Trouble

After his disguise, Matthew's eyes were dark and sinister. Expressionless, he drew twenty vials of purple potion from his Undetectable Extension Charm pocket and said, "Twenty doses of Stunning Potion. You can inspect the goods."

The short, fat wizard rubbed his hands together excitedly. "We've traded before—I trust you, Gehrman!"

The short, fat wizard took the potions but still uncorked one to sniff, a satisfied look on his face. He pulled a pouch of Galleons from his robes and handed it to Matthew. "Payment complete!"

Mundungus Fletcher was a thief who had bought plenty of Stunning Potions from Matthew. He often used them to knock people out before making his move.

As Matthew finished counting the coins, six wizards in black robes surrounded them, forming a half encirclement.

They stared greedily at the Galleons in Matthew's hand. The one-eyed wizard at the lead pointed his wand at Mundungus Fletcher. "Mundungus! Finally caught you!"

Mundungus Fletcher flinched at the voice, terror flashing across his face. He immediately turned to flee, but the secluded corner where he'd traded with Matthew—chosen to avoid prying eyes—now became a trap.

Realizing he couldn't escape, Mundungus put on a fawning smile. "Reno, I don't recall ever offending you. We even drank together last time."

The one-eyed wizard sneered. "Don't remember? Let me help you recall. Cruciatus Curse!"

"AAAAHHHH!!!" Mundungus collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony as his body endured the pain of a thousand cuts.

His head felt like it was splitting open. The torment rendered him helpless, leaving him only able to writhe and twist on the ground.

The one-eyed wizard taunted further. "Remembering anything yet? Cruciatus Curse!"

A red light struck Mundungus. The excruciating pain shut down his thoughts, and his body convulsed on pure instinct.

The one-eyed wizard seemed to savor the process, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"You bought Mundungus's Stunning Potions here, didn't you? We saw everything! He stole quite a bit from us last time. You owe me compensation!" The one-eyed wizard shifted his focus, his wand now aimed at Matthew.

Matthew's right hand moved slightly, and the wand hidden in his sleeve slid into his palm. His voice was low. "What he did with the potions has nothing to do with me. The deal between us is done!"

The one-eyed wizard spotted the wand but sneered dismissively, eyeing Matthew greedily. "There are six of us! Hand over the Galleons if you don't want a taste of the Cruciatus Curse!"

Seeing Matthew unmoved, the impatient one-eyed wizard cast the spell. "Cruciatus Curse!"

Matthew swept his wand swiftly. The most conspicuous bald wizard was pulled forward by his Levitation Charm to block the blinding red light.

"AAAAHHHH!!!" The bald wizard, like Mundungus, couldn't withstand the Cruciatus Curse's pain, convulsing in midair.

Matthew thrust his wand forward, sending the bald wizard crashing into the one-eyed wizard, knocking him to the ground.

The one-eyed wizard lay dazed, pinned under the heavy weight and unable to get up.

"Damn it!" The remaining four wizards, faces twisted with rage, drew their wands and cast spells.

Several magical bolts shot toward Matthew.

The ground tiles in front of Matthew transformed into a massive stone that blocked all the spells. Then, the stone floated up, split into countless fragments, and rained down on the four wizards!

The wizards hastily raised Shield Charms.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The stone fragments struck, kicking up clouds of dust. In the corner of Tumbledown Alley, the air was thick with debris, obscuring everyone from view.

Matthew didn't stop. He waved his wand again, casting spells at several positions from memory.

A sharp sound of breaking air rang out. Four transparent arc wind blades swept forward, followed by several screams.

As the dust settled, three wizards lay on the ground groaning in pain. Only one wizard besides Matthew was still standing.

Matthew walked toward him expressionlessly. With each step, his wand emitted a blue light that struck the wizards on the ground.

The standing wizard stared at Matthew in horror, his hand gripping his wand trembling uncontrollably.

He tried several times to raise his wand but couldn't control his hand. His voice quivered. "Don't come any closer!!!"

A flash of blue light. In the corner of Tumbledown Alley, only Matthew remained standing.

"Avada Kedavra!!!"

The one-eyed wizard, who had been lying on the ground from the start, had regained consciousness! Half-crouched, he raised his wand and cast the Killing Curse at Matthew!

But Matthew hadn't let his guard down. He reflexively dove left, the green beam grazing past his right hand.

As he dove, Matthew fired back a spell at the one-eyed wizard!

A transparent arc wind blade sliced through the one-eyed wizard's neck, and he went silent.

"So poor." After the fight, Matthew only found a few dozen Galleons on the six wizards. At least there were six wands.

Matthew hadn't wanted to get involved. He barely knew Mundungus Fletcher. Those six wizards, blinded by greed, had dragged him into this.

Mundungus sat slumped against the wall, still trembling. The aftereffects of taking two Cruciatus Curses in a row hadn't faded.

He opened his mouth as if to say something but couldn't get the words out.

Matthew took two potions from his Undetectable Extension Charm pocket. "Calming Potion and Soothing Potion. They'll ease the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse."

Once Mundungus took the potions, Matthew put on a warm smile. "That'll be one hundred Galleons total. Thank you for your patronage."

Mundungus's face twitched, a pained expression crossing it, but he nodded and drank both potions.

After drinking them, his complexion improved. He paused to recover, then fumbled in his pockets. After digging around, he only found a little over fifty Galleons.

He pulled out a square wooden music box. "This music box is damaged, but it can slightly disrupt a wizard's magical flow. Can it cover the remaining fifty Galleons?"

Matthew took the music box and examined it closely. It was only palm-sized, exquisitely crafted, with a noticeable crack on one side. It was an alchemical product, and holding it, he could feel a faint magical fluctuation within.

Seeing Matthew's interest, Mundungus said, "Try it. Just wind the spring on the side."

Matthew tried winding the music box's crank. The slightly raised cylinder began turning at a steady pace, but perhaps due to damage, the sound it produced came out in fits and starts.

After hearing the music box's sound, he could feel the magic power within him being slightly disrupted—its flow turning sluggish. However, as long as he focused his mind to circulate his magic, he could cancel out the interference.

Though the disruption was minor, if it suddenly struck during spellcasting, it might have an unexpected effect.

Matthew accepted the music box and nodded. "It can count as fifty Gold Galleons."