"If you think it's too little, you can report me…"
Willie Tom broke into a cold sweat the moment he saw Kyle's smile.
Even though it was a warm August day and they were indoors, a bone-deep chill ran through him.
It was his instincts screaming at him.
Some wizards possessed strange talents—like altering their appearance at will or communicating with Magical Creatures. Willie Tom had a gift too: his sensitivity to danger far surpassed that of the average wizard.
And that talent had saved his life more than once.
He had indeed planned to leak Kyle's whereabouts to the Aurors. That way, he could clear himself of suspicion and collect a hefty reward. Why wouldn't he?
In fact, he had already done just that.
Willie Tom had it all figured out. He'd stall a bit over the price, then complete the deal the moment he sensed the timing was right. Even if he lost some money on the sale, it didn't matter—as long as Kyle was arrested after he'd left the shop.
By then, he'd already have the money from the dragon egg. And even if Kyle pointed the finger at him, he'd just deny it all. Besides, he was the one who tipped off the Aurors—no way they'd dare touch him after that.
Better yet, if Kyle was captured, he'd pocket a full hundred Galleons in bounty. And if Kyle managed to slip away, he'd still earn thirty Galleons for the lead. A win-win. No—he won both times.
As for integrity… what did it matter when the customer was someone who likely wouldn't return to Diagon Alley? Better to squeeze the most profit out of the situation.
But now, staring at Kyle's calm smile and feeling the cold sweat trickling down his back, Willie Tom's Galleon-clouded brain finally began to stir.
He finally remembered—this man wasn't some harmless lamb. He was the dangerous figure who had killed five wizards and still managed to get away clean.
Willie Tom wasn't afraid of Horlick, and he figured their strengths were about even. But if this man could take out Horlick and four others at once, then killing him would be even easier.
His heart began to pound wildly. Watching Kyle idly toying with his wand, his knees nearly gave out from the tension.
His instincts told him that even if the Aurors did show up and arrest Kyle, he wouldn't live to see it.
What now?!
Willie Tom was filled with regret... It was all Kyle's fault—his gentle, harmless demeanor and extravagant spending had made him drop his guard and overlook the threat right in front of him.
Fortunately, Kyle didn't seem to have figured out his real intentions. He probably just thought he was trying to hike the price. There was still time to turn things around.
Willie Tom took a deep breath and forced himself to steady his nerves.
"How could it be too little? Didn't we agree on this?" he said, briskly placing the dragon egg on the table. "It's yours now."
"Oh?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't the Aurors take a bit longer to get here? You're not going to stall for time anymore?"
"W-what are you talking about? I don't understand," Willie Tom stammered, his heart racing. "Aurors? Why would they come to Diagon Alley… But you'd better be careful. The big shot behind Horlick doesn't seem willing to let you go."
"Is that so?" Kyle stepped forward, stopping in front of the painting that served as a safe. He reached out and brushed his fingers along the frame. "Then maybe you can tell me—where did the person in this painting go?"
"He might've… um, gone into another frame," Willie Tom muttered. With Kyle's back turned to him, he spotted an opening and carefully slid his hand into his pocket.
"Left all these valuables behind just to go visiting?" Kyle said with a faint chuckle.
Peeking inside, he saw a golden crown and a gemstone the size of an egg hidden behind the painting—both clearly worth a fortune.
With a stranger in the room, and such valuable items lying about, the portrait that acted as the door lock had conveniently gone off to another frame?
Even Neville wouldn't fall for such a pathetic excuse.
Combining that with what he'd just heard, Kyle was now sure—the portrait had gone to raise the alarm. The Aurors would be surrounding the place any moment now.
It made sense. Five wizards were dead; there was no way the Ministry would let this blow over quietly.
He just wondered how big the bounty was. Big enough, apparently, for this shopkeeper to risk everything just to turn him in.
"Stupefy!"
A sharp cry rang out from behind him.
Kyle didn't react. He didn't even turn his head.
"It worked!" Willie Tom rejoiced.
He hadn't expected it to go this smoothly. At this range, there was no way the man could react in time or draw his wand.
Maybe he'd overthought it. How could someone so slow possibly have killed Horlick and his men? It must've been other wizards who did it, then pinned it on this rich fool.
But so what? The Ministry had already made up its mind—this man was their culprit.
Once the Stunning Spell knocked him out, Willie Tom could clean him out—take all his money and the goods he'd bought—and then hand him over to the incoming Aurors for a nice fat reward.
How much could he make from a wealthy wizard like this? A thousand Galleons? Two thousand... maybe even more.
