Everyone gathered in Diagon Alley knew that something would happen today.
Many perceptive observers had foreseen it the very moment Bryan Watson announced the unprecedented penalizing measures against the escaped Death Eaters at that press conference.
But despite all the careful planning and strategic analysis, not a single person among the defenders could predict precisely where or when the inevitable breach would occur.
As time passed, the gloom hanging oppressively over Diagon Alley grew steadily heavier and darker. The tense atmosphere began mixing with moisture as the morning's thin mist thickened into actual fog reducing visibility and creating phantom shapes in the peripheral vision.
The Gringotts goblins moved with efficiency, loading the second massive batch of seized gold onto the reinforced carriages.
Members of the Order of the Phoenix had spread themselves out in a loose defensive perimeter, patrolling carefully around the growing convoy of carriages.
A Ministry Auror burst suddenly from the Leaky Cauldron pub, moving at a run. Under the vigilant, tracking eyes of many armed colleagues along his route, he rushed directly to Alastor Moody's figure.
"Mr. Moody, sir—word just came through from the Ministry—"
The Auror was slightly breathless, his words were tumbling out quickly.
"The bounty hunters assigned to escort the third train will be brought here via authorized Portkey in approximately fifteen minutes. Prepare to receive them."
"Never mind those mercenary bastards—have the folks at the Department of Magical Transportation noticed anything suspicious yet?"
Alastor wasn't particularly concerned about the bounty hunters who had remained mysterious even after the entire mission had begun, their identities were kept secret even from most of the operation's leadership. He was far more focused on whether the Ministry's security barriers had shown any cracks or weaknesses that might be exploited.
His magical eye spun scanning the surrounding area.
"So far, no unauthorized persons have been detected attempting to force their way into Diagon Alley through the Floo Network, sir. The Transportation Department reports all fireplaces remain sealed and secure."
The Auror making the report said formally, standing at attention.
"What about Kingsley's convoy, Croft?"
Tonks called out suddenly from her position, her young face showed slightly more tension than she probably intended to reveal. Her hair had shifted to an anxious purple-blue. "Is his train all right? Any attacks reported?"
"No bad news yet, Tonks. Last check-in was three minutes ago, right on schedule." The wizard named Croft replied.
Remus tilted his head back, his face turned toward sky as he watched the Ministry Aurors circling continuously above Diagon Alley on their racing brooms. His brow was deeply furrowed with concentration and growing unease.
"I feel like something's not quite right about this whole situation, Remus—"
Sirius walked over to stand beside his old friend then, his face showed grave, troubled lines as he carefully surveyed their surroundings.
Remus nodded slowly in complete agreement. He knew what was causing Sirius's unease, because he felt it too.
It was too quiet.
To handle today's critically important transfer operation, the Ministry had pooled the united wisdom and experience of many minds including Bryan himself to devise what should have been a meticulous, nearly foolproof plan.
Diagon Alley itself had been thoroughly fortified until it resembled an iron barrel, theoretically watertight and completely impenetrable to any conventional assault.
The trains would be accompanied by flying escorts throughout their entire journey, positioned to signal immediately if any ambush appeared on the tracks or in the surrounding countryside.
And Bryan himself was personally stationed at King's Cross Station ready to respond to any threat.
With security measures this thorough, even if the Order of the Phoenix had wanted to hijack one of the vault shipments themselves, they would have found no good options for approach or escape.
But those who had once fought against Voldemort during the first war, knew deep in their experienced bones that he wouldn't simply accept the humiliation Bryan Watson had dealt him. Wouldn't just sit passively while his Death Eaters' wealth was carted away and his authority was publicly mocked.
Yet how exactly did Voldemort and his inner circle of Death Eaters plan to act? What strategy had they devised? Where was the inevitable attack coming from?
This maddening feeling of knowing with absolute certainty that something terrible would happen, but being completely unable to detect any concrete sign of it approaching—this psychological torture drove the Order members standing watch to the very edge of their nerves.
Suddenly, Sirius's dark eyebrows twitched up with a new thought.
"Do you think there's any possibility that the bounty hunters the Ministry hired might already be compromised?"
"I seriously doubt it," Remus said, though the corner of his mouth was twitching.
