Knockturn Alley, Borgin and Burkes.
Mr. Borgin looked up from behind the counter.
He glanced toward the door—an unfamiliar young man had entered.
The newcomer wore a brand-new wizarding robe, and the tips of his leather boots, which peeked out beneath the hem, gleamed brightly. Yet his eyes were somewhat cloudy, his skin dark, and his face gaunt—giving him the look of a scoundrel native to Knockturn Alley.
Mr. Borgin frowned.
Lately, several such individuals—whose appearances didn't match their refined clothing—had been visiting his shop. Every one of them had come seeking information on Dark Dantes.
"Sir, how may I help you?" Mr. Borgin asked, his tone neutral.
"Borgin and Burkes has everything you could possibly need," he added after a pause.
The young man smiled. "I'm not here to buy anything… I heard that Mr. Borgin is well-connected when it comes to information. I came to you for answers."
He placed a bulging bag onto the counter.
"One thousand Galleons. I want everything you know about Dark Dantes—the one who's quickly rising to fame."
Mr. Borgin sighed. As expected, another one.
At first, those seeking information on Dantes would offer a mere 100 Galleons. Then the price climbed. Now, it had reached 1,000 Galleons.
To be honest, across all of Britain, Mr. Borgin probably knew more about Dantes than anyone. He could easily make a fortune simply by revealing what he knew.
However—
"I'm sorry, sir," he said calmly, "I'm not familiar with Dantes. Like everyone else, I've no idea about his background."
"This is one thousand Galleons, Mr. Borgin."
"It's not about the money," Borgin replied, shaking his head. "I truly don't know anything."
The young man pressed further. "But I heard Dantes came to you once."
"He did. That's true. But he had just arrived in Britain and wanted to exchange some Galleons."
"Exchange Galleons? Knockturn Alley is right next to Gringotts. Couldn't he go there?"
"He probably did," Mr. Borgin replied casually. "But the goblins offered him far too little for his antiques. You know me—I do business with a conscience. My prices are several times higher than Gringotts'. Any normal person would rather deal with me."
The young man nodded, seemingly satisfied with the explanation. He turned and left without another word.
As the door closed behind him, Mr. Borgin let out a long sigh—he had almost cracked under the temptation. One thousand Galleons! His heart ached at the lost profit.
He knew perfectly well that the truth about Dark Dantes must be kept secret.
In fact, he alone knew that Dantes had inquired about Anna Avery. Fortunately, Dantes was a reasonable man. Had he been someone like You-Know-Who, Mr. Borgin would likely already be a corpse.
—After all, a person struck down by Avada Kedavra is someone who definitely took their secrets to the grave.
But reasonableness didn't mean leniency. Borgin could still recall the corpses once piled at the entrance of Knockturn Alley—an image seared into memory.
Dantes was elusive, able to appear and vanish at will, ignoring Anti-Apparition spells entirely. Offending someone like that meant losing control over your own life.
As these thoughts circled in his mind, the bell above the door chimed again. Another customer entered.
"Hello…"
Mr. Borgin jumped slightly, but quickly forced a smile.
"Ah, Mr. Malfoy!"
Lucius Malfoy stepped inside, cane in hand, hair perfectly combed as usual.
"Mr. Malfoy, what brings you here today? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Malfoy strode forward and leaned over the counter. His voice was calm but direct.
"I want all information you have on Dark Dantes."
Mr. Borgin's expression tightened. Unlike the earlier visitors—dressed like beggars in dragonhide robes—this was someone of true influence. Lucius Malfoy was seriously interested in Dantes.
However—
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy," Borgin said carefully. "I'm not as familiar with Dantes as you might think. You were the one who introduced him to the British wizarding world."
Malfoy gave a slight smirk.
"Exactly. That's why, now that I'm entering deep cooperation with him, I need to know everything about him."
Mr. Borgin shrugged. "I'm truly sorry. I know nothing beyond that."
Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "Then send someone to investigate! Money is no issue."
Mr. Borgin sighed again.
"Mr. Malfoy, dozens—no, countless people have asked me about Dantes. I've already done my best to gather information. But I failed. It's as if Dantes appeared out of thin air. No matter what I tried, I couldn't find anything useful.
You know me—if I could profit from it, wouldn't I want to? But the truth is, that Dantes has immense resources. If he wishes to keep his past hidden, it's effortless."
Malfoy suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha. Mr. Borgin, you are a clever man."
And with that, he turned and left, leaving a confused Mr. Borgin behind.
Lucius Malfoy walked toward the entrance of Knockturn Alley. Near it, a group of wizards in uniform had cleared an area. The usual alley-dwellers dared not approach.
Malfoy stepped into the circle of wizards. One of them, the young man who'd earlier visited Borgin and Burkes, stepped forward.
"BOSS!"
Malfoy nodded, his features morphing quickly into those of Dantes.
"Paget," Dantes said, "recall the team monitoring Mr. Borgin. Leave just one person to keep an eye on him. He values his life too much to risk betraying me."
Paget nodded, then asked, "Boss, since Mr. Borgin knows so much about you, why don't we just eliminate him?"
Dantes shook his head.
"No. Mr. Borgin is very useful to me. It's not just about his connections—he himself is a rare talent. Paget, remember: for us to succeed, we must unite all forces that can be united."
"But sir, Mr. Borgin is from the Burke family. And the Burkes are one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."
Dantes smiled. "You're thinking critically. That's good. But you must analyze each case specifically.
Are we trying to pull Mr. Borgin into our inner circle? No. We just need to cooperate with him.
You saw for yourself—he's a clever man. As long as we show strength, he'll make the right choices."
"Understood, Boss."
Dantes turned and began walking toward the exit of the alley.
"The operation to take control of Knockturn Alley must move faster. Clear out the irredeemables. Bring back those who can be salvaged to Black Old House for ideological re-education."
"Yes, Boss!"
Dantes paused and sighed.
"I really wish you'd start calling me comrade instead…"
He waved dismissively. "Alright, off you go."
With that, he summoned Spandim Gate and stepped into it.
When he emerged, he found himself in a forest. Loud noises echoed from nearby—like the bustling of a massive crowd.
But this wasn't a market.
It was the Chudley Cannons' home stadium.
Today, the Cannons were playing the Caerphilly Catapults.
Dantes reverted to his silver-haired, blue-eyed youthful form and made his way toward the home team's locker room.
The closer he came to the stadium, the louder the cheers became. He didn't need to step inside to imagine it: a roaring sea of orange and red.
He smiled.
Today's match was going to be… a little special.
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