Chapter 428: Dunge was captured
Chapter 428: Dunge was captured
September 8, evening.
The hottest day of the summer so far was drawing to a close, and a sleepy silence fell over the large, square houses of Privet Drive.
As usual since the summer vacation, Harry lay flat on his back in the flowerbed outside number 4 Privet Drive, hiding behind a large clump of hydrangeas, secretly listening to the Muggle news on the TV in the living room. He thought he could avoid everyone's attention in this way - it must be said that he did avoid the unpleasant eyes of the Dursleys, but what he didn't know was that he was actually under the surveillance of Mundungus.
"The Spanish baggage handlers' strike has entered its second week, leaving large numbers of holidaymakers stranded at airports..." The announcer's voice on TV reported the dull news in an orderly manner.
Outside in the flowerbeds, Harry felt relieved. If anything had happened, it would have been the headlines, with death and disaster far more important than holidaymakers stranded at the airport.
Just as he was about to rise and leave, a loud, echoing crack, like a gunshot, broke the sleepy silence.
There was a scream, a curse, and the sound of breaking china from the Dursleys' living room. Harry seemed to have been waiting for this signal. He stood up suddenly and pulled a thin wooden wand from his jeans pocket like a sword - but before he could stand up completely, his head hit the open window of the Dursleys. There was a bang, which scared Aunt Petunia even louder.
As soon as he managed to stand up straight, Mr. Dursley stretched out his hand from the window and grabbed his throat tightly. Just when Harry was about to suffocate, the magic in his body suddenly surged and shook Mr. Dursley's hands away. Then, without waiting for Mr. Dursley to curse, he turned and ran across the lawn in front of the door, jumped over the low wall of the garden, and fled to the street.
"That's the sound of Apparition..." Harry muttered. He was very familiar with this sound because Dobby always made this sound when he disappeared into thin air. "Who is it?"
……
On the same day, in Knockturn Alley, a hidden and dark alley.
With a crackling sound, the stealthy figure of Mundungus Fletcher appeared here.
The alley looked even more eerie in the darkness. The narrow cobblestone road was filled with dirty dampness, and the faint magic light flickered on the shabby signboard, like the whisper of a ghost. Mundungus shrank his neck, wrapped his tattered cloak tightly around him, and quietly walked through a half-open wooden door into a dilapidated house.
The room was filled with old magic vessels, and in the corners were more than a dozen crucibles that were a bit old but still showed exquisite craftsmanship. He rubbed his hands and smiled greedily, "These are all good things. It's worth it for me to abandon such an important duty as guarding Harry and make this secret trip."
The seller across from him stood quietly, his hood covering most of his face, revealing only a pale chin. He did not speak, but slowly raised his hand, motioning Mundungus to check the goods.
Mundungus licked his lips and was about to reach out to turn over the crucible when the seller suddenly smiled and raised his hand to lift the hood.
"Night Cat", the new underground ruler of Knockturn Alley, stood before him.
Mundungus' smile froze on his face. As a veteran who had been in Knockturn Alley for many years, Mundungus had certainly heard of Nightcat - a legendary figure in Knockturn Alley. No one knew where she came from, but they only knew that she suddenly appeared in Knockturn Alley at a young age, showing her powerful strength and mastering various secret magics.
With her powerful strength and ruthless means, she formed a gang organization in just one month, and gained a firm foothold in Knockturn Alley through brutal fighting and bloody battles. She successfully intimidated all those with bad intentions who coveted her power and became a force that could not be ignored in Knockturn Alley.
I heard that not long ago, another force in Knockturn Alley, the "Werewolf Tribe", expressed dissatisfaction with their leader Fenrir Greyback. As a result, a part of the werewolves left Fenrir and joined Nightcat's forces. This made Nightcat's forces the strongest in Knockturn Alley, and Nightcat even had the power of the "Queen of the Underworld" in Knockturn Alley.
"Where is Herbol?" Mundungus asked nervously. Herbol was a smuggler he had been working with for many years. Both parties had a deep foundation of trust. This Crucible transaction was at the time and place agreed upon in advance by Herbol and him.
Night Cat smiled grimly and said softly, "Heboer has surrendered to me and is now one of my capable cadres. I am here to trade with you on his behalf. Is there any problem?"
"No, no, I'm just curious, I just asked casually..." Although he said so, the wily Mundungus had already been on guard secretly - are you kidding me? The overlord who can be called the "Queen of the Underworld" in Knockturn Alley, a place where people are eaten without leaving any bones, is not an easy person to deal with. It is not impossible that he will be robbed by others if he is unlucky. It's just that he doesn't have much money on him.
At this moment, the air around him seemed to suddenly become colder, and a piercing chill spread from all directions. He subconsciously took a step back, but heard a slow but chilling sound of footsteps coming from behind him.
From the dark corner, a beautiful woman in a luxurious blood-red robe slowly emerged. Her skin was so pale as if there was no trace of blood, her eyes were scarlet, and a cruel smile was raised at the corner of her mouth.
"Vampire Prince... Bathory."
Mundungus' heart beat faster and his hands trembled slightly. He turned around and tried to escape, but ran into a terrifying figure head-on - an old woman with a hunched body and a grayish-green face standing at the door, holding an iron hook stained with dark blood in her hand, with a hideous smile on her lips.
"Hamster Annies..."
This was a carefully planned trap, and he became the prey trapped in it.
Mundungus subconsciously reached for his wand, but he didn't know when he had been cursed without knowing it. His body was completely out of control, and he couldn't even move a finger. He opened his bloodshot eyes in fear, and then he found that his shadow was linked to Bathory's shadow in a very strange way.
The secret technique of the vampire royal family - shadow binding!
A ghostly pale arm stretched out suddenly and grabbed his wrist as fast as lightning - Bathory's eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light. She twisted it hard, and there was a "click". Mundungus let out a painful scream, and his wrist was twisted at a weird angle, which seemed to be broken.
The female demon Annis gave a shrill giggle, stretched out her sharp-nailed hand, grasped Mundungus' chin, forced him to look up, and said coldly: "Look into my eyes..."
