Unlike the front door, however, it didn’t retaliate or counterattack. She frowned and reached out, pressing a gloved hand against the cold metal. The moment her fingers brushed the surface, she could feel it. The magic woven into the safe was absorbing everything she threw at it without weakening in the slightest. "This again? Seriously, why is everything in this shop built like a fortress?" she muttered. Then, rolling her eyes, she added under her breath, "You know, Alex should really consider changing careers. Forget alchemy, he could make a killing selling safes like this. Even I’d buy one." Shaking off her irritation, she took a deep breath and moved on to a more direct approach.
Holding her wand to the handle, she muttered a silent incantation. Immediately, a reaction spread across the surface of the safe. A thick, murky smoke began to rise from the area her wand touched, and a corrosive force started eating into the metal. Slowly, a gap began to form, molten metal dripping away like wax under acid. Azalea exhaled sharply. The spell had only lasted a few seconds, but even that short burst of magic had taken a significant toll on her. Still, it had done its job.
A hole about the size of a ping-pong ball had formed near the handle, and the moment the safe’s structure was compromised, the enchantments began to fade. The intricate magic lines dimmed, no longer absorbing spells like before. She wasted no time. "Alohomora." With a faint click, the weakened lock gave way, and the safe creaked open.
Inside, neatly arranged, was her prize: a collection of jammers. Azalea’s eyes lit up as she counted them. "Five anti-Apparition jammers and five signal-blocking jammers. Even more than I expected." She quickly stowed them away in her bag, careful not to make any noise. The mission had been a success.
However, as she looked back at the damaged safe, she felt a slight pang of annoyance. "Shame about the damage," she muttered. "The Corrosion Curse completely ruins the structure, there’s no way the Reparo Charm will work on it now. He’s definitely going to notice something’s missing soon."
If she had managed to unlock it normally, the theft might have gone undetected for much longer. Then an idea struck her. "Maybe I can cover it up with Transfiguration."
After all, these kinds of devices were banned from being sold to Aurors. The Ministry of Magic wouldn’t be placing any official orders anytime soon, so there was a chance Alex wouldn’t notice right away if the safe looked intact from the outside. It wouldn’t last forever, but if she could buy herself more time, that was more than enough. Azalea didn’t hesitate. With a swift flick of her wand, the hole in the safe seamlessly vanished, restoring its original, undamaged appearance. Just to be sure the Transfiguration held for as long as possible, she poured in an extra bit of magic, reinforcing the spell.
Next, she carefully cleaned up any lingering traces, the faint smoke, the corroded metal residue, leaving no sign of forced entry. Satisfied, she stepped back into the front of the shop, strolling around as if she were a legitimate customer. She casually admired the accessories on display, picking up and inspecting several trinkets with an appreciative eye. She even browsed through a few records, taking the time to listen to a couple of tracks on the phonograph. Of course, she wasn’t careless. Every item she touched was placed back exactly as she had found it, ensuring no one would notice anything amiss.
Once she had finished her ‘shopping,’ she carefully retraced her steps, double-checking for any lingering evidence of her presence. Finally, she slipped out of the shop, closing the door behind her. As a final precaution, she channeled magic back into the entrance, reactivating the defensive enchantments she had painstakingly dismantled earlier. After confirming that everything was exactly as it had been before she arrived, Azalea vanished with a quiet crack, Disapparating into the night. She reappeared in her residence, feeling a deep sense of relief as she stepped inside.
Reaching up, she moved to take off her mask, only for her instincts to flare in alarm. A faint pulse of magic signaled danger. Without a moment's hesitation, Azalea moved sharply to the side, her hand snapping to her wand. In an instant, she was in a defensive stance, wand raised, pointing toward the darkened corner of her living room.
A deep, amused voice came from the shadows. "Too slow, Unicorn." The words were accompanied by the sound of footsteps as a cloaked figure stepped into the dim light. In his right hand, he held an aspen wand, identical to hers.
Azalea exhaled sharply, recognizing the figure. Even so, she didn’t lower her wand. Instead, she glared at him, her voice cold and edged with frustration. "I’ve told you countless times, stop breaking into my house. What, is your memory that bad, Thunderbird?"
"Oh, my memory is perfectly fine," the cloaked wizard replied with an air of nonchalance. "But what you say is your business. What I do is mine. Got a problem with that?" With that, he reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a stark white mask, identical to hers, featureless, blank, unsettling. His gaze, though unseen, swept over Azalea’s rigid stance. He let out a quiet scoff. "You really think that posture is intimidating? All it does is show how tense you are," he taunted. "If I had any intention of attacking, you wouldn’t even get the chance to react." His tone turned colder. "And tell me, who gave you the nerve to point your wand at me? Have you forgotten who’s in charge of this branch?" His words carried an unmistakable authority, one that dared her to challenge him.
Azalea clenched her jaw, her grip tightening on her wand before she reluctantly lowered it. "You!" she spat, barely restraining her anger. "Why the hell did you come here without warning? Do you want to get caught? The British Ministry of Magic is already on high alert, they’re looking for infiltrators," she hissed, her frustration evident.
Thunderbird merely scoffed. "You think I wanted to waste my time coming here in the middle of the night? You left me no choice. I had to check in on you after that sorry excuse of a heist you just pulled."
Azalea’s eyes flashed with anger. "You, "
But he cut her off, his voice laced with open contempt. "What a joke. You were assigned to me because someone at headquarters thought your background would be an asset, but honestly? You’re a liability. A complete waste of time. I don’t know what they were thinking."
Azalea didn’t back down. If anything, her anger only sharpened. "Me? A liability?" she snapped. "Do you even know where I just came from? The most heavily trafficked wizarding district in the country! Not some remote village!"
Thunderbird rolled his eyes. "Excuses. You failed, "
"Oh, don’t even start with that," she shot back, cutting him off. "The only reason you lost this time is because of your arrogance. And your men? Utterly incompetent. How the hell did they let themselves get tracked so easily?"