Knockturn Alley
Vendors called out their wares in low, rasping voices, and the air carried the mingled scents of heavy incense, old parchment, damp stone, and something faintly metallic that lingered on the tongue.
Wade kept his expression cold and unreadable as he observed everything around him with sharp eyes.
The shops here offered far more dangerous goods than those on the brighter main street.
Dried human heads hung in windows, illegal magical creature eggs glowed faintly in crates, banned plant seeds were displayed openly, and stranger things were commonplace.
He even passed several vampires locked inside iron cages, their eyes glowing with hunger. Their dark wizard captor shouted about their usefulness for Dark Arts experiments, his loud voice echoing off the crooked, narrow walls.
Wade continued walking at a measured pace until he stopped before the largest and most lavishly decorated shop in the entire alley.
Bulging glass display windows glowed with bright enchanted light. If not for the clearly sinister objects inside, one might have mistaken the place for an upscale Diagon Alley boutique.
Gilded letters above the entrance spelled out the name in elegant script: Borgin and Burkes.
Wade pushed the door open without hesitation.
A small bell jingled overhead to announce his arrival.
A man behind the counter straightened up quickly, smoothing his greasy hair with quick, practiced strokes. "Welcome, sir. Are you here to purchase something, or perhaps to sell an item today?" he asked in a smooth, professional tone.
Wade recognized Caractacus Burke at once. The man looked relatively young compared to later years, but the unmistakable greed and shrewdness in his eyes had not changed at all.
"May I look around first?" Wade answered in a deliberately hoarse voice. He patted the heavily bulging coin pouch at his belt for clear emphasis.
"Haha. Of course, of course." Mr. Borgin's eyes brightened immediately at the sight of a serious buyer. "Please do not touch the items freely. Most of them contain powerful and sometimes unpredictable magic, as you surely understand."
As Borgin stepped out from behind the counter, Wade sensed the magic radiating from the man and noticed how he kept his right hand half-hidden inside his sleeve at all times.
Running a successful shop in Knockturn Alley clearly required more than mere salesmanship and charm.
"I am well aware of the risks," Wade replied calmly. He began examining the merchandise with careful and deliberate interest.
Mr. Borgin maintained a polite smile, yet he stayed watchful and close. He had never seen this particular customer before. Anyone who openly displayed a heavy purse of gold in this dangerous alley was either a complete fool or a wizard strong enough to fear no one.
"Hmm.." Wade studied a shriveled human hand inside an ornate glass case. He had not expected to see the Hand of Glory already on sale in this era. It must have sat unsold for many decades already.
"That is the Hand of Glory, sir," Mr. Borgin said with a flattering smile. "Place a candle in its palm and in complete darkness only the holder will see the light. Quite useful for thieves, robbers, and those who prefer to move unseen."
Wade stroked his false beard thoughtfully. He felt a flicker of genuine temptation for a moment. Still, he had other goals today.
Besides, the item would remain unsold even decades later when Draco Malfoy visited the shop. There was no need to rush into buying it now.
"Not bad at all," he said casually, then moved on to the next display.
Next to the Hand of Glory lay a deck of playing cards stained with old, dried blood.
A glass eye on a nearby shelf seemed to stare back at anyone who glanced at it with unnatural intensity.
Wade wondered whether Mad-Eye Moody's future artificial eye had come from a similar dark source.
On the wall hung a mask frozen in a terrifying, screaming expression.
A long counter held piles of yellowed human bones, while rusted, sharp instruments dangled from the ceiling like grotesque wind chimes that occasionally clinked together.
Then Wade's gaze fell on a large black cabinet standing at the back of the shop.
His pulse quickened with interest. A Vanishing Cabinet. He had nearly forgotten this valuable treasure existed. The matching cabinet still stood at Hogwarts, and at this point in time Peeves had not yet smashed it to pieces.
This could be an excellent opportunity to acquire something truly useful.
"This cabinet looks quite good," Wade remarked lightly. "You can tell it has some considerable age to it."
Mr. Borgin's eyes flickered with cunning intelligence. "Heh, sir, I know you have already recognized exactly what it is."
The meaning was clear: stop pretending ignorance.
Wade smiled beneath his beard. "Very well. I do know what it is. How many Galleons are you asking for it?"
Mr. Borgin raised five fingers with a confident grin. "This much."
"Fifty Galleons?" Wade asked, testing him.
The shopkeeper lowered his hand with a sharp laugh. "Sir, do not joke with me. This is a Vanishing Cabinet, crafted with techniques now lost to time. It is completely undamaged. Five hundred Galleons."
"It that so?" Wade chuckled softly. "A Vanishing Cabinet is indeed worth that much in the right hands."
Mr. Borgin rubbed his hands together, clearly excited by the prospect of a big sale.
"I can pay five hundred Galleons for one cabinet," Wade continued smoothly, "but what about the other one that completes the pair?"
Mr. Borgin's expression faltered for the first time. "The other cabinet…"
"Vanishing Cabinets always come in pairs, do they not?" Wade pressed with a knowing look.
"Well… I only have this one," Mr. Borgin muttered. "The other is probably damaged. I have no way of locating it at present."
Wade understood at once. The cabinet at Hogwarts must already be faulty in some way. Once Peeves smashed it later, the damage would worsen significantly. That was why Draco would need so much time and effort to repair the pair in the future.
"In that case," Wade said with a cold smile, "since you have only one, this cabinet is essentially useless for its true purpose. It is not worth five hundred Galleons."
"W-Well.. It still holds considerable value as a rare collectible," Mr. Borgin argued quickly, his voice rising. "Items like this are quite rare in this era, sir."
Wade simply shook his head.
"Then what price do you propose?" the shopkeeper asked, irritation creeping into his voice.
Wade held up five fingers once more.
"Fifty Galleons…" Mr. Borgin began hopefully.
"Five Galleons."
"Oh! Merlin's wet panties!" Mr. Borgin exclaimed. "You are robbing me!"
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