Strange things often happened at night.
Angelie had just finished her shift. She worked at the hotel's front desk, and after a long day, she collapsed onto her bed and quickly fell asleep.
Then, the cold woke her.
She didn't understand—how could it be so cold in the middle of summer?
Only then did she notice a dark shadow gently swaying beside her bed.
A shadow...
A burglar? A thief?
Her mouth went dry and her heart began to race. She immediately shut her eyes tightly, staying completely still.
I'm asleep. I'm asleep... You can't see me, you can't see me...
A sinister voice sounded: "I know you're awake. Stop pretending."
Angelie rolled to the head of the bed and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.
It gave her a shred of security. Then she looked toward the shadow—
And nearly jumped out of her skin. The shadow only had an upper body, floating in the air, swaying slightly.
You know—like a jelly bean guy in a video game.
So... a ghost?
She calmed down a bit. As long as it wasn't a pervert, she could manage. She was, after all, a proud virgin of twenty years.
Then her eyes rolled back—and she passed out cold.
Help! A ghost!
Frost began to spread outward from the shadow at the center of the room. Ice crystals quickly coated the walls, the floor, and every surface.
Beneath the black robe, only a pair of glowing red eyes could be seen—nothing else. Not because of the darkness, but because the shadow's face was nothing but those red glowing eyes.
The terrifying sight made Angelie too scared to breathe.
"I own a shop," the shadow said. "I need you to work for me. Same job as now. Location: London. Pay: triple."
It took Angelie a lot of effort to understand what those words even meant.
Was she being recruited... to work in the underworld? No way! I'm still young!
Trembling, she asked, "C-can I... say no?"
The shadow laughed: "Heh... heheh... what do you think?"
The chilling, eerie laughter made her blood run cold.
"Are you... the devil?" Angelie felt like she was making a deal with a demon.
"The devil trades in souls. I only need your body."
"My body?!" Angelie screamed and hugged herself tightly. "No, no! I'm saving my first time for my boyfriend!"
"...I mean I want you to work for me."
"Oh..."
The shadow tossed a piece of parchment onto the bed. "Enough nonsense. Are you signing or not?"
"I-I'll sign..." Angelie's eyes were brimming with tears.
"Oh, and although the workplace is in London, it's technically in another world. All the customers are... non-human. You'd best mentally prepare yourself."
"Read the contract carefully."
Angelie hurriedly glanced over it, afraid to spend too long reading and anger the shadow.
There were only a few terms.
The shadow handed her a quill.
Why are these hands so pale... so small? The thought flashed through her mind.
As soon as she wrote her name at the bottom of the parchment, it burst into flames. The ink transformed into a glowing brand seared into the aged paper.
Satisfied, the shadow took back the contract. "Good. It's done. You're now my employee. Just so you know, this contract is magically binding. If you break it... well, I won't hurt you or anything. You'll just become blind, deaf, and mute. Heheh…"
"You'll start work in two months. Someone will come for you."
Under Angelie's horrified gaze, the shadow vanished as if swallowed by darkness. The door opened and closed as if by an invisible hand.
The unmelted frost in the room told Angelie this wasn't a dream. She collapsed back onto her bed, limp.
…
…
Back in his room, the shadow removed the robe and took off his mask—revealing Harry's youthful but strikingly handsome half-blood face.
"Heheh, I'm a genius."
"Sure, I'm technically not allowed to use magic as a minor, but with these little props, I can bluff my way through anything."
Invisibility cloak—Harry wrapped it around his lower body, making him look terrifying. Perfect for setting a spooky mood.
A freezing orb bought in Diagon Alley—completely useless as a magical tool. It was just a toy meant for entertaining children. It froze things, that's all.
Normally, housewives used it in kitchens to chill food or in summer to freeze a pond for kids to skate on.
But it added to the creepy atmosphere. Besides, what—was he supposed to smack his future employee awake with his hand? Freezing her awake was far classier. Plus, cold temperatures dull cognitive function—like hibernation. Not too extreme, but enough to keep someone from realizing something's off.
Then there was the Scary Mask. Yes, that was literally its name. It only cost Harry two bronze Knuts.
Just a plain white mask with two red dots drawn on it.
But once you put it on, your face turned into a black void—devouring all light—and the red dots pulsed faintly like eerie, glowing eyes.
Lots of wizards used it to spook Muggles. Just like they liked using Engorgement and Shrinking Charms to mess with Muggles' car keys for fun.
…
Harry kept at it, and things went smoothly—almost too smoothly.
It was going so well, he could barely believe it.
But then he thought—if he were just an ordinary person and something like this happened to him, what would he do?
Hmmm...
He'd probably say, "Please, master! Teach me how to cultivate immortality! Or psychic powers! Or at least let me transmigrate with a cheat code to another world!"
With that in mind...
No wonder the Muggles all obediently signed the soul-binding contracts. Perfectly reasonable!
One, two, three…
Front desk clerks, managers, chefs, servers…
The poor Charlotte Street Hotel was being hollowed out by Harry, one staff member at a time.
Still, Harry had a conscience. You couldn't pluck just one sheep—you had to shear them all! So he planned to hit up every international hotel nearby. No rush—the Leaky Cauldron wasn't even renovated yet.
His plan was to finish renovations within two months and open before the start of term.
…
In the morning, Harry stepped out of his room, refreshed and energized.
Walking across the spotless, polished lobby floor, he noticed many staff members looking pale and unrested. Clearly, this was Harry's handiwork.
Angelie was back at the front desk. She wore a polite smile, but her inner thoughts were in chaos.
She listlessly stared at passing guests.
That unforgettable little boy had left the hotel alone—but alas, he had chopped off that beautiful hair she'd been so jealous of.
She'd wanted to greet him, maybe tease him a bit, pat his head or pinch his cheeks—but the way he looked at her made her freeze.
Why did it feel like he was looking at his pet?
…
Harry continued scouting the nearby international hotels.
Laying the groundwork, of course.
…
Night came again—it was time for action.
After a few nights, Harry figured he had enough people, and finally stopped.
He had successfully gutted three or four hotels—his victory was undeniable.
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