Marvolio spent a week observing the Auror named John Dawlish—studying every detail until he had fully mastered the man's behavior.
"Stupefy."
Seeing Cynthia's cool expression, Marvolio couldn't help but purse his lips.
"That near-invisible strike I just performed—doesn't it deserve at least a bit of praise?"
Cynthia humored him with two polite claps. Only two.
Then she pulled out a thick stack of Dawlish's personal files and set them down in front of him.
"Memorize all of this. Once you've done that, you can walk into the Ministry without raising suspicion."
Marvolio accepted the documents with interest.
"Quite the impressive record—though still a little below mine."
That was genuine praise. Back at Hogwarts, Tom Riddle had been a near-legendary student. To be second only to him was still the mark of an exceptional scholar.
"And he's the Minister's personal bodyguard?" Marvolio raised a brow at the note. "Fudge must have plenty of detection charms on him, doesn't he?"
"Only occasionally," Cynthia replied briskly. "Exceptional Aurors are sometimes assigned as Fudge's escorts. And I've already tested it—so long as you don't use powerful dark magic or attempt to tamper with his soul, the charms won't detect anything."
Marvolio clicked his tongue appreciatively as he continued skimming through the file.
"I see why Tver speaks so highly of you. After just one week, I can tell you're far more capable than any Death Eater I ever commanded."
For the first time, a faint blush colored Cynthia's face.
"You can finish organizing things here," she said quickly. "Remember—be at the Ministry on September first, on time. Any deviation might draw suspicion."
With that, she vanished on the spot.
Marvolio lazily finished leafing through the files, committing every page to memory.
"So, I'm John Dawlish now."
As he spoke, his body began to shift—muscles tightening, his build growing broader, his hair turning short and streaked with gray.
"Still too slow," he muttered in dissatisfaction.
...
September first arrived—Monday, the start of the workweek.
Marvolio appeared right on time in the grand atrium of the Ministry of Magic.
It was a magnificent space. The floor gleamed with polished dark wood, and the peacock-blue ceiling shimmered with golden runes that sparkled softly in the light. Ministry workers and visitors moved about constantly, their chatter echoing through the hall.
Straightening his robes, Marvolio strode confidently through the crowd and stepped into the elevator.
"Dawlish?" a tall, dark-skinned man greeted him. "Finished that job with the Cooperation Department already?"
Kingsley Shacklebolt. Marvolio recognized him instantly—one of the most senior Aurors still serving in the office.
Imitating Dawlish's usual manner, he gave a calm nod.
"Yes. Madam Cynthia led us in capturing that group of international smugglers."
Exchanging a few practiced greetings with others in the lift, he soon followed Kingsley to the second floor—the Auror Office.
It was nothing like outsiders imagined. Instead of sleek, high-security rooms, it was a maze of cramped cubicles, each one plastered with personal notes, charms, and clutter.
Reaching his desk, Marvolio glanced over it. Unlike most of his colleagues, who kept family photos or personal mementos, Dawlish's walls were covered entirely in wanted posters of dark wizards.
Marvolio even recognized a couple of familiar faces.
"How pitiful," he said flatly.
Generally, Aurors served as the Ministry's law enforcement—tasked with investigating crimes tied to dark magic and apprehending dark wizards. And in the wizarding world, dark wizards were never in short supply.
Marvolio had barely settled in before Kingsley appeared with a case file, followed by several others from nearby departments.
"What happened?"
Kingsley set the file down in front of him.
"According to a witch's report, her three companions went missing about a month ago."
Marvolio opened the folder.
The witch's description sounded eerily familiar—exactly like the one he'd encountered in Knockturn Alley.
Keeping his expression neutral, he turned the page.
Sure enough, the "missing companions" were the same three hooded wizards he had eliminated.
And the suspects, of course, were none other than himself—and Tver.
"If it happened in Knockturn Alley, I'd be highly skeptical of this witch's testimony."
