Though Borgin was still hanging upside down, his professional dedication had not diminished in the slightest. Enduring the pain in his face, he said:
"This is a deck of playing cards with quite a history, born of a wizard's peculiar, twisted sense of humor. Any Muggle who possesses it can win every game at the card table. However, they will also be plagued by misfortune, ultimately losing their life to the cards' curse."
"A curse?" Looking at the dried black bloodstains on the cards, Herman could not help giving Borgin's claim some credence.
Just then, however, Sirius could not help snorting with laughter. "What curse? These cards are just a little alchemical trinket that lets you control the deal. As for this supposed curse, those gamblers might always win at the card table, but that doesn't mean everything goes their way away from it."
Though Sirius had just interrogated him and Borgin was terrified of him, professional instinct still drove him to spare no effort in promoting his merchandise.
"Isn't that a kind of curse too? Besides, who knows how many Muggles have had their families ruined and their loved ones killed because of it? The wronged souls clinging to it are the best proof."
"Why do I feel like this thing is even more unlucky now?" Herman could not help remarking at Borgin's sales pitch, which practically achieved the opposite of its purpose.
"Then pick something else. I think that necklace looks nice," Harry enthusiastically suggested from beside him.
Borgin immediately took his cue from Harry and began his pitch. "This is a necklace with a long history, imbued with profound Dark Magic. It has already claimed the lives of nineteen Muggles."
"Oh, come on, that one really is cursed!"
At that, Herman stopped hesitating and held up the playing cards.
"I'll take these. I'm not changing my mind."
Sirius nodded and lightly waved his hand. The ropes suspending Borgin loosened and lowered him to the floor. "Let's settle the bill."
They had only just stepped out of Borgin and Burkes when a little gargoyle in the distance came racing along the foot of the wall. When it reached Harry's feet, it suddenly stopped, instantly turning back into a statue.
Harry bent down, picked up the statue, and casually tossed it into the trolley. Full of curiosity at the sight, Herman asked, "What's going on?"
Harry explained, "Persephone's gargoyle statues come in a pair. Once one is activated, it will run away on its own to find the other when the preset time is up."
"That's amazing!" After exclaiming in admiration, Herman looked down at the playing cards in his hand again, thinking that they really were just a little alchemical toy without a single useful function.
"All right, I reckon the Aurors will be catching up soon. Time to say goodbye again, Harry."
Seeing the gargoyle return, Sirius figured that the disturbance was about to end. The Aurors who noticed something amiss would soon widen their search, and it was only a matter of time before they found Harry.
"Goodbye. I really hope our next meeting won't be this much trouble. I might end up in the courtroom again," Harry could not help complaining.
As he watched Sirius pull up his hood and prepare to leave, Herman suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "Mr. Sirius, could you take me somewhere? It's not far away, and it won't take up too much of your time."
Hearing Herman's request, Sirius asked curiously, "Where do you want to go? Somewhere in Knockturn Alley?"
Seeing that Sirius was willing to take him, Herman quickly said, "Kramer Goblin Supplies Shop. It should be nearby, but this is Knockturn Alley, after all. I'm only a child, and I don't dare stay here alone for too long."
"Kramer Goblin Supplies Shop?" Sirius looked utterly puzzled, as though he had heard something extraordinary, and could not help asking, "What are you going there for? You should know, goblins' customer service-no, they don't have any customer service. Buying things there-or renting them, to be precise-is ridiculously expensive. There's no value for money at all. You'd be better off picking something at Borgin and Burkes."
Since the man was a wanted criminal, Herman felt there was little point in hiding anything and said frankly, "I have some Muggle money that I was thinking of exchanging for Galleons. I heard from a goblin that I could exchange it there."
"Actually, I think there is something like that." Herman's words brought some rumors Sirius had heard before to mind. Without much hesitation, he readily agreed:
"No problem. I don't think the Aurors will find us anytime soon."
With that, Sirius led the two of them toward the other end of Knockturn Alley. Feeling the ravenous, ill-intentioned gazes from either side of the street, Herman could not help thinking, Good thing I didn't come alone. If Sirius, an adult wizard, weren't beside me, I'd probably have been treated as a free materials pack delivered right to their doorstep by now.
Before long, they reached Kramer Goblin Supplies Shop. Its overall style could hardly have been more different from the other shops in Knockturn Alley.
It had neither that eerie, frightening atmosphere nor a cold, forbidding air. The storefront was perfectly ordinary, with some exquisite swords, armor, and robes displayed in the window.
However, another distinctive feature of the shop was that its merchandise was pitifully small. Herman felt that even a child like him would find it a little tight, and the entire shop looked as though it had been placed under a Shrinking Charm.
It had somehow squeezed three floors into the height of the neighboring building's two. The doorway was even shorter; even Herman would have to bend over like a shrimp to get inside.
Standing at the entrance and looking at the door he would have to squat to enter, Sirius said helplessly to Herman, "Kid, go in by yourself. Don't worry. Goblins wouldn't dare do anything to a wizard, especially a young wizard like you. The Goblin Act places very strict restrictions on them."
Herman glanced at Sirius's tall frame and could hardly say anything more. After all, Sirius was not really his father-in-law, and he felt too embarrassed to ask the man to squat his way inside to accompany him.
So, after thanking Sirius again, he bent down and squeezed into Kramer Goblin Supplies Shop.
Once Herman had entered the shop, Sirius looked at Harry, who seemed to be holding back something she wanted to say, and asked with a smile, "What is it, Harry? Is there something you want to ask?"
Since Sirius had asked first, Harry spoke bluntly. "Godfather, you didn't call me over just to give me a back-to-school present, did you? You're not the sentimental sort. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called me over to France to act as your lookout because you were short-handed when my birthday was coming up."
At Harry's words, a flicker of embarrassment crossed Sirius's face. Only then did he remember that he really did seem to have forgotten Harry's birthday. This time, however, he did have an important reason, one that could convince Harry.
"I heard some news that I thought you ought to know. But it seems to be somewhat different from what I originally thought, and now it doesn't seem to be much use."
"What news?" Sirius's words had successfully piqued Harry's curiosity, and she no longer had any attention to spare for the matter of him getting her locked up.
"I learned that a considerable number of dark creatures-werewolves, vampires, and the like-have recently been pouring into Britain like a tide."
Harry frowned and asked gravely, "Is it connected to Voldemort? Has he come back?"
Sirius shook his head helplessly and said with a trace of regret, "That was what I thought at first too, which is why I called you here. But according to what I learned from Borgin, this has nothing to do with Voldemort. Several vampire families and a few well-known werewolves put out a joint call. It seems to be a gathering of dark creatures."
"Can we trust what Borgin said?" Harry was doubtful. After all, as far as she knew, apart from the last time Voldemort had united the dark creatures, werewolves and vampires had always had historical conflicts that were difficult to reconcile. The more powerful a vampire or werewolf was, the more that history mattered to them, and the less likely they were to cooperate readily.
"Borgin was probably telling the truth. After all, he has no reason to conceal information for those dark creatures. His source is also fairly reliable, since the shop's other owner is a vampire," Sirius said with complete confidence.
"The other owner? A vampire?" Harry looked utterly puzzled. She had visited Borgin and Burkes with Sirius before, but Borgin had been the one to serve them every time.