"Clear the area and look for any traces!" yelled the one-eyed Moody as he walked in and read the message on the wall.
Some of the older aurors started using diagnostic spells to detect any traces of magic. Others began clearing the area to set up a perimeter.
"Anything yet, Thomas." asked Moody.
"Nothing. Eric Broon was tortured by hand without any magic, and the writing was painted on with a brush. Same as his other victims." replied Thomas, a short older man with graying hair.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the small shop filled with illegal artifacts. Everyone was familiar with such a scene. Over the last three years, there has been a rise in murders committed by a single wizard, The Butcher. He was ruthless but skilled beyond what they thought. Doing the dirty work of the rich leaves any evidence that does appear to go missing magically.
"Clean the scene and leave the report in my office. I need to see an old friend." Cutting through the silence, it was Moody as he walked out of the shop and apparated with a *pop*. Constant vigilance extended to everything; shops in Knockturn Alley were filled with wards, and aperating inside would be foolish.
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(1st person pov)
12 East Village
As I entered the house, I could feel the wards scan my magic signature, and suddenly, a suction pulled me through the floor to the basement—a simple two-story home on the outside and a dungeon-like basement inside.
"Maybe a redecoration is in order? Penny!"
*pop*"What is Master Gray needing?" squeaked a tiny house elf wearing a dark green dress and loopy ears bouncing up and down as the little creature shook with excitement.
"Redecorate to any style we've seen on our travels," and with that, I went to my office to figure out what to do for this mission.
**
{Main Menu}
[Missions]
(New!) [If you can't get the job, manipulate the system and hire yourself] It seems the Hogwarts roster is full and can't hold any more professors. Make a new teaching position appear in Hogwarts and take it without getting discovered as the mastermind. {Reward: New Tab On The Main Screen, (1)The Complete Guide to Charms by Merwyn The Malicious}
**
Realistically, there were only a few options for what I could teach, but the issue still needs to be solved on how to get Dumbledore to hire me. My butcher identity won't help, and Alexander Gray is just a wizard doing minor enchanting and warding to make a living. Without any connection to the professors in Hogwarts, it's unlikely Dumbledore would choose me.
And then it hit me: "Lucius Malfoy, a member of the Hogwarts board, rich, influential, and about to be quite unlucky." I couldn't help the grin that came out of me. "An advantage is meant to be used, and what better advantage than the knowledge of the story?"
Lucius's position is solid until either Voldemort rises, takes control, or dies, and evidence against him emerges. He's a safe man and simple things like proof of him ordering a hit won't be enough to make him feel threatened. But if someone knew of his dropping of a Horcrux into the Weasley girl's cauldron? Now, that would scare him, but theres no need for a nuke when a knife can do the same.
Taking a sheet of parchment from the desk, I began writing my letter to Lucius. I had no care for his opinion nor time to waste; it was quick and to the point.
"To Lucius Malfoy
"Eric Broon" Now that I have your attention, Mr. Malfoy, I have a straightforward request for you. In the preceding hours of your receiving this letter, Professor Bathsheba Babbling had an unfortunate encounter with the famed Butcher, an encounter I so happened to stumble upon. Unfortunately, Bathsheba passed, and Hogwarts will need a substitute on short notice. As a board member, I hope you will offer a substitute so as to avoid burdening the headmaster further after he has spent so much effort in bringing such an excellent professor like Lockhart to Hogwarts.
PS: The mask is a gift to you; he was quite the duelist.
-Alexander Theodore Grey"
Lucius hired me as the Butcher, and with that information and the letter, including the same mask I wore as the Butcher, I no longer need the identity, and building a reputation for my real self is convenient for dealing with Malfoy in the future. If he connects that the Butcher stopped working as I got the job, it would be suspicious; it's better to let it die out now.
Penny!" a ripple in space and *pop* out came the house elf. "Send this letter to Malfoy Manor in one hour." *pop*
Getting up, I took a quick look in the mirror, which revealed that my shoes still had a few drops of blood on them. A cleaning charm later, and they look as good as new. Now it's time to find myself a runes professor.
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*Time Skip* The Next Day
Leaky Cauldron
For one of the only entrances to Diagon Alley, it seemed loud with hushed whispering from all over. They were all reading the Prophet's headline. "Three Incidents In One Day! The Butcher Strikes Again"
Bathsheba was easy to find and even more straightforward to remove. Most wizards and witches aren't like Moody; always alert. A knife to the back was the easy part.
She was left "undecorated," not like the shopkeeper in Knockturn Alley. I had to keep the idea that I died for Lucius, and leaving a body intact wasn't The Butcher's way. It needed to feel like The Butcher couldn't finish the job. Hogwarts starts in a few days, so there should be enough pressure to take any suggestion given.
*Ding* Mission Complete!
{Reward: New Tab On The Main Screen, (1)The Complete Guide to Charms by Merwyn The Malicious}
The book went straight to the pouch on my waist, and the new tab left me utterly confused for the first time in my life.
**
{Statistics}
{Missions}
{Custom}
{Locked}
**