Chapter 20: It’s Show Time

December 24th, 1989, Interlaken, Switzerland, 8:16 AM

Amid the small Harder Kulm Loop Trail leading deep into the snow-coated mountain range of Switzerland, Ethan and Harry were having leisure time, taken by the grand view from above.

The Harder Kulm's rise and wonderful view must be earned as it suddenly takes up the 800-meter vertical drop.

After a constant climb over forest paths, there was an excellent view of the Eiger and the Jungfrau peak.

The peculiarity of this tour lay in its location, both close to the city and in the middle of the mountains. Which was also where the Altxorra Braconier placed their hideout.

Heading down a few dozen yards southwest of Hardermandli, away from the designated trail. One would stumble upon a rather odd, flat piece of land covered in lush trees.

Through the eyes of Ethan and Harry, situated on that piece of land was a dilapidated, big tent, long abandoned.

'A two-layer disguise, quite the effort they pour into protecting this hideout. Let's hope that the information regarding Re'em's whereabouts is in there.'

Ethan and Harry were watching for any movement from afar. Whilst coated in a simple ward, protecting them from both the cold and prying eyes.

Ethan had pulled an all-nighter, observing how the hideout operated via his Patronus, and planning the best scenario until sunrise.

As a prominent criminal organisation, probably with some political backing, they mostly conducted various deals and operated in the middle of the night, leaving the morning with few guards.

However, that also meant the magical protection during the daytime would be tripled, as Ethan could see denser threads looming all over the tent than yesterday evening.

Upon closer look and divination, Ethan could estimate their combat power, with the lowest rank equivalent to a newly graduated student, and the leader of this hideout was the most dangerous of them all.

There was no doubt regarding their prowess in the field of dark art, and Ethan expected to face many potent curses and hexes.

With that said, the possibility of any of them mastering the three Unforgivable Curses was extremely low, according to pendulum divination.

Harry had been watching the tent for quite a while. The boy was utterly anxious, as he was about to witness the clash of wizards and witches for the first time on the front row!

The boy was hiding behind a boulder, yet it couldn't hide his red pompom beanie. Occasionally, he would poke his head out, watching the area with a pair of sparkling emerald eyes.

Turning his anxious gaze towards Ethan, who was currently sitting on a nearby boulder in a deep-thinking posture, the man was swinging his golden pocket watch as he reassessed everything once more, with the top priority being keeping Harry unharmed.

Using divination as well as the art of Astrology, Ethan divined that the best time to strike the hideout was near noon the next morning; that was also when the hidden danger was at its minimum.

Though he had been a seer for most of his life, he had long come to the realisation that divination wasn't omnipotent, with Prophecy being the vaguest, albeit having a probability of only 78% coming true.

Therefore, he concluded that simplified divination such as drowning rods, spiritual pendulums, and even dream divination plus a much more specific target is best with the more you know about it; with time narrowed down to the present, the past or the near future would yield the best result: less vague, less symbolic, and less cryptic.

Having calculated all the possible routes for a perfect strike based on how the poacher operated within the hideout as well as the structure of its place, Ethan decided to march for the lowest floor where they kept the goods

For that place wasn't being guarded heavily, not as many as the office of the leader of this hideout, which Ethan speculated to bear crucial information closely related to this criminal organisation.

Ethan snapped the pocket close before putting it back into an inner pocket. He gestured for Harry to be ready.

The boy immediately jolted up, clutching Ethan's hand tightly as they would appear directly to a secluded place within the storage. Harry had already gotten used to Side-Along Apparitions by now.

It's worth mentioning that Ethan had spent the night studying the various protective wards here to the point where he could take control of them, albeit briefly.

Yet, it was enough for him to slip into the place via magical means before those poachers were even aware that something had gone awry.

With a soundless shift, Harry could feel everything go black; he was pressed very hard from all directions; he could not breathe as if iron bands were tightening around his chest; his eyeballs were being forced back into his head; and his eardrums were being pushed deeper into his skull.

Thanks to Cognition, the uneasy sensation didn't quite take a heavy toll on the boy's mind, as he could even perceive the brief, gorgeous scene mid-apparition. Harry's view was engulfed with countless dazzling stars of every colour, as if he were floating along the Milky Way.

Soon their surroundings began to stabilise, as what lay before Harry's eyes was the lowest floor of the hideout.

The boy let out a soundless exclamation, for there were mountains of cages of magical beasts; some were injured with their wounded treated halfway, and others were forced to inhabit and reproduce in such poor condition.

All of these inhumane acts only made his burning rage more potent, silent but deadly, like an avalanche, like the calm before the most destructive thunderstorm.

Ethan let out a smirk as he patted off the dust and put on a black Moretta mask, a wide smile painted over the surface, covering most of his visage. Finished with a stylish silk top hat.

The gentleman looked like the most mysterious magician under the boy's admiring eyes.

Before the grand performance, Ethan quickly grabbed the Golden Snidget egg nearby and gave it to Harry along with his trusty pocket watch, which served as a protective charm.

He then gestured for the boy to stay in this secluded area before he marched forward to the centre of the floor.

