While the others laughed and watched the new inmate, Mundungus, William retreated to a corner to examine the so-called system.
When he whispered softly, a transparent screen appeared in front of him; even if he pressed himself against the wall, it still floated there.
There were four panels: [Personal Panel], [Card Drawing Panel], [Inventory], and [Achievements].
Without paying attention to the others, William first accessed the Personal Panel.
[Lee William]
[Age: 17 years old]
[Species: Human]
[Wizard]
[Magic Level: Normal adult wizard]
[Specialties: Magic 2, Persuasion 1, Learning 1, Arithmetic 0, Language 0]
(Innate talents range from 1 to 3; skills acquired through training start at 0.)
That last line seemed almost mocking.
Ignoring the lack of any numeric value for his magic level, the real problem was that the entire panel didn't have a single "+" sign to add points.
Clearly, there would be no convenient EXP cheats adding points for him.
The 'Persuasion 1' made William pause. Was it not just the boredom in prison that allowed him to win people over with stories?
Puzzled, he casually opened the Inventory. There lay a lone card: [Cowardly Escape Mundungus].
Upon closer inspection, more information about the character had appeared on the card:
Mundungus Fletcher (Fearful)
Skills: Thieving 2, Magic 1, Stealth 1, Communication 1.
Special Cards: Locked.
Legendary Cards: Locked.
Friend Cards: Locked.
Unknown Cards: Locked.
Interesting. It looked like a small card pool. Based on the system's earlier prompts, it seemed possible to unlock more treasures through Mundungus.
William closed the Inventory. The 'Achievements' page was just a list of greyed-out question marks, so he switched to the Card Drawing Panel.
Nothing there either; no hints whatsoever.
He spent another 10 minutes carefully inspecting every corner of the panels, searching for any faint or nearly invisible text. Still, nothing.
No guidance, no restrictions. Everything would have to be guessed.
This was worse than having limitations; but he would have to use it eventually.
Even so, William had no intention of using the escape card to flee Azkaban.
It wasn't because the cellmates were all talented and interesting conversationalists but because he only had a year left on his sentence. Escaping now would make him a fugitive, hunted by the Ministry of Magic and Dementors. The risk far outweighed the reward.
***
"Will, what are you doing? Lying there without a word. Feeling bad about the lost money? Listen, take my advice. Next time we're out in the yard, gather a crowd and tell a few stories. You'll earn those Galleons back in no time."
The big guy leaned over with a sly grin, his face practically oozing mischief. He kept pushing the idea.
William shoved him away with a scowl. With that grin and demeanor, the man seemed perfect for mugging people in alleyways with a knife. Yet here he was, working as some kind of middleman. It made William seriously question whether the Aurors had arrested the wrong person.
"Still interrogating him?"
They were still early into it; only 80 confessions in, and already there were repeats. Mundungus twitched twice, diligently working to come up with more lies.
Everyone knew the newcomer was making things up, but no one cared. The Dementors had drained all the joy from the place, so they needed some entertainment. Bullying newcomers had become a tradition, and besides, anyone who ended up in Azkaban was probably no saint.
At that moment, the new guy gritted his teeth and announced his 91st "crime."
"Well, back when I was at Hogwarts, I snuck into the girls' dormitory to peep."
Whistles and shouts of "I knew it!" erupted from the crowd.
Playing the role of a priest, Nine-Fingers grinned and responded, "You will be forgiven. Anything else to confess?"
The newcomer exhaled deeply, then grew nervous again as he racked his brain for another made-up sin.
"Girls' dormitory? Boys can't enter the girls' dorms!" Just as everyone seemed satisfied, a voice from the crowd challenged him.
All eyes turned to the speaker, who instinctively scooted backward, then defiantly raised his head and argued, "What are you staring at? I've tried it!"
This time, he successfully avoided a beating.
The group's attention shifted, and now they were all eyeing Mundungus, who looked utterly baffled.
"Tsk. We're giving you a chance to repent, and you're still trying to fool us?"
Nine-Fingers couldn't keep up his righteous act any longer. Putting on a stern face, he pointed at a large inmate next to William and threatened, "See that guy over there? He's been here 2 years, killed three inmates. The Dementors chewed on their bones and buried them under that wall. Didn't even add time to his sentence. This is Azkaban; people die here all the time."
Such threats were terrifying to anyone who had never been in prison. The newcomer trembled, wrapping his arms around his head and sitting on the ground.
"S-Sir, just beat me up already! I've confessed everything, even how I was too lazy to change my underwear as a kid. I've got nothing left to admit!"
His sobbing plea sent the crowd into laughter. They went through the motions, gave him a light beating, and tossed him a rag, ordering him to clean the toilets.
Mundungus didn't even have the will to resist. He eagerly ran off toward the toilets, while Nine-Fingers chuckled and started moving his belongings out of the way.
The other inmates, who were still laughing, lost interest in bullying the newcomer. They huddled together, pulled out a set of wizard chess pieces carved from stone, and set up a game on a crudely drawn board. The pieces weren't enchanted, but it was enough to pass the time.
William didn't join them. He glanced at Mundungus, who was struggling with the toilet, and decided against pressuring him further. There were too many locked cards to unlock, and emotions seemed to be the only variable left. 'Fear' was just one option; there were plenty of others to explore.
Still, exploiting a single target felt excessive. The card's description painted Mundungus as untrustworthy, but it couldn't be taken at face value. The man was already so obedient that continuing to torment him felt cruel.
Just as William withdrew his gaze, the cell boss spoke up, addressing him.
"What's the matter, Will? Feeling like we went too far?"
How could you even tell?
William instinctively wanted to roll his eyes but held back. Feeling it was too harsh fit his usual persona. If he admitted he wanted to push it further, the entire cell would probably laugh themselves to sleep.
"Alright, alright. Don't look so miserable. Most of the people in this prison are scum. Mundungus was a thief even before he got here. He deserves a lesson. You're lucky your crime doesn't bother anyone, and you're easy on the eyes, so no one's giving you trouble. But someone like him? Without a little discipline, he'll be rifling through everyone's belongings in no time."
The cell boss shook his head, finishing his lecture in a tone of utter disdain. He laid back on his pillow and closed his eyes. He'd smuggled in a lot of goods today and made numerous trades between cells. He was exhausted.
Seeing that, the others lowered their voices.
As time passed, the moonlight shifted away from the narrow window, plunging the cell into darkness.
Another night in Azkaban had ended.