The Butcher of Hogsmeade

At the tip of the wand, a visible ripple spread through the air and then quickly disappeared. The "mummy's" hand was suspended in the air, the wand held in place by an invisible force, unable to move forward or backward. The spell that had already been formed suddenly exploded, but was blocked by an invisible "wall of air," and the magic power dispersed along the wall in different directions.

The idiot sitting at the next table, wearing a werewolf mask, was struck by one of the splashes of magic. The mask shattered instantly, and he was thrown towards the bar as if an invisible hand had grabbed his neck, smashing countless bottles and glasses, spilling pungent, spicy liquor all over the floor.

At the same time, the spell aimed at Gideon was blocked by the Ironclad Charm. The head-on collision of the two magical forces produced a loud sound similar to a physical impact, and then both dissipated into nothingness.

Without giving the opponent a chance to launch a second spell, Shen Hou slightly raised his free left hand, forming a hand seal at waist height.

"Alder!"

The shockwave blasted out, shattering tables and chairs, and sending the hooded man and the "mummy" flying backward, crashing solidly into the wall in front of them, where they collapsed unconscious.

"Well done." Fabian praised them as he took two wands and cast a "Quick Bind" on each of the two who dared to resist, binding them tightly. To be on the safe side, he also cast a Stunning Charm on each of them, making them sleep even more soundly.

Shen Hou looked down at his left hand, equally satisfied with the muscle memory he had developed. The few days between Sirius's suggestion and its execution had been spent honing his magical instincts. His most important goal was to avoid repeating the mistake of the Diagon Alley battle—knowing he could use magic but rushing in for melee combat. As Fabian quipped, "At least Gryffindor had a sword!"

Judging from the current results, the intensive training is effective. From the "Quin Sign" to the "Aard Sign," these signs—or rather, what wizards call wandless spellcasting—are incredibly powerful in close-quarters, fast-paced magical combat.

"Enough! If anyone dares to lay a hand on me again, I'll stuff him into a sheep's ass and turn him into a sausage!" The bar owner's face was terrifyingly dark as he roared at everyone present. The fight lasted less than three seconds, but bottles, jars, tables, and chairs were already shattered all over the place.

Shen Hou waved the parchment in his right hand, still defiant: "No, the one who lays a hand on me will be sent to Azkaban, not to a sheep's ass. This is a Ministry of Magic enforcement action; we have the right to take action against any resistance… or, to use more official language: take necessary measures!"

"Say less! I think the gentlemen here are already willing to cooperate, right?" Gideon wished he could cover Shen Hou's mouth with his hand, while using the sternest look he had ever given his brother to intimidate him and stop him from adding fuel to the fire. Then he waved his wand and repaired the tables, chairs, benches, cups, plates and bowls that were in front of him.

The eldest brother of the Pewter family felt utterly exhausted and filled with regret for not exchanging missions with Alastor earlier. Why did he have to come to Hogsmeade when it would have been better to accompany his brother-in-law to Knockturn Alley?

"Let me see, these two guys must have something good on them." Fabian ran to the side and searched the two unfortunate unconscious men. "Ah, African tree snake skin, no doubt about it, it's smuggled. Damn, how come there are fire ash snake eggs too? The freezing spell is about to wear off."

"Wouldn't this count as catching them red-handed?" Shen Hou deliberately asked Gideon. "Pig Head Bar really is a black market."

"They brought it themselves; it has nothing to do with the bar."

"Who knows why smugglers feel safe here, daring to bring their most dangerous contraband here?" Shen Hou shook his head, looking around. "How much of their commission do they get each time a deal goes through?"

"No! No transactions, no kickbacks!"

"We'll have to investigate to find out. I don't think these two are doing this for the first time, nor are they making deals at your bar for the first time."

The bar owner was furious, his veins bulging. He felt that everything about the young man in front of him was unpleasant. From his tone to his expression, he always made people feel an impulse to do anything, even if it meant being sent to Azkaban later, just to pick up his wand and beat him up again.

"Check these patrons first, Shen!" Gideon quickly stepped between Shen Hou and the bar owner. "Don't check the two who aren't wearing masks, I know them. The important ones are these... take off your masks and let me see your faces."

The Ministry of Magic and the Aurors still wielded considerable influence, especially after the two unfortunate individuals set a bad example. The rest of them quickly backed down and revealed their true identities, only to be recognized as permanent residents of Hogsmeade. When asked why they had concealed their faces, they claimed it was a Hog's Head pub specialty, and that they were simply there for fun.

Finally, only one wizard, tall and thin as a bamboo pole, stammered, refusing to remove the top hat that covered his eyes or reveal his chin and mouth covered by the ruff collar. He just hummed and hawed at Shen Hou and Gideon with his nose in front of them. He sat at the table furthest from the bar, wearing a black robe, which, combined with his thin figure, made him look like a chimney when he sat down.

"Take off your hat and let me see your face," Gideon said harshly, as if he wanted to vent all the anger he had been holding in on these cowardly people.

"No, I can't." The voice coming from the wide ruff was strange, as if the speaker was deliberately pinching their throat to change their tone.

"I'll say it one last time, let me see your face." Gideon raised his wand and pointed it at the other's nose. "I'm giving you a piece of advice: if you insist on making me use my hands, you won't have an easy time."

"I...I..." The tall, thin wizard hesitated until Fabian also came over with his wand, and he was forced to take off his tall hat, revealing a mournful face underneath.

"Mundungus?" the Pwett brothers exclaimed simultaneously.

When the other person is wearing a tall hat, you can see half of their slender face, which is well-proportioned to their figure, when you look through the brim. But now that the hat is off, the face suddenly looks bigger, like an inflated balloon, and becomes a chubby, round face.

"How dare you come in?" The bar owner rushed over upon hearing the noise, wand in hand, looking menacing.

Without uttering a single word of argument or pleading, Mundungus crouched down, using the tall figures of the Pwitt brothers and Shen Hou as cover, and dashed out the door in a flash, faster than a startled weasel, giving the boss no chance to make a move.

"Finished your inspection? Take the people you arrested and get out of here. You're not welcome here." The bar owner, having failed to catch Mundungus, turned his anger on Shen Hou and the others.

"Of course, today's harvest is already quite substantial," Shen Hou said slowly and loudly. "We'll be coming to check on things from time to time."

You might as well come for regular checkups!

The bar owner had a stern face, and his eyes seemed to be burning with anger. "Starting tomorrow, my bar will be closed indefinitely."

"Really? That's great! That's like cutting off a black market channel." Shen Hou grinned happily. "Then we can't do random inspections anymore. I'll come here every day to make sure this place is really closed down."

"Get out!"