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0694 Her
🕑 Added 2025-04-23 10:52:05 +0000 UTCThe shimmering magical barrier that had been encircling the entire area was dismantled by the team of Aurors, but not before they had restored the dilapidated small house where the horrifying Inferi had been discovered, back to its original state.
"But what about this unfortunate Muggle called Fraser?" Kingsley inquired with genuine concern. He watched as the glass window that had been hastily boarded up with cracked planks miraculously reformed from its scattered, dust-like state and flew back into the crumbling wall with perfect precision, fitting itself seamlessly into the frame.
His worried gaze shifted from the reconstructing building to rest upon Bryan Watson, who stood contemplatively at the newly restored doorway, peering inside. Kingsley spoke in a hushed, troubled voice that showed his moral discomfort with the situation.
Fraser's body had been transformed into a human bomb by the dark wizard controlling him. In the terrifying explosion that had erupted just moments ago, his flesh had completely vanished in the high temperature and fierce flames, not even a single piece of intact clothing or the smallest fragment of bone remained to confirm he had ever existed.
How could they possibly explain this shocking reality to the Muggle woman who would arrive soon?
If they directly revealed told the Muggle that her acquaintance had been obliterated in an explosion, she would undoubtedly be traumatized and immediately call the Muggle police authorities, wouldn't she?
Just this very thought made Kingsley's stomach twist with anxiety.
This matter was already complicated enough and If possible, Kingsley preferred not to further complicate the situation by involving Muggle law enforcement agencies.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures—" Bryan said solemnly. With a fluid motion of his wand, a fallen brick from the far corner of the debris-scattered room suddenly floated from the ground, enveloped in a strange light.
Through an incredibly complex series of human transfiguration spell magic so advanced that the observing Aurors could barely follow the wand movements, the lifeless body of the young Muggle who had just self-destructed in that cataclysmic explosion mysteriously reappeared, bit by bit, and gently returned to the bed where he had been found.
Bryan's unconventional approach wasn't entirely unexpected given the circumstances, but it clearly didn't follow the Ministry regulations.
"—I used a permanent transfiguration charm, far more lasting than the standard spell," Bryan explained, "We need to return something to this Muggle's family."
Bryan's voice carried a sense of heaviness, and Kingsley, standing with his head respectfully bowed in tacit acknowledgment of this truth, had unmistakable anger flashing in his eyes—not directed at Bryan, but at the perpetrator who had forced them into this terrible ethical position.
Even if this increasingly complex case wasn't being personally supervised by Bryan Watson, and even if Albus Dumbledore himself wasn't keeping a closer eye on its progress, they still had the duty to catch the culprit.
It had been many years since they had encountered someone so brazen and contemptuous of both wizarding and Muggle life—someone who cold-bloodedly killed innocent Muggles without remorse, perversely transformed their dead bodies into Inferi, and then used these tragic victims as baited traps designed to inflict maximum casualties among the Ministry's elite Aurors.
For such heinous, immoral crimes that violated the most fundamental wizarding laws, the culprit behind this series of atrocities wouldn't even be granted the 'mercy' of imprisonment in Azkaban; they would likely directly face the Dementor's Kiss.
"We certainly don't need so many magical enforcers staying here; it would appear strange to any Muggle—"
Bryan advised the group of Aurors who had just completed restoring the surroundings to their original state and landed in front of the house. His eyes observed the tightly packed, narrow alley with its crumbling brick walls and uneven cobblestone surface, evaluating the tactical limitations of the narrow space.
"Kingsley, including yourself in the count, four or perhaps five people at most will be quite sufficient for our purposes, and as for the rest of your team—" His voice trailed off momentarily as he considered.
Looking thoughtfully at the group of Aurors dressed in their black leather coats with wide-brimmed hats that partially obscured their vigilant faces, Bryan considered the situation, weighing various factors in his mind.
"And those who are selected to stay behind with us will absolutely need to transfigure their current outfits into something considerably less conspicuous—something that wouldn't immediately raise suspicion in a Muggle observer," He concluded decisively.
