Chapter 835: They Must Be Tired
Chapter 835: They Must Be Tired
Compared to the bustling atmosphere during the day, Diagon Alley took on a less pleasant ambiance at night, especially after the shops on both sides closed. The pale moonlight intertwined with the flickering lamplight, casting an eerie and sinister aura that wasn't present before.
Holken and his group quickened their pace down the street, with two leading the way and three trailing behind, subtly positioning Kyle in the middle as if to prevent him from escaping.
Kyle, aware of their intentions, feigned ignorance and even urged them impatiently.
"How much further is it? We're not there yet?"
"It's just up ahead," Holken replied, turning back briefly.
He turned a corner and led them into a small alleyway.
Kyle hesitated, "Are you sure this is still within Diagon Alley?"
"Of course, I assure you," Holken said in a low voice, "This is the backstreet of Diagon Alley, also known as 'Knockturn Alley'."
"I've never heard of it," Kyle said.
"Well..." Holken explained, "This is where the shop owners rest. During the day, they work in their shops, and at night, they return here to rest. Perhaps there's nothing interesting here, so no one bothered to tell you about it."
Was Knockturn Alley the residence for shop owners?
Kyle let out a cold laugh... As if he would believe such a lame excuse!
The others seemed to sense the flimsiness of their excuse as well, and unconsciously moved closer to Kyle.
"Is that so?"
The next moment, Kyle nodded and took the initiative to walk forward, "Let's not waste any more time."
"Sure," Holken replied, a sinister smile spreading across his face as he resumed leading the way, pleased with his deception.
Knockturn Alley, at this moment, was even dirtier than it would be a century later. Strange objects that looked like bones were scattered on the road, and the air was filled with a suffocating stench of rot.
"Is this really where the shop owners rest?" Kyle couldn't help but cast a Bubble-Head Charm on himself and asked again.
However, this time, he received no answer.
By now, they had reached an even more eerie and secluded alley, and Holken stopped. The others instinctively closed in, surrounding Kyle.
"It wasn't easy to lure you here," Holken turned around, his eyes cold as he stared at Kyle.
"Lure me... What do you mean?" Kyle's voice was muffled, "Aren't you afraid I'll hire those shop owners to kill you?"
"Afraid? Of course, I am," Holken said, his eyes reflecting sarcasm and mockery, "But they dare not step into Knockturn Alley. This is our territory. Those greedy folks know the difference between a bag of gold and their lives."
"What are you getting at?" Kyle narrowed his eyes, "Never mind, just hand over the Black Dragon egg. This place is disgusting."
"Hahaha..." Holken laughed out loud, "Sure, here you go..."
He casually picked up a stone from the ground and handed it to Kyle, "But we've decided to raise the price. You'll need to pay us one thousand galleons."
"Have you gone mad... A stone?"
"No, this is the dragon egg."
"What if I refuse?"
"It's fine," Holken said as he and the surrounding wizards closed in on Kyle, "We'll kill you and search your body at our leisure."
Perhaps feeling overly confident or underestimating Kyle's abilities, they didn't immediately draw their wands. Instead, they surrounded him with smug expressions... as if toying with their captured prey.
"You plan to kill me?"
"Smart boy. Otherwise, why would we go through the trouble of luring you here? Do you really think we intended to make a trade?" Holken's smile widened, "Why don't you scream for help? Try to get someone to rescue you."
"Help! Someone, please..." Kyle mumbled half-heartedly.
But this action infuriated Holken, "Are you scared now? Why aren't you afraid?"
"I hate people like you the most, always acting so high and mighty." Kyle roared as he drew his wand, "It doesn't matter. I want to see if you can maintain that disgusting expression of yours under the excruciating pain of the Cruciatus Curse."
"What a pity," Kyle sighed.
"Indeed, it is a pity for you," Holken said.
"No, I mean, I thought I could get one more dragon egg. What a waste of time. Well then, goodbye." Kyle shook his head.
"Hah, you think you can just walk away..." Holken started to say.
Whoosh!
Before Holken could finish his sentence, a sharp stone spear shot out from the wall beside them, piercing straight through his chest.
Not just one, but five stone spears emerged from the wall, each aimed precisely at the vital points of Holken and his companions.
Fortunately, the spears missed their vital organs, and they were still alive.
"Confringo..." Holken spat out a mouthful of blood, "You didn't... have your wand... When did you..."
"It's just a simple transfiguration, no need for a wand," Kyle said nonchalantly.
"I seem to have underestimated you..." Holken stepped forward, breaking free from the stone spear, "But what a shame, you should've aimed for our hearts."
