Borgin and Burkes

The next day, when the sun was shining on Skylar's backside, Skylar lazily got up—a very rare occurrence for someone as diligent and early-rising as Skylar. Even Lucius and Narcissa in the living room couldn't help but whisper among themselves, wondering what Skylar had gone through the day before.

Skylar touched his lips, recalling the passionate kiss before their parting last night, and couldn't stop smiling.

Counting the days, summer vacation is almost over, and there's less than a week until school starts.

When they went downstairs for breakfast, Lucius spoke first, "Skylar, we have an important lunch meeting today with the Parkinson Family and Burke Family. Draco and Pansy will also be attending. I noticed you seemed a bit tired this morning, so I didn't reserve a table for you. I think you should stay home and rest!"

Skylar thought for a moment and said, "Alright, Father. I might go to Diagon Alley later to buy the supplies needed for the start of school, and I'll buy Draco's as well. But... I'd like to know, what are the current impressions of the House of Malfoy of these two families? Father, are you confident you can keep them on your side?"

As Skylar's strength gradually increased, and it was said that he had quietly begun to build connections in the Ministry of Magic, Lucius also began to be willing to explain some family affairs to the two brothers.

Lucius said, "Well, things should be alright for now. That old fox, Burke, has always been a fence-sitter; he's faster than anyone to run away when things turn Ministry of Magic. As long as I, Lucius, still have influence over the Ministry of Magic, he might waver a bit, but he would never betray the alliance between our two families. Parkinson is even less likely to do so, not to mention that our two families have a much closer relationship—" At this point, Lucius couldn't help but smile slightly on his usually aloof face.

"I've heard that Pansy really likes our Draco!" Skylar nodded quickly in confirmation. Draco, on the other hand, rarely showed a shy expression, his face turning red.

Skylar had always known that Lucius and Professor Snape maintained a very close relationship; both had been Death Eaters, and Lucius clearly knew how important the position of a Potions Master and Headmaster of Hogwarts was. Therefore, Skylar was not at all surprised that Lucius was so well aware of the brothers' behavior at the school.

"I understand, Father. If there's anything I can do to help, please don't forget to let Skylar know."

Compared to family matters, Narcissa was clearly more concerned with something else. She was immediately displeased upon hearing the gossip about Draco and Pansy. Why was she the last to know? She glared angrily at the three men, "Put these family matters aside for now, how come I knew nothing about Draco and Pansy's affairs beforehand?"

With war imminent, and to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, Skylar lowered his head and pretended to be busy eating breakfast.

Seeing that Lucius and Draco were both speechless, Narcissa turned her attention to Skylar, "So, Skylar, what about you? Is there something you need to tell your mother the truth? Have you been befriending any girls at school?"

Skylar first gave Draco a subtle warning look, then made a "10 Galleon" gesture under the table, before finally shaking his head innocently. "How could that be? Mom, you can see from my grades that I spend most of my time studying. Early romance will interfere with my studies, that's not good, not good..."

Seeing that keeping quiet and maintaining the secret would be profitable, Draco, out of loyalty, testified for Skylar. Although Draco wasn't short of money, he was still very happy to take advantage of his brother!

Lucius was naturally aware that Skylar and the Greengrass Family girl, as well as the Shafiq Family, were inseparable at school. He himself was happy to see Skylar with the two girls—both girls came from the Sacred Twenty-Eight and were outstanding in appearance, knowledge, and family background, making them worthy of becoming daughters-in-law of the House of Malfoy.

Moreover, the House of Malfoy has been rather small in number over the past few generations. He and his father, Abraxas Malfoy, encountered two wizarding wars, so there was nothing they could do. Now that it is a peaceful era, it is time for their descendants to spread their lineage.

Since Skylar was unwilling to publicize it, and his son was such a decisive person, Lucius wouldn't be so tactless as to reveal his son's secret, so the matter was left unresolved.

After his parents and Draco left, Skylar hurried to Diagon Alley —he had arranged with his family that they would also come to Diagon Alley after dinner and pick him up in Thestral carriage to take Skylar home.

Alone, Skylar grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, sprinkled it into the fireplace, shouted "Leaky Cauldron!", and headed to Diagon Alley.

Instead of rushing into Diagon Alley, Skylar cast a simple Transfiguration Spell on himself in a secluded corner to increase his height. The Supreme Robe transformed into a mysterious, jet-black cloak at Skylar's command. After carefully checking it several times to ensure there were no flaws, Skylar turned into Knockturn Alley at the intersection in front of Gringotts.

This was Skylar's second time visiting Knockturn Alley. Last time, he hadn't had the chance to explore because he was with Lucius and Draco. This time, he was here to broaden his horizons. Skylar wrapped his robe tighter around himself, put his hands in his pockets, and wandered aimlessly through Knockturn Alley. Along the way, many strangely shaped figures passed by him. Most of them were hidden in their cloaks, so their faces were obscured.

Skylar glanced at the largest shop in Knockturn Alley — Borgin and Burkes —and after thinking for a moment, went inside.

As he pushed open the door, the wind chimes on the door rang once. A man appeared before the counter, hunched over, repeatedly combing the greasy hair that hung down his face. He glanced at Skylar, who had entered, and gave a sinister smile, saying, "Buying something or trading?" Borgin and Burkes could also be used as a pawn shop; the shopkeeper, Mr. Mr. Borgin, had a particular fondness for Dark Arts items with bizarre uses and unpredictable powers.

"Let me take a look first," Skylar said in a deep voice, using a voice-changing spell.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Borgin immediately lost interest, sat back behind the counter, and began wiping the surface of the glass case.