It had to be acknowledged that Aurors were indeed the cream of the crop, the undisputed elite of the Ministry of Magic's enforcement branch. Bryan had pessimistically expected the remaining few Aurors to dress themselves in a flamboyant, obviously magical manner when attempting to blend with Muggles, as was often the case with wizards unaccustomed to Muggle society.
However, to his pleasant surprise, when they transformed their appearances, they looked convincing in their Muggle outfits.
"Disguise and concealment are mandatory, strictly tested courses for all Auror candidates, Mr. Watson," Kingsley explained with a hint of professional pride. "Those who cannot achieve outstanding marks in the comprehensive examinations for these two crucial subjects cannot possibly qualify to work as Aurors in the field—"
The corner of his mouth twitched in a subtle, satisfied smile as he noticed the genuine surprise in Bryan Watson's slightly raised eyebrows.
"Haha, yes, I've certainly noticed your team's remarkable proficiency—" Bryan smiled warmly.
"The quality and capability of Ministry employees is actually not nearly as poor or incompetent as the Daily Prophet and the wizarding public so often and unfairly claim it to be. Perhaps you just lack a wise and genuinely capable leader—" He said candidly.
Kingsley didn't respond to this politically exciting observation, maintaining his professional demeanor, and the vigilant Aurors positioned around them only twitched the corners of their mouths subtly and discreetly turned their heads away to conceal their expressions.
Bryan Watson, with his status and reputation, certainly didn't need to fear retribution from the Ministry's higher echelons, but if the Minister of Magic himself somehow discovered they were speaking critically of his leadership abilities behind his back, their professional fate would certainly not be enviable.
A pale moon, nearly full but partially covered by thin clouds, appeared and disappeared behind oddly shaped clouds drifting lazily across the night sky. The darkness deepened noticeably with each passing minute, and a mysterious layer of ghostly mist gradually rose from the meandering, polluted river adjacent to the dilapidated residential area.
Under the persistent disturbance of the increasingly chilly night wind that howled between buildings, the expanding mist seemed to open its ferocious, hungry mouth, gradually devouring the dilapidated residential area house by house.
Occasionally, a few winter crows flew directly over Bryan's head, leaving only their mournful, spine-chilling cries echoing in the deserted alleyways, while from the wasteland on both sides of the murky river, the haunting cries of stray foxes searching for food could be heard erratically.
Those cries were disturbingly similar to abandoned human babies without shelter, shrill and desperately helpless, adding an undeniable sense of supernatural eeriness to this forgotten, decaying residential area
"I'm terribly sorry, miss, but the alley ahead is simply too narrow for my taxi, and I can only drop you off at this point—" said the middle-aged Muggle taxi driver apologetically, stretching his neck to measure the width of the dark alley for a long time before finally leaning back into his seat and turning to look at the young woman sitting tensely in the back of his taxi.
"It's perfectly fine, I can certainly manage the rest of the journey on my own. I don't think it's too far to my destination from here—"
Louise reassured him and herself with forced confidence, unconsciously brushing away a few strands of her golden hair from her worried eyes. She forced what she hoped was a convincing smile onto her face, but her eyes were nervously flickering from side to side, trying desperately hard to conceal the unease and rising panic growing in her rapidly beating heart.
"Well, good luck to you then, miss—" the driver replied skeptically, unconvinced by her brave facade.
The night was deep, and it was obviously unsafe for an unaccompanied young woman to be left alone in this notorious area with its infamously poor security record.
The driver tried earnestly to persuade Louise several times, hoping she would reconsider and find a friend to safely escort her, or if there was no truly urgent matter needing her presence, to return at a more appropriate time during daytime.
After being politely but firmly refused multiple times, the reluctant driver finally accepted the slightly crumpled banknotes the determined girl handed him and shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
Although she had just confidently assured the concerned taxi driver that she wouldn't be afraid, as the gradually diminishing rumble of the taxi's engine moved steadily away from her position and the reassuring light from its headlights became increasingly faint in her vision before disappearing around a corner, an uncontrollable wave of panic rose from the very bottom of Louise's pounding heart, causing her body to tremble despite her best efforts to remain composed.
