A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 196 Skull Scepter

The evening breeze dispelled the sultry humidity, and the sun hung obliquely on the horizon, casting vibrant pinkish-purple hues on the rolling clouds. The buildings, rising and falling, cast crisscrossing shadows on the ground, dividing the world into two sides: light and darkness.

Even as the sun sets, Diagon Alley remains bustling with activity. Crowds of people come and go, their chatter occasionally punctuated by bursts of laughter, while the enticing aromas wafting from shop windows along the street serve as reminders that it's time to enjoy dinner.

Amidst the leisurely crowd, a group of four hurried along. They were all dressed in black wizard robes and wore tall, pointed wizard hats with the brims pulled low, completely shrouding their faces in shadow.

The tall man at the front carried a black briefcase, one hand pressing down on the brim of his hat, and strode through the crowd, squeezing past their shoulders as he headed towards the end of Diagon Alley.

Just as they were about to leave the most crowded area, a young wizard wearing a dark purple pointed hat pushed through the crowd and ran towards them. The short boy was carrying a brown suitcase and, seemingly running too fast to see what was ahead, bumped right into the tall man.

The tall wizard, unable to dodge in the crowded throng, was bumped straight into by the boy. The corner of the suitcase in the boy's hand struck him hard, causing a dull pain in his bone, his fingers went limp, and the suitcase fell to the ground.

Out of everyone's sight, the boy raised his left hand and steadily caught the black briefcase that was about to hit the ground, quickly weighing it in his hand.

Then he gently shook the brown suitcase in his right hand, and with a "whoosh," the brown leather outer shell easily detached from the suitcase, revealing the black box inside.

A small opening appeared on the side of the box, from which several thin, transparent threads extended. The boy hooked his little finger and ring finger together, pulling two threads to pull out two heavy little cloth bags from the box, thus lightening its weight.

The thin thread tugged at the cloth bag and "whoosh" disappeared into his sleeve. Then he abruptly released his grip, and the remaining thread sprang back into the suitcase. The opening of the suitcase snapped shut, and the brand-new black briefcase flew out at an angle.

In the brief moment between his parting with the tall wizard, the boy clasped his hands together, and the brown outer shell he had removed from the suitcase was smoothly slipped onto the other suitcase. With a barely perceptible "click," the shell sealed the suitcase tightly.

Finally, the boy released his grip, and the box traced a graceful arc in mid-air before falling to the ground.

This series of small movements happened in the blink of an eye. In the blink of an eye, the boy was knocked to the ground with a thud, and the wizard's hat on his head buried his entire face in it.

With two loud thuds, the two suitcases landed almost simultaneously, kicking up dust.

The tall wizard didn't back down an inch, his face grim. The wizards following behind him looked around warily, and simultaneously reached into their pockets.

"Ouch!"

The boy who fell to the ground cried out in pain, his face buried in his hat, so his features were not visible, and his voice sounded somewhat muffled.

"I'm sorry, sir," he said in a clear voice.

The tall wizard didn't even glance at the boy who had fallen to the ground. With a cold expression, he picked up the black briefcase from the ground and walked past the boy.

The boy hissed as he got up from the ground, straightened his pointed hat, glanced back at the group of people disappearing into the crowd, and slyly curled the corners of his mouth.

He dusted himself off, bent down to pick up the box from the ground, and leisurely walked in the opposite direction.

Pedestrians continued to come and go on the street, and no one stopped for a moment to notice this inconspicuous scene.

If Diagon Alley is brightly lit even in the darkest of nights, then Knockturn Alley is its opposite, shrouded in deep shadows even at midday when the sun is high in the sky. As the sun sets, the already cramped and dark Knockturn Alley falls into darkness even earlier.

The four people, led by the tall wizard, entered the entrance to Knockturn Alley, took their wands out of their pockets, and walked along the narrow alleyway with practiced ease.

A series of chaotic footsteps, interspersed with rude shouts, came from the dark alley ahead:

"Grab that little brat! I'm going to torture him to death!"

"He ran this way!"

"Dare to steal from our Black Bone Society? They really don't want to live..."

"I can feel the marks we left on the box; we're very close!"

Several figures dressed in long black robes emerged from the alley, each holding a wand, their faces hidden under hoods, exuding a sinister and violent aura.

The two groups met face to face and stopped in their tracks. The tall sorcerer narrowed his eyes and led the three people behind him to move two steps to the side, intending to avoid these madmen whose minds had been corrupted by dark magic.

"It's with him! That box!" a short wizard suddenly shouted shrilly, pointing to the black briefcase in the tall wizard's hand. "It has our magical mark on it!"

A group of hooded dark wizards raised their wands in unison, and the four wizards, led by the tall one, had no choice but to point their wands at the people opposite them. The atmosphere suddenly became cold and oppressive.

"I think you've misunderstood something," the tall male wizard said.

