Chapter 262: Manners

9^th February 2013, Diagon Alley

(Jasmine Sayre POV)

I took another look at my sister and almost winced, “We’ll start tomorrow, but as for now, you will go take a night’s rest while I try to figure out when the next meeting of the Court of Shadows will take place. And eat properly, I don’t like how thin you’re getting.”

Rose nodded with a slight smile on her face and teleported away, probably to wherever she was staying at. I paid the bill for Rose’s meal and decided to walk around Diagon Alley for a bit before I start getting to work. As I ventured into the alley, I noticed that some of Rose’s followers diverged and were now looking at me.

Well, who am I to refuse when my enemy gives me such a boon for my search. This should prove to be interesting at the very least.

Knowing that I was being followed, I decided to mess with them a little. It’s been a while since I tried to have some genuine fun at the expense of others. I turned and walked into ‘Madam Malkin’s robes for all occasions’ and teleported to the other side of the street the moment I entered the clothes shop.

It was funny, how I could spot the sheer panic the men following had at the exact same moment. I almost burst into laughter, as they all ran towards the shop in panic. Well, that settles the fact that they’re untrained. At least, I won’t have to worry about Rose too much with these idiots beings the ones following her. But what a disappointment; I knew that the Court of Shadows had access to Aurors and Hit Wizards, quite easily, for that matter. But all they could send were people like this?

I suppose people would ask questions if they were asked to stalk the Minister’s sister, but they couldn’t have really spared any competent fighters? There were always corrupt Aurors around. Perhaps, wizards are just shit at reconnaissance work? I don’t ever remember a wizard in the last couple of centuries that understood the concept of subtlety.

I frowned as the men started to manhandle the people inside the store, probably interrogating them for any sign of me. To stop this barbaric behavior, I reveal myself to my watchers by walking just outside the shop in front of the window.

The relief in their eyes would have amused me, if it wasn’t for the actions they just performed. These were nothing more than street thugs, nothing more. How distasteful of the Court to use manpower like this to do their dirty work. If I had a guess, it would be that the men that they are currently using are disposable, or at least, were always going to die after they were done. They were probably very secretive and didn’t want to get rid of their competent minions.

One of the men ran at me, in a panicked frenzy, probably fearing the fact that I disappear once more. I let him get to me and apparate me away. The moment that we arrive, I stun the man touching me, and turn him invisible in the corner.

I looked around to see where he took me. It was a small, thin, dingy alley, probably outside of Diagon alley, but I could feel some wards settling in, mostly privacy ones mixed in with some anti-apparition wards.

One by one, my previously ‘hidden’ observers arrive in front of me, with their wands raised. There were over a dozen men standing in front of me. I just shrugged and raised an unimpressed eyebrow at their supposed threatening move.

One of the men stepped forwards, probably the leader of this little squad and spoke up, “I’m going to ask you a question, and you’re going to answer them. If you try anything, if you try to attack us, try to escape, or even if you do something I just don’t like, you’ll lose a fucking finger. Do you understand me, bitch?”

I just smirked at him, “It was quite rude of you to bring me here without my consent. That was no way to treat a lady, gentlemen.”

“Fuck off, you’re no lady, especially after we’re done with you.”

Well, if he’s going to be a savage about it, then I guess I’ll make sure he suffers the most. I suppressed the disgust that I felt at that man even breathing the same air that I do and just answered with an unimpressed look. The others seem to be amused, if a little excited by what happens.

Well, that settles it, I was going to just knock them out and remove their memories, but I’m willing to let out some steam just to deal with these degenerates.

The leader gave me a malicious smirk, “Tell us, cunt, how do you know Rose Potter?”

I shrugged, “Rose Potter, I don’t know. It doesn’t ring a bell. Perhaps I am slightly more forgetful because of the stress? Yes, that must be it.”

The man seemed to get even angrier, “We saw you with her barely a few minutes ago. Now, tell us how you know her, and what you talked about! Any more cheek and I won’t be as kind as I am right now.”

I gave him slight smile, “Oh, young sir, I don’t think you’re being kind at all. Not at all what I would expect from a gentleman, I have to say. Your manners are really lacking. Now, I’ve had a very trying day, and I was looking forwards to relaxing in my home with a nice bath. While I do understand you might have some grievances with Rose, something that I can fully understand, I’d appreciate it enormously, if you went to speak with her yourself and not involve me in your little squabble.”

The incredulous look on my attackers faces almost made me burst into laughter. It was so much fun messing with assholes with only politeness. I almost forgot what it felt like to take a piss out of people just for the hell of it. The leader’s face was starting to turn an ugly shade of red, probably out of frustration for my lack of compliance to his threats, “This is your last chance, bitch.”

I just sigh, what a disappointment and speak out, “Manners,” I take control over the wards, “Maketh,” I turn the apparition wards against them, “Man,” I create a barrier around the entrance of the alley, trapping them in with me.

