At dusk, Knockturn Alley, with its badly planned layout of buildings, was already swallowed by great swathes of shadow, as if night had come early.
"Sir, we're leaving," Londo called from beside the tent.
"Got it." Leonard, already fully disguised, lifted the flap and stepped out. That false face of his was still hidden beneath the black robe.
Did this weirdo really keep himself covered that tightly even while resting? Just what kind of outlaw was cautious to this degree?
Perhaps he was too lost in thought, because Londo was not paying attention and tripped over a crate by the roadside.
As the rough ground rushed closer and closer, Londo instinctively shut his eyes and braced for the pain.
But the expected pain never came. A hand caught his arm and hauled him upright.
"Watch where you're going." Leonard looked at the clumsy young man with mild exasperation.
You're not some little girl, so why are you pulling the classic trip-on-flat-ground routine? Made me reach out without even thinking.
"Uh... thanks." Londo got back to his feet awkwardly. "The boss is waiting. I'll take you over right away."
"Mm." Leonard answered casually and silently followed after him.
At that moment, Schneider was directing his men to check the goods they were carrying. Smuggling had to look like smuggling, after all. Every one of Schneider's men had a leather suitcase with an Undetectable Extension Charm on it.
Inside were goods purchased from Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, all of them items banned from sale by the German Ministry of Magic.
The moment Schneider saw Leonard approaching, he came over with a broad smile. "Sir, we're about to leave. You don't get sick from Apparition, do you?"
"No." Leonard's voice came out hoarse. "Are we leaving now?"
"That's right, right now." Schneider nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "I'll personally take you."
To Apparate to a place, you had to know the terrain or have been there before. To keep the route from being exposed, smugglers had someone else use Apparition to carry the stowaway along.
"I know the rules. Let's go," Leonard said.
"All right, let's go." At Schneider's signal, all his men pulled out their wands and Apparated.
One hand on Leonard's shoulder and the other holding his wand, Schneider gave a wave in front of himself, and the two of them vanished on the spot.
...
Apparition was an extremely convenient form of magic, but the experience of it was anything but pleasant.
Ordinary wizards often grew dizzy and nauseous the first time they tried Apparition. Similar symptoms came with Portkey travel too.
Leonard had experienced Apparition and Portkeys plenty of times by now, so he had built up a certain tolerance.
But even he could not take nonstop Apparition like this.
The whole point of smuggling was to leave as little trace as possible to avoid complications, so every jump was made at maximum distance, and every stop was extremely short.
Very soon Leonard started to feel unwell, his stomach churning like a washing machine.
The smugglers, on the other hand, all looked perfectly normal, as if none of it was affecting them at all.
They were long used to the side effects of repeated Apparition. When it came to long-distance Apparition, smugglers were probably more experienced than wizards in any other line of work.
But Leonard was starting to hit his limit. This was not something you could power through with good physical condition alone. If this kept up, he really might throw up.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Ancient Sprout came through.
Clinging to Leonard's arm, the Ancient Sprout gave off a faint glow, and cool magic flowed into his body, easing his discomfort.
Leonard let out a quiet breath of relief, and the black robe that had been trembling slightly settled again.
Schneider, who had been Apparating along with Leonard the whole time, shot the black-robed figure beside him a surprised glance.
He had not expected this person's resistance to Apparition to be so high. That was a little beyond what he had anticipated.
Originally, Schneider had planned to ambush Leonard while he was suffering from the side effects of Apparition. That would have saved a lot of effort.
But now that clearly was not going to work. This bastard was built like a beast. Even Schneider himself, after decades of smuggling, was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, yet this man seemed completely fine.
Looks like they'll have to be the ones to do it.
That thought crossed Schneider's mind, and he shot his men a look.
They had been with him for years, so they immediately understood what their boss meant. The way they looked at Leonard also turned subtly ugly.
"Sir, would you like to rest a bit?" Schneider asked with an amiable smile. "My mistake for not explaining earlier. We've been rushing a little. Do you need a break?"
"Rest? No need. I can still manage." Leonard glanced at Schneider's men. Being sensitive to stares, he had noticed that in that brief instant, all their eyes had converged on him in a distinctly unnatural way.
This was beyond ill intent. Their malice was practically pressing into his face.
Clearly, Schneider was getting ready to make a move. Suggesting a rest was probably an excuse to send his men ahead and set up an ambush.
"Please don't force yourself, sir. If you faint here, we won't have the means to save you." Schneider sounded utterly sincere.
Leonard stared at Schneider. That gaze, hidden beneath the black robe yet somehow impossible to ignore, made cold sweat bead on Schneider's back.
Just when Schneider thought his excuse had failed, Leonard finally spoke.
"All right, then I'll rest a bit." Leonard found a clean stone and sat down, as if he really were tired.
Schneider let out a breath of relief and immediately signaled with his eyes for his men to move ahead and wait in position.
Then, the instant this guy appeared after Apparition, they could all bombard him with magic at once. No matter how capable he was, there was no way he could react in time.
Once they dropped him, they could take their time prying more money out of him.
But just as Schneider's men were about to Apparate away, Leonard's unhurried voice sounded again.
"What? Aren't you all going to rest too?"
"No, they don't have time to rest. There's a shipment that needs to be delivered early, so we can't delay," Schneider quickly explained, afraid Leonard might grow suspicious.
"Then I won't rest either. I wouldn't want to delay your business." Leonard stood up, suspicion and distrust clear in his tone.
So he got suspicious?
Schneider was not surprised. Any wanted criminal careless enough not to be cautious would have long since been dragged off to Azkaban by the Ministry of Magic. How else would they still have the chance to sneak across the border?
But that was not enough to stump Schneider.