Encounter

The village streets were shrouded in mist.

Within the limited visibility, there was no sign of life.

However, rustling sounds occasionally came from the bushes on both sides of the road.

Beneath the tranquility lurked danger.

Every time the rustling sounds reached her ears, Luna couldn't help but clutch at Cypher's sleeve.

Cypher, on the other hand, was fully alert.

Although they were under a Disillusionment Charm, capable wizards could see through it at a glance.

Especially the instigators of the rustling sounds.

They were constantly moving sources of magic.

Whether rats or snakes.

Each emitted invisible magical fluctuations, like various hosts in a server room uploading data to the central server.

Without a doubt, this was the enemy's early warning system.

Suddenly, Cypher felt Luna's hand tremble.

He quickly turned back.

A black rat with red eyes and sharp teeth was at Luna's feet.

Cypher patted Luna's hand, signaling her not to make any sudden movements.

The rat hesitated in front of Luna.

It kept sniffing the air.

Just now, it had sensed a gust of air passing by.

This was psychological torment. Cypher and Luna knew they had applied Scent-Changing Potion.

But what if it could still tell?

Fortunately, the creature wasn't very bright.

Cypher used a Mage Hand to silently pick up a small stone and throw it into the distance.

The sound of the stone landing easily drew the red-eyed black rat away.

Taking the opportunity, Cypher dragged the nearly limp Luna away from the area.

They circled around several times.

Cypher found a dilapidated small warehouse and pulled Luna inside.

"Luna, we can't go to the Hog's Head Pub. There are at least three Dark Wizards guarding it."

Luna was silent. Cypher thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and voiced another idea.

"We can't summon Fawkes here. If, and I mean if, Fawkes is intercepted, it will have to break through the barrier's blockade. At that point, it will definitely be discovered by the enemy. Once Dumbledore is thought to be involved, the uninformed Aberforth will be in danger."

"I trust your judgment," Luna replied softly.

"Our only option is the secret passage at Honeydukes, which is further away."

With that, Cypher turned his gaze towards Honeydukes.

"Thump—"

The sound of a heavy object hitting the wall came from ahead.

Luna squeezed Cypher's hand nervously.

While resting in the dilapidated house, Cypher had noticed Luna's listlessness.

To prevent her from making mistakes, Cypher had to sacrifice one hand, holding Luna's, to feel her condition.

Sensing Luna's nervousness, Cypher shook her hand, urging her to perk up.

Then, Cypher canceled the Disillusionment Charm and quietly crept forward.

At the corner, Cypher quickly peeked into the alley.

A short, round, middle-aged man with a rat-like appearance was plastered against the wall, his eyes vacant.

Cypher remembered him. In the Hog's Head Pub, he was sitting on the right side of the entrance, and had sized up Luna with lewd eyes.

"Hopefully, you can give me something useful."

In front of the middle-aged man was a man in gray robes.

He was Bell, but Cypher didn't know that.

Bell raised his wand and pressed the tip to the man's forehead.

As Bell chanted, the lewd man convulsed against the wall in agony.

Soon, he became still.

At the same time, wisps of silvery-white threads flowed from the man's seven orifices.

Cypher's pupils, already darting around, contracted sharply.

Memory threads? The Dark Wizard is rifling through the sleazy man's memories!

That meant he and Luna would be exposed to the Dark Wizard.

He's almost finished searching.

This was no place to linger!

While the Dark Wizard had his eyes closed, sifting through memories, Cypher quickly pulled Luna along, sneaking past the intersection.

After a wide detour, the two finally arrived in front of Honeydukes.

Before their faces could even break into smiles, they spotted a wizard in an ornate black trench coat, wearing a ghost-faced mask, sitting on the roof of Honeydukes.

He had his back to them, so they could see him tossing jellybeans into his mouth.

"Sir, there are still two young wizards at large!"

It was the grey-robed wizard who had been searching memories. Cypher and Luna, who were hiding to the side, quickly ducked behind a trash can when they saw him appear.

"Hmm? You mean, two young wizards stole our merchandise and haven't been caught yet?"

The superior, Charles, sounded more surprised than displeased.

After all, they'd caught everyone else, searched and searched, and only two had slipped through the net, and they turned out to be young wizards.

If that was the case, he'd have to lock horns with Aberforth.

He couldn't kill him, but he could certainly teach him a lesson.

"Reporting, sir, I don't think Aberforth was involved. He allowed me to search, and I found nothing!"

Charles was speechless for a moment.