They started to shuffle around, a tad nervous and I continue, “Do you know what it means?”

At their confused look, I spoke up, “Then let me teach you a lesson.”

The leader just let out a furious growl and ran at me, “That does it.”

As he tried to do a wand movement, I just duck, grab his wand hand, punch him in the kidney. I then grab his wand and punch him in the face, knocking him out.

The gaping looks the other men gave me were very amusing. It was like they couldn’t believe that I could actually do anything. I just gave them an impassive look, “Well, are we going to stand here all day or are we going to fight?”

Immediately, one of them tried to send a stunner at me, which I reflected towards another incoming spell, which turned towards its caster and cut his hand off. I felt a blood boiling curse coming towards me, and I summoned a garbage can lid to use as a shield. I subtly enchanted it to absorb the properties of any curse that hits it. It was a janky job, and it wouldn’t last for more than an hour without anchoring runes absorbing the magic, but it would do for now. I telekinetically controlled the lid and blocked the path of the curse.

Of course, to the surprise of my attackers, the lid absorbed the spell and wasn’t blown up by the impact. With a wave of my wand, I sent the lid flying back at the caster, making it bounce around hitting over five of my attackers who fell to the ground screaming, being under the blood boiling curse. Everything was going fine, until some idiot sent a concussive spell at me.

In a small environment like this one, that spell was just stupid. He would take out most of his allies out along with me, that is if I wasn’t able to prepare a shield that is. That’s not mentioning that in a narrow alley like this one, the spell was very likely to bring down the buildings around us, which would guarantee their deaths if anything. I just shrugged at the man’s idiocy and summoned the trash lid towards the spell, which absorbed it.

I made sure to lower the output for a moment in fear of destroying the entire alley and just banished the lid towards the moron that used a spell like that. The lid hit him straight to the stomach and it sent every single one of my attackers flying back and disoriented them.

One of the men who was further from the impact got up easily and sent a killing curse at the lid, probably in fear of the lid taking out even more of his allies. I chuckled inwardly; at least one of them had a brain, even if it would have been a lot easier to just cast a ‘Finite Incantatem’ on the damn thing. Some people are just prone to violence, I guess.

The man in question snarled in anger, “Fucking bitch.”

I just sent him a cheeky smirk, infuriating him even further, enough for him to cast a Cruciatus Curse at me. I just summoned the rest of the trashcan and transfigured it into a shield to block the spell. I then turned my shield into steel spikes that I used to impale the limbs of the man who sent an unforgivable curse at me.

I slowly walked forwards towards the groaning attackers, and I sensed one of my attackers sending a piercing hex at my back. I countered with a repelling shield which directed the spell back at the attacker, who was hit by his own spell in the heart, killing him in the process.

Again, another man tried to cast at me, but this time, he was on my side, and I just sent a cutting curse at the man’s hand, disarming him, literally that is.

Exasperated, I just conjured some chains that wrapped around my downed opponents, to avoid dealing with desperate curses sent my way hoping to take me by surprise. I looked at the closest conscious man next to me and growled, “Who sent you?”

The young man almost pissed his pants, “I don’t know. I swear I don’t. We were hired by Fletcher, our boss. He promised us one Galleon a day just to look at some broad who turned out to be the Minister’s sister. I don’t know anything else, I swear to Merlin.”

He was telling the truth, so I just answered, “Where is Fletcher, then?”

He motioned his head towards the downed leader. Huh, that’s easier than I thought, “Thank you for your cooperation”. I said, before I knocked him out with a touch.

I walked towards the leader and woke him up, “Who sent you?”

He tried to spit on my face, but I just controlled the spit and sent it back towards his face, “Now, that wasn’t very nice.”

“I’ll say nothing!!”

I shrugged, “Don’t worry, there are other ways of getting information. Violence is not always the answer, you should know that.”

I peer into his mind, not bothering to be gentle with it. The man will probably be catatonic after this. Huh, interesting, he was Mundungus Fletcher’s son, the guy that was part of the Order of the Phoenix. He was asked by Elphias Doge, also a former member of Dumbledore’s Order, as well as a probable member of the Court of Shadows.

The man didn’t know much, but he had followed Doge out of curiosity, or perhaps hoping for some blackmail. It turns out that every month, Doge goes to Malfoy Manor for a meeting. He had tried to confront the man, in a greedy attempt at getting more money, but he was obliviated immediately. It was a rush job; probably because Doge had panicked since revealing the Court’s existence is an easy way to die, but since Fletcher had no clue what the mind arts even were, it didn’t matter much.

But now, it does, since it seems like I know where the meetings take place, lucky me. If they continue with their schedule, there was a meeting scheduled tonight. How fortunate.

I get out of the thief’s mind and let his drooling body fall down. Sending a stunning spell at him to stop his muttering, due to a severe telepathic probe. Wait a minute, did I use a stunning spell? Have I been using magic this whole time?

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