A Welcome Gift in Knockturn Alley

Knockturn Alley was the favorite gathering place of Dark wizards and wandering wizards. Its streets were filthy and dilapidated, and even the air was filled with a strange smell, like the acrid scorch of a potion boiled dry. It was worlds apart from the Diagon Alley next door.

Kyle had been here before, but he had never looked around carefully. This time, having come with Newt to find werewolves, he noticed just how many shops there were.

From the entrance all the way into the depths of Knockturn Alley, the number of shops was no less than in Diagon Alley next door.

It was just that most of the shops here had no signs. Some simply hung something casually outside their doors—a shriveled finger, a skull, or something resembling a tree root.

"They're there to deal with Ministry of Magic inspections." Seeming to notice Kyle's confusion, Newt explained, "A dried finger represents ordinary Dark magical items and stolen goods, while a skull means poison and things carrying deadly curses.

"However, most of these shops sell fakes or repackaged defective goods. You probably couldn't find even one genuine article in half this street.

"After all, in Knockturn Alley, honesty is the cheapest thing there is."

"Wouldn't the people who got cheated come back and make trouble for them?" Kyle asked.

If he bought a fake, he certainly would not just let it go.

"They did, a long time ago," Newt said. "But anyone who can own a shop in Knockturn Alley usually has some tricks up their sleeve and something kept in reserve. Ordinary wizards rarely get the better of them.

"And the shopkeepers here joined forces long ago. Picking a fight with one of them means picking a fight with every shopkeeper. So even powerful wizards have no choice but