"Sir, I just received reports of an unusual thunderstorm in the east. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. I suspect it may be related to magic."
"Sir, we found a rather nervous woman in the area. She claims to have seen monsters."
"Sir, we've discovered a large collection of bones in an abandoned factory outside the city. It's likely the work of a dark wizard."
Draco sat in his chair, listening to the Muggle police chief's reports with growing frustration. True and false information were mixed together, making the situation nearly impossible to navigate. However, due to pressure from Lord Riddle himself, they had to carefully verify each report.
Thunderstorms are perfectly normal natural occurrences, and I recently received reports of thunderbirds flying over the area.
As for that 'nervous' woman...
I checked her background. She genuinely has mental health issues.
And those bones...
For Merlin's sake, if the Trust is creating Inferi, couldn't they at least clean up after themselves properly? Such incompetence. Don't they know how to cover their tracks?
Draco casually pushed aside the so-called intelligence reports scattered across his desk and dismissed the police chief.
Once alone, Draco walked to the window and gazed down at the flow of people on the streets below. Three days had already passed without finding a single useful clue. His anxiety was mounting, and when he thought of Lord Riddle's cold, unforgiving expression, a chill ran down his spine.
At that moment...
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"Come in!"
The door opened, and Segura entered, dressed in black robes with a document in hand.
"Director, we've compiled all the gang-related clues," Segura announced. "We conducted several investigations and found multiple suspicious locations. I've brought everything for your review."
What's there to review? Draco thought irritably. If there's a problem, why not just assemble a team and investigate?
Anger flared in Draco's chest, but he quickly suppressed it, forcing a smile onto his face. He stepped forward and took the document from Segura's hand. He still needed the support of his team members.
As he looked through the report, his heart sank.
"Lauren Building, where screams can be heard every night and early morning..." That's just the Lawrence family's Black Magic Research Institute.
"Queens, where people frequently disappear on Bruns Street..." That's John's black market. Of course Muggles can't find their way out once they enter.
"The Star Building in the city center feels extremely cold and gloomy despite the hot weather, with black fog appearing occasionally..." That's completely normal when people are raising corpses for their personal gain.
As familiar names continued to appear throughout the file, Draco was at a loss for words. This major investigation was originally meant to uncover the dark wizards of Kamar-Taj. Instead, they had uncovered numerous private affairs of pure-blood families.
I'm speechless. These are our own people!
"Segura, excellent work. Let's set these clues aside for now and focus on the others," Draco said smoothly. "By the way, I'm exhausted from today's fieldwork. When we return, I'll pick up a few bottles of revitalizing potion for you."
Hearing this, Segura's face brightened with a faint smile. Of course he would take advantage of the free offering. This Auror director—or rather, team leader—was still reasonable. He always delivered on promised benefits.
After Segura left, Draco carelessly tossed the documents onto his desk. He slumped back in his chair with a heavy sigh, wondering how much trouble this investigation would ultimately cause.
This time, Segura was still keeping an eye on him, especially regarding anything that might involve pure-blood families, so Draco couldn't act directly. Otherwise, the consequences could be dire.
The wizards of the Hunter-Slayer Association were like powerful dragons wading through a river, while the local pure-blood families were like native serpents. If the two were to clash, the results would be truly problematic.
Suddenly, Draco understood why he had been appointed leader of the hunter-killer team. It was largely to ease potential conflicts between these two factions. After all, having lived in the United States for over a decade as the director of Oro's office, he was privy to many sensitive matters. With him mediating in the middle, major conflicts could be avoided.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, another knock sounded at the door. A young man in dark green wizard robes entered, carrying yet another document.
Draco sighed inwardly, plastered another smile on his face, and stepped forward to accept the new clues.
Meanwhile, on the wizard black market, Carter and Kaecilius walked to the third alley on the right.
The alley was dimly lit and deserted, with an unsettling chill in the air that might make an ordinary person uncomfortable. Carter, however, showed no reaction.
He led Kaecilius directly to the end of the alley, where an ancient-looking wall stood. With practiced precision, Carter took out her wand and tapped fifteen bricks in sequence along the wall.
Click! Click! Click!
Under Kaecilius's watchful gaze, the bricks began to shift and rearrange themselves as a faint magical aura emerged around them.
Carter motioned for him to follow and stepped through the opening. Kaecilius, his curiosity piqued, entered the passage behind the wall. As soon as he crossed the threshold, he turned to find that the wall had already sealed itself behind them. Simultaneously, the silence of the alley was replaced by the clamor of voices ahead.
"This is the black market," Carter explained. "It was established ten years ago by a wizard named John who came from Europe. At that time, New York was rather exclusive and tightly controlled various magical resources. John took a different approach and established this black market, relying on obscure resources and channels to gain a foothold in New York. We conduct some of our transactions here, and it's also a valuable source of information from the outside world."
Kaecilius nodded, looking around with interest. The black market was neither particularly large nor small.
As they wandered through the streets, they passed numerous shops where both magical and Muggle items were sold, with vendors enthusiastically greeting passing customers. Occasionally, they would see merchants with stalls set up along the street, selling magical items or potions—clearly, renting a proper shop here was expensive, prompting many to opt for street vending instead.
The further they ventured into the market, the more stalls appeared, confirming Kaecilius's theory. He also noted that the deeper they went, the darker and more potent the magical materials and items became, with cold-eyed dark wizards lurking in the shadows.
Kaecilius observed everything with interest but remained silent. Eventually, Carter led him into a small shop on the left side of the deeper section of the market.
Upon entering, they saw an elderly witch with faded yellow hair standing behind a counter, gazing intently into a crystal ball.
Jennifer's Divination Shack!
