By the time Leonard and the other two arrived at the place indicated in the Muggle's memories, it was already engulfed in blazing flames.
So much for hoping otherwise.
"Looks like we're too late after all."
Leonard sighed as he looked at the building before him, thick smoke rolling upward and flames leaping high.
The fire had clearly been burning for some time. More than a dozen firefighters were spraying it down with hoses, while the nearby residents stood around pointing at the scene and talking among themselves.
There were too many Muggles nearby, which meant they could not use magic to put out the fire. And those firefighters hosing everything down had most likely washed away any clues that might have remained.
Under those circumstances, even a Repairing Charm would probably not be able to piece together anything useful. It was obvious that the lead from that Muggle had been cut off, and Leonard's hope of confiscating some weapons had naturally gone up in smoke as well.
"What a pity. I was hoping I might get my hands on a sniper rifle..." Leonard watched the flames rage and shook his head regretfully.
"I asked around. Those Muggles said this place was supposed to be an abandoned building. No one knows why it suddenly caught fire," Norman said after making a round of the area.
"They were not doing anything legal, so of course they would not openly set up a laboratory. Using an abandoned building as a front makes perfect sense." Leonard said, "A Muggle organization that captures wizards is illegal under both Muggle law and wizarding law."
"But they moved too fast, didn't they? It's only been two or three hours since we caught that Muggle. How did they manage it?" Norman frowned.
"Muggles have instant communication. The moment someone got captured here, the people on the other side probably got the news. Then they moved their data and supplies and destroyed the evidence... for an organization that has both wizards and Muggle technology, moving that quickly is not strange."
As he spoke, Leonard cast a thoughtful look around him.
There was nothing unusual on the surface. The Muggles were discussing the fire, and nothing in their expressions or words stood out.
He had expected the enemy to evacuate quickly. And he was certain there were watchers still nearby.
If they had been wary enough to expect someone to follow the trail here, then they would naturally have left eyes behind.
Leonard could already feel people watching him, and not just one watcher either.
He looked at Lehende. The wizard with Veela blood had clearly noticed something as well. Their eyes met, silently confirming that they had reached the same conclusion, and Lehende gave a faint nod.
One look was enough. Both of them had sensed the danger.
Unlike Norman at their side, who was still talking loudly and had no idea that danger was already close by.
First, he needed to find out how many were nearby, and what exactly they were.
A green light flowed through Leonard's eyes, and the roadside plants all entered his field of vision.
With his magical sight layered on top of that, Leonard quickly found several suspicious traces of magic around them.
They were three crows, perched in different trees, watching everyone around the fire scene.
And the ones they were focusing on most closely were Lehende and the people around him.
The crows had no idea that their brazen staring had already put both Leonard and Lehende on alert.
With three crows appearing at once, Leonard had already identified the culprit in his mind.
So it really was Raven.
Leonard gave no outward reaction and continued observing the surroundings.
The three crows were positioned behind them and off to both sides, forming a pincer around the fire scene. The only question was how many enemies were behind those three birds.
Leonard shot Lehende a look.
Lehende gave the slightest nod in return, instantly understanding what Leonard meant.
"Norman, let's go."
Lehende grabbed Norman by the arm and pulled him away from the scene before he could ask any questions.
At the same time, Leonard quietly slipped into the crowd and disappeared into concealment.
In that brief instant, without a single word exchanged, they had already formed a complete plan.
Lehende, the one the enemy was focused on, would act as the bait and draw their attention, while Leonard would stay behind and strike from the shadows.
The three crows moved. They followed Lehende and Norman as they flew, completely unaware that a pair of eyes was now fixed on them from behind.
Blending into the crowd, Leonard used his plant vision to keep track of both the crows and the people around him.
Only after confirming that there were no wizards nearby did he quietly follow the crows.
Ahead of him, Lehende and Norman wove their way out of the crowd and headed toward a more secluded area. The crows did not find that suspicious at all. They simply continued to track them from above, cawing from time to time.
"Lehende, where exactly are we going?" Norman jogged after him and finally could not help asking once they turned into an alley.
"No idea," Lehende answered with a perfectly straight face, not slowing down in the slightest, forcing Norman to hurry after him.
"Then where did Leonard go?"
"Don't worry. You'll find out soon enough."
Lehende turned another corner, then suddenly stopped.
Two wizards in Muggle clothes stood in front of them, blocking the way with wands in hand.
"Mr. Delacour, we meet again," one of the wizards sneered. "Your daughter really exceeded our expectations. We never thought she could hold out until you came back to help, even with preparations sufficient to hunt down a full-grown wizard."
"Exactly," the other wizard added. "Thanks to you, we had to spend the whole night sorting through files and destroying evidence."
"That only proves your people were incompetent. Otherwise, you would not have been forced back so quickly." Lehende's tone was merciless. He had just started to draw his wand when one of the other wizards hit him with a Disarming Charm and sent it flying.
"Don't move. And that goes for you too, Mr. Slughorn."
A dim green glow lit up on the ends of the two wizards' wands. The familiar color made Norman, who had been about to fight back, freeze where he stood.
These people were genuinely insane. They were tossing out spells like that without even speaking the incantation.
To be able to cast the Killing Curse silently... just how practiced did that require them to be?
"What do we do now?" Norman shot Lehende a look.
"Wait..." Lehende answered with his eyes alone.
That was the way things were between wizards. Unless the gap in strength was overwhelming, the one who took the initiative could completely suppress the other.
Now both of them had fallen into a passive position.
At this point, the only one they could rely on was Leonard, who still had not shown himself.
Hidden around the corner, Leonard watched Lehende and Norman being subdued. Then he lifted his gaze to the three crows perched along the eaves and frowned slightly.
Three crows.
If he did not take them all out at once, they might become a real problem later.