For a wizard like Victor Wick, the function of the Patronus Charm was not merely a simple protective spell against Dementors and other dark creatures.
Dumbledore's ability to add clever little touches to the Patronus Charm, including a messaging function, was enough to prove the high potential of this magic.
Of course, in Victor's eyes, the Patronus's messaging function still had room for improvement.
However, Victor wasn't currently researching messaging functions; instead, he was developing other capabilities for the Patronus...
For example, whether a Patronus could split into several individual guardians.
Or, for instance... whether a Patronus could cast offensive spells just like a wizard.
If possible, could he hide the Patronus's presence and then, when facing an enemy, control it to circle around for a sneak attack...
As Victor tapped away at his keyboard, analyzing the rune sequences of the Patronus Charm to add functional modules to the spell,
an owl tapped on his window, delivering a letter.
The letter looked ordinary, but upon seeing the handwriting on the envelope, Victor stood up abruptly...
"Isn't he dead?"
Victor frowned and opened the envelope.
Inside was a single sheet of parchment and... a lock of curly black hair.
"Dorcas?"
The message within was brief, only a few lines long.
[IF YOU WANT HER ALIVE, COME TO TRAFALGAR SQUARE IN LONDON. COME ALONE. DON'T PLAY TRICKS; I'LL BE WATCHING YOU!]
"Tsk..." Victor's brow furrowed slightly. "This style... if it's really you, I'll be very disappointed..."
He turned to the mechanical hummingbird hovering over his desk and said, "Dumbledore, I'm taking the afternoon off."
With that, the hummingbird flew out the window, heading toward the Headmaster's office...
Trafalgar Square, located in central London, was built in 1805 to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar.
It had always been a major tourist attraction in the Muggle world, so the foot traffic was consistently heavy.
A mother pushed a stroller past the small tower in the center; after she passed, a figure appeared beneath the previously empty tower at some unknown moment.
Victor stood there, waiting quietly.
He knew that since the person had summoned him here and even used Dorcas Meadowes as collateral, they would surely take the initiative to find him!
Victor glanced at the pigeons on the ground.
Suddenly, the pigeons that had been peacefully pecking at food provided by tourists all took flight.
As the pigeons rose, they drew Victor's gaze upward, and he saw two people behind the flock.
The lead man was tall and handsome, though his face appeared somewhat pale and haggard.
Following a step behind him was a beautiful woman—it was Dorcas Meadowes.
However, her eyes appeared dull and listless... she seemed to be under the Imperius Curse.
The man slowly walked toward Victor, his eyes flashing with a sharp, piercing light.
"Long time no see, Regulus... You've been missing for over a decade. We all thought you were dead, though I never believed it," Victor said softly, staring at the man who had changed so much.
Regulus Black was the younger brother of Sirius Black.
Over ten years ago, he was only sixteen when he joined the Death Eaters. At the time, he was filled with fanatical admiration for Voldemort.
But he only stayed among the Death Eaters for two years before his perspective gradually changed, and he began to feel disgusted by their methods.
Just as Victor was gradually reaching out to him, considering developing him into an informant, he suddenly vanished.
The Death Eaters branded him a coward who had chosen to defect...
Later, the Black family reported news of Regulus's death.
Almost everyone believed that Regulus had been killed by Voldemort because of his betrayal.
But Victor knew the Dark Lord wouldn't deign to personally hunt down a cowardly traitor... unless he had done something the Dark Lord found intolerable.
"Victor Wick... I didn't expect you to escape the Ministry's reckoning, let alone win Dumbledore's trust again with your silver tongue—just like you fooled the Dark Lord back then!" Regulus spoke coldly, looking at Victor as if he were a dead man.
Victor frowned at him. "Can you tell me why you harbor such hostility? To lure me out, you even kidnapped an innocent witch... I remember we used to be on quite good terms..."
"I'm simply making up for my past mistakes!" Regulus interrupted coldly. "I did admire the Dark Lord at first, and I respected you. But I soon realized it was a mistake! Because I saw your true faces. Now the Dark Lord is gone, yet you... you escaped punishment and even managed to become a professor at Hogwarts..."
"Luckily, you were 'kind' enough to me back then that I managed to steal a bottle of your Teleportation Potion, which allowed me to escape that hellhole..." He took two more steps closer, looming over Victor. "You're a professor now... tell me, don't you feel anything when facing those children who lost their families because of you?"
