Over the past few days, Knockturn Alley had become thoroughly bustling because of an article in the Daily Prophet.
What had once been a cold, deserted place where one could go days without seeing a soul was now even livelier than neighboring Diagon Alley.
Especially outside Borgin and Burkes, which had been specifically mentioned in the article—suspicious figures in black hoods could be seen everywhere.
They had all come with their own purposes, but without exception, none of them had seen the owner of Borgin and Burkes.
The shop was open, yet there was no one inside. And once they entered, they were greeted by an icy chill.
As if someone had once cast an incredibly powerful curse there.
Quite a few of those who had come this time were Dark wizards. No one understood curses better than they did, and they were certain that something had happened in Borgin and Burkes. It was best not to get too close.
But since they had made the trip, they were unwilling to leave empty-handed. So they lingered nearby, waiting for some possible opportunity.
Of course, not everyone had the patience for that. Plenty tried to force their way into Borgin and Burkes, but most of those wizards never came back out.
The occasional lucky one who did emerge was clearly missing a few parts. A lost arm or leg was practically normal.
Only then did people remember that this was not some ice cream shop in Diagon Alley, but a genuine Dark magic shop.
Places like this usually concealed enormous dangers. Even if they occasionally put customers on display as merchandise, it would hardly be surprising.
Or perhaps that was simply one of the special supply channels used by Dark magic shop owners.
Gradually, fewer and fewer people dared to barge