there?" Alex called from the doorway, his voice echoing faintly in the enclosed space.
"Not so far, Master," Karkaroff replied hesitantly. "It looks like an ordinary basement."
Feeling a bit more at ease, Alex stepped inside and followed him down. Once they reached the bottom, Alex waved his wand, summoning multiple orbs of light that floated around the room, illuminating the entire area.
The basement was massive, almost as large as the first floor above. On one side was an open storage area filled with shelves, while the other side had several closed-off rooms. The floor was paved with thick, polished stone slabs, and the air had an odd smell—a dry, sterile scent reminiscent of a hospital after the chemical smell of alcohol had faded.
Alex scanned the shelves and found them stocked with preserved food and alcohol. There were bundles of sausages, slabs of bacon, ham from warthogs, wheels of cheese, and rows of canned goods. It was a survivalist's dream. "This is... unexpected," Alex muttered, his eyes narrowing as he studied the well-stocked shelves. "Karkaroff, keep watch. I need to take a closer look."