Keep It Bottled Up

"Talk. What happened?"

After lifting the curse on Alex and waking him up, Murphy began asking about what had happened earlier.

"Mr. Parker, I'm sorry!" Alex Wood burst into tears. He seemed to have been badly frightened. "He tortured me, I—I'm sorry..."

It took a long while before Alex finally calmed down and told Murphy about the miserable ordeal he had gone through that day.

The process was more or less what Murphy had guessed. The bald wizard—whose name was Papede—had suddenly grabbed him after he finished buying the materials and was about to return, come back to the barn with him, then tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse and forced him to say Peter Parker's name.

Then he had forced him to call Murphy.

After listening, Murphy patted Wood on the shoulder and handed him a cup of hot chocolate. "Forget it. This wasn't your fault."

Wood was clearly the standard sort of ordinary wizard. He had never even considered that he might need to fight, so his combat ability was practically zero. Faced with a dark wizard who could casually use the Cruciatus Curse on people, he had no ability to resist at all.

Besides, when facing a wizard, keeping a secret was very difficult. Even if he had withstood the Cruciatus Curse, the other party might have had Veritaserum or been able to use Legilimency or the like.

He had only been forced to give a false name. Murphy would not blame him for that.

"However, this place can't be used anymore."

Although the one who had come this time was an idiot and had not discovered Murphy's core secret, once he went back, he might very well find a few smarter companions to come over.

Draco Malfoy might even make a false report directly and get the Aurors sent out. When that happened, the fact that he had violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy and sold potions to Muggles would no longer stay hidden.

Thinking of that, Murphy tossed Wood a bag. "Feeling better? If you're fine, give me a hand and pack up everything here."

After everything was packed, Murphy gave the barn one last inspection. Once he confirmed that no useful traces had been left behind, he drew his wand and waved it, directing several prepared barrels of gasoline to pour all over the inside and outside of the barn.

Then, "Incendio!"

When the flames had completely swallowed the barn, Murphy grabbed one of Wood's arms. "Empty your mind. Apparition!"

Murphy brought Wood to Darkholm Manor. "You can't go to Diagon Alley anymore. In fact, don't even go home for the near future. That man has already memorized your face and knows your name. If you keep showing up in the wizarding world, they'll find you sooner or later."

Alex was terrified. "Then what should I do? Can't we report it to the Aurors? They'll protect me, right?"

Murphy looked at Alex in surprise. "Is your name Harry Potter, or is your dad the Minister for Magic?"

Alex did not understand. "What?"

"Forget it. How many Aurors are there in total? For a nobody like you, unless the evidence is ironclad, there's no way they'll specifically mobilize for you."

"Then what should I do?" Alex was miserable and began to regret accepting this job.

"I can protect you," Murphy said. "I beat that guy half to death. He probably won't dare come looking for trouble with me."

But Draco Malfoy was another matter.

Alex did not need to know that, though.

"Really?" Alex let out a breath of relief. If Mr. Parker could defeat that dark wizard, then staying by his side really meant there was no need to worry about safety.

"But there's one condition," Murphy said. "You need to say goodbye to the wizarding world for the time being. I don't have the time to stay by your side at all hours, so you'll only be safe if you temporarily break away from the wizarding world. I have some influence in Muggle society and will make sure you can live there."

"No, no, no, that won't work. I've never had contact with Muggles. They'll find me out. I'll be burned to death..."

Alex hurriedly shook his head.

He had grown up in the wizarding world since childhood and had never lived in Muggle society at all. To Alex, leaving the wizarding world for Muggle society felt like throwing an African tribesman into the metropolis of London, filling him with panic.

"Burned to death, my ass! It's the twentieth century, man. Who's going to burn you to death? Forget it. I'm fucking done. Do whatever you want. If you want to die, go back. I won't stop you."

Alex hesitated. Thinking of that terrifying bald dark wizard today, thinking of the pain of the Cruciatus Curse, he wavered. "How... how long would it take? How long before I can go home?"

"A year or two at the shortest, three or four at the longest. It won't be too long," Murphy said.

By then, perhaps he would have the power to contend with the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, or perhaps he would no longer need to sneak around.

"That long?" Alex's face twisted bitterly. Only after quite a while did he ask pitifully, "Then can I write my mum a letter?"

"Of course! Hurry up and write it! Oh, right, don't reveal anything about me, and don't say you were threatened either, or the old lady will worry. Just say you're going traveling. Saves trouble."

"I—I'm not stupid!"

"Heh."

If this were Muggle society, you'd be tricked all the way to northern Myanmar to have your kidneys harvested. And you're not stupid?

This time, he had lost a Muggle barn, but he had abducted a wizard back with him. It seemed... not a loss?

But how to buy materials from now on had become a problem again.

There were only so many potion shops in Diagon Alley, and the amount of materials he needed was huge. No matter where he bought them, he might be watched.

Hogsmeade?

To be honest, there were only a few wizarding gathering places Murphy knew about.

Although the original body had been born into a wizarding family, his parents had gone in long ago, so he had never enjoyed the benefits of their information network. In some areas, Murphy's understanding of the wizarding world was even worse than Alex's.

Thinking of this, Murphy found Alex again just as he was about to write his letter. "Aside from Diagon Alley, where else can you buy large quantities of potion ingredients?"

"Uh... Knockturn Alley?"

Oh?

Murphy really had never gone shopping in Knockturn Alley before.

They said Dark wizards ran rampant there, and since he had no special need for anything, he naturally had no reason to deal with such a dangerous place.

But since it was a lawless place, it would certainly be difficult for official forces—such as Aurors—to control. For Murphy right now, it might even be safer than Diagon Alley.

After all, people like Draco Malfoy were nothing but clowns. What Murphy was truly worried about was the authorities finding out he had violated the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

Perhaps he should find time to take a look around Knockturn Alley.

Besides, perhaps he should open a potion shop as a cover.

Since Draco Malfoy had been able to notice something abnormal this time, even if Murphy bought materials in Knockturn Alley in the future, there was no guarantee he would not draw attention and be investigated.

If he had a potion shop and bought materials in the shop's name, many things would become much easier to explain.

As for the location, he might as well choose Knockturn Alley too. The supervision there was much looser than in Diagon Alley, and there probably would not be many customers either, making it very suitable for someone like him who only wanted a front.

Once he had decided, he acted.

Murphy gave Alex an instruction. "Stay here and don't wander off. I'm going to buy a few oranges... Ahem. Anyway, you'll live here for now. We'll talk after I find a place for you."

"If anything happens, call my pho—"

After thinking about it, the old house did not seem to have a landline installed, and besides, this mobile phone felt a little ominous. Every damn time he picked up a call, it was never good news. Murphy was almost traumatized by it.

"Forget it. If something happens, bottle it up. We'll talk when I get back."

Alex: "?"