Chapter 154: Vanishing Cabinet
After inspecting the shop, Ethan was fairly satisfied with what he saw, though he still wanted a few minor changes made before the opening. He made a few small requests to the wizard handling the decorations.
"Very easy. We can finish all of this today," the middle-aged wizard, thinning on top, promised after hearing the requests.
"Mm." Cyril nodded and ushered Ethan out of the shop.
The two of them headed to Gringotts first. Just like last time, guided by a goblin and accompanied by the clatter of the Clankers, they passed the dragon guarding the vaults and entered the Shafiq family vault.
Ethan and Cyril split up, rummaging through boxes on different shelves to find suitable emeralds.
Cyril hadn't seen the emerald on the door, so he didn't know the exact size needed. He pulled out all the emeralds except those too small or a poor match for Ethan's description, and set them on a separate shelf.
They searched for over an hour. Ethan picked three stones from the selection, choosing gems of similar size. As for color, he would have to take them to the Chamber to compare them under the same lighting.
Cyril found a pile of emeralds. Ethan selected a few from the batch and returned the rest to the box.
After withdrawing more Galleons, the two of them rode the cart back to the surface with the goblin.
Cyril urged, "When we go to Knockturn Alley, stick by my side. Don't wander off."
Although Cyril had said before that Knockturn Alley wasn't as dangerous as Ethan imagined, he was still very cautious when it came to actually bringing Ethan inside.
"Mm." Ethan nodded solemnly. He kept his spare wand hidden in his sleeve, ready to cast Fiendfyre at any moment.
They passed through the winding alley in front of Gringotts and walked past several shops whose doors opened onto the passage until they arrived at Knockturn Alley.
Separated by only a single alley, Knockturn Alley was completely different from Diagon Alley.
The streets here were narrower, more dilapidated, and dirtier. The houses were packed tightly together, making the alley seem dim compared to the bright lights of Diagon Alley.
The merchandise here was worlds apart. A shop selling poisonous candles stood right at the entrance to Knockturn Alley.
"Let's head to Borgin and Burkes. It's the largest shop in Knockturn Alley," Cyril said, pointing to the largest shop on their right.
"All right." Ethan was also incredibly curious about the shop, having heard about it ages ago.
In the movies, this was the source of everything from the Vanishing Cabinet the Death Eaters used to infiltrate Hogwarts to the opal necklace Draco used to try to kill Dumbledore.
As they approached the shop door, ragged wizards lurking in the dark corners of the alley stared at the two well-dressed boys, whispering among themselves.
Cyril noticed them too. "Pay them no mind. They're the dregs of the wizarding world. With no power or money, they have no choice but to linger here.
"But stay alert. Once cornered, they can be extremely dangerous. That said, in Knockturn Alley, they generally won't make a move unless they want to get run out of the UK. This place has its own rules."
"Mm." Ethan stopped paying attention to them as well and began looking at the shops along the street.
Opposite Borgin and Burkes were shops of varying sizes, their windows displaying various Dark Magic items.
One sold dangerous creatures, displaying a large cage full of huge black spiders.
A shop beside it displayed several sea snakes in a water tank.
The door to Borgin and Burkes was closed. In the dusty window were items that looked dangerous at first glance.
"Not open?"
"It's open. Borgin and Burkes is always like this." Cyril pushed the door open without hesitation.
A bell hung on the shop door, chiming once as they entered.
Cyril led Ethan through the shop and rang the bell on the counter.
While the shopkeeper, Mr. Borgin, had yet to appear, Cyril pointed to the items displayed on either side. "The objects here are very dangerous. You can look, but don't touch anything."
"I understand." Ethan examined the countless display cabinets lining the huge shop.
He saw a glass eyeball, a withered human hand, an opal necklace, and the very conspicuous Vanishing Cabinet.
A hunched old man appeared behind the counter, his hair sleek and greasy.
Cyril greeted the shopkeeper. "Hello, Mr. Borgin."
Mr. Borgin smoothed his hair, his tone oily and deferential. "Welcome, Mr. Shafiq. It's good to see you again."
He then turned his attention to Ethan. "This must be Young Master Shafiq. A truly handsome young man."
"Hello, Mr. Borgin," Ethan greeted him.
"What can I do for you? I've got a fresh batch of goods that just came in. Very fair prices. Care to take a look?" Mr. Borgin began to drum up business.
"I need Secrecy Sensors capable of detecting hexes on items." Cyril had no interest in the various Dark Magic items the shop sold and cut straight to the point.
"Oh, I have those. Wait a moment, I'll go fetch them." Mr. Borgin drew out the words, giving Cyril a knowing look before leaving the counter and heading into the back room. Who knew what he thought he understood?
Ethan walked over to the huge cabinet. Looking at what had to be the Vanishing Cabinet, he felt he could pull something off.
