Sirius

"A good opportunity." Anduin thought it over briefly and decided he couldn't just sit and wait for death. He didn't expect the two to finish their fight and simply leave, and hoping they wouldn't notice him was pure fantasy.

Anduin seized the moment, rose, and raised his wand. A 'Impediment Jinx' shot out like an invisible cannonball toward the man. After firing the spell, Anduin ducked low and dashed straight toward the person behind the 'Slug'.

Avery and Snape had finally tracked down Sirius Black's whereabouts today, following him all the way to Knockturn Alley. They were just about to build up power for a strong curse to take Sirius down in one go when a spell suddenly shot out from behind them.

Avery was startled out of his wits. He abandoned the curse he was charging, spun around in a hurry, and flung out a Shield Charm with all his might to block the incoming attack. Then he reflexively fired off a curse, but as his gaze followed the spell flying away, he saw no enemy anywhere. After a careful scan, he looked down and found a short figure had already closed in right in front of him.

Anduin pressed low and charged up to Avery. He stomped his left foot on the ground, swung his right leg hard in a leftward arc, and lashed a right roundhouse kick at Avery's wand-holding right hand.

The kick landed true. Avery's right wrist throbbed with pain, and his wand was knocked away. Avery was shocked and immediately tried to fall back, intending to get closer to Snape first.

His reaction wasn't slow, but his opponent was faster. Before he could retreat two steps, Anduin pressed his advantage without mercy. After sweeping the wand away with his right leg, he turned on the spot, planted his right foot forward, and whipped his left leg around in a spinning kick that struck Avery square in the lower abdomen.

'Ugh.' Avery took that kick, the pain nearly making him vomit his dinner, and his body curled forward uncontrollably.

But Anduin's 'combo' wasn't over yet. After the kick, he straightened up, took a heavy step forward with his left foot, grabbed Avery's head with both hands, and drove his right knee up with full force, slamming it straight into Avery's face.

'Thud.' Avery took that head-butting knee strike full-on with his face, blood spraying everywhere as he flew backward, hit the ground, and passed out cold.

Anduin's entire flurry of strikes had taken only an instant. After finishing off this man, he didn't pause for a moment—he raised his wand and fired a compressed 'Impediment Jinx' straight at Snape ahead.

Snape, who had been exchanging spells with Sirius up front, reacted by now. But in these urgent circumstances, he still calmly flicked his wand to deflect a curse from Sirius, then spun back and hurled out a spell with all his might.

'Sectumsempra.'

With a 'swish,' a spell shot from Snape's wand.

The two spells collided midair. Anduin's 'Impediment Jinx' was sliced cleanly in two like a watermelon by Snape's spell, which continued undiminished toward Anduin.

Anduin was stunned. Such a fierce spell?

He poured all his strength into another 'Impediment Jinx,' condensing it into a shield in front of him. But the shield still couldn't fully block that 'Sectumsempra' curse; he could only watch as it slowly cut through the barrier before his eyes.

Seeing the situation turn dire, Anduin was about to roll aside to dodge when suddenly a flash of light erupted on him. Another shield materialized, blocking the attack for him, and on that shield, a silver-white doe appeared.

Snape saw his strike fail and noticed the magical shield formed by the doe standing before Anduin. His eyes flickered for a moment. He didn't continue attacking Anduin but instead casually fired a spell at Sirius, then lunged over to Avery and vanished on the spot with a 'Apparition.'

Anduin let out a long, rough breath. That was terrifying. Was this the kind of magic adults used? If not for that mysterious shield suddenly appearing, he might have been done for.

Anduin thought for a moment, then pulled a copper piece from his shirt pocket—the 'protective charm' Lily Potter had given him. The copper's luster had dimmed noticeably.

So it was this protective charm from Lily that saved me. I didn't expect this so-called protective charm to actually protect me.

While Anduin was lost in thought, Sirius at the other end of the alley saw the danger had passed and hurried over to see who had saved him.

Anduin, sensing someone approaching, quickly raised his wand in alert, its tip pointing at the man from a distance.

"Hey, young wizard, no need to be nervous. I'm not a Death Eater. Was it you who just drove off Snape and Avery, those two Death Eaters?" Sirius said as he got close, only to find an underage wizard.

"I'm not that capable. I just snuck up and attacked one of them while they weren't paying attention," Anduin replied, still watching the man warily.

"Ha, I'm Sirius Black. You can just call me Sirius. I have to say, your moves are really impressive. I saw it all—you knocked that guy out with a few punches and kicks." Sirius laughed heartily.

"Just luck. And I almost got killed by that guy you called Snape. Are you an Auror? Or a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" Anduin asked cautiously.

"You know about the Order of the Phoenix?" Sirius looked at him with some surprise. "That's right, I'm a member of the Order. It's almost an open secret by now."

"I see. What a coincidence. I'm Anduin Wilson." Anduin finally relaxed a little and smiled.

"Nice to meet you. That protective charm you used just now was really impressive—doesn't seem like something a young wizard could cast." Sirius praised with a laugh.

"That was the protective charm Lily gave me. I don't have the skill to use such a powerful spell," Anduin said with a sigh.

"Lily? You mean Lily Potter? You know Lily Potter?" Sirius looked at the young man, surprised to find he knew his good friend.

"Yeah, I met her before when I was buying school supplies. Her husband James was there too. She gave me such a valuable protective charm the first time we met—I don't know how to thank her." Anduin recalled the meeting with Lily, never expecting she'd casually gift him something so precious.

"Ha, Lily is a very kind person. I entered Hogwarts the same year as both of them. They're my most trusted friends," Sirius said with a smile.

"Since you know them too, we're friends now. I'll just call you Anduin. And you said you're about to start school? You mean you're a new student who hasn't even enrolled yet?" Sirius was startled. An unenrolled young wizard taking down a Death Eater alone—that was something he hadn't expected. Judging by Anduin's build, he'd assumed this was a third- or fourth-year student.

Just as Anduin and Sirius were talking, several people suddenly 'Apparated' beside them.