Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 15: Ruffians and Thieves
Harry continued to walk for what felt like an hour.
As he moved, his right hand was constantly brushing against the walls of the houses, shops, and buildings, trying to feel for anything unusual.
"This would be much easier if I had a proper magical staff." Harry huffed, feeling slightly annoyed by the strenuous task.
But so far, it was the only method at his disposal to locate any magic users who could be hiding in this massive city.
After his encounter with the two young women, Harry only came across a handful of people. Most of them appeared inebriated or under the influence of some substance that affected their minds.
He did not know enough about this world to make a proper guess of what it was, but to him it just seemed like foolish behavior.
If the city was dangerous at night, why would they want to take anything that would lower their level of awareness and leave them defenseless?.
Harry noticed that the streets were getting narrower in this part of London. The tall buildings were almost completely covering the sky, and he had the feeling that these streets would be dark even during the day.
"The smell is also getting worse…" He spotted something written on one of the walls and approached to take a better look.
"Mmm… what could this be?" Strange symbols had been painted not just on one but on many of the walls of the buildings.
Some of them looked like Roman letters, while others were more like shapes and figures.
He scanned the walls but could not feel any magic on these drawings, so he was forced to discard the possibility of a sorcerer having done this for some unknown purpose.
His attention was diverted from the strange piece of art when he heard the distinct sound of steps getting closer.
After a few seconds, Harry saw three individuals dressed in very colorful garments appear from around the corner.
By their expressions and movements, they did not appear to be as intoxicated as everyone else he had encountered so far.
'Perhaps I could ask these gentlemen for some guidance,' he thought.
He was quickly spotted by the men, and they appeared very happy to see him.
"What do we have here?" one of the men said with a chuckle.
"A bit late to be wandering around Sutton, ain't it?" another one said as he got closer.
"Indeed, some nice ladies pointed that out to me before. But finding a proper lodge felt like an unnecessary endeavor." Harry explained.
He could also use his magic to keep himself active and awake for many days without the need for rest. So there was also that.
"He talks funny," one of the men said. "He must be rich."
"I dunno… have you seen the rags he is wearing?" another one pointed at Harry's attire.
"Is something wrong with my clothes?" Harry had picked up the best ones he could find in the wardrobe. He had to admit that they appeared to be very old.
"Okay mate, give it here." One of the men stood in front of him and made a gesture with his hand.
"Give what?" Harry sounded confused, thinking that this must be some exchange that he was not aware of.
As Harry Potter, he had lived a very reclusive life, so he knew little about all the customs of the folks living in the big city.
"Cash, pounds, money… you must have some coins on you at least."
Harry finally understood what they wanted. 'That explains why I was picking up so much hostility from them.'
"So you must be thieves then," Harry said.
"Eh? Is he stupid?" one of the men shook his head.
The one right in front of him pulled out a knife from his pocket and showed it to Harry. "Aye, we are thieves, among other things… now give it here. Everything you have. And you better have something good, otherwise…"
"What's in the bag? Give it to me," another one of the men said in a commanding tone.
'Looks like my luck is not very good. I keep coming across ruffians and degenerates.' Harry was starting to wonder if decent people were in the minority in this city.
He looked up at the three thieves. "I understand that my young appearance must make me look like an easy prey for ruffians such as you, but…" As he moved his magic a bit, his green eyes started to glow under his broken glasses. "I'm afraid I will have to disappoint you in that regard."
The thieves were normal muggles and could not feel his magic being gathered in a single point, but they still got shivers when looking into Harry's eyes.
"T-there is something wrong with this kid." One of them felt the danger and took a step back.
The one holding the knife was trembling slightly but did not move from the spot.
Harry took a moment to consider what to do with them. In his previous encounter, he had used a fairly harmless method because he was unsure of how deserving of punishment that man was.
However, he could tell that the three men in front of him were real criminals who preyed on the weak and used violence regularly.
"On Camelot, when we caught a thief, we would take them to the plaza and cut one of their hands as punishment…this still gave them one more chance to turn their lives around, as a man with no hands would never be able to provide even for themselves. " Harry made a gesture with the back of his hand.
The men could feel as if some invisible force hit their chests and sent them flying into the back of the alley.
Their bodies hit the walls and ground with tremendous violence, leaving them injured but still alive.
"Urggg." The knife-wielding one was the first to stand up and stare at Harry with evident fear. "What the fuck was that?!"
"Mmm? Not much. I was just stretching a bit." Harry was yet to grow accustomed to using magic in this new body and didn't feel quite right yet.
"Y-you are freak…" The man charged at him with his knife in hand. "I'm going to kill you!"
"Freak…" Harry muttered. "I really dislike that word." His eyes glowed with an eerie light
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