"Interested in this cabinet?" Cyril asked, noticing Ethan's interest.
"Mm, I'm somewhat curious about it."
Mr. Borgin emerged from the back room, holding several Secrecy Sensors of various shapes in his hands.
"This is a valuable Vanishing Cabinet. Does Young Master Shafiq like it?"
As he spoke, he set the instruments in his hands on the counter and walked briskly over to Ethan.
"A Vanishing Cabinet? What's it used for?" Ethan asked, pretending not to understand.
"The Vanishing Cabinet is an incredibly rare magical item. It allows a person or object to transport from one cabinet to the other. It acts as a magical gateway. Unlike the monitored Floo Network, it offers far greater secrecy." Mr. Borgin listed its virtues with practiced ease.
"So, where is the other cabinet?" Ethan asked the question he had been waiting to ask.
"Well, now, look at this craftsmanship. Look at these runes! How exquisite! Even if placed in a home as an ordinary cabinet, it would serve as a magnificent decoration."
Mr. Borgin hurriedly changed the subject, skirting the real issue to focus on the trivial. He praised the cabinet's craftsmanship and dropped all mention of its function.
Ethan certainly wasn't about to let this prime bargaining opportunity slip away. "So without the other cabinet to pair with it, it's worthless, isn't it?"
Under such pointed questioning, Mr. Borgin grew somewhat annoyed and forced the word out through gritted teeth. "Yes."
"How much?" The question instantly brought the smile back to Borgin's face.
Mr. Borgin smoothed his greasy hair once more. "Good eye, Young Master Shafiq. Even if it can't be used for passage, it remains an exquisite collectible. I'll let you have it for a bargain. One thousand Galleons! How does that sound? A very fair price, wouldn't you say?"
Ethan stared at him as if he were an idiot and remained silent.
"Young Master Shafiq finds the price a bit rich, does he? Very well, I'll take a loss and lower it. Nine hundred and fifty Galleons."
"Fifty. Anything higher and forget it. It's a useless object that just takes up space. Other than dismantling it to study the mechanics, it serves no purpose." Ethan patted the massive Vanishing Cabinet.
The hunched wizard looked at Ethan with a pained expression.
Cyril didn't know why Ethan wanted to buy this useless Vanishing Cabinet, so he remained silent and simply watched the two men bargain.
Seeing that they couldn't reach an agreement and that Ethan was heading toward the counter, Cyril spoke up, "Mr. Borgin, let's handle the Secrecy Sensor business first. It seems Ethan isn't particularly interested in just one Vanishing Cabinet either."
Mr. Borgin had actually grown to resent this Vanishing Cabinet, as it had sat in the shop for ages without anyone inquiring about it.
He had acquired it from a down-on-his-luck wizard. He'd only spent twenty Galleons on it, but since he never found the matching Vanishing Cabinet, it had been sitting in the shop for more than twenty years.
He had always wanted to find a sucker to dump it on, but most people stopped asking immediately after hearing the price. They didn't even bargain. Still, he tried his best to offload this useless junk.
"Eight hundred. Lowest."
"One hundred. Highest."
"Seven hundred."
"Two hundred."
After some haggling, they finally settled on five hundred Galleons.
Mr. Borgin feigned agony, but he was actually relatively satisfied with the transaction. Although it had dragged on a bit, he had still earned four hundred and eighty Galleons.
While it didn't meet his expectations, it wasn't a wasted effort. Most importantly, selling such a bulky item meant he could fit more inside.
"Very well." Ethan feigned reluctance, though his heart was secretly soaring. He knew the matching Vanishing Cabinet was located at Hogwarts, concealed within the Room of Requirement. Once repaired, he could utilize the pair for certain clandestine operations.
The purchase of the Secrecy Sensor was completed quickly. Ethan chose the most powerful model and paid for it without hesitation.
Ethan's bag was far too small, and he didn't want to cast a Shrinking Spell in front of Mr. Borgin. He couldn't carry the cabinet himself, so Cyril placed the Vanishing Cabinet in his own Undetectable Extension Bag.
After leaving Borgin and Burkes, Cyril asked Ethan why he had bought the Vanishing Cabinet.
"There's an identical Vanishing Cabinet at Hogwarts. I'm not sure how badly it's damaged, but I plan to have someone repair it. Then I can test if these two form a pair."
That made sense. If the cabinets could be paired, they would certainly prove useful. One could stay at school and the other at home, allowing travel back and forth at any time. Cyril considered this the most practical use for Ethan.
"Right," Ethan agreed. At the moment, though, he had nowhere urgent to travel to via Vanishing Cabinet.
Leaving the cramped alley behind, the two headed back to the bright streets of Diagon Alley.
Back in the second-floor office, Ethan took out the Secrecy Sensor he'd just bought and scanned the contents of the cloth bag.
Beep, beep, beep. The Secrecy Sensor went off.
"Hmm?"
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