Chapter 212: Chapter 212: The Most Feared Wizard of Knockturn Alley, George (Part Four)
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In the world of Harry Potter, just days before the start of the new school year, George returned from Paris, France, to his house in Knockturn Alley, London.
Hermione had returned nearly two weeks earlier; after all, her father's dental clinic couldn't stay closed for too long.
Accompanying George back to London was Amy, who would be taking up the position of Deputy Director in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.
Unfortunately, Amy wasn't skilled in wandless or silent spellcasting, so he planned to learn these techniques from Snape once the term began.
Amy was undoubtedly talented, ranking among the top Aurors. However, compared to Hogwarts professors like Snape, Flitwick, and McGonagall, he still had a long way to go.
These three were exceptional even by wizarding world standards, with few who could rival them. As for Dumbledore, there was no comparison—he was currently the most powerful wizard alive. Even Voldemort couldn't compete on the same level.
That was one of the reasons George, despite his current abilities, still felt the need to attend Hogwarts.
There was so much left to learn.
Setting aside the magic he had mastered in other worlds, his understanding of this world's magical system was far from extraordinary.
While his accelerated learning capabilities had allowed him to pick up a great deal of magic, his actual proficiency was roughly equivalent to that of an exceptionally gifted seventh-year graduate. His grasp of magical theory was still shallow in many areas.
For instance, he couldn't yet create original spells like Snape.
There were still advanced spells like the Fidelius Charm, Time-Turner Charm, various weather spells, powerful curses, Portkeys, enchanted vehicles, the Floo Network, and many other magical constructs he needed to study over time.
These kinds of magic would be incredibly useful in various worlds.
That being said, it wasn't that George was weak. In terms of raw combat power, combining the magic he had learned across worlds with his superhuman abilities, he had no fear of Voldemort even in a direct confrontation.
Even against Dumbledore, a duel could go either way.
"Sirius Black—this guy's pretty impressive too," George murmured.
On the final day before the school year began, George was finishing breakfast while reading the Daily Prophet. The headline on Sirius Black's recent escape from Azkaban caught his eye, prompting a sigh of admiration.
Sirius had been on the run for some time. The Ministry of Magic, desperate to salvage its reputation, had already deployed all available personnel, including administrative staff, yet they had failed to track him down.
At its core, the issue lay in the Ministry's ignorance of Sirius's ability to use Animagus transformation, which allowed him to evade capture by taking on the form of an animal.
Speaking of Animagi, George had already found detailed instructions on the transformation process in the Hogwarts library. However, he had yet to attempt it himself.
For one, the process was incredibly tedious—it could take several months at the slowest, and even at the fastest, at least a month of effort was required.
Additionally, he felt that transforming into a regular animal would hold little practical value for him at this point. Instead, he was considering whether it might be possible in the future to transform into a magical creature.
Ordinarily, Animagus transformations were limited to non-magical animals, and becoming a magical creature was considered impossible.
But George considered that if his clone in the Fairy Tail world acquired a Dragon Lacrima and gained the physique of a Dragon Slayer, there might be a chance for his Animagus transformation to turn him into a dragon.
And not the weak, dim-witted dragons from the Harry Potter world, but the true magical dragons of the Fairy Tail world.
"George, George! Are you home?"
As George sat in his yard, sipping tea and reading the Daily Prophet, he suddenly heard two familiar voices calling from outside his shop.
He got up and went to the door, where he saw none other than Hermione, Ginny, Harry, Ron, and the Weasley twins standing outside.
"What are you all doing here?"
He hadn't expected Hermione and the others to come looking for him in Knockturn Alley. After all, proper wizards rarely visited this area, and most young wizards were strictly warned to stay away from it.
"We came to ask if you'd join us to buy our new schoolbooks," Hermione and Ginny said simultaneously.
It turned out that earlier that morning, the Weasley and Granger families had arrived at Diagon Alley to purchase all their school supplies. They planned to stay at the Leaky Cauldron that evening so they could head to the station early the next day without rushing.
Harry, who was currently staying at the Leaky Cauldron after inflating Aunt Marge with the Engorgement Charm, had joined them.
As the group chatted, the topic of George came up. When they learned that he lived in Knockturn Alley, their curiosity got the better of them.
The Weasley twins had always been fascinated by Knockturn Alley. Hermione and Ginny harbored a soft spot for George, while Harry had briefly visited the area the previous year but hadn't seen much. Ron, for his part, was simply curious.
So they quickly came to an agreement, telling their parents they were heading to Diagon Alley for school supplies but secretly making their way to Knockturn Alley instead.
After hearing their story, George could only chuckle. "Typical Gryffindors—fearless, as always."
"Well, let's go then. There are a few books I still need to pick up for this year," George said, locking up his shop before heading toward Diagon Alley with the group.
George had already finished reading all the second-year books long ago. However, this year's curriculum included some new ones, such as The Monster Book of Monsters for Care of Magical Creatures.
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"George, I really admire you. I can't believe you live here so safely," Ron said nervously as they walked back toward Diagon Alley.
Knockturn Alley was not only filled with dark and eerie shops, but the wizards wandering about looked downright unsettling.
If they hadn't all drawn their wands earlier, ready to defend themselves, they might have feared being captured and eaten by the dark wizards lurking around.
"Wait, why does it feel so different now?" Ron said suddenly, noticing how the atmosphere had completely changed from when they first entered.
Earlier, even with their wands drawn, the sinister wizards had looked at them like wolves eyeing rabbits, their gazes full of greed.
But now, without even reaching for their wands, they saw those same wizards glance at them briefly before hurriedly turning away, as if terrified to get involved.
The greed in their eyes had been replaced entirely by fear.
Some shopkeepers had even shut their doors as the group passed by.
"Oh, it's nothing. Most of the wizards here aren't exactly sane. Maybe they're just having a bad day," George said casually, deflecting the question.
Of course, the change in atmosphere had everything to do with him.
During the few days since he'd returned to Knockturn Alley, George hadn't been idle.
To prevent his shop from being robbed while he was away at school, he had paid a visit to every shopkeeper in the alley for some very "friendly" discussions.
He hadn't spared the dark wizards who frequently prowled the area, either. After a few encounters where they were left scorched and trembling, the dark wizards now reacted with fear at the mere sight of him.
The frail, timid boy who had once been the old dark wizard's servant had transformed into the most feared wizard in Knockturn Alley.
(End of Chapter)