Walking on the cold, damp ground of Knockturn Alley, Robert sighed helplessly.
To be honest, the method they used wasn't particularly clever; the timing, at the very least, was a glaring flaw. Apart from dark wizards, no one willingly entered Knockturn Alley at night. Yet, Robert had still fallen for it. Perhaps, deep down, he had subconsciously ignored the danger of walking into such a place after dark.
"With just this, you guessed our target is a wand shop?" A cold, hoarse voice came from behind him.
"You went through all this trouble. There's no way you just wanted to randomly ambush a Hogwarts student. It has to be because of me."
Robert took a deep breath and smiled. "If there's anything special about me, it's probably just that my last name is Ollivander."
"Perhaps we can also add your clever brain," the voice continued slowly. Though it sounded like praise, the mocking tone was unmistakable—like a beast complimenting its prey's liveliness.
"Can you tell me your purpose?" Robert asked, his fists unconsciously clenching. He looked ready to fight to the death at any moment.
"Of course, it's for the wands." A tall figure on the right suddenly became animated. "Last time, because those wolf cubs lacked wands, we couldn't kill that damned Potter! Lord Voldemort—"
"Shut up, you idiot!" someone snapped. The sharp voice then returned to its previous emotionless tone.
"You are smart, but I also know how to empty that brain of yours. Want to find out how?"
Robert understood clearly—those words were aimed directly at him.
"Don't be like that. I just want to help you," he replied quickly. "Wands choose the wizard. You can't simply grab one and expect it to work. You should know that."
The other party remained silent, clearly unwilling to answer any more of Robert's questions. But he quickened his pace.
That seemed to be a signal. The few people around Robert began to close in, their grips tightening on their wands.
Robert noticed and immediately stopped in his tracks, refusing to go any farther.
"Finally ready to resist?" someone sneered, pressing a wand to his head.
"Borgin and Burkes is just ahead," Robert said calmly. "I can't go past that shop."
"That's not up to you."
"This is unfair," Robert turned to face them. "There are six of you—adult wizards. And yet you ambushed me, a first-year student. Is this what Death Eaters have become?"
"Yes," the man replied without hesitation. "This is exactly what Death Eaters are like."
Robert was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected such a shameless admission.
No… Why wasn't this going according to the script? Shouldn't someone challenge him to a one-on-one duel right now?
"Since you won't walk, let us do the honors… Is the Polyjuice Potion ready?"
"It's been ready," the old witch Robert had first encountered said in a high-pitched voice, eyeing Robert's head and fingers with greed.
"Let's begin," she grinned, revealing her uneven teeth. Her laughter turned wild. "The taste of fear... how sweet…"
"Soul—"
"Avada Kedavra!"
A sharp shriek echoed faintly in the void, as if coming from inside one's heart. Though indistinct, the sound overpowered all others in the alley.
A strange green light appeared out of thin air—emanating from Robert's hand.
No one knew better than the Death Eaters what it was—the Killing Curse. But this one looked different. It was as though woven from countless chains, like a venomous serpent that twisted and split wildly through the air.
The first to be struck was the wizard who had intended to use the Imperius Curse. He hadn't even finished his incantation before the green bolt pierced his chest. His pupils dilated, life drained instantly, and before he even collapsed, the light had already shifted to its next target.
The old witch, who had just been staring hungrily at Robert, didn't even have time to scream. She was hit directly in the throat and dropped like a lifeless puppet.
The remaining wizards scrambled to react, but they had underestimated the Killing Curse's speed—and overestimated their own ability.
Terror froze their expressions. The wands they had held tightly slipped from limp fingers, clattering onto the damp flagstones with hollow thuds.
"Thud… thud… bang!"
Six bodies hit the ground nearly in unison. Knockturn Alley fell into deathly silence.
Robert turned pale. He stood still, feeling a tingling sensation in his fingertips, his ears buzzing, his vision stretching infinitely.
So this is the Killing Curse…? It's even easier than stepping on a bug.
But before he could process everything, something unexpected happened.
After piercing the sixth Death Eater, the green light didn't vanish. Instead, as if sensing something else, it curved mid-air and changed direction.
Though dimmer, it still carried a deadly chill as it sliced past the alley wall and pierced a decaying wooden door nearby with a muffled thud.
A sound came from behind the door—a heavy object collapsing.
Robert turned toward the noise. In the weak moonlight, he could just make out the faded sign: Borgin and Burkes.
His legs refused to move, stiff like planks nailed to the ground. No matter how he tried, he couldn't take a single step.
Only when he reached into his pocket and touched the silver mane wand did warmth spread from his fingertips throughout his body. At last, he felt in control again and took a trembling step forward.
He hadn't expected the price of using the Killing Curse to be so dreadful. In that moment, it was as if all the hatred, anger, and killing intent in the world had surged through him. The sensation was overwhelming, like an ocean trying to drown him, and then it all condensed into pale hands trying to drag him into the abyss.
Robert tightened his grip on the silver mane wand.
"Lumos."
A silver-white halo glowed at the wand's tip, instantly dispelling the chill from his body.
Of course, it wasn't the spell itself that helped—but the wand.
[Purification]: When using magic against curses and dark creatures, the restraint effect is increased by 100%.
That dreadful sensation just now—could that be considered a curse, too?
Probably.
Either way, after casting Lumos with the silver mane wand, Robert's body fully recovered.
Yet every time his eyes fell on the bodies of the six Death Eaters, nausea rose in his stomach. That sensation was not something even a unicorn-hair core could dispel.
So the moment he regained full control of his body, his first move was to change locations. He wasn't in a rush to leave Knockturn Alley.
Instead, guided by the wand's light, Robert pushed open the door to Borgin and Burkes.
The place where the Killing Curse had disappeared.
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