69novels Chapter 346 Interrogation
Chapter 346 Interrogation
In an unsettling silence, Harry stood firm, looking directly into Thea's eyes, and continued to ask:
"and then?"
"You just ran away?"
Who can help you?
What is your purpose in coming to the Order of the Phoenix?
A barrage of questions was thrown out, and Harry clearly felt everyone's eyes fixed on him. In that instant, he felt like he was once again that little boy who had stepped into the wizarding world in a state of bewilderment.
"Oh,"
Thea responded with a soft chuckle, and then said:
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her question was sincere, yet it left everyone around her speechless.
"I simply abandoned him before he abandoned me."
"Oh...no, he abandoned me long ago—"
Thea murmured, then listed them one by one:
“Back when I was living in an orphanage…”
"Ever since he began to suspect me..."
“Back when he arranged my marriage to Theodore…”
"I tried so hard!!!"
At this point, Thea's extremely tense emotions suddenly collapsed, transforming into a childlike sense of grievance:
"I worked hard to become the rightful number one at Hogwarts..."
"I worked so hard that the Death Eaters went from looking down on me to obeying me completely..."
"I worked hard until I successfully secured my position as the successor to the Dark Lord!"
"But why?!"
When you feel extremely wronged, you feel unwilling to accept it.
"I've given so much, why should I only get the title of Mrs. Nott in the end?!"
"Why is it that all the achievements I've made over the years have ended up becoming a medal on that young upstart's shoulders?!"
"So I ran away."
Is there anything wrong with this?
The overwhelming emotions built up in the preceding paragraphs make the conclusion seem rather mundane in comparison.
But this rather mundane ending left everyone present stunned for a long time.
Thea sat in the chair, and Harry didn't ask her a question until her eyes, which had been red from emotional distress, had calmed down.
Helpless, she could only continue answering:
"As for who helped me..."
“I’ve been in the Ridley House for so long, I know there are a few loopholes I can exploit.”
"As for why I'm standing here today, it's even simpler—"
As she spoke, Thea's smile gradually widened, finally blossoming completely as she uttered her next sentence, like a rose in full bloom:
"I want to get revenge on him."
"I'll make him regret it."
"To reduce everything he cherished to nothing."
"To make him understand that not everyone is willing to be a pawn in his game—"
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Perhaps Thea's final declaration was too shocking, so the morning's interrogation ended rather anticlimactically.
It wasn't until Thea returned to that cramped attic that she fully snapped out of the struggle between the two forces.
[The acting was good, but it's a shame about that truth serum; I heard it's quite expensive in Backflip Alley...]
[Whether it's expensive or not, it's not my money anyway.]
[Tsk tsk]
The voice in my head sounded somewhat disdainful, but the next second it started gossiping:
[You've become so powerful now? You're even immune to such a large dose of truth serum?]
"Of course not," Thea said absentmindedly.
[Then how did you...]
[Who says I'm not telling the truth? Everything I just said was from the bottom of my heart...]
It only covers up a few minor issues.
For example, her negotiations with Voldemort.
Furthermore, she genuinely wanted Voldemort dead.
The conversation in my mind ended, but the commotion downstairs was far from over.
"I told you! She's crazy! How can you believe a madwoman?!"
"Exactly! Who knows how she escaped from the Riddle mansion! She says there's a flaw, and there really is?"
"But we can't say that. Maybe she came here to get revenge on... the mysterious person!"
"So what?"
"If she really were just a wizard who wanted to get revenge on the mysterious man, we could consider accepting her, but the problem is she isn't!"
"She's killed so many people! Good and bad, a whole bunch of them. Who can guarantee she won't turn her wand on us in revenge?"
"And what about engagements... Although it's certainly not honorable... it's also normal, isn't it? Which witch wouldn't get married—"
Before he could finish speaking, three pairs of eyes swept towards the speaker.
Looking up, I saw McGonagall, Hermione, and Ginny.
The person who was speaking eventually shut up.
The heated discussion around him was deafening, but Harry, sitting in his chair, seemed lost in thought.
He couldn't help but recall Thea's expression just now: anger, resentment, bitterness...
She possesses almost none of the qualities associated with righteous people, let alone the laughable notion of being a virtuous wife and loving mother.
But can these be used as reasons why she is not trustworthy?
It seems...no.
"Harry, do you think... she can trust you?"
All around her was the heated debate among the crowd, who seemed to think of themselves as police officers, eager to analyze whether Thea was trustworthy based on just one expression or one sentence.
"Let's see."
Finally, Harry gave only a vague answer.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Hermione brought Thea's three meals a day up to her today.
Although she didn't understand why the other person looked at her with such a guilty, regretful, and even slightly pitying gaze, Thea still bravely swallowed every bite of the "patient meal."
Thea finished off the last supper.
Hermione, who had been standing silently at the door, hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:
"Why do you say that by arranging your marriage to Theodore, he was abandoning you?"
"You all look so—"
"You two are a perfect match, aren't you?"
Thea interrupted Hermione's description, then smiled and continued:
"Indeed, in your eyes, we're roughly evenly matched in terms of family background, and I'm slightly better academically. Plus, he has a good temper, good manners, and decent looks..."
As Thea listed them one by one, Hermione's confusion grew. If it's so good, why don't you agree?
As if oblivious to the obvious confusion in Hermione's eyes, Thea turned and began counting on her fingers again:
“Did you know that after Theodore got engaged to me, not only him, but his father and even the Nott family became the big shots around the mysterious man again?”
"Not only that, he also took over my work with the Death Eaters, while I was placed under house arrest in the old house by the mysterious man under the pretext of preparing for a wedding."
Hermione's eyes showed a mixture of shock and reluctance.
"One more thing: After my engagement, the Malfoy family, which was originally in the top tier of Death Eaters, declined in status, and was replaced by the Nott family and a group of smaller families behind them..."
"Meanwhile, the lower-ranking Death Eaters are growing increasingly spirited...they have even achieved feats comparable to the Mystic's prime—"
At first, Hermione was completely confused, but as Thea talked more and more, the veil covering her mind became more and more transparent.
"Besides the methods of open and covert struggles, the easiest way to seize power from a woman is to drag her into a marriage..."
"Perhaps my statement is too radical, but this is my genuine personal experience."
Seeing Hermione's eyes widen suddenly, Thea just smiled and then shrank back into bed.
As for Ron's subsequent pursuit of his wife... what does that have to do with her!
They were the ones who violated the Geneva Convention first!