Skylar glanced inside the glass case and saw a withered human hand resting on a cushion. This thing was called the Hand of Glory; when a candle was placed on it, the light only illuminated the holder, making it a good helper for thieves and robbers. Skylar shook his head and continued looking.

On the counter were various human bones, a deck of cards stained with blood, and a glass eyeball that stared intently at people. Terrifying masks hung on the walls, and strings of rusty, long, and sharp instruments hung from the ceiling.

"That's the Mask of Pain. It has a deterrent and intimidating effect; it's a kind of weak soul magic." He glanced at Mr. Borgin Skylar, who was clearly interested in the mask hanging on the wall, and began to explain.

"Give me a mask. How much?" Mr. Borgin's mention of soul magic piqued Skylar's interest, and he pointed to one of the ghost masks and asked.

"29 Galleon, sir," Mr. Borgin said, glancing at the wall. Skylar didn't haggle, readily counting out 29 Galleon and placing them on the counter.

Seeing the guest's straightforwardness, a barely perceptible cold glint flashed in Mr. Borgin's eyes, but his lips were plastered with a sincere smile as he said, "Honorable guest, our shop also has a family heirloom. Would you be interested in taking a look?"

Seeing Skylar nod, Mr. Borgin took out a long box, and inside was a beautiful Opal Necklace.

He didn't touch the necklace, but simply pointed at it and said, "This is a magic necklace passed down through my Borgin family. It possesses magical properties that can accelerate the growth of magic power. As you know, everyone's magic power only increases slowly with age. With this necklace, you can speed up that process..."

"This guy's heart is truly filthy. No wonder he can open a shop here, and it's the most popular one at that." A surge of anger rose within Skylar, and he said with a half-smile, "Let me see you wear it, Mr. Borgin?"

Seeing the cold glint in Skylar's eyes and the obvious chill in his voice, Mr. Borgin's mind raced. He decided not to offend this guest of unknown origin any longer and bowed to put the necklace away. "I'm sorry, esteemed guest, perhaps I've made a mistake," he said, walking into a small room and emerging with an antique-style cloak in his hand.

"To express our apologies, you may take a look at our prized possession. Although this cloak is not a family heirloom, it is still extremely valuable. In a critical moment, it can block a powerful curse for you; only the Killing Curse can break through its defenses."

Mr. Borgin's expression was sincere; he genuinely wanted to make a deal this time. However, Skylar already had the Night Star, which offered high magic resistance, making the cloak somewhat redundant, so he politely declined.

After seeing the store's prized possession, Skylar lost interest in continuing to browse and walked out of the store without looking back.

[Mask of Pain obtained!]

Walking a few steps deeper into the Knockturn Alley, a small shop called "Giant Spider" had its door open. Inside, there seemed to be many strange creatures locked in cages. Skylar thought he might be able to find the Phantom-Scent Grass he needed here, so he went inside.

"Welcome, distinguished guest." At the far end of the shop, a Hag wearing a wide-brimmed, pointed hat whispered in a sinister, hoarse voice, "Please feel free to browse."

(Note: The creature "Hag" has been translated in various ways in different volumes and chapters of the original People's Publishing House edition: witch, old witch, female demon, old hag, and mother Hag. These translations are very unprofessional. This book will use "Hag" as the consistent translation.)

Skylar glanced at the Hag a few times, then examined the creatures in the cages on both sides. This place truly lived up to its name, Knockturn Alley; Skylar saw many rare and dangerous creatures, Runespoor, the Horned Serpent, the Ashwinder, and the Murtlap. After a moment of internal reflection, Skylar casually asked, "Do you sell Phantom-Scent Grass here?"

The Hag stared intently at Skylar, her gaze filled with icy coldness. "Guest, you must be joking. Phantom-Scent Grass is a Class A prohibited trade item. Even in Knockturn Alley, no one dares to trade it openly. How could I possibly have such a thing here?"

Skylar sneered, "I'm not joking. I just believe that in this world, as long as there's enough profit, there's nothing that can't be traded." With that, he turned to leave.

The Hag spoke in a barely audible low voice, "If you really want it, you can find someone who is my supplier. He has many connections and might be able to help you..."

Skylar took out two Galleon and slammed them on the counter, saying coldly, "Give me his name and contact information."

The Hag calmly put the Galleon into the drawer before slowly taking out a slip of paper with the name "Nicholas" written on it, along with coordinates for a location somewhere in the Black Forest of Germany. "Guest," she said, "He's a professional smuggler. His name is protected by multiple sophisticated shielding spells, so even owls can't find him. I'll have to trouble you to make the trip yourself."

"The Black Forest?" Skylar muttered to himself. It seemed that this mission would require Dobby to take him there personally using Apparition. Skylar really did Dobby trust Dobby's pitiful intelligence when dealing with these people who lived in the shadows.

After finding the clue to the Phantom-Scent Grass he needed, Skylar checked the time and, too lazy to continue wandering around Knockturn Alley, recalled Dobby. A few days ago Dobby had repaired the Secret Passage on the fifth floor, and Skylar gave him a new mission: to travel to the Black Forest to find Nicholas's location, and then return to bring him there Apparition.

The thought of Apparition from Britain all the way to Germany in the future, and the dizzying way of traveling made Skylar a little scared. It seemed that it was time to put the development of Anti-Dizziness Bracelet that could overcome various magical teleportation-induced dizziness on the agenda.

(Note: Magical teleportation includes Floo Powder, Apparition, and Portkey)

Skylar changed back into his usual clothes and returned to Diagon Alley. Recalling his experience in Knockturn Alley, it felt as if he had experienced two completely different worlds.