Broken Protector [Hogwarts Mystery Year 6 Retell]

Chapter 5: Finding a new low

A/N: I haven't updated this for two whole months! I need to hurry up and dish out some chapters. This one took me four and a half hours for some reason.
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It took me 4 hours just to get into Knockturn Alley at a proper time. I was fuming with anger at the very thought if Ben indulging in this kind of stupidity. Even with all the misadventures I've gotten into, I've never done anything this idiotic. At least not without a reason.

A part of me was hoping I was just being paranoid, and Ben wasn't actually there. But blast my rotten luck, he was there, loudly questioning a random wizard.

"I think a skull's gone missing from the Artefact room!" I called out to Ben. Yes, no hello's from me.

I seemed to have caught Ben's attention, and he looked at me as if I was judging him for doing something perfectly normal.

I rolled my eyes. "Please tell me you didn't come here to find a buyer for it."

"No I am not. I'm here for something more important. Answers."

"Answers?"

"Yes. About what Rakepick has been up to and about the final Cursed Vault. Searching in and around the castle hasn't turned up any leads as of yet."

"So you're trying to hunt down Rakepick and the final Cursed Vault? Since when!?"

"Since I decided to stop becoming the protecee and become the protector."

"Ugh Ben. How do I put this in the most polite way I can? You're inadvertently making me the protector. Giving me more stress. Ben Copper, you're being an idiot."

"If that's how you feel. But I meant it when I said that I won't let anyone take advantage of me or my friends. I'll do whatever it takes to protect my friends from the Vaults and Rakepick. And that includes questioning every single one of these dodgy wizards and witches until I get some answers. I'll even use force if I have to."

"Are you mad, Ben!? Threatening the people in this place is the perfect way to get hurt, or worse, killed!"

"It's also the perfect way to get answers. Sarahi, the lowlifes here only respond to fear and galleons. So unless you have any extra galleons lying around, this is our only option."

"Merlin's beard, Ben. I know you're trying to be brave, but there's a fine line between brave and downright stupidly reckless!"

"Think what you want, but I'm not going to just sit around and wait for the Statue curse to spread or Rakepick to attack. I'm going to take action. Don't try and stop me..."

Ben did not even wait for me to respond before he walked off to tell at another random wizard.

"Ben Ben BEN HOLD UP-!"

"You there! You're going to tell me what I want to know!" He said authoritatively. "Or else."

The man he yelled at seemed awfully familiar. On closer inspection, I realized it was-

"You don' know who you're messin' with, kid..."

"Mundungus Fletcher?" I asked, approaching.

"You know this dodgy wizard, Sarahi?" Ben asked me.

"We've... had some interactions. Mundungus Fletcher is a sneak thief I ran into quite a bit last year."

"Quit sayin' me name out so loud, Silvers! I don't want 'im to know I'm 'ere!" Fletcher said, looking around uncomfortably.

"Don't want who to know you're here?"

"Trust me, you don' want to know. This one is dangerous, even compared to the lot 'round these parts. But I suppose I could be persuaded into talking... for a price."