I discovered the most disgusting kind of parasite among humanity: one that refused to love, yet lived by being loved.
—Nietzsche
The story of Harry Potter's battle against Voldemort could take days to tell, but it happened to be a good topic of conversation.
Especially the cause of it all: Merope, an unmarried pregnant Squib with nowhere left to turn, had traded her family heirloom locket for ten Galleons, only to die in poverty at an orphanage. The unscrupulous Borgin and Burkes had then sold the locket at a high price.
Even if he had not offered Merope help when she needed it, he could at least have refrained from taking advantage of her desperation and kept the deal fair.
Ignoring the consequences he caused, Borgin and Burkes had indeed made a fine deal.
Every cause had its effect. Plant a castor bean seed, and it could never bear cherries. Fiona, who had originally felt guilty over Pomona's "robbery," soon got over it after hearing the story. What kind of decent person could a merchant who associated with Borgin and Burkes and the thief Mundungus Fletcher possibly be?
Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, also run by merchants, brought joy to people instead. Since young wizards were Werewolves' primary targets, parents no longer allowed them to go out alone for safety's sake, leaving the joke shop far quieter than usual.
But when Pomona saw the brooch-shaped Sneakoscopes pinned to the people coming out of the shop, she understood that George had already made back his losses.
The brooches were just as ugly as the hats Aurors wore to block curses, though, and she had no desire to buy one.
Felix did not want to browse the shop either. He still had a heap of wizarding toys in his room, and with the novelty