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Chapter 27: Every Encounter is a Long-Awaited Reunion—Even If You Don't Want to See Me
Diagon Alley was a fine place. Though its style was old-fashioned, it was genuinely the premier street in the Wizarding World.
Every day, it welcomed countless visitors: witches from the countryside, reclusive wizards who hadn't stepped outside in ages, expelled Hogwarts students, and foreign wizards just visiting—all sorts of people brought not only endless wealth to the street, but also endless trouble.
Case in point.
"A fight's broken out!"
The passing crowd began to converge in the direction of the shout, and William was no exception. Fights were common in Azkaban, but since arriving in the Wizarding World, this was the first time he'd seen people brawling in the street.
Following a tall, thin wizard in blue robes, William rounded a corner and saw the crowd that was already gathering.
It was just before three in the afternoon, the hottest time of day. Shopkeepers with few customers had abandoned their business to watch the spectacle. Probably because neither side was using a wand, no one was even trying to break it up. People were just staring wide-eyed at the two who were about to come to blows.
Using his slightly taller stature, William managed to get a good look at what was going on.
The two men, one grabbing the other's collar and spitting threats, were both dressed in wizarding robes. The white-haired wizard being held was spreading his hands, trying to explain something. The shorter one had a ferocious expression, and his finger-length beard waggled ridiculously with his non-stop cursing.
Beside the two, a magazine lay open on the ground. The bearded man would occasionally point to the magazine as he cursed, looking as though something inside had offended him.
Since William had arrived a bit late, the bearded man's words were muffled by the surrounding crowd, and he could only catch the gist.
After a good while, he finally pieced together what was happening—it seemed the magazine had exposed something about the bearded man. Today, he had just happened to spot the magazine's editor-in-chief in the crowd, and, his temper flaring, he grabbed the man and began to confront him.
Well, that explained it. Seeing the editor-in-chief of a sensationalist magazine get a beating was a welcome sight for many.
Having figured out the reason for the fight, William decided to leave. He was out on business; a short delay was one thing, but wasting too much time watching a brawl would be a disservice to himself.
With that thought, William glanced one last time at the two combatants, his eyes stopping on the bearded man's face.
That beard... it looked crooked.
William stared intently at him. After confirming that the beard was indeed crooked, he quickly pictured the man's face without it. This sort of disguised character was most likely a wanted man—a hundred Galleons a head. It was free money, and he'd be a fool not to take it!
"That face looks familiar."
William quickly tried to place the man's voice. In less than half a minute, it matched with someone in his memory.
It was that guy, The Swindler!
When he was released, he'd cleaned out all the Galleons from their prison cell. Even William had suffered a heavy loss!
At this thought, William whipped out his wand. Before the onlookers had time to react, he had already cast a spell at the man.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell shot through the crowd, striking The Swindler right as he was posturing triumphantly.
His body went rigid. He reached for his own wand with lightning speed, but before his hand could touch it, the Full-Body Bind—far more powerful than he could have imagined—took full effect.
After teetering on the spot for a moment, the bearded man fell to the ground with a thud.
The surrounding wizards drew their wands almost instantly, pointing them in the direction from which the spell had come.
"Easy, everyone. I've just run into an old acquaintance."
William smiled and held up his hands, showing he had no intention of attacking further. He then strode through the path that had opened up in the crowd.
After swiftly snatching the man's wand, William grinned and stared down at The Swindler's face.
The man's eyes darted about frantically before settling on a look of utter despair. Clearly, he recognized William.
"Haha, you recognize me, don't you, old friend."
William greeted him in a bantering tone as he reached down and began to pull off the man's beard.
The beard, which hadn't been magically adhered to avoid detection, came off with a few tugs from William. The onlookers began to lower their wands—if he could be recognized even with the disguise, their grudge must be a serious one.
"Finite Incantatem."
William easily dispelled the curse on the man's neck, allowing him to speak, and then began searching inside The Swindler's robes.
It wasn't long before he found his prize—a large pouch of Galleons.
He tossed it in the air and caught it, weighing it in his hand. There were probably seventy or eighty coins.
This guy actually hadn't spent it all at once?
