Chapter 38 - 38: Grindelwald's Heir

Knockturn Alley was infamous for its Dark magic shops, the most renowned being Borgin and Burkes—the very store Harry Potter had stumbled into by accident when he misused Floo Powder for the first time. The shopkeeper, Mr. Borgin, was a hunched man with greasy, slicked-back hair. He was notoriously snobbish, fawning over Pureblood aristocrats like Lucius Malfoy while treating ordinary wizards with arrogance and disdain. When Borgin saw the two students enter, he forced a stiff smile and spoke in an oily tone, "Oh? Hogwarts students? What brings you to my humble shop? Surely you didn't take a wrong turn—Diagon Alley is next door." Audrey immediately formed a first impression of the man—cunning, greedy, and utterly unscrupulous. He didn't even bother hiding the malice in his gaze. Edward stepped up to the counter, knocking on the wooden surface as he said, "I'm looking to buy some Dark magic artefacts." Borgin's expression flickered for a moment before he bared his yellowed teeth in a grin. "Ah, I'm afraid you must be mistaken, young sir. This is a respectable establishment. We don't deal in such…items." Edward tossed a small pouch onto the counter, the sound of clinking Galleons filling the air. "Alright, drop the act. No need to put on a show for a student." Borgin's bony fingers pried open the pouch, and after a quick glance inside, his grin widened. "Ahh, now that you mention it…I may have a few little trinkets." He turned and retrieved a withered, mummified hand. The sight of it startled Audrey, making her take a step back. Borgin chuckled. "This, dear customer, is the Hand of Glory. Light a candle in its grasp, and only the holder will see the glow. It's the perfect tool for thieves and burglars!" And what exactly am I supposed to do with this? Wait…would Little Sun, Derrick find this useful? Still, Edward feigned disinterest, pushing the shrivelled hand away with a look of disgust. "What would I need this for? I have no interest in becoming a thief." "50 Galleons is a bargain for such a fine piece." Edward held up three fingers. "30 Galleons and I'll take it." Borgin tossed the hand over to him. "Deal." Edward caught it midair with a Levitation Charm, stuffing it into his pouch. "Anything else?" "Let me see, let me see…" Borgin bent down, rummaging through his cluttered shelves before pulling out a small glass vial filled with thick, dark red liquid. His grin turned wicked. "Now this one is quite fascinating—it's made from the blood of a werewolf. Smash it onto the ground, and anyone within a hundred meters who breathes it in will temporarily transform into a rampaging werewolf." "A werewolf?!" In the wizarding world, this was practically a weapon of mass destruction. Borgin quickly waved a hand. "No need to panic—it only lasts for half a day before the effects wear off. But here's the fun part—if someone gets bitten by one of these 'temporary werewolves,' they'll become the real one." Edward's expression turned strange. The magic in the Harry Potter world is seriously unhinged…but I wonder if this would even work on Beyonders? "How much?" Borgin's eyes gleamed. "60 Galleons." "No deal." Edward rejected the offer without hesitation. Borgin clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Tsk, you don't know how this works, kid. You can't just refuse outright—bargaining is an art. You take a step back, I take a step back, and eventually, we settle on a price." "Fine. 20 Galleons." "Deal." Borgin's sly grin deepened, and Edward immediately knew he'd been ripped off. Thinking about it, it made sense—this potion indiscriminately affected everyone within range. Sure, the transformation was temporary, but if someone got bitten, the consequences were permanent. Who would willingly risk using it? Borgin continued presenting various items—some exploded on impact with corrosive effects, some inflicted curses upon contact, some caused instant poisoning, and some could turn the solid ground into a swamp. At first glance, they seemed dangerous, but in practice, a single well-aimed spell was far more effective. Compared to the Beyonder artefacts from Lord of the Mysteries, these were laughably inferior. Audrey, however, was tempted to buy them all just to study their mechanics. The prices were dirt cheap for her, after all. But just like at Mr. A's Beyonder gatherings, she wisely kept silent. Of course, Edward wasn't here for these trivial trinkets. "Enough. I heard you have a broken Vanishing Cabinet. I want to study it. Are you selling?" Borgin's eyes flickered as he continued searching through his wares. "A broken Vanishing Cabinet? What could you possibly learn from that? Besides, it needs a pair to work, and the other one was lost long ago." "I've always been interested in Portkeys, but they can only transport people between two fixed locations. Vanishing Cabinets, on the other hand, can be carried anywhere and used on demand. Far more convenient." At that moment, Borgin set a fist-sized box onto the counter, blowing away the dust settled on top. His smile turned sinister. "Ah, here it is. A truly dangerous Dark artifact." Edward reached out to open the box— But Borgin swiftly slapped his hand away. "Do you have a death wish?! This was made from a Basilisk's eye. Even the most powerful wizard would die instantly just by looking at it!" Audrey's eyes widened. "Dumbledore and the Dark Lord included? Then how did the creator survive making it? And who put it inside the box?" Borgin shot her a glare. This girl looks pretty, but why does she have such an infuriating mouth? Grumbling, he disappeared into the back of the shop. When he returned, he was carrying a dusty, battered cabinet floating behind him. "This Vanishing Cabinet and the Basilisk artifact—600 Galleons. Sold as a set, no exceptions." Edward rolled his eyes. "So you're blackmailing me? According to you, I don't even know how to use the Basilisk artefact. What am I supposed to do, blindfold myself and chuck it at people?" Borgin simply patted the two items. "That's your problem, not mine." "Forget it." Edward turned and walked away. Borgin