3 Chapter III

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"The true master does not seek to run away from Death.

He accepts that he must die, and understands that there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying."

—Albus Dumbledore, on the Master of Death

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After shrinking his broom before leaving the ally he currently in, Harry was mesmerized by the buzzing marketplace. The city actually was bigger than he thought.

Along the major roads was so crowded because it was flanked by the market and the architecture Zaban city used for the buildings mostly similar to each other and looks like housing complexes. There are a number of buildings whose roof formed like a dome.

The market in the Zaban city beside selling goods in general, they also sell lots of unique goods, like ornamental headlights, any kind of clothes, diamonds, rocks, accessories and the others.

Harry's eyes caught a sight of a plump woman who sold her services by telling fortunes with a Tosca colored crystal ball. Rolled his eyes, Harry continued on without responding to some sales whose offers him to buy their stuff.

Arrived at the center of the city, he headed to the park while munching on a skewered bird's meat. Occupying one of the seats available, Harry observing a few people who passed from the market. He knows what he was supposed to looking for, or especially whom. As a Hunter, he thinks he had to find a clue for the exam site since he did not use the right direction for it.

Harry knows that following the Captain's advice is the right way to the Hunter exam but he grows impatient and he wants his broom back. Who can resist a temptation to ride a broom after these years working in the realm of Death? Certainly not Harry. Even when he knows how to fly without a broom, he still missed it sometimes and staying with the kids was a no-no if he wants his broom back.

Harry never had enough for his flying experience and he adds a few charms he knows to make the broom more advanced than when he was a mere Harry Potter. He never had a broom in the realm of Death because there was no use for it (and no materials too) but for now, he's Hadrian Black and Hadrian Black is one who never let an opportunity go.

Throwing the used skewer to the trash bin, Harry looks at a person who seems like an amateur fighter and decided to use a tracking spell at him and after an hour-long slacking and throwing a tracking spells at people, he decided to opened the connection one by one and grinning inside when they were staying in the same place.

'Gotcha'

Jumped from his seat, Harry hauled his backpack before walking at the destination. It was only a few yards over. Looking at the tallest building and the smallest one beside it was obvious. The Hunter's Chairman did really have a humorous nature when he decided a steak restaurant as a front gate for The Hunter's exam.

Pushing the wooden door open, his nose caught a delicious smell that makes his mouth slightly drooling.

'It's been a long time since I had a steak.'

"Welcome."

Harry flopped down on a seat in front of the chef. He looked over the menu and ordered the regular one and one each from the menu to take out. It was an easy task for him to extracting all of the exam information from the chef when he caught his eyes.

After paying, finishing his meal and stored all the take out safely in his backpack, Harry asked the chef, "Is the back room open, old man?"

The chef eyeing him and asked, "What will you have?"

"The steak combo that opens your eyes to the light, for one."

"For one." the Chef eyes twitched slightly, "How would you like them?"

"Grilled over a low flame, until cooked."

"Got it. Let yourself into the back room."

"Thanks, old man." Harry stood and following a serving girl to the back room.

Looking at the roundtable, he sat on the only chair in the room and placed his backpack on the floor beside his feet.

"Please wait in here." he nodded.

And as soon as the serving girl closed the door, the room shook and seems to sink. Looking at the opposite wall of the door, Harry found a device screen which usually found in an elevator.

Relaxed his shoulder, Harry waits.

•

Harry eyeing his surrounding. An underground tunnel with a few pipes on the wall and red lamps on the right and left as lightening following the road. He saw hundreds of people whose arrived before him turning their heads as he stepped out of the elevator, assessing.

Not that it matters.

"Hello."

Harry blinked, he knows there are creatures in this world but he certainly can not guess what it was. And since it had the ability to talk and seems like a male one, Harry decided to think of him as a fellow human.

"Ah, hello?"

"My name is Bean. Please take this number." the green man offered him a plate number.

"Nice to meet you, Bean-san. My name is Hadrian." he introduced himself as he accepted the offered plate.

Yeah, after receiving partial of Hadrian's memories, Harry realized that this world had the same speaking language as Japan but not for the writing language. So, it has become natural for him to add a suffix for a few people.

"Nice to meet you too, Hadrian. Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times. Please do not lose it."

"Hai, Arigatou, Bean-san."

