Harry's breathing came in sharp, rapid bursts, his face drained of all color, obviously shaken by the disturbing scene before them.
Dudley's expression remained remarkably steady. Although the sight was undeniably horrific, he had witnessed things far more terrifying and bizarre than this. In comparison, this scene truly wasn't overwhelming.
Kingsley silently observed both boys' reactions. He could clearly sense that Dudley maintained much greater composure than Harry.
"Dumbledore values this child so highly. It seems there are excellent reasons for that confidence," Kingsley thought to himself.
"Well, have you noticed anything unusual?" Kingsley inquired.
"Before I offer my assessment, I'd like to hear your analysis first," Dudley replied, withdrawing his gaze to focus on Kingsley.
Dudley's response made both Kingsley and the other Aurors' expressions shift with interest. Had this young man actually discovered some crucial detail?
"Very well, I'll explain our findings," an Auror volunteered, standing beside Kingsley.
This person appeared quite young, probably in his twenties or thirties, with blonde hair similar to Dudley's coloring.
"This is Cole. He's participated in all the previous incidents and possesses the most comprehensive knowledge about them," Kingsley provided a brief introduction.
Cole nodded acknowledgment, then began his explanation. "What we currently understand is that whenever that mirror appears, someone dies, and it invariably happens during late-night hours."
"However, there are two distinct types of deaths. One resembles what occurred on the third floor, as if something literally devoured the victims."
"The other matches this current case, where the circumstances of death vary significantly."
"This woman strangled herself to death. Another victim drowned herself in a toilet, and yet another twisted her own neck with her bare hands."
"When they died, their facial expressions showed extreme terror, and you could tell they endured tremendous torment before death, yet there were no external traces on their bodies."
"We investigated the surrounding circumstances and found no traces of magic, making it extremely difficult for us to determine how the perpetrator acted."
"Among the Dark Magic we currently know, none can accomplish this type of killing."
Cole's explanation was concise but covered all the essential points. He didn't mention specific details of previous incidents but had addressed the key elements.
They were genuinely at their wit's end now, treating this as a desperate measure. Dudley seemed relatively competent. Perhaps he could actually provide meaningful assistance.
After listening to Cole's description, Dudley didn't immediately respond but pondered the information carefully.
After about a minute, under everyone's curious gazes, Dudley looked directly at Kingsley. "Sir, I want to know what magic could force them to act against their own will and harm themselves?"
The Aurors immediately exchanged meaningful glances. They had already considered that possibility.
Kingsley didn't conceal his thoughts and stated directly, "The Imperius Curse, among the Unforgivable Curses, could accomplish this, but we've examined the victims and found no traces of them being subjected to the Imperius Curse."
"That's because they weren't subjected to the Imperius Curse in reality," Dudley said with quiet certainty.
"Not in reality?" Everyone's expressions immediately shifted with alarm.
"It should have happened within dreams," Dudley explained.
"In dreams? How is that possible?" The Aurors frowned with skepticism.
They had hoped Dudley would offer some constructive insight but hadn't expected such a seemingly impossible answer.
They had no knowledge of what magic could cast the Imperius Curse on people within dreams while leaving no traces in the physical world. This seemed absolutely incredible.
However, after hearing this theory, Cole's expression changed slightly, as if he had recalled something significant.
Kingsley also didn't immediately dismiss Dudley's statement but pressed for more details. "Why do you believe that? What evidence did you discover?"
"All the cases occurred at midnight, and no traces were left at the crime scenes. The most likely explanation is that the perpetrator acted within dreamscapes."
"Moreover, when I was sleeping earlier, I did sense certain abnormalities. I felt like I experienced a very long dream. I was exhausted when I woke up, and in the dream, I seemed to hear sounds moving in the corridor and someone knocking on doors," Dudley stated directly.
"Yes, I had that exact same sensation," Harry immediately confirmed.
Everyone displayed expressions of surprise and doubt. They didn't see how this connected to dream-based magic.
"I remember now! In a previous case, a Muggle mentioned that he had experienced a very long dream and heard knocking sounds from the adjacent room, even sounds of eating. However, he wasn't certain whether this really occurred or was just a dream, so we didn't investigate thoroughly at the time."
"And the person next to him was found dead, just like the victim on the third floor, already killed," Cole said with growing excitement.
This represented the most plausible theory they'd heard so far that could approach the truth.
"But... but how did the perpetrator accomplish this?" another Auror asked with complete bewilderment.
"The mirror!" Dudley provided the answer directly.
"That mirror that keeps appearing is probably the key to acting within dreams."
Everyone's expressions shifted with realization. They had never understood what role that mysteriously appearing mirror played. If it was really as Dudley suggested, then everything seemed to make sense.
"There's another crucial point. Similar to the death situation on the third floor, this type of killing only occurs among Muggles, while those who 'committed suicide' were all wizards," Cole continued, adding the most important detail.
"That means the person's actual targets were only wizards, while those Muggles were killed by something else entirely," Kingsley concluded.
Dudley nodded silently to himself. He had made the situation quite clear. What happened next would depend on these Aurors' capabilities.
"Let's see if we can use these Aurors' resources to locate that sealed artifact. Otherwise, I'm afraid the magical world will be thrown into chaos by these supernatural objects," Dudley thought with genuine concern.
Several Aurors began discussing how to continue their investigation based on existing evidence. Now they were considerably better positioned than before when they were completely in the dark. They had a general direction to pursue.
"Come on, let's step outside and talk," Kingsley said with a smile to Dudley and Harry, leading them away from the crime scene.
The rest would be left to his colleagues. Dudley had already provided tremendous assistance.
"What will you do next?" Dudley inquired.
"We'll continue investigating that mirror and the dream theory you proposed. Perhaps we need colleagues from the Department of Mysteries to assist us. They specialize in investigating these types of phenomena. That mirror should interest them greatly, or at minimum they can provide useful suggestions," Kingsley explained while guiding Dudley past several Muggles being questioned in the corridor.
One Muggle was smiling peacefully, seemingly completely unaware of the sinister atmosphere surrounding them. His gaze appeared calm and devoted as he repeated something to the Auror questioning him.
Dudley initially paid no attention. He wanted to extract intelligence about upcoming operations from Kingsley to formulate further plans and see if he could locate the Soul Requiem Mirror before the Ministry of Magic.
Until a few words from that Muggle reached his ears, making him freeze completely in place.
"Praise the sun..."