Watching shadows siting next to him, the orphan continued starring at the Hogwarts Express' windows. Dark clouds covered the empty land. Breathing in, Mikhael let escape a white smoke. No one was present in this wagon except for him. Illusions of flames and conjured objects danced all around. The shroud of darkness activated, the wizard focused all his attention on his magic to let the time passed faster. The end of the year had been harsher. The forced smile on the younger witch made him bitter. The green robe frown, the train stopped.
New posters were stuck on many walls of the London platform. Pink hair copped with golden eyes shared the wanted section along the infamous Black. The latter price for capturing rose to one thousand Galleon while the newcomer, Joshua Anderson fetch only an eighth of the price. Waving a hand to the blond witch, the orphan noticed the presence of the redhead girl and her family with the savior not far away.
Keeping his emotion in check, the wizard paced to a dark alley before apparating away. Gritting his teeth at the space travel sensation, the green robe put on his hood while his trunk was shrunken to fit his pocket. The London streets were filled with civilians and workers. The crowd went without caring for a youth leaning on building a wall. Under his third eye's vision, the ritual adept uncovered the presence of wizards hiding under disillusionment at the entrance of the Aldermore Bank or the Bank of England.
Reaching another bank, the wizard sat on a bench. The result was the same. For three years the orphan had stolen from homes and banks. He knew his actions would have to stop. The new minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, in order to increase his image had put in place, new securities to catch the wild wizard that had terrorized the nonmagical community of Great Britain. The Obliviators should have complained over this recurrent task, to maintain the International Statute of Secrecy, it was more effective to catch the thief rather than mending his crime.
Leaving the exposed place, the green robe waited into an abandoned alley until no one was present to disillusion himself and apparate away. Entering the Leaky Cauldron without any obstacle, the wizard imposed his will on the magical wall to reveal the hidden entrance. Busting with the last sale of the year before summer depart, the magical alley wasn't empty. Removing his invisibility, the wizard shaped his face and physic to look older and feminine. With the new persona, the wizard filled his bag with ingredients in the Apothecary and refilled his stock of potions. The last thing bought in this place was a suitcase with better storage ability than his trunk.
Changing the illusion covering his body, the green robe roamed the dark alley with the physic of an elder. Despite his white hair and long beard, the suspicious wizards and witches in the street didn't try to rob him. They minded their own business, trying to stay away from anyone else. Some ministry security agents patrolled the place in groups of four. Whenever the group met a passerby, they intercepted him to check if it was the running criminal. Manipulating the agents' magic to deviate, the fake elder was left alone fast.
Since the country's security was becoming a bigger burden than expected, the green robe hurried his shopping. Thanks to the letters exchanged with many shopkeepers along the year for new supplies, the wizard got his phoenix tears fast after giving the code for transactions. Books on forbidden rituals and necromancy weren't smuggled by the time the green robe checked on the shop. There had been complications with new guards checking on goods entering or leaving the country, explained the sellers. In compensation for the wasted money, invisibility robes were offered.
Expressing no discomfort nor joy at the news, the customer examined a set of human bones and ropes from hanged men. Three skeletons were completed while the fourth missed the skull and the last one failed to have a shoulder plate. From the size, three were from children and the other from adults. No particular residual of magic could be felt from the bones, but the orphan was attracted to those bones. Asking for the origin, the client learned that they were remnant of a suicided family.
Not faltering at the information, the green robe felt weak a connection establishing. They died by their own hands. A scene of a black haired boy with vacant eyes replayed in the orphan mind. He knew what he saw. Touching the smallest skull, the ritual adept checked on the bones' resistance. The mental image followed the same boy attached to a wooden chair after its flesh was split in five portions. Giving Galleons to the shopkeeper, the orphan put his goods in his trunk. Seeing invisible flames eating the boy, the green robe exited the dark alley.
When the orphan reached the orphanage, he sprinted deep into the forest to train until exhaustion.
Chirps of birds greeted the sunlight touching the building painted in white. Near the wood border, the matron and an orphan faced each other. Magic pressured the place, with no small talk, the wizard announced his departure for the summer to the older woman. He might come back before the school start, but the majority of this period he wouldn't be there. She asked no question, feeling compelled to believe and agree with the orphan's words.
One last glance at the building showed the face of Lucy Stewart. This girl lost her chance to get adopted. She was no longer a kid, maturing over the past years, she evaded eyes contact with the departing wizard. The animals trails in the forest followed paths connecting the wide clearing to many spots where either water or edible plants were. Making sure no one was around, the green robe took out a gray key, a fake candle and a silver button.
