Watching in Secret—We Can't Let Charle Rob Us Instead, Can We? (Please Keep Reading)

After receiving this assignment, Tonks, eager to prove herself, immediately used her ability to alter her appearance into that of a man, then hurried from the Auror Training Grounds to Diagon Alley.

With a loud crack of Apparition, Tonks appeared in an open space in Diagon Alley.

Looking at the bustling scene in Diagon Alley, packed with parents bringing young wizards to shop for school supplies, Tonks, who had only just graduated from Hogwarts, felt somewhat sentimental.

"Time really flies. It's another year of new students starting school, while I've already graduated."

As Tonks was lost in thought, she noticed that every shop in Diagon Alley seemed to be somewhat short of stock this year, with long queues lined up outside their doors.

Yet at the same time, shop assistants were carrying boxes that had clearly been enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm toward the Leaky Cauldron.

Tonks's heart stirred, and just as she was about to step forward and ask, several Black-robed Wizards beat her to it, curiously questioning the shop assistants.

"Are all these things for that young wizard Charle too?"

"That much stuff—how many Galleons must that cost?"

"How could one person possibly eat and use it all?"

The shop assistants merely smiled and shook their heads.

"How would we know? But Old Tom from the Leaky Cauldron said he delivers eighty Deluxe Meals to that young wizard Charle every day, and they're all cleared out in less than ten minutes."

"He even suspected that young wizard Charle was raising some Gluttonous Magical Creature in his room. But that's none of our business. He's got money, and he spends it generously and promptly. We just sell him what he wants."

After answering their curious questions, the assistants from the various shops continued delivering goods to Charle.

Tonks, who had overheard the conversation, wore a certain look in her eyes.

"No wonder they sent me to investigate. There's definitely something suspicious about this Charle!"

"All that stuff for one person to eat and use? How could that be possible?"

"Most likely, someone is really advising him from behind the scenes. They found a loophole in the Magical Agreement and are profiting from it."

Tonks's expression grew excited.

In her view, anyone capable of finding a loophole in the Ministry of Magic's agreement had to be a crafty old wizard. They might even be a repeat offender running Magical Agreement Fraud.

Charle had surely been used as well, pushed out front as a scapegoat by those wizards.

This time, she might be able to follow the trail and reel in a big fish!

She gripped her Wand, feeling her heartbeat quicken.

After seven years of study at Hogwarts, she had finally become a Trainee Auror.

The time to make her name was now!

Tonks strode toward the Leaky Cauldron, intending to find a chance to stake out Charle there and see whether any suspicious wizards entered or left his room.

But in her excitement, Tonks failed to notice that the Black-robed Wizards who had questioned the shop assistants earlier cast covert glances at her retreating figure, their eyes full of suspicion.

"That man just now seemed to have been standing nearby, listening in while we gathered information."

"And now he's heading straight for the Leaky Cauldron. Is he after Charle too?"

A dangerous glint appeared in all their eyes.

"A Fellow?"

But moments later, their eyes filled with disdain.

"Doesn't look like it. If he were a Fellow from Knockturn Alley, how could he be so lacking in vigilance?"

"He's probably some Novice who got greedy after seeing the money. His intentions are far too obvious. He'll be easy to deal with and won't pose any threat to us. Just keep an eye on him."

One of the wizards promptly began following Tonks from a distance.

From time to time, he browsed the nearby shops. From time to time, he greeted young wizards and their parents passing by. Yet he always kept a certain distance from Tonks, eventually stopping in an inconspicuous corner outside the Leaky Cauldron.

The other wizards also turned their gazes toward the Leaky Cauldron.

As they watched one huge box after another being delivered inside, greed in their eyes became impossible to suppress.

Charle had been spending money like mad in Diagon Alley these past two days. He had probably spent close to ten thousand Galleons.

Although he was using a Ministry of Magic agreement to claim reimbursement for everything, in the eyes of others, spending lavishly was impressive enough, but being able to get it reimbursed was clearly even more impressive.

A young wizard like that had to come from an extraordinary family with a formidable background.

In other words, he was extremely valuable—perhaps even worth more than an equal weight in gold.

If they casually rifled through one of his Money Bags, it might be filled with more Galleons than they could ever spend!

These Black-robed Wizards from Knockturn Alley had long had their eyes on him, planning to pull a job on Charle.

Once they pulled this job off, who would still struggle in Knockturn Alley, living a life with their heads hanging by a thread?

All that trafficking in prohibited goods just to earn a few coins?!

"But this Charle really is hateful. So what if he has money? Does having money mean he can disrespect people?"

"He makes shop assistants deliver goods to him every day. That's exploitation, that's oppression! According to what I've heard Muggles say, he ought to be hanged from a streetlamp!"

"Would it kill him to come out and collect his own goods? He's making it hard for us to even kidnap him!"

"Now he stays in a room on the second floor of the Leaky Cauldron every day. That place is full of all sorts of people. Kidnapping him there would practically be suicide. What should we do?"

After pondering for a moment, the leading dark wizard proposed an idea.

"Have you noticed? Everything Charle buys is a Magical Item. He hardly accepts ordinary things at all."

"What does that mean? It means he has taste. He doesn't care for ordinary junk—he only wants Magical Items."

"If we can produce a rare Magical Item or magical material, perhaps we can lure him out of the Leaky Cauldron. If we can trick him into Knockturn Alley around dusk, this will be a sure thing."

"The few of us are battle-hardened dark wizards. Subduing a young wizard who hasn't even started school yet—wouldn't that be easy?"

As soon as this proposal was made, the others all nodded in agreement, only for them to run into a crucial question.

"Where are we supposed to get a rare Magical Item or magical material?"

"Do you have one?"

"If we could afford that stuff, would we need to take such risks and come up with a plan like this?"

The leading dark wizard said decisively, "We may not have that many Galleons right now, but we can pool some money and take out a secured loan from Gringotts. At worst, we'll put up our Wands and houses as collateral."

"Think about it. As long as we buy a rare Magical Item and materials, lure Charle out, and pull this job off, what does a little money matter?!"

"At worst, the operation fails. Then we just sell the Magical Item and materials again and lose a little money."

He said half-jokingly, "It's not like the lot of us will fail to kidnap him and get robbed by Charle instead, losing everything, right?"

At that, the other dark wizards all burst out laughing.

After the laughter faded, determination filled their eyes.

"Let's do it!"

"Let's go to Gringotts and take out a secured loan!"