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Chapter 857 - 0855 The Questions (LARGE-CHAPTER)

'Arrested?!'

Amelia's mouth fell open, her expression both bewildered and panicked as she looked toward Bryan. The elderly Depp couple by the doorframe instinctively clutched their hearts, their faces etched with distress.

They all stared at Bryan, at the back of this man who seemed forever unshakeable.

Upon hearing this "dire news," Bryan remained unmoved, only a flicker of contemplation passing through his eyes.

"Your name?" Bryan looked toward the capable-looking witch.

Selena didn't want to answer this question, but faced with Bryan Watson's inquiry, her body gave an answer before her will could resist.

"Selena Hilde."

Selena controlled her breathing as she spoke in a stiff voice, her cheeks slightly flushed, a sense of humiliation welling up inside her.

She had no admiration for Bryan Watson, she didn't idolize him. As far as she was concerned, Bryan Watson was merely a suspect, yet her uncontrollable response to a suspect's question filled her with self-directed anger.

"Then, Miss Hilde—"

Bryan paid no attention to Selena's conflicted psychology. His calm voice and composed demeanor helped ease the anxiety of the three people worried about him.

"Since you claim I've been arrested, the MACUSA must give me a reason. What am I being arrested for?"

This was a reasonable and lawful request, but Selena remained silent. The male wizard beside her, with his inverted eyebrows, moved his lips slightly. After glancing at Selena, he steeled himself and stood under Bryan Watson's gaze, looking quite troubled.

"It's like this, Mr. Watson. Two hours ago, there was a... a murder at the MACUSA building."

Seeing that both Bryan and Amelia were listening intently, Uriel took a breath and continued.

"Santiago Columbus from the Wand Permit Office has been confirmed dead."

"What?!"

Amelia cried out in shock.

"Santiago is dead... but who did this!"

Bryan turned his head and looked at Amelia with amusement. Given the current situation, was it really necessary to ask who MACUSA suspected?

However, the Wand Permit Office...

Bryan's brows furrowed slightly, his imposing aura causing the numerically superior Aurors to panic inwardly. The feeling was like facing a raging dragon baring its fangs with bare hands.

"Then, on what grounds do you suspect that I committed this murder?"

It was the male wizard called Uriel who answered again.

"According to our investigation of the scene, Santiago Columbus died by Fiendfyre, and also..." Uriel took a deep breath, gathering courage to meet Bryan Watson's calm eyes.

"After the Wand Permit Office disturbance was discovered by routine patrol personnel, they immediately raised the alarm. Mr. Graves on duty led personnel to seal off the floor and the building, and we searched the accident scene. We discovered... discovered that something was missing from the Wand Permit Office."

"What thing?"

Amelia had somewhat recovered her composure. She walked to Bryan's side, eyes wide as she stared at Uriel.

"The two wands confiscated from Mr. Bryan Watson." Uriel's face looked grim.

"Fiendfyre..." Bryan's eyes were deep. "If it encountered Fiendfyre, only my wands were taken from the Wand Permit Office, with no other damage to the facilities?"

"Because the murderer demonstrated extremely high mastery of the Fiendfyre curse."

Selena Hilde spoke in a cold, hard voice.

"According to our speculation, the murderer first restrained Santiago Columbus's movements, forced him to reveal the wands' hiding place, obtained the wands, then killed him with Fiendfyre before escaping the MACUSA building—"

"And so, you suspect me, suspect that I killed this Santiago to retrieve my own wands?"

A heart-stopping smile appeared across Bryan's lips.

In Selena's eyes, this was undoubtedly a greater provocation. She said coldly,

"At least from the clues we currently have, you have the greatest suspicion, Mr. Watson. Therefore, you must submit to questioning by the Security Department and cooperate with the investigation of this heinous murder case."

"Must?"

Bryan's gaze grew increasingly dangerous. "You failed to safeguard my wands properly, and after they were lost, instead of apologizing, you—"

Bryan raised his head, his gaze sweeping across the overcrowded living room, watching those Aurors who suddenly tensed at his scrutiny, their wand-holding hands trembling. His eyes narrowed, then suddenly widened!

Crack—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

A dazzling, zigzagging red lightning suddenly flashed through the dim interior. The Aurors, their vigilance at maximum, saw a blur in front of their eyes. Before they could see what had happened, an overwhelming force appeared from nowhere and forcibly wrested the wands from their hands!

Clatter!

The startled Aurors instinctively retreated, diving in all directions seeking shelter. For a moment, Amelia's living room descended into chaos!

"Bryan!"

Amelia cried out uncontrollably. She too was furious that these colleagues had barged into her home without solid evidence, but she was even more afraid that Bryan, feeling his dignity had been insulted, would "go on a killing spree"!

A heavy enveloped the living room. Alarming cracks spread from beneath Bryan's feet in all directions.

The female Auror who moments ago had worn an official demeanor instinctively dove behind the refrigerator to evade, but the floor's spreading fissures toppled the refrigerator, exposing her and Uriel again to Bryan's cold gaze. The two of them, along with all the Aurors, looked at Bryan helplessly, unsure what to do next.

