Borgin and Burkes.
This was the largest shop in Knockturn Alley.
It specialized in selling Dark Arts objects, some of which were extremely dangerous. The owner, Mr. Borgin, not only sold such items but also collected all kinds of strange and sinister artifacts.
Inside a large black cabinet in one corner.
Harry was huddled inside, feeling very dejected because he had been terribly unlucky these past few days.
Originally, with Lucien's help, his aunt's family's attitude toward him had improved significantly.
Now he was given food and drink when he needed it.
Of course, the three members of the family were not particularly eager to talk to him.
Harry, however, found this great. No one bothered him, and he could quietly read his magic books, preparing in advance according to the homework Lucien had assigned.
Compared to his previous life, this was already much better.
Thinking of Lucien, Harry could not help thinking about his own family. Both of them had lost their parents, but Lucien had an aunt who doted on him, which honestly made Harry quite envious.
Everything had been going according to plan, but a few days ago, a house-elf calling himself Dobby suddenly appeared in his room.
Stealing his letters was one thing, but he had also dumped a large cake onto Uncle Vernon's guest's head.
His aunt and uncle were both shocked and furious, but because of the "pressure" from Lucien, they could not do anything to Harry.
Harry even overheard Uncle Vernon and Petunia plotting to seal up his window.
Harry longed for the start of term in that increasingly uncomfortable environment. Fortunately, before his uncle could act, Ron and the twins arrived in a car to pick him up.
The expressions on his aunt and uncle's faces as they saw him off were as if they were sending away a plague.
But Harry did not care. He was simply happy to be going to Hogwarts.
He also had a very pleasant time at the Weasley home. The only regret was that Ron mentioned Lucien had left a few days earlier, so Harry missed seeing him.
He was supposed to go shopping in Diagon Alley with the Weasley family, but it was his first time using Floo Powder. Harry accidentally mispronounced the destination, which sent him to this strange and terrifying shop.
Oh my goodness, what on earth does this shop sell?
Withered human hands, blood-stained playing cards, glass eyeballs… some of them were even displayed on cushions inside glass cases.
Were these really valuable items? They were clearly terrifying.
Through a crack in the cabinet, Harry secretly observed Malfoy and a middle-aged man who looked just like Malfoy's father chatting with the shop owner, Mr. Borgin.
Finally, Mr. Borgin saw the Malfoy father and son out.
After closing the door, Borgin began muttering to himself again.
"Tsk… less than half the items sold…"
Harry waited for a while, planning to find an opportunity to slip out.
Just as he was about to gently push open the cabinet door,
"Creak…"
The shop door opened again, and a voice sounded.
"Mr. Borgin, I've brought the final products. Once you've appraised them, we can finalize the contract, right?"
Harry suddenly found the voice very familiar.
He saw Mr. Borgin quickly smooth down his greasy hair with his hand and adopt a fawning tone.
"Mr. Grafton, seeing you is like seeing sunshine and wealth. I can already imagine a very pleasant collaboration…"
As the shop door opened, Harry saw the familiar dark golden hair and those ink-green eyes.
Lucien?
How did he get here?
It seemed that Mr. Borgin's attitude toward Lucien was even better than toward the Malfoys. Why?
Harry was full of questions. He watched as Mr. Borgin led Lucien to a seat and offered him tea and pastries.
Lucien waved his hand, and small items such as bracelets, necklaces, and buttons appeared on the table.
Mr. Borgin put on a monocle covered in mechanical gears and began examining the items one by one.
"Oh, your craftsmanship is still so exquisite. No, it should be said it's even better than last time. It's truly hard to believe that you possess such a level of alchemy at such a young age. Could it be that Hogwarts' recent alchemy classes…"
"Tell me your thoughts."
Hearing Lucien's words, Mr. Borgin stopped praising and began to state his opinions.
"These alchemical tools have fixed magical effects. The most useful among them is definitely the amulet that automatically triggers the Shield Charm. It will greatly enhance a wizard's chances of survival, so the price will certainly need to be set higher…"
Harry only understood that Lucien was discussing a business collaboration with Mr. Borgin, in which Mr. Borgin would sell those alchemical tools. Their effects all seemed very impressive, but the later details and the bargaining part completely confused Harry.
Just as Harry felt his legs starting to go numb, Lucien and Mr. Borgin finally finished their discussion.
Harry was about to lower his head and rub his legs when he caught a glimpse of Lucien suddenly looking in his direction.
Instinctively, Harry's heart tightened.
But then he saw Lucien raise his hand and wave at him.
Harry thought for a moment. Why be nervous? He pushed open the cabinet door and walked out.
"You are?"
Seeing someone suddenly emerge from a cabinet in his shop, Mr. Borgin instinctively became wary, and his gaze toward Harry was clearly unfriendly.
"He's my friend. We were playing hide-and-seek earlier, and I don't know how he ended up hiding here. Is that alright?"
Hearing Lucien's words, the previously gloomy Mr. Borgin immediately smiled and said to Harry, "No problem, no problem, little friend. But next time, don't hide here. The things I have here are for adults. It's quite dangerous for children to touch them. For example, that opal necklace next to you has already claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles."
Harry shivered and quickly shuffled a few steps sideways, standing behind Lucien.
The reason for Mr. Borgin's sudden change in attitude was simple. Lucien was a major client, and the alchemical tools he produced were of exceptionally high quality.
Moreover, they were all newly made. As long as he could maintain a stable partnership with Lucien, Mr. Borgin would essentially have a new source of income.
So why didn't Mr. Borgin try to use underhanded methods to seize the treasures from such a young boy who possessed them?
Recalling the incessant screams from a few days earlier, Mr. Borgin's body trembled slightly.
Because of that, he did not bother with the boy who had suddenly appeared, covered in soot and with a dirty face.
Harry had made a mistake when passing through the fireplace of the Floo Network earlier, getting covered in ash, which did not at all match the image of the legendary Boy-Who-Lived.
After being politely escorted out by Mr. Borgin, Harry followed Lucien and found that outside the door was a dirty alley, with shops on both sides that seemed to sell Dark Arts items.
Several shabbily dressed wizards saw them, immediately lowered their heads, and hurried away.
An old witch who had been facing away from them turned around when she heard the commotion. The next second, a dish of something resembling dead men's fingernails slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
Ignoring the spilled items, the old witch sprinted away, her agility completely unfitting for her age.
Harry naturally understood that those people were unlikely to be afraid of him, which meant they were afraid of…
He turned to look at Lucien beside him.
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