Not more than twenty feet from where she stood frozen in indecisiveness, a dim, flickering street lamp which was the only source of illumination in the vicinity, went out completely with an ominous sizzling sound, plunging her surroundings into near-total darkness.
The absence of artificial light made the environment suddenly become more menacingly real. The sound coming from across the mist-shrouded riverbank, made by some kind of animal but disturbingly similar to a female ghost's anguished howl from numerous horror films she had seen, caused Louise to retreat in instinctive haste, her thin back pressing hard against the cold brick wall behind her.
The freezing cold wind passing mercilessly in front of her made Louise wrap her coat tighter around her trembling body, and regret mixed with rising fear showed plainly in her beautiful eyes as she scanned the shadows surrounding her.
She reluctantly had to admit to herself that she had been more than a bit impulsive and perhaps reckless in her decisions tonight.
Just because of an unverified information provided by a strange, unknown man on the phone, a man whose voice was definitely not her brother's, she impulsively came to such a "wilderness" without properly considering the potentially dangerous consequences of her rash actions.
The mysterious man on the phone could very well be a scheming criminal who had cunningly tricked her into coming to this isolated location specifically in order to kidnap her or do something far worse to her alone in the darkness!
"Oh, don't be so childish and afraid, Louise—" the girl whispered to herself as she hugged herself tightly for both physical warmth and psychological comfort as her fists clenched tightly inside her coat sleeves.
"You've seen and experienced a lot, haven't you? This certainly won't scare you—" She tried to reassure herself with false boldness.
The abruptly extinguished street lamp suddenly made the dim, yellowish light emanating from behind the dirty, cracked glass window of a broken-down house not far from her right side stand out in the surrounding darkness.
Her frightened gaze drifted uncontrollably in that direction, drawn to the only light source available, and once it settled on the lit window, a paralyzing, piercing chill rose unstoppably from the base of her spine, crawling up like a venomous spider along her back to the very top of her head, making Louise's scalp tingle with terror!
Behind the dirty window was a man's haggard face pressed against the cold glass. The man had wildly disheveled hair and a messy beard. His bloodshot eyes were filled with an unsettling combination of longing and something far more disturbing as he stared unblinkingly at her.
When he noticed her looking directly at him, instead of retreating in embarrassment or shame as a normal person might, he bared his yellow, rotting teeth and gave her a foolish, threatening smile.
"Ah!" A terrified, high-pitched scream penetrated the night's silence, startling several flocks of resting crows.
Louise no longer cared about maintaining a facade of courage, or perhaps she had been frightened completely out of her mind. She was about to desperately rush into the pitch-black alley covered in darkness when—
Just as she launched herself into the unknown darkness ahead, a pair of young, pale, but surprisingly strong hands suddenly extended without warning from the deep shadows of the alley.
These hands firmly grasped Louise's trembling arms, stopping her from going further.
"Let me go!" Louise's tears of terror immediately shot uncontrollably from her wide eyes, and she was now completely scared out of her wits, and struggled frantically against the grip, desperately trying to break free from the unknown hands' grasp on her arms.
"Please try to calm yourself down. Hmm—" the unseen owner of the hands finally spoke, and it wasn't difficult to detect that there was some surprise in his voice; he clearly hadn't expected this Muggle girl to be personally involved in this matter.
"If I remember correctly—" Bryan took a step forward, his slightly surprised face finally exposed in some dim light. He stared at the confused Muggle girl in front of him, finally figuring out why the voice on the phone had seemed somewhat familiar.
"You are... hmm, Miss Louise Williams, a reporter for the London Daily newspaper?" He asked with certainty in his voice.
Louise's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately stopped struggling.
'What was going on? How did the owner of this voice know my name, and even where I worked?'
Curiosity finally overcame fear. Louise bit her teeth tightly, with her pretty face turned to one side, but she secretly opened her eyes to a slit, using her peripheral vision to peek, and with one look—
"Oh, God, it's actually you!" Louise Williams opened her eyes wide and let out an incredulous exclamation!
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