The Butcher of Hogsmeade

It wasn't just Shen Hou and the Puwitt brothers who were kicked out of Pig Head Bar; all the other "innocent" patrons were also kicked out by the enraged bar owner, including the unluckiest guy present, the one wearing a werewolf mask who was caught in the aftermath of the battle. He woke up frozen in the snow outside the bar, completely bewildered.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Gideon asked Shen Hou with a wry smile.

"Of course, that's what I want; I'll come and check every day to see if he keeps his word and really suspends operations indefinitely for rectification." Shen Hou said confidently, but he was clearly speaking to the others present.

Once outside the bar, Fabian seemed a bit disheartened, probably because he hadn't had enough of the excitement. He pointed to the two smugglers floating beside him and asked, "What about these two?" The two smuggling suspects were still unconscious and were dragged out the door after being levitated.

"Deliver it to the post office, notify the Auror office to send someone to escort it, and follow standard procedures," Gideon said irritably.

The post office was very close to the Pig's Head Bar; just turn off the side street and onto the main road, and it was right across the street. When the five of them arrived at the door, they encountered Mundungus, who was furtively peeking towards the Pig's Head Bar. This seasoned conman and smuggler was still wearing that strange robe with a ruff collar; his thin, bamboo-like frame paired with his large head made him look extremely odd.

"Why are you still here? Aren't you afraid Abu Foster will come after you?" Fabian asked.

Mundungus shook his head. "He'd rather stay in his shabby sheepfold!"

"Why are you going to Pig's Head Bar again?" Fabian asked again. "I have no doubt he'll turn you into a sausage."

"I haven't made a single sale in days, what can I do?" Mundungus was full of grievances.

After the conman's explanation, Shen Hou and his group finally understood that the three of them were also involved. Because the Death Eaters had brazenly attacked Ministry of Magic personnel in Diagon Alley, including two senior Aurors, the Auror Office had reacted strongly. In recent days, not only had patrols doubled, but the number of Aurors on the streets had increased from two to four groups, and surveillance of all entrances and exits to Knockturn Alley had been intensified. In the end, they didn't catch the Death Eaters, but they did scare away many of Mundungus's regular customers.

"There's no business in Knockturn Alley. Where can I go besides Hogsmeade? And where can I go in Hogsmeade besides the Hog's Head?" Mundungus complained. "Am I supposed to go out into the swamps and try my luck, looking for the camps of those elusive poachers and smugglers, and then pray I don't get double-crossed or killed? If I had that kind of skill, I'd be an Auror."

As Mundungus spoke, his eyes kept scrutinizing Shen Hou, making one feel uneasy.

"Is there something you want to say to me?" Shen Hou asked.

Mundungus hesitated noticeably before cautiously asking, "They say Antonin Dolokhov didn't die from magic, but from a melee weapon, like...like the Gryffindor duels with swords?"

"You want to ask about the weapon I used?" Shen Hou looked at the Prewitt brothers. "Hasn't the Ministry of Magic made it public?"

Gideon replied, "Those are details of the case."

"Understood." Shen Hou nodded; the law enforcement agencies in the magical world probably adopted a similar approach to the police departments in the Muggle world, where case details could be released, but not in great detail.

"If you're asking what weapon I used..." Shen Hou chuckled mischievously, "That's right, it's the 'Demon Fang' you gave me; I used the weapon you provided to kill the Death Eater—should I give your product a piece of my mind?"

"What do you mean 'gifted'? You clearly robbed it...you confiscated it!" Mundungus was jumping up and down in a panic. "You have to say that to everyone, understand? People will die if you talk nonsense, I'll die."

Hearing this, Shen Hou finally understood why this person had been sneaking around here waiting for them.

"Are Death Eaters really that terrifying and unreasonable? All because of a weapon?"

"You just don't understand how crazy those people are. Can't you treat them like normal people? Did you even hear what I said?"

"I heard you, I heard you. I confiscated 'Demon Fang,' not a gift from you. I understand." Shen Hou's reply was perfunctory, his demeanor and tone clearly unconvincing, yet there was nothing he could do about it.

"Listen, take this to heart, and I can give you a tip for free," Mundungus said, half pleading and half boasting. "Someone's set up a black market betting operation that involves you. They're betting your life on it."

"What do you mean?" Shen Hou frowned, knowing that no one would be happy to hear such a thing.

"They bet on how long you can survive the Death Eaters' pursuit, with different odds for different bets. Those who bet on three days have already lost everything. Originally, the odds for betting on a week were the lowest, but after the Ministry of Magic's administrative order was issued, more and more people switched to betting on half a month or a month, and the odds for those two categories have been dropping." Mundungus spoke with great enthusiasm, "You didn't expect that your life or death would affect the ownership of tens of thousands of Galleons; if you die a day earlier, some people will be ruined, and if you die a day later, it will be another group of people who are ruined."

Shen Hou was almost laughing in exasperation. He asked coldly, "The odds are lowest for half a month and one month, so which one has the highest odds?"

"One year ago, the odds were 10.05, and apart from a few desperate people, nobody was betting on it."

Shen Hou's face darkened even more: "They survived, didn't they?"

Mundungus blurted out, "Are you kidding me? There's no such file."

Shen Hou held back for a long time, but finally burst out laughing: "In your eyes, am I really destined to die?"

"You know, people in our circle, well... they usually have some biases; the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore, they always follow the rules, and those who follow the rules often can't beat those who don't, so it's inevitable that they'll favor the mysterious one to win..." Mundungus stammered as he tried to explain, but before he could finish, he was interrupted by Fabian.

"You placed a bet too, didn't you? What did you bet on? How long will Shen live?"

"No way..."

"To be honest, Mundungus, we're old friends. Don't we know who you are?"

"Well, I learned about the betting quite late. I didn't place my bet until after the Ministry of Magic issued the executive order, and I bet for a month."

"What? Only a month?" Fabian roared. "Even if you don't trust the Ministry of Magic, shouldn't you at least have a little more trust in Professor Dumbledore?"

"If I hadn't trusted Dumbledore, I would have placed the bet for a week, or at least two weeks," Mundungus said matter-of-factly. "Please, you have to live a few more days, Shen. I've put all my money into betting..."

"Hmm, live a few more days, but not too long, right?"

"Well……"