Smelling a small flavor of lilac, the wizard pinched the key. The space distorted, leaving no one in the clearing. The portkeys were all three illegals because the corresponding destination places weren't registered in the ministry. To make sure no trace of his spacial travel was hunted at a later time, the green robe disillusioned himself and flew kilometers away from his new place in France. For a day, the wizard traveled the country, stopping for lunch and at night. From the north coast, he had reached the city of Amiens.
The country of France and Great Britain were too close for the wizard taste. News traveled faster between this short distance. If he was robbing banks again, the new minister would get news of it rather fast from his information department. It would leave clues. Gulping a potion for the tiredness, the invisible wizard activated the second portkey. The fake candle brought the green robe into a radically different country.
Sand covering the horizon and the strong heat without a sign of civilization made the newcomer stopped for a moment. The heat didn't bother him, his body temperature regulated itself instinctively. However, the brightness and the light reflect weren't something he was familiar with. Closing his eyes, the ritual adept summoned his third eyes and flew away. Small reptiles hiding in the ground didn't escape the magical sight. Following camels miles away, the green robe rested at the second oasis he met before activating the last magical transport.
Not failing to stand up, the wizard was getting used to the twisting sensation. Taking support on a tree, the newcomer felt the temperature difference. Trees all around him, shadowed the sun. Hearing the birds and noises, the wizard didn't remove the invisibility nor the magical shield on him. The seller had mentioned the country, but this place was far from the desired destination. Flying above the wood, two rivers revealed themselves on one side of the mountain while on the east, there were traces of civilization.
With less than a thousand residents, the small town Green River from Utah was free from any wizard activity. The river flowing near the town's buildings and fields was taint brown. Not many were awake at this time when the foreigner visited the town. Unnoticed, the wizard mind art gathered the place geographic position and casual information from the sleepers. The small community was 292.90 kilometers away from the state capital, Salt Lake City in Utah.
Wandering in the new place, Mikhael appreciated the architecture and customs that differed from his homeland. The town held a belief concerning the native American, they were fearful of those people who had, according to their spiritual chief, the help of the devil. Books on this continent's history weren't numerous in the school library, but the green robe knew that the magical community under the Magical Congress of the United States of America was big despite their early history with the Salem Witch Trials.
Waving the wand from Walden Macnair, the green robe conjured some fake identity cards and gathered in his hand the hair of hundred of the town inhabitant. Still in stealth, the wizard waited, but no magical howl, letter nor any magical response arrived. Since there was no trace of any wizard in this place, there was no device, ward, spell or barrier in this town for detecting the misuse of magic, thought the newcomer.
Satisfied with this new, the wizard hurried to the Desert Rivers Credit Union building. This small bank was just closed with no guardian. Transfiguring the back wall into a door, the wizard went inside and found the small amount of cash stored. Any security devices were destroyed before the wizard created the door. Checking with his third eye, the green robe taint black the camera on each hallway corners.
Filling his bag with the treasure, the wizard lips pressed tight. Eyes focusing inward, the money fell inside the container. The third eye monitoring the outside and hallway didn't notice anything. Nothing but cash was moving, and yet, in the wizard peripheral, he could guess a shadow starring, like him, in nothing. Witnessing the work falling in place, he felt empty. It was too easy.
Touching the cross under his clothes, the orphan stopped at the church door. He didn't know why he stopped. New things he experimented with should have made him better. The countries travel, the advance in his plan, the completion of some of his objectives, everything seemed small in face of the stone construction. Waiting in the doorway, the orphan contemplated the interior. The darkness under the colored windows made the son of god greater with the light-ray caressing its body.
Collapsing on a bench, the wizard stayed alone in the church. The silence was comforting under the closed eyes of the statue. No wind diverted the newcomer from his thought. His chest felt colder. The last time he went to the church, he had a family. Mind art was a curse and a painkiller. While it enchanted his memory navigating ability, he would always remember those past times. Phantom arms wrapped around his neck.
The sound of steps disturbed the silence. When the priest opened the door, there was no trace nor presence of the previous visitor.
Apparating back to the forest, the green robe summoned invisible flames around him. He needed to train, to occupy his mind. Destroying and regenerating the forest made the local animals fled the wizard magical range. Whenever the magical reserve reached low, the wizard touched any vegetation or foolish bird to replenish his magic. The stronger was the will of the victim, the slower was the process at the start.
