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Chapter 160: Gathering Information
Chapter 160: Gathering Information
Felix suddenly remembered a campus legend from Hogwarts. A Ravenclaw student had read through all the books in the common room in a single night, a feat considered an inexplicable miracle.
Perhaps it was the effect of this magic.
He carefully sensed the surroundings, but the magic seemed to have completely vanished, leaving no trace. After some thought, he decisively switched his perspective.
In the pale and black world, he could barely see the faint points of Magic gathering. He pressed his nose to the air and vaguely made out a magical vortex.
"The magic is slowly recovering."
"I wonder who the next lucky Ravenclaw student will be?"
Felix left the place.
The sky had already darkened, and he returned to his office. A small House-elf stood at the door.
"Dobby?"
The elf looked up, surprised and delighted. "Mr. Heap!"
Inside the office, Felix handed him a bottle of Butterbeer. "We're out of Pumpkin Juice and fruit juice, but this tastes good too, and it has very little alcohol."
Dobby quickly thanked him.
Felix noticed his new attire. "So, you've escaped from the Malfoys?"
"Yes, Mr. Heap, you can't imagine how lucky Dobby has been..." He began recounting his amazing experiences.
Felix smiled as he listened to Dobby's story.
"You've had quite the luck, Dobby."
Dobby said excitedly, "Thanks to the great Harry Potter! He saved Dobby!"
"Do you have any plans for the future?"
"Plans? Dobby wants to earn more money to save up for Mr. Potter's birthday gift, even though it's difficult..." Dobby pulled out a small palm-sized box from his pocket. "This is a gift for Mr. Felix Hepworth."
Felix took it with interest and was surprised to find that it wasn't a shabby item.
"It looks very intricate, but I can't tell what it is."
"It's a music box, sir." The elf looked at him nervously. "It didn't cost much... Dobby earned it working at the Leaky Cauldron. The owner is very kind, paying two silver sickles a week."
Soon, Dobby bid farewell, praising the Butterbeer. "It tastes great, Dobby really likes it, and I'll recommend it to my friends."
Felix watched him disappear, thinking to himself that two silver sickles a week was a reasonable wage, and he could afford to hire Dobby.
I'll ask him next time if he's interested.
Time flew by, and on July 14th, Felix's figure appeared in a hidden corner of a street in Paris, France. He walked into a narrow, dark alley.
A man in a hood leaned against the wall, his right hand in his pocket. He glanced at Felix—Felix's face became blurry and distorted, his silver eyes glowing faintly.
The man instinctively avoided his gaze and spoke in French. "What are you here for?"
"It's none of your business. Just know that I'm not your enemy." Felix took out a brown wand, the silver glow in his eyes intensifying.
"Alright, just remember not to cause trouble. I doubt anyone would provoke you."
The man reluctantly moved aside, revealing an empty wall behind him.
Felix smiled, walking straight toward the wall. He passed through it, creating ripples in the air, and his figure disappeared.
The man watched his back, then turned to keep an eye on the alley's entrance.
...
Felix looked at the scene inside—a makeshift bar with various wooden crates of different sizes, magically assembled to serve as tables and chairs.
Two Wizards wearing hooded cloaks were loudly arguing not far from him, a silver artifact displayed between them.
"Ten Galleons!"
"No way, at least twelve!"
Similar scenes played out in this small space, though most Wizards concealed their appearances with their hoods.
This was a dark market and bar in Paris, France.
Felix stood at the front, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, regardless of their hidden eyes. When his silver-glowing eyes landed on someone, these Wizards either met his gaze fearlessly or quickly looked away, muttering curses under their breath.
In the black market, displaying strength was a smart move, the best way to blend in with strangers.
Felix quickly spotted his target at a makeshift bar counter built from wooden crates. A disheveled Wizard with unkempt hair was guzzling cheap beer in large gulps.
"Aladdin, long time no see", he said in a raspy voice.
The Wizard looked up, his cheeks rough and one of the few not hiding his face, "Oh, it's you. Want a drink?"
"No, have there been any interesting developments in Paris recently?"
"Does a lot of foreigners count?"
"Be specific."
"Two Galleons."
"Clank!" Two golden coins dropped onto the crate in front of him, making a clear clinking sound.
Aladdin grinned, pocketing the coins. He suddenly shouted at the others, "What are you looking at? This isn't for you!"
The others quickly averted their gazes.
"Over the past week, many foreigners have arrived, all claiming to be Muggle studies experts. They're here for a conference, with the Ministry of Magic handling security."
"That's not very interesting, Aladdin", Felix said, staring into his eyes.
"Hey! Don't look at me like that. Do you want to know about the time I wet my pants as a kid?" Aladdin said rudely, turning his head. "Alright, it's just that I can't beat you, otherwise..."
"There was a bit of a problem; they were attacked", he said.
"What kind of attack? Did they catch anyone?" Felix pressed.
"No, those Muggle experts are useless. A couple of people breached the conference, and within a minute, they took down over a dozen attendees", Aladdin said with disdain.
"What about the French Ministry of Magic's Aurors?"
"They were outside. The woman from America is said to be very arrogant; she's the head of this conference." Aladdin shrugged. "I bet the attack was orchestrated by them."
"Why do you think that?"
Aladdin looked around and lowered his voice, "Do you want to know? Want first-hand information? I paid a high price for it."
"Clank clank clank clank."
Four more golden Galleons landed on the crate, and Aladdin beamed.
"If the information doesn't satisfy me..."
"Don't worry! It's worth it."
Then, he revealed a secret, "They say the attackers were very bold. They warned the woman and left a bloodstained badge."
"What kind of badge?"
"From Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
Felix fell silent.
"Pretty harsh, right? There are over a thousand students there. They're in a panic, and six of the seven Americans left the day of the attack."
"Did anyone die?"
"No, which is why they were so bold. They came to make a statement."
Felix left the dark market, looking up at the bright sky. In the distance, people chatted leisurely, a young couple pushing a stroller slowly under the linden trees.
"I have a bad feeling about this trip."
(End of Chapter)
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