"They're nothing but a pack of venomous snakes hiding in the shadows. They strike when you least expect it, but that's all they are—cowards," Hagrid said, his disdain for the Death Eaters clear in his voice.

"But things seem calm now, don't they? I haven't seen any news about the Death Eaters in the papers for a while," Alex said, noting Hagrid's fiery attitude.

Hagrid burped loudly and shook his head. "Don't let the quiet fool you. They've been lying low recently, but mark my words—they're up to something. Probably brewing some new conspiracy. But don't worry, we've got Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. We'll win this war, you'll see."

Alex frowned slightly, confused. "Isn't the Ministry of Magic already fighting them? Why did Dumbledore set up the Order of the Phoenix? Wouldn't the Ministry see it as a private army and get suspicious?"

Hagrid leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper as if sharing a secret. "You're right to wonder, lad. But here's the thing—there are plenty of people in the Ministry who secretly support You-Know-Who. The Ministry's full of people who either agree with his ideas or are too scared to stand up to him. You never know who's trustworthy. That's why Dumbledore created the Order—to fight the secret war that the Ministry can't handle. Some of the Aurors in the Ministry are part of the Order, too. Dumbledore always says, 'We fight the secret with the secret.'"

Alex stared at Hagrid in disbelief. 'Is he really telling me all this so casually?' It seemed that a little too much alcohol had loosened Hagrid's tongue, and he was revealing sensitive information without a second thought. Alex couldn't help but feel concerned for the Order's security, given how easily Hagrid was spilling its secrets.

The conversation continued late into the night, with Hagrid and Tom finishing off the bottle of red currant rum between them. Eventually, Hagrid glanced at the clock, his eyes widening. "Blimey, look at the time! I've gotta head back to Hogwarts. Past curfew already!"

Tom, who was also quite drunk, mumbled, "How're you gettin' back, Hagrid? The Floo Network's been down here for a while now, thanks to those Death Eaters messin' up the Ministry. The Department of Magical Transportation hasn't had the manpower to fix it yet."

Hagrid rubbed his beard thoughtfully. "Aye, that's right... Well, I could head to Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burkes always keep their Floo open late, but that place deals in dark magic. Not the friendliest place to visit at night."

Alex, seeing Hagrid's unsteady steps and slurred speech, felt uneasy about letting him go alone. Diagon Alley might have been calm lately, but Knockturn Alley was still dangerous. And, with the heat from the dragon liver and a bit of rum warming him up, Alex made a bold offer.

"I'll walk you there, Mr. Hagrid. Just to be safe."

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Hagrid, too tipsy to argue, nodded. "Ah, thanks, lad. That's mighty kind of ya."

With Tom passed out at the bar, Alex and Hagrid left the Leaky Cauldron and walked down the quiet streets of Diagon Alley. The shops were closed for the night, their windows dark. As they neared Knockturn Alley, the air seemed to get colder, and the narrow streets became more shadowed and oppressive.

They arrived at Borgin and Burkes, a shop known for selling dangerous and dark magical artifacts. The storefront looked as eerie as ever, with dusty windows and strange objects peeking out from the dimly lit interior. As they stepped inside, the shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen. Alex glanced around, feeling a mix of fascination and caution as he took in the sight of various cursed objects—a mask with a terrifying grin, a shriveled hand, and a glass eyeball that seemed to follow him wherever he moved.

Hagrid hiccupped and clapped Alex on the shoulder. "Best not to touch anything in here, lad. Ya never know what curses might be on these things." He lumbered over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, and, after calling out "Hogsmeade!" disappeared in a swirl of green flames.

Left alone in the strange shop, Alex didn't linger. The place gave him the creeps, and he didn't want to tempt fate by sticking around. He quickly made his way toward the exit of Knockturn Alley.

Just as he reached the end of the alley, a shadowy figure appeared out of nowhere, the telltale sign of someone Apparating. Alex froze, his instincts kicking in. Something felt off. The figure stumbled through the alley, knocking over crates and barrels in a hurry. Whoever it was, they didn't notice Alex crouching behind a nearby pillar. The man was clearly being chased, his movements frantic as he fled deeper into the alley.

Alex had barely caught his breath when, without warning, two more figures appeared in a swirl of black smoke. Dressed in black robes and wearing skull-like masks, they were unmistakably Death Eaters. One of them raised a wand and fired a spell at the fleeing man.

The man, hearing the attack behind him, spun around and deflected the curse with his own wand, sending the spell crashing into a nearby barrel, which exploded into wooden splinters.

Now, spells flew back and forth as the two Death Eaters and their target exchanged hexes in the narrow alley. Alex, still crouched behind his cover, cursed his luck. 'Why now? I should've known better than to wander around here at night. Stupid.'

He could hear the voices of the dueling wizards over the crackling spells.

"Snape! You can't hide behind that mask—I can smell your stink from miles away!" shouted the man with long black hair, his face set in a rebellious sneer. He was clearly mocking the Death Eater, laughing even as he dodged incoming curses.

"Sirius, you fool! Think carefully about your last words because this time, I won't let you escape!" the Death Eater sneered back.

Alex's eyes widened in recognition. 'Sirius Black?!' He had heard the name Sirius before, and he was well-known in the magical world. It seemed like he had stumbled right into a fight between a notorious Order of the Phoenix member and the Death Eaters.

"Stop talking and finish him!" the second Death Eater growled, stepping back to prepare a more powerful spell. He muttered something under his breath, the tip of his wand glowing with dark energy.

Alex's heart raced. He was trapped between the two Death Eaters and Sirius, with spells flying back and forth. 'I have to stay hidden. If I get caught in the middle of this, I'm as good as dead,' he thought, taking deep breaths to calm himself.

But then, the situation escalated. The second Death Eater raised his wand, preparing to unleash something far more dangerous.