Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 49 Night Raid on Bojin Store

Looking at the corpse of Peter Pettigrew, who was transforming from a mouse back into a middle-aged, overweight man, Mo Ran couldn't help but recall the scene that had occurred a dozen minutes earlier.

……

"What are you doing, Harry? Calm down!"

"This guy killed my mom and dad!"

"Wait! Listen to me! Even if this guy truly deserves to die, killing him still carries the risk of tearing your soul apart! Don't let a moment of pleasure plunge you into an abyss of no return!"

"I do not care!"

Realizing that he couldn't persuade the rebellious teenager Harry with words, Mo Ran quickly changed his approach and suggested:

“Well then! I won’t stop you from avenging your parents, but before you do it, give Peter a good scare first. First, he deserves to know why you want to kill him, and second, giving this traitor a quick death would be too easy for him.”

"it is good!"

……

Fortunately, Peter was scared to death by himself.

In Muggle medical terms, a middle-aged man who was excessively obese developed neurasthenia due to prolonged anxiety. Subsequently, his health was in a precarious state, and one night he suddenly suffered a severe fright, which caused arrhythmia and ultimately led to sudden cardiac death.

"He just...died like that?"

Harry sounded somewhat confused.

"Yes, he's dead."

Mo Ran replied:

"But you didn't feel the thrill of revenge, did you?"

Harry didn't answer, but after a long while, he slowly nodded.

“You might be wondering why I tried to stop you just now, Harry. But to be honest, part of me genuinely wanted you to avenge your parents and take revenge, but…”

"I understand that you don't want my soul to become incomplete because of this."

Having calmed down, Harry finished saying what Mo Ran wanted to say.

“I did act impulsively. I was just worried that I would have regrets if I couldn’t kill him with my own hands to avenge him. But now, looking at this guy, I only feel empty inside… Maybe if we let Sirius live, we can hand him over to Fudge now and clear Sirius’s name.”

Mo Ran didn't have the habit of being a know-it-all. On the contrary, as Peter Pettigrew's death became a fait accompli, he gradually became able to put himself in Harry's shoes and consider things from Harry's perspective.

If I were facing the enemy who killed my own parents, could I really remain calm? Given my personality, I probably would have started to torture and kill Peter Pettigrew without any hesitation. Isn't it too harsh to hold Harry to such a high standard?

Thinking of this, Mo Ran deliberately adopted a lighthearted tone to comfort him:

"Actually, the mere existence of Peter Pettigrew's body is enough to serve as decisive evidence to clear Sirius Black's name of his crimes. Besides, a living Voldemort supporter is a threat no matter how you look at it. As long as your soul is not harmed, it's no big deal to have done something to eliminate future troubles. You might even have unintentionally saved someone's life through this action."

"You're joking around again."

"No, I'm serious. But you should try to learn to think things through before you act, so you don't do something you'll regret later because no one is there to remind you."

"Okay, okay, it's good that you reminded me. I'll definitely listen to advice next time."

"Um……"

……

Harry stuffed Peter Pettigrew's body into a suitcase enchanted with a Stretch Mark Charm. As for Scabbers, the rat he returned to Ron the next morning, it was actually a forgery created using advanced Transfiguration magic. (The books Harry bought before starting his first year are now kept in a laboratory near the end of Spider's Alley.)

"Harry, I feel like something's wrong with Scabbers. Its fur looks a little better, but its spirits seem even more listless."

Harry, who had anticipated that Ron would notice something amiss from the details, remained calm and responded:

"Spotty is the most common breed of house mouse. In theory, its lifespan is only about three years. You said he used to be your brother Percy's pet, so he's probably much older than three years old and will soon reach the end of his life."

Ron seemed completely fooled by Harry's words and asked with concern:

"What should I do?"

Harry replied:

“I gave him some rat stimulant and some calming agent to reduce his activity level. Although this will make Banban more lethargic, he should have the strength to stay with you until the end of the semester. Just keep him with you as much as possible and see him off on his final journey.”

Ron almost cried after hearing this.

Scabbers was indeed the mouse his brother had left over, but as both pet and owner, they also spent many heartwarming days together. At Hogwarts alone, Harry saw Ron sleeping in bed with Scabbers on more than one occasion.

"Thank you, Harry..."

With a sob in his voice, Ron lifted Banban to his face and rubbed it against him.

"I will take good care of it and let it leave this world without regrets."

"Yes, I believe you will."

Although Harry answered that way, when he saw Ron being affectionate with the fake Scabbers, he still thought of the dirty, greasy Peter Pettigrew, and felt a deep sense of disgust.

"Um... let's hurry downstairs and have some food."

"it is good."

……

Tuesday evening, August 31, 1993.

Having planned for several days, Harry and Moran returned to the entrance of Borginborough's Magical Shop.

Seeing that even in the dead of night, a few scattered lights were still lit in the alley, the two of them became extremely alert.

