The Silent Witch of Hogwarts

Chapter 29: Borginbock and the Uninvited Guest

"Welcome, welcome... Oh~"

As Loila pushed open the door to Borginborough, she saw an old man with a grim face. He wore a tattered cloak, his dim eyes scrutinizing the visitor, and his hunched figure made him look no different from a dark wizard.

"Mr. Burke." Gerst Parkinson, the team leader, nodded slightly to him.

"Mr. Parkinson, I don't think I've violated any Ministry of Magic rules recently, have I?" Burke gave a fawning smile and waved his wand to bring Parkinson a cup of coffee.

"No need." Mr. Parkinson was exceptionally reliable at work. He waved his hand, declining Burke's coffee, and said slowly, "Mr. Burke, you haven't violated any rules recently... but I don't know if you will in the future."

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, and a Ministry of Magic search warrant emerged from his cuff and floated in the air.

"According to Minister Fudge's regulations and the decision of the Wizengamo Wizarding Council, we will be conducting a spot check on Borginborough's shop." As he spoke, he nodded to the other Aurors, signaling them to begin their work.

"The purpose is to check if you are secretly possessing any dark magic items."

"Ah...I see." Burke, who looked somewhat suspicious, smiled. He was much calmer than Loyla had expected.

He clearly looks like a dark wizard.

"I believe that Bokinburg will not disappoint you gentlemen," he said in a low voice. "I have always been doing legitimate business."

"That would be for the best..." Mr. Parkinson shrugged and walked over to Loila. "Miss Hamel, you may begin..."

"Don't go easy on this old guy," he said in a low voice. "He sold me a lot of junk magical items before."

So, they had a grudge?

Loila pursed her lips and nodded at the exceptionally serious Mr. Parkinson. Of course, even if Mr. Parkinson hadn't said anything, she would have tried her best... After all, that guy Dumbledore had already called himself a master of magic arrays...

Loila didn't want to disappoint Mr. Scrimgeour, even though he was a vampire and an Auror.

With these thoughts in mind, Loila gently squeezed her wand and the Space Stretch Book in her arms, and began to read it in Boginborough's shop.

There were many strange things displayed here, most of them with grotesque and terrifying appearances, seemingly related to black magic... but upon closer inspection, Loila discovered that most of them were just for show.

Similar to the decorations in Durmstrang's corridors... even from the perspective of British wizards, they cannot be considered black magic props.

Did Mr. Parkinson buy these things?

Loila reached out and pinched a magical artifact in front of her that looked like a human hand, then withdrew her hand to avoid the suddenly closing fingers.

This seems to be a prank tool specifically designed to catch unruly individuals... it's hardly black magic.

Loila carefully looked around the shop. The items sold there indeed had nothing to do with dark magic, and she didn't see any magic circles...

That's a bit strange... Loila has been investigating magic item shops these past few days. Even shops in Diagon Alley can't be completely free of magic arrays... but this shop in Knockturn Alley doesn't have a single one.

She frowned slightly. She didn't have a good impression of Turndown Lane... so she didn't think there would be such a "normal" or even abnormally normal shop here.

Her eyes, hidden behind the mask, were thoughtful... She turned her head slightly to look at the counter where Boginbok was standing.

and many more……

She seemed to realize something and walked to the counter.

"Miss?" Burke greeted her immediately when he saw her approaching, startling Loila so much that she instinctively took a few steps back.

"What do you need?" he said, taking a few more steps closer, causing Loila to step back again.

Don't get so close to me... Loila could even smell his stench... It was disgusting...

But she also noticed that Mr. Burke seemed unwilling to leave the counter no matter what... as if there was something there.

"What's wrong, Miss Hammill?" Parkinson, seeing the commotion, immediately came over. He frowned and said, "Mr. Burke, you'd better be careful... This is a professor from Hogwarts."

"Ah, of course, of course," Bock said with a hint of flattery.

"What's going on?" Parkinson asked in a slightly lowered voice.

"There seems to be something here..." Loila whispered, "Under the counter..."

Her words made Parkinson frown immediately: "Mr. Burke... is there something here?"

"Ah...of course not...nothing at all." Burke said, pushing his hand aside and making a small space so that Loila and Parkinson could look inside.

The inside seemed empty, quite ordinary, just a dirty counter with some odds and ends on it.

But that's for ordinary wizards... Loila has already noticed the anomaly here.

"There's a magic circle here," said Loila, who got excited whenever she encountered one. "And it's a combination magic circle."

Her words immediately changed Bock's expression. He quickly said, "How is this possible? What is a magic circle? I have absolutely no idea..."