Greed blazed in Willie Tom's eyes.
However, in the very next second, that greed was swept away by terror.
His Stunning Spell, aimed straight at Kyle, was stopped less than an inch from its target by a silver shield that appeared out of nowhere.
The shield was tiny—only the size of a palm—but even such a small shield had effortlessly blocked what should have been a sure hit. Willie Tom hadn't even seen when the spell was cast.
But there was no time to dwell on that. The Stunning Spell rebounded instantly and shot back toward him. Willie Tom instinctively tried to dodge, only to realize that something had locked his wand hand in place. No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move it.
It was a long, thin vine, dotted with several small, round orange fruits.
Snargaluff.
The name surfaced in his mind—and then everything went black.
The Stunning Spell struck him square in the forehead. Willie Tom didn't even let out a sound before collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.
That's it?
Kyle blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected it to end so quickly. A wizard capable of acquiring a dragon egg should've had at least some skill. Yet the moment his plan had barely begun, it was already over?
Even the Bowtruckle that had crept out at some point seemed dazed. It glanced from the unconscious Willie Tom to Kyle, as if asking what to do next.
"Forget it. Get the Niffler and start moving the goods," Kyle said after a moment's thought. "Make sure to search thoroughly."
The Bowtruckle nodded, then hopped onto the stunned Willie Tom and deftly slipped the ring off his finger.
...
Three minutes later.
A group of wizards in black robes strode quickly through Diagon Alley.
"Aurors—you're finally here," said Mr. Tom, standing at the door as if he were greeting his saviors.
Yes, Mr. Tom... but a closer look revealed a flicker of amusement in his eyes—an expression more fitting for a prankster than a greedy shopkeeper.
Unfortunately, none of the arriving Aurors noticed.
"Spare us the chatter. Where is he?" the lead Auror asked coldly.
"Inside." Tom pushed open the door, and the Aurors immediately spotted a figure lying on the floor. From his clothing to his face, he matched their description exactly.
No mistake—this was the wizard who had thrown around gold like candy in Diagon Alley a month ago and slaughtered Horlick and his group.
But why was such a dangerous man lying there unconscious? Shouldn't it be the shopkeeper on the ground?
The lead Auror turned his head instinctively.
"It went like this," Tom said, feigning lingering fear. "He tried to ambush me, but I caught on in time."
"You? You managed that?" The Auror raised an eyebrow, his voice thick with doubt and disdain.
If someone this dangerous could be taken down so easily by a shopkeeper, what had their efforts over the past few days even amounted to?
"Of course I don't have that kind of ability," Tom said with a sycophantic grin. "But I was lucky. After what happened to Horlick and the others, I've been on edge. So I spent a fortune to get a magic ring... this one."
He held up his hand, revealing a sapphire-studded ring.
"It can automatically trigger a Shield Charm once. He thought his spell would hit for sure, so he didn't guard himself—ended up getting knocked out by the rebound. Honestly, I was scared out of my mind just now."
"Shame about the ring though," he added with a sigh. "It cost me a fortune, and now it's ruined."
"You should count yourself lucky," the Auror said, giving him a sideways glance. "If you were the one lying on the floor, you probably wouldn't be alive right now."
After noticing that this was a magic goods shop, the Auror stopped questioning Tom's story.
Shopkeepers like this always had a few items tucked away for protection or sale. A Shield Charm ring was rare, sure, but not impossible to obtain for someone willing to spend enough.
More importantly, such items were incredibly discreet—and could cast spells without words or wands. If caught off guard, even an experienced Auror like him could fall victim to one.
"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right." Boss Tom nodded repeatedly.
As they spoke, the other Aurors had already brought the man out. After confirming he was still alive, they prepared to leave.
"Wait—hold on a second..." Boss Tom called after them.
"What is it now?"
"It's about the, uh... the reward. You know, to catch that guy, I had to sacrifice a rather valuable magic ring. I'm really counting on the bounty to recover my losses."
"We're just here to catch suspects. If you want the reward, take it up with the Ministry." The Auror turned to leave—but that pesky shopkeeper stepped in front of him again.
"Wait."
"If you keep pestering me, I'll arrest you too," the Auror snapped impatiently.
"No, no, you've misunderstood." Tom gave an awkward smile. "It's just... I have a shop to run, and I really don't have time to go all the way to the Ministry. How about this—you give me half now, and we'll call it even. The rest of the bounty can be my treat for everyone at the Leaky Cauldron."
"Oh?"