"Well now, long time no see, old pal. I can forgive you for leaving without saying goodbye, but you've grown a beard this fast?"
"Hey, it's young William! Long time no see. Had to grow the beard to look a bit more mature. More people trust you when you're doing business that way."
The Swindler forced a smile. Neither of them wanted to bring up Azkaban in front of a crowd.
Money could always be earned again. But if his history in Azkaban was exposed, who knew how long it would be before he could make money again.
"Looks like you've been doing well for yourself, brother."
"You bet. I'm a bit short on cash today, so just consider this my treat for a round of drinks. I've got things to do, so let's not keep messing around. How about I treat you properly next time I'm free?"
The Swindler cursed his luck. Back in their cell, William was the one he'd been least afraid of. But today, the man had launched an unscrupulous sneak attack, and all he could do was accept his fate.
While the majority of his work involved shady dealings, if word got out that he stole money from a cellmate, his associates would collectively blacklist him.
"Then I'll thank you for that, brother."
William cheerfully pocketed the money pouch. He then tucked The Swindler's wand into a spot where the man would have trouble reaching it, before finally lifting his own wand and dispelling the spell.
As far as he was concerned, their score was settled. Whether the other prisoners wanted to settle their own accounts with the man was none of his business.
The Swindler didn't dare retaliate. He dejectedly gathered his things and scurried off down a side street.
Seeing that the show was over, the crowd of onlookers began to disperse. William took the opportunity to blend in with them, intending to head toward his destination.
He hadn't gone more than a few steps when he realized someone was watching him. It was the man who had been accosted earlier.
"My apologies, you had to witness that embarrassing display. I'm Xenophilius Lovegood, Editor-in-Chief of The Quibbler. Thank you for helping me out of that bind just now."
"Oh, it was nothing. That fellow happened to owe me money and had been dodging me. I was just lucky to run into him today. Call it settling a debt."
William waved his hand politely. He didn't particularly want to deal with the editor of a tabloid magazine, but he certainly couldn't afford to offend one. In his current situation, if a man like this started digging into his past, there was no telling how much trouble it would cause.
(end of chapter)
Diagon Alley was a fine place. Though its style was old-fashioned, it was genuinely the premier street in the Wizarding World.
Every day, it welcomed countless visitors: witches from the countryside, reclusive wizards who hadn't stepped outside in ages, expelled Hogwarts students, and foreign wizards just visiting—all sorts of people brought not only endless wealth to the street, but also endless trouble.
Case in point.
"A fight's broken out!"
The passing crowd began to converge in the direction of the shout, and William was no exception. Fights were common in Azkaban, but since arriving in the Wizarding World, this was the first time he'd seen people brawling in the street.
Following a tall, thin wizard in blue robes, William rounded a corner and saw the crowd that was already gathering.
It was just before three in the afternoon, the hottest time of day. Shopkeepers with few customers had abandoned their business to watch the spectacle. Probably because neither side was using a wand, no one was even trying to break it up. People were just staring wide-eyed at the two who were about to come to blows.
Using his slightly taller stature, William managed to get a good look at what was going on.
The two men, one grabbing the other's collar and spitting threats, were both dressed in wizarding robes. The white-haired wizard being held was spreading his hands, trying to explain something. The shorter one had a ferocious expression, and his finger-length beard waggled ridiculously with his non-stop cursing.
Beside the two, a magazine lay open on the ground. The bearded man would occasionally point to the magazine as he cursed, looking as though something inside had offended him.
Since William had arrived a bit late, the bearded man's words were muffled by the surrounding crowd, and he could only catch the gist.
After a good while, he finally pieced together what was happening—it seemed the magazine had exposed something about the bearded man. Today, he had just happened to spot the magazine's editor-in-chief in the crowd, and, his temper flaring, he grabbed the man and began to confront him.
Well, that explained it. Seeing the editor-in-chief of a sensationalist magazine get a beating was a welcome sight for many.
Having figured out the reason for the fight, William decided to leave. He was out on business; a short delay was one thing, but wasting too much time watching a brawl would be a disservice to himself.