Looking at the number displayed on the plate, Harry only shrugged internally before pin it on his right chest and using a sticky charm on it.

Walking towards the crowd, he plans to observe the competition when he bumped onto someone. Apologizing on reflect, Harry turned only to see a tall person with soft red hair. Upon the first meeting with that person, Harry knows that this one is insanely dangerous.

Like insane, insane.

The man smiled as he leaned over his right ear and whispered, "Careful little kitten, for I am not as forgiving as the others." Harry's eyes locked on that man even after he disappeared into the crowd.

'Definitely on Voldemort's level of danger.'

Harry decided to walk further more before he felt a finger tapped on his left shoulder. Turning around, he finds a pudgy brown-haired man who wears a blue sleeveless outer garment and an inner long soft grey looking at him.

'Number sixteen, smells like a rat.'

"You're very lucky he didn't hurt you. That man really dangerous, you know." the square nosed man said.

Harry rolling his eyes internally, 'Don't I know it.'

"My name is Tonpa by the way," the pudgy man offered his hand, Harry accepts it and briefly giving Hadrian's name. "This is your first time taking the Hunter Exam, isn't it?" apparently, the way Harry raising his eyebrow was a sign for him to continue talking though. "This is my thirty-fifth attempt," he said it like it was an accomplishment.

"Ah, do you know about that man, Tonpa? since you are an expert somewhat." Harry's head inclined to the crowd of examines where the redhead disappears to, trying to humor him.

"Y-yeah. His name is Hisoka. He got disqualified last year because he killed an examiner." looking at the man in front of him on his eyes, Harry casting 'Legimens' in his head.

Surfing his victim's thoughts, Harry found that man was really Peter Pettigrew version 2.0. A man with lies and deceit. Wormtail maybe a coward, but he did not enjoy other people suffering, just a blatantly weak-minded coward and this man is worse than him but he is harmless so far in fighting.

Storing the knowledge for another time, Harry directed his attention back to Tonpa as he offered a can of orange juice. Knew it was dosed with laxative but nothing magic can't take care of, Harry took it.

After Tonpa leaves him alone, he decides to find a spot to sit while waiting for the kids.

Reviewing Tonpa's memories, Harry smiled slightly. Hisoka was an interesting person with his Voldemort's lower level of insanity and he reminds Harry of Joker from DC but this one seems like a solo player. He had a dark aura to the point of troublesome, like someone who will bring chaos.

Still, Harry would like to keep an eye for the number of 44 since he was one of the two strongest examines except him.

The other one is a tall man with pins on his body, that includes his head too. He had a strong dark aura like Hisoka that remind him of Frankenstein the green zombie. The 301 name's still unknown as Tonpa didn't have the gut to approaching him. Natural instinct, he guesses.

After waiting for hours, Gon and the others finally arrived. And when Tonpa offered them drinks Harry decided to interfere to cleanse the laxative before they drink it, last they didn't have resistance for it. Or shoving potions in their mouth as a last resort.

But it was unnecessary as Gon apparently not only had a good instinct but a good taste too.

"Hey, guys."

The three of them turned their head in his directions after watching Tonpa leave. Gon smiled wider and waved his hand as Kurapika and Leorio's quirked their mouth upward a little.

"Hari!"

"Thought you're lost when we didn't see you here, Hari." Leorio slapped his back, grinning.

"Nice to see you safely here and not in the busway, Leorio." Harry wiggling his eyebrows teasingly because he knows Leorio almost fall for the bus trap.

Folded his hands, Leorio's eyebrow twitched, "Shut up you." and that makes the three of them laughing.

"Nice to see you too, Kurapika, Gon. I know you guys will make it."

"Yeah, did you arrived early Hari?" asked Gon enthusiastically.

"It looks like it when you see his plate number," concluded Kurapika, nodded his head.

"Right. How do you arrive so fast when we had to walks for hours?"

Kurapika faced over Leorio with a bland look, "It was just for almost three hours, Leorio."

"It's still considered hours," replied Leorio like a petulant child. Kurapika only shakes his head.

"How you arrived so fast then, Hari?" Gon turned to him curiously.

"Well," Harry leaned over Gon like he was to telling some secret. "I had a magical broom that can fly."