"Now!" he shouted, pointing his wand at Kyle, "Avada..."
But no one responded to his command. Holken suddenly realized that Kyle's trunk had opened, although he couldn't pinpoint when it had happened.
Then, he saw a pair of orange eyes.
"Thump... Thump..."
There were no screams, and several people fell to the ground as if they had simply fallen asleep.
The alley returned to silence once more.
After a few minutes, Kyle emerged with a bag in hand, ready to leave Knockturn Alley.
He had thought that Holken truly had a Black Dragon egg, which was why he had followed them, but it turned out that it was just an excuse to lure him there.
Come to think of it, it made sense. For centuries, Black Dragons had remained in the Hebrides, and there had been no traces of them elsewhere. It was unlikely that these people would have the ability to bring out a dragon egg.
Although he had expected this outcome, Kyle still felt a bit disappointed.
He walked past a patch of strangely colored mud and made his way towards the mouth of the alley.
At that moment, a figure hurriedly approached from the opposite direction.
Despite the person's black cloak, Kyle immediately recognized his identity.
It was Dumbledore, the younger version of him, to be precise.
Kyle had arrived here during the final exams, and then he had stayed in Diagon Alley for so long that it seemed Hogwarts must have been on holiday for quite some time.
When their eyes met, the other party also seemed to recognize him.
"Oh, you're the... sixth-year Hufflepuff." Dumbledore looked surprised, with a hint of panic in his eyes. "What brings you to Knockturn Alley at this hour? Did you run into some trouble?"
"No," Kyle shook his head. "I was just on my way to Gringotts and ended up here by mistake."
"At this hour, Gringotts must be closed already," Dumbledore remarked.
"Yes, they closed the gates right after I left," Kyle confirmed.
"Well, in that case, it's good that you're leaving. This isn't a place you want to linger," Dumbledore said, appearing a bit distracted and deliberately avoiding eye contact with Kyle.
As he glanced back at the alley, he noticed the figures lying not far behind, "What happened to them...?"
"I don't know, maybe they got tired," Kyle replied, glancing back as well. "I noticed them too but didn't dare to take a closer look."
"You did the right thing," Dumbledore said, seemingly unconcerned by the fact that there were wizards sleeping on the roadside in Knockturn Alley.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Kyle asked warmly.
"No, I'm just here to buy some things," Dumbledore shook his head, his tone becoming more hurried. "At this hour, the regular shops are closed, so I thought I'd try my luck here."
Kyle noticed his hand hovering close to his pocket, the perfect position to draw his wand at a moment's notice.
Was there something he didn't want Kyle to know?
"Well then, I wish you good luck," Kyle said, deciding not to pry further.
Dumbledore breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, walking past Kyle and continuing deeper into Knockturn Alley.
Kyle, on the other hand, made his way back to Diagon Alley, not bothering to look back out of curiosity. As he retraced his steps, he returned to the now dimly lit street.
A bright light shone from a shop that sold magical items, standing out from the surrounding darkness.
Kyle had been to this shop before. It sold items with special functions, like detoxifying bezoars and crystals that dispelled Dark Magic curses.
But Kyle recalled that the shop had been closed when he passed by on his way to Knockturn Alley. Now, it was suddenly open again.
The owner was yawning and about to close the door again, and Kyle could still hear him muttering, "Annoying brats... knocking on the door late at night... not buying anything..."
However, his expression changed immediately when he noticed Kyle, shifting from irritation to delight.
"Oh, sir, it's a pleasure to see you again," he greeted warmly, opening the door wide. "Is there anything I can help you with?"
Since Kyle never revealed his name during his purchases, the shop owners in Diagon Alley usually addressed him as 'sir'.
"I'm just browsing," Kyle said as he entered the shop and casually picked up a blue crystal.
"That's a Recording Crystal, capable of storing sound. It can play back automatically with just a bit of magic," the owner explained.
"Interesting, I'll take it," Kyle placed the crystal on the counter and asked, "By the way, I thought you were closed when I passed by earlier. Do you usually stay open this late?"
"No, not usually," the owner smiled. "I was about to retire for the night when a student, probably from Hogwarts, came knocking aggressively, wanting to buy something."
"Oh? What did he buy?" Kyle asked out of curiosity.
"Nothing, actually," the owner frowned slightly. "He just browsed for a bit and then left, saying we didn't have what he wanted."
"How peculiar. Everyone in Diagon Alley knows that we have the most comprehensive selection of items, even including amulets that can protect against the Killing Curse," the owner said, glancing at a necklace prominently displayed on the counter.
