Knockturn Alley

As the sun sets, the cobblestone ground turns a dim yellow.

The scattered wizards on the street also began to return to their homes.

Penelope's golden curls shimmered in the dim sunlight, and a slight blush rose from her fair face.

Kate hopped around like a rabbit, grabbing Ryan's right hand.

"Ryan, let's go straight back."

"If this keeps up, Penelope will probably still be engrossed in that weird book even when it gets dark." Kate raised her head boredly and looked at Ryan expectantly.

She knew what kind of abilities Ryan possessed. For example, when she went on a trip with Ryan before, Ryan casually waved his hand and a gray, hazy thing that Ryan called a dimensional wall appeared.

They walked toward it and the next second they found themselves in Albania —the place they were meant to travel to.

"No, don't you think Diagon Alley is rarely seen at this time of year?" Ryan declined softly. Kate's lips pouted so much they could almost hang an oil bottle on them.

Despite being the largest and most bustling trading center in the Wizarding World, Diagon Alley is not as brightly lit as other trading centers.

Conversely, as soon as dusk falls, all the shops except those near the Leaky Cauldron close down.

As night deepened, only the Leaky Cauldron remained lit.

This is all because of Diagon Alley's neighbor – Knockturn Alley.

At night, when Knockturn Alley officially opens, Dark Wizard from all over gather here to exchange their collections.

But things have changed recently, or rather, they've been different ever since Ryan started sweeping through Knockturn Alley.

The Dark Wizard still exists.

However, those who indiscriminately killed innocent people and committed atrocities all disappeared one by one.

Other slightly better territories were also taken over by Borgin and Burkes, contributing to the Borgin Pirate Skywalker Alchemy Workshop's business.

Now, Knockturn Alley is more like a large flea market.

Many items that are prohibited by the Ministry of Magic are traded here.

The most interesting one is Fudge, who thinks it's all his own doing and even boldly leads a group to secretly patrol the Knockturn Alley.

Finally, he appeared naked again on the outskirts of London.

During his brief absence, the Ministry of Magic's efficiency improved once again.

He even shamelessly attempted to order the sealing Knockturn Alley.

But nobody paid him any attention.

After all, Knockturn Alley is one of the Pure-blood's money bags. Especially now that it has suddenly been laundered for some reason, it is undoubtedly even more important.

As for Fudge, who is he?

Fudge, once again, mistakenly believes that all of this is due to Dumbledore's existence!

Dumbledore's reputation led to his decrees being disrespected!

So he once again consulted with his strategist Umbridge about how to smear Dumbledore.

"Hmm, that new Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor is pretty good," Fudge remarked the Daily Prophet.

Knowing all this, Ryan couldn't help but pray for Fudge and Umbridge, hoping they wouldn't suffer a worse fate than in the original timeline when facing Voldemort —being sent to Azkaban.

However, there is another possibility.

Ryan noticed something: after Fudge's two sudden disappearances, the Ministry of Magic had realized that things would be better without him.

His trick of using Dumbledore's influence to bully others was long gone.

In particular, he is now actively trying to break free from Dumbledore's influence.

Perhaps Fudge will be out of office before Voldemort even makes a move.

That's very likely.

Fudge is a man whose name reflects his character.

Very lucky.

Because of Barty Crouch's downfall, his correspondence with Dumbledore, and the need for a seemingly gentle minister in peacetime, the incompetent Dumbledore unexpectedly came to power.

In the original timeline, on the eve of Voldemort's official return, he was fortunate enough to step down, unlike the unfortunate Scrimgeour who lost his life.

In the end, he didn't even stay in Azkaban for long.

Perhaps, this time he will step down early again because of his good fortune.

If that's really the case, then it's hilarious.

However, all of this was because of Ryan —his cleaning of Knockturn Alley.

That's why, at Diagon Alley, far from the Leaky Cauldron, can also be used for entertaining people.

There are fewer people now, but people are not used to it yet.

In addition, there was the impact of the recent disappearance of Fudge here.

As night deepened, Ryan and his two companions, who had cast spells to reduce their presence around them, gradually began to consider retreating.

But it was mostly Penelope who came to her senses. "Can we go now?"

"But I really didn't expect Knockturn Alley to be so lively at night," Kate said, half expectant and half hesitant.

I'm looking forward to it because I've been wanting to go home for a long time.

She hesitated because she found herself unusually curious about the bustling activity in Knockturn Alley.

"Shall we wander around some more?" Penelope asked hesitantly, noticing Kate's expression.

She was extremely embarrassed; she hadn't realized she'd been looking at it for so long.

This has wasted so much of everyone's time.

Since Kate wants to continue shopping, then let her continue.

As for security issues, isn't Ryan there?

And so, Ryan and his two companions, keeping their presence hidden, arrived at Knockturn Alley, a place strictly forbidden by their respective parents.

During the day, this is a dirty alleyway, lined with what appears to be shops selling Dark Magic.

The shop windows along the street displayed some shrunken human heads, a large cage crawling with huge black spiders, green poisonous candles, and stacks of what appeared to be the fingernails of dead people.

This is what happened when Ryan and his group passed by during the day.

But now, although those disgusting things still exist, they have become inconspicuous under the cover of night.

Moreover, various stalls have already been set up on the stone slabs that have become as white as a mirror.

To Ryan and his companions' surprise, there were none of those obvious, disgusting, and horrifying Dark Magic items here.

Instead, this place is more like a Potions wholesale market—the kind that specializes in wholesaling rare items and doesn't allow direct sale.

The Troll's dark, calloused feet, its green, translucent Acromantula Venom, carrying an aura of curse, its still-warm Unicorn Blood shimmering with lightning, and the feathers of Thunderbird trapped in an insulated, translucent bottle.

Meanwhile, on the other side, some brand-new, oddly shaped wands caught Kate's attention.

Some of them were entirely purple, shrouded in a dreamlike mist; some were hollowed out, with feathers burning like fire at the core of their staffs; some resembled iron rods, reflecting a dazzling, cold light under the moonlight; and others were as white as jade, seemingly surrounded by ethereal, transparent birds.

Kate tugged at Ryan, Ryan nodded. The next second, their unnoticed presence reappeared and twisted into three burly black-robed wizards.

Before Ryan and the others could speak, the old man at the stall said in a tone that seemed arrogant but actually lacked confidence, "Look! These are my latest wands— Dream Weaver Poplar, Duel Master Red Oak, Soul Bringer Silver Linden, and Extraordinary Laurel Ash."

Then, in Ryan's mind, Kate's excited voice rang out, "Ahhh, so cool! Even if it's just Transfiguration, I'll take it!"