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Chapter 274: The Unmasked Disguise
Chapter 274: The Unmasked Disguise
"Which Dark Magic Shop are you talking about?" Ivan asked tentatively.
"Of course, Borgin and Burkes. They've been fighting for so long, and I have no idea which side won", Tom sighed.
Ivan furrowed his brow. He had been holed up in the temporary base for days, searching for a way to change the past, so he hadn't been aware of this incident.
However, with two Dark Magic Shops being attacked in succession, Ivan couldn't help but suspect that there might be a connection.
Was someone specifically targeting the owners of Dark Magic Shops, or was it something else?
A myriad of thoughts flashed through Ivan's mind.
Ivan put on an interested expression and continued to ask, "What happened afterward? Didn't the Aurors investigate? Did they find out who did it?"
"Come on, those Aurors don't have the guts to deal with this kind of thing", Tom said dismissively, taking a swig of Butterbeer and slowly continuing, "Besides, the ones who died were all Dark Wizards. I heard there were even a lot of Werewolves from other places. The Ministry of Magic couldn't be happier if more of them died."
"The order has been much better this month with so many deaths", Tom said with a hint of schadenfreude.
This attack happened a month ago?
Just as Ivan was about to continue asking to see if he could get some useful information, a hand suddenly clamped onto his shoulder.
Ivan instinctively wanted to activate the effect of his Protective Ring to push the person away.
But then he remembered why he was there and suppressed his urge, gripping his Wand with his right hand and calmly turning his head.
The person who had his arm around Ivan's shoulder was a middle-aged wizard with an ordinary appearance but an unusually tall and robust build. His hand clamped onto Ivan's shoulder like a vise, making it impossible for him to move.
"Daniel, what are you doing here? Where are the others?" The middle-aged wizard took the Butterbeer from Ivan's hand with his other hand, took a few swigs, and looked at Ivan suspiciously.
"Of course, we're waiting for you here", Ivan replied calmly.
Then he lowered his voice and complained, "You didn't tell us that woman was so powerful. We took a big hit and got tricked."
"We'll talk about it when we get back!" The middle-aged wizard cut off Ivan's next words, giving Tom a warning glare and then forcibly pulling Ivan away.
Tom shrugged indifferently, putting away the half-drunk Butterbeer.
He wouldn't get involved in this, especially since Ivan's words were vague and didn't reveal anything substantial.
Ivan didn't resist being pulled away, which suited him just fine.
Acting rashly in the Leaky Cauldron wasn't a good idea. The Aurors responsible for protecting Harry were nearby, and a misunderstanding could be disastrous.
Ivan was thus dragged out of the Leaky Cauldron, and the two made their way into a dark alley in Knockturn Alley.
Once they reached a secluded spot, the burly middle-aged wizard suddenly pounced, pinning Ivan against the wall and grabbing his collar, speaking urgently.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?"
So anxious?
Ivan was a bit bewildered. Could it be that one of the attackers who died was a friend of his?
With this thought, Ivan put on a frightened expression and stammered, "When we entered that Dark Magic Shop and fought with the female owner, we accidentally triggered a trap. A Dark Magic item caused an explosion, and many people were injured. In the end, only I managed to escape."
"Where have you been all this time? Why didn't you come to find us?" The middle-aged wizard's eyes were filled with distrust.
"I've been hiding in a dilapidated house in the Eastern Ruins, nursing my wounds. I didn't dare to look for you. The other eight are dead, and I'm the only one left alive, so..." Ivan strained to think of the right words, trying to maintain his cover.
This explanation seemed to ease the middle-aged wizard's suspicion, and he released his right hand, which had been restraining Ivan.
But before Ivan could breathe a sigh of relief, the middle-aged wizard's right fist came crashing down.
Thanks to the protective ring, a transparent magical barrier instantly appeared in front of Ivan.
The punch sent ripples through the barrier, and the force of the impact made the burly middle-aged wizard stagger backward.
"Expelliarmus!" Ivan didn't know how he had been exposed, but he immediately waved his Wand, a bright red light flashing in the dim night.
At such close range, the Disarming Charm missed, and the middle-aged wizard awkwardly rolled on the ground, narrowly avoiding the spell.
"You're not Daniel?!" The middle-aged wizard's face darkened.
"Of course not!" Ivan had no interest in continuing the act, but he still asked curiously, "Did I say something wrong just now?"
The wizard didn't answer, quickly leaping to his feet and dashing toward Ivan, delivering an elbow strike.
The magical barrier protected Ivan again.
The Shield Charm wasn't designed to withstand physical attacks, and after two heavy blows, it began to waver.
Are you even a wizard?
Ivan was frustrated but understood that at such close range, for most wizards, fists were more effective than spells unless they could cast without a Wand!
Fortunately, Ivan wasn't just any wizard. With a mental command, the runes on his Magic Ring lit up.
Before the next punch could hit his face, a pure magical shockwave radiated outward from Ivan.
The towering wizard was instantly thrown back, crashing into the wall behind him.
"Stupefy" Ivan waved his Wand, preparing to subdue the man, but suddenly felt a chill.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A deep male voice sounded from the other side of the alley, and a deep green light shot out of the darkness.
The moment Ivan saw the green light, he threw several buttons in that direction.
In mid-air, the Transfiguration Spell on the buttons was dispelled, and several black, fist-sized rats appeared, blocking the green light. One of the rats was struck by the green light, and the others scattered in terror upon landing.
These rats, transfigured into buttons, were something Ivan had prepared in advance.
The last time, he had almost been killed by Tom-Riddle's Avada Kedavra, and since then, he had been thinking about how to counter the Killing Curse.
The effect of this spell was simple and direct: to end a life, with no known counter or cure once it hit.
There was a way to deal with it, though: find a living creature to intercept the Killing Curse, just like the Phoenix in the Chamber of Secrets last year.
Taking advantage of the moment when Ivan had blocked the Killing Curse, the burly wizard had already gotten back to his feet, and two more figures emerged from the dark alley.
Ivan's expression darkened. It was clear that they had brought him here with a premeditated plan.
(End of Chapter)
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