It was obviously just a charm to dispel hexes, useful for scaring off weak Dark creatures like Red Caps and Kappas, but it would be useless against the Killing Curse.
As for whether anyone had been duped...well, once they realized they'd been scammed, they probably didn't have the chance to come back and confront the owner.
However, Kyle didn't expose the scam and instead browsed for a while longer, picking out two trinkets before checking out.
The owner enthusiastically saw him out and then closed up shop.
As Kyle walked down the street, he pondered the shop owner's words.
If he guessed correctly, the one who had knocked on the owner's door earlier was probably Dumbledore, who seemed to be looking for something but couldn't find it in that shop. That was why he had gone to Knockturn Alley.
But what could Dumbledore be looking for so urgently that he had to come out at night?
The first person that came to Kyle's mind was Dumbledore's sister, Ariana, who, in the eyes of many, was a Squib.
This could also explain why Dumbledore seemed flustered earlier.
The famous Dumbledore family had a Squib among them, and he naturally didn't want others to know about it.
Additionally, Kyle recalled that, initially, Dumbledore hadn't been very fond of his sister, especially right after he graduated.
Dumbledore felt that having a sister who needed constant care was like a shackle, tying him down to the small valley of Godric's Hollow right after his graduation, when he should have been out exploring the world.
Of course, Ariana wasn't truly a Squib but a Secret-Keeper.
Secret-Keepers, in simple terms, were witches or wizards who resisted using magic, and when the magic within them didn't receive proper guidance and release, it transformed into another form.
It became a form of Dark magic without rules or shape, called "obscurus."
The destructive power of an obscurus was immense, and its host's frail body often struggled to contain it. Ariana was one of the few Secret-Keepers who had lived past the age of ten.
However, it also meant that she had to endure the constant pain caused by the obscurus, and perhaps, on that very night, Ariana's obscurus had erupted, forcing Dumbledore to seek a solution.
Perhaps it was time for Kyle to visit Godric's Hollow as well.
Although he hadn't received any news about his other dragon egg yet, Kyle no longer wanted to wait around.
He returned to the Leaky Cauldron for a good night's rest and checked out the next morning.
First, he went to Diagon Alley and located the shop.
Last night, Holken had mentioned the owner's name—Willy Tom. Kyle wondered if he was related to the future owner of the Leaky Cauldron.
It was possible that they weren't related at all, as the name "Tom" was quite common in Britain, and this was the first time he had encountered it as a surname.
As expected, the shop still had a 'Closed' sign hanging, and the owner hadn't returned yet.
However, there were a few wizards wearing distinctive robes standing on the street, especially near Knockturn Alley. From their movements, they seemed to be Aurors or Hit Wizards.
"Is the Ministry of Magic usually this efficient?"
Kyle furrowed his brows, remembering that Tom had mentioned Holken had some powerful backer.
It was indeed time to leave this place.
Although Kyle was confident that he hadn't left any traces last night, it was still better to be safe than sorry.
He had been too conspicuous in Diagon Alley lately, spending money lavishly. It was no surprise that Holken had targeted him.
Once the Aurors learned about this, they would definitely come to question him, and even if they had no evidence, Kyle didn't want to be associated with the Ministry of Magic.
He turned back to the Leaky Cauldron, plucked a strand of hair from a passerby, put it in a bottle, and walked into a nearby bookstore. Using the tall bookshelves as cover, he drank a Polyjuice Potion.
When he walked out, he had transformed into an ordinary-looking middle-aged wizard.
With a calm demeanor, Kyle strolled back to the Leaky Cauldron, turned onto a secluded street, and brandished his wand.
Suddenly, two lamps appeared at the street corner, and with a whoosh, a brand-new double-decker bus appeared before him.
"The Knight Bus, providing emergency transportation services for stranded witches and wizards." A cheerful voice greeted him from the bus.
"Can I help you, sir?"
"I'd like to go to Godric's Hollow," Kyle said. "How much?"
"One Sickle," the conductor replied with a broad smile. "And for an additional Sickle, you can get a cup of Butterbeer."
"No, thank you," Kyle said as he boarded the bus and handed over a handful of Knuts after counting them twice.
However, the conductor didn't show any signs of displeasure at Kyle's frugality and cheerfully directed him to an empty seat.
"Next stop, Godric's Hollow!" she shouted towards the front of the bus.
The bus lamps flickered, and with another whoosh, it sped off.
...
(End of Chapter)
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