- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 89
“Looks like my plan paid off.”
As Leo tipped over the box, spilling its contents onto the table, he couldn’t help but mutter to himself.
Among the items were books like *Deadly Dark Magic*, *The Alchemy of Cursed Objects*, *A Muggle Dissection Experiment Guide*, and *Eighteen Deadly Poison Recipes*…
He ignored the roughly 300 Galleons that spilled out and instead focused on the rare magical books that couldn’t be found on the open market.
“Hmm, a diary.”
Amidst the dozen or so magical books, Leo discovered a somewhat tattered diary.
He opened it and skimmed through its contents. It turned out to be a collection of fragmented notes documenting the old wizard’s experiences, providing Leo with some insight into the man’s life.
The old wizard was named Manu Angel. His mother was a witch, and his father was a Muggle. His mother fell in love with his father due to his handsome appearance, but because of the Statute of Secrecy, she had to give up her identity as a witch and marry him, vowing never to pick up a wand again.
However, due to an accident, Manu’s father discovered his mother’s true identity as a witch. Like most Muggles, he was terrified of witches and, with the help of other Muggles, attempted to burn her and the then three-year-old Manu alive.
As a witch, Manu’s mother was naturally unharmed by mere flames. Heartbroken, she used Apparition to escape the Muggle village with young Manu.
But because she had used magic in front of Muggles, she was imprisoned and eventually died in despair. Manu was then raised by his uncle and later attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The trauma of his childhood left Manu with a deep hatred for Muggles and an obsession with the power of dark magic. After graduating, he was wanted by the Ministry of Magic for repeatedly killing Muggles in his magical experiments, leading to a life on the run.
Over the years, he had become a ruthless dark wizard, responsible for the deaths of more than a hundred Muggles and several wizards.
Manu had been inspired by the tales of Grindelwald and agreed with his ideology, so he decided to sell some of his self-made poisons in Knockturn Alley and then head to France to join Grindelwald.
However, he never expected to be caught off guard by a half-trained wizard like Leo.
Who would have thought that at 3 a.m. in Knockturn Alley, there would be someone lying in wait, hidden in the walls, ready to ambush him?
And the worst part was, the attack wasn’t even magical. If Leo had used a Disarming Charm, Manu, as an experienced wizard, would have sensed it and reacted. But who could anticipate someone physically grabbing the wand out of his hand with such strength that even a layer of skin was peeled off?
Leo collected the diary, magical books, Galleons, and various other items into his pouch and headed down to the basement.
He needed to have a proper conversation with the old wizard.
Learning dark magic and alchemy on his own might take him a lifetime, but with the guidance of an experienced dark wizard, the process would be much faster.
…
“Tom Fawley, so it’s you!”
In the basement, the old Manu, tightly bound by chains, recognized Leo the moment he saw him.
As the owner of the herb shop in Diagon Alley and the last wizard of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Fawley family, Leo’s predecessor may not have been particularly powerful, but he was somewhat well-known.
“So, you know me.”
Leo offered a faint, almost friendly smile.
Manu glanced warily at the house-elf Bally, standing nearby, and tried to suppress his anger as he asked through gritted teeth:
“It seems we have no personal grudge. Why did you attack me and bring me here?”
“Well… we don’t have any grudges. To be honest, I attacked you simply because you happened to meet my requirements. I need a teacher to teach me dark magic.”
“A teacher?”
Manu was stunned, momentarily at a loss for words.
Since regaining consciousness, he had been trying to figure out if he had recently offended someone or if a family member or friend of a wizard he had killed was seeking revenge.
To find out that the reason was something so unbelievable was mind-boggling.
You want to learn dark magic, so you go to Knockturn Alley and kidnap a dark wizard? Is that even a thing?
“Mr. Manu, you’ll be staying here for a while. Your task is to answer all my questions about dark magic. Don’t even think about escaping—Bally will be watching you.
If I catch even a hint that you’re planning to escape, I’ll kill you on the spot and head back to Knockturn Alley to kidnap someone else.
You should understand, there are plenty of dark wizards in Knockturn Alley—you’re not the only one.”
Leo spoke with a smile, but the menace in his words made Manu, a dark wizard himself, shudder twice.
At that moment, Manu felt like the real dark wizard was standing in front of him.
“If I help you with everything, will you let me go?”
Manu realized he had no choice but to agree, but he was also afraid that once he was no longer useful, Leo would kill him anyway.
Leo nodded.
“Don’t worry. I swear on the Fawley family name: as long as you sincerely guide me in learning dark magic and related knowledge, I will let you leave safely and unharmed.”
Of course, Leo wasn’t really Tom Fawley, so swearing on the Fawley family name was just a way to placate Manu.
Leo had no intention of releasing a ruthless dark wizard, only for him to return and seek revenge. He wasn’t that naive.
Even if he were to let Manu go, it wouldn’t be without conditions. At the very least, he would use Obliviate to erase Manu’s memories of everything that happened at the Fawley estate.
“Alright, I agree.”
Hearing Leo swear on his family name, Manu agreed without hesitation.
In the wizarding world, everyone knows that when a wizard, especially a pure-blood wizard, swears on their family name, they are unlikely to lie.
Especially since Tom Fawley was part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, it was even less likely that he would joke about his family name.
“But let me warn you, if you don’t teach me well and I learn slowly, I’ll still kill you!”
Leo said this with a smile, then casually waved his wand, casting a Severing Charm at the suited man bound to a nearby cross, decapitating him and sending a spray of blood everywhere.
The fat man and the other captives next to the suited man began wailing in terror.
Manu, a dark wizard, was used to such scenes, but he couldn’t help but silently curse to himself:
“Merlin’s pants, so if you’re just a slow learner, you’ll blame it on me?”
Though he cursed internally, Manu understood that Leo wasn’t joking. If he didn’t teach diligently, he might really end up dead.
It’s not difficult for a wizard to live to be over a hundred years old, and Manu, at sixty, wasn’t ready to die just yet.
…