"This is a combination magic array, it has both an energy storage magic array and a perception-reducing magic array..." Loila said seriously, her eyes under the silver mask glowing slightly, "and it's very well maintained, the blood of the invisible beasts on it was only recently changed."

"Therefore, it has a strong ability to psychologically suggest and reduce perception... It is difficult to detect unless it is deliberately observed..." The more Loira spoke, the uglier Bock's face became.

"This should be a switch." Loila took a few steps closer, while Parkinson pulled Burke aside, who was blocking the way.

"If it triggers..."

"Clatter".

Before Loila could finish speaking, the door of the Borginburg store was suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged man with blond hair walked in. He frowned subconsciously when he saw the crowd of Aurors standing there.

"Mr. Malfoy?" Parkinson paused for a moment upon seeing the newcomer. He slowly released his grip on Burke's hand and walked over to the middle-aged man.

"Good morning... Mr. Parkinson." Malfoy gave a polite smile and nodded slightly. "The Ministry of Magic is..."

"Randomly check dark magic items." Parkinson nodded slightly, looking quite pleased.

Are they friends?

Loila slowly stood up and looked at the two of them, then shifted her body to avoid standing too close to Mr. Burke.

"Ah...I see..." Malfoy smiled and looked around at the people in the room, then his gaze settled on Loila.

"..." Loila took a few steps back and stood behind an Auror from the Ministry of Magic. She felt that Mr. Malfoy's eyes were a little scary.

"This must be the Ministry of Magic's new advisor, right?" Malfoy said slowly, "That young lady who is extremely skilled in magic arrays?"

He actually knows me? Loila glanced at him furtively, a little surprised. Was it because she had gotten into a lot of trouble lately?

She had indeed caused quite a bit of trouble, and Malfoy frowned slightly as he looked at her.

The Ministry of Magic's recent investigation has caused quite a stir, but most pure-blood wizards are not really worried, since the Ministry of Magic's inspections are mostly just superficial.

Unfortunately... this time it seems a bit unexpected. An advisor who is extremely skilled in magic arrays has been introduced by Dumbledore to join the investigation team. A few days ago, Lucius Malfoy had already heard that many of the family's privately kept dark magic items had been discovered by this young lady.

So he had to prepare to get rid of all the dark magic items in his house and sell them to Borginbock...

As a result, something unexpected happened... He looked at the petite figure standing behind the Auror and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

The Ministry of Magic is actually inspecting Borginborough... and it's that wretched traitor Parkinson leading the team! That guy who betrayed pure-blood wizards and is so incredibly friendly to Muggles and Mudbloods...

Lucius gave a forced smile and a nod as a greeting to Loila, then turned to leave.

"Wait a moment, Mr. Malfoy," Parkinson called out to him. The young Auror from the Ministry of Magic slowly walked to Lucius's side and took his arm. "May I ask what brings you here?"

"I was just browsing," Lucius said slowly, returning the compliment with a smile.

"I think so...it shouldn't have anything to do with dark magic items, right?" Parkinson nodded gently, looking like he trusted him.

They really are friends... but if Mr. Lovegood, who spread rumors about Lord Grindelwald, saw them being so intimate, he would probably just say they were already married.

"Of course not." Lucius nodded with a smile.

"That's good." Parkinson nodded in agreement. "Please wait a moment while we check Boginbock, and then we'll check you out as well."

"That just so happens that we were planning to go to your estate soon."

Damn it... traitor...

Lucius's face visibly darkened. He gripped his scepter tightly, glanced around at the Aurors staring at him, and gritted his teeth as he said, "This doesn't seem quite right... after all..."

"Then you'll have to explain what you want to buy here... and what you'll use it for." Parkinson shrugged, seemingly just chatting with Lucius, but his eyes were unusually serious.

He wasn't one of those Aurors who feared the Malfoy family. As a member of the Parkinson family and also a pure-blood wizard, he showed Lucius no mercy. Besides, he disliked the Malfoys to begin with... Today, he was lucky enough to make Lucius lose face...

"What are you doing?"

Suddenly, a surprised shout rang out, and Parkinson instinctively turned his head to see Miss Hamel raising her wand.

"Buzz!"

Then, with a flash of the wand, a silver light struck Burke, causing him to shudder and stand frozen in place.

A freezing spell… and a silent one at that… Without time to think, Parkinson quickly drew her wand and asked, “What’s wrong, Miss Hamel?”

"He...he..." Miss Hamel, wearing a mask, paused, seemingly taking a deep breath before slowly saying, "He just tried to destroy that magic circle!"