Harry was clearly much luckier than Mr. Granger.
Before he could encounter any real danger, he ran into Hagrid, who promptly escorted him back to Diagon Alley.
Harry's safe return allowed Mrs. Weasley to heave a massive sigh of relief.
After withdrawing money from Gringotts, the group parted ways on the white marble steps outside the wizarding bank. Mr. Weasley announced he was going back to find Mr. Granger for a few drinks, while Percy muttered something about needing to buy a new quill.
Mrs. Weasley had originally intended to take Ginny to a shop that sold second-hand robes. However, the handful of Galleons that the twins pressed into her hand caused her to change her mind.
Having recently come into a significant windfall, how could George and Fred stand by and watch their favorite little sister use second-hand textbooks and wear hand-me-down robes like their "budget" brother, Ron?
Girls ought to be raised with the best.
Consequently, they were forced to reveal a portion of their savings to Mrs. Weasley. She interrogated them sternly, demanding to know where the money had come from. Fortunately, they had prepared their story well in advance: they claimed to have earned it by selling various alchemical items at school.
Their talent for alchemy was well-known. Coupled with the fact that they had recently helped Kyle modify a car, the explanation didn't arouse Mrs. Weasley's suspicion.
The amount they handed over wasn't huge—only about thirty Galleons—but it was enough for Ginny to get a new wand and new robes. Even some of her textbooks could be bought brand new now.
However, for certain items, like the complete works of Gilderoy Lockhart required for this year's Defense Against the Dark Arts class, they would still have to settle for second-hand copies.
"Meet at Flourish and Blotts in one hour to buy your schoolbooks," Mrs. Weasley instructed as she set off with Ginny. "And stay out of Knockturn Alley!" she shouted over her shoulder at the twins' retreating backs.
"We know, Mum!" the brothers shouted back, running off without looking once.
Once they rendezvoused with Kyle, the three young wizards immediately dove headfirst into Knockturn Alley.
"Come on, I'll take you guys to see some real action," Kyle said.
George and Fred rubbed their hands together in anticipation. When Kyle had gone home previously, he had intentionally left his "Mount Akina" suitcase with the twins so they would have a place to cast magic freely. Every day, the two of them—along with Cedric—had spent their time hunkered down in Kyle's suitcase, practicing dueling.
Of course, they knew they could never truly grow by relying solely on polite sparring where they pulled their punches. To accumulate real combat experience, they needed actual fighting.
Earlier, after Kyle discovered the lackluster combat capabilities of the Dark wizards in Knockturn Alley, he'd been struck by the idea of bringing his future "Dark Lord's Inner Circle" here for a bit of "team building."
It was a pity Cedric hadn't come to Diagon Alley today. Otherwise, the "Father's Sorrow Alliance" would have been fully assembled.
Knockturn Alley was bustling with people, most of whom looked either physically deformed or downright sinister. They certainly didn't look like good citizens. Against wizards like these, Kyle and the twins felt zero psychological burden when it came to playing dirty.
The three of them wore simple black hooded cloaks, intentionally leaving a small portion of their jaws exposed to signal their young age. The crisp clinking of gold Galleons rang out from the money bag hanging at Kyle's waist.
This appearance quickly attracted the attention of a lawless predator with ill intentions.
"Don't look back; we're being followed," Kyle whispered a warning to the other two.
George and Fred gave nearly imperceptible nods to show they understood.
The three of them twisted and turned through the winding paths of Knockturn Alley, soon ducking into a narrow, gloomy dead-end. As soon as they entered the alleyway, a Dark wizard with a murderous glint in his eyes blocked the only exit.
"Hey! You three! Hand over all your gold! Move it!"
He had been tailing these three reckless young wizards for quite some time. In his mind, youth equated to a lack of strength. And a lack of strength meant an opportunity for profit.
However, blinded by greed, he failed to notice that Kyle and the twins had led him to this secluded spot on purpose.
Kyle raised his arms. "Alright! Sir! Please, just wait a moment, okay? Just a second!"
He signaled for the man not to get agitated, then turned to whisper with the twins.
"This is a perfect practice opportunity. A rookie mugger like this is the best match for 'noobs' like you to cut your teeth on."
"What do you mean, 'noobs' like us?" Fred asked, sounding particularly indignant.
"Alright," Kyle said, having no intention of listening to his nonsense. "How do you want to handle this?"
George thought for a moment. "Uh... cast a Shield Charm on ourselves first, then disarm him?"
"I think we could also use a Blasting Curse to break his arms and legs," Fred added.
Kyle shrugged. "Then do it."
Fred rubbed his chin. "No rush, let's discuss it a bit more."
Behind them, the Dark wizard irritably brandished his wand, loudly reminding the three members of the "Father's Sorrow Alliance" that they were being robbed.
"Hey! I'm still mugging you!"
Hearing this, Kyle turned around impatiently and yelled back even louder: "What are you shouting for! We'll be ready in a second!"
The Dark wizard blocking the path was momentarily stunned into silence by Kyle's outburst. But then he remembered—he was the one doing the mugging. He stood there awkwardly, wondering if he should continue the robbery or wait a little longer.
After yelling, Kyle turned back around, once again keeping his back to the mugger as he whispered with the twins.
"I think it's better to use Sectumsempra to slice off his limbs. If you use a Blasting Curse, he can just get healed and come back to cause trouble. With Sectumsempra, if he doesn't know the counter-curse, he's finished."
Kyle offered his suggestion.
The twins discussed it for a while and ultimately decided that Kyle's method was a bit too inhumane.
"Suit yourselves. I'm not stepping in anyway, but you'd better hurry up." Seeing the twins bickering without acting, Kyle couldn't help but remind them. If they finished this guy off quickly, they could go and bait another fish.
The twins were nonchalant. Fred jerked his thumb over his shoulder and said disdainfully:
"Whenever I want, I can cast an instantaneous Shield Charm. He can't hurt me."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a dazzling beam of crimson light shot toward Fred. The Dark wizard behind them had long since lost his patience and couldn't help but strike.
A shimmering barrier manifested instantly behind Fred. It seemed Fred wasn't boasting; his speed at casting the Shield Charm was indeed very fast.
The light representing the Cruciatus Curse struck the Shield Charm, deflected at an angle, and ricocheted back, hitting the Dark wizard in the leg.
"AAAGH!"
A shrill, agonizing scream pierced the silence of the alley.
The twins scratched their heads awkwardly. They hadn't even made a move yet—how had the opponent managed to take himself out?
Collapsing on the ground and thrashing about, the Dark wizard endured the agony of the Crucio and tremblingly raised his wand again.
"Crucio!"
This time he aimed at George.
Once again, the spell reflected straight back.
"AAAGH!"
Another shrill scream.
"Stop torturing him. Give him a quick end so we can find a new target," Kyle shouted to the twins.
George looked aggrieved. "I'm not the one torturing him!"
Having been hit by two consecutive Cruciatus Curses, the Dark wizard was curled up like a shrimp. He lay on the ground, large beads of sweat rolling continuously off his forehead.
Hearing George's words, he finally couldn't take it anymore. He tremblingly raised a hand and pointed at the twins.
"It is you... you're the ones... torturing me!"
His voice was filled with endless bitterness and grievance.
Kyle couldn't stand to watch any longer. He stepped forward and delivered a swift kick to the Dark wizard's head. The man's vision instantly went black, and he passed out with an expression of pure relief on his face.
Kyle drew his wand, preparing to wipe the unlucky fellow's memory. His Memory Charm wasn't particularly practiced, so this was a good chance to grind some experience.
"Obliviate."
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