Amelia's cry froze Bryan's rising hand. He turned to look at Amelia, who gazed at him with fear and pleading. The Depp couple by the doorframe were even more shocked, the two elderly people clung to each other tightly, looking as though they might faint.

Snap, snap, snap—

Bryan lowered his raised hand. The dozens of wands he had confiscated, floated before him, then clattered to the floor.

A suffocating silence fell. Not a single Auror dared say anything before Bryan Watson spoke.

"You can't take Bryan away—"

Unexpectedly, it was Mrs. Depp by the doorframe who first broke through her fear of the current situation. She rushed in front of Bryan, facing the Security Department's gathered Aurors. Though her face was pale, it showed resolute determination.

"He couldn't possibly kill anyone... he's been upstairs sleeping the whole time. We can all testify to that!"

"That's right!"

Mr. Depp immediately came to his senses. He too rushed in front of Bryan, angrily shouting at the frightened Aurors.

"You must have made a mistake... someone stole Bryan's wands—your negligence has caused Bryan tremendous loss. You should be compensating for damages and catching the thief, not barging into my home without permission to persecute a victim!"

Another silence fell. Bryan raised his eyebrows, the anger in his eyes dissipated somewhat, replaced by a strange look as he looked at the Depp couple.

"Madam, sir—"

Selena Hilde prepared to say something, but before she could speak, Uriel yanked her forcefully behind him. After several heavy breaths, he said earnestly,

"Even if you've always seen Bryan Watson in this house, that doesn't represent the truth of the matter, doesn't mean he truly didn't leave for a moment... especially what a wizard as powerful as Mr. Watson can accomplish... You just witnessed it yourselves—"

Uriel looked cautiously toward Watson again.

"Mr. Watson, I apologize for our rude behavior in barging into this house, but... you do have... uh, I mean, a certain motive, to... we need to clarify... to prevent greater losses to the American magical community, something like that—"

Bryan wasn't really listening to the Auror's stammering words. He continued gazing at the two white-haired, loose-skinned elderly people in front of him, and a strange feeling appeared in his heart.

All the Aurors present watched the young wizard standing by the stairs tensely. They knew clearly that if Bryan Watson decided to resist—no, decided to teach them a lesson...

Nervously swallowing, Uriel opened his mouth, still trying to persuade Bryan, trying to tell him that if the investigation was cleared up, the MACUSA absolutely wouldn't dare smear the reputation of a great wizard, the Vice President of the International Confederation of Wizards, but before that—

"I'll stay at my hotel until this matter is cleared up."

Suddenly, Bryan nodded and said.

Whoosh—

A series of suppressed sighs of relief sounded in the dim, deadly living room. Uriel nodded gratefully at Bryan.

"Thank you for your cooperation... oh no, your support!"

He noticed Bryan's pajamas.

"You can go change your clothes... and bring all your belongings. We might... well, according to procedure, we need to inspect your items... of course, we'll probably also need to search this house, because of the wands—um, naturally, it would be even better if you'd allow us to retrieve our wands."

Bryan still ignored the Security Department Aurors. He looked toward the elderly couple watching him anxiously.

"I'm sorry. I believe I've brought you trouble."

"Don't say that, dear!"

Mrs. Depp blew her nose heavily, tears streaming from her reddened eyes.

"But... how can we help you?"

"Well, this matter actually doesn't require help for me, oh, of course—"

Bryan said to Amelia,

"Considering the agreement just reached with the MACUSA, I think it's best I don't go out again until things are cleared up. So, if it's convenient, could you please go tell Remus? He's with the goblins. Tell him not to worry about this on my behalf."

The Security Department Aurors turned the house upside down but found nothing. Even they themselves weren't particularly surprised by this result. If it truly was Bryan Watson who killed Santiago Columbus, he certainly wouldn't treat his wands so carelessly.

The Depp couple huddled beside Amelia, watching the wizards who had made a mess of their house after Bryan left, felt both resentful and panicked.

Amelia's face was even more ashen as she watched all this. For the first time, she felt that entering the Security Department seemed like a completely mistaken dream.

Dawn's soft, note-like rays penetrated through the living room's glass windows, illuminating the room.

The Aurors finally settled down. They waved their wands to restore the household items to their original positions, then gathered in the living room.

Without Bryan Watson present, these Aurors were undoubtedly much more relaxed. Selena nodded coldly to the Depp family on the sofa in apology, then left through the fireplace that had been temporarily connected to the Floo Network.

Uriel seemed to want to comfort Amelia with a few words—after all, this girl would become their colleague in the future. But when he caught sight of Amelia's cold expression, he sighed privately, said nothing, and hurriedly left through the fireplace.

They still had to go to the hotel where Watson was staying.

The constantly flickering emerald flames in the fireplace finally died down. A small flame burned in the ash-covered hearth, ready to extinguish at any moment.

Now only the Depp family remained, yet they didn't exchange any words about what had just happened. The house returned to silence, with only Mrs. Depp softly sobbing while Mr. Depp, his eyes red, gently stroked his wife's back.

Amelia's fists rested on her knees, tightly clenched. She deeply resented the Security Department for barging into her home without clear evidence or even proper notice, frightening her parents. But her eyes showed traces of confusion, not knowing what to do.