The Auror's eyes flickered. He shifted his stance slightly, blocking the view of the other Aurors, and lowered his voice.
"You sure about that? That's fifty Galleons."
"I'd be lying if I said I didn't care," Tom said with a small smile. "But you all came to my rescue so quickly—I'm grateful. Think of the fifty Galleons as a token of appreciation, a friendly gesture. Besides, if that guy has any accomplices, I'm still in danger as the informant. I might need your help again."
"You can count on us. We Aurors never let dangerous types roam free." The Auror gave a grin, then turned to the others.
"Take him back. I've got one last thing to follow up on."
This kind of action wasn't exactly regulation, but since it came from a superior, the others didn't protest. They left with the "suspect" in tow.
The remaining Auror headed straight for Gringotts. When he came out a few minutes later, he was holding a small pouch.
He handed it to Tom. Neither of them said a word, but the look they exchanged sealed an unspoken agreement.
...
Once the Aurors had all left, Diagon Alley gradually returned to its usual bustle. New students resumed their shopping for the school year, and no one paid much attention to the shop that had quietly closed its doors again.
As for the shopkeeper, he clearly had something urgent to deal with—after locking up, he made a beeline for the Leaky Cauldron.
He had no choice. After all, the man the Aurors had just taken away wasn't real.
The Aurors might not care much about the real Willie Tom, but when it came to Galleons... they were dead serious.
Any later, and it might've been too late to get away.
...
Sure enough, not long after, the Aurors returned—faster than before. This time, they didn't spare anyone in their path, roughly shoving aside anyone who got in the way.
Confused bystanders watched curiously, whispering to each other about what was going on.
The lead Auror stormed up to the tightly shut shop, drew his wand without a word, and blasted the door open.
BOOM—a deafening bang startled everyone nearby.
But when the Auror stepped inside and took in the scene, his face flushed with rage and embarrassment.
The entire shop had been cleaned out. The once-stocked shelves were now bare—not even a scrap of parchment remained.
"You idiots!" he roared, practically fuming. "Not one of you noticed the suspect had been Transfigured? Is this what being an Auror means to you? Pathetic!"
Like you noticed it yourself, the others thought silently. But no one dared say it out loud.
"Go! Find him!" the lead Auror roared. "I don't care if you have to tear up the street—bring me that damn con artist! I'll make sure he rots in Azkaban with the Dementors!"
The Aurors scattered at once.
But it was already too late.
At that very moment, the "Boss Tom" they were searching for had already used a Portkey—and was now thousands of miles away, in Romania.
...
Dumbledore tensed immediately as the stranger suddenly appeared, wand at the ready.
"Who are you?" he demanded, aiming his wand directly at the man.
"Relax, Professor—it's me."
Dumbledore froze. At this moment, there was only one person who would still call him "Professor."
"Kyle?"
"It's me," Kyle confirmed.
"Hmm... Looks like the timing was just about right."
As he spoke, "Boss Tom" began to change—his potbelly vanished, and short black hair grew in to replace the thinning strands.
"Kyle," Dumbledore asked, more puzzled than ever, "what on earth were you up to?"
"Oh, just a little issue—it's handled now," Kyle replied with a grin, having returned to his usual appearance. "Couldn't be helped. Someone was a little too enthusiastic, insisted on giving me a whole pile of Galleons. I really couldn't turn them down."
Insisted on giving you Galleons?
Dumbledore didn't believe a single word.
He'd earned quite a reputation himself over the years, made plenty of friends—yet not one had ever insisted on giving him Galleons.
He was certain Kyle was hiding something.
And that look earlier—he'd definitely taken Polyjuice Potion. But what on earth had happened that made Kyle disguise himself?
Dumbledore was deeply curious, but Kyle's next words put an end to any further questioning.
"Professor, it's time we head back. I'm sure you can't wait to see Ariana."
"Right." Dumbledore immediately walked over.
Whatever Kyle had been up to, nothing mattered more than seeing Ariana again.
Kyle took out the golden pocket watch and pulled a long, gleaming chain from its top.
The chain was just long enough to loop around both of them.
Then he began to turn the watch's hands. The Philosopher's Stone glowed red, lighting up the dial.
The red glow was noticeably dimmer than it had been on their way here—but it should still be enough to bring them both back.
Hopefully, Kyle thought. Probably.
"This is it." After adjusting the hands to the proper position, Kyle let go.
The red glow from the Time-Turner began to spread, racing along the chain from end to end, enveloping both Kyle and Dumbledore in light.
Their forms gradually faded—until they vanished completely from sight.