Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 43 The Thunderbird Thief

Arizona, located in the southwestern United States, is known for its hot desert climate. It is home to 27 federally recognized Native American territories, including the largest Navajo Nation reservation in the country.

After flying over the Sonoran Desert, Harry had arrived at the Colorado Plateau in the north-central part of the state. Looking at the green expanse ahead, he couldn't help but ask Moran:

"Have we flown to the wrong place? This place is starting to look less and less like a place inhabited by modern people."

Mo Ran, who had never even flown in an airplane in his lifetime, how could he possibly understand the topography of Arizona? Moreover, even if he had flown, it would be a bit of a stretch to ask a Chinese person to answer a British person's questions about American geography.

"Let's continue flying south to the forested mountainous areas and see what happens."

He forced himself to say:

"Since the Thunderbird is a magical creature that can summon thunderclouds and rain, then following the direction of the dark clouds is definitely the right thing to do."

Upon hearing this, Harry nodded, then rode his flying broomstick south.

……

The combination of Nimbus 2000 and the Invisibility Cloak made Harry and Morgen a true super spy. Not only were the wizards of the Magical Congress unable to track him, but even the American Muggles, who were at the forefront of the world's technology, were helpless against him.

After traveling on and off for almost two days, having already explored most of Arizona, they still hadn't found any trace of the Thunderbirds.

"Why don't we go ask a local first? It feels stupid to keep wasting time searching aimlessly here."

Moran's suggestion was exactly what Harry wanted to hear. To be honest, if he weren't worried about revealing his whereabouts and attracting unnecessary trouble, he would have already wanted to find a restaurant to try Mexican tacos. (Arizona borders Mexico, hence its diverse culinary scene.)

"Okay! Which restaurant do you want to go to... cough, I mean, which city do you want to go to? You can only get an answer to this kind of question if you go somewhere with a wizard, right?"

"Let's go to the nearest Native American reservation. Firstly, there won't be any Aurors from the Magical Congress of the United States there, and secondly, as Native Americans, they are the ones who know the local history and mythology best."

Mo Ran's words poured cold water on Harry's burgeoning teenage hormones. However, the Indian reservations of today are no longer a backward indigenous world; influenced by technological development, the local residents have gradually embraced modern life.

After landing, Harry put away his Invisibility Cloak and Flying Broomstick, and then dispelled the Lightness Charm from the box, he walked into a rather lively pub.

The "warm welcome" began the moment Harry walked in.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Where did this brat come from? Don't you know minors can't drink alcohol? This isn't a place for immature kids! Get out, get out!"

A red-faced middle-aged man sitting at the bar closest to the door shouted, but before Harry could explain, the owner behind the bar came to his rescue.

“When have we ever cared about drinking age laws passed by the U.S. Congress? This is a reservation. Come on, kid, find a place to sit and warm up.”

Harry nodded, abandoning his usual British accent, and tentatively asked:

"The weather here has been really strange lately; dark clouds are everywhere, but it's not raining much."

Having just finished puberty, Harry was not familiar with American English pronunciation, and his attempt to conceal his identity was not only riddled with loopholes, but also quite obviously flawed.

"Haha."

The bar owner chuckled, then bluntly exposed Harry's lie:

“Everyone here can tell you’re not a local, so you don’t need to worry about your accent. But as for the weather you mentioned… Arizona only has two rainy seasons a year. Otherwise, it’s mostly sunny with few clouds. You said you saw dark clouds everywhere in April? Are you sure you’re not seeing things?”

The atmosphere in the bar instantly became much more cheerful. Amidst a burst of laughter, Harry noticed a disheveled, long-haired man secretly watching him from a corner in the distance.

A barbecue platter with sweet corn and cheese cost no more than $3 in 1993. For Harry, who had mountains of Galleons, this was hardly a purchase he needed to consider.

Just as Harry was about to enjoy his first meal since arriving in America, the long-haired man from before came up with his wine glass.

"You're not a Muggle, right?" (No-maj is the American term used by magic users to refer to non-magical groups)

"Mongol?"

Seeing Harry's bewildered expression, the long-haired man didn't show much surprise. He simply plopped down opposite Harry, took a sip of his drink, and continued:

"So you're from Europe, you should be able to understand the word 'Muggle' by now, right?"

Harry looked the person in front of him over again, then nodded and asked in a low voice:

Are all the people here wizards?

The long-haired man shook his head, his eyes fixed on the stray hairs on Harry's forehead, as if trying to discern some clue.

“There are almost no wizards in the traditional sense in the Indian reservations. More than two hundred years ago, their prophets who knew how to ‘communicate with nature’ basically took the initiative to contact European wizards who had immigrated there in order to learn and study more advanced magic.”

Harry didn't know why a stranger would suddenly start telling him about the history of American magic, but since someone had volunteered to be his guide, why not?

"You say even Native American shamans can't stay here, so it doesn't make sense that you've come to this godforsaken place."

