The room trembled under his gaze. A chorus of weak voices answered, "In favor… in favor…"
"Good." Alex's tone remained pleasant, though his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Now, as for Yaxley… his earlier attitude was downright awful. Naturally, he needs to be punished. Here's what I've decided: starting this month, everyone here will pay 20 Galleons per month as a protection fee. Equivalent trades are acceptable. Got it?"
The wizards groaned inwardly but dared not complain. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree. "Perfect! Thank you for your cooperation." Alex's smile widened as his gaze landed on Rozier. "Rozier will handle collections. And don't worry, everyone—after you pay the first month's fee, I'll return your wands. I'm not a monster, after all."
"Yes, yes," the crowd mumbled, nodding weakly.
"But," Alex continued, his tone darkening, "if anyone tries to get their family involved, or skips payment…" He raised his knuckle duster and tapped it ominously. "Well, my friend here is excellent at 'collecting debts.' He's very effective at 'healing' too. I guarantee satisfaction."
The wizards flinched, the memory of the beating still fresh in their minds. They nodded fervently, their faces pale. "One last thing," Alex added. "I'm open to trades. I prefer rare books or alchemy materials. Impress me, and I might even pay a premium."
With that, Alex walked to the door, leaving the trembling wizards behind. Outside the building, Alex paused, his expression cool as his eyes flicked toward a shadowy corner. During the earlier confrontation, he'd felt a faint magical presence observing the scene. When Yaxley cast the Killing Curse, the sensation had grown stronger, the magical reaction becoming unmistakable. Someone had been watching.
"I see," Alex murmured to himself, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "So, some people have their eyes on these fools already. Yaxley, you're a puppet dancing on a stage you don't even see. I've put so much effort into setting you up. Don't let me down now." With that, Alex turned on his heel, leaving the scene without looking back.
In the abandoned hut, a group of young wizards finally breathed a sigh of relief as Alex walked away. Some even collapsed onto the ground, their nerves giving out after the intense tension. Reflecting on the day's events, they felt a heavy sadness. Their eyes turned to Yaxley, who was still sprawled on the floor, his presence stirring resentment in everyone.
"Yaxley, this is all your fault!" a senior wizard snapped, his voice heavy with frustration. "Didn't you claim you joined the committee to restore the glory of pure-bloods? Well, where's the glory now? All we've earned is shame!"
"Hmph, easy for you to talk about shame," a fourth-year sneered, his tone biting. "You seniors are graduating soon, including Yaxley. What about us? We're the ones stuck here, enduring Alex's endless exploitation."
"That's not the end of it," Travers growled, wincing from his injuries. His voice was laced with anger as he said, "That bastard humiliating us is the same as humiliating all pure-blood wizards. He has to pay for this!"
"Pay for it? With what, another beating? Don't drag us down!" the fourth-year shot back. "None of us can take him on, so quit dreaming."
The hut descended into chaos as the young wizards argued, their voices overlapping in a mess of blame and frustration. In Alex's words, this was the perfect moment for people to start throwing blame around. Humans had a tendency to shift responsibility for their failures onto others.
Standing quietly in the corner, Rozier watched the scene unfold. He remained unnoticed, his expression unreadable as he mentally took note of every name and stance in the room. This was the task Alex had given him—figure out which of the pure-blood wizards were still clinging to their pride and which had given up on resistance. Rozier carefully logged each detail, knowing his survival now depended on fulfilling Alex's orders.
Today had been a turning point for Rozier. After everything he had witnessed, defying Alex was no longer an option. But Alex had rewarded his cooperation, promising him immunity from protection fees and even offering a share of future profits. For Rozier, this was a deal he couldn't afford to refuse. He was now firmly on Alex's side.
Eventually, the group's arguments fizzled out, and the young wizards dispersed. Yaxley, still lying on the ground, slowly regained his senses. He had heard every word of their quarrel, each one a nail in the coffin of his ambitions. His dream of restoring pure-blood dominance had crumbled in mere hours.
Bruised, humiliated, and seething with resentment, Yaxley dragged himself to his feet, leaning against the wall for support. As he watched the others leave, his bloodshot eyes burned with hatred. The physical pain was bad enough, but the emotional toll was far worse. The lingering effects of the humiliation weighed heavily on his soul, amplifying his despair. He cast one last, venomous glance toward Hogwarts before staggering into the snowy night, disappearing without a word.
Back at Hogwarts, Alex returned to the cabin in the Forbidden Forest, where Higgs and Vivian were anxiously waiting. Seeing him walk in unharmed, their tense expressions softened with relief. "You're back! Are you okay? Did Yaxley actually attack you?" Higgs asked hurriedly. "If he did, you should report it to the headmaster. Attacking a student outside school grounds isn't a small offense."
Alex smiled faintly at their concern. He hadn't shared the full details of his plan with them, wanting to spare them unnecessary worry. They didn't know he had faced a coordinated ambush, nor did they realize how many wizards had been involved. Judging by his clean appearance, they assumed he had escaped unscathed without much effort.
Not wanting to keep them in the dark, Alex briefly recounted the events, though he left out Rozier's role. "What? That many people went after you? And Yaxley used the Killing Curse?!" Higgs's voice rose in shock. "Does he not realize what kind of consequences that could have?"
Alex shrugged, feigning ignorance. "Who knows what was going through his head. Anyway, it's all over now, isn't it?"
Vivian frowned, her worry not entirely eased. "But is it really okay for you to be collecting protection fees from those students? Isn't that against school rules? What if they report you to the headmaster or their heads of house? You could've just scared them off. Why go so far?"
Alex raised an eyebrow at her, his expression amused. "Vivian, you really don't understand how things work in the wizarding world, do you?" He turned to Higgs. "Care to explain?"
Higgs nodded and turned to Vivian. "In the wizarding world, it's notoriously hard to convict someone of wrongdoing. Say I hexed you. If no one caught me in the act, I could claim someone used Polyjuice Potion to impersonate me. Or that I was under the Imperius Curse. Even if I admitted it, I could say I was under Veritaserum. There's always an excuse."
Vivian's eyes widened in realization, and she looked back at Alex, who gave her a knowing smile.
"That's right," Alex said, leaning back slightly. "Most of those captured Death Eaters are either the kind who'd rather die than submit, those caught red-handed, or those with someone credible enough to testify against them."