Encounter

After eating and drinking their fill, the three sat around digesting and chatting, and the conversation inevitably turned to the Dark Lord and the Death Eaters.

"They're nothing but a bunch of venomous snakes hiding in the corners, good for nothing except jumping out to bite you when you let your guard down." Hagrid clearly held the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters in great contempt.

"But things have been pretty quiet lately, haven't they? There haven't been any reports about Death Eaters in the papers for a while." Anduin looked at Hagrid's indignant expression and asked.

"Burp, those blasted bastards have gone into hiding again, but don't let your guard down. They're definitely cooking up some new scheme. But we've still got Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix, and I believe we'll win this war." Hagrid let out a burp and said.

"Isn't the Ministry of Magic fighting them too? Why did Dumbledore need to set up the Order of the Phoenix?" Anduin still had doubts in his heart. After all, wouldn't a private armed force like the Order make the Ministry suspicious? Wars should be fought with regular armies, right? Anduin had served in the military in his previous life, so he didn't see the point of such private organizations.

"The Dark Lord is very good at corrupting people's minds. The Ministry of Magic can't be fully trusted, because there are plenty of people there who support the Dark Lord's ideals and serve him. No one knows if there are Death Eaters hiding among them." Hagrid finished speaking, then suddenly leaned in with a mysterious expression and whispered, "And a lot of Ministry Aurors have joined the Order too. Like Dumbledore said, we have to fight secrecy with secrecy."

Hagrid's eyebrows danced and his face lit up as he explained to Anduin, as if showing off.

Wait, you're just casually spilling this kind of intelligence to me?

Watching Hagrid drunkenly blabbering information everywhere, Anduin suddenly felt very worried about their prospects.

The two chatted at the Leaky Cauldron until very late. That bottle of Redcurrant Rum was drained dry by Hagrid and Tom. With bleary eyes, Hagrid realized it was past curfew and quickly said goodbye to Anduin, preparing to head back to school.

"How are you getting back? The Floo Network at the Leaky Cauldron broke down a while ago. Those blasted Death Eaters have the Ministry of Magic running around like headless chickens, and the Magical Transportation Department can't spare anyone to fix it." Tom, equally drunk, reminded him.

By this time, most shops in Diagon Alley were already closed, and the ones offering Floo Network services were all shut.

"I can go to Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burkes there offers Floo Network service even late at night, but it's a shop that specializes in Dark Magic items. A lot of the stuff there is dangerous."

Anduin saw Hagrid wobbling toward the door and worried he might pass out drunk on the roadside. Considering that Diagon Alley had been peaceful lately and shouldn't be too dangerous, and feeling unusually hot-headed after eating the Dragon Liver, he offered to escort him partway.

Tom was already slumped over the table, dead drunk, and Hagrid's mind was foggy with alcohol, so he agreed without much thought.

The two walked along Diagon Alley until they reached Borgin and Burkes. The owner was nowhere to be seen behind the counter, probably busy with something. Anduin looked around, finding everything fascinating—a terrifying mask hanging on the wall, a glass eyeball that kept staring at people, and a shriveled human hand resting on a cushion inside a glass case.

"Burp, Anduin, you'd better head back. Knockturn Alley isn't a safe place. Don't touch anything here—you never know if there's some unknown curse on it." Hagrid let out a belch, warned Anduin, then walked into the shop's fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and shouted "Hogsmeade!" before vanishing in a burst of green flames.

"Doesn't the owner here worry about people stealing things?" Anduin looked around and saw the shop was completely empty, but he didn't dare touch anything on the counter.

Stepping out of Borgin and Burkes, Anduin got his bearings and headed toward the exit.

Suddenly, just as Anduin was about to leave the alley where the shop was located, a blurry figure materialized out of thin air ahead of him.

Anduin recognized it as the effect of Apparition. He froze for a moment, then frowned. It looked like he had stumbled into trouble.

But Anduin reacted quickly. He crouched low and pressed himself behind a pillar by the side of the alley.

At this point, Anduin was in the middle of the alley, which was part of Knockturn Alley. It connected to many shops on both sides, with several half-protruding stone pillars offering cover. Some boxes and barrels were stacked along the walls. Lowering himself further, Anduin quickly extinguished the oil lamp in his hand to avoid being spotted.

The person ahead seemed to be fleeing from someone, running into the alley and knocking over a few wooden crates in his haste. Probably too nervous to notice anyone crouching by the roadside, he rushed past Anduin and deeper into the alley.

Anduin breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he hadn't been spotted. Once this person left the alley, he could safely get out. He still didn't know if this person was friend or foe, so it was best to avoid exposure.

But then, two streams of black smoke suddenly fell from the air, materializing into two figures in black robes and skull masks.

As soon as they appeared, one of them raised a hand and shot a curse at the fleeing figure ahead. The man running saw his pursuers closing in and didn't keep fleeing—that would just expose his back to the enemy. Instead, he whipped out his wand and flicked it, deflecting the incoming curse to the side.

"Bang!" A wooden barrel by the roadside was shattered by the curse, sending splinters flying.

Then came a volley of spells from both sides, a chaotic clatter filling the air.

The situation now was that the fleeing man was at one end of the alley, while the two masked figures were about a dozen meters away, launching continuous attacks. Anduin was crouched not far behind them.

Anduin's face twisted with bitterness. What a stroke of bad luck. The recent calm had made him let his guard down, and eating that Dragon Meat had left him hot and restless, clouding his judgment. This was still wartime—he shouldn't have been wandering around late at night.

Even an idiot could tell the two who appeared were Death Eaters. He had no idea if the other guy was an Auror or someone from the Order. Anduin took a few deep breaths to steady himself, thinking about how to get out of this mess.

The fight was still deadlocked, with spells flying and insults traded.

"Snivellus, don't think I can't recognize you just because you're wearing a mask. I can smell your stench from a hundred meters away." In the darkness, the flashes of spells illuminated both sides. The lone fighter, with shoulder-length black hair and a defiant look, laughed and cursed amid the chaos.

"Sirius, you idiot still have breath to talk? Think about your last words. We won't let you escape this time." The one called Snivellus fired spells furiously while sneering coldly.

"Stop wasting words with him. Finish him off. The master is waiting for our report." The other Death Eater urged impatiently, stepping back a few paces and muttering incantations, apparently preparing some powerful spell to take down Sirius in one go.