"We must go help that child—"

Mrs. Depp, having suppressed her shock and grief, suddenly gripped her husband's hand. She looked emotionally unstable, her tear-filled eyes looking at her husband.

"We can't let anything happen to that child, Bryan. If Melina knew we didn't protect her child, she would... oh, what would she say?"

Blue veins bulged on Mr. Depp's thick arms. He seemed to be having difficulty breathing, his solemn face was filled with anguish.

"You're right, dear—"

Mr. Depp's voice was terribly hoarse.

"We have to do something. Melina's child—if these bastards dare harm him, I swear I'll sue them at the Wizard United Nations. Now, we... we need to—"

It's not the Wizard United Nations, but the International Confederation of Wizards, and moreover, this organization didn't handle regular cases. They had no authority to interfere in the internal affairs of national magical governments. As for harming Bryan Watson—Amelia believed the Magical Congress of the United States didn't have that audacity.

Use extrajudicial punishment on one of the world's greatest wizards?

Don't be ridiculous. That was Bryan Watson, hailed as the most powerful wizard of the modern era. Not to mention Bryan's other widely known titles—he was the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts, deeply trusted by Albus Dumbledore.

Amelia could be certain that if news of Bryan being "detained" spread, it would definitely cause an international uproar. The British Ministry of Magic would certainly send letters of inquiry, and even Albus Dumbledore personally rushing to New York wouldn't be an exaggeration.

But Amelia didn't tell her parents any of this. Her attention was captured by something else, and she keenly realized this was something extremely important that could answer her doubts.

"Melina..."

Amelia raised her head, her brown eyes still filled with confusion.

"Who is Melina... Melina's child, I don't understand."

Mrs. Depp's faint sobbing suddenly stopped. Coming to her senses, she avoided her daughter's gaze, looking extremely flustered. Mr. Depp also pursed his lips, though his arms still trembled slightly.

"Tell me, Mom, Dad—"

Amelia suddenly stood up, staring blankly at her parents sitting close together, anger at being kept in the dark in her voice.

"What exactly are you hiding... Melina's child, that's Bryan, isn't it? Melina—you knew Bryan's mother?"

Faced with their younger daughter's interrogation, they shamefully bowed their heads even lower. The living room was silent except for Amelia's gradually heavy breathing... but this suffocating silence didn't last long.

Golden-pink sunlight penetrated layers of leaves and shone into the living room. Bathed in the fragmented light and shadow, Mr. Depp raised the back of his hand to wipe his moist eyes, his thick back more hunched than ever before.

He first looked at Amelia with sorrow, then said to his wife in a hoarse voice,

"Amelia... I've been considering this question for some time. We shouldn't keep hiding it..."

Mrs. Depp painfully covered her face, her shoulders shaking even more violently, but she didn't object to this statement.

Amelia watched her father stand up with difficulty. Her heart ached, and she instinctively wanted to help him, but Mr. Depp waved his hand away and walked back to his bedroom with somewhat stumbling steps. A minute later, he emerged again, his expression grief-stricken, holding a photo album in his hands.

From the faded cover, Amelia could tell this album had a "long history."

"For you—"

Mr. Depp's voice was so hoarse he could barely speak.

Taking the album with wooden movements, Amelia looked at the yellowed, curled edges. In the center of the cover under glass was tucked a family portrait.

From the background decorations in the photo, it seemed to be from some Christmas. Of the three people occupying the photo, one was her... but with an extremely cold and hard expression. The other couple... Amelia could recognize them as her parents, only much younger, looking only in their forties.

"I..."

Amelia looked confusedly at her suddenly much-aged father and tearful mother, then studied the photo carefully.

"When... did we take this photo? But this doesn't make sense. You're much younger, and I..."

Amelia opened the hard cover and began looking at the photos inside.

The first showed a young couple with a newborn baby in a photo studio. Both wore bright smiles on their faces, while the baby cried.

Without realizing it, Amelia held her breath and continued flipping through.

The couple gradually aged, the baby gradually grew.

At first, everyone in the photos smiled happily... their smiles increasingly radiant.

But after passing a certain point in time, the couple's smiles gradually flattened, while the grown baby: a girl who looked almost identical to herself showed increasing rebelliousness in her eyes and demeanor. Some unconventional things began appearing on her: lip piercings, tattoos, for example; colorful hair and bizarre outfits.

In the photos on the last few pages, the couple and the girl seemed to have completely lost any warmth between them, their eyes were cold. Amelia even noticed that though the girl and the couple stood close together, both parties seem to try desperately to avoid touching each other.

Amelia closed the album, her fingertips brushing over the curled edges. She discovered that despite the creases and cracks in the cover, there was no dust, it had clearly been well cared for.

"She is—"

Amelia raised her head, looking at her silent parents, asked in a dazed voice,

"Who is she?"

A passing breeze rustled the sycamore outside the window. Amid the swishing of leaves, Brian Depp, who had been silent for a long while, raised his head to look at his younger daughter. His cracked lips moved.

"That was your sister... her name was: Melina Depp."

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