Diagon Alley, the Watchers Wizard Security Shop.
The employees had been sent home a day earlier. Although part of the Aurors really wanted to arrest them, Crouch's reputation had already declined significantly, and he didn't dare to do something that would definitely lead to a lot of criticism.
At this moment, the security shop's door was tightly locked, with wanted posters for Murphy plastered on the door and walls on either side.
This gave off a desolate atmosphere that deterred strangers, which also caused the businesses nearby to suffer a decline.
However, if one observed closely, many pairs of eyes were secretly watching this place.
Across the street in a café, a distant ice cream shop, a broom shop, among others, there were always one or two lingering customers. They seemed to be selecting products but their eyes occasionally glanced in the direction of the security shop.
But unbeknownst to them, hundreds of eyes were also observing them.
On Charing Cross Road in London, Murphy wore a cap and a loose jacket, blending in like any Muggle youth, casually strolling on the street.
He wore an eyepatch over his right eye and casually flipped a coin in his left hand. On his right ear, he wore a very special coin-shaped earring.
"Right side, second floor of the café, the man in a green robe, next to him, a woman reading a newspaper..."
"Left side, at the owl shop, on the roof, someone used a Disillusionment Charm, next to the red flag. See the flag that doesn't flutter in the wind? It's been caught..."
"Alley south of the ice cream shop, the old man selling flowers, his wand is hidden in the flower basket on the right..."
"Are they all marked?"
A voice from the earring replied, "All marked. The pack is ready to move. Wolf pack asks the Wolf King, can we kill?"
"Yes, regardless of life or death. But try not to involve the innocent."
"The pack understands."
...
On the other side, Radwan used Galleons enchanted by fairies to arrange tactics with his team.
"Team One, take the café. Team Two, handle the guy at the owl shop and take the high ground. Team Three, near the ice cream shop. Team Four, the broom shop."
"In three minutes, attack simultaneously. Sync watches!"
Soon, the enchanted Galleons relayed the team's readiness, "Team One ready, Team Two ready..."
"Repeat, our goal is to cripple the Auror system as much as possible. Ideally, to injure them severely without killing. Aurors have no cure for lycanthropy."
"Try not to use firearms, but prioritize self-defense if necessary. Understood?"
"Understood!"
"Move!"
...
On the second floor of the café, Grace Carter lifted his now completely cold coffee to his lips for the hundred and sixth time, glancing out the window.
No change.
It seems Murphy won't appear today either.
He calculated the time for the shift change, thinking maybe today he could invite Doris for a drink at the Three Broomsticks. They've all been too tense these days and needed to relax.
Just then, two unfamiliar wizards walked up the stairs, one complaining about encountering a Dementor earlier, and the other ranting about the Aurors, saying they were no better than the Watchers.
Hmph, as if it's not them who are being protected by the Aurors!
Grace internally scoffed at these easily swayed individuals by the newspapers.
Just two ignorant layabouts, Grace relaxed his guard, knowing the real threat wouldn't openly criticize the Aurors like that.
The two wizards sat at a nearby table, one browsing the menu, the other continuing to ramble.
Grace tried to ignore their foolish talk, focusing instead on his partner, Doris, who had joined the Aurors not long ago and was impatient. It was important not to let the idle talk provoke her.
Suddenly, the two unfamiliar wizards stood up and injected themselves with a syringe, then roared: "Morga!"
Grace was startled and quickly grabbed his wand, pointing it at them. To his shock, the wizards' bodies swelled, their clothes bursting open as hair grew rapidly, their mouths elongated, and in seconds, they transformed into werewolves in front of everyone.
This sudden turn of events caused the other wizards on the second floor to scream, but the werewolves ignored them, one of them locking eyes with Grace.
Bad! These guys are targeting the Aurors!
Grace, though frightened, was baffled. It was daytime, not a full moon. How could there be transforming werewolves?!
But as a well-trained Auror, he knew how difficult it was to deal with werewolves, especially two. He shouted, "Doris! Retreat!"
Before he could Apparate, something crashed through the window behind him. Before he could look back, a claw slammed into his waist, sending him flying.
Three werewolves?
They even use tactics?!
Before losing consciousness, Grace was still full of questions.
Werewolves lose their minds when transformed, don't they?
Meanwhile, the other werewolf, despite Doris's spells, bit her shoulder.
In just a moment, two well-trained Aurors were ambushed and defeated by three werewolves.
And similar scenes unfolded throughout Diagon Alley.
What was once a peaceful alley turned into a hell of werewolf havoc in an instant.
The howls of werewolves echoed, but in just over three minutes, everything returned to calm. What awaited the Aurors who arrived to support were scenes of chaos, fires everywhere, and shattered streets.
...
"Six days! Seven attacks! Nineteen Aurors bitten by werewolves! St. Mungo's is almost filled with our people!" Bartemius Crouch roared in fury in the office of the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, throwing a newspaper at Gawain Robards.
"Look how they're slandering us! Disorganized! Incompetent! Fleeing for our lives..."
"Utter humiliation! Utter humiliation!"
The series of werewolf attacks, while causing panic in the wizarding community, also disgraced the Aurors and further tarnished Crouch's already declining reputation.
Now, not only was his campaign for Minister of Magic this year ruined, but his current position was also in jeopardy.
"Where are these damned werewolves coming from?!"
"We, we're looking into it..."
"Looking into it, you said that yesterday!" Crouch looked disappointedly at him. "Six days and not a single clue?! How are you even the head of the Auror office?!"
"Those werewolves, they're different... They can transform anytime, back and forth between human and werewolf, it's impossible to guard against, sir..."
Crouch sat down, holding his chest, rubbing it for a while.
"Useless!"
Gawain Robards was useless, a fact Crouch had known for a long time and should have never expected anything different.
"And Murphy? Have you caught Murphy Dackholm? Or are you also clueless about his whereabouts?!"
Considering who would benefit from attacking the Aurors, it was clear that the werewolves were under the young dark wizard Murphy's command.
Although it was puzzling how he managed to control the werewolves and enable their transformation at will, Crouch's intuition as a former outstanding Auror led him straight to the truth.
"He hasn't been seen in those shops... and for some reason, our undercover agents haven't sent any messages..."
Robards, noticing his superior's increasingly dark mood, hurriedly added, "But, a hospital has opened in Diagon Alley, we suspect it's under Murphy's control..."
"A hospital?"
"Yes, it's called the Wizards' Hospital for General Welfare. They're now specializing in treating lycanthropy..."
"And, sir, the injured Aurors aren't at St. Mungo's anymore, they've all gone to the Wizards' Hospital for General Welfare..."
"What?" Crouch was stunned. "But you said this hospital might be controlled by Murphy..."
"We only suspect... we have no proof yet..."
Crouch imagined Murphy pretending to be benevolent, treating the Aurors injured by werewolves, who in turn were grateful to him.
His heart raced almost to the point of not being able to breathe.
He's undermining the Aurors from within, isn't he? Utter humiliation! Utter humiliation!
"Let's go! Take me there now!"
___________________
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