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Diagon Alley was a fascinating place. Despite its old-fashioned appearance, it was undeniably the most prestigious street in the wizarding world.
Every day, it welcomed countless visitors; rural witches, reclusive wizards who hadn't left their homes in years, expelled Hogwarts students, and even foreign wizards just there to sightsee. These diverse crowds brought immense wealth to the street but also an endless stream of trouble for him.
Like now.
"Someone's fighting!"
A shout rang out, drawing passersby toward the commotion. William, like everyone else, followed the noise. Fights were common in Azkaban, but since arriving in the wizarding world, this was his first time seeing a street brawl.
Following a tall, thin wizard in a blue robe around a corner, William saw a growing crowd.
It was just before three in the afternoon, the busiest time of day. Shopkeepers, with few customers to attend to, abandoned their businesses to watch the spectacle. Since neither side was using wands, no one intervened. The onlookers were content to gape at the two combatants, who were on the verge of trading blows.
William, being slightly taller, managed to get a decent view.
The two opponents, both in wizard robes, were locked in a heated exchange. One, a white-haired wizard, had his collar grabbed and was gesturing in a placating manner, trying to explain something. His shorter, stockier opponent, with a face full of fierce determination and a bushy beard that seemed as long as his index finger, was furiously shouting insults. His gestures, punctuated by wild movements, made the scene oddly comical.
At their feet lay an open magazine, tossed aside. The bearded wizard alternated between yelling and pointing at the publication, as if something in it had deeply offended him.
Having arrived a bit late, William could only catch fragments of the bearded man's rant through the crowd's noise.
It took a while, but William finally pieced together what had happened. Apparently, something personal about the bearded man had been exposed in the magazine. By sheer coincidence, he had run into the editor today and, in a fit of rage, grabbed him for questioning.
Classic. Gossip magazines often caught flak, and seeing an editor get a beating was always satisfying.
Once he understood the situation, William decided to leave. He had more important matters to attend to. A brief delay was acceptable, but wasting too much time just to watch a fight would be irresponsible.
Before turning away, William gave the two combatants one last glance. His eyes lingered on the bearded man.
Something about that beard seemed… off.
Staring intently, William noticed that the beard was indeed crooked. His mind quickly reconstructed what the man would look like without it. This kind of disguise often belonged to wanted criminals. A bounty of one hundred Galleons for turning him in? Easy money.
"That face looks familiar," William murmured, focusing on the man's voice.
Within seconds, he matched it to someone in his memory.
It was that con artist!
The same guy who had swindled the entire cellblock's Galleons upon release, leaving William with a significant loss.
Thinking of this, William quickly drew his wand. Before the onlookers had a chance to react, the spell was already flying toward the con artist.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The spell pierced through the crowd, striking the boastful con artist.
His body stiffened instantly, and he began reaching for his wand, but before his hand could even touch it, the full power of the spell, far stronger than he had anticipated, took hold of him completely.
After wobbling a few times, the bearded man collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.
The surrounding wizards immediately drew their wands and pointed them in the direction of the spell's origin.
"Relax, everyone. I'm just running into an old acquaintance," William said with a smile, raising his hands to show he had no further intention of attacking. He then stepped through a small gap in the crowd.
He quickly retrieved the man's wand and smiled as he focused on the con artist's face.
The man's eyes darted rapidly, and an expression of despair crossed his face; clearly, he recognized William.
"Haha, you remember me, old friend," William greeted, his tone playful as he reached out to pull on the man's beard.
To prevent the disguise from slipping, William yanked the fake beard off in a few swift motions. The onlookers began putting their wands away; if they could recognize him by his beard, it was clear that this was no small matter.
"Finite Incantatem."
With a flick of his wand, William easily lifted the curse from only around his head. As the man began to speak, William started searching through his clothes. Before long, he found what he was looking for; a large bag of Galleons.
He tossed it into the air, weighing it in his hand. It looked to be about seventy or eighty Galleons.
This guy didn't spend it all at once?
"Well well, it's been a while, my old buddy. I thought you'd just left without a word last time, but now you've even grown a beard?"
"Hey, William, long time no see. I thought I'd grow a beard, look a bit older, and make people trust me more when I'm doing business." The con artist forced a smile. Neither of them wanted the business of Azkaban to be revealed in front of a crowd.
Money could always be earned again, but if the Azkaban business came out, who knew how long it would take before they could earn anything again.
"Looks like you've been making some good money lately, buddy."
"You bet. I didn't bring enough money today, so consider these drinks on me. I've got business to attend to, though. Let's skip the fun for now. I'll make sure to buy you a proper drink next time." The con artist cursed internally; he had never been afraid of William in the same cell, but today, with a sneak attack like that, he had no choice but to comply.
Although his main business was still on the gray side, if word got out that he'd stolen from a fellow prisoner, all his business partners would turn on him.
"Thanks a lot, buddy." William smiled as he pocketed the bag of Galleons and placed the wand in a spot where the man couldn't reach. He then used his wand to lift the spell entirely.
That settled his account. As for the other criminals, whether or not they'd settle scores was none of his concern.
The con artist didn't dare make a move. He quickly gathered his things and slunk off down the nearest side street.
With the excitement gone, the crowd gradually dispersed. William took advantage of the opportunity to blend in and headed in the direction of his target.
***
After walking a few steps, he realized someone was watching him; it was the man who had been grabbed earlier.
"Sorry about the scene earlier. I'm Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of the magazine that's been ruffling some feathers. Thanks for stepping in and helping me."
"Hey, no problem. That guy owed me some money, and he's been avoiding me. I just happened to run into him today, so it worked out as a good time to settle the debt."
William waved his hand politely; he wasn't particularly interested in chatting with the editor of an entertainment magazine, but he knew better than to make an enemy of him. In his current situation, who knew what trouble the man could stir up if he wanted to.