chapter 01; have you seen this wizard?

Never let it be said that Zhang Yixing was an ordinary wizard. He was smart and sly and handsome and charming. He was witty as hell and quick to anger and could wipe the floor with Old Man Bagman's wrinkly arse while gambling. That was precisely why we was expelled from Hogwarts, and he took much pride in it, flying out of the school on an ancient, blue, muggle car that dropped him off to Gringotts before promptly kick-starting and heading back for reasons he didn't give two s about. He then decided to empty his fortune from his vault - distantly being able to hear his father rolling in his grave, bless him - before leading a life of countless pleasures and moral ambiguity.

So, no. Zhang Yixing was not ordinary; he definitely wasn't boring, which could be the cause that may have led him to his current predicament.

You see, wanting to live on the edge meant cheating death and/or arrest multiple times. For that to happen, you needed to have the gall to do things that are usually frowned upon in the wizarding community. Or any community to be frank. So here he was: thief, forger and con man extraordinaire and presently on the run from officials working for the Ministry of Magic.

No, wait.

The Ministry - he could handle. Zhang Yixing had not only been caught and sentenced to "community service" multiple times (which he did. The old squib in North London liked him and brought him carrot cake every time he worked there), but he had also escaped from their clutches multiple times. It seemed that, after a few years of the usual cat-and-mouse chase, Shacklebolt probably got bored and ordered the situation to be dealt with, permanently.

By sentencing him to two years in Azkaban.

And the officials from the Ministry?

Dementors.

Which shouldn't have been possible because they were banned.

Yixing knew Shacklebolt would never bring them back - the man had a stick the size of a Cleansweep up his backside but he was good - especially after what he'd heard about the War, so was there someone else who was ordering them around again? Maybe it was an inside man; the Ministry may have been a lot cleaner since '98 but it still had it's fair share of rotten gnomes.  Either way, it was Yixing who had to deal with lifeless non-beings wandering the streets of Appleby sniffing him out. It wasn't that he hated adventure, but he preferred his soul in his own body, thanks.

In retrospect, maybe Yixing should have listened to Kris about not stealing the fancy, blue tapestry that turned out to be some sort of Ravenclaw heirloom.

It was that one time he didn't do his research properly, okay? Whatever, he'd blame it on his inebriated state and Ruby's luscious legs around his waist.

Now, though, he needed a plan of action. It mostly involved getting out of Lincolnshire, undetected, and lay low in a place where those filthy creatures would be too confused to find him, because while Yixing's patronus was quite impressive, there were only so many happy memories he could conjure before being swarmed and Kissed.

He needed to go somewhere populated, but also close enough to aquire some magical supplies.

Yeah.

He'd definitely have to go back to London.

 

The thing was...

The thing was.

London might be one of the most densely populated cities in England, but for every four muggles, there was a witch or wizard lurking in the corners, trying to blend in despite their aqua blue cloaks and purple hats. And that was them being subtle. It didn't help that on every stone wall in dark alleyways was a picture of him among many other fugitives and a big, fat WANTED sign enchanted above their heads.

That was only a slight flaw in his plan, Yixing thought as he stepped into the alleyway to take a closer look at his smirking face. Picture Him gave a saucy wink and bit his lip before replaying the scene over again. He looked good. Real Him gave a smirk on his own at the poster, briefly recalling the time of the mugshot, how frustrated his Auror-In-Charge was, muttering and cursing under his breath as he took all of Yixing's belongings - his favourite fur-cloak (that wanker), his shoes, his wand...

Ah.

Another drawback, a marginal one, but he'd definitely have to find another wand eventually. Without that he couldn't...

Well, he could. But he hadn't enchanted his clothes yet, and the weather was getting chilly by the day, not to mention he'd be utterly defenseless he got caught.

Speaking of caught, Yixing walked out of the dingy alley only to find a middle-aged woman looking at him curiously from the other side of the street. The roads were packed with cars and pedestrians, but she was no ordinary lady. Judging by her tomato-red skirt and blouse and her blue blazer with a large 'M' on the pocket...

Uh Oh.

She was definitely Ministry.

Yixing cursed