The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 565: The Buyer of the Necklace

The next day, the wizards in Knockturn Alley had not yet woken up from their nap when they saw a whole team of law enforcement officers rushing into the alley in full gear.

These employees from the Ministry of Magic stopped neatly in front of Borgin and Burke's. They did not enter the store, but blocked the road in front of the door and drove away the people gathered in front of the store.

At this time, the shop door opened, and Mr. Borgin, with a slicked-back hair, hurried out. As a shrewd businessman, Mr. Borgin guessed that he must have offended someone unintentionally, but he couldn't figure out who he had offended for the time being.

Bo Jin smiled and said in a friendly manner: "What brings you here? But what is missing from our shop?"

The Enforcement team split apart, revealing Arthur Weasley.

Perhaps because he came from the grassroots, Mr. Weasley likes to do things personally. He has been the director of the Law Enforcement Department for only a little over two months, but he has been on the scene more times than many veteran directors who have been working there for many years.

"Ah, Mr. Weasley!" said Mr. Borgin respectfully. "You've come in person!"

A man with flaming red hair and old, patched robes must be from the Weasley family. And Mr. Weasley is now the head of the Law Enforcement Department, so Mr. Borgin naturally recognizes him.

Although Mr. Borgin looked down on the Weasley family from the bottom of his heart, he would not speak rudely to the Director, especially in front of him. The team behind him was not the model team, but the law enforcement team of the Ministry of Magic.

"Mr. Borgin, this is a very unpleasant meeting," said Mr. Weasley, without being domineering or speaking disrespectfully to the other party because of his high position.

Hearing this, Mr. Borgin became very uneasy. He said in a fuss, "Mr. Weasley, please don't say that. Borgin and Burke's is a law-abiding shop. Our meeting will definitely be a pleasure."

As he spoke, Borgin invited Mr. Weasley to come in for a detailed discussion. He didn't want these people to rush into his shop. If any items were damaged, it would be Borgin and Burke's loss.

Mr. Weasley did not refuse Borgin, and brought people here seemingly to confiscate Borgin and Burke, but in fact he wanted to find out about the opal necklace. It would be best to talk to Borgin alone.

Borgin led Mr. Weasley into the shop. Besides the two of them, there was also Mr. Weasley's assistant.

The two sat down, and before Borgin could warmly greet them, Mr. Weasley got straight to the point. He said, "Well, we are tracking down an illegal dangerous item. According to the tip-off, this illegal item came from Borgin and Burke."

There were so many illegal items in Borgin and Burke's store that Mr. Borgin couldn't even remember what illegal dangerous goods were.

However, Mr. Borgin did not refute immediately. The fact that the shop was located in Knockturn Alley already explained the nature of the shop. If the Ministry of Magic really wanted to search it, they would definitely find the truth.

Seeing Borgin's reaction, Mr. Weasley was not surprised. If the other party jumped up and said it was impossible, he would have handcuffed him back to the Ministry of Magic! Mr. Weasley gave his assistant a look, and the smart young man immediately understood.

The young assistant took out a package from his arms, placed it on the table in front of Mr. Weasley and Borgin, and then carefully opened it - inside was a luxurious opal necklace.

"This thing... I believe Mr. Borgin should be very familiar with it?" asked Mr. Weasley.

Familiar, too familiar, this necklace was the one sold by Bo Jin!
"Well... this is indeed a product in the store, but I have already made a statement about this item. This necklace is only sold to those who want to study and break the curse." Borgin said, "You know, breaking the curse of an item has always been a difficult problem. Do you remember the sonnet?"

In the wizarding world, many magical items carry curses, either to protect the item itself or out of pure malice.

Many people know about the curse of the sonnet. Anyone who comes into contact with this cursed object will have to speak in the form of sonnet for the rest of his life.

"I don't want to study the curse on the opal necklace, Borgin." Mr. Weasley put away his smile and said seriously, "Because of this necklace, a Hogwarts student was injured and hospitalized. Fortunately, she just touched it, otherwise I would not be able to sit here and communicate with you now."

