Chapter 277: Knockturn Alley
Things were turning out quite differently than Severus Snape had imagined.
He gave Quirrell one last, penetrating look before turning on his heel and departing Diagon Alley in silence. Words could be polished, intentions masked; to believe a man based solely on his own account was the height of dunderheadedness.
The former lackeys of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named were either rotting in Azkaban or hiding in the shadows. Those who remained were usually the fools or the opportunists. And Quirrell... hah. Only a fool would trust him.
Sean left Diagon Alley at the same time. As they walked, Professor Terra raised her hand slightly, and a book that Abigail had been carrying flew into Sean's hands.
The title was simple and direct: A Beginner's Guide to the Void Rune.
"I must warn you, child," Professor Terra said slowly. "Caution is the only law the wizards of Uagadou learned from the world behind the veil."
"I'll remember, Professor," Sean replied with a nod. As he turned, he saw Professor Quirrell staring blankly into the distance.
Since the Dark Lord's fall, the mark of a Death Eater had become the ultimate badge of shame. Living with such a past...
Quirrell noticed the sky was beginning to turn a sallow yellow. As the sun set over Diagon Alley, he could hear rats scurrying through the dark sewers nearby. He felt a sense of profound aimlessness. He had been the wizard who was looked down upon in his youth, the one desperate to prove himself, and now he was merely a loathsome remnant of a fallen regime.
Because of one choice he regretted with every fiber of his being, he had tumbled down a path of no return. The bustling crowds around him felt like a vast, shoreless ocean at twilight, and he was setting sail into it—unfamiliar with the route and far from home.
"Professor, don't dwell on the past."
Sean's voice drifted through the crowd. When Quirrell turned around, the Fairy Tale Workshop was already empty.
Although Sean was itching to test the functions of the Void Rune immediately, he had school shopping to attend to. The following day was the designated date to purchase the "Lockhart" curriculum, so he shelved his plans and instead summarized what he knew about the artifact.
[The Void Rune:] An anchor that guides a wizard into the world behind the Death Veil.
This realm assists a wizard in mastering Soul Transfiguration. It likely allows for multiple animal forms, and those advanced in the art can master almost all forms of Transfiguration.
Theorized Abilities: Limited precognition and the ability to "pull out" lingering souls.
These abilities sounded far-fetched, yet they had precedents in the wizarding world. Seers like Sybill Trelawney and her ancestors could glimpse the future through dreams, Tarot cards, or crystal balls. Harry himself had dreamt of Nagini attacking Mr. Weasley, suggesting a tangible link between prophecy and the dream world.
As for pulling out "lingering" souls, it reminded Sean of a certain Deathly Hallow—the Resurrection Stone. It could bring back shades of the dead, though they were always sad and distant, as if separated by a veil.
Amidst these reflections, Hogwarts Castle fell into a deep slumber. The whistling wind atop the towers brought a chill even to the summer night, and to the sound of that wind rattling the windowpanes, the shopping day arrived.
In Diagon Alley, Sean browsed the glittering shop windows. He watched a young wizard staring longingly at a set of Chudley Cannons robes in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies, then turned away to buy ink and parchment.
It was here he ran into Hermione.
"Sean!" she cried, looking delighted. They hadn't seen each other in a month, which to a student felt like a lifetime.
"Good to see you, Hermione," Sean replied.
Hermione hurried over, her bushy brown hair flying behind her. "Have you seen the booklist? We have to buy everything by Gilderoy Lockhart!" she said. "The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher must be a huge fan. His books are quite expensive, though... I suppose they must be worth it."
As they spoke, the shop bell chimed, and Justin Finch-Fletchley walked in with a warm smile. "Long time no see, Sean, Hermione!"
The group gathered and headed toward the front of Gringotts to meet the others, both because it was the most obvious landmark and because everyone needed to withdraw some gold.
Suddenly, Ron came sprinting toward them, breathless. He didn't even stop to greet Hermione or Justin, but went straight to Sean.
"Sean! Have you seen Harry? He mispronounced Diagon Alley and got separated from us!"
"Separated?" Hermione frowned. She was used to Harry and Ron being a bit disorganized, but this was a new low. Diagon Alley was practically pressed against Knockturn Alley.
"I just hope he only missed by one hearth..." Ron said, looking terrified.
"One hearth?" Sean asked. He hadn't heard that expression before.
