Bring a fairy tale to Hogwarts!

Upon hearing the words "selling things," Bokin was not surprised; instead, he beamed. The wrinkles on his face gathered together, a stark contrast to his expression when he entertained Mr. Malfoy earlier that day.

His back was bent deeply:

"Selling things, of course... Mr. Van der Bohm, this way please. As I said before, I would be honored to receive your collection."

Bojin led them respectfully and turned to walk towards the counter.

During this process, Harry couldn't help but look back and found that the place they had just come from was a tall, ancient mirror—but unlike the one in Victor's house, this mirror did not reflect any faces when it was placed in front of it; it was always a hazy gray.

After reaching the counter, Bokin turned around and saw Harry's furry back of the head, and saw the direction he was looking.

"Ah, the Mirror of Solmar!" he quickly explained. "Originally invented by the alchemist Solmar, this mirror can see and record the panic of the person in front of it. If you stare at it for a long time, it will reveal a flashback image with the same emotion. No thief or robber can hide in front of it."

After he finished speaking, he couldn't help but glance at Victor again.

"I still remember the first time you came out of it, it startled me. I thought it was some kind of curse. After that, its function changed a bit..."

"That's a bit of a tangent. Are you going to take this mirror with you? It's very useful for warding off evil spirits and protecting the home."

"No need." Victor walked forward expressionlessly.

"My mirror doesn't like having other companions; something bad will happen."

What could possibly happen?

Victor didn't elaborate, but continued walking towards the counter.

On the other side, after Borgin finished his introduction, Harry couldn't help but turn around and take a closer look at the mirror.

Because Bojin mentioned "alchemy," he paid special attention to the frame of the mirror and, sure enough, saw some tiny red lines along the edge. These red lines circled the mirror, like congealed blood.

"Magic Mirror..."

Harry couldn't help but touch the surface, remembering the spell Victor had recited before entering the mirror.

"Magic mirror, magic mirror"—that's what Victor said before they came in.

Is this a spell to travel through mirrors?

Harry was a little distracted.

But shortly after he finished speaking, a figure gradually appeared in the blurry mirror, blurred as if through a layer of fog, but seemingly watching him carefully from the other side.

Harry took two steps back, trying to see who it was.

The hazy grayness on the mirror seemed to be fading. But as the mirror became clearer, the 'figure' puzzled Harry. The figure's skin had a strange gray hue, and its features were indistinct…

"Hey, kid."

"Huh?" Harry turned his head in surprise.

It was Victor who said that. He was standing in front of the counter, his dark, empty eyes peeking out from under his hat brim, looking down at Harry.

"Come here. Don't mess with the mirror."

"oh oh."

Harry walked over, looking bewildered.

Victor didn't explain why, but after making sure Harry wasn't staring at the mirror anymore, he turned to Borgin and took a necklace out of his pocket.

He wore the necklace before leaving Grandma Baba Yaga's house. The chain was made of coarse hemp rope and looked simple and rough. Only a worn-out, golden nautilus shell was strung in the middle, which gleamed strangely in the dim room.

Victor placed it on the counter and pushed it towards Bokin.

"Sell this."

"It stores a mermaid's voice. Once you wear it, your words will turn into a strange song with a certain bewitching effect, making people intoxicated by the song and forget about what's happening in front of them. It can only be used three times."

"The voice of a mermaid?" Bokin put on a pair of pince-nez glasses and examined the conch shell closely. "So it can only be used in the sea? Wouldn't a mermaid's song sound like a shrill scream on land?"

Will the mermaid's song turn into a shriek?

I've never heard of it.

"...It shouldn't be the same kind of mermaid," Victor said finally. "You'll know once you test it. I have two or three more of these necklaces; they're experimental pieces left behind by a friend of mine."

"I will use professional instruments to test it, Mr. Van der Bohm. This may take a day or two," Mr. Boggin said after hesitating for a moment, then bowed deeply. "But I can pay you a portion of the payment first. I trust your credit."

"If it's still the same kind of alchemical item that can deceive magical detection, it's worth at least one hundred gallons—no, one hundred and twenty gallons each. The final price will increase according to the duration of its deceptive effect, one gallon per second. What do you think?"

"Can."

Victor nodded.

After speaking, Bokin began rummaging through the items behind the counter. But during this process, he leaned closer to Victor on the other side of the counter, seemingly not paying any attention to the necklace.

His hunched back allowed him to easily reach across most of the long counter and get within inches of Victor's face.

Bogin lowered his voice and asked, "Speaking of which, are you really not considering selling that mirror magic? Even without the magic itself, just alchemical items with a one-time effect would definitely have a large number of pure-blood customers willing to buy them. The raids have been stricter lately, you see, the Malfoy family—"

Victor didn't listen to the rest before coldly saying, "No."

"All right."

Bokin keenly sensed that Victor didn't want to talk about this topic, so he wisely kept quiet and regretfully retreated to his seat behind the counter.

Finally, he pulled out a brass balance scale from the cabinet.

Bokin then picked up the conch necklace, examined it closely through the glasses, and placed it on one side of the bronze balance. On the other side of the balance was a shriveled eyeball soaking in a bottle, its purpose unknown.

While weighing the necklace, Bokin didn't stop his eyes from darting around, as if he was racking his brains for some idea.

And it was at this moment that he and Harry Potter made eye contact.

—Borkin originally disdained to pay attention to this child who looked like a Muggle, after all, Borkin Burke's shop has always only accepted the collections of pure-blood families and dark wizards, and they care a lot about bloodlines.

But when Bokin saw the face with green eyes, he suddenly realized who it was.

The air seemed to fall silent for a second or two.

Bokin's eyes nearly bulged out as he stared at him in shock:

"You're Harry Potter?!"

Do you know me?

Harry looked at him with a puzzled expression.

But Borgin was no longer paying attention to Harry's words. He stared intently at Harry, took a few steps out from behind the counter, and reached out shakily to touch the lightning bolt scar on Harry's forehead.

Harry couldn't help but take a step back, trying to avoid his touch.

Bokin abruptly pulled his hand back.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, I was being reckless. Please accept my sincerest apologies."

He bowed again with utmost respect, his nose almost touching his knees, his attitude seemingly even more respectful than when he had seen Victor before, and his tone exceptionally obsequious.

As he bowed, he said in a low voice, barely able to hide his emotions:

"Of course I know you. Unbelievable, the very famous Harry Potter himself... has appeared in my shop. This is truly... shocking and troublesome news."