Black Sin Square
Black Sin Square is not a shop or a commercial street; it is actually an open-air auction stage.
However, the items auctioned here are all of an extremely evil nature, the kind of things that cannot be openly sold even in Borgin and Burkes.
The Black Sin Square is backed by enormous interests, and even officials of the Ministry of Magic have their clients there, which is why the Auror, bursting with a sense of justice, have repeatedly tried to take action against it but have been unable to gain entry.
Black Sin Square has a long history; no one remembers exactly when it was established, but it's certainly no less than five centuries old. The most outlandish version of the story claims it was built even before Hogwarts.
The mastermind behind it remains a mystery, with over 50 people rumored to be involved. The only certainty is that Black Sin Square has close ties with most Pure-blood families, and anyone wanting to participate in this auction will inevitably need an introduction from Pure-blood families.
Not just anyone can participate in the auction.
The auction was conducted in a highly confidential manner, and all participants had to wear specially made masks to conceal their identities.
The auctions are not held daily, but rather irregularly. The dates and times are disseminated through secret channels, and only those who are qualified to participate know the exact date and time. In this way, even the Ministry of Magic cannot obtain any incriminating evidence. If someone comes here at other times, this place is simply an unattended auction stage.
The method for obtaining the qualification to participate is also a closely guarded secret. However, one must first be introduced by the heads of several Pure-blood families, which alone is enough to exclude most people, not to mention the other steps that follow to verify the qualifications of those who are introduced.
Skylar had never been here before, which was evident from the fact that he didn't even know how to get through that wall.
However, he knew that this place existed.
He was certain that Lucius also knew this place.
Although Lucius never mentioned it to his family, Skylar had seen Black Sin Square's products in the family's Chamber of Secrets. The products bore Black Sin Square's mark. It was a bright red crystal, more vibrant than the Sorcerer's Stone, and if you stood near it, you could faintly hear unsettling whispers.
Skylar learned the origin of the object from Dark Arts book: it was a crystal made from the blood of 777 seven-year-old children. This wasn't just collecting blood like the Muggle Red Cross; it involved cruelly sacrificing all those children through a magical ritual. When Skylar learned the truth behind the stone, he was deeply disturbed.
Of course, the one in the family Chamber of Secrets may not have been bought by Lucius; it could have been passed down from one of the ancestors.
This red crystal contains powerful magic. Although this magic cannot be absorbed by the human body due to the strong resentment it carries, it is suitable as an energy source for magic arrays. Skylar suspects that the various protective and shielding arrays in the Malfoy Manor rely on it as their energy source.
Judging from the cruelty and evil of this crystal, it's not hard to deduce what kind of goods are auctioned at Black Sin Square.
Although the production methods are cruel and evil, it is undeniable that there is a demand for these products, which is why Black Sin Square has been able to receive protection from all sectors and stand firm.
There was no auction being held at Black Sin Square at that moment.
Strangely, two extra people were standing guard at the entrance to the storage room behind the auction stage. Skylar recognized them immediately; they were the two kidnappers shown on the crystal ball.
"Something's strange," Scrimgeour frowned and said in a low voice. "This place is usually unguarded, and the vault is empty. It's only used to temporarily store the auction items on the day of the auction."
Skylar used his Divine Insight of Amaterasu to confirm that there was no one else around; only these two men were guarding the place.
These two men possessed magic at the level of a novice Auror, enough to handle ordinary intruders. However, Scrimgeour and Robards were the elite of the elite Auror forces, capable of rivaling the four Heads of Hogwarts.
Very confident! It seems that no matter who's in charge, they don't believe anyone would dare to break in, which is why they've only deployed so few people. Another possibility is that they have intelligence sources within the Ministry of Magic. If the Ministry of Magic makes any moves, they're confident they can get wind of it in advance and move the animals before the Auror arrive. In the magical world, with Apparition, Floo Network, and space bags, moving 100 elephants wouldn't be difficult.
The two men seemed to recognize Scrimgeour. Scrimgeour was easy to spot; his thick hair and sharp eyes made him look like a lion—it was practically his trademark.
Under Skylar's Divine Insight of Amaterasu, the other party appeared slightly nervous, but not particularly afraid. This wasn't the first time the Auror had searched this place, and although Scrimgeour was not someone to be trifled with, judging from the fact that he only had one Auror and a little kid with him, he didn't seem like he was there specifically to cause trouble.
Upon reaching the vault door, Scrimgeour and Robards identified themselves and demanded the two men's cooperation in the investigation, requesting entry to search the vault. The other party refused to cooperate, citing the lack of a search warrant.
No wonder they were so fearless; it seems they are quite familiar with the Auror's enforcement procedures.
Moreover, the fact that they were so confident in determining that Scrimgeour and his men did not have a search warrant suggests that their intelligence capabilities should not be underestimated.
Scrimgeour did not have a search warrant; this was a secret operation he conducted on his own because he did not want to leak information and allow the kidnappers to move ahead of schedule again, as happened last time.
Although he sensed something was amiss with the other party, his position made it inconvenient for him to force his way in. Seeing the other party's fearless demeanor, Scrimgeour could only grit his teeth and endure it.
Unlike the two Auror, Skylar didn't have as many scruples.
He wasn't an employee of the Ministry of Magic, so he had no internal constraints or restrictions. Moreover, he had personally witnessed the vision in the crystal ball, which clearly identified the two men before him as kidnappers. This was different from Scrimgeour had only heard Skylar's side of the story and therefore couldn't bring himself to confront the two guards. What if the intelligence was wrong? Offending the forces behind Black Sin Square was no joke.
Skylar confirmed the kidnapper's identity and knew he hadn't arrested the wrong person.
Most importantly, he had his own considerations.
His original purpose in carrying out this operation was to rescue Griffith and, incidentally, do Devril, Slughorn, and Scrimgeour a favor.
Now that he knows Black Sin Square is involved, things have suddenly become much more interesting— Black Sin Square and the Pure-blood families have many unclear and ambiguous relationships. If he makes a big fuss, he might be able to take advantage of the chaos and profit from it, or at least he could weaken the power of the Pure-blood families.
While the four were arguing, Skylar didn't say a word. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention to his condition, he used two Stunning Spell to cleanly and efficiently knock down both of them, leaving only a dumbfounded Scrimgeour and Robards.
"Skylar, you!" Scrimgeour was speechless. How could this boy suddenly act so recklessly? He was clearly a typical Slytherin!
Skylar ignored the jaws of Scrimgeour and Robards and walked straight to the locker door.
"Open Sesame!" Knowing that the door lock was probably under an anti- Alohomora spell, Skylar used the "Break-Open Spell" to blast the door open. The entire door fell backward and crashed to the ground with a loud bang.
Long ago, before "Alohomora" reached Great Britain, the wizard's lock-picking spell was "Open Sesame." Later, a wizard refined the effect and invented "Alohomora-predecessor spell," a spell that could break locks, but sometimes left a smoking hole in the keyhole.
It wasn't until the 17th century, when the master thief Elden Eisrick introduced the "Alohomora" (a lock-picking spell) he had learned in Africa to Great Britain, that this more sophisticated Unlocking Charm quickly became the new mainstream.