He knew exactly what kind of people those particular bounty hunters were. Given the customs and ironclad contracts that ruled that shadow community, Bryan would surely have bound them with the strictest possible magical agreements.
Compared to some of the Ministry Aurors involved in the escort mission—a mixed and frankly motley crew drawn from various departments, some with questionable loyalty and uncertain competence, those hardened bounty hunters were actually probably more trustworthy.
In the suffocating calm that pressed down on them, the members of the Order of the Phoenix endured another ten increasingly tense minutes or so.
The rush of fresh, cool air flowing freely beneath his nostrils brought an overwhelming surge of both physical and mental pleasure to Thanatos, who had been basically confined in close quarters for an entire week without proper explanation.
He breathed deeply, filling his lungs completely, consciously dispelling the oppression that had been building in his chest and the accumulated fatigue in his body.
Confinement—yes, that was exactly what the past week had been!
As a professional bounty hunter who had spent many hard years operating in the dangerous underground world of mercenary wizards, Thanatos considered himself a seasoned veteran with considerable experience in this murky, violent circle.
He'd taken contracts from dark wizards, from desperate merchants, from noble families with ugly secrets to protect. He knew the game.
But even with all his experience, he had never encountered such a profoundly strange assignment in his entire career.
Escorting valuable cargo wasn't particularly unusual in itself. But being required to assemble a full week before the actual mission was scheduled to begin, and having all outside contact completely cut off during that time—that was definitely a first.
Several factors had kept Thanatos from simply walking away from what was obviously a dangerous situation:
First, the fact that the contract and assignment had been issued by the notably trustworthy Fawley, a broker with a reputable reputation for honest dealing in the underground economy. Fawley's word carried some weight.
Second, the incredibly generous compensation being offered for this mission, with the remarkable and highly favorable condition clearly stated that even if the task failed completely, even if the cargo was lost or stolen, the employer would still pay the contracted fee in full. That kind of no-fault payment was almost unheard of.
Third, the contract genuinely and explicitly stated in clear magical language that they only needed to transport cargo to a designated location and guard against the likely hijacking attempts that would occur en route.
And finally with his own considerable magical prowess and combat skills, Thanatos was confident he could fight his way out of most traps.
If not for these specific factors all aligning—the trustworthy broker, the excessive payment, the clear contract terms, his own abilities then this entire assignment, which absolutely reeked of conspiracy and hidden agendas from every conceivable angle, would have been something Thanatos would have steered well clear of without a second thought.
All these complex thoughts and suspicions about the mission's true nature occupied Thanatos's mind for less than a single second. He gripped his cane and quickly surveyed his surroundings.
"Wait—this is Diagon Alley?! We're in bloody Diagon Alley?!"
The exclamation burst from Thanatos before he could stop it.
The familiar street layout, the distinctive shops with their doors shut tight and windows boarded on both sides—Thanatos recognized where they had been transported to without needing to think twice or consult any landmarks.
He wasn't the only bounty hunter crying out in surprise and alarm.
Led by Kakus Fawley and utilizing a Ministry-authorized Portkey—more than twenty bounty hunters with menacing auras suddenly appeared on the street in a cluster and they immediately drew the attention of every Ministry Auror and Order of the Phoenix member still stationed in the area.
"Ah, so it's you lot—"
The sudden appearance of a large group of dangerous-looking wizards, all wearing concealing masks and dark robes, left even Alastor Moody speechless for several long seconds. His magical eye spun wildly, cataloging faces beneath masks and assessing threat levels.
He twitched his nostrils almost like a hound scenting—the familiar scent emanating from these professional 'fighters' brought a look of sudden realization and understanding to his face.
Leaning heavily on his staff, Alastor limped forward across the cobblestones toward Kakus Fawley, who was walking to meet him halfway. He sized Fawley up with an appraising gaze that traveled from head to foot.
"Looks like Minister Bones's is considerably more tolerant and pragmatic than things were in my day!"
Fawley opened his mouth to respond with a prepared explanation, allowing himself a small, professional smile and beginning to bow slightly in formal greeting—
"MAD-EYE MOODY!"