"They stole our stuff and dare to swagger in front of us like this..." A gaunt man opposite them said in a hoarse, sinister voice, "How audacious! How utterly audacious!"

"I didn't steal anything from you." The tall wizard frowned. "These are our chests."

"Heh...you wouldn't mind letting us examine you, would you?" The gaunt man let out a dry, unpleasant laugh.

The tall sorcerer's eyes, hidden beneath the brim of his hat, suddenly sharpened and turned fierce. He understood; this group was after what they held.

"Attack!" He gestured to the three people behind him, then without hesitation shot a beam of white light at the opposite side, hitting the gaunt man who was probably the leader.

The gaunt man flew out like a tattered sack, crashing into the wall behind him and lying motionless. This served as the signal to begin the battle, and the two groups engaged in a fierce duel in the dark, cramped alleyway.

"Thunderous explosion!"

"Crushed to pieces!"

"Sand and stones flying everywhere!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"..."

Amidst the deafening explosions and the high-pitched chanting of incantations, the erupting flames shattered the surrounding walls and illuminated the dim alleyways and doorways. Beams of various colors streaked wildly, and figures darted about in the firelight, the distorted light and shadow resembling a bizarre ritual.

On the rooftop of a small building not far from here, two figures, one sitting and one standing, were quietly watching the battle in the distance.

"Natasha, look at these beautiful fireworks," Owen said with a smile, his pleasant voice gentle yet with a hint of seduction.

He sat on the edge of the rooftop, his feet casually dangling outside the edge and swinging gently, a dark purple pointed hat lying to one side.

He tilted his head slightly, looking down at the still-unfinished duel, a cold and mocking smile playing on his pale lips. The flash of the spell reflected in his eyes, adding a hollow, dazzling brilliance to his dark, deep pupils.

"Uh, that's impressive!" Natasha twitched her lips, then exclaimed seriously, "Although I think it would have been much simpler to just take action..."

She stood to the side with her hands behind her back, tiptoeing restlessly, her long, deep red hair fluttering gently in the wind.

"Isn't it a more magnificent and moving drama to let them perish in confusion and despair?" Owen asked casually, watching the situation with great interest, showing no emotion whatsoever for those who died in the duel.

"I'm not cut out for such fancy tricks." Natasha pouted, glanced at the brown suitcase beside her, and asked curiously, "You switched the suitcase right under their noses... how did you manage that?"

"It only takes a little trick..." Owen got really excited when he mentioned this. His eyes lit up, and his smile became sly and radiant, making him look like a real teenager his age.

“But these guys who hang out in Knockturn Alley all year round are very sensitive to magical fluctuations. How can you hide it from them?” Natasha said.

"Because I'm not using magic," Owen said with a smile, winking his left eye.

Natasha tilted her head in confusion, then muttered, "Why make things so complicated when you can solve them with a simple action?"

"Because it's fun," Irving said earnestly.

"Okay, whatever makes you happy." Natasha shrugged. "Actually, you don't need to get involved at all. I'm very good at handling these kinds of things. Although they come to the bookstore to bother us from time to time, Remus and I can handle it."

She crossed her arms and watched the ongoing battle, then sneered, "Those guys from the Black Bone Society just want to extort more protection money. As long as they know you're not someone to mess with, they won't be afraid of you committing murder and robbery."

"As for the group whose boxes you swapped... they always like to sneak around outside the bookstore, peeking out suspiciously. They even broke in last night, well, it was that guy downstairs who led the way, and then Remus beat them up... they're definitely a bunch of thieves."

"If you ask me, we should have killed this guy back then. That way, they definitely wouldn't dare to keep watching us." Natasha raised her eyebrows in annoyance. "Remus is really something. He's grown up and he can't even kill a person."

"But he definitely doesn't know that I secretly cast a tracking spell on one of them!" She said, her eyebrows dancing with excitement. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have found them so easily, right?" She raised her eyebrows at Owen triumphantly, her face practically screaming "Praise me!"

"Thanks a lot." Owen shook his head with a chuckle, glancing thoughtfully at the briefcase he'd taken from the group. "I remember this time last year, I threw out two troublemakers who came to the bookstore, one of whom was an old friend of yours. What organization were they from?"

"Riley?" Natasha frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "I've seen him hanging out with those sneaky guys outside. He must be one of the thieves."

"A gang of thieves, causing trouble in a bookstore and trying to force you to join them?" Owen raised an eyebrow.

"So what?" Natasha said, smoothing her hair without any surprise. "These thieves may seem timid, but they always like to swagger around in front of those they think are weak and easy to bully, and they don't mind occasionally playing the role of robbers and kidnappers."

"But they're not cowards at all, and their fighting ability is extraordinary," Owen said meaningfully, glancing at the battle that was nearing its end.

The Black Bone Society has six members. Although one of them was killed in a surprise attack at the beginning, the four wizards from the Thieves organization showed no fear in their fight against the remaining five, and it seemed that they were about to win.