High in the sky, a small hawk, less than thirty centimeters long, with a dark cap and upper-parts blue-gray circled and starred at the forest devastation.
Spreading below the mountain, between two lakes, Salt Lake City or just Salt Lake fight against the night with its artificial light. With its population reaching more than 190 thousand inhabitants, many worked under the moon's gaze. Canceling his magic at the city border, the green robe gulped down a potion with one brown hair. The activities in this place felt rusher than London. Night workers hurried through the streets.
Many didn't pay attention to the forty years old man with a brown beard. The new appearance helped the wizard into booking a bed into a low rent hostel. The man at the reception was overjoyed at the newcomer's presence. The hostel capacity wasn't even half full. The building suffered from this lack of clients. Dying colors on old painted walls offered intimacy to the green robe who enjoyed dinner in his room.
Waking up before dawn, the green robe controlled his magic to not burn anything. Breathing in and out for seconds, the wizard remembered all his travel before sleeping in this room. The fatigue accumulated made him on the edge. Not wishing to test this city magical overview in the morning, the waker started stretching and began some set of push up, sit up, squats, handstand and footsteps to avoid attacks while being in positions to retaliate.
At the sound of the owner knock on the door frame, the wizard reached his bag to drink the potion he used to change to his new appearance. Removing the chair blocking the door's aperture, the wizard was greeted by the landlord who was checking on the newcomer since it was almost lunchtime and proposed a late breakfast for a few dollars. All smiling, the owner invited the client to go down while glancing on the customer's goods.
After changing clothes, the customer took with him his belonging for the meal. The trunk never left the owner sight when the latter thought the client wasn't paying attention. The leather and silver were of great quality, it could fetch a good price. Offering free drinks to the client as a gift of welcoming to the city. " It's a custom my good sir, please enjoy this fresh beer. We all like to meet new faces. ", the owner took a bit of his own beer.
" I can show you around if you want. I know a group of dangerous youngsters, but with my help... ", the beer was put down since the customer didn't react at all. " Please, think of your age, this city can be dangerous for us, old folk. ", laughing at his own joke the hostel boss hit his leg with his hands. Pity the old man had no humor thought the owner. As the client left, the hostel boss didn't hide his frustration and made hand signs toward the kitchen. A group of five exited the hostel.
Sipping every hour, the old man with a brown beard visited the city. Taking his time, the newcomer inspected establishments architectures, the number of doors, windows and the distance with the local police building. The streets and buildings were regularly arranged, it made it easier to travel and not getting lost. Asking questions for the bank, museum, park and original stories to passersby, the wizard gathered more information with light probing.
The number of paranormal activities were few, the local wizard community in this place had worked hard to hide their presence, but no one was perfect. Cases of witnesses forgotten when a child displayed accidental magic were rare, but not non-existent. Near the park, a woman had seen and did not believe her eyes when a normal worker passed by a crooked tree, but didn't appear on the other side of the tree. Either the wizard had apparated away, or in this location, there was a hidden door to a magical building.
As wandless magic wasn't detected, the wizard forced a smile on his face. Taking the path to the park, he wondered if he was becoming too paranoid. To gather new knowledge, he had to find a wizard or witch. They would know where were the equivalent of the Diagon Alley, the wizard would then have access to books that were either forbidden in his motherland or only found in this country.
Leaving the city to stroll into the Big Cottonwood Canyon park, the wizard went to the crooked tree. Passing by the parking near the lake, he saw a group of five drinking on the top of a car. They didn't notice him. They were too focused on their discussions. He didn't mind. The forest was real. Irregular were the sizes and dispositions of the trees. This wasn't an artificial forest with trees planted at regular intervals.
Following the memories, the wizard found his target. This old pine had suffered from strong wind blow in its youth, making part of its trunk fell on the ground. The natural arch resisted through the ages and now was reinforced with magical runes. The small size and disillusionment applied weren't enough to conceal themselves from the magical eye. Mikhael felt bless to have learned this spell whom creator only wished to observe the sky and magic in the space.
Any wizard or witch wanting to use the gate, had to feed the tree with a minimum of magic which would then open the trunk. Under his disguise, the newcomer didn't hesitate to traverse the path. This was similar to the London platform entrance. As soon as he went to the other side, the old man was greeted with the sight of clean shelves with books, papers, ink, potions, cauldron and clothes.