Kingsley nodded in agreement.
"So I need you to investigate her and the two suspects. If possible, bring them all in."
Marvolio chuckled inwardly, though his face remained calm.
"I'll head out right away."
Decisive action was part of Dawlish's personality—and Marvolio, by nature, wasn't one to waste time either.
Before long, he was back in the dim, narrow streets of Knockturn Alley, accompanied by several colleagues from the Magical Law Enforcement Investigation Squad, the department responsible for handling ordinary criminal cases.
Having spent the last few nights staying in Dawlish's home, returning here almost felt like coming back to somewhere familiar.
"Do you think that witch's still around?" asked a colleague named Gerard.
"If she's a dark witch, then Knockturn Alley is her territory. Unless she's truly run out of options, she won't leave easily."
Marvolio had spent plenty of time here in the past and knew well that dark witches and wizards rarely found safe places to operate. Once they did, they tended to stay put.
Gerard eyed their conspicuous group and sighed. "At this rate, she'll hear about us before we even get close."
"We don't need to find her," Marvolio said with a faint smile. "She'll come to us."
He swept his gaze around.
"Do you really think she wouldn't notice a group of Aurors standing right in the middle of Knockturn Alley? For all we know, she's already watching us from somewhere—"
Before he finished, he vanished from sight and reappeared beside a hunched old woman nearby.
"Isn't that right, Mrs. Elpata?"
The old woman's eyes went wide with shock.
She had never seen an Auror move that fast. But before she could react, she Apparated away in panic.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a house far from London.
"Elpata?" The two companions inside the house jumped to their feet.
"What happened? What's got you so rattled?"
"An Auror's on to us!" The old woman's face began to shift, her wrinkled skin tightening until she became a middle-aged woman.
"I told you not to be clever and use an Auror," snapped a tall, thin man. "Now look—you've got them tracking us down!"
"Enough," said the cold-eyed woman beside him, her grip on her wand tightening. "Elpata, did you expose our location?"
The air in the room grew tense. Even Elpata, who had just fled, seemed nervous under the woman's gaze.
"Of course not! I made sure to take several detours!"
The tall man exhaled in relief—only to freeze again a moment later.
"Y-you… who are you?" he stammered, pointing behind Elpata.
"Me?" Marvolio gestured toward himself with mock politeness. "Currently an Auror. Pleased to make your acquaintance~"
He bowed gracefully, his elegant movements, predatory grin, and imposing frame blending into something unnervingly sinister.
The response was immediate—a Killing Curse.
"Avada Kedavra!"
As Elpata moved, her two companions joined in, firing their own Killing Curses without hesitation. The room erupted into chaos.
After a blinding flash of green light, silence fell.
Only Marvolio remained standing.
Elpata lay sprawled on the floor, eyes wide, mouth frozen in disbelief. She would never speak again.
Moments later, Gerard and the others arrived.
"Mr. Dawlish, I have to say—" Gerard stopped mid-sentence, staring at the three lifeless bodies. "What in Merlin's name happened here?"
Marvolio raised his wand innocently.
"They turned on each other when their hideout was exposed. I barely had time to intervene before they all hit the floor."
"What about the two suspects?"
"You're welcome to see if the dead will give you clues," Marvolio said lightly. "Otherwise, I'd say the case is closed."
One of the Aurors bent down to examine Elpata's face, then gasped.
"If I'm not mistaken, these three were part of that infamous raiding gang!"
"Really?" Gerard quickly pulled out the wanted list he carried and compared their faces. "You're right! Looks like we've just scored a major win!"
The team's mood shifted instantly—from wary to jubilant.
Normally, killing suspects without cause would be a serious issue at the Ministry. But when it came to ruthless, wanted criminals? That was a different story.
This counted as a successful mission.
For once, Marvolio was genuinely surprised.
So being an Auror not only meant he could kill people legally—it even earned him credit for it.
Why hadn't he discovered such a promising profession sooner?