"Hmm—" Natasha let out a long nasal sound, looking as if she had just realized something, "They must be daring thieves!"

"..." Owen turned his head away expressionlessly. He didn't want to say anything to Natasha's daily idiocy, afraid of catching it.

As the sunset's glow faded, the sudden battle in the dark alley was drawing to a close. Five or six figures lay scattered on the ground, their fates unknown. Two Black Bone Society wizards had escaped, and the two remaining members of the thieves' organization were now working together to deal with their final opponent.

Their opponents had no time to escape. Facing the two menacing enemies, he desperately and cruelly unleashed his final killing spell, striking one enemy while being engulfed in the flames of the explosion.

The towering flames engulfed everything around them, including those lying on the ground. Finally, the tall, surviving wizard, carrying a briefcase, rushed out of the blast radius, wiped his burned face, and turned to stare viciously at the area of ​​the explosion, his expression so ferocious it looked like he wanted to devour someone.

He glanced at the intact suitcase in his hand and breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his expression suddenly changed when he saw the silver clasp on the side of the suitcase. He hurriedly opened the suitcase and stared blankly at the mess of odds and ends and some scattered coins inside.

"Why?" He frantically rummaged through the box, muttering to himself, "Is this their box?" He couldn't believe that so many people had died for such a small thing.

Most importantly, what about his own box?

He suddenly remembered the boy who had bumped into him earlier... Only then would someone else have had a chance to switch his suitcase!

But then he realized that he hadn't seen the boy's face at all!

"No!" The man let out a shrill roar, his hoarse cry filled with resentment, doubt, and a deep despair for the world.

Only after the man's somewhat hunched figure disappeared into the distant alley did Owen chuckle, and a joyful ripple finally stirred in his cold, still heart.

"Tsk, poor fellow," he sighed listlessly, then opened the box beside him. Seeing how much the wizard valued the contents of the box, he felt a surge of anticipation and curiosity.

The black box slowly opened, revealing few items inside. The bottom of the box was lined with fluffy white animal fur, upon which sat an exquisite sandalwood box. Around it were some delicate trinkets, such as a necklace and ring inlaid with gemstones, a bronze three-headed dog statue covered in green rust, a very short wooden staff, and something resembling a conch shell.

Owen's gaze swept over the small items one by one, finally settling on the sandalwood box with its beautifully carved patterns. He carefully opened the silver clasp on the box, and a deep blue light shone through the gaps in the box, like light reflected from the deep sea.

A deep blue gemstone lay quietly on a red velvet base inside the box. The crystal-clear, triangular gemstone was about the length of a finger and shimmered with a captivating light, making Natasha's eyes sparkle.

"It looks so expensive." She swallowed hard, imagining how many glittering Galleons this gem could fetch.

"This kind of gemstone... I've never seen it before." Owen quickly went through all the relevant knowledge in his mind. "A glowing stone... does it possess magic, or does it emit radiation?"

He snapped the sandalwood box shut, carefully sealed it, and solemnly recited several protective spells before putting it away. The tall sorcerer must have been after this gem; he planned to study it carefully when he got back.

After placing the sandalwood box containing the gems in its place, Owen looked at the remaining items in the box, his gaze finally settling on the pattern printed on the inside of the lid.

It was a skull scepter design surrounded by interconnected circles of varying sizes, and overall it resembled a variant of the letter "D," which looked quite aesthetically pleasing.

"Is this the mark of that organization?" Owen stared at it with interest for a moment, then looked at Natasha and solemnly warned, "Pay close attention to this organization. They are probably not simple. Their focus on our bookstore may have a deeper purpose."

"I understand." Natasha was surprised for a moment, then nodded and kept it in mind.

Irving closed the suitcase and casually asked, "Speaking of which, where did Lupin go today?"

"He took the day off," Natasha said casually. "He said he was going to see an old friend he hadn't seen in years."

"Oh..." Owen responded, then suddenly frowned slightly and abruptly turned his head to look at the deep alleyway diagonally below the building. He seemed to feel a gaze watching him from the depths of the dark alley, but it was fleeting, like his imagination.

He suddenly raised his right hand, and a cold, white beam of light shot out from the tip of the wand that had appeared in his hand at some unknown time.

With a "snap," the sound of Apparition came from deep within the alley.

The bright light illuminated the empty streets and alleys, leaving a scorched mark on the dirty stone pavement.

"Who?" Natasha swiftly drew her wand and cautiously peered over.

"Someone was watching me there just now, but they've already Apparated and left," Owen said calmly, squinting as he looked away from the empty alleyway.

Natasha craned her neck and peered in that direction for a moment, then said nonchalantly, "Probably just some guy passing by."

"I hope so. I'm going back now." Owen pondered for a moment, smiled and waved to her, then turned and jumped off the building with his suitcase.

(End of this chapter)