The long-haired man wasn't angry at Harry's probing question; instead, he smiled and said:

"Hahaha, you bunch of Europeans, every single one of you, are all talking without any sense of hardship. Not all wizards in this world are as well-off as you are. While you're still begging your parents to buy you candy, the kids here might already be out working to earn a living."

"But don't worry, things will gradually change, kid. The Muggles in America are now firmly in the top spot in the world in terms of technology and economy. It won't be long before our status in the magical world changes as well. Your days of being lords in Europe won't last much longer either."

Harry picked up a grilled rib from the plate, took a bite, and said:

"I haven't offended you, so why are you so resentful?"

"Don't give me that."

The long-haired man said:

"Everyone knows why a wizard comes to Arizona. However, you're a bit late this year. A while ago, two powerful dark wizards stole the eggs that two thunderbirds in Arizona had finally laid. Now, not only will auction houses and material suppliers not be able to produce thunderbird feathers for years to come."

Harry nodded thoughtfully, then asked:

"So you originally came here to collect thunderbird feathers?"

The long-haired man downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, then shook his head and said:

“Those people are long gone. I’m here to gather some clues about the Thunderbird bandits.”

"You don't look like an Auror to me."

Harry's words seemed to have struck a nerve with the long-haired man. After staring at Harry for a while with narrowed eyes, he spoke again:

"Besides the Aurors, there are many bounty hunters scattered throughout the American wizarding world. In fact, the Magical Congress of the United States was established to eradicate corrupt wizards who hunted their fellow wizards for personal gain. In that era when there was a lack of proper law enforcement agencies, many dark wizards who had committed crimes in Europe or elsewhere fled to the United States to escape justice. Therefore, in addition to the Aurors, bounty hunter groups also emerged among the wizards in the community."

"What does this have to do with me?"

Harry interrupted.

"What relationship?"

The man's tone suddenly carried a hint of disappointment and frustration.

"You...are you stupid? A Thunderbird egg! That's a Thunderbird egg! A rare treasure, only one of its kind every few decades! And it got stolen! If you have the ability to get your hands on it, who will know what happened? Even members of the Magical Congress of America are now offering high prices for information!"

Harry glanced instinctively around the bar area, then pulled his stool forward and asked in a low voice:

"You mean you know about the Thunderbird egg... uh, I mean, you know about the Thunderbird Bandits' movements, right?"

The long-haired man patted his chest and said:

"It's genuine, no doubt about it. If you don't believe me, you can test it with a truth coin, but I definitely won't drink truth serum."

"Wait, Harry."

Harry, who was subconsciously reaching into his pocket for money, was suddenly stopped by Mo Ran.

"First, talk to him about the price and ask how many pieces of information he has. Then test the authenticity of the information to avoid being scammed."

"it is good!"

……

About ten minutes later, with the help of a truth coin, Harry and Moran were successfully tricked out of a Galleon by the long-haired man.

The information revealed by the other party was all true, and all of it was closely related to the whereabouts of the Thunderbird Egg.

The problem is that he mainly talked about how the two Thunderbird bandits stole the Thunderbird eggs and how they repeatedly evaded the Aurors and local bounty hunters.

In their own words at the time:

"Thunderbirds change nests multiple times before laying eggs, causing drastic and random weather changes to protect themselves. Even the most experienced magizoologists cannot predict where a pair of thunderbirds will choose to lay their eggs. But those two thunderbird thieves seemed to have prophetic abilities, directly knowing the path the thunderbirds would take across Arizona. You see, they first evaded the blockade of the reserve wizards from here, then headed north through the Grand Canyon... and finally broke through the Auror encirclement from here, leaving the United States border."

"What I want to hear is the whereabouts of the Thunderbird Egg, not a case summary."

"I told you, from here, towards Mexico, you leave the US border. If you want to pursue them, you can start from here. Maybe they're still in Mexico. Why don't you just head over there and look for them!"

……

A dark wizard capable of snatching a Thunderbird egg from numerous Aurors and the Thunderbird couple and escaping unscathed from the encirclement, even if not as powerful as Dumbledore and Voldemort, is at least at the level of the Headmaster of Hogwarts. For Harry and Moran at their current level, defeating such an opponent head-on is far from a simple matter.

Furthermore, as a smuggler who manages to escape numerous encirclements, he must possess, if not exceptionally brilliant talent, at least remarkable planning and execution skills. Such a person would have vanished long after leaving the US border; why would he foolishly remain in Mexico waiting to be caught?

So, to sum it up, the information that the long-haired man sold to Harry can basically be described in four words—nonsense literature.

"Ah... what did he say his name was again?"

Harry, who was already furious, asked Mo Ran in his mind.

"It seems to be Donald Cooper. He had already taken out the truth coin, so it shouldn't be a fake name."

Mo Ran's voice sounded calm, but in reality, he was just like Harry, deeply immersed in the unpleasant feeling of being manipulated by others.