"Oh! Right—even if you get the name wrong, the Floo Network usually dumps you at the closest connected exit," Ron explained quickly, his face falling again. "And the only place within 'one hearth' of here is... Knockturn Alley."
He looked both frightened and strangely expectant, as if he were waiting for Sean to give the word so they could storm the dark alley together and rescue Harry.
"Don't worry, I'll go have a look," Sean finally decided.
In the original timeline, Hagrid would have found him, but since Sean was here, he figured he might as well check. His Disillusionment Charm had reached the [Expert] level; it would be very difficult for a common wizard to spot him.
Still, it was better not to be seen at all. In a place where people threw spells around indiscriminately, things could get dangerous.
Sean left under the eager gazes of the Room of Hope group. Though they wanted to follow, Sean hadn't invited them, and they weren't about to barge in after him.
Sean slipped into a side path and found himself in a narrow, filthy street. The shops on either side were dedicated to the Dark Arts. He saw a large shop labeled Borgin and Burkes, and across from it, a window display featured a row of shrunken heads.
Two doors down, a large cage was packed with giant black spiders. In a dark doorway, two ragged-looking wizards were whispering as they watched something further down the street.
Sean followed their gaze and found Harry.
An old hag was approaching the boy, holding out a tray of what looked like whole human fingernails. She bared her moss-covered teeth in a sickening grin.
"Not lost, are you, my dear?" she croaked.
Harry looked paralyzed with fear. Suddenly, a pair of hands gripped his shoulders and pulled him back. A tall figure shimmered into existence as if shedding an Invisibility Cloak.
The moment Sean appeared, two stone statues near the doorway groaned to life, stepping forward to block the hag's path.
"I don't believe he is," Sean said, his wand already in his hand.
The hag began to stammer. "O-Of course, dearie. My mistake."
Harry stared at Sean in a daze as the older boy pulled him away toward the main street.
"Come on, Harry. Were you planning on spending the night here?" Sean joked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"Oh—" Harry turned red, quickly keeping pace with Sean.
Several unsavory wizards watched them with predatory eyes, but when Sean performed a silent Sectumsempra that sliced a stray rat clean in half near a dark wizard's feet, the onlookers quickly looked away.
Sean remained silent, but Harry was on edge. He thought Sean was angry—angry enough to make jokes.
In reality, Sean was reflecting on himself. The moment he had sensed a threat, his mind had instinctively reached for a Dark spell. It was an involuntary reaction.
This was a sobering realization. In a moment of crisis, a wizard's stress response dictated their actions. When threatened, the urge to strike back with the most effective, lethal tool available was almost overwhelming. Dark magic responded to that instinct.
If I can't even control my response with basic Dark Arts, how can I hope to master the Unforgivable Curses?
Mastering a spell was easy; mastering a wizard's base instinct was the real challenge. Even Harry, fueled by hatred, would eventually try to use Crucio on Bellatrix...
Sean reminded himself to maintain the utmost caution regarding the Dark Arts. It was the attitude every professor had drummed into him: one must respect the mystery and the danger of the deep magic.
On their way out, they nearly bowled over Hagrid. He seemed to have seen the end of the encounter and gave Sean a massive thumbs-up before barking at Harry.
"What were you doin' down there, Harry? Even with Sean with yeh! That's a nasty place, that is—don't let anyone see yeh down there—"
"What about you?" Harry asked, his brain still a bit scrambled.
"Oh, I was lookin' fer some Flesh-Eatin' Slug Vanisher," Hagrid grunted. "They're ruinin' the school's cabbages."
"Do Flesh-Eating Slugs even eat cabbage?" Harry whispered.
Hagrid simply ushered them out of Knockturn Alley and into the sunlight. He turned to Sean and whispered conspiratorially:
"Keep it quiet, Sean. You know what I was really lookin' for..."
Sean nodded. Hagrid often frequented the less-reputable shops to find "treats" or supplies for his more dangerous magical creatures.
As they stepped back into the warmth of Diagon Alley, Harry spoke up timidly. "Sorry, Sean. I've caused trouble again."
"It's fine, Harry."
As Sean spoke, Ron and the others came running through the crowd, looking overjoyed.
"Harry! You're okay! Where were you? Was it Knockturn Alley?" Ron shouted.
"Yeah," Harry admitted.
"Brilliant!" Fred and George cheered, appearing out of thin air.
As they gathered, Harry—whose eyes were still a bit red from the scare—saw Mrs. Weasley hurrying toward them, with the rest of the Weasley clan in tow.
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