A Beautiful Day ends in Azkaban

"Have a nice day!" Anthony bid farewell to the customer with a smile, turning to retrieve the ice cream on the conveyor belt. "Hello, Kevin! How are you doing? Two pounds, thank you."

"It's fine, Mr. Anthony, but it's too hot." Kevin handed over the money. "How about you? How are you doing?"

Anthony handed him the change and replied, "It's pretty good, except that I occasionally find feathers in my pocket. Everything else is normal."

"That's good," Kevin said sympathetically. "I heard from Dad that the owls are swarming into your window like crazy. But on the bright side, all the wild mice in your house should be gone."

"Don't mention it; the owl might think my place is a restaurant." Anthony joked. "Okay, Kevin, grab the ice cream and enjoy your summer vacation."

He watched Kevin skip happily out of the supermarket, and the smile on his face faded.

Anthony was a resident of Holly Street, London, and a cashier at the Whalley's supermarket around the corner.

Three days ago, a group of owls broke into his house. The noise was so loud that he had to hide his pets and turn to his neighbors for help. After all, dealing with the flock of birds alone would be suspicious. Exhausted from the ordeal, he became an ordinary unlucky guy. The neighbors made fun of him, and even the daily newspaper devoted a small page to describing the incident.

"The owl attacks the window of a man living alone."

He requested the skeleton cat, disguising itself as a fluffy, overweight guinea pig lying in a nest to deal with the photographer. 

Anthony got off work. As he walked to his door, he found a strangely dressed man standing there. The man wore a shirt, tie, and suit in the summer, even a pair of cufflinks, but underneath was a work skirt.

Anthony's eyes twitched. "I'm not interested in any newspaper subscription, so excuse me...?"

The man stared at Anthony as if he were a dangerous lunatic. In a tight voice, he introduced himself, "Mr. Anthony, I am Giroud Oli from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. I am investigating your alleged violation of the Statute of Secrecy, and you have never responded to the ban. I hope you will cooperate with us regarding the misuse of magic."

Mr. Oli took out a wooden stick and pointed it at Anthony. "At the same time, due to the unregistered dark magic atmosphere in your residence, the Auror will arrive within three minutes."

"What letter?" Anthony frowned, glancing around to ensure they weren't drawing attention.

The man continued to stare and shake his head. Anthony, trying to understand the situation, was interrupted by a series of explosions. Several men in black robes appeared at his door. Two restrained Anthony while the others forcefully entered.

The poor skeleton cat was still angry, arching its back and whining at the intruders. It was torn to pieces, and the Wraith Chicken that was summoned trying to protect its companion was also dissipated by blue light from a stick.

"What are you doing?" Anthony no longer cared about his neighbors. Breaking free, he pointed towards the house. "Good cat, come here!"

A gust of wind scattered the bones, and they flew directly into Anthony's arms. He summoned a spare skeleton to block the rapid red light, looking down at the scratches and cracks on his pet's bones.

The usually carefree cat, pampered and rolling on the ground, now shrunk in his arms, almost dissipated. The Wraith chicken, which woke Anthony up from nightmares every morning, was scattered to dust.

Now, it felt like a new nightmare. The cat's bones trembled in his arms.

"Don't be afraid." Anthony hugged them tightly, looking at the group of men in black robes. "Who are you? What is your purpose? Is there any misunderstanding?"

He realized that these people feared and hated him. They treated him as if he were about to randomly explode people and were ready to die with him.

It's outrageous, but not incomprehensible – he sometimes fears himself.

"Don't be afraid," he tried to comfort them. "No matter what you're afraid of, I have no intention of attacking you. I'm just a law-abiding little employee."

One man in black robes sneered. "Maintain the counter-curse! Don't listen to the black wizard's nonsense! Stay vigilant and don't let him escape!"

"This...," Anthony said helplessly, "if I wanted to run away, I would have done so long before you came. Mr. Oli told me that a group of people were on the way. I just didn't expect you to be so disrespectful. Be reasonable."

