"Hmm… all very reasonable requests."
After running through nearly every inspection spell he could think of, the man calling himself "Trimble" finally handed the contract back. "I can tell you're a very meticulous person. Shall we sign it now?"
"…I'm afraid not for the moment, sir."
The man before him had his mind tightly sealed with Occlumency, and coupled with his exceptional combat proficiency, Avada didn't dare make a reckless move with mental magic. "Generally speaking, before signing a contract, I need to personally inspect the target location and go over the finer details. That way, I can avoid potential breaches as much as possible. I'd rather not stain my professional reputation—and it's also for your peace of mind."
"I see."
Trimble nodded calmly. "Then when would you be available to head out?"
"Either today or tomorrow—whenever it's convenient for you."
"Really? That's excellent. Then shall we go now? I can take you there by Apparition."
"Alright."
With ulterior motives on both sides, the two stood up and left the Leaky Cauldron together. Moments later, they Apparated to the side of a boxy, utterly unadorned, matchbox-like house.
"…What area would you like the wards to cover?"
Avada shot Trimble a rather speechless glance.
That structure could scarcely be called a "house." It didn't even have a single permanent stabilization charm on it—everything about it screamed temporary construction. Avada was confident that without regular magical reinforcement, it would collapse in less than two weeks.
What was more, there were no other magical traces inside at all. Ordinarily, unless they lived among Muggles, wizards used magic to assist daily life—battery-free enchanted clocks, self-cleaning cloths, broomsticks, Floo fireplaces, and the like. None of those were present here.
No matter how one looked at it, this place simply didn't seem fit for habitation.
"Not very large," Trimble replied. "Using the house as the center, a radius of fifty feet will do."
He showed no intention of letting Avada approach the building itself. "Rest assured, there's no spatial magic inside to interfere with your work. I'm not like you—able to master such profound and difficult knowledge. You only need to do a simple check of the surrounding area."
"Very well."
Avada didn't argue. He took out his broom and rose into the air.
A trap? Or a test—bait meant for me?
As he maneuvered the broom about, putting on a show of surveying the terrain, Avada kept his magical senses locked firmly on Trimble's every movement, not daring to relax for even a moment.
This house is definitely something thrown together to fool me. Judging by the magical residue, though, it's been here for over a week… roughly around the time I completed my second client's commission.
He's been watching me for a while? Why?
This identity hasn't done anything out of line—whether during the examination or while installing wards for those clients. Or does he know something I don't?
He lifted the broom a little higher, eyes narrowing slightly.
When I brought up the topic of children, he became extremely tense and alert. That reaction looked less like suspicion—and more like fear that I might harm someone. And most of my previous clients also had young children… Is he probing me?
And that interviewer named Tyler… Hah. Something has probably gone wrong in the wizarding world again.
What is it this time? A chain reaction from earlier events, or are those hidden Death Eaters planning to crawl back out? Hasn't Dumbledore beaten them into submission yet?
"…Alright, Mr. Trimble."
The terrain around the house was extremely simple—just a flat, ordinary stretch of land—so it shouldn't have required much time at all. After thinking for a short while, Avada guided the broom back down.
"As you said, the conditions here are very convenient for spellwork. To install the wards, you'll need to pay one hundred and twenty Galleons, with a deposit of fifteen Galleons due at the time of signing."
"That's not expensive."
Trimble nodded. "Then shall we sign the contract now?"
"Certainly. We can schedule the start date for three days from now. When I prepare materials tomorrow, I can prepare yours at the same time."
Avada took the contract out once more. Only after watching the other man scrutinize the parchment from beginning to end with the same obsessive thoroughness did he finally sign his name, relaxing just slightly.
"That will do, sir. You can come find me at the Leaky Cauldron in three days. I'll be leaving now, then?"
"By all means. Until then—three days from now, Mr. Clarke."
"Yes. Three days from now…"
Avada turned lightly on his heel and vanished with a soft hiss—but it wasn't Apparition. Instead, he concealed himself within a spatial interstice using the Near-Yet-Far Spell.
He wanted to see exactly what this suspicious man was planning.
As he watched, the wizard calling himself Bill Trimble drew his wand the instant Avada disappeared. He summoned a torrent of water to scour the surrounding area, then cast an enhanced sensory charm and paused, carefully feeling for hidden presences. Only after confirming there was no one invisible nearby did he meticulously inspect every spot Avada had passed through—including the air above—before finally checking himself.
The way he's acting, it's almost like he suspects me of harboring ill intent…
This man definitely knows something.
After exhausting every method at his disposal and finally confirming that the person who had just left truly hadn't planted any hidden tricks, Trimble relaxed slightly. He then thrust his mental focus into space itself, preparing to Apparate to another location.
Follow him.
Hidden within the spatial interstice, Avada tightened his grip on his wand.
Ordinarily, wizards had no way to track where another wizard Apparated to—not even masters of spatial magic. Once the mental force sustaining the passage was withdrawn, it vanished instantly, leaving nothing to trace.
But clearly, Avada wasn't bound by that limitation. He could see the spatial passage before it even fully formed.
Crack!
With a sharp sound, the wizard's body vanished. Avada seized the instant the passage opened, propping it open with his own power at the moment the original mental force withdrew, and immediately shifted his body through it—
(End of Chapter)