"Are you so sure you saw correctly? What if the memory you accessed was deliberately altered by Aberforth to make you think it was him, so you'd search him and give the escaping wizards time? Never mind, if you were capable of that kind of thinking, you wouldn't just be my subordinates. What about the others in the pub?"

Bell lowered his head in shame.

"Besides those two, everyone else has been interrogated. It seems those two used Felix Felicis to trade for the Norman Dragon Blood Grass."

"I don't want to hear your guesses! I want evidence, leads!"

Charles's impatient words rang out.

Suddenly, his tone softened, and he instructed Bell, "Who set up the barrier? Have them come see me. Could there have been house-elves or something that forcibly broke through it?"

Bell said in a flattering, proud tone, "Reporting, sir, I specifically checked on the way here to report. There's nothing unusual about the barrier. I really did check specifically before coming."

Charles's expression suddenly changed. Bell quickly repeated, "It's not your fault, I'm just surprised and can't believe it..."

At the same time, Cypher's heart skipped a beat.

Looking up, he saw an Imp in the air, staring at him with blood-red eyes.

Damn it, I dispelled the Disillusionment Charm, afraid of being discovered by them.

What's more, with their superior here, he and Luna only had one last option.

Break through the barrier, Apparate to a distance, and then summon Fawkes to leave.

He mustn't suddenly vanish here, exposing the secret passage in the warehouse.

Fortunately, Cypher had already drawn his wand.

He didn't want to use unique Spells yet, as they were too flashy.

"Confringo!"

The red Spell shot from his wand.

The Imp nimbly dodged Cypher's Spell, but then Luna's Spell arrived before the Imp could evade, blasting it into a bloody mist.

"Bell, stand down. It's been a while since I stretched my muscles. I'll end this manhunt myself."

Charles slowly stood up. He figured, with the barrier in place, the two little mice in front of him couldn't escape.

Besides, if his subordinates suffered casualties, he wouldn't have any useful tools for hunting magical creatures in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts for a while.

Although Cypher was looking at him without fear, the person behind him couldn't fake the look of terror.

Charles: "Are you perhaps students from Hogwarts? I have no intention of being your enemy at this time. Hand over the Dragon Blood Grass you have. I will leave here immediately and give you a chance to live."

Luna: "You haven't even told me who you are. Why should I trust you?"

Hearing this, Cypher felt helpless. He quickly stepped to the side, blocking Luna's figure.

"Tsk... so it is."

Hearing this, Charles took the initiative to remove his mask, revealing his true face.

A slightly handsome young man with blond hair, blue eyes, and pale skin.

"My name is Austin Charles, and I am a lieutenant in the Shadow Empire."

"The Shadow Empire?"

Cypher remained unmoved, still vigilant. Luna also knew she had misspoke and remained silent on the side.

"I've never heard of any Shadow Empire."

"Of course, right now we're on the eastern front, secretly fighting alongside Grindelwald. We haven't publicly announced our declaration of statehood yet."

"Grindelwald?"

Hearing that the wizard opposite him was not a local force but belonged to Grindelwald's camp, Cypher felt like he had gotten himself into a huge mess.

Come to think of it, Britain has the historically rich Hogwarts, and no local force can compare to it, yet now someone is carrying out terrorist attacks in Hogsmeade right next to it...

"Report!"

Bell, who had been lost in thought, suddenly had a glint in his eyes.

"Speak!"

Charles said expressionlessly.

"This witch's voice is exactly the same as the witch known as Galleon Princess in the black market!"

"Oh?"

Charles' expression shifted slightly.

"So, these two might not be Hogwarts students? They almost fooled me."

Hearing this, Luna sensed killing intent in Charles' tone.

Ignoring Cypher's attempt to stop her, she took out the Norman Dragon Blood Grass and held it in her hand.

"Let us leave, or this grass will be destroyed here."

"Hahaha..."

Unexpectedly, Charles was amused by Luna's actions.

"I don't know which of you two is the truly capable one. However, as long as I catch you two to brew potions for us, a mere Norman Dragon Blood Grass is something I think I can easily explain to my superiors when I get back. Put down the Norman Dragon Blood Grass and join us. That way, you won't be our slaves, but our comrades."

Something's wrong, very wrong. Luna shouldn't be this impulsive.

Cypher was secretly anxious.

Is it poison? But they both took antidote potions!

Or is it some kind of unknown Confundus Charm?

That doesn't seem right either. His Occlumency is only slightly better than Luna's, but he hasn't felt any signs of intrusion.

Seeing Luna about to step forward from behind him, Cypher finally couldn't hold back any longer.

He raised his hand to stop Luna, pulling her into his arms.

Cypher stared into Charles' eyes, answering word by word.

"I choose the third option!"