The Butcher of Hogsmeade

As soon as Shen Hou opened his mouth, the short, fat man who had been chattering like a duck immediately fell silent as if his throat had been grabbed.

"You know about this?" Fabian asked excitedly.

"Of course I know it, I know it very well." Shen Hou took the "stick" from the other person, weighed it in his hand, and said, "Just like this... um... Mr. Mundungus said, this is a weapon from the Muggle world, and it just so happens to be from my homeland, so I recognize it."

Thanks to short videos, kids born in the 00s have a wide range of knowledge. As long as it doesn't involve illegal or criminal activities, they have the opportunity to see all sorts of strange and unusual things. For example, the triangular bayonet, which was once rumored to be banned worldwide, naturally has the opportunity to become popular again on the internet.

"Fletcher!" the short, stout man corrected persistently. "Mundungus Fletcher, so it's Mr. Fletcher. Since you seem to know your stuff, do you like it? I can give you a discount. Getting this thing all the way from the Far East wasn't easy; it cost me a fortune..."

Shen Hou impatiently interrupted the other person: "Didn't you hear what I said? This thing comes from my motherland. I know very well that this thing is worthless, at least not now."

Mundungus was alarmed: "How can you say that? This is a top-quality weapon in the Muggle world, extremely rare. It's not easy to get your hands on it, let alone bring it all the way from China, risking it being confiscated and then delivering it to the wizarding world..."

"A 'rare gem' with a production run of millions of bayonets?" Shen Hou stroked the smooth edges of the bayonet, the cold metallic feel irresistible. "The triangular bayonet is widely used in the Chinese army, and it has been in continuous production for over twenty years, with a peak annual output of nearly a million. Moreover, is this bayonet in your hand really from the Far East? I've heard that many African countries imported large quantities from China, with one in five soldiers equipped with Chinese-made bayonets?"

With each word Shen Hou spoke, Mundungus's face paled a little more. His feigned flushed face quickly returned to normal, and he rubbed his hands together and smiled sheepishly.

Gideon said angrily, "Didn't I warn you not to use your deceptive tricks on us? Did you ignore me, Mundungus?"

"You should be able to understand the work habits. You've dealt with the black market dealers in Knockturn Alley quite a bit. That's just how this industry is."

"Shut up and get out of here!" Fabian tossed his shoulder bag into Mundungus's hand, impatiently ordering him to leave.

Mundungus stared longingly at the military dagger in Shen Hou's hand, reluctant to part with it: "That..."

"Get out of here! Have you ever seen a black market dealer who gets checked and doesn't have his goods confiscated? Aren't you afraid people will say you're too close to the Aurors? Confiscating it is for your own good. I was thinking of taking a few more items!" Fabian angrily pushed the man aside.

"I'm so unlucky! I didn't make a single deal today. There wasn't a single middleman in Diagon Alley, and even 'Bogin Burke' closed early. I was hoping to find some opportunities in Diagon Alley..." Mundungus sighed, annoyed but not daring to argue. He muttered to himself as he adjusted his shoulder bag and quickly disappeared into the shadows by the roadside.

It wasn't until the short, fat man "disappeared" that Shen Hou was surprised to discover that the "shadow" was actually the entrance to a narrow alley. After entering, there was a long downhill road that was narrow and steep, with almost no lights and the road surface was barely visible.

"That's Knockdown Lane. It's best not to go in unless you have to. Scammers, thieves, smugglers—all the scum of Britain gathers there." Fabian shook his head, crossed the alleyway, and prepared to continue walking forward. Shen Hou followed habitually.

"Wait, Fabian, something's not right," Gideon suddenly called out to his brother.

"What's wrong?" Fabian asked, puzzled.

Gideon stood still, his wand already in his hand, his eyes scanning the surroundings warily. He said, "Didn't you hear what Mundungus just said? There's not a soul in Knockturn Alley today. Those 'rats' are always very bold; something must have alerted them to disappear into the shadows."

"But I haven't heard of any recent operations in Knockturn Alley; whether it's cracking down on smugglers or confiscating dark magic items, no one has notified the Auror office?"

"Idiot, it's not just the Ministry of Magic that scares these rats." Gideon cursed, pulling Shen Hou back. "Perhaps I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, but today's tour probably has to end early; Fabian, take Shen back to the Leaky Cauldron first, then we'll come back."

Shen Hou readily agreed and followed Gideon's lead. Fabian, who had been quite audacious, also silently followed, drawing his wand and looking around warily, subtly protecting the group's flanks and rear.

Less than a hundred steps back, Gideon's premonition of danger came true. An invisible spell collided with the armored charm Gideon had cast beforehand, deflecting it and crashing to the ground, shattering a large section of the cobblestone pavement and sending dust flying. The glass doors and windows of the shops on both sides were not spared; the powerful shockwave shattered them, scattering the goods displayed in the windows across the floor.

The explosion made the ears of the three people ring. Before they could figure out where the spell came from, a green light flew from afar, piercing through the dust and rubble, and aimed directly at Gideon's face. At the critical moment, Gideon swept his wand, and the display case in the shop window was lifted up from the ground, smashing through the already shattered window frame, and stood horizontally in mid-air, blocking the green light and the three people.

After a sharp crack, the green light disappeared, and the display case shattered into pieces, turning into wood chips scattered all over the floor.

At the same time, Gideon pointed his wand into the sky, and a red flame shot up, exploding into countless sparks high in the air.

"No one's coming to save you," someone sneered from a distance. As the dust and wood chips gradually settled, two figures approached.

Shen Hou endured the discomfort of tinnitus and looked up. One of the people was dressed similarly to the Death Eaters he had seen in Hogsmeade, with a long robe, hood, and mask covering his face; but the other guy, who was obviously the leader, was different. His face was uncovered, revealing his true face, which was a pale and distorted long face.

"Antonin Dolokhov!" Gideon recognized him at a glance.

"We meet again, old friend!" The long-faced Death Eater grinned menacingly, and after the greeting, a barrage of spells rained down upon him.

Gideon shoved Shen Hou toward the broken shop window, only managing to say "hide" before the enemy's spell flew right in front of them.

"There are people behind us too!" Just as Gideon engaged the enemy, Fabian shouted a warning, and an invisible armored spell opened up, blocking two evil spells that flew at them simultaneously. Two Death Eaters, hiding their faces, appeared on the street behind them, rapidly closing in while continuously firing spells, forcing Fabian to scramble and making it impossible for him to support his brother for the time being.

For a moment, Shen Hou was the only outsider in the entire scene; just as he was undecided whether to hide as instructed or to assist the Pwitt brothers in fighting the enemy, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark red light out of the corner of his eye.

The light came from the tip of a dark magic wand, which emerged from the broken shop window and was aimed at the oblivious Gidion.