"Stay here, Harry, and keep a close watch on that egg for me, will you?" Ruffling the boy's head, Ethan left with a confident wink.

"Watch closely, Harry."

With that said, Ethan waved his wand in a simple arc, causing the tent to tremble slightly, yet it was enough to alert all of those poachers to the rumbling sound of footsteps and the rapid magic thread fluctuation due to various apparitions being executed at the same time.

The entire tent seemed to plunge into the most intense state of war, with sirens sounding off and people marching forward to the source of the slight tremble.

Soon, dozens of hideous-looking poachers appeared in the storage; some were watching closely on the second-floor balcony.

All of them were clad in wizard robes or simple winter attire, each with a scary mask covering their face, yet it couldn't hide their surprise as every one of them was pouring their attention towards the centre of the lowest floor.

"What in the bloody Scheiße is going on here?" one of the burly asked in a German accent, as he was the last to arrive.

"Dunno, but the hideout seems to have been breached by that!" Said another as he pointed towards the man in the centre of the lowest floor.

"Only this Ficker!?" The burly man exclaimed surprisingly as he cast a fierce gaze towards the man.

The said man looked like one of those flashy magicians of the muggles performing tricks that they called magic, although this one seemed much more elegant and mysterious in his deep navy double-breasted suit and dark short Ulster coat, which fluttered in the air. He donned a dark silk top hat, a black Moretta mask painted with a creepy white smile, and a pair of prominent white gloves.

The magician was sitting cross-legged, nonchalantly, on one of the crates. Behind him were stacks of caged magical creatures staring at the magician with utmost curiosity while he simply performed a few card tricks with a deck of tarot cards in his hand.

Seemingly oblivious to hundreds of piecing looks casting over him

Harry, ducking in an inconspicuous corner far away from the limelight, hidden among stacks of captured creatures, watched all of these scenes with a horrid expression, though he tried his best not to panic lest he cause Ethan more trouble.

The boy kept a close eye on everything that was about to happen as he clutched the egg and the golden pocket watch close. Harry firmly believed that Ethan could handle this.

There were a few moments of utter silence, though the air was filled with thick, murderous intent.

Yet neither side made any moves, as the poachers fully acknowledged that the magician sitting calmly there was anything but simple.

The man just passed through various advanced defensive wards with ease and appeared on the lowest floor without a warning sign.

This alone was enough to make every wizard and witch here raise their caution to the highest level, as they were already ready for their wands, fully prepared to launch all kinds of heinous curses at the intruder.

Ethan cast a playful look at his 'audience', all of whom bore an unwelcome look on their faces. Then he spotted a woman clad in an unbuttoned tailoring pinstriped 1890s jacket, a lengthy shirt, and a waistcoat of the same kind. She also donned a bonnet, a pair of brown leather shoes, and a scarf seemingly covering half of her visage.

She was standing among the crowd on the upper floor, watching Ethan curiously.

All of her intimidating demeanour indicated that she was the leader of the branch of Altxorra Braconier here.

The burly man from before was the first to break the silence with his hoarse voice.

"State your purposes, Fremde! before you become dead meat for those hungry beasts behind you."

He pointed his wand threateningly towards the magician.

Ethan's mouth opened into an insidious smile at the man's behaviour. "Well, well, it seems like all my audience is here. Let us begin the show."

His tone was playful, lacking any signs of fearfulness, though it was enough to irritate all those poachers as some of them started to take a few steps closer, drawing their wands.

"Ah yes, where are my manners? Allowed me to introduce myself…" With that said, the magician stood up on his feet and performed a formal bow, much to the bewilderment of the poachers.

"I'm the one who will bring justice upon you for every sin you have committed." This time his voice was cold and intimidating, as everyone present could feel the intense, potent aura exuding from the magician, making the painted smile on his mask much creepier.

"HA! Very flashy thief; let's see what gives you such confidence." Having received the affirming look from the woman, the burly man started the attack.

Under Harry's wide eyes, dozens of colourful but destructive flashes of light, though none of them bore the deadly green light, hurdled towards Ethan rapidly.

Ethan simply threw the deck of tarot cards high in the air, letting all of those spells hit him directly.

All of the poachers watch this scene with utter confusion, but soon their expressions turn grim as they witness the magician's figure shattered before bursting into a swamp of white smoke covering the whole floor, causing a ruckus among the magical creature and the poachers. Followed by a few streaks of purple lights.

'A clone through, but how?' Sensing something amiss, the woman also drew her wand, and with a wide swing, the swamp of smoke was completely dispersed.

Yet all those who watched from above were surprised to see a few of their comrades sprawling on the cold floor, unconscious. While various tarot cards somehow landed on the other poacher's feet, some even made it to the second floor.

While the magician figure was nowhere to be found, suspected that he had used the

Disillusionment Charm, robust explosions sounded at their feet as those tarot cards were altered to become ticking bombs.

Those who failed to react in time to pull out Protego or blow those cards away were plunged away, crashing all over the place; some were completely knocked out, others groaning in pain as one could hear the crunchy sound of bones being broken.

