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 26: The Shop
The aurors walked past the entrance leading to Knockturn Alley.
"Sir, I don't understand. Why would that boy come here of all places?" the female auror asked.
Even for someone without previous knowledge, it should be quite obvious that this place was dangerous.
"If he is traveling alone, then I agree with you. He shouldn't have come here. But, on the other hand, if he has been kidnapped, or at least lured by some wizard or witch, then this would be the most logical place to bring him," Agent Cassius said.
"I see. I didn't think about that."
"No matter. Continue to stay vigilant and try not to miss any important details. If he actually came here, that boy is likely in grave danger." Cassius already had his wand in hand.
The moment they ventured into this part of the alley, he started to feel many eyes on him.
This was a normal thing, as the inhabitants of Knockturn Alley were always wary of any aurors coming here.
For the most part, the streets were empty, just like the main road in Diagon Alley, as it was still very early in the morning and the shops were closed.
They kept walking further into the deepest parts of the alley until Agent Cassius noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
"Hawthorn. Watch my back." He then moved towards one particular shop.
"Yes, sir!" the female auror said as she glanced around.
Cassius knocked on the door of the shop, despite it being visibly closed.
"Open up. I know you are there, old hag. I just saw you."
"Tsk… I knew it…" Someone muttered as the door of the shop creaked open, just enough for an old witch to poke her head out. "Agent Cassius. To what do I owe the pleasure of your presence at this time of the day? I won't be open for anoth—"
"Save it. I'm not here for you. I saw you peeking out of the window as we approached. I think you know why we are here."
"I don't kn—"
Before she could finish, the auror pulled out the picture of Harry that he had previously shown to Tom and placed it in front of her face.
"This boy. Where is he?" Agent Cassius was attentively looking at the woman's face, and the moment she saw Harry's picture, there was a clear reaction.
"I…"
Seeing the hesitation on the woman, Cassius spoke again. "Before you start spewing some bullshit lie to me, remember that I can make your life very difficult. I could have a dozen aurors here in less than thirty minutes, and we will search this shop up and down."
" No need for that!. I saw that boy, okay?… like thirty or forty minutes ago," the old woman said. "I tried to warn him that this was a dangerous place for a young boy to come alone, but he didn't listen to this old witch's advice."
"He was alone?" Cassius sounded surprised. "Are you sure he was alone? Where was he?"
"Yes, alone. I observed him for a while. It was a very weird boy." She pointed at a road to the right. "I saw he was going into the deep alley and tried to warn him. He ignored me… he did not even sound like a normal boy at all."
"The deep alley? But that's…" Hawthorn now looked very concerned. That part of Knockturn Alley was avoided even by aurors.
"There is something else, isn't it? What else did you see?" Cassius asked after seeing the conflicted expression on the woman's face.
"I don't want to get involved in this. Not with them…" the old witch sounded scared now.
Agent Cassius narrowed his eyes. "Who? Did you see someone going after the boy?"
"Three shadows," she said in a whisper. "C-collectors…" After saying this, the witch closed the door and locked it.
Auror Cassius became slightly pale.
Hawthorn gasped. "Oh no. We have to hurry!"
"Come on." The two aurors rushed into the deep alley.
The 'Collectors' that the old witch was referring to were some of the most dangerous criminals in the country. It was an organization of dark wizards who made a business of kidnapping wizards and witches, killing them, and removing their organs.
They were then sold to those who wished to use them in their rituals and potions.
The organs of a wizard or witch held a lot of power and were premium ingredients for some of the darkest practices in the magical world.
They would rarely take children, but if one were to venture in here alone, they might not be able to control themselves.
"This is the worst-case scenario…" Auror Cassius muttered as they rushed through the narrow streets.
If Harry Potter had truly ended up in the hands of those individuals, then it might already be too late.
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The two aurors searched for any traces of Harry Potter all through the dark alley but couldn't find anything.
All the houses here were sealed shut, and there were few signs of activity.
Eventually, they reached the last dead-end road.
Cassius immediately detected some signs of magical activity here. "Something happened here. A recent exchange of spells."
"Sir? Is that a shop at the end of the street?" Hawthorn saw the sign hanging from the door. "I didn't know there was a shop in this part of the alley. Cannot imagine they would have many clients." She was about to take a step closer when she was stopped by her partner.
"Wait! It's dangerous to get closer to that place." Cassius's narrowed eyes were staring directly at the old shop.
"Dangerous? Why? Whose shop is that?"
"Tsk! They should at least teach you about this in the academy. This is Madam Yafel's territory. Not even the Collectors would come here. The magical signatures must be from some ignorant fools who provoked that witch."
"Madam Yafel?… I think I heard that name before," she said. "But sir! We can't just ignore this and leave. At the very least, we should ask that person if she saw the boy."
"You think I don't know that?!" Cassius grasped his wand with force. "Listen to me, Hawthorn. You stay here. I will be the only one to approach and ask."
"What? But… we must protect each o—"
"Not this time." He interrupted her. "There is no need for us both to risk our lives. Now listen… if something happens to me, I want you to turn around and escape. Don't even try to help me."
"Sir? Bu—"
"This is an order!"
Hawthorn got startled, as she had never seen this senior agent show so much emotion, and she could feel the fear in his eyes.
"Y-yes, sir." Now she was truly curious about this witch called Miss Yafel, who could make a veteran auror like Cassius Flint so afraid.
She waited at the end of the road while Cassius walked slowly towards the shop.
The agent stopped at the door and was about to knock when the door suddenly opened, and a woman stood on the other side.
"What do you want, boy. Are you lost?" Morgan glared at the auror with cold eyes.
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