First magic book

With a stomp, an immense creature entered through the door frame while holding a minuscule tray with food of questionable freshness.

"Eat." - came the voice with no remorse or compassion. Alan didn't move, he was contemplating whether this meal will kill him. Two years without food, only injections of potions.

But that was a mistake. His hesitation, that was.

It slammed the door in a sudden burst of anger and with large strides, a gargantuan man ran up to him. The figure was so large that it hardly resembled a human being. He roared like a beast and gave Alan a kick as if playing soccer. Tremendous force sent him flying to the wall and broke his arm.

"I said eat. Piece of shit doesn't want. Gerhid hit. Don't want two. Gerhid hit two." - he screamed at top of his lungs and gave Alan a taste of his fist as huge as a soccer ball.

"Ahaahh." - a child of six flew at another part of a room with a bleeding head.

"Stop, you idiotic half-breed!" - screamed someone from outside. - "If you kill him, you will take his place for experiments. Do you want to go to Gram, Gerhid?"

"No. No. Gerhid no!" - the enormous man shrunk in size because of fear.

"Then get lost, goddamn giant half-breed!" - a man dragged the prison warden away and glared at Alan. - "As for you, eat or I won't stop our friend next time." - the door closed behind his back.

'If you are so eager for me to survive at least call a doctor.'

But Alan didn't know that aside from Gram himself, no one here knew even elementary healing spells. And they didn't want Gram to know. Later it will be other people shift. By that time the guy will notify Gram, as for before that the kid just needs to shut his mouth and wait.

'If only I have more power. If only I can use magic! Damn it all...'

Right now he craved to be the most powerful wizard. If he was one, his parents would have been alive and he could have righted the wrongs he saw in front of him. He could have saved his family and never lose that warmth.

He stood up shakily. Lucky for him, or for his jailers, he had a unique bloodline that increased his body strength and regeneration rate. His arm won't heal in a day, but after a week or two, his fracture will disappear on its own.

He ate what little food they gave without complaints and drank some water from the bucket. Hunger remained there. What they left for him to eat was not enough, but he knew better than crying out loud about it and receiving another bout of beatings from that freak with a half-giant bloodline.

'He is like Hagrid, but way more stupid. And brutal.'

Alan sat down by the wall and tried to meditate again with no effect. That guy really has one hell of superhuman strength, like all half-blood giants. Alan was sure that even if he will use magic, it will be very difficult to pass him.

But he didn't give up partly because there was nothing else to do, but mostly out of direct necessity to become stronger and use magic. Because if he doesn't, this place will either kill him eventually or control his fate and mind to become something he never wanted.

Hell, they can even oblivate him or include new memories if needed. Or can Eternal Mind save him the trouble of that? A crucial point here is that Alan has no way to know for sure!

Then there is a forbidden curse. Imperius can control a person thoroughly, even force one to commit suicide. That thought scared him to the core. Becoming someone you are not is the most terrifying outcome one can wish for a person.

'My mind is powerful and Gram fed me his potion. For now, I just need to pretend to be under his control. Let's hope he won't do anything drastic.'

From time to time several Death Eaters will come. They might pour some potions into his mouth or experiment with spells with him as a target. And most of them are anything but harmless. Exposure to harmful magic forced him to lie on the floor until Gram would find time to patch him up. One must admit, albeit insane, his expertise with a healing branch of magic and alchemy was top-notch.

After some period of such amusement time and sitting inside the cell Alan suddenly trembled and looked at the door. He sensed someone's arrival again and was ready for an extra dose of suffering, but it turned out to be something else.

"So, my lil'e friend. Read this'. In two days I will' come, if not learned properly you got punishment. He-he-he." - Gram threw a book at his feet and gave a glance at the cuffs. With obvious satisfaction on his face, the man went away. On the way, he yelled at the Death Eaters again about not having some ingredients for potions.

Alan picked up the envelope and was stunned.

"Magical Theory!" - he yelled in surprise.

