Chapter 121: The Delivery Mission

It had rained last night. A soft, persistent rain that lasted for two to three hours. By the time the sun rose, the ground in Diagon Alley was still damp, and green moss crept between the corners of the walls and cracks in the bricks. Wade tugged his hood down and walked along the street. His worn boots squashed the moss, leaving green footprints on the gray-black cobblestones. He now appeared as a middle-aged man, with hollow cheeks, dark circles under his eyes, and a patched-up wizard's robe that made him look destitute. At this time, Diagon Alley was still relatively quiet, nothing like the crowd that had gathered the day before for Lockhart's new book release. Some shopkeepers were directing brooms and clothes to clean up, and when they saw Wade walk by, they lazily glanced at him without any interest in greeting him. A few children were playing and hopping around in the street, while some were already pressed up against the windows of the broomstick shop, gazing longingly at the latest model of the Nimbus 2001. Next to the broomstick shop was a modest-sized shop called White Deer Beverages, where a young boy was organizing the shelves while calling out to the children: "Careful, don't run into people." "Got it!" the kids responded loudly. But agreeing to be careful was one thing; actually doing it was another. With few people on the street, the children played recklessly. One of them, while calling out to his friend, ran forward without looking and accidentally bumped into a wizard in a black robe standing by the roadside. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!" He quickly apologized and bowed his head. Before he could look up, he felt an eagle-like claw grip the back of his neck. "Do you think a simple apology is enough after bumping into someone?" The wizard's bony fingers tightened around the boy's neck, and his sinister voice dripped with malice. Seeing this, the boy from the beverage shop rushed out in alarm: "I'm sorry, this is my little brother. I apologize on his behalf... uh, can I buy you a drink to make up for it?" The boy looked up at the wizard and immediately felt a chill down his spine. The pale wizard's eyes seemed to glimmer with a greenish light, his cheekbones were sharp, and a nasty scar ran across the corner of his mouth. A strange odor emanated from him. He licked his lips with his tongue and curled his mouth into a terrifying smile. "I don't need a free drink," the wizard rasped. "If you really want to show you're sorry, how about doing me a small favor?" The boy's scalp prickled with fear, but he didn't dare step back. He swallowed nervously and asked, "W-what kind of favor?" "Deliver a letter for me, how about that?" The wizard pulled out a thick envelope. The boy glanced at the letter. The address was nearby, not in Knockturn Alley, the kind of place that would send shivers down anyone's spine. He hesitated for a moment, then looked at his brother, who was barely holding back tears under the wizard's grip. Reluctantly, he took the envelope with both hands. "Alright. Is there anything else you need?" The wizard's cold eyes swept over both boys before he sneered, "The person receiving this letter has a bit of a temper. If you bring your little brother along, it might make him a little more lenient with you." Hearing this, the boy actually felt a bit of relief. If that was the case, it made sense why the wizard didn't want to deliver the letter himself. "Oh, and one more thing," the wizard said as he released the younger brother. "When you accepted this letter, you were cursed." As the boy's expression changed, the wizard chuckled darkly. "If you don't deliver it on time... well, I can't guarantee what will happen to you." The boy took a deep breath. "I'll deliver it in time." "Good. I wish you luck," the wizard laughed eerily as he turned and walked away. The boy's face was tense. He patted his brother's head with his free hand and said, "I'm going to deliver the letter. You head home quickly." "No! I want to go with you!" his brother cried with tears streaming down his face. "It's just delivering a letter, there's no danger. I'll be back soon," the older boy reassured. "No, I want to go with you!" his little brother insisted. The younger boy didn't fully understand what had just happened, only that he had caused trouble for his brother and was scared, crying uncontrollably. He also remembered the man's words clearly—that if he went along, the person receiving the letter wouldn't get angry with his brother. After trying to convince him for a while without success, the older boy gave up. He left a note on the counter, closed the shop door, and set off with his little brother towards the address on the envelope. —If all went well, they'd be back in just a few minutes. He thought optimistically. Plus, his father had gone to Gringotts to withdraw money and should be back soon. When he saw the note on the counter, he'd definitely come out to look for them. What the boy didn't see was that the pale wizard quickly doubled back, pushed open the shop door, and went inside. A moment later, he came out again, heading in the direction the boys had left. A middle-aged man sitting on a bench nearby sighed, slowly stood up as he watched the group disappear down the street. ... The older boy compared the address on the envelope with the shop numbers as they walked, gradually finding themselves in a quiet alley. He walked back and forth once but couldn't find the address listed on the letter. "Brother..." his little brother clutched his hand tightly. "What's wrong?" the older boy asked. "I'm scared..." the younger boy said with his voice trembling with tears. The older boy glanced at the narrow alley and the tightly shut doors on both sides. He made a quick decision and said, "Let's head back first. We'll ask Dad to help us deliver the letter." But just as they turned to leave, they froze in place. The wizard who had given them the letter stood at the entrance of the alley. "Bad kids, breaking promises," the wizard rasped in his rough, scratchy voice. "You haven't delivered the letter, and you already want to go home." The older boy quickly pulled out his wand, shielding his younger brother behind him, and tried to explain, "I didn't break my promise, I just couldn't find the place." The wizard moved closer as he spoke, "I know where it is. Let me take you there." "You can deliver it yourself!" the younger boy suddenly shouted. "We're going home! Our dad is waiting for us!" "No, he's not waiting. He doesn't even know where you are." The wizard tossed a crumpled piece of paper at their feet. The older boy looked down and saw his own handwriting—it was the note he had left for his father. Fearful, the boy took a couple of steps back. His wand shook slightly as he suddenly casted, "Stupefy!" (Stunning Spell) A red beam shot towards the wizard, who hadn't expected the young boy to know a Stunning Spell. He barely had time to dive to the ground. The spell grazed his hair and hit the wall behind him. "Run!" The older boy, unaware his spell had missed, grabbed his brother and ran. But before they could get far, they heard a voice shout, "Petrificus Totalus!" (Full Body-Bind Curse) Immediately, both of them stiffened and fell to the ground, unable to move. Ahead of them, an elderly witch appeared, slowly putting her wand away. She let out a grating, glass-scratching laugh, saying, "Little cubs have sharp claws, don't they?" The wizard, cursing under his breath, wiped the blood from his nose as he walked up from behind. He angrily kicked the petrified older boy, sending him rolling across the ground. Pointing his wand at the boy's chest, he growled, "Crucio!" (Cruciatus Curse) "Bang!" A deafening noise rang out, and suddenly, blood spurted from the wizard's chest. His entire body was sent flying backward. -------------------------------- ????????Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member!!! Your support is greatly appreciated! Available on my P@treon page for just $4!! Early access to the following translations:- ⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +106 Chapters & 2 Chapters/Day ⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460 ⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +165 advance chapters ⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450 [email protected]/Lightreaper457 --------------------------------