"Talk?"
"Yes, I mean..."
"Talk about what? About how you deceived... me?"
William could already tell that the man in front of him was full of lies. That dumb wolf was probably tricked by him, which was very common in the lower levels of the Wizarding World. A hundred years ago, he had also mingled in this circle for a while—
It was that experience that allowed him to intercept a Time Turner, and then a little "accident" happened.
Cold sweat dripped down the man's forehead as he glanced around with the corner of his eye. The five or six people originally in the shop were all slumped in their seats now, and the bartender who had rushed out from behind the counter was lying peacefully on the floor, which hadn't been cleaned for centuries—
Damn, others might not know who this bartender was, but Mundungus knew very well inside, yet he was knocked out by this werewolf with just a spell—even a single spell knocked out everyone present.
It was simply ** incredible. He thought this werewolf didn't have much magic ability, after all, for creatures like werewolves, claws and sharp teeth are often more useful than a magic wand.
He needed to figure out a way to save himself, quickly, Dung, you've been mingling in the Magic Realm for over thirty years, start turning your brain—
The werewolf's patience might have worn thin, as he used his other free hand to clamp around the man's neck, lifting the man, who was only 5 feet 4 inches tall, into the air, his bandy legs flailing somewhat frantically.
"Cru... (Crucio...)" The magic wand lit up.
"Wait, wait, although I did deceive you— but I do know someone who knows the whereabouts of those werewolves!" The man's face was filled with terror, speaking that tongue-twister-like sentence rapidly, fearing that the next moment the Crucio curse would land on him—
He didn't think the other party dared not to, given that this former werewolf leader had enough known crimes on his head to warrant a lifetime stay in Azkaban, let alone a measly unforgivable...
"...Keep talking."
William nodded, lowering his magic wand. He was well aware that, when dealing with these slick and deceitful lower-level wizards, the deterrence of a gun loaded with bullets was often more effective than bullets landing directly on one's body.
"I happen to know a werewolf's address, and you should know, werewolves generally don't live in seclusion..." Mundungus said while grasping at the hand squeezing his neck, seemingly wanting William to ease his grip a bit.
"Where is it?"
"Ed... Edinburgh. If you're willing... I can take you there right now!"
"..."
William's mouth twitched slightly, feeling something unusual in his body. He knew the Polyjuice Potion's time was almost up—this probably had a lot to do with him only ingesting a sip, but...
He really didn't want to take another sip.
His thoughts spinning, he placed the trembling man back down, "gently" tidying his messy collar, "Don't be so tense, Mr. Fletcher—today will end here, I have other matters to attend to..."
"Re-really?" Feeling the sharp nails circling around his neck, Mundungus gulped with difficulty.
"Of course—" William knew his time was running out, pressing the magic wand against the man's neck, "Imprint." In the next moment, a blue light shone from the tip of the wand, with deep blue markings like thorns creeping up Mundungus's face.
"What is... what is this?" The man's breathing started to get heavy, clearly sensing something extra on his body.
"On Christmas night, I'll be waiting under the third tree at the entrance of Hogsmeade Village—" William didn't directly answer, just patting the man's face, then grabbing the suitcase on the table. Without further explanation, in the next moment, with a sound like belts clashing, he disappeared from the spot.
"Phew..."
It wasn't until the surroundings fell completely silent that Mundungus finally took a deep breath—it all seemed like a dream, but seeing the bartender still lying unconscious on the ground, he touched his face—
... Well, it ** wasn't a dream.
Mundungus's expression turned grim, he wrapped his face with his robe again and vanished instantly from the spot—he needed to find someone to remove the thing from his face, as for Christmas... not even a dog would come back!
Time seemed to pass, the light on the mottled sash windows dimming even more, "Baa—" A goat emerged from behind the bar, walking to the unconscious bartender and nudging him hard.
"Uh..."
The gradually awakening bartender sat up from the floor, feeling around for his glasses and placing them on his nose, looking somewhat dazedly at the goat licking him. The pain in his chest slowly reminded him of everything that had happened before.
People were gone.
Looking at his robe covered in mud, he took a laborious breath.
... He might need to mop the floor.
...
"Where did you go today?"
"Three Broomsticks."
"Oh, the Butter Beer at the Three Broomsticks and Madam Rosmerta are indeed top-notch—"
"Ced, I know you just got back from a date, but could you please not speculate?" In the evening, as the drizzle faded away, the orange-red sunset pierced through the clouds, the two of them walking side by side on the path back to the castle, "I'm not interested in Butter Beer."
"We haven't even been on a—" Cedric's face noticeably reddened but quickly realized something, "Wait, what did you just say?"
"Nothing."
"Well, looks like Marietta is imagining things—"
"...Who is that?" The two walked through the garden in front of the castle together, William even greeted Mrs. Loris who was squatting by the gate.
"That's the girl next to Cho, with the long golden hair—" Cedric said with gestures, seeming to think it would help William remember, "She quite likes you and says you like her too."
"...I really don't know her."
"Then maybe next time you can join us..."
"William, do you have some time now—" As the two just reached the hall, they were stopped by two figures seemingly waiting for a while.
"Ginny?"
Seeing the girl with the fiery red hair standing in front of him, William slightly furrowed his brows. Behind Ginny was another girl, Luna. Since the start of the term, they hadn't run into each other outside the Great Hall, but that might have a lot to do with William sticking largely to the first floor and the Hufflepuff basement apart from classes?
"Then I'll be off—"
As Cedric wisely left the hall, Ginny acted like she couldn't hold back anymore, pulling William aside urgently, blurting out—
"The diary is missing!"
(Updated, thanks for reading, meow~)