Disguised, Matthew's expression was cold and unreadable, his eyes carrying a faintly sinister edge.
Without a word, he reached into his Extension Charm pouch and took out twenty vials of purple potion.
"Twenty Draughts of Living Death. You can check them if you like."
The short, stocky wizard rubbed his hands together eagerly.
"This isn't our first deal—I trust you, German!"
Even so, after taking the potions, he still uncorked one and sniffed it, a satisfied look appearing on his face. Then he pulled out a pouch of Galleons and handed it over.
"Payment and goods settled!"
The man was Mundungus Fletcher, a petty thief. He had bought quite a few of these potions from Matthew before, often using them to knock people out before robbing them.
Just as Matthew finished counting the coins, six black-robed wizards surrounded them in a loose semicircle.
Their eyes were fixed greedily on the Galleons in Matthew's hand.
The one leading them, a one-eyed wizard, pointed his wand at Mundungus.
"Mundungus! Finally caught you!"
At the sound of his name, Mundungus trembled, fear flashing across his face. He immediately turned to flee—but they had chosen this secluded corner precisely to avoid attention. Now, it worked against him.
Realizing escape was impossible, he forced a smile.
"Reno, I don't recall being hostile to you. We even had a drink together last time."
The one-eyed wizard sneered.
"Don't remember? Then let me help you recall."
"Crucio!"
"AAAAAAH!!!"
Mundungus collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. His body convulsed as if being torn apart piece by piece.
It felt as though his skull was about to split open. The pain left him unable to do anything but writhe helplessly on the ground.
"Still can't remember?" the one-eyed wizard jeered. "Crucio!"
Another flash of red struck him. The overwhelming pain erased all thought, leaving only instinctive convulsions.
The one-eyed wizard seemed to revel in it, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
Then he turned his attention to Matthew.
"You're the one who sold him those potions, aren't you? We saw everything. He stole quite a bit from me last time—you can compensate me instead."
His wand was already aimed at Matthew.
Matthew's right hand twitched slightly. The wand hidden in his sleeve slipped into his grip.
"What he does with those potions has nothing to do with me. Our deal is already settled."
The one-eyed wizard glanced at Matthew's wand, but a trace of disdain flickered in his eyes.
"There are six of us. If you don't want to experience the Cruciatus Curse yourself, hand over the Galleons."
Seeing that Matthew didn't move, the impatient wizard immediately cast:
"Crucio!"
Matthew reacted instantly.
With a flick of his wand, he yanked the most conspicuous bald wizard forward using a Levitation Charm, using him as a shield against the incoming red curse.
"AAAAAAH!!!"
Just like Mundungus, the bald wizard convulsed violently in midair, unable to withstand the agony of the Cruciatus Curse.
With another motion of his wand, Matthew sent the bald wizard crashing into the one-eyed wizard, knocking him flat to the ground.
The one-eyed wizard lay there, dazed and pinned beneath the weight, unable to get up.
"Damn it!"
The remaining four wizards flew into a rage and drew their wands, firing spells toward Matthew.
Matthew transfigured the paving stones in front of him into a massive rock, blocking every spell.
Then the rock lifted into the air—
—and shattered into countless fragments, hurtling toward them like a storm of projectiles!
The four wizards hurriedly cast Shield Charms.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The stones struck, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the corner of Knockturn Alley, obscuring everything from view.
Matthew didn't stop.
Relying on memory, he swung his wand again, casting spells toward several precise locations.
A sharp slicing sound rang out—
Four transparent crescent wind blades swept forward.
Cries of pain followed.
As the dust gradually settled, three wizards lay on the ground groaning in agony.
Only one remained standing—besides Matthew.
Matthew walked toward him expressionlessly. With each step, a streak of blue light shot from his wand, striking the fallen wizards.
The last standing wizard stared at Matthew in terror, his wand trembling uncontrollably in his hand.
Several times he tried to raise it, but failed.
"Don't come any closer!!!"
A flash of blue—
And now, the only one left standing in that corner of Knockturn Alley was Matthew.
"Avada Kedavra!!!"
The one-eyed wizard who had regained consciousness, suddenly attacked from the ground!
Half-sprawled, he raised his wand and cast the Killing Curse at Matthew.
But Matthew had not relaxed his guard.
Acting on instinct, he dove to the left. The green beam grazed past his right side.
Even as he fell, he counterattacked.
A crescent wind blade sliced across the one-eyed wizard's throat.
Silence.
"Poor as dirt."
After the fight, Matthew searched the six wizards and found only a few dozen Galleons—though he did gain six wands.
He hadn't intended to get involved in the first place.
He barely knew Mundungus Fletcher. Those six wizards had simply been blinded by greed—and he had been dragged into it.
Mundungus now sat slumped against the wall, his body still trembling. The aftereffects of two Cruciatus Curses had yet to fade.
He opened his mouth, trying to say something—but no words came out.
Matthew took out two potions from his Extension Charm pouch.
"A Calming Draught and a Restorative Potion. These will help with the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse."
After Mundungus took them, Matthew gave him a gentle smile.
"That'll be one hundred Galleons. Thank you for your patronage."
Mundungus's face twitched, pain evident—not from the curse this time, but from the price. Still, he nodded and drank both potions.
His complexion improved slightly.
After a moment, he rummaged through his pockets. Even after emptying them, he only had a little over fifty Galleons left.
He hesitated, then pulled out a small square wooden music box.
"This music box is damaged, but it can still slightly interfere with a wizard's magical flow. Can it cover the remaining fifty?"
Matthew took the music box and examined it carefully.
It was about the size of his palm, finely crafted, though a noticeable crack ran along one side. It was clearly an alchemical item, faint magical fluctuations emanating from within.
Seeing his interest, Mundungus urged, "Try it. Just wind the mechanism on the side."
Matthew twisted the winding key.
The slightly raised cylinder began to rotate steadily. Perhaps due to the damage, the sound it produced was intermittent and broken.
As he listened, he felt a faint disturbance in his own magic. Its flow became slightly uneven—but with focus, he could easily suppress the interference.
The effect was minor—
—but if it disrupted someone mid-cast, it could have unexpected consequences.
Matthew accepted the music box and nodded.
"That counts as fifty Galleons."
=====================
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