Chapter 485: The Desolate Diagon Alley
Chapter 485: The Desolate Diagon Alley
After a few minutes, the colorful mist surrounding Gill gradually faded and disappeared as she absorbed it. Gill quickly regained her senses, but the moment she did, she stared blankly and clung tightly to the Rose Crystal, bursting into tears. "I swear I haven't done anything bad, don't throw me away."
Having heard Liam's explanation, the Rose Crystal immediately understood that Gill's counterpart in this world might not be a good person. She struggled out of Gill's embrace and flew up to Gill's eye level, speaking each word carefully and seriously: "What you saw is just the history of another you in this world. Don't confuse her with you. In my eyes, you are just my daughter, and you don't need to bear the sins that don't belong to you."
Liam and Hermione also nodded at Gill with a smile. Seeing this, Gill, tears still streaming down her face, smiled. She now truly felt that this place was her real home.
After everyone's emotions had settled down, Liam and the others tidied up and used Apparition to arrive in London. Fortunately, the Apparition technique learned in China had some differences from that in Britain, so the Ministry of Magic couldn't trace their movements. Before leaving, Hermione had wanted to change Gill's clothes, but Gill politely declined. She smiled, a smile fitting her age, and spun around. Her tattered cloak transformed into a beautiful black coat with simple silver patterns.
After arriving in London, they decided to have lunch first before exploring the streets. They planned to visit Diagon Alley in the afternoon and have dinner there. Gill was filled with curiosity about modern London, asking the Rose Crystal questions about everything, whether they were eating or shopping. The Rose Crystal patiently answered each one.
After a stroll down Oxford Street, the four of them left and headed for Diagon Alley. It was about ten days before the start of the school year, and they had received the book list from the school on August 1st. They could now take advantage of the day to buy everything they needed.
Upon entering Diagon Alley through the Leaky Cauldron, they were surprised to find that the place looked completely different from before. The colorful spell books, potion ingredients, and cauldrons that used to fill the shop windows were now hidden behind large posters from the Ministry of Magic. These intimidating purple posters were mostly enlarged versions of the safety warnings from the Ministry's summer pamphlets, and some featured black-and-white moving photos of wanted Death Eaters.
Several shop windows were boarded up with broken planks, including Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and Ollivanders Wand Shop. The entire street had a sense of decay, and the numerous shabby stalls that had suddenly appeared on both sides only added to this feeling.
"Repelling spirits?" Liam read the sign on one of the stalls, which displayed a long string of silver charms with chains. "Opportunists are everywhere, I can guarantee that these things—"
"Are completely useless", Gill added, picking up a charm with a determined look.
The people on the street also reflected the same unease as their surroundings. Many passersby wore troubled and anxious expressions, and no one stopped to chat. Shoppers moved in small groups, heading straight for what they needed, as if no one was shopping alone.
"No wonder Ginny said that Diagon Alley is far less appealing than it used to be. It feels like there are a hundred Dementors here. There's not a hint of happiness", Hermione muttered, recalling the letter Ginny had sent after her shopping trip. At the time, Liam and the others thought that the only commercial street in the British Wizarding World wouldn't be as bad as described in the letter. But now, seeing the state of Diagon Alley, they realized it was even worse than described.
In this situation, they had no mood for shopping. After quickly buying the robes, elixirs, textbooks, and owl food they needed, the four of them left Diagon Alley as quickly as possible. However, just as they were about to leave through the Leaky Cauldron, a black-robed figure who had been drinking stood up and followed them.
“Someone is tailing us,” Gill whispered as they boarded the bus. Liam nodded; he had noticed a suspicious individual trying to follow them before they got on. “Let’s pretend we didn’t see him. It’s too risky to act here and risk hurting innocent bystanders. We’ll try to lead him away and take him down, then see what we can find out.”
So, Liam and the others pretended nothing was amiss as they took the bus eastward. As the sun began to set, they arrived in the South Asian immigrant neighborhood in East London. This area was chaotic enough for them to catch the stalker without drawing attention.
The person following them clearly hoped to find a chaotic spot to catch Liam and his group. He had been quietly trailing them the whole way, but as soon as Liam and the others got off the bus, he hurriedly stood up and followed.
The streets were relatively empty after dark. Liam and his group walked briskly along the main road for a while, then suddenly turned into a small alley. The black-robed figure hesitated for a moment before rushing to catch up. When he entered the alley, he found his four targets had vanished. Just as he was about to turn back, he felt something strike his skull, and he blacked out.
“Good job,” Liam said, giving Gill a thumbs up. Gill blushed and looked down. They had used the Wraiths' ability to transform between physical and ethereal states, allowing Gill to hide in the wall and ambush the stalker. This tactic had proven effective.
Next came the interrogation. The four of them dragged the stalker to a secluded corner and set up magical defenses. Initially, they planned to question him gently, but when they rolled up his left sleeve and saw the Death Eater mark, they decided to use harsher methods to extract information quickly.
Gill volunteered for the task. She conjured a bucket of cold water to wake the stalker, then produced a short dagger and began cutting off his fingers one by one. The Death Eater was far more fragile than they had expected, lacking any resolve. By the time she had severed three of his left fingers, he was spilling everything.
It turned out he had been following them because of their Muggle attire. Seeing them in such clothes at the Leaky Cauldron without adult supervision, the Death Eater had planned to punish these "dirty Mudbloods" and even do worse. He hadn't anticipated that these seemingly young students would be so formidable.
Additionally, Liam learned that the stalker was a Dark Wizard from Albania who had followed Voldemort during the last war, though he had been on the periphery. When he heard Voldemort had returned, he rushed to kiss the Dark Lord's feet. Voldemort, recognizing him as an old follower, rewarded him with the Death Eater mark.
Becoming a full Death Eater had unleashed the repressed evil desires he had harbored for over a decade. He had been involved in the Brockdale Bridge attack.
“Alright, let’s clean this up. We have our next move to make,” Liam said, noting how this group action was helping Gill integrate into their family.
Without hesitation, Gill slit the stalker's throat. Her skilled technique and the smile on her face revealed how long she had been looking forward to this. As a Wraith, her values on certain matters differed significantly from those of humans. Hermione frowned at the sight, not because she opposed eliminating terrorists, but because she found the joy in killing disturbing.
Sensing Hermione's discomfort, Gill promised that she would only take a life if ordered to do so by the three of them. As Rose Crystal opened a portal to dispose of the body and clean the area, Gill reassured Hermione.
“Let’s go save the hostages,” Liam said once everything was taken care of. From the interrogation, they had learned that a nearby Death Eater hideout held several unimportant hostages and Muggles used for their twisted amusement. They planned to rescue the captives before word of their actions spread.
(End of Chapter)
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