Not for Sale · Missed Opportunity

Mr. Weasley and Ron did not enter Diagon Alley through the back door of the Leaky Cauldron. They used Diagon Alley's public Floo Network portal.

After a burst of ghostly green flames, Ron crawled out of the fireplace, covered in soot. He pulled the jade pendant from his pocket and gave it a shake. "Siri, we're here."

Zhang San emerged from the jade pendant. "Oh, so this is Diagon Alley? It's my first time here."

"You've never been to Diagon Alley?" Ron asked in surprise. "Where did you get your textbooks, wizarding robes, cauldron, and potion ingredients?"

"Hogwarts prepared everything for me in advance. I'm a government-sponsored international student. I flew straight from China to London, and the moment I landed, they shoved me onto the Hogwarts Express. They didn't leave me any time to go shopping at all," Zhang San complained.

Ron laughed. "Well, you can have a proper look around this time. There are lots of interesting shops in Diagon Alley. My favorite is Gambol and Japes Wizarding Joke Shop. Fred and George want to open a wizarding joke shop someday, but unfortunately, they don't have the startup capital."

"Hmm... once our little temple starts making big money, I could sponsor them. It would also expand the variety of souvenirs we can offer worshippers," Zhang San said after giving it some thought.

Ron's twin brothers—Fred and George—were truly exceptional talents. Their little inventions might have been magical prank toys, but the potion-making and alchemy knowledge contained within them was downright terrifying.

Moreover, Hogwarts did not offer alchemy as a subject. The Weasley twins had learned everything in that area through self-study. Some of it came from the Weasley family's accumulated knowledge, while the rest had been picked up by sneaking into the Hogwarts library during their nighttime escapades.

The Hogwarts library was an enormous treasure trove of magical knowledge. Even without digging through the Restricted Section for gold in the muck, the knowledge available in the open sections was enough for a young wizard to grow into a professional master.

After chatting for a bit, Zhang San and Ron went their separate ways. It would be best if Mr. Weasley did not find out where he was going. Otherwise, Uncle Arthur would never agree to let a young wizard go alone to a place as dangerous as Knockturn Alley.

As a ghost cultivator, if he wanted to buy contraband in Britain's magical world, he could only try his luck in Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burkes might have what he needed. The place sold items imbued with Dark magic or acquired through shady means—Vanishing Cabinets, opal necklaces, Hands of Glory, skull masks, and more could all be bought there.

Zhang San had come to try his luck and see whether he could buy a fresh cadaver.

The power of incense offerings had endless uses. Using it to maintain a physical body was as wasteful as skipping stones with gold bars. But moving about in soul form was indeed extremely inconvenient, so Zhang San planned to spend some money on a body for himself.

A side street branching off from the bright and glamorous Diagon Alley led straight into the dark side of the wizarding world: Knockturn Alley. It was a gathering place for Dark wizards, and it should have what Zhang San wanted.

Suitable cadavers were not exactly common goods. Zhang San was not willing to take just any cadaver, either—the body had to be strong, free of curses, and have a clean identity... All those requirements combined were indeed rather strict. It was the sort of thing one could only stumble upon by chance, so he could only try his luck.

The cadaver Zhang San wanted most was actually that of Hufflepuff's star student—Cedric Diggory. The guy was tall and handsome, the dream lover of countless young witches. Unfortunately, heaven envied talent. He had been killed by Voldemort with Avada Kedavra during the Triwizard Tournament.

That body best fit Zhang San's requirements. It would absolutely be his ideal cadaver.

But distant water could not put out an immediate fire. The Triwizard Tournament was still four years away, and by then, it was hard to say whether Zhang San would even still need a cadaver.

Besides, Cedric was a good person. Since Zhang San remembered that Voldemort would kill him, wouldn't it be better to save his life instead?

Zhang San found an empty corner and used the power of incense offerings to shape himself an adult body with a sinister face. He entered Knockturn Alley and easily found Borgin and Burkes.

The shop window was covered in a thick layer of dust. What should have been transparent glass had become almost frosted in texture. The sign above the doorframe, bearing the words "Borgin and Burkes," had faded, as though it had not been repainted in decades.

When Zhang San pushed open the door, the battered old thing let out a piercing creak. The shop was exceedingly dim, with only the faint glow of a few candles flickering weakly. The interior was cramped and crowded, and the narrow aisles allowed customers to pass only sideways.

The entire shop, inside and out, radiated an air of "buy it if you want it, get lost if you don't." From the lighting and smell to the layout, everything seemed designed to drive customers away.

At the very back of the shop stood a counter. Behind it sat the owner, a pale-faced, greasy-haired man with hunched shoulders and a bent back.

"I need a cadaver. Galleons are not a problem," Zhang San said bluntly.

Old Borgin looked at Zhang San with cloudy eyes. "No."

Zhang San: ...

Fuck!

Was that any way to do business?

These Dark wizards definitely had something wrong with their heads!

Zhang San had never dealt with Dark wizards in any of his lives. He simply did not understand their slang or secret signals.

The old man had not immediately pulled out his wand and hit him with Avada Kedavra only because Zhang San was wearing a face that screamed villain at a glance. A Dark magic shop attacking a Dark wizard would be bad for business.

It was not just Borgin and Burkes that would refuse to do business with Zhang San. No shop in Knockturn Alley would sell him what he wanted. It was not that they did not have it, but that they could not sell it to him. This fellow's background was unclear, and he did not understand the rules. There was no way this deal could be made.

If it had been the Malfoy father and son, Old Borgin would certainly have sold them the goods. Zhang San was suffering from a lack of experience. If he had shaped his face into Lucius Malfoy's, he might have been able to bring a cadaver home with just a few Galleons.

In truth, this was the closest Zhang San had ever been to returning home. Against one wall of Borgin and Burkes stood a tall, exquisitely crafted yet worn-looking wooden wardrobe. It was the legendary Vanishing Cabinet, and its other half was at Hogwarts.

The two could transport people between them regardless of distance, essentially serving as a wardrobe-sized portal.

The cabinet at Hogwarts had been broken during Harry Potter's second year. Malfoy later spent an entire term repairing it. The Death Eaters then used it to infiltrate Hogwarts, triggering the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and Dumbledore's death.

Unfortunately, Zhang San, whose memories had been damaged, had forgotten this important magical item: the Vanishing Cabinet. Otherwise, he really could have stolen it and sent it to China. All Zhang San would have needed to do was enter the Vanishing Cabinet and teleport back to China, allowing his soul to return to his homeland.

It could only be said that fate toyed with people and life was unpredictable. Forgetting the Vanishing Cabinet had caused Zhang San to miss his chance to return home, leaving him with no choice but to continue attending Hogwarts.

Zhang San returned to Diagon Alley empty-handed. Since he could not buy a fresh, suitable cadaver, he could only settle for the next best thing and visit the Magical Menagerie to buy some small animals to raise.

Small animals had very low mental resistance, so Zhang San could possess them easily with his abilities. Animal bodies were not as convenient or useful as cadavers, but at least they gave him a physical form, didn't they?

Did you think it felt good to float around in the sky all day, able to look at everything but touch nothing? You are not a ghost—how could you know a ghost's inconveniences?