Behind Fawley, among the bounty hunters who were cloaked in black and wearing masks of various designs to conceal their identities, one wizard with a distinctive pale gold striped mask suddenly cried out. His voice emerged shrill with terror and rapidly building rage.
"And Sirius Black too! Nymphadora Tonks! Ministry Aurors everywhere! Fawley!"
The gold-masked wizard roared.
"This is a trap, isn't it?! This whole thing is a trap! You and the Ministry are working together to round us all up in one place—we're surrounded!"
His wand came up, shaking with fury.
"You've betrayed us, Fawley! You've sold us out to the Ministry! Mark my words—if I manage to survive this ambush, the Fawley family will not have a pleasant time! I'll make sure of it personally!"
"Damn it all—Apparition isn't working here! I can't Disapparate!"
Another bounty hunter shouted.
"This is definitely a trap! We've been ambushed by Aurors! We're going to Azkaban!"
For a chaotic moment, accusations rose one after another like waves crashing against rocks, each shout was higher and more desperate than the last. Nearly every single bounty hunter present cursed Fawley and his entire family at least once!
Amid the rioting crowd of panicking mercenaries, Thanatos didn't succumb to blind rage or fear.
Even with the legendary Auror Mad-Eye Moody present and so many other clearly skilled fighters here in defensive positions, Thanatos remained confident he could fight his way out if necessary using the various trump cards and emergency measures he always kept prepared.
But for now, he deliberately held back and maintained his composure, watching Kakus Fawley with cold, calculating eyes from behind his own mask. He was waiting patiently to hear the broker's explanation before taking any irreversible action.
If the answer didn't satisfy him—
"What's all the fuss about, gentlemen? Why all this panic and shouting?"
Faced with the rising tide of threats, Kakus showed absolutely no fear. His expression remained calm, almost amused. In fact, this violent reaction had been totally foreseeable—he'd expected this response and had prepared accordingly.
"I believe there's been a misunderstanding about the nature of this assignment."
Fawley's voice cut through the chaos.
"The Ministry of Magic is the one who issued this transport assignment in the first place."
"Uh... what?"
The simple statement hit like a stunning spell.
The Ministry itself issued the commission, hiring them—wizards who walked the gray edges of legality—to do official government work?
The bounty hunters, who moments ago had been mentally preparing to fight to the death immediately fell into confused silence.
"The Ministry issued a commission through me, requesting that you escort a large quantity of gold galleons to London King's Cross Station," Fawley continued calmly as though he were discussing a routine business transaction. "Bryan Watson himself will meet you personally at the station to receive the cargo."
'Bryan Watson would meet them personally?'
The bounty hunters began to stir again.
"But why would the Ministry come to us for this kind of work?" the gold-masked wizard asked, his voice was now considerably weaker, his earlier bluster deflated like a punctured bladder. "The Ministry has so many wizards of its own. Why hire outsiders?"
"Because the amount of wealth being transported is absolutely enormous—do you understand what I'm saying, Tafir?"
Alastor Moody slammed his staff hard against the ground with a sharp crack and roared directly at the gold-masked wizard.
"The Ministry's available forces need to escort the other trains simultaneously! This is a multi-pronged operation, you skulking coward—either do your contracted job quietly, or I'll send you to Azkaban prison right this instant!"
"You—Oh, Moody—you've... you've...recognized me?"
The gold-masked wizard looked fearfully at Moody's spinning magical eye and stammered with horror. "I didn't say I wouldn't do the job, did I? We've all signed binding magical contracts already. But surely I have the right to ask clarifying questions, don't I? What if this is a trap..."
His voice trailed off weakly.
"Well, do you understand the situation now?! Is it clear enough?!"
Moody strode aggressively toward the cluster of bounty hunters. Those his intense gaze swept over instinctively lowered their heads.
Their various attempts at concealing their true identities were completely useless before Moody's magical eye.
Seeing no one objecting further or preparing to flee, Alastor snorted coldly with satisfaction. His magical eye performed one final sweep around the entire group.
At Diagon Alley's small station platform in the distance, a cluster of bright magical fireworks suddenly rose into the dim, fog-shrouded sky.
"Let's move out, then. It's our turn now!"
Moody barked roughly.
"And remember—constant vigilance!"
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