With that thought, William glanced one last time at the two combatants, his eyes stopping on the bearded man's face.
That beard... it looked crooked.
William stared intently at him. After confirming that the beard was indeed crooked, he quickly pictured the man's face without it. This sort of disguised character was most likely a wanted man—a hundred Galleons a head. It was free money, and he'd be a fool not to take it!
"That face looks familiar."
William quickly tried to place the man's voice. In less than half a minute, it matched with someone in his memory.
It was that guy, The Swindler!
When he was released, he'd cleaned out all the Galleons from their prison cell. Even William had suffered a heavy loss!
At this thought, William whipped out his wand. Before the onlookers had time to react, he had already cast a spell at the man.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell shot through the crowd, striking The Swindler right as he was posturing triumphantly.
His body went rigid. He reached for his own wand with lightning speed, but before his hand could touch it, the Full-Body Bind—far more powerful than he could have imagined—took full effect.
After teetering on the spot for a moment, the bearded man fell to the ground with a thud.
The surrounding wizards drew their wands almost instantly, pointing them in the direction from which the spell had come.
"Easy, everyone. I've just run into an old acquaintance."
William smiled and held up his hands, showing he had no intention of attacking further. He then strode through the path that had opened up in the crowd.
After swiftly snatching the man's wand, William grinned and stared down at The Swindler's face.
The man's eyes darted about frantically before settling on a look of utter despair. Clearly, he recognized William.
"Haha, you recognize me, don't you, old friend."
William greeted him in a bantering tone as he reached down and began to pull off the man's beard.
The beard, which hadn't been magically adhered to avoid detection, came off with a few tugs from William. The onlookers began to lower their wands—if he could be recognized even with the disguise, their grudge must be a serious one.
"Finite Incantatem."
William easily dispelled the curse on the man's neck, allowing him to speak, and then began searching inside The Swindler's robes.
It wasn't long before he found his prize—a large pouch of Galleons.
He tossed it in the air and caught it, weighing it in his hand. There were probably seventy or eighty coins.
This guy actually hadn't spent it all at once?
"Well now, long time no see, old pal. I can forgive you for leaving without saying goodbye, but you've grown a beard this fast?"
"Hey, it's young William! Long time no see. Had to grow the beard to look a bit more mature. More people trust you when you're doing business that way."
The Swindler forced a smile. Neither of them wanted to bring up Azkaban in front of a crowd.
Money could always be earned again. But if his history in Azkaban was exposed, who knew how long it would be before he could make money again.
"Looks like you've been doing well for yourself, brother."
"You bet. I'm a bit short on cash today, so just consider this my treat for a round of drinks. I've got things to do, so let's not keep messing around. How about I treat you properly next time I'm free?"
The Swindler cursed his luck. Back in their cell, William was the one he'd been least afraid of. But today, the man had launched an unscrupulous sneak attack, and all he could do was accept his fate.
While the majority of his work involved shady dealings, if word got out that he stole money from a cellmate, his associates would collectively blacklist him.
"Then I'll thank you for that, brother."
William cheerfully pocketed the money pouch. He then tucked The Swindler's wand into a spot where the man would have trouble reaching it, before finally lifting his own wand and dispelling the spell.
As far as he was concerned, their score was settled. Whether the other prisoners wanted to settle their own accounts with the man was none of his business.
The Swindler didn't dare retaliate. He dejectedly gathered his things and scurried off down a side street.
Seeing that the show was over, the crowd of onlookers began to disperse. William took the opportunity to blend in with them, intending to head toward his destination.
He hadn't gone more than a few steps when he realized someone was watching him. It was the man who had been accosted earlier.
"My apologies, you had to witness that embarrassing display. I'm Xenophilius Lovegood, Editor-in-Chief of The Quibbler. Thank you for helping me out of that bind just now."
"Oh, it was nothing. That fellow happened to owe me money and had been dodging me. I was just lucky to run into him today. Call it settling a debt."
William waved his hand politely. He didn't particularly want to deal with the editor of a tabloid magazine, but he certainly couldn't afford to offend one. In his current situation, if a man like this started digging into his past, there was no telling how much trouble it would cause.
(end of chapter)
