Chapter 1408: Is Tom Dead?
Chapter 1408: Is Tom Dead?
"Good evening, Tom. Are you...planning to close up shop for the day?"
A middle-aged man with brown hair scanned the empty bar and directed his gaze at the bartender, who was wiping down tables. He raised his hand in greeting.
"Not yet, but it's getting there," Old Tom grumbled as he tossed aside his rag, his face filled with gloom. "Business has been terrible lately, and there's a group that keeps freeloading. I'll be out of business soon. What can I get for you?"
"A hot whiskey, please."
The middle-aged man took a seat at the bar.
"I only have the cheapest drinks left in my cellar," Old Tom said as he returned behind the counter and poured a glass of the most inexpensive malt liquor for his long-time customer. "This one's on me."
"You can't be serious about closing down!"
The middle-aged man stared at the free drink in front of him, astonished at the state of affairs at the Leaky Cauldron.
"It's likely just a matter of time," Old Tom shrugged. "Once I sell off the last batch of drinks, I plan to shut this place down."
"What will happen to the Leaky Cauldron then?"
A young red-haired man approached, clearly surprised by Old Tom's decision.
"Nothing much. Whoever wants to take over can do so, but it's a losing business," Old Tom glanced up at the newcomer, and as if remembering something, blurted out, "A bottle of Bowells wine, right?"
"Yes, looks like you still remember," Percy Weasley acknowledged, pulling out a few galleons from his pocket and placing them on the table.
"I've kept it for you since you last wrote to me. Let me get it for you," Old Tom assured. Naturally, he hadn't squandered all the good drinks in his bar. After the Death Eaters had helped themselves, he quietly relocated most of the expensive drinks from his wine cellar; otherwise, he would have been left with nothing but his pants to sell after their 'visits.' "I knew this guy was hiding the good stuff,"
The middle-aged man drained his glass of malt liquor and slammed the empty glass back onto the counter. "Another whiskey, please."
"I'm not selling by the glass anymore. If you want the whole bottle, I can give you a discount," Old Tom lowered his voice. "My remaining stock is limited. Those folks took quite a bit recently..."
Old Tom suddenly clammed up as several unwelcome figures walked into the Leaky Cauldron together.
In fact, they headed straight for the bar, intending to help themselves to the malt liquor in the wine cellar.
This blatant robbery wasn't the first of its kind, and Old Tom didn't even dare to utter a word of protest. He merely signaled to Percy with his eyes, indicating that he should remain silent, and then poured him a glass of malt liquor.
Soon after, a few more individuals entered from outside.
They, too, went straight to fetch drinks, their familiarity suggesting that this wasn't their first time either.
Apparently, drinking wasn't enough, as they started shouting at Old Tom to prepare some food for them.
The latter, being an honest and simple man, simply nodded and headed to the kitchen to prepare a late-night snack.
However, for some reason, Old Tom didn't return from the kitchen.
The group grew impatient and headed to the kitchen themselves, only to find it almost empty. Old Tom was lying on the floor, his forehead covered in blood, and it was unclear if he was alive or dead.
The Death Eaters exchanged uneasy glances, their faces grim as they carried the remaining malt liquor from the wine cellar.
As for Old Tom, who cared if the old man lived or died?
Once the Death Eaters had left, Old Tom slowly emerged from the kitchen, his hand pressed against his forehead. He showed no signs of having fainted or fallen.
"Are you alright?" Percy couldn't help but ask.
"Here, take this. I'm leaving," Old Tom handed something to Percy.
"Are you planning to fake your death?" The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow.
"No, I can't keep this business running anymore. I'm temporarily giving up on the Leaky Cauldron,"
After handing over the bottle of wine that the other man had ordered, Old Tom promptly abandoned the Leaky Cauldron, intending to find another place to continue his business.
"You should head back soon as well,"
The middle-aged man nodded at Percy and turned to leave, leaving behind a bewildered Percy Weasley, still holding the bottle of wine.
"You don't think we can keep this from them, do you?" Old Tom anxiously glanced at his companions.
"We should be able to. They'll most likely believe you're dead, and with a little push, they'll be convinced," Lee Jordan explained that he was actually there to cover Old Tom's retreat.
"That's good," Old Tom breathed a sigh of relief. He had always worried that the other Death Eaters would take out their anger on his family once he left the Leaky Cauldron.
The Death Eaters had no scruples and were capable of anything.
The next day, people heading to Diagon Alley were surprised to find the Leaky Cauldron deserted, with only an empty bar remaining. Many witches and wizards speculated that Old Tom had been killed by Death Eaters.
The guilty Death Eaters had no defense against such accusations, and even when some claimed that Old Tom had simply fallen and died, no one believed their words.
The news of "Old Tom's death" quickly spread throughout Diagon Alley, causing unease among the residents. Everyone knew Old Tom's situation, and many shops temporarily closed down, fearing they would attract similar trouble.
This incident soon made its way to the Witch Weekly, and even though Lee Jordan knew Old Tom was still alive, he chose to fan the flames, ensuring that the infamous Death Eaters garnered even more hatred.
"Aren't you worried they'll find out you're spreading rumors here?" Shana looked at the overly excited Lee Jordan in disbelief.
"I've discussed this with Old Tom, and he agreed," Lee Jordan explained to the group. "He was concerned that certain Death Eaters, upon learning he was still alive, might do something extreme. Faking his death seemed like a good option."
"Oh, and I ran into your brother too,"
"My brother?"
"Percy," the young girl reminded him.
"Oh, what about him?"
"You suspect he might be one of us?" George spoke with a peculiar tone.
"If he were truly on the Death Eaters' side, it would've been hard to convince Old Tom," Lee Jordan found the situation odd.
"No, he's on the side of profit," Fred snickered.
"I recall Percy's girlfriend was in the Association, wasn't she?" Lee Jordan seemed to remember something and asked someone to bring Penelope over. The former Ravenclaw prefect remained calm upon hearing about Percy's situation.
"We've been separated for a long time now. He said he was worried it would affect me, so we parted ways,"
Penelope spoke about the matter indifferently, not even using Percy's name, referring to him as 'he' instead.
"So, that guy is really our spy hidden in the Ministry of Magic?" The Weasley twins stared wide-eyed, finding it hard to believe.
"I don't know. You'll have to ask Albert about that," Penelope walked away.
"It's probably true. It's likely related to Albert somehow," Shana didn't seem surprised. If Percy Weasley had truly joined the Death Eaters, Old Tom wouldn't have gotten away so easily.
(End of Chapter)
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