"How did it go?"
"The thing is still there."
After returning to Diagon Alley, Kael immediately entered the Weasley Brothers' shop.
Before anyone noticed him, he changed his clothes back and said, "I saw it, the Vanishing Cabinet is right inside Borgin and Burkes."
"Fantastic," Fred said excitedly, "now we just need to keep an eye on the Knockturn Alley entrance to track the Death Eaters' movements."
"Or simply control Borgin and Burkes," George suggested, "after all, our current job involves dealing with Dark Arts Items, we can find any excuse to check it out."
"I advise against it, lest it alerts the enemy," Kael cautioned, "Borgin is a cunning guy; if he suspects anything and informs the Death Eaters, our previous plan would be for naught. Just maintain the status quo."
"Plus, I saw werewolf traces in Knockturn Alley."
"A werewolf?" Fred was startled.
Their shop is less than a hundred feet from the Knockturn Alley entrance; if there really is a werewolf, this spot isn't exactly safe.
"Yes, I think he must've been hiding in Knockturn Alley before, later pledging allegiance to You-Know-Who and being sent to watch Borgin and Burkes," Kael said.
"No way," Fred said, "I heard from Lupin that the werewolves in Knockturn Alley were driven out by Fenrir Greyback. They're pathetically weak; even if they want to serve You-Know-Who, he'd not be interested."
"Then they sneaked in," Kael said, "at least I felt the danger when I passed by him; he's definitely a strong werewolf."
"Then how can you be sure he is connected to You-Know-Who?"
"It's just a guess," Kael admitted, "previously, while in the shop, Borgin refused to sell me the Vanishing Cabinet, even when I offered an irresistible price."
"He seems to have concerns, likely because there's a werewolf watching at the door."
"An irresistible price..." George raised an eyebrow, "You didn't take out our money, did you?"
Kael didn't reply, tacitly admitting.
"It's our entire fortune..." Fred said mournfully, "What if Borgin really agrees?"
"There's no such possibility; I know what I'm doing," Kael assured, "even if he dares to take the risk for thousands of Galleons, I can find other excuses."
"I have another question..." George shifted focus from the Galleons, "Even if the werewolves pledged loyalty to You-Know-Who, Malfoy wouldn't be able to command them, right? He's only a sixteen-year-old teenage wizard, not even a true Death Eater."
"Malfoy can't, but there are others," Kael said, "Do you expect him to handle such a big matter alone? He'd definitely enlist help. Getting a werewolf to come would be no trouble for certain Death Eaters."
"But that means we not only have to watch the Death Eaters but also be on extra alert in case the werewolf goes wild on some full moon night. This is Diagon Alley; it'd be quite a hassle if a transformed werewolf suddenly appears."
"Relax, we've got it covered," Fred and George reassured, pounding their chests, "We've just made a map of Diagon Alley... a simplified version of the Marauder's Map."
He pointed to a seemingly ordinary piece of parchment in front of the window and said, "We only need to make slight modifications to the map later to monitor the Knockturn Alley entrance."
"That's a brilliant idea," Kael said calmly, "but I still think it's unreliable. Remember to pass this on to Kreacher... never mind, I'll say it myself later."
"Hey, what do you mean by that!" Fred expressed dissatisfaction, "Do you think, in your eyes, we're inferior to a house-elf?"
Kael glanced him up and down and then nodded affirmatively.
Yes, that's exactly what he meant.
"What are you guys talking about?"
Just as Fred and George were preparing to teach Kael a lesson, Conna walked over from behind a nearby shelf.
"Kael, have you finished your business? We need to hurry back to school."
"Ah, it's done," Kael said.
"That's good," Conna said, placing a few interesting trinkets back on a shelf nearby.
"Mr. Weasley, how much for these?"
"Take them," Fred waved his hand, "On the house, consider it a first-time discount at our shop."
"No way, you can't just give them for free," Conna shook her head, "Tell me how much, or I won't take them."
"Yeah, business is business, we won't take advantage of this," Kael agreed.
With that, he put a heavy briefcase on the counter generously, "Fine, take all of these, no change needed."
The briefcase was heavy, making a dull sound when placed on the counter, evidently filled with gold coins.
But Fred and George didn't look pleased.
"Hey, that's our money, you know."
"Using our money to pay us... and saying no change needed... how could you say that!"
"Shameless!"
Ignoring their grumbles, Kael pretended not to hear anything, calmly found the house-elf Kreacher, told him a few things, then left the shop with Conna, heading toward the Leaky Cauldron.