Deep in a remote mountain wilderness lay a secluded valley, rarely visited by anyone.
At the valley entrance, two wizards under Invisibility Cloaks crouched in the treetops, keeping their eyes fixed on a stretch of rocky ground inside.
The August wind left them irritable, and the younger wizard complained.
"Damn it, how long do we have to keep watching?"
"Hey, losing patience already? This cushy job pays a hundred Galleons a month. All we have to do is watch. Where else would you find work this easy?"
"But it's so boring. Anyway, is there really a safe house protected by the Fidelius Charm over there?"
"Jack, don't you know the rules? Do you want to stop getting jobs? Go back to wandering Knockturn Alley? Or put down your wand and return to the Muggle world?"
"All right, all right, I shouldn't have asked. Huh, wait. Look-is something happening over there?"
The Black family home.
Inside the underground spell-training room.
Shawn stood straight, his eyes closed in thought. Suddenly, he opened them and swept his replacement wand forward.
"Thunder Shadow Severing Charm!"
A crescent of translucent purple light slashed sideways toward the ten puppets lined up opposite him.
Crack! Crack! Crack...
The five-meter-long spell sliced every puppet in two, leaving their upper halves scattered across the floor. The cuts were smooth and clean.
Looking somewhat dissatisfied, Shawn rubbed his chin and continued thinking.
He had combined Sectumsempra with Thunder Blade to create this spell. Its power was merely adequate at his current level, and it worked reasonably well against groups. Thunderbolt corrosion had replaced the original curse effect that prevented wounds from healing.
Shawn had also envisioned the spell activating without a sound or visible trace.
But despite a month spent refining and testing this Thunder Shadow Concealment Charm, consulting