A Trap Set for the Unwary

Aiken had little recollection of the fifth-grade student with the strange tattoo; after all, Newmontgard was a vast country with thousands of students from all over the world.

If you don't have any impression of the other person, it means that the other person is usually not very noticeable, and is probably one of those Half-blood Wizard are neither high nor low in status.

He remembered those with exceptional talent, Pure-blood individuals, and Mudblood very clearly, as they were the people he wanted to recruit or suppress. The fact that he didn't recognize the person before him didn't mean his memory was faulty; it simply meant the person had no value to him.

Aiken frowned as he glanced at the mud on the fifth-grader's arm, then impatiently stroked his pet Kneazle.

On the other side, Trevor went up and negotiated with the man for a while, then turned back and gave Aiken an OK sign.

The fifth-year student from Newmontgard looked somewhat gloomy, with half his face hidden in his hood, making it impossible to see his true features. He stopped what he was doing after accepting a Galleon and then walked towards the door.

Before he could take two steps, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Aiken turned around impatiently and saw a boy wearing a Hogwarts uniform.

The fifth-year student from Newmontgard stopped in his tracks, a hint of confusion appearing on his pale face beneath his hood.

"Ernie Macmillan? What's he doing here?" Sean muttered to himself.

That's right, this fifth-year student from Newmontgard was him in disguise, and his target was naturally Fabian Aiken.

The purple item he drew earlier, the Mask of Nymphadora Tonks, still has a lot of usage time left. Sean disguises himself as a fifth-year student from Newmontgard who is usually ignored.

This guy is in detention because of a mistake in Potions, Aiken wants to cause trouble afterward, but the other party has a perfect alibi.

As for the Dark Mark, that was just Sean's little scheme.

However, to his surprise, he ran into a classmate from his school, Ernie Macmillan.

The other person was in the same grade as me, a student at Hufflepuff, and was usually a fairly easy-going guy.

To Sean's surprise, the first person to speak was Fabian Aiken, and he clearly knew Ernie.

"Ernie Macmillan, what a coincidence..." Aiken smiled kindly.

Ernie didn't seem to recognize this seventh-year student from Newmontgard. He asked in confusion, "Have we met before?"

"No, but I know you," Aiken continued, "the Macmillan Family, one of the most orthodox Pure-blood families. No one in the entire Wizarding World doesn't know that, right?"

The other person's words made Ernie raise his head with some pride. Although he was not the kind of extreme bloodline believer, he had always been very proud of his bloodline and family.

"Oh, thank you. May I ask your name?"

"Fabian Aiken is from France."

"The Aiken Family ..." Upon hearing the surname, Ernie's eyelids drooped slightly. It seemed that the family's reputation was not very good.

However, Ernie still extended his hand and shook hands with the other person as a gesture of goodwill.

Sean, who hadn't moved an inch, had a slightly strange expression. This Fabian Aiken had done a lot of preparation; he probably knew a lot about the Pure-blood families students in the schools.

Aiken shook hands with the other person and casually smiled, "I remember one of your ancestors married a Mr. Black?"

"Oh, that was a long time ago. How did you know?"

"I've heard that the Aiken Family and Black Family have always had a good relationship..."

"Really? However, our family hasn't been in much contact with them for the past ten years or so—"

Aiken, with an air of familiarity, appeared talkative and amiable. "Oh, oh, oh, Ernie —may I call you that? I must say, as one of the noble Pure-blood families, we both have the same noble blood flowing through our veins. In this day and age, shouldn't we communicate more?"

Ernie looked troubled. He was indeed proud of his bloodline, but he had no prejudice against wizards of other bloodlines. For example, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Muggle-born family, was a good friend of his, and he also had a good relationship with Sean from the neighboring Eagle House.

Making friends with Pureblood Wizard isn't necessarily a bad thing, but Aiken's words always left Ernie somewhat conflicted.

One of the reasons their family has had less and less contact with the Black Family is that the Black family is too radical and is a Pure-blood families with strong prejudices.

