Chapter 163: Ancient Magical Contraband
"One-Eye, I'm going to kill him!"
The moment Amy heard the name "One-Eye," her entire body trembled—not out of fear, but fury.
It was because of this dark wizard that she, once the most likely candidate to become Head of the Auror Office, had ended up like this.
What mattered most wasn't the loss of honor or position—it was the unbearable sense of powerlessness and defeat she felt as an Auror, forced to watch helplessly as fifty Muggles were brutally murdered by dark wizards.
After being dismissed from her post, she had spent some time obsessively searching for any trace of One-Eye. But how could she, acting alone, possibly track down a dark wizard wanted internationally?
When her search proved futile, she turned to alcohol to numb herself. Drinking day after day with no other purpose, her savings dwindled until she had no choice but to sell her house and move into the Leaky Cauldron.
"Amy, don't act rashly. One-Eye is powerful and has many dark wizard followers. He won't be easy to deal with.
Stay home. Tonight, I swear I'll capture him myself.
Given his crimes, the trial will undoubtedly end with a death sentence!"
Lina hugged Amy, trying to comfort her.
The French Ministry of Magic was different from the British one. In Britain, no matter how severe a wizard's crimes, the worst punishment was imprisonment in Azkaban—there was no death penalty.
But France, like the U.S. Magical Congress, executed wizards for the most serious crimes.
If Voldemort's Death Eaters had been in France, they would have all been executed long ago.
If One-Eye were captured by French Aurors, he would stand trial under French magical law. And if the verdict was death, the sentence would be carried out the same day.
"Ancient magical contraband… interesting!"
George's focus wasn't on One-Eye, but on the ancient magical contraband Lina had mentioned.
Magical contraband usually referred to items enchanted with dark magic through alchemy.
Because they were extremely dangerous, the Ministry banned their trade. Anyone caught dealing in them would be arrested and tried immediately, facing years in prison as punishment.
Ancient magical contraband, however, referred to artifacts excavated from ancient wizards' tombs—items crafted using ancient magic.
The danger level of these artifacts was often unknown, but due to their archaeological value and the secrets of ancient magic they might hold, they were highly sought after, with many wizards willing to pay exorbitant prices for them.
But according to Ministry regulations, excavating wizards' tombs was illegal—after all, no one wanted to end up dug up after death, subjected to strange and unpredictable spells.
Worse, many ancient magical artifacts carried terrible curses. Mishandling them could lead to catastrophic consequences.
A century ago, an American wizard purchased an ancient magical artifact looted from beneath a pyramid. Due to improper handling, it resulted in the deaths of three hundred No-Majs in his district.
That was why, in every country, smuggling and trading ancient magical contraband was considered a serious crime.
After Lina's persuasion, Amy finally calmed down.
But when night fell and Lina left to join the operation, George noticed Amy using a Disillusionment Charm to stealthily follow her.
As for how he noticed—it was because he, too, had cast a Disillusionment Charm and was following from above, gliding on his wings.
While Amy tailed Lina on foot, George flew overhead, tracking them from the air.
If One-Eye was smuggling ancient magical contraband, there might be clues about ancient magic involved.
One following from below, the other from above, they trailed Lina to the western part of the magical district, where she and a group of Ministry Aurors gathered outside a magical creature performance tent.
Clearly, the dark wizard One-Eye had chosen the performance tent as the location for his smuggling operation.
Magical creature performance troupes were like No-Maj circuses, except the trainers were wizards and the performers were magical creatures from all over the world.
Unlike performances from decades ago, which featured highly dangerous creatures like Runespoors, Kappas, Zouwu, and Nundus, modern troupes—after reforms—showcased rare but harmless and visually appealing creatures like Mooncalves, Diricawls, and Augureys.
Magical creature performance troupes were also among the few private organizations permitted to legally use Extension Charms on their tents—mainly because the Ministry feared the chaos that could ensue if creatures escaped.
In the French magical district, different performance troupes came every week during the two-month summer break. George had attended a couple of shows before.
But since they no longer featured impressive creatures like Zouwu, he hadn't bothered going again.
Watching Lina and the Aurors disguise themselves as ordinary visitors and enter the tent after buying tickets, Amy canceled her Disillusionment Charm and followed suit. George landed in a secluded spot, dispelled his own charm, and entered as well.
The performance tent was enchanted with counter-spells—Disillusionment Charms, Apparition, and similar magic wouldn't work inside.
This was mainly to prevent wizards from sneaking in undetected or teleporting past the ticket booth.
"So many people… this won't be easy."
The moment George stepped inside, he was met with a dense crowd of wizards, big and small—likely numbering in the hundreds.
It was a Saturday, so adult wizards were off work, bringing their children to enjoy the show.
The tent, which appeared no larger than a hundred square meters from the outside, was magically expanded to the size of two football fields inside.
Scattered throughout were stages featuring different magical creature performances, along with vendors selling snacks and paid magical experience booths.
There were oversized cotton candies that made the eater's body soft as cotton, firecrackers that, when pulled, transformed into dragons, phoenixes, and Thunderbirds in the sky, and magical bubbles that, for just one silver Sickle, would carry riders aloft.
Navigating through the crowd, obscured by magical fireworks, floating bubbles, and other distractions, George couldn't immediately spot Lina or Amy, who had already blended in.
He wasn't too worried, though. Once the Aurors and dark wizards clashed, he'd find them soon enough.
Sure enough, less than half an hour later, a massive explosion erupted near a stage six platforms away.
Then, someone's magically amplified voice boomed:
"Aurors apprehending dark wizards! All unrelated wizards, evacuate the tent immediately!"
Screams erupted as wizards stampeded toward the exits. As the crowd thinned, George finally got a clear view of the situation on the distant stage.
Two groups stood in confrontation—one was Lina's team of French Ministry Aurors, the other presumably One-Eye's gang of dark wizards.
The reason they hadn't started fighting yet seemed to be that the dark wizards had taken several innocent wizards hostage.
(End of Chapter)