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0818 The Blind Pig
🕑 Added 2025-08-25 12:18:55 +0000 UTCThe indistinct black shadow hadn't yet arrived, but the fierce wind rushing toward them had already stirred their hair. Amelia shuddered for
The indistinct black shadow hadn't yet arrived, but the fierce wind rushing toward them had already stirred their hair. Amelia shuddered for an instant, instinctively reaching into her pocket for her wand. Her movement was far too slow compared to the black shadow—she simply couldn't complete her spellcasting in time.
Fortunately, Remus was much more experienced. While Amelia was still panicking at the appearance of the black shadow, his hand had already touched his wand.
"Protego!"
Remus shouted sternly. The air in front of the three rippled with a gentle breeze, invisible light and shadow stretching and expanding in the wind as an invisible barrier quickly unfolded.
But the black shadow plunging from above was incredibly agile. It could actually perform evasive maneuvers in mid-air without any leverage. Faced with the rapidly expanding barrier, the shadow curled its limbs and nimbly flipped over the edge of the Iron Armor barrier Remus had cast.
Then, using its hind legs for a sudden burst of acceleration, it swept past Remus's ear like the wind, charging straight toward Bryan, who was protected behind him!
Damn it!
Both Remus and Amelia were greatly alarmed. They hurriedly turned to look at Bryan standing behind them, and at first glance—
"Meow!"
It really was a cat. Its lustrous gray fur was dotted with numerous irregularly shaped black patches. Its fluffy ears were much larger than those of any cat Remus had ever seen. Another unusual feature was its tail, which resembled a lion's—thick at the base and slender at the tip, covered with short, coarse gray hair.
The anticipated scene of Bryan being attacked at the throat never materialized. The cat landed gracefully on Bryan's shoulder, sniffed the scent of his hair, then settled down contentedly and began lazily licking its paw.
"This..."
The unexpected scene left Remus speechless for quite some time. Finally, he looked at Bryan, who was raising his eyebrows with a somewhat bemused expression.
"Do you, uh, know this cat?"
"This isn't a cat!"
Amelia suddenly snapped out of her shock, though her voice still carried great surprise.
"This is a Kneazle!"
Amelia's face had gone pale as she looked at Bryan, breathing heavily.
"I suspect it might have escaped from the Magical Creatures Nature Reserve. They've recently lost quite a few wild magical creatures. Bryan, you'd better stay away from it—this type of animal can be somewhat dangerous."
"Wild?"
Bryan pursed his lips.
"I don't think so."
Under the tense gazes of Remus and Amelia, Bryan reached out to touch the neck of the cat covered in soft gray fur, feeling around for a few moments before pulling out a brass nameplate.
"Hobby—"
Bryan looked at the gray cat with a smile.
"That's your name, isn't it?"
"Meow—"
The gray cat, which had been licking its paw, let out a lazy call upon hearing the question. Then it turned around on Bryan's shoulder to face the wall painted with colorful murals in the alley.
"I think it likes me."
Bryan said.
"Maybe because my hair color is similar to its fur."
Amelia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She felt the towering image of Bryan Watson was crumbling in her heart. It was hard to imagine that Bryan, who had saved a hundred thousand people at the Quidditch World Cup like a deity, could be so unreliable.
Remus was already used to this. He carefully observed this gray cat, which was even fatter than Hermione's Crookshanks but exceptionally agile, and suddenly his expression became somewhat alarmed.
"Bryan?"
Remus's tone was grave.
"This Kneazle—do you think it could possibly be an Animagus?"
"Meow!"
Before Bryan could answer, the Kneazle named Hobby had grown impatient. It pawed at Bryan's cheek with its claws, making him face the painted wall, meowing repeatedly and urging Bryan to hurry inside.
"See?"
Bryan said with a chuckle.
"I doubt there would be such an arrogant Animagus."
Remus finally relaxed. He knew that while Bryan could sometimes be 'carefree,' he wasn't a foolish person and wouldn't let his guard down completely. So, he put away his wand and followed Bryan into the alley.
Amelia clearly wanted to remind them that since this Kneazle already had an owner, what they should do was return to the Ministry and check with the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to find out who its owner was, then return it—not bring it along to break into a place that was rumored to be less than reputable.
The method of entering the Blind Pig wasn't as complicated as Amelia had imagined. Bryan simply walked up and knocked on the wall. A small window suddenly slid open, revealing a pair of sinister eyes behind it. The person only looked at them once, asked nothing, and opened the wall disguised as red brick masonry.
Before entering, Bryan seemed to remember something. He turned to look at Amelia, who was showing obvious reluctance.
"Never been to a place like this?"
Amelia pressed her lips together and honestly shook her head.
"Then here's a piece of advice—"
Bryan said in a light tone.
"No matter what you see, don't make a big fuss about it."
