Upon receiving this assignment, Tonks, eager to prove herself, immediately used her ability to change her appearance into that of a man, then rushed from the Auror training grounds to Diagon Alley.
With a crack of Apparition, Tonks appeared in an empty space in Diagon Alley.
Looking at the bustling scene in Diagon Alley, packed with people, parents bringing young wizards to shop, Tonks, who had just graduated from Hogwarts, felt a moment of emotion.
Time really flies. It's another year for new students to enroll, and I've already graduated.
As Tonks was feeling sentimental, she noticed that every shop in Diagon Alley seemed to be a bit short on stock this year, with long queues forming outside.
Yet, at the same time, shop assistants were carrying boxes, clearly enchanted with the Undetectable Extension Charm, towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Tonks' heart stirred, and she was about to step forward to inquire when several wizards in black robes got there before her, asking the shop assistants with curiosity.
"Are these all for that young wizard Charle?"
"So many things, how many Galleons must that cost?"
"How can one person eat and use all of this?"
The shop assistants smiled and shook their heads.
"How would we know? But Old Tom at the Leaky Cauldron said he sends eighty deluxe meals to that young wizard Charle every day, and they're all gone within ten minutes."
"He even suspected that young wizard Charle was keeping some magical creature with a huge appetite in his room, but that's none of our business. He's rich and so generous and straightforward, we just sell and that's that."
After answering these curious inquiries, the shop assistants from several stores continued to deliver goods to Charle.
Hearing this conversation, Tonks' eyes showed a look of certainty.
No wonder they asked me to investigate, there must be something fishy about this Charle!
He eats and uses so many things by himself? How is that possible!
Eight times out of ten, there's really someone behind him guiding him, who found a loophole in the Ministry of Magic's protocol and is profiting from it.
Tonks' expression became excited.
In her opinion, anyone who could find a loophole in the Ministry of Magic's protocol must be a cunning old wizard, perhaps even a habitual offender who specializes in magical protocol fraud.
Charle must also be being used, becoming a scapegoat pushed to the forefront by those wizards.
This time, perhaps she could follow the clues and catch a big fish!
She clenched her wand, feeling her heart rate quicken.
Seven years of studying at Hogwarts, finally becoming an intern Auror.
Building a career and achieving success is today!
Tonks took a step and walked towards the Leaky Cauldron, planning to find an opportunity to stake out Charle there and see if any suspicious wizards were entering or leaving Charle's room.
However, in her excitement, Tonks didn't notice that the black-robed wizards who had just questioned the shop assistants had subtly glanced at her back, their eyes filled with suspicion.
"That man just now seemed to have been standing nearby, listening to us gather information."
"Now he's heading straight for the Leaky Cauldron, is he also here for Charle?"
A dangerous glint appeared in their eyes.
"A competitor?"
But after a moment, a look of disdain appeared in their eyes.
"Doesn't look like it. If he were a competitor from Knockturn Alley, he wouldn't be so unguarded."
"Eight times out of ten, he's a novice who got greedy at the sight of wealth. His intentions are too obvious, he's easy to deal with and poses no threat to us. Just keep an eye on him."
Immediately, one of the wizards followed far behind Tonks.
He would occasionally browse in nearby shops, occasionally greet the young wizards and their parents coming towards him, but he always maintained a certain distance from Tonks, finally stopping in an inconspicuous corner outside the Leaky Cauldron.
The other wizards also looked towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Watching the large boxes being delivered into the Leaky Cauldron, their eyes held an uncontrollable greed.
Charle had been spending money like water in Diagon Alley these past two days, likely spending close to ten thousand Galleons.
Although he was using the Ministry of Magic's protocol for reimbursement, in the eyes of others, while spending lavishly was a skill, being able to get reimbursed was clearly even better.
Such a young wizard must come from an extraordinary background and have a deep foundation.
In other words, he was very valuable, perhaps even more valuable than the same weight in gold.
Just flipping open one of his money bags might contain an endless supply of Galleons!
These black-robed wizards in Knockturn Alley were very envious and planned to pull a job on Charle.
After this job, who would still be struggling in Knockturn Alley, living a life with their heads on the line?
Just dealing in prohibited items all day, how much money does that even make?!
"But this Charle is truly hateful. So what if he's rich? Does being rich mean he doesn't have to respect people?"
"He makes the shop assistants deliver goods to him every day, this is exploitation, this is oppression. According to what I've heard Muggles say, he should be hanged from a lamppost!"
"Would it kill him to come out and pick up the goods himself? It makes it hard for us to kidnap him!"
"Now he stays in his room on the second floor of the Leaky Cauldron every day. This place is a mixed bag, kidnapping him here is practically suicide, what should we do?"
After a moment of thought, the leading Dark Wizard proposed an idea.
"Have you noticed? Everything this Charle buys is a magical item. He basically doesn't take ordinary items."
"What does that tell us? It tells us he has discerning taste and looks down on ordinary stuff. He only wants magical items."
"If we can produce a rare magical item or material, perhaps we can lure him out of the Leaky Cauldron. If we can trick him into Knockturn Alley in the evening, then this matter is practically guaranteed."
"A few battle-hardened Dark Wizards like us, subduing a little wizard who hasn't even started school yet, isn't that easy?"
As soon as this suggestion was made, the remaining few all nodded in agreement. Then came a crucial question.
"Where do we find rare magical items and materials?"
"Do you have any?"
"If we could afford that stuff, would we need to take such a risk and come up with this idea?"
The leading Dark Wizard said decisively.
"We don't have that many Galleons right now, but we can pool some money and go to Gringotts for a mortgage loan. At worst, we can mortgage our wands and houses."
"Think about it, as long as we buy the rare magical items and materials, trick Charle out, and pull this off, what's this small amount of money?!"
"At most, if our operation fails, we can just sell the magical items and materials again. Losing a bit of money is all."
He said half-jokingly.
"It's not like a few of us will fail to kidnap him and instead get robbed by Charle, losing everything, right?"
When he said this, the other Dark Wizards were amused and laughed.
After the laughter, determination appeared in the eyes of the few people.
"Let's do it!"
"Let's go to Gringotts for a mortgage loan now!"
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