Whoosh! Snap!

Red sparks rose into the sky and then exploded violently. In that split second, Harry, with Moran's help, Apparated into the interior of Borginborough's Magic Shop.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

The Iron Maiden, the medieval armor, and the angel statue all turned their heads simultaneously in the darkness. Their gazes were fixed on the empty main entrance, as if trying to discern something.

The air instantly became much heavier. Even with the invisibility cloak, which was comparable to the Deathly Hallows, Harry instinctively held his breath and remained motionless in place.

"There really was a trap! It seems that not Apparate directly from the Leaky Cauldron into the Borginburger Boutique was the right choice!"

"Don't get distracted, focus. There are more dangerous things in Borginborough's shop than just these. The person who can run a shop like this can't be weak in magic either. We came back mainly to teach that old fox a lesson. The form and result are more important than the substance. If there is any danger, I will take you back to the Leaky Cauldron immediately."

"understand!"

A few seconds later, accompanied by the sound of mechanical gears turning and metal rubbing together, the shop's magical guards all turned their attention away from where Harry was.

Once everything had calmed down, Harry, who had cast the Lightness Charm on himself beforehand, slowly began to walk toward the display cases where various merchandise were displayed.

"A magnificent opal necklace, do not touch, it has been cursed—it has taken the lives of nineteen Muggles. This thing is meant to harm people and is very inconvenient to hide and transport, so it is unnecessary."

"The Hand of Glory, a friend of thieves and robbers, when lit in the dark, emits a light visible only to the holder. Made from the hand of an 18th-century card gambler—the severed hand of a gambler and criminal can support a magically powerful candle. Note that when using it, all five fingers inside will normally be lit; if one finger is not lit, it means that someone else in the room is awake besides yourself."

"This is a good product, quite useful, but why is the display case empty?"

Hearing Harry's silent recitation in his mind, Mo Ran wasn't particularly surprised. He replied:

"This kind of thing should be quite sought after in the dark wizarding world, so it's normal that it was bought. Let's go check out the next item."

"it is good."

……

"The shrunken human head originated from the Shuar tribe in South America. The Shuar tribe, which has a headhunting culture, likes to cut off the heads of their enemies to celebrate victory and declare successful revenge. Some intact and beautiful heads are made into talking decorations by witch doctors who know magic. In recent years, it has become popular among knight bus drivers, and it can also be used to effectively guard the house."

"This is disgusting, and it might even make noise. Next one."

……

"Another Iron Maiden, but this one seems different from the one we just saw at the entrance. Look, its carving details are more exquisite, and there are no sharp spikes inside the cabinet. Strange... why isn't there any explanatory text near it? Could this thing just be a souvenir without any magic power?"

"Hmm? Let me see."

When the black, box-shaped Iron Maiden came into Mo Ran's view, memories surged forth.

In the original film, Harry mispronounced Diagon Alley before the start of his second year—he pronounced it as "Diagon Alley"—and was teleported to Borgin & Burke's shop by Floo Powder. Unexpectedly, this accidental event led him to witness a deal between Borgin & Burke and the Malfoys, and ultimately helped them unravel the secrets of Tom Riddle's diary.

"I think I can sense a faint trace of magic, but I really don't know what it's for?"

Mo Ran's answer left Harry somewhat disappointed. They had almost looked through all the valuable items in the display case, but still hadn't found a single suitable item for free.

"Okay, let's look at the next thing... Wait! What's that?"

Through Harry's gaze, Mo Ran fixed his eyes on the host's perspective.

It was a metal display case, with many strange and wonderful parts floating in mid-air, shimmering with a beautiful brilliance like diamonds. Just staring at it gave one a sense of depth and antiquity.

"what is this?"

"A damaged time converter?!"

Harry and Moran exclaimed in their minds at the same time.

Unlike other items, the description of this prop is very brief—a time converter that has been damaged due to overuse.

"Can this thing be fixed?"

"I don't know, but even if it can't be repaired, the value of items related to time magic is incomparable to other items."

"Should we...?"

Before Harry could finish speaking, a powerful presence, strong enough to make the hairs on their heads, suddenly appeared in the Borgins Blog shop.

brush!brush!brush!

Mechanisms imbued with dark magic were triggered one after another. Eerie, ghostly light drew an impenetrable net in the air, but just as it was about to close in, the mysterious wizard extended a single finger and effortlessly pried open gap after gap in the magical net.

"Watch out! Harry!"

Sensing the heavy feeling in the air, Mo Ran loudly reminded Harry in his mind:

"This guy's total magic power is no less than ours, so we must not let our guard down!"

Harry, who had already raised his wand in preparation to cast a spell, immediately abandoned his idea of ​​fighting the other party upon hearing these words.

Aside from Dumbledore and Voldemort, perhaps only reclusive masters like Nicolas Flamel could rival one's own power to possess the Obscurity.