It was gloomy weather; despite it being morning, the sky was covered in dark clouds, and the heavy cloud layer seemed to indicate that a rainstorm could fall at any moment. Nevertheless, Draco and his father went out early, heading toward their destination.
They did not go directly to Diagon Alley first, but instead came to an adjacent alley. Unlike the bustling scene of Diagon Alley, the streets here were deserted, dark, and dirty. Draco, while yawning, asked Lucius, "Father, why are we here? The environment here doesn't look very good."
"Taking care of some minor trouble," Lucius said.
"Just say you're fencing stolen goods; why be so euphemistic?" Draco could not help but laugh silently as he looked around at the surrounding shops.
One shop seemed to be for raising spiders; a large cage was full of black spiders, their dense, swarming legs making one feel nauseous. There was also a shop selling poisonous candles; he could not understand what practical use these poisonous candles had. Were they bought to assassinate people?
However, in front of this shop hung an old wooden street sign, with a huge black spider hanging on it. The sign read: Knockturn Alley.
Subsequently, they arrived at a shop named Borgin and Burkes; it looked like the largest shop here. In the window of the shop opposite this one, some shrunken heads were displayed eerily.
"When we go in later, don't touch anything randomly. Of course, I know you are certainly well aware of the danger of those Dark Arts items, my child," Lucius warned before entering the shop.
"Of course, Father," Draco replied.
The two walked through the shop, and Lucius slowly walked to the counter and rang the bell on it.
As for Draco, he carefully examined the surrounding goods. He saw a shelf full of skulls, a withered human hand on a cushion in a glass case, a stack of bloodstained playing cards, and a dull, motionless glass eye.
Grim masks stared down from the walls, various human bones were arranged on the counter, and rusty, sharp-toothed instruments hung from the ceiling. It seemed business at this shop was very slow, as most of the goods were covered in dust.
Soon, a stooped man appeared behind the counter, smoothing back his greasy hair with his hand.
The man spoke, and then Lucius seemed to take out a piece of parchment.
Draco had no interest in listening to the two haggle, so he continued to wander around the shop, examining the surrounding goods.
After some haggling, the two finalised the price.
"Oh, Young Master Malfoy, what would you like to buy?" The stooped man walked toward Draco. Compared to buying, merchants clearly have more enthusiasm for selling goods. Seeing that Draco seemed very interested in these items, Mr. Borgin began to pitch them.
"Young Master, how about this?"Mr.r Borgin picked up the withered human hand from the cushion and continued, "Insert a candle, and only the person holding it can see the light! It is the best friend of thieves and robbers."
"I don't think my son needs it," Lucius said coldly. "Last year, ar he was top of his year at Hogwarts, and I believe he will definitely work at the Ministry of Magic in the future."
"Is that soMr. Mr Borgin gave an awkward smile, put the withered hand back in its place, and continued, "Then what do you need, Young Master Malfoy?" The man bent down obsequiously; his already stooped body bending further made it seem as if his head might touch the ground.
"I think this cabinet is nice." Draco pointed to the right, indicating a black cabinet standing against the wall.
"Oh, you truly have a great eyMr." Mr Borgin exclaimed, but he was interrupted by Lucius. "You say that to everyone. Just tell me, how much?" Lucius did not want to tangle with him any longer.
"This muMr.?" Mr Borgin held up a few fingers.
"Heh." A mocking smile appeared on Lucius's pale face, and then he said unhurriedly, "Tomorrow, I will wait at home for you to come and collect the goods. If you bring this cabinet, you might be able to take a look at other things I have collected."
After hesitating for only a moment. nt, Mr. Borgin nodded and said, "Fine." No matter how eloquently he could speak, he knew very clearly that at least for the moment, this cabinet was of no use, so it was better to exchange it for something practical. Clearly, Lucius was implying that their business could go further.
"Draco, let's go." At this moment, one of Lucius's feet was already outside the door.
"Mr. Borgin, may I ask you a question?" Draco lowered his voice and said.
"Of course, happy to be of service."
"Do you know Tom? Tom Riddle." Having said that, Draco stared fixedly atMr.r Borgin, not missing a single trace of change in his expression.
Mr Borgin closed his eyes, seemingly lost in memory. Soon, he opened them and said, "Of course, that was the best shop assistant I have ever seen, bar none. It's a pity he resigned later." His tone carried a hint of regret. "How did you know about him?" he asked.
"I saw his name in the school's trophy room. I heard he worked in your shop; he was truly excellent," Draco said.
"You will be even more excellent than him, Mr. Mr. Borgin said.
"I hope so." After saying this, Draco hurriedly ran out of the shop to catch up with Lucius.
No one noticed that the cabinet that had already been sold seemed to shake.
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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