A certain broken Hogwarts

Chapter 78 Everyone Loves Zero-Yuan Shopping

The small, dimly lit office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the only sound was the rhythmic ticking of the clock. The fire in the fireplace had long since died down, and only a lamp on the desk shone dimly.

Owen pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, idly wondering where Voldemort was taking him. Judging by their furtive attire, they certainly weren't going to help an old lady cross the street.

He quickly realized it wasn't safe, so he took out his wand and cast a Transfiguration spell on himself, slowly turning his skin to bronze, his hair and eyebrows to fiery red, and even sprouting a large red beard. Combined with his current short stature, he looked like an old dwarf.

Time ticked by, and just as Owen was idly playing with a coin on the back of his hand, Voldemort suddenly stuck a finger on the key and said, "Come here."

Irving also gripped the hilt of the ornate silver dagger, and as if a hook had been pulled behind his navel, he was lifted into the air like a gust of wind, and everything before his eyes turned into a swirling kaleidoscope.

When he finally stepped onto solid ground again, he immediately looked around and found himself standing in a dark forest. If the surrounding trees hadn't been relatively sparse and young, Owen would have thought he had entered the Forbidden Forest.

Voldemort put away the silver dagger, looked around to determine the direction, and then transformed into a wisp of black mist and flew lightly into the air.

"Summon your guards and follow me," he said in a hoarse voice.

Owen looked up with immense envy. This guy might be a dog, but he could fly! Not using a flying broomstick or being carried by a Black Demon Guardian, but actually flying on his own, and very fast and agile... Although his appearance as black mist wasn't great, and he looked rather evil, it was very useful.

Wizards typically rely on flying brooms, flying carpets, or flying motorcycles to fly, but Voldemort must have created his own flight spell. This is clearly a very advanced form of dark magic, and as far as Owen knows, it seems Professor Snape also learned it.

"Dark Guardian." Owen drew his wand and waved it. Amidst the surging malice spreading from the depths of his heart, a black cloak and top hat were lightly donned on him, and he was immediately enveloped in a thick black mist.

"Okay, I look pretty wicked now too."

Irving raised