The Path of Victory train rumbled through the snowy English countryside, its gray exterior marked with the Snake's Skull emblem of the Dark Lord's regime. Inside, in a dimly lit luggage compartment reeking of fear and sweat, Liu Xuan Cheng moved with the silent precision of a predator.

His silver ear gleamed under the faint light as it tracked the rapid heartbeat ahead, his wand already in hand. With a flick of his wrist, boxes exploded outward, revealing her pressed against the freezing metal wall, snowflakes melting in her hair.

Before she could react, he pinned her there with his body, one hand gripping her throat tightly enough to restrict breathing while the other pressed his wand against her temple. His face inches from hers, he drank in the mixture of terror and defiance in her eyes.

"Did you really think you could hide from me?" His voice was a low purr, dangerously intimate against her ear. His free hand slid down to grip her waist possessively, pulling her body flush against his. "I hear everything, my love. Especially the racing hearts of little resistance rats trying to play hero."

He pressed his thigh between her legs, applying deliberate pressure as his fingers tightened slightly around her throat. "Tell me where they're hiding the Muggleborns, and I might make this... pleasant for you. Resist, and I'll make you beg for death before I hand you over to the Dementors." His lips brushed her jawline, a mockery of tenderness that sent a shiver through her.

"Your choice, rebel. But I warn you - I always get what I want in the end."