Aiken had clearly investigated Ernie, and he smiled without any hesitation, affectionately putting his arm around Ernie's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, my friend, it's just getting to know each other. I've always admired an excellent wizard like you."

He didn't care about the other person's attitude. Macmillan was only a second-year student, and he was confident that he could influence and change him, making him a steadfast ally—a noble and pure -Pure-blood Wizard.

Just as Aiken was about to say something more to Ernie, he saw that Sean was not moving.

"This student—" His meaning was clear: you've taken the money, so why don't you get lost?

Sean didn't say much and quickly left the Flower Greenhouse.

On his way to the castle, he pondered what he had just heard.

Is there any connection between the France Aiken Family and the England Black Family?

Sean still remembers the Malfoy and Lestrange he met in Diagon Alley, and he kept wondering if they had become Death Eaters.

If the Death Eaters group hasn't changed, then the French Wizarding Rights Protection Association is even more noteworthy; there might be old acquaintances behind that organization...

However, when Aiken saw the Dark Mark that he had deliberately placed there, the other party didn't show any strange reaction...

We must take all factors into consideration...

While he was thinking this, Sean had already returned to Newmontgard Castle. He walked quickly to the end of the second-floor corridor, where the Prefect's private washroom was located.

A row of signs indicating that construction was underway was placed in front of the restroom. Of course, Sean put them up while the students of Newmontgard were in class in the morning, so that no other unrelated people would be in the restroom.

Although the chances of someone coming to shower during the day are very small, it's still better to be safe than sorry.

Sean put the sign away and then slipped into the Prefect's Lavatory.

Inside the Flower Greenhouse, Aiken and Ernie chatted for a while. Ernie didn't seem very interested in a deeper conversation; after a few perfunctory words, she picked a flower and quickly left.

Watching the other person leave, Trevor, who had been standing guard beside him, said, "It seems that the little guy doesn't really trust you."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter," Aiken said nonchalantly. "The Macmillan Family is different from the Weasley family. They still take pride in their bloodline, while the Weasley have completely forgotten their honor."

"Most importantly, Ernie Macmillan is their family's only son, a second-grade kid. His personality and values are not yet fully formed. As long as we put in the effort, he will eventually get back on the right track. When Ernie gets a little older, I can introduce him to women from Pure-blood families around me. In twenty or thirty years, won't the Macmillan Family become our friends again?"

Aiken turned to look at the bright flowers in the greenhouse. One of the buds was drooping, almost touching a small green grass sprouting from the soil next to it.

Aiken didn't extend his hand, but only his wand. The flower bud slowly rose, away from the grass, and then slowly bloomed.

"You see, a flower will always be a flower. It will never become one of those vulgar, lowly weeds. If a flower encounters a slight mishap while growing, it only needs a little help to get back on the right track."

"And the weeds..." Aiken narrowed his eyes, waved his wand, and the blade of grass was uprooted and disappeared into the flames. "Just clear it away..."

Having done all this, Aiken looked at his follower with great satisfaction. "See, it was very simple, wasn't it..."

Before he could finish speaking, the clod of earth from which the grass had just been removed exploded!

With a loud bang, the soil and fertilizer exploded violently, and the stench of dragon dung and sticky mud clung to the surface of the flowers and sprayed all over Fabian Aiken's body.

His meticulously styled hair, neatly groomed uniform, and smiling face were all covered in various filth, including the strong smell unique to Dungbomb.

"...Who...who!" Aiken, who had a cleanliness obsession, even contorted his face. He wanted to reach out and swat away the dirt, but he was afraid of getting even more on his hands.

Aiken stood frozen in place, his hands trembling slightly, his once handsome face now a patchwork of blue and purple.

Trevor was startled, Shield Charm was instantly activated, but the explosion was too rapid, and the Shield Charm did not shield Aiken from much of the filth.

He looked down and examined it. "It looks like an activated Dungbomb. This thing isn't a spell and has no destructive power, so your Magical Item didn't react."