The server who opened the door looked quite young, with a slightly pointed chin and skin so pale it was almost gray. He had heard their conversation but ignored it completely. Instead, his sinister red eyes stared with interest at Hobby perched on Bryan's shoulder.
"I can confirm—"
Remus followed Bryan into the bar while Amelia was still hesitating outside the door. After the server returned to the bar to attend to his duties, Remus leaned close to Bryan's ear and whispered,
"That server is a vampire."
But this really wasn't anything remarkable, especially after Remus saw what kind of customers were in the bar.
This bar was smaller than the famous Leaky Cauldron, but the environment was much worse. The dim bar was filled with swirling smoke that smelled like damp socks being roasted over a fire. The smoke came from the pipes being smoked by wizards sitting at various tables.
Behind the bar, a house-elf that looked old but moved fairly smoothly was mixing drinks for customers, while the vampire server who had opened the door was responsible for serving drinks to patrons. He wasn't the only vampire in the bar—at a window seat on the left side of the entrance, two figures in trench coats also displayed obvious vampiric characteristics.
A female goblin wearing a sexy, sequined halter dress stood dancing on a round table. Her graceful movements and enchanting gaze left even Remus stunned.
"I've never seen a goblin like this. I thought they only..."
Remus, who had dealt with goblins quite often, found himself unable to find words to describe this female goblin.
"There are plenty of things you haven't seen, boy!" A scruffy wizard bumped into Remus while getting drinks at the bar, calling out drunkenly, "Get out of the way, don't block the path!"
Remus realized he was no longer accustomed to the style of the underground wizarding world. He suppressed his displeasure and made way for the man.
"In my opinion, she's probably a half-blood—goblin and wizard."
Bryan also looked at the female goblin with interest and offered his judgment.
Bang!
The heavy sound of someone slamming a table drew the three's attention. They looked toward the sound, and Remus's expression immediately changed.
At the front position against the wall, beneath an oil painting depicting piles of Galleons, several rough-looking men were playing cards. One of them was cursing as he pulled Galleons and Sickles from his pocket, apparently having lost money.
A werewolf, and very likely a born werewolf!
Remus didn't need much examination to identify his own kind.
Most of the born werewolves in Britain had been Greyback's subordinates, and now they had all become casualties under Bryan's hand. But even before that, Remus had rarely seen werewolves swagger openly in public places. Even in the underground world, they seldom lingered.
Werewolves, vampires, house-elves, goblins, and wizards...
Oh, the most shocking had to be the half-giant who occupied a booth in the corner all by himself.
Unlike Hagrid, who appeared more human, this giant fellow, who was nearly seven or eight feet tall even while sitting and would surely break through the ceiling if he stood up, looked more like a pure-blood giant.
So many species coexisting in one room without warfare breaking out—at this moment, even Remus felt a sense of awe for the owner of this bar.
Amelia was absolutely certain that three tables away from her, two wizards who were conducting a transaction where one of them had placed what was unmistakably a Bicorn horn on the table. This item was a Class B contraband: very rare and dangerous.
It was rare because Bicorns themselves, being large predatory beasts, weren't particularly numerous, and moreover, Bicorn horns were non-renewable. If a Bicorn lost its horn, it would never grow a second one in its lifetime.
It was dangerous because if improperly stored or handled, allowing the deadly liquid hidden within the horn to leak, the resulting explosion would be sufficient to level this entire bar!
Amelia stared intently at the horn, her lips turning white, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead and back. Yet the two conducting the transaction seemed utterly unconcerned. The buyer tossed out a bag of gold, and after the seller verified it was correct, he took the horn and casually stuffed it into his wizard's robes.
This dangerous transaction was far from unique as many similar high-risk, heavily criminal trades were taking place at several locations throughout the bar's main hall.
'What should I do?'
Amelia's expression was bewildered and somewhat helpless. 'Should I arrest these people directly, or return now to call for backup?'
The Ministry was currently overwhelmed dealing with the extremely dangerous magical creatures that had gone missing from the Magical Creatures Nature Reserve. If these creatures ever appeared in the Muggle world, the consequences would be catastrophic. And the wizard trading the Bicorn horn might very well be a poacher!
The two who had completed their transaction clinked glasses, each draining the last drops of their drinks before standing to leave.
The buyer joined a card game at another table, while the seller, having received his gold, had no intention of lingering and headed toward the exit.
Watching the criminal about to pass by her side, Amelia nervously swallowed, not noticing that her hand had already moved into her pocket.
"You should be grateful your eyes are worthless, young lady!"
The horn dealer stopped as he passed by them. He cast a sinister glance at Amelia's hand hidden in her pocket, then looked at her with malicious intent, grinning wickedly as he said, "If they were worth even a Knut, I'd dig them out!"
The fierce menace rushing toward her made Amelia shudder violently. She nearly panicked and stepped back to draw her wand.