The magical shop was selling various goods. Three witches and one wizard glanced at the newcomer before returning to their shopping. They were browsing school supplies and complained to the shopkeeper for the lack of uniforms. Not many magical were living in this city, the main communities were gathered in cities like New York or Washington. Glancing into their minds, the newcomer learned more about the Magical Congress of the United States of America.
MCUSA was the magical government of the country. The policies were stricter than Great Britain for the State of Secrecy. A recent law, Rappaport Law, made intermarriage and even friendship between wizards and No-Majs illegal. Moreover, any wizards or witches had to have a wand permit on themselves. The segregation between magical and non-magical wasn't the only one. There was also the unsaid rule of not interacting with the native wizards.
The European descendants prejudiced against those who followed the teaching of their native ancestors. They were considered savage since a specific legend was passed down from generations. It said the medicine men gained their power through the sacrifice of one their family members. That was one reason as for why they could use magic without a wand. The magical community was like that, separated. In the wild, the native Americans following their ancestors' footsteps and in big cities there was the majority of 'civilized' wizards.
Checking the books, the newcomer didn't find any of rare content. They were generic school textbooks. The content was slightly different but the essence was the same. This small shop helped the families living in this state to get their furniture or use the fireplace to go to the bigger place. Probably, there were other similar shops in states without the large communities, thought the wizard.
" New here ? I can smell that. Don't worry grandpa, where do you come from ? ", the shopkeeper lowered his head to the client who left the shop.
" East my boy. Can you help me a bit ? In my time we could find some, more advanced things. Do you have any beside the child play ? ", letting his aura filled the shop with goodness, the wizard offered his bright smile.
" Sorry grandpa, maybe you forget with your age but the government is even stricter than before since the last war and I'm an honest merchant. Every good here, are approved by the MCUSA. I too, feel lacking some, entertainment but I heard that in New York, there was some fine merchandises. ", the shopkeeper straightened his back at his goods validity.
" That's fine my boy. You help me a lot, can you make me a favor and convert those ? ", the wizard took support on the nearest shelve.
After converting two hundred dollars into the local currency, Dragot and Sprink, the foreigner exited the shop. There was something that bothered the orphan. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it knew it. Walking down the road to the city, the five teenagers had started a fire. Seeing the newcomer, one elbowed his neighbor while whispering to the others. They got up a bit disoriented.
Taking out a knife from his pocket, the group leader ordered the wizard to drop his wallet. The foreigner checked on the presence of any witnesses. No one was present apart from this group and him. The teenagers laughed at the target's reaction. A bird observed the situation from a tree branch. Taking out his second wand, the wizard faced the teenager. As soon as the five memory charms hit them, a small shadow fell toward the wizard.
The sharp-shinned hawk clawed its way toward the old man with a brown beard. Hitting nothing, the bird faced the human once again. Meeting failure once again, the bird panicked when the five teenagers fell on the ground. Getting bigger, the hawk morphed into a human. The man didn't show his back to the wand, but slowly moved closer to the youngest teen, hands in the air. Checking the pulse, he sighed and fell. The stunner coming from behind hit true.
Deep into the mountain, the invisible wizard set up his ward stone to hide his magical activity and help to gather more ambient magic. The six humans were bound with conjured ropes to different trees. When the ritual adept finished his preparation, he heated the wood water to evaporate any drops and refreshed the sky. In minutes, condensed water hid the sky. It was raining.
Under the sound of thunder, no one heard the screams of teenager losing their limbs. Keeping the native American unconscious, the wizard put the silver diadem on the head of the non-maj. Similar to his clone, the dark lord's soul couldn't replenish its magic with the vessel. It was unable to hide its secret. The wizard continued the learning process while invading the memories.
Sometimes, the vessel couldn't bear the pressure of three minds battling in its skull. It died. After seven hours, the first teenager's brain gave up, cutting the connection. Unable to pursuit with the corpse, the wizard shrank it with its members before storing them within his suitcase. Drinking a potion for energy, the ritual adept woke up the second teenager.
Confused, the victim didn't understand. The young face was something unknown to him. He didn't notice his lack of arms and leg as a silver crown floated toward his head. The teen' fate was the same as its predecessors and successors. It witnessed as much as it could before its mind broke. Not understanding the memories hidden in a medieval school, he died with more questions than answers. The corpses were filling the suitcase space.