As soon as the Aurors were freed, one of them failed to grasp the power difference—
but just because one person was reckless didn't mean everyone was foolish.
An Auror stood up and began to raise his wand,
only to be grabbed by his teammate.
At the same time, the team captain and the female Auror both shouted urgently for him to stand down.
The Auror hesitated, ready to argue,
but then he noticed that their eyes weren't on him at all.
Instead, their gazes were locked behind him.
Confused, he turned his head—
and his heart stopped.
A man with long black hair, dressed in a sleek black suit,
stood motionless, his face expressionless—
but his handgun was pointed directly at him.
Shit.
Being held at gunpoint, the Auror instinctively prepared to cast a Disarming Charm,
but before he could finish the thought,
the mysterious man holstered his gun,
didn't even glance at him,
and silently stepped back into the shadows.
To Shadow Ghost Raizo,
losing the element of surprise meant there was no reason to engage.
And besides—
it was obvious from the reactions of the other three Aurors that they were no longer a threat to William.
So, he withdrew, ensuring that he wouldn't disrupt William's mood if a fight broke out.
With no enemy and no excuse to fight,
the Auror who had drawn his wand opened his mouth, then closed it again,
his hand lowering awkwardly.
Realizing how foolish he had been,
he shot a resentful glare at William,
then downed a full glass of wine in frustration.
But as soon as the wine touched his lips,
his anger and embarrassment momentarily faded.
"Hmm?"
He held up his glass against the light,
took another sip, then closed his eyes to savor it.
"Is this a 1996 Château Latour?"
His teammates, who had been on edge,
relaxed when they saw him focusing on the wine instead of a fight.
Now, the three remaining Aurors were left unsure of what to do.
Should they enjoy the meal in front of them?
Or should they just leave?
As for violating the Statute of Secrecy,
well—
the moment William had silenced and paralyzed them all with a snap of his fingers,
it was clear that the law no longer applied.
The fact that William wasn't a registered wizard?
Not their problem.
And after witnessing how he wielded magic as effortlessly as breathing,
only a fool would try to provoke a sleeping dragon.
Yes—
all four Aurors now saw William as a dragon.
"Hahaha!"
A burst of laughter from across the room caught their ears.
Their curiosity overpowered their fear,
and they strained to listen to Lucius Malfoy's conversation with William.
If it came down to it—
they might not be able to fight,
but they could at least argue.
They wouldn't let Lucius Malfoy twist William's perception of the wizarding world.
The four Aurors exchanged glances—
and without a word, they all picked up their glasses and drank.
As soon as the wine touched their lips,
the three Aurors who had never tried Latour beforelit up with surprise.
The female Auror, savoring it, sighed contentedly.
"I never thought Latour would have such a rich, full-bodied taste.
This is exactly the kind of wine people in our profession should be drinking.
I think I'll cut back on makeup expenses and start saving up to buy a few bottles every year."
"Ha! Good luck with that," their captain snorted.
"Even new vintages need to be reserved a year in advance.
A single bottle costs at least $2,000.
And ever since our dear Duke Devonshire here bought out Latour and Margaux,
only VIP clients from before the acquisition can place orders."
The other three Aurors followed his gaze toward William,
suddenly feeling a strange sense of pride.
William Devonshire—
an English noble who stormed into France and bought two of their most prestigious wineries.
Yes—
they could respect that.
With that common ground,
it became easier to relax.
But their peaceful moment lasted less than an hour—
before a certain bearded man stormed in.
Harry Potter.
Upon learning that the four Aurors had gone to see William and hadn't reported back for nearly an hour,
he had rushed to Gordon Restaurant—
only to run into Hermione Granger along the way.
Although married, Hermione had kept her maiden name and was now working in the Ministry's legal division,
with a high chance of becoming the head of the Auror Department in the future.
As they arrived at the restaurant,
the manager moved to block them—
but suddenly, a voice in his earpiece instructed him to let them pass.
Pausing briefly, the manager nodded and stepped aside.
He had already seen four Aurors frozen mid-action earlier—
so at this point, he didn't even bother asking questions.
As Harry and Hermione reached the stairs,
they heard Lucius Malfoy's voice from the second floor.
"Azkaban…"
Harry's expression darkened instantly.
He stepped in front of Hermione.
"Let me go up first," he said firmly.
"There's no need," Hermione replied, pushing his arm aside.
"Relax.
We're right next to Stamford Bridge Stadium.
Even if old Malfoy wants to cause trouble,
William Devonshire won't let him."
Harry hesitated—
then glanced back at the brightly lit stadium barely a hundred meters away.
That made sense.
It was more likely that the four Aurors had simply been caught off guard—
pinned down by William's guards with guns.
That would explain why they never called for backup.
Realizing this,
Harry quickened his pace to catch up with Hermione.
But as soon as they reached the second floor,
both of them froze in shock.
There was no fight.
The only person standing behind William was a man in a black suit,
who looked more like a butler than a bodyguard.
Meanwhile—
the Aurors were seated around William,
drinking wine and chatting with Lucius Malfoy.
In fact, as Harry arrived,
he even heard the female Aurorarguing with Lucius Malfoy—
debating whether sending criminals to Azkaban was the same as executing them.
And of all people—
Lucius Malfoy, the only man in the room who had actually been in Azkaban,
was eagerly advocating for its destruction.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Hearing the sound,
the five seated wizards immediately stopped talking.
They turned to William, who was smiling calmly,
then followed Raizo's gaze—
and saw Hermione and Harry standing in stunned silence.
"Hahaha! Harry, are you here to visit your dear Uncle Malfoy?"
Lucius beamed shamelessly as he stood up and strode toward them.
Harry and Hermione exchanged looks.
"He's still as shameless as ever."
(End of Chapter)
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