Recalling the sign he had just seen outside, Kaecilius realized they were visiting a divination specialist. Remembering the high status afforded to Kamar-Taj's divination wizards, Kaecilius studied the witch before him carefully.
She had withered yellow hair, a deeply lined face, and a stooped posture, emanating a subtle dark aura mingled with an ethereal quality—a classic example of a witch who dabbled in black magic and had suffered its backlash.
With a casual flick of her wand toward the door behind them, Carter closed it with a resounding bang! Instantly, candles throughout the small hut blazed to life.
A quick glance revealed the entire cabin's contents. The table before them was cluttered with an assortment of dark magical artifacts and divination tools. There were feathers, tea leaves, and Kaecilius even spotted a cracked turtle shell among the items.
"Trelawney, how have things been lately?" Carter asked, evidently familiar with the place. She pulled two chairs from the side to the front.
As if suddenly remembering proper introductions, she gestured toward Kaecilius. "This is Kaecilius, our helper. He's trustworthy."
Then, extending her hand toward the elderly witch, she said, "This is Trelawney, former Divination Professor at Hogwarts. She now uses the pseudonym Jennifer. A significant portion of our outside intelligence comes through her."
Carter motioned for Kaecilius to sit, but then a flicker of doubt crossed her face. She had noticed something unsettling in Trelawney's expression and posture—the witch seemed wary of Kaecilius.
Sensing the tension, Carter quickly explained to Trelawney, "He's not Grindelwald, he just bears a resemblance."
Despite Carter's reassurance, Trelawney remained on guard. Gripping her wand tightly, she spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Carter, stay away from him. He carries an ominous aura—fate itself is rejecting him."
Carter's expression shifted to one of mild skepticism as she turned to look at Kaecilius. After studying him for a moment, she found nothing obviously alarming.
"What do you mean?" Carter asked, slight irritation creeping into her voice. "Please explain yourself clearly. He's our helper and an indispensable partner."
Kaecilius frowned upon hearing this. Given his level of power, how could he not be aware if there was something wrong with his physical form? This talk of omens and fate seemed rather far-fetched.
And yet, Carter wouldn't have brought him to see an impostor.
"This is what the Eye of Heaven revealed to me," Trelawney replied, her hoarse voice unwavering. "Have you experienced any particularly unfortunate events recently? Repeatedly, perhaps?"
Upon hearing this, both Carter and Kaecilius immediately thought of the same person: Vera!
They had examined her case repeatedly but could find no trace of magic or curse. And now, here was a potential clue.
Why was their luck so poor?
Before Kaecilius could speak, Carter confirmed, "Yes, one of our very important members is experiencing extreme misfortune. If she weren't so resilient, she would have perished long ago."
Trelawney looked between Carter and Kaecilius before continuing, "Fate does not favor him and is actively rejecting his presence. The thread of fate attached to him is exceptionally faint, almost like that of a newborn—which should be impossible. Moreover, what remains of his fate's thread exudes ominousness."
Kaecilius could generally grasp Trelawney's meaning. The "thin threads of fate" likely referred to his recent arrival in the wizarding world. Destiny seemed to be keeping its distance from him—at least for now.
His thoughts drifted momentarily. When Lockhart arrived, all so-called fates would become insignificant.
"Alright, let's set that aside for now," Carter interjected, having formed her own theories after hearing Trelawney's words. "We need to know what's happening with the United States Ministry of Magic and Voldemort. Trelawney, is there anything we should be concerned about?"
Carter's voice deepened as she fixed her gaze on Trelawney.
After a moment of silence, Trelawney responded, "Not long ago, I heard that Voldemort came to America and visited the Hunter Association. They say he was furious, and all the hunter wizards trembled in fear. Almost immediately afterward, nearly all Aurors were dispatched to search city after city."
She gestured around her small hut with a wry smile. "Even my humble shop has been inspected three times. Yesterday, they summoned all shop owners, and a hunter publicly offered a reward for information—ten thousand gold Galleons, a scroll of powerful spells, and various precious magical resources. Honestly, after hearing that, I was tempted to turn myself in."
"To put it bluntly," she continued, "the hunters are willing to pay an enormous price to capture you—or even just to obtain a clue leading to you."
Carter's expression darkened considerably upon hearing this. Damn it! With such formidable forces mobilized against them, she had little confidence in evading capture completely.
Kaecilius's expression also shifted slightly. Though he considered himself among the elite of the wizarding world, even he would struggle to do more than protect himself when faced with a siege by numerous powerful wizards—and that was only possible with the trump card Lockhart had provided.
"Trelawney, would you like to come back with me?" Carter offered. "It's too dangerous out here now."
Now aware of the situation, Carter naturally wouldn't risk acting recklessly. She was already planning to sever all connections and conceal their location upon returning—to wait until the danger passed before reemerging, or until the right opportunity presented itself.
"Come with you?" Trelawney fell silent momentarily, as if considering the offer, before smiling and declining. "I think not. I've operated this shop for ten years, and everyone knows me. The likelihood of suspicion falling on me is minimal. Leaving now would only attract unwanted attention."
Carter nodded silently in understanding. She then removed a magically extended pouch from her waist and handed it to Trelawney.
"These are the latest resources produced in Kamar-Taj's Secret Realm, along with some gold Galleons," Carter explained. "You can exchange the resources and see if you can purchase some materials we need. I've included a list."
"Buy whatever you can find and set aside what you can't. Use the remaining funds as you see fit, just as before—maintain relationships, purchase items, and gather information."
Trelawney accepted the pouch naturally and nodded her understanding.
"It's best to limit your activities in the coming days, given the intensity of the investigation," Carter added. "Also, use some of these resources to improve your own safety and purchase protective items. In these dangerous times, strength is our best retreat."