"Creak."
As they chatted idly, a handsome blond man pushed open the door and stepped inside, his son following close behind.
"I didn't expect Mr. Burke's business to be so good today."
Lucius Malfoy gave Tver and his companion a passing glance, but when his gaze fell on Marvolio, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Tver didn't seem concerned. According to Marvolio, Lucius had only begun following him after 1972. By then, his looks had changed a great deal from his youth—he'd even gone bald.
So Lucius only studied Marvolio's demeanor with curiosity before looking away.
From the back, Tver almost called out "My Lord." He silently thanked his luck he hadn't.
He had no desire to linger. Whether Malfoy recognized him or not didn't matter—he was only worried that Marvolio might say something inappropriate.
"Then I won't keep you. I'll come by again at the end of the month."
With a polite smile, he said goodbye to Burke, then pulled the still-staring Marvolio away, who couldn't stop glaring at Lucius as they left the shop.
"I'll never understand why you're always so polite to these ants," Marvolio grumbled as soon as they stepped outside. "You even apologized to someone like Burke."
"Here's a saying for you," Tver replied evenly. "Treat your friends with the warmth of spring and your enemies with the cruelty of winter."
"Even if you're only pretending."
Marvolio paused, thoughtful.
"So, am I a friend or an enemy?"
"For now, a friend," Tver said casually as they walked through Knockturn Alley. "That depends on what you do later."
Dark wizards always had to work harder than their counterparts. Though it was still morning, the narrow alley was already crowded with early risers and those who hadn't slept at all.
Tver, dressed in elegant, spotless clothes, stood out sharply among them. Even Marvolio looked more like someone who actually belonged here.
"As a friend, I should warn you—we're being watched."
Marvolio glared at an old witch, locking eyes with her.
"They've been around for a week," Tver said lightly, turning to the old witch with a polite smile. "Wouldn't you say so, Madam?"
The old witch's stiff features twitched, and she quickly lowered her head, saying nothing as she stopped following them.
"How did I not notice?" Marvolio sneered, glancing around without the slightest attempt to hide his irritation.
"Did you really think that cat's meow was just a coincidence? Or have you ever seen a stray cat survive in Knockturn Alley?"
Realization dawned on Marvolio. "So it was the magic I used while adjusting to this body that attracted them."
They wandered for a while longer as the alley grew emptier—no shops, no pedestrians—only three shadowy figures lingering nearby.
The group didn't try to hide anymore. Once they realized they'd been discovered, their movements grew bolder.
"Looks like your kindness didn't work," Marvolio mocked.
"Then I'll count on your cruelty."
The moment the words left his mouth, Tver vanished from sight.
In that instant of surprise, three hooded figures Apparated around Marvolio, surrounding him.
They raised their wands, all pointing straight at him.
"Hand over everything you're carrying. Or you can let us search your corpse for it." The hooded man standing before him said coldly.
Only then did Marvolio snap back to his senses. He glared angrily at the roof of a nearby building.
"You bastard, you dumped these minions on me?!"
The three dark wizards stared blankly in that direction, finding no one there, before realizing the "minion" was referring to them.
They roared in fury, "Avada Kedavra!" *3
A blinding green light flashed. When they looked again, Marvolio was nowhere to be seen.
Just as they were puzzling over this, the floor suddenly split open, revealing three massive pythons that swallowed them whole.
After a series of crunching sounds and screams, the snakes reverted to the floor, and three blood-soaked corpses slowly emerged.
Compressed by the snakes, nearly every bone in their bodies was broken, leaving them twisted beyond recognition.
Tver and Marvolio reappeared beside them, Tver watching the scene with disgust.
"That's disgusting."
"That's how it is without a wand," Marvolio shrugged indifferently. "Needed to dispose of them quickly without making too much noise. This method was the most convenient."
"Huh?"
Tver examined one of the corpses—the relatively most intact one.
"This person's bones are significantly harder than a normal human's. Is he a half-blood?"
Certain magical creatures can reproduce with humans, producing offspring that inherit traits from both species. Hagrid is a classic example.
"Nope." Marvolio understood the situation with a single glance.
"This is a werewolf. When not transformed, bone hardness is the most obvious distinguishing feature besides the fur."
Tver nodded in understanding. Compared to seasoned wizards like Dumbledore and Voldemort, his greatest deficiency lay in this sort of miscellaneous experience.
Given time, he could still identify a werewolf, but never as swiftly as Marvolio.
He waved his wand, dispatching the corpses cleanly. In Knockturn Alley, the sudden disappearance of a few dark wizards was nothing unusual.
Noticing Tver's pensive expression, Marvolio asked curiously, "What? You want to save these Werewolves?"
Tver shook his head. "I was just thinking about what kind of task I should give you."
"So you've only just figured out how to make my resurrection useful?" Marvolio retorted.
"I originally intended for you to track down Voldemort, but now your task is to deal with these Dark Wizards."
"Ha," Marvolio laughed bitterly. "You might as well just make me an Auror."
Tver stared at him in astonishment. "I actually do want you to become an Auror."
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, Marvolio now considered Tver a madman—madder than himself.
Sending the Dark Lord himself to become an Auror? Why not send Dumbledore to become the Dark Lord?!
Was this even a plan a sane person could conceive?!
"Are you insane? Even I couldn't forge a school record or an identity that would pass scrutiny."
Tver explained with a smile. "Actually, you only need to control one Auror, then take on his appearance. You could then appear openly in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and become a glorious Auror yourself."
After hearing this explanation, Marvolio grasped the possibility, and his restless heart began to stir with excitement.
"Are you sure Aurors are that easy to fool nowadays? That Moody guy left quite an impression on me."
"Moody's retired. The Ministry's full of young Aurors now."
"Plus, Cynthia will transfer an Auror under the Cooperation Department's authority. You two working together will easily control that poor soul."
"Then you can support each other within the Ministry. With your handling of Dark Wizards, your merits will far outshine everyone else's!"
Tver slapped Marvolio's arm excitedly. Was there anything more satisfying than orchestrating a Dark Lord's rise to Auror?
"But I can't take Polyjuice Potion."
"So this month, I'll thoroughly teach you Human Transfiguration!"