Victor's brow knitted. "Your misunderstanding of me is too great, Regulus. You should know that, like Severus, I was never a true Death Eater. You can ask Dumbledore for the truth..."
"Ha! A double agent? Don't insult me with those lies! I saw your cruelty with my own eyes! Besides, others might not know, but I do—your so-called 'betrayal' was just an act staged by you and the Dark Lord! You did save some people, but if not for you, they wouldn't have been in danger! And... I heard you've been searching for the Dark Lord... You're a liar who has fooled everyone!" "Regulus, you're wrong. I was on Dumbledore's side before I even joined. Otherwise, do you think with Dumb-
-ledore's shrewdness, he would trust me so easily? Do you think mere silver-tongued words could fool a wizard like Dumbledore? As for my searching for the Dark Lord's whereabouts, Dumbledore is fully aware of that..."
Regulus said angrily, "You keep urging me to go to Dumbledore, but do you think I'm an idiot? In the eyes of people like Dumbledore, I'm still a Death Eater. If I show up before him, the only thing waiting for me is the same fate as my 'stupid brother'—being thrown into Azkaban!"
Years ago, Regulus had indeed vanished, and his defection was merely speculation within the Death Eater ranks.
To the Order of the Phoenix or the Ministry, regardless of whether he defected, his status as a Death Eater remained!
Even if a criminal surrenders or repents, it doesn't mean they aren't responsible for their past mistakes.
Once he appeared publicly, the Order might not do anything, but the officials at the Ministry would surely treat him as a walking achievement to be harvested!
Regulus didn't believe for a second they would listen to his testimony! Who would believe the word of a Death Eater?
Sirius's capture back then had certainly provided real benefits to certain people!
Victor felt a wave of frustration. Had this turned into a complete stalemate?
In reality, through his deliberate efforts back then, he and Regulus had actually gotten along quite well.
Had he not vanished so suddenly, Regulus might have cleared his name just as Victor had.
In Victor's view, this young man who still had a conscience had a very high probability of being turned!
Unfortunately, he had disappeared too quickly...
"So you plan to kill me now?" Victor asked helplessly.
"Not just you, Victor! I will kill every Death Eater who escaped punishment, one by one! Then I will destroy every anchor the Dark Lord has for his resurrection! I have nothing left to lose anyway. My only motivation for living now is to correct the mistakes of my past..."
"Wait... you said you know what the Dark Lord's anchors for resurrection are?" Victor caught the keyword instantly.
"Surprised? Even the Dark Lord's most trusted don't know this secret, but I do!" Regulus drew his wand. "Now, I've said enough. Die in peace. Don't worry, I'll send the Dark Lord down to join you soon!"
"I know you asked me to meet here because the crowds make it hard for me to pull anything... but do you really intend to start a fight here?" Victor pointed to the bustling crowd, looking at Regulus with disappointment.
Regulus's expression wavered slightly upon hearing this. "They're just Muggles..."
A faint light flickered from the tip of his wand, and the surrounding crowd suddenly turned and walked away...
This was the Muggle-Repelling Charm. Any Muggle approaching the square would suddenly remember some urgent business at home and leave quickly.
Victor looked at Regulus with relief. "You're a good man, Regulus... Could you let Dorcas go as well? She has nothing to do with this..."
"Once I've killed you, I'll release her!" With a flick of his hand, Dorcas Meadowes was thrown aside, landing gently on the ground as she lost consciousness.
Regulus stared fixedly at Victor, his wand glowing with a dangerous green light.
It was clear that his years of struggle in the magical underworld had forged him into a powerful wizard.
If he hadn't gained sufficient strength, he wouldn't have had the confidence to resurface and attempt to wipe out all the escaped Death Eaters!
Victor sighed softly.
At this point, no matter how much he explained, Regulus wouldn't believe him. He had to restrain him first before they could resolve this misunderstanding.
Victor took a step forward, his left foot stepping lightly onto a puddle.
Ripples spread across the water's surface...
Across from him, Regulus suddenly felt the world turn upside down! By the time he regained his footing, the distant pedestrians had vanished!
In an instant, he had been pulled into the Mirror World by Victor!
[Support the story with Reviews, Power Stones, and Comments—they mean a lot and keep me going! 30+ chapters waiting on patreon.com/elite_reads]