"Whoa," Gon eyes sparkling. "Can I try? Can I?" he bouncing over him in excitement.

"Don't be ridiculous, Gon. There's no such thing as a magic broom." Leorio frowning, not believing Harry's word at all.

Harry smirked at Gon, "We'll see."

•

A few minutes after, there was a sound of alarm clock alerting all of the occupants in the tunnel when the wall that barricades the road opened, showing a tall man wearing a purple suit with weird looking thing hanging from his hand. He had pale lavender hair which curls at the end, blue eyes and a long-pointed chin, with a thin curly mustache. That man must be the first examiner, but it was weird that he seemingly did not have a mouth.

'He was talking just fine though.' Harry mused, listening the examiner told them that the entry period has ended and the exam will begin before warned them for the danger for who want to proceed.

Harry began walking, following the kids as the examiner adding the pace. Their first examiner's name is Satotz and they just had to follow him to the next phase.

'No rule whatsoever.'

After two hours had passed, Harry glanced at Leorio whose breathing was labored hard and sweating heavily while Harry himself didn't even catch a breath.

'Nice endurance this body had. Good job, Hadrian.' Harry thought as Leorio shouted at some random kid.

He looks at the silver-haired kid who rides a skateboard casually. He actually had very pale skin and blue eyes with a plate number 99. Leorio was arguing hotly while the kid seems indifferent and when Gon inserting himself in their conversation, Harry glanced at the new kid. His eyes slightly twitching when he saw the amount of Fate's aura surrounded the kid. It was almost as much as Gon.

'Is this Hunter Exam some kind of aura's communities or it just for this year's applicants?' he shakes his head, turning to the kids whose talking animatedly. 'Seems like Gon got a friend his age.'

In the next two hours, Leorio didn't look so good. Like the fatigue catching up to him. 'Should I give him a pepper up potion?' Harry looks at him a little concerned.

'But, it wouldn't be good if he didn't pass this with his own power.' he eyeing the others and decided, 'Let's just observes, for now, see if he got the will to keep trying.' Harry slowed his pace and stopping when Leorio seems almost catch his limits.

Harry was waiting, so was Gon and Killua.

Getting his resolves back, Leorio sprinting madly while cursing out loud.

"Leorio, language!" Harry shouted, amused.

"FUCK THIS!"

Letting out a chuckle, he ran towards Gon and Killua after grabbing Leorio's suitcase. "Don't follow Leorio's example, okay kids," Harry mentioned the vulgar words.

Killua raised an eyebrow at him, "You're a kid too."

Harry smirked while pointing at him, "I am seventeen, and you're twelve. Hence, kid." and Killua had the regal to stuck his tongue at him, "Cheeky brat."

•

Widened his eyes in horror, Harry's eyebrow twitched. "This is the bane of my existence." he murmured at the long stairs further ahead, "Stairs of one hundred floors below Zaban City." Sighing, Harry continues onwards as he caught the sight of Kurapika and Leorio talking about the Kurta clan's red eyes and Leorio's childhood friend as Gon and Killua catching up from behind.

Harry got a few glimpses of two kids who live in the slums. Who he assumed was Leorio and his friend in the summertime.

Tears gathered on the corner of Leorio's eyes as he speaks about his dream on becoming a doctor and an image of a dark haired tall man with eyeglasses wearing a doctor's coat standing with his hands in his pocket flashed in Harry's mind. Blinked a few times, he did not think that was one of Leorio's memories.

"Guys, It's nice to open up like this, but you should save up your energy." Harry greets them from behind. "I don't think we're close to ending the first exam just with only this tunnel tough."

"Yeah, I do agree," replied Kurapika as Harry eyeing Leorio's plate number that sticks on his bare chest ridiculously.

As the other two kids running beside them, Gon speaks, "See you at the goal, Kurapika, Hari." while Killua spoke to Leorio with, 'Catch you later, old man.'

Leorio responded in a manner, "I'm not old!" Harry bit his cheek from laughing, "I'm a teenager, just like you guys!"

"Huh?"/"No way!"

Looking at the other three frozen in comical shock as words of denial uttered, Harry can't contain his laughter anymore.

"Bwahahahaha! You're really a riot, Leorio!" he was clutching his stomach as Leorio looked at him madly.

"What are you laughing for!?"

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