The crowd on the balcony was forced to scatter down the lowest floor, leaving a few remaining up there.

However, it took them no time to steady their posture and recover from those unexpected attacks.

Soon they finally spotted the magician figure that appeared out of the cloud of starlight under the shadow of the second floor, waving his wand at them.

They could clearly perceive his condescending smirk behind the mask. Anger swelled up as rapid cursing in different languages pointed at the magician, accompanied by a streak of spells.

Much to their surprise, all of those spells were absorbed into thin air, causing slight ripples before they could reach Ethan.

'Protego!?' They watch in bewilderment as multiple layers of wavy navy curtains begin to materialise in front of their eyes, covering the entire first floor and forming a closed dome.

They were trapped inside Ethan's signature spell, Impervius Cortina—the Impervious Curtain.

 It was a unique spell crafted by Ethan in his school days, based on Potego as well as Protego Diabolica. Added some elements of imagination, we had this spell capable of absorbing or redirecting incoming attacks and could turn sturdy as a concrete wall or flexible to respond to different attacks.

The curtain would only reveal itself upon impact and could go back to being transparent at the user's will. Therefore, one could even imbue illusions using this feature, thus creating a seamlessly potent trap.

Despite its wavy texture and the look of a fragile curtain, it would take so much more than a few Diffindo—the Severing Charm—to shred it apart.

Those poachers, including the burly, were panicking to find themselves trapped in this unfamiliar spell, unable to break through the spinning dome with their spell.

As a result, some even prepared to cast Fiendfyre, risking burning the whole area, but were attacked by the extended part of the curtain, much like a Lethifold swallowing up its prey.

As the dome closed in, all those inside put on a horrid expression before their sight completely darkened.

Those left on the second floor were greeted by the magician's rapid Stupefy and Expelliarmus from various angles; they could only catch the magician's faded silhouette as he was apparating too quickly, almost to the point of blinking.

As another weakling fell, the woman finally had to face the terrifying Magician. Yet she still held her place, showing no sign of backing down.

'Such shuddering prowess, what was he truly attain from making such a ruckus?'

Under Ethan's Sight, the woman began raising her wand as she gathered her magic, thus making the magical core within her spin rapidly, producing more dense, colourful threads than any of those previous poachers lying unconscious.

'Haiz…This could get ugly' Still, this was within what he had expected.

Harry had witnessed such an incredible battle with the utmost bewilderment. Cold sweat broke out from his back as he could truly feel the heat of the battle even from this faraway corner.

'Dad is so COOL!'

The boy's eyes were filled with utmost adoration towards Ethan's graceful figure, the helm of his coat fluttered in the air. Whilst facing him this time was the stern-looking woman, seemingly the boss of this hideout.

Harry gulped subconsciously as he could feel the boiling atmosphere between the two about to erupt.

Then, with a cracking sound, the woman was the first to strike, destroying the place where Ethan was standing.

Ethan simply sustained his balance using Precise Body Control whilst falling; within a blink of an eye, his figure phased into starlight as he apparated not far behind the woman.

However, before he could deliver a blow, she immediately waved her wand downward, creating waves of mental spikes outward behind her. Ethan returned by slowing down the spike momentum on all those spikes before blasting them off, severing the spell continuation.

Then, he tilted his head to the side seamlessly, avoiding a sneaky Reducto coming from her, which earned him a furrow on the woman.

The two stopped for a brief assessment of each other before launching their assaults. Transparent and colourful but devastating spells clashed, shaking the entire place.

Harry held the pocket watch and the egg tightly while watching out for any mishaps.

After a while, the woman's face showed signs of frustration from magic depletion, whereas Ethan remained in a nonchalant posture, like he was just playing toss and catch with a child.

Taking a deep breath, she focused her intent before firing off a potent Expulso. Blew up a grand smoke screen and debris towards Ethan. Even causing quite a ruckus outside the tent.

Ethan quickly used Impervius Cortina, ensuring that the explosion could not damage the area further.

Before Ethan could get rid of all of them, she had already nimbly made her escape via Apparition.

Looking out the entrance, Ethan's mouth curled up into a smile, for there were signs of various magic auras fluctuating coming from the nearby trail, seemingly chasing after something.

With a wave of his wand, Ethan restored everything to its previous state, except for what was seemingly blasted out of existence. He then proceeded to tighten up all those poachers into one place, stacking them upon each other.

Having confirmed that nothing else was amiss, he called for Harry to come out. Immediately, the boy bolted into his embrace whilst holding the perfectly perverse egg and pocket watch in his hand.

Harry's face was beaming with joy to see his Dad unscathed; the boy even gave Ethan a big thumbs up, which Ethan gladly replied with a graceful bow, concluding his performance.

'Now there is still one more thing left.' Ethan's face showed a rather satisfying reaction as he marched forward to the office of the woman with Harry.

In there, he finally got what he'd been longing for. A stack of copies of reports regarding Re'em's whereabouts and, more importantly, a drop of Re'em's blood!

It seems like the identity of the woman wasn't as simple as that of the branch manager of this hideout.