Let's put aside whether Professor Snape, Hogwarts' eternal scapegoat, was aware that yet another enormous black cauldron of blame had been dropped onto his back. For now, Allen felt it was best that they simply sit down.
Well, to be precise, the one who was anxious wasn't Allen, but Harry. After all, the one who had almost fallen off his broom wasn't Allen. That experience was like going through something far more insane than a roller coaster, and no one in their right mind would want to try that again.
Even the most sky-loving boy would feel genuine fear when facing a situation where their life and death were completely out of their control, especially an eleven-year-old.
So right now, Harry's gaze was filled with anticipation.
To him, as long as he had a broom, the sky was nothing to fear, so what he desperately needed was something that could withstand curses.
Thus, the young Savior looked at his good friend with pleading eyes.
"Um, Allen… do you have, you know… that thing?"
The correct answer should've been no, but there was no way Allen could just say that outright.
Make joy with your heart, but… no money…
Ahem. Since the boy was basically a paying customer, Allen couldn't respond so rudely, especially when he did have such a thing… and it was literally how he made a living.
But the system's inheritance he relied on was still something even he didn't fully understand, so he couldn't exactly teach it. Thankfully, he still had a budget version he could share, namely, the Iron Armor Charm.
However, the two of them still hadn't managed to learn it. As mentioned before… it was just too difficult.
So, before filling in the hole he dug, Allen already boarded his metaphorical flight to Africa, leaving poor Harry to study on his own.
Dear Harry, self-study well. And… Merry Christmas.
••┈┈┈┈┈༓┈┈┈┈┈•••
When Allen and his group arrived in Africa, a wave of heat hit them immediately.
The first thing he saw was the distressed face of a certain Auror, Allen was honestly a bit surprised that this man had survived after boasting the way he did last time.
As for why this American Auror was in Africa? Simple, Allen lured him here using some inheritance data from the lab.
Yep. A piece of knowledge Allen himself didn't care much about had sold for a ridiculous price. Truly heartwarming.
"Oh come on, Mr. Auror, why the long face? Old friends meeting again should be all smiles!" Allen spread on his warmest grin and gave the Auror a big, friendly hug, whispering by his ear.
And the reason he called him "old friend"?
He… had forgotten the man's name.
If the Auror found out, he would probably throw his wand to the ground and leave immediately. After all, he came all this way ready to fight to the death, and Allen couldn't even remember his name!!!
But really, it wasn't Allen's fault. Everyone was busy, who had time for trivial things like names? The fact that he remembered the man while planning a scam was goodwill enough!
And as for "friends", this Auror was definitely pinned at the top of Allen's list of people he could scam without guilt!
"Alright, kid, you win. I'm here now, so can you hand over the stuff already?" The Auror was both angry and amused. He had planned to go on vacation after finishing his mission… but Allen's hired owl brought word that the Ministry had generously gifted him some valuable information from their last joint operation, information that the Ministry itself hadn't even reviewed yet.
The moment he heard it, he cursed the person responsible as an idiot while rushing here at full speed. As an Auror, there was no way he was letting such data slip away.
"Fine, kid. I won't insist on the original copy. Just give me a complete duplicate, no missing pages. If you dare use that data to blackmail me again, I'll drag you back even if it starts an international incident!"
However,
Allen calmly shook his head.
"No can do. You can't get the payment before the job is done. I'll hand everything over, all at once, once the work is finished."
Who was trying to act here? Allen was the one doing the blackmailing. The old man came running because he got anxious. Too young, too green.
"No, I came with sincerity this time, " The Auror gestured, and two wizards stepped forward. Not to fight, they were his support team.
"See? I even brought two top talents from the Ministry. We're here to help you with your dangerous magical creature hunt. That's my sincerity. Now… where's yours?"
Allen blinked.
He didn't expect the Auror to bring his own direct subordinates. Clearly, Allen had underestimated how valuable this inheritance data was in the wizarding world.
Even in America, an Auror with influence was willing to risk his life for such data. And Allen certainly didn't believe he'd hand in the original without making a copy.
But he didn't call him out.
More cannon fodder. Great.
Still, since they came with manpower, Allen should show some courtesy.
"Alright then, true brothers value loyalty! May our friendship last forever. Honestly, old friend, I didn't think you'd take this so seriously!" Allen pulled out a pouch, worked inside it for a while, then handed it over.
"You've shown sincerity, so I'll warm my friend's heart. I'll give you half of this mysterious secret first!"
Their hands clasped tightly, the friendship forged through battle and scams is deeper than the ocean.
"Alright, my friend, we've just had a long journey. As much as I respect our friendship, I need to rest a bit first, " Allen gestured to Annie, who was completely drained from the climate change and travel.
"Of course. Contact me at this address when it's time to act." The Auror handed over a slip of paper. He couldn't wait to open that inheritance data. Last time, similar documents had been classified as top secret by the Ministry.
Not long after Allen left, an enraged roar burst from a dark corner:
"Fuck! You little bastard! This isn't over!!!"