watched them stroll toward the door without a hint of urgency. But when he realized they were actually leaving, he finally relented. "Fine! You win. The Vanishing Cabinet can be sold separately." Edward stopped, then turned back with an offer. "100 Galleons." "No way!" "200 Galleons." "No." Edward took a deep breath. "Final offer. Everything you've shown me, including the vanishing cabinet, for 250 Galleons." Borgin stared at Edward for a long moment before shoving the vanishing cabinet forward. "280 Galleons. Take it or leave it." "Deal!" This was almost all of Edward's savings—the money he had painstakingly (and sneakily) set aside while brewing potions. Seeing the pained look on his face, Audrey whispered, "It's okay. If you're short on money, I have plenty. There's a bit of a loss when converting it to Galleons, but it should still be more than enough." Oh, the joy of having a rich patron! Then, she asked curiously, "Didn't you say those Dark artefacts were useless? Why did you end up buying all of them? Just to make sure you didn't lose out on the deal?" "I want to see what happens if these objects come into contact with the mist from Mr. Fool's mysterious palace. Will they mutate?" Audrey suddenly understood. Borgin quickly packed up all the items and then gave them a sly grin. "I hope you'll come back for more…if you survive today, that is." With that, he suddenly grabbed the box supposedly containing the "Basilisk Eye" and smashed it down onto the counter. Edward instinctively reached for Audrey, ready to turn and shut his eyes—only to realize that Borgin had merely stepped back with a smirk, watching him like he was enjoying a show. Looking again, Edward saw that the shattered box was completely empty. "Knew it! That old bastard was trying to scam me!" At that moment, several ragged-looking old wizards appeared from both the entrance and inside the shop. They stood expressionless, coldly staring at Edward. Among them was the Dark wizard whose memory Edward had erased before! Edward didn't even think twice. He grabbed Audrey and Disapparated immediately. "Wait! We're not—" Before the lead old wizard could finish his sentence, Edward and Audrey vanished. The remaining wizards looked at each other in shock. The leader furiously turned to one of his men. "Krafft, you did set up the Anti-Apparition wards, right?" The man in a military-style coat scoffed, "Of course. Even Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to Apparate out of here!" "Well, clearly, your certainty is deeply flawed!" The only woman in the group—wearing a pointed witch's hat and a brown coat—spoke coldly. "Carrow, it's your fault. I told you to watch over him from the shadows, but you scared him off instead!" The old wizard named Carrow muttered bitterly, "How was I supposed to know he was that cautious? I was this close to—" "Stupefy!" A flash of red light struck Carrow, sending him flying backward. He crashed onto the ground and lost consciousness. Edward reappeared for a brief moment, snatched up his bag of Dark artifacts, and vanished again. The remaining five wizards immediately raised their wands, looking around warily. Edward reappeared—then disappeared. Reappeared—then disappeared again. Each time, he popped up in a different spot, firing off Stunning and Disarming Charms. Bang! Bang! Bang! The cracks of Apparition and the blasts of spells echoed throughout the shop. A few minutes later, Borgin and the other wizards were sprawled across the floor, completely unconscious. Five minutes later, a now-Invisible Edward cautiously stepped back into the shop. After making sure they were all truly out cold, he collected their scattered wands and conjured iron chains to tie them up tightly. "You didn't expect that, huh? Your Anti-Apparition wards didn't work on me, but it turned you into my practice dummies instead." He could feel his spirituality running low—so many short-distance Apparitions had drained him. He estimated that he only had enough left to make it back to Hogwarts. Edward kicked one of the unconscious wizards awake—it was the Dark wizard whose memory he had erased before, Carrow. "Who are you? Why were you watching me?" Carrow tensed at first, but after realizing who was questioning him, his cloudy eyes lit up with fanaticism. "As expected of Mr. Grindelwald's heir! We old folks were subdued so easily by you!" "…Huh?" Edward was dumbfounded. "Me? Grindelwald's heir? Are you kidding me?" ——— [Austrian Alps, Nurmengard] Ever since Gellert Grindelwald was defeated by Albus Dumbledore, Nurmengard had transformed from his stronghold into his prison. A constant, icy wind howled through the castle, shrouding the area in mist and an overwhelming sense of oppression. Standing before the great doors of Nurmengard, Dumbledore gazed at the engraved words: "For the Greater Good." He stared at them for a moment, lost in thought, before finally stepping inside. Soon, he arrived at a dimly lit cell, where an elderly man with long, white hair lay on a worn rocking chair, dozing off with a book in his hands. At first glance, he looked just like any ordinary old man. But decades ago, he had plunged the whole world into chaos. "You haven't visited in a while, Albus." Grindelwald didn't even open his eyes, grumbling like he was simply complaining about an old friend's absence. Dumbledore smiled, brushing dust off a chair before sitting down. "You look much better." "Of course." Grindelwald sat up slightly, his sharp blue eyes gleaming like a young man's. "The old me was betrayed by the person I trusted most. My ideals and dreams were shattered. I was nothing more than a decaying shell." "But ever since you discovered that thing…I have hope once again." Dumbledore nodded slightly. Softly, he said, "The boy…he wants to learn more about magic. You're more suited to guide him than I am." Grindelwald smirked. "Albus, are you admitting that I'm better than you?" Dumbledore fell silent for a moment before replying in a low voice: "Forty-six years ago, I personally defeated you and crushed your ambitions." "…" ——— [Note]: Don't forget to VOTE. It keeps me motivated.