Mr. Borgin's expression became even more exaggerated, his mouth opened wide, and his eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets. "How could this happen!" Borgin said loudly, "The items in the store are only for research, how could someone use them to do bad things!"

Mr. Weasley signaled Borgin to calm down. He said, "Sit down, sit down... I am willing to believe you, and believe that the curse on Hogwarts students has nothing to do with you. But, it is useless for me to believe. You have to work hard too."

As the Director of the Law Enforcement Department, Mr. Weasley's authority grows stronger. Just a few words of comfort give people a sense of authority without even being angry.

Borgin's brain was working fast at the table. He clearly remembered who he had sold the opal necklace to, and he was weighing whether to betray the buyer. Between offending the Ministry of Magic and offending the buyer, Mr. Borgin had to make a choice as soon as possible. The law enforcement team outside the store would not give him much time to think.

If the Ministry of Magic was inefficient and slow in its work as before, Borgin would have kept the secret without hesitation.

But the Ministry of Magic is different now. With the support of top experts, Thicknesse has changed the impression of the Ministry of Magic before, and the entire organization is running efficiently. Although there are still discordant voices within the Ministry, due to public opinion and the current situation, these people can only let Thicknesse do whatever he wants for the time being.

As the old saying goes, the county magistrate is not as good as the current one. The cunning Mr. Bogin did not hesitate too much, he directly said the name of the buyer.

"I sold the opal necklace to Draco Malfoy a while ago," said Mr Borgin.

Then, in order to reduce the impact of this incident on himself and the store, he continued, "You know, Master Malfoy's father is a subordinate of the 'Mysterious Man'. He wanted to buy the opal necklace, and I didn't dare to stop him."

Borgin said that he was innocent and was a victim who was coerced. He sacrificed a pawn to save the king, and Draco Malfoy was the pawn. As for whether the Death Eaters would cause trouble for him in the future, Borgin could not care so much. It was better to land safely today than in the future.

Almost everyone who was not very well-informed knew about the relationship between Esmeralda Drizzt and Arthur Weasley. Arthur Weasley had been thoroughly offended this morning, and perhaps this female devil would come knocking on his door this afternoon.

Borgin could still tell which was more important, Drizzt or the Death Eaters.

Mr. Weasley was a little surprised when he heard the name Draco Malfoy. He guessed that this might be the work of Death Eaters, but he didn't expect that it was done by the second generation of Death Eaters.

Mr. Weasley was a little confused. He thought this might be a conspiracy against Slug Slughorn or Dumbledore, but Draco's name made him doubt his own thoughts.

Would the other party entrust such an important task to a child?

When they first lived in Grimmauld Place, Fred and George, who were already adults, wanted to join the Order of the Phoenix but were rejected. Even when they wanted to know more information, they were not allowed to do so.

Draco Malfoy is the same age as Harry. Can his young shoulders really carry such a heavy responsibility?
"What else did he buy?" asked Mr. Weasley. No matter what Malfoy's purpose was, the investigation had to continue.

"No, he only bought the opal necklace," said Borgin, and he fell into his old habit of saying he would keep half and half. This gave him some wiggle room, but it made things difficult for the person who asked the question.

"Really?" Mr. Weasley did not believe Borgin. His eyes became sharp and the young assistant beside him pretended to go out and call the law enforcement team waiting at the door.

The situation was stronger than the person, and Borgin had no choice but to continue: "It's really gone. But... he was more interested in some items in the store. For example, the Hand of Glory, with a candle inserted, only the person holding it can see the light, Master Malfoy..."

"Anything else?" Mr. Weasley interrupted Borgin. The so-called Hand of Glory was a thief and robber's best friend, and the item was of low danger.

As if he had made up his mind, Borgin gritted his teeth and said, "Yes! The Vanishing Cabinet. He is very interested in the Vanishing Cabinet, but it has been broken for a long time and cannot be used at all."

Mr. Weasley frowned, increasingly confused.

(End of this chapter)