Knockturn Alley

Although Slytherin's Halloween Bal Masqué had been canceled, Klein "Arthur Pendragon" had still left a deep impression on the young wizards trapped in the bathroom.

So, aside from Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor had gained two more devoted "Klein fans"—Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"Let me tell you, it was absolutely insane. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I'd never have believed it."

At the Gryffindor table, Ron was recounting the previous night's events to a group of friends.

He gestured wildly as he described the Troll's size, then told them how he'd struck the big idiot's knee with a mop.

Caught up in the story, Mr. Weasley even pulled Harry into a reenactment. They showed how they'd been trapped in the bathroom, how the Troll had smashed through the door, and how Klein had made a grand entrance, effortlessly turned the tide, and summoned Divine Guard Knights to escort them back to the common room.

The whole story played out perfectly before the young Gryffindors.

The young wizards in orange-trimmed robes clicked their tongues as they listened. They were still eager for more, and even felt a little envious of Ron and Harry.

It was the kind of experience they might never have in their entire lives.

"Divine Guard Knights."

It sounded so cool!

At the edge of the crowd, Hermione, who seemed to be eating quietly but had been listening intently, couldn't help the corners of her mouth from lifting.

Not far away, the "Klein fans'" stronghold—the Slytherin table—was also abuzz with talk of the previous night.

The girls, led by Pansy Parkinson, and the boys, led by Draco Malfoy, had joined forces for once.

Judging by how excited they were, you'd think they'd been the ones to defeat the Troll.

"Klein only said one word, and that ugly thing couldn't move!"

A Slytherin girl spoke excitedly, prompting a chorus of gasps.

"That's right, I can vouch for it. Klein didn't even use his wand!"

Another girl nodded in agreement, and the gasps grew even louder.

"If only last night's ball hadn't been canceled."

Only a handful of young wizards had seen Klein in costume, and the other Slytherins couldn't help feeling disappointed.

If the ball had gone ahead as planned, they could have seen for themselves what the "Knight King" who defeated the Troll was like.

But the young wizards had no idea that their much-discussed hero, Klein Grindelwald, had already used the Elder Wand to Apparate out of the castle in secret.

London, Knockturn Alley.

The air reeked of Potions mixed with rot. The gray signs lining the street flickered faintly with Magic Light.

Wizards hurried along the street, either covering their faces or hiding them beneath oversized hoods. The few who dared to show their faces mostly wore gloomy expressions, with strange smiles tugging at their lips.

Moving among all these shady wizards, Klein—now completely transformed—breathed in the familiar scent.

Decay, violence, malice.

It was enough to make him nostalgic.

"All right, time to get down to business. I wonder who today's lucky winner will be."

He lingered in his memories for a moment, then quickly came back to himself and continued wandering through the dangerous district as casually as if out for a stroll.

The journey wasn't entirely smooth. The clothes he'd bought from the Transcendent Clothing Store in neighboring Diagon Alley stood out among the tattered robes, attracting plenty of greedy looks.

But once he released a Fiendfyre raven, all the brazen spying stopped.

"Madman!"

The wizards plotting trouble branded Klein the most dangerous sort in their minds, then hurried out of Knockturn Alley.

Could just anyone handle Fiendfyre?

Better run, or you'd die!

"Heh."

Klein chuckled softly.

That was enough.

He was conspicuous enough now. It was time for the big fish to take the bait.

"Tsk. Since when did London have someone like him?"

Caractacus Burke, owner of Borgin and Burkes—"Caractacus" for short—frowned at the unfamiliar man in his crystal ball.

The fellow was like a hungry wolf, brazenly barging into the gathering place of rats.

As one of the bigger "rats" in this nest, Caractacus sensed immense danger coming from the man.

"Hm?"

As he used the crystal ball to spy on the dangerous stranger's movements, Caractacus suddenly caught sight of his shop sign.

The man stopped, as if sensing something, and looked up at Caractacus with an impeccably warm smile.

"You're watching me, aren't you?"

"Gah!"

His heart pounding, Caractacus hurriedly severed the magical connection without a second thought.

But it was too late.

The man had actually pushed open the shop door and walked in!

"Hey, sir, please stay calm. Let me explain!"

Never imagining that his spell would give him away, Caractacus broke into a cold sweat.

He raised both hands to show he meant no harm, while edging toward a certain spot behind the counter.

"If you're counting on that formation to make you feel safe, I'm afraid I'll have to tell you your hopes are doomed to be disappointed."

Klein stepped forward with a smile and brought his foot down on the floor tile, shattering it to pieces.

Terrifying cracks spread out like a web, raising clouds of dust.

Caractacus's eyes widened. He nearly choked.

It broke?

But—

The tile that stored the formation was made of Shuo Jin, wasn't it?

Shuo Jin, which even dragons couldn't easily destroy, had just—

Broken?

"Give up on those useless tricks. If I wanted to kill you, you'd have been dead the moment you used a spell to spy on me."

Klein understood how Caractacus felt, but in the world of Dark wizards—in Knockturn Alley—might made right.

And that worked out nicely.

Who could match him in strength?

"Of course, of course. Dear customer—oh, no, I mean, sir—no, no, Your Excellency—"

Having lost a crucial lifeline in an instant, Caractacus hesitated for only a second before abandoning the idea of drawing his wand.

With his slicked-back hair gleaming, he hurried out from behind the counter, rubbing his hands together and putting on a fawning smile.

The old fox understood now.

He couldn't afford to cross this man.

"Heh."

Klein smiled without replying. He strolled around the shop, occasionally picking up some oddity to inspect.

Caractacus followed behind him, sweat beading on his forehead as regret flooded his heart.

Why on earth had he provoked this calamity?

If he'd known the man was this terrifying, he should have run—even if it meant abandoning the shop.

"Some decent things, but nothing that catches my eye."

Klein dropped a dried monkey's paw and looked disappointed.

"Of course."

Caractacus quietly swallowed and bowed his head respectfully.

"Good. From now on, this place belongs to me."

Seeing how obedient the old man was, Klein decided there was no need to frighten him any further. He delivered his final ultimatum.

This wasn't a negotiation.

It was an order!