The man spat on the ground, cursing in disgust. He leaned closer to Anthony, pressing the wooden stick against the back of Anthony's neck. "I'm warning you not to play tricks, otherwise, I'll give you a killing curse."

Another person muttered, and all objects on Anthony's body flew out. His wallet was searched multiple times. The man frowned, shook his head, and pressed the wooden stick harder.

"Where's your wand? Tell me where it is, and don't move."

Anthony knew they were looking for his wand. He sighed, " You won't believe me if I say it's not with me. How about this, I'll do a trick for you."

His eyes fell on the flower bed. In midsummer, the sun set late, and the sorrel grass swayed gently in the breeze. Undead butterflies emerged, shining golden in the sunset. The butterflies flew around the man in the black robe and disappeared in the afterglow.

Anthony watched them disperse gently. "How can I put it, I don't need a magic wand." He hugged his cat and explained, "But I'm really not aggressive. Take me through whatever process you want to go through, and let's clear up the misunderstanding."

...

Around eleven o'clock, the night fell, and a crescent moon hung far away on the sea.

Anthony, accustomed to a regular schedule, was already sleepy. He yawned, staring boredly at the black waves. Thick fog enveloped the ship, and he didn't know how long the voyage would last.

The man traveling with him – Anthony now knew him to be an Auror – leaned silently against the side of the ship, controlling the course with his wand. When the wand's front end lit up with a light yellow, the fog suddenly dissipated, revealing an isolated island in the middle of the rough sea.

Anthony would have been curious and amazed, but confusion clouded his thoughts. This was his first encounter with the magical world. When he first discovered his bizarre abilities, he had distant longings, imagining a wonderful world unfolding before his eyes. But now, it was too late. He had a stable life, a job, friendly neighbors, and familiar customers. He no longer needed false fantasies. He stocked his house with his favorite things, hoarding like a hamster. And he had his cat.

And now, this belated world suddenly rushed in. He didn't need it anymore. He just wanted to find someone who could communicate with him, solve all this, then go home, take a good bath, and go to work on time the next day.

He didn't find the reasonable person he wanted to see.

He was taken to a place called the Ministry of Magic, answered a few questions (Anthony), signed a document, and then boarded a ship to Azkaban.

The staff at Azkaban, upon seeing Anthony escorted over, lazily walked out of the duty room. "What is it?"

Anthony's fellow Auror whispered, "The dark wizard seems to have some brain problems."

The staff looked at Anthony, pointing to his arms. "Is it a question of holding a bone like a teddy bear?"

The Auror was startled. Anthony had been so cooperative that everyone had forgotten he was still holding his own casting materials.

"Put it down," the Auror said to Anthony. "You can't bring dark magic items into Azkaban. It's ridiculous that none of us thought about destroying them."

Anthony shook his head. "These are bones of my cat"

The staff also said, "Cuddle him if you like. There will be a bunch of dementors guarding him"

The fellow Auror whispered to the staff member, "He is said to be a necromancer."

Aren't they said to be extinct?" The staff member was surprised, feeling a little embarrassed after thinking about it.

Anthony's words reminded them. Azkaban, the burial place of countless dark wizards, can be called the arsenal of Necromancers. Unfortunately, necromancers have been extinct for many years, and the death magic used in the past has been extinct. 

"Let me make a report for you. You can take the bones to the innermost cell first." The staff decided to stabilize the necromancer first. "Go back quickly and ask the director what to do. Uh, you guys, allocate what you can now. Send all the dementors to guard his cell."

"Great, thank you." Anthony smiled at the staff.

"What the hell." The man watched Anthony walking deeper into Azkaban and complained to the Auror. "He acted like I just handed him a bottle of jam at the table. I almost told him you were welcome."

"Don't be fooled by appearances. He is a necromancer, a dark wizard among dark wizards." The Auror shook his head. "A madman among madmen. The dementors will treat him well."