Chapter 614: Interrogation Techniques (Edited)

The beef glistened with a layer of high-quality buttery fat; even from a distance, you could smell the aroma of the meat. When cut, the beef was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The exterior, under the roasting effect, took on a characteristic dark brown hue of roasted meat, giving off a delightful aroma as it mixed with the hot oil and proteins. Inside, the meat was juicy and tender; when cut with a fork, myoglobin and fat melded together, exploding in a burst of flavors on the palate, offering an explosive culinary experience.

Fat and calories, those things etched into the human soul, were utterly satisfying.

Being a centenarian, consuming such a greasy meal was definitely detrimental to health, but Dumbledore didn't think about that at all. He savored the delicious food in front of him as if it were his last supper.

This differed slightly from the amount of food Dumbledore used to consume. Madame Maxime, who was beside him, was also surprised and asked, "I didn't expect you to have such a good appetite today!"

The unusual has an explanation, and the man enjoying his meal at the teachers' table was not really Albus Dumbledore but his brother, Aberforth Dumbledore. While his brother, Albus Dumbledore, enjoyed the seaside view at Azkaban, he was enjoying the hospitality of Hogwarts' kitchen.

"Since I can still eat, I will eat more," Aberforth responded vaguely.

What he meant was: after my brother returns, I'll have to go back to the Hog's Head Inn. There, I'll have to chop vegetables, cook, and wash dishes by myself. Although magic helps, it's still a bother. As an older bachelor, Aberforth detested cooking; when he ate, he tried to cheat and served semi-processed dishes to his customers. Aside from butterbeer, nothing else was cooked with care in the bar.

Since the people who went to the Hog's Head Inn were not exactly decent people, no one complained that the food was bad. For them, any food that wasn't toxic was enough.

For Aberforth, this lunch was a feast, and he enjoyed every bite, but after this meal, he didn't have the next one guaranteed, so he had to enjoy it as much as possible.

However, in Madame Maxime's ears, this phrase turned into the lament of an old man enjoying his old age: "At this age, I still have to enjoy life! Tomorrow's sun or death, who knows which will come first?"

Hearing this, Madame Maxime felt a little melancholic, but when she saw Dumbledore drinking red wine with goat cheese, all her sympathy for him disappeared.

How dreadful! Why don't you choke to death?

Seeing Dumbledore enjoying his meal so enthusiastically, Ron's appetite immediately improved. The pastries, steaks, and stews in front of him suddenly seemed delicious.

Harry noticed that Dumbledore was in a good mood and felt he might try to talk to him.

"After lunch, we'll go see Professor Dumbledore," Harry decided, planning to catch Dumbledore when he left the Great Hall.

While everyone enjoyed their lunch, Tom and the real Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts.

Due to a strike by the Hogwarts owls, both had to use Apparition Charm to get to Hogsmeade and then take the number 11 bus back to the school.

"I want a two-story hamburger, filled with cheese, pickles, and tomatoes, and the patty must be thick..."

"I want a strudel, one made with pure animal cream."

After the challenging battle, the topic of conversation between Tom and the real Dumbledore as they returned to school was what to eat for lunch. Both were engaged in lively discussion on the subject of food. As for Voldemort, Tom and Dumbledore thought they could discuss it after lunch.

And they weren't worried about arriving late and finding the castle's kitchen closed. Because the headmaster was also hungry.

Once in the castle, they went directly to the headmaster's office. About three minutes later, two large plates of delicious hot food appeared on Dumbledore's desk. Tom got the hamburger he wanted, while Dumbledore received a fresh strudel.

The only regrettable thing was that Hogwarts didn't have Coca-Cola Zero, only frozen pumpkin juice.

"Even watermelon or peach juice would do..." lamented Tom.

Dumbledore didn't want to talk to him and focused on finishing the lunch in front of him.

When both were satisfied and the dishes disappeared like the wind, they began to address the main topic.

"It's a pity we couldn't eliminate him in Azkaban today," Tom said as he took a sip of the pumpkin juice in his cup.

"It's normal, I never expected to achieve everything at once, but there are few places where the Apparition Charm can't be used like Azkaban," Dumbledore said without regret, in fact, he was quite satisfied with what they had accomplished today.

They had destroyed one of Voldemort's horcruxes and had caused him an injury as severe as a devastating blow to his body, which was a great victory, something he hadn't achieved in previous magical wars.

Listening to the inability to use the Apparition Charm, Tom seemed intrigued. Wasn't Hogwarts one of those places where the Apparition Charm couldn't be used?

To kill Voldemort, they would undoubtedly need to destroy all his horcruxes first and then take him to a place where he couldn't escape using the Apparition Charm. Escaping, though shameful, meant staying alive. A wizard of Voldemort's level, if he could escape, would become a great threat to security.

Therefore, it was absolutely necessary to lure Voldemort to a place where he couldn't use the Apparition Charm. Considering everything, Hogwarts was the best option. However, this plan would turn Hogwarts into a battlefield, something that Dumbledore probably wouldn't allow.

"In the short term, he won't cause much trouble," Dumbledore said with great confidence in his spell. He thought Riddle (Voldemort) would dedicate most of his attention to dealing with the spell.

"Let's hope so, but we must also put the search for the horcruxes on the agenda," Tom said impatiently, "and what about those people infiltrated among the Death Eaters? Can they provide any help?"

Dumbledore didn't respond directly. Instead, he lifted the teapot and poured himself a cup of hot tea. "Miss Granger is here, I believe she has a lot to tell you."

At that moment, Hermione was pacing outside the headmaster's office. She was eager to know how Tom had fared, if he and Dumbledore had returned. If possible, she would ask them what they had been doing.

And if possible, she would be willing to use some "interrogation techniques." She believed that Tom would surely confess obediently.