Borgin and Burkes

"An emergency quest? A growth-type wand? What kind of quest is it?" Allen was genuinely looking forward to it. The system's rewards were truly good stuff.

"Quest objective: Lift the curse on the Lizard-man and earn the Lizard-man's gratitude. Due to the increased difficulty, the host may use a wand. The system can also provide map navigation services to help the host locate the Lizard-man. Fifteen hours remain until the deadline. Good luck!"

As soon as the system finished speaking, a black map marked with a route appeared in Allen's mind. The yellow icon represented Allen's current location. He continuously moved the map upward in his mind and discovered a red icon. That red icon represented the Lizard-man he was searching for. Strangely, the icon was moving rapidly across the map.

"Allen, stop spacing out. Hurry up, we're going to Madam Malkin's shop now," Mrs. Harris urged.

After leaving Ollivander's, Mrs. Harris impatiently dragged Allen into Madam Malkin's shop. Madam Malkin was a short, plump Witch dressed in purple, with a warm smile on her face. "Good morning, Mrs. Harris. What can I do for you?"

"First, make two school uniforms for my younger son, Allen." Mrs. Harris pointed at Allen, who looked absent-minded but was actually studying the map.

"Are you buying Hogwarts school uniforms, dear?" Without waiting for Allen to answer, she continued, "We're the best choice for Hogwarts students buying uniforms. Honestly, affordable, attractive, and durable—that's exactly what my robes are."

Allen could not see anything attractive about the uniformly gloomy black wizard robes, which differed only in their trim. After all, he already possessed the finest wizard robe in the world—the Miaomiao Wizard Robe, capable of invisibility, defense, and Transfiguration.

Madam Malkin had Allen stand on a footstool, slipped a black robe over him, and pinned it to fit his height.

After taking his measurements, Madam Malkin brought out a finished robe and waved her wand to thread the needle. Needles, thread, and scissors darted constantly over the robe, adjusting its width and length.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Harris browsed wizarding clothes of various styles and colors in the ladies' section.

"Mom, I arranged to go shopping with Harry. Can I go find him?" This was the downside of not having graduated yet—he did not have much freedom of movement. Of course, for an actual minor, reporting one's whereabouts to one's parents was perfectly reasonable.

"That classmate of yours, Harry? He's a little wizard too?" Mrs. Harris did not know Harry's identity and had assumed he was just an ordinary classmate.

"Couldn't he be Harry Potter? Come to think of it, he's at the age to start school too!" Madam Malkin said with a smile, though she did not believe the Harry Allen wanted to meet was truly the famous Harry Potter. Nor could she have imagined that she would soon be personally measuring Harry Potter for robes.

"Yes, he received an admission letter too."

"Go on, but remember to get back to the Leaky Cauldron before dark. We'll have dinner there before going home." Mrs. Harris took out five Galleons and a Sickle and stuffed them into Allen's bag. When one was away from home, having no money simply would not do. That saying applied in any country, in any world.

Of course, Allen was not really going to find Harry. Time was limited, and he had far too many secrets he could not share with Harry.

"Friendly reminder: To lift the curse on the Lizard-man, the host must first go to Knockturn Alley and find the Magic Orb of Goddess of Luck Fols."

A chain quest! Allen had no time to marvel further. He immediately got up and followed the map toward Knockturn Alley.

Before entering Knockturn Alley, Allen activated the invisibility function of the Miaomiao Wizard Robe in a secluded street. Knockturn Alley was no place for an ungraduated little wizard. All sorts of people mingled there, and it was filled with Dark Wizards of every disposition. All manner of unimaginable, terrifying, and cruel dark magical items could be found there.

Carefully passing an old Witch brewing an unknown potion that bubbled and churned in strange colors, stepping around a burly male wizard with large scars across his face, and making his way through dark, narrow alleys, Allen followed the map's guidance to a shop with dust-covered display windows. A dark-red signboard, like dried blood, hung beneath the eaves. The words "Borgin and Burkes" twisted across it in black letters, proclaiming that this was absolutely no ordinary shop.

Allen did not dare enter carelessly. Even a Muggle corner shop had a synthesized electronic voice saying "Welcome," after all. This shop, on the other hand, was clearly steeped in darkness and could never openly exist! Allen waited quietly for a while. His luck was not bad; before long, a tall, thin male wizard wearing a skeleton mask appeared in the alley and headed toward the shop.

A few seconds later, Allen was immensely grateful for his cautious decision. He followed close behind the masked wizard and slipped into the shop. As they entered, a bell rang inside.

The wizard swiftly swept his gaze around the shop, then walked straight to the counter and rang a bell. A hunched, stoop-backed man appeared behind the counter, slicking back his greasy hair with one hand.

"Welcome. What can I do for you?" Mr. Borgin said in a tone as oily as his hair.

"I have a cursed necklace here. It has already claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles. Interested in taking a look?" The masked man's muffled voice was obviously disguised.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Borgin pulled out a pair of rust-colored leather Gloves from beneath the counter and put them on. He then took out two silver tweezers, gripped both ends of the necklace, and placed it on a tray lined with red velvet for careful inspection. Afterward, he removed the Gloves and muttered, "Now, let me see your secret." He drew a wand from his sleeve and pointed it at the necklace. "Reveal yourself." Every opal on the necklace gleamed with silver fluorescence. Mr. Borgin seemed to have reached a conclusion. He said to the masked man, "A necklace cursed by Eris. It does indeed have the power to kill, though I'll need to conduct further tests to determine its exact strength. Twenty Galleons. How about it?"

"Don't joke around, Borgin. I know the market. Items cursed by Eris are extremely rare, and Muggle detection methods are completely useless against them. Two hundred Galleons." The masked man bluntly called out Mr. Borgin's attempt to drive down the price and made it clear that he knew the market.

"You should know that inspections of these dark magical items are extremely strict these days..."

Seeing that it was not the Magic Orb he was looking for, Allen lost interest in listening to their bargaining. Instead, he looked around. It was a spacious yet dim shop. Grim masks glared down from the walls, all kinds of human bones lay on the counters, and rusty, sharp-toothed instruments hung from the ceiling. Allen checked the counters one by one and found two spherical objects, but neither label described the Magic Orb he sought, and the Invincible Scholar System gave no indication that he had found it.

At that moment, Mr. Borgin and the masked man completed their transaction at a price of 160 Galleons. The masked man refused the other dark magical items Mr. Borgin tried to sell him and quickly left. Mr. Borgin, meanwhile, happily held the tray in one hand and pushed open a concealed door on the right side of the hall. Beyond it was pitch-black. Allen's eyes flickered, and he immediately followed.