'He gave me a magical book so I can learn and if I'm able to use magic, I can try to use wandless casting and Isu magic language to fight them! I just need to make my mana move under the handcuffs.'

This day Alan finally found some hope, but little did he know, that it was just a pipe dream.

* * *

"It's done." - Wilson Mane came inside a cramped room with little lighting. The only bright spot was in the very center where they tied a man to a chair. He was unremarkable at the first glance. And even more so at the second. Just your everyday working man in outer appearance, but his underworld magic occupation was fearsome.

"Good. Feed him." - said a woman of otherworldly beauty with an icy face while looking at the captive.

Wilson pried open his mouth and poured potion inside, using his wand with a wordless spell to push the substance down the throat. That was their routine for several years already. They come to the city, find suspicious people, check them and if proved to be Dark Wizards seize and interrogate.

Most times than not they could find a remnant Death Eaters cells and decimate them. But until now they were unsuccessful in search of Alan Salvatore.

"Lowlife muggleborn scum! I will chew your..." - suddenly captive stopped talking and his face became blank.

"Good. Now tell me your name." - Selena asked, taking out her wand for any sudden events.

"Seventus Gildgrass." - he said with a monotone voice.

"Looks like everything fine. Now. Where is your hideout?" - she relaxed a bit. Sometimes in their three years of search, Death Eaters under the potion of Truth died. That happened because of a special curse triggered after they try to tell certain information.

"Cripple Valley, abandoned cauldron factory." - Selena looked at the third person in the room and he went out. They will investigate it.

"Wilson, create a Polyjuice for me."

"It's too risky this time. They are not your regular joey among Death Eaters. Look at him, he is a trained battle wizard."

"Wilson." - Selena became stern. - "All the more reason to investigate."

"I don't mean that. I mean, let Tedd go. He is metamorphmagus, he can do well and without the potion. They have alchemy master." - Wilson Mane shook his head. - "For a seasoned alchemist, it will be nothing hard to figure you out just with a simple glance and perception test. Hell, one can even smell the potion in the air!"

"Aren't you being alarmist?" - she frowned.

"I..." - he felt uncomfortable under her scrutinizing stare.

"Stop it, friend." - she walked up to him and touched his shoulder. - "I'm an auror, not some plant in greenery. My life is not that fragile."

"This time he is right, Selena." - came a voice from the entrance. - "It is one thing to go when no alchemist is around, but with one it is a high risk. Better I go. It is my specialty. Plus, the man lacks a hand. The potion will severe yours for the duration."

"It is just pain, being through worse." - she scoffed but agreed with that point.

"Tough ass, yeah, we all know. But not today, Selena. Too much risk." - then he directed attention to the captive looking at them blankly awaiting questions. - "Let's ask further questions, shall we?"

It was a thin man with a reserved, kind smile. However, as any auror bathed in blood and flames of the war, he was a dangerous battle mage with readiness to fight and kill anytime.

"Seventus, is there a boy around the age of seven to eight years old among you?"

"Yes." - everyone looked at each other with excitement. Finally, after nearly four years of search, they found a clue.

"Where is he? Is he fine?" - Selena ran up to a man and seized his collar in a firm grip.

"Yeah, that's even more reason for me to go." - Tedd walked to her and dragged away from the Death Eater. - "You are too emotional. Selena, listen to us this time." - but what he didn't say is that after four years of captivity at such a tender age a kid might not be himself anymore. Trust in him and her unconditional love for a child of her best friends can make a cruel joke in the most inappropriate moment resulting in death.

"He is in an individual cell in the basement. He is fine." - came a monotonous voice.

"Individual cell?" - Selena nearly killed the guy, telling her that is what he means 'fine'.

"Wilson, take her out. Selena, you are becoming unstable."

She breathed out and calmed down.

"I'm fine, I'll listen, you just ask."

"Good. Wilson, create a potion. No, not for her and not from this man, we will intercept another, I have a plan. Now, how many people are there in the hideout?" - Tedd turned around and asked, while morphing into the man in front gradually.

He was ready to go.