Upon entering the bar, the Kneazle that had followed them in immediately leaped down from Bryan's shoulder. It moved agilely between the feet of the crowd, its previously drooping ears now perked up as if it were eavesdropping on something.
The horn trade had also caught the attention of the Kneazle named Hobby, but after looking at the horn for a few moments, it lost interest and scampered elsewhere to continue listening.
"If I were you, I'd be a bit more low-key and humbler—"
Bryan's gaze had been following it until he heard the arrogant words, then he withdrew his attention and said unhurriedly,
"Lest the gold you worked so hard to earn never makes it out of this bar."
The dealer had just opened his mouth to speak some ridicule as in his mind he thought these newcomers probably understood nothing.
Fighting was absolutely forbidden inside the Hog's Head, or the bar owner would use every available force to hunt you down until they finally killed you. But when the gray-haired young man in front of him cast a casual glance over, the dealer first froze, then became docile.
"My apologies, sir—"
The dealer hunched his shoulders and lowered his head.
"Might I buy you and your friends a drink as an apology for my reckless words?"
"Get lost."
Bryan threw out just one word, then walked toward the now-empty table.
Seeing this, the dealer let out a heavy sigh of relief, bowed to Amelia, then quickly left the bar with his head down. Even after exiting, his hunched shoulders remained tensed.
"What was that about? He—"
Bryan and Remus had already taken their seats, and Amelia hurried to catch up, her expression both confused and bewildered.
"Wizards who frequent this kind of environment must have keen instincts."
Remus smiled and said quietly, "They can tell at a glance who's a newcomer and who absolutely cannot be messed with."
Upon hearing this, Amelia opened her mouth silently. She really couldn't see how Bryan, who had completely changed his appearance but still emanated a gentle aura, was someone not to be messed with. No, wait—that wasn't the current concern!
Amelia's gaze turned to the continuously noisy bar. This place was practically a criminal den, and since it was so famous that even many young wizards had heard of it, the Department of Magical Security obviously couldn't be unaware of it. So why would the Aurors allow this place to exist?!
"What are you here to find out?"
Remus was very clear that Bryan wouldn't have made this special trip out of mere curiosity about this place. Since he had come here, he definitely had a purpose, and the most likely one was to gather information.
"Naturally, I want to hear this bar owner's opinion of Graves."
Bryan sipped his sherry and said with a smile,
"He's someone we urgently need to understand, isn't he? When I was in Europe, I heard about him—the owner of the Hog's Head knows about everything that happens in New York, and his information network is more widespread than MACUSA's. Hmm, it seems he's not home. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while longer."
Amelia's lips moved slightly. She didn't quite agree with the rumors Bryan had heard. In this land, no one had more wide-ranging information channels than the Ministry, and besides, if he wanted to understand Mr. Graves, couldn't he simply ask her?
But in the end, Amelia said nothing, because she too hoped to see what kind of person ran this criminal den.
Just as Bryan had said, throughout the entire day, they never saw that mysterious owner.
To pass the tedious waiting time, Bryan even joined a gambling table for a while, won several dozen Galleons, bought everyone at the table a drink, then withdrew gracefully.
Remus also struck up a 'friendship' with the drunk wizard who had bumped into him when they first entered the bar, learning quite a bit of recent New York gossip from him over a glass of Firewhisky.
As for Hobby, who had entered with Bryan, it scampered around for a while before jumping onto a beam, curling up with narrowed eyes and perked ears to monitor the conversations in the main hall.
Only Amelia sat restlessly in her seat, struggling to suppress the urge to return to the Department of Magical Security to report to Mr. Graves, her heart was suffering conservative torment.
The bar's customers changed wave after wave. It wasn't until the neon lights from the Muggle world several blocks away shone through the greasy windows that a figure suddenly Apparated beside the bar counter.
It was a goblin, appearing to be in his prime, and considering that goblins lived far longer than wizards, this goblin was at least over a hundred years old.
Unlike the other people or intelligent magical beings in the bar, he was dressed like the elite at Gringotts, wearing a crisp suit with a bow tie, and even had a burning cigar between his long fingers.
Having been in this bar for nearly a day, this was the first time Amelia had seen someone Apparate directly inside the bar, which made her quickly understand the identity of this goblin whose eyes gleamed with cunning intelligence and who appeared quite shrewd.
Gnarlak—the owner of the Hog's Head, a prominent figure in America's underground wizarding world.
Like a king, Gnarlak surveyed his bar, his own kingdom with a somewhat proud gaze. Seeing that everything was as usual, he contentedly took a deep drag of his cigar and blew a smoke ring into the air.
Hobby, who had been dozing with narrowed eyes on the beam for half the day, awakened the instant Gnarlak appeared.
It let out a low purring sound, made a flying leap, and landed back on Bryan's shoulder. This successfully drew the goblin's attention to the trio.
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