Paris, Champs-Élysées.
The Champs-Élysées is located on the central axis connecting the Louvre and the Grande Arche, and is often referred to as the "Avenue of Triumph." It stands as one of the three most bustling central avenues in the Muggle world.
However, it isn't just home to Muggle shops; the most famous wizarding street in the French magical world is hidden right here as well. Its entrance lies beneath a magical bronze statue not far from the Arc de Triomphe.
Kyle and Konan, wearing matching overcoats, appeared on the Champs-Élysées. The two approached the bronze statue. After glancing around to confirm no Muggles were nearby, they stepped through the base of the statue and instantly arrived on a completely different street.
They were here to see a performance.
A short while ago, Konan had purchased two tickets to the "Mysterious Circus" and invited Kyle to accompany her. The Mysterious Circus was a troupe specializing in magical creature performances. In addition to creatures considered quite rare even within the magical world, they also featured performances by various "freaks"—the offspring of magical beings and humans.
The wizarding street of the French magical world was just as bizarre and dazzling as London's Diagon Alley. As it was currently night, a brilliant firework dragon streaked through the sky, leaving behind countless burning sparks that drifted through the air.
Though it wasn't his first time here, Kyle couldn't help but admire the fact that the French Ministry of Magic was far better at urban planning than the British. Compared to the chaotic architectural layout of Diagon Alley, the wizarding street here was neatly organized, and the surrounding buildings maintained a uniform French style, perfectly matching the elegance of Paris, the City of Romance.
Kyle bought a bouquet of flowers from a street-side stall, which Konan accepted with a look of pure joy.
"Let's hurry, the circus performance is about to start," Konan urged as she saw Kyle lingering in front of an ice cream parlor. They were still quite a distance from the circus's venue.
The performances of the Mysterious Circus were, in fact, illegal. Many of the magical creatures and half-breeds they showcased were obtained through illicit means and were forced to perform under extreme duress. Long ago, it had been designated an illegal organization by the various Ministries of Magic across Europe.
Since they were forced to operate underground, they naturally couldn't perform openly on this official wizarding street. To do so would be nothing short of handing themselves over to the Ministry on a silver platter.
Just as Diagon Alley had Knockturn Alley—a gathering place for Dark wizards—the French magical street had a similar location.
Konan pulled out the tickets for the Mysterious Circus, and a shimmering arrow materialized on the surface of the paper. Following the arrow's direction, Kyle and Konan soon arrived at a secluded, open area.
In the center of the clearing stood several tattered tents. The one in the very middle was the main marquee where the Mysterious Circus performed. Several bizarre-looking magical creatures were performing in the open space outside the tent.
Kyle recognized one of them as a Graphorn. Because Graphorn horns were an extremely precious potion ingredient, these magical creatures had been hunted extensively by wizards. By the beginning of the twentieth century, they were on the brink of extinction. It was only thanks to a certain acquaintance of Grindelwald that the species was saved from the edge of total annihilation; now, these rare creatures could once again be seen in mountainous regions across Europe.
This circus was clearly quite capable if they could get their hands on such an animal.
A circus staff member waved a baton, striking a cloth-covered iron cage on a semi-circular stage with force. He shouted loudly, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you something we went to great lengths to find in the depths of an ancient forest—a half-beast!"
He whipped away the curtain. A young girl, barely clothed, was curled up helplessly in the corner of the iron cage. Her fair skin was like translucent jade, but surprisingly, in addition to her human ears, a pair of furry fox ears sat atop her head.
The more lecherous members of the crowd began to hoot and jeer loudly.
Kyle's vision suddenly went dark as Konan covered his eyes with her hand. "You're still young. You shouldn't look at this."
Left with no choice, Kyle looked elsewhere, boredly scanning the surrounding audience. Suddenly, he spotted someone unexpected.
"Viktor Krum?"
Viktor Krum, a student at Durmstrang Institute in Germany, was currently the undisputed number one Seeker in the world of Quidditch, playing for the Bulgarian National Team. He was likely here due to an exchange between the Bulgarian team and a local French Quidditch team.
Given his immense fame, Krum wasn't at all surprised that someone had recognized him. Standing right next to Kyle, he turned his head with a slight smile. "Vould you like an autograph?"
Kyle shook his head slightly. "No, thank you."
He wasn't some fanatical Quidditch enthusiast. Besides, he didn't even care for an autograph from Albus Dumbledore, the greatest White Wizard in history—so what did Krum's signature matter? He was just a sports star.
At that moment, the circus worker lashed out with his baton, striking the girl. She twisted in pain, revealing a fox tail that had been hidden behind her. The "old creeps" in the audience cheered even louder, and many began to whistle.
Konan gently shook Kyle's arm. "I want to buy her."
Only then did Kyle get a chance to glance at the girl on stage. He shook his head. "This kind of mutated half-beast is rare. The circus people won't let her go easily unless we pay an exorbitant price."
Hearing their conversation, Krum gave them a startled look.
Kyle said softly, "Instead of being a sucker and overpaying, I'm more inclined to..."
"You mean..." An excited glint flashed in Konan's eyes.
Kyle nodded imperceptibly, his hands already forming seals behind his back. He looked at Krum. "You might want to start running for your life."
Water Release: Great Explosive Water Colliding Wave!
A surging tidal wave instantly engulfed the entire stage. The sudden chaos caused panic and fear to spread through the crowd like wildfire. Screams echoed everywhere as everyone scrambled toward the exit.
A hemispherical water prison firmly trapped the entire circus within it, encompassing everyone inside. The frantic screams of the crowd were instantly muffled by the water, preventing even a hint of sound from escaping to the outside.
A moment later, the water prison collapsed into countless irregular blocks of water and dissipated. Kyle emerged from the circus tent, dragging a shaken and bewildered Krum behind him.
Konan followed, supporting the fox-eared girl. She had wrapped her own overcoat around the girl's thin frame.
Unfazed, Kyle pulled out his wand and siphoned the moisture off their bodies. He then pulled out a two-way mirror to contact Alfred.
A few minutes later, three successive cracks of Apparition echoed through the empty street. The emblems on their chests, representing the three Deathly Hallows, signaled their identity.
"Erase the memories of those inside the tent. As for the magical creatures and half-breeds..." Kyle thought for a moment before issuing his command. "Pack them up and send them to Newt Scamander in Dorset."
In this world, who could claim to know more about magical creatures than Old Man Newt Scamander? In the field of Magizoology, Newt was the undisputed authority; no one was better suited to take in these creatures and strange half-breeds.
Although Christmas had passed, sending such a "gift" to Mr. Scamander now probably wasn't too late. Kyle had taken a peek backstage earlier—there was a rather beautiful Veela in there too.
Old Man Scamander, who loved magical creatures so much, would surely appreciate his Christmas present, wouldn't he?
Though, Kyle couldn't help but wonder if Mrs. Scamander would tear Old Man Newt apart for it.
Hopefully, he'd survive.
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