Aiken practically spat out his words through clenched teeth. "Then! Then you! Hurry up and—clean it up for me!"

"Just a little dragon dung and dirt..." Trevor muttered, waving his wand. The filth on Aiken was taken away by the spell, and he became clean again.

Feeling the filth on his body disappear, Aiken's expression softened slightly. However, he still felt that the stench lingered around him, as if the smell of dragon dung permeated his clothes and skin.

"Which bastard is it..." he gritted his teeth, completely losing his previous elegance.

I can't keep these clothes... I can't keep these accessories... I can't keep any of them!

Aiken walked toward the castle with a livid face.

"Hey, aren't you going to admire the flowers?"

"Enjoy flowers my ass!" he cursed without turning his head.

Trevor quickly caught up. "The Scouring Charm was very effective..."

"Shut up! Go to your dorm and get me a whole new set of clothes. I'm going to take a shower. And that fifth-year student from earlier, find out everything about him! Also, go find someone and find out exactly where those Hogwarts bastards went this morning!"

"I... I must..." Aiken seemed to want to say something harsh, but the more he opened his mouth, the more he felt the stench drilling straight into his mouth, and the harsh words were finally swallowed back.

Even when walking down the street, he felt that other people were looking at him strangely.

Increasingly sensitive, Aiken quickened his pace and arrived at the Prefect's Lavatory on the second floor. As soon as he stepped into the doorway, he turned back and said, "After you get your clothes, stay here and don't let anyone else in!"

"No one comes to take a bath during the day..."

"Trevor!"

"Okay, I understand." Trevor thought Aiken was making a mountain out of a molehill, but since the other party was his employer after all, he obediently agreed in the end.

Aiken, his face ashen, approached the bathroom and quickly took off all his clothes. He also removed his magic bracelet and amulet, intending to write home and ask his father to buy him a new set.

As for his pet Kneazle, Aiken wasn't going to keep it. The little guy was covered in dragon droppings just like him, and he had thrown it on the ground when he left the house.

Finally, he was left with only a Gemstone Necklace around his neck, and then he quickly jumped into the pool.

After frantically rubbing his skin, applying most of a bottle of magic shower gel, and turning on all the water taps to change the water in the pool, Aiken's expression finally calmed down.

He submerged half of his body in the water and let out a long sigh of relief.

Only now did he realize that the stench on his body had disappeared.

"You little bastard, you better pray you don't get found by me, or I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget."

Aiken, half-lying by the pool, still looked grim. He was already thinking about which bastard had done this to him.

"That fifth-grader is a prime suspect, as are the Weasley twins I beat up, and Mudblood Sean Wallerup could also be a suspect..." He kept thinking about the suspects.

On one side of the sink in the washroom, the air seemed to ripple slightly, but Aiken, oblivious to the misty atmosphere, was already thinking about future protective strategies.

"Magical Item for dealing with spells alone are not enough..." He touched the Gemstone Necklace hanging around his neck, an item his father had commissioned from an alchemist at great expense.

This necklace can protect against most malicious spells, and quite often. If needed, the necklace can also activate a super-powerful Shield Charm according to the wearer's will.

"Not enough... We'll need something that can protect against non-magical things in the future, damn it! This necklace costs more than those Mudblood ' living expenses for several years, and it can't even stop a Dungbomb!" Aiken, squeezing the necklace with dissatisfaction.

Of course, he wouldn't take off the necklace. Although the Dungbomb was disgusting, it would never be fatal, but the Hypnosis Charm, Expelliarmus, Imperius Curse, and so on shot from hidden places were another matter.

"Is the water too hot? I feel a little dizzy..." Aiken shook his head, feeling weak and sore all over.

He tried to stand up, but found that he could no longer control his limbs—to be precise, he had lost control of his body.

Imperius Curse?! Impossible, I'm wearing the necklace!

Fabian Aiken panicked when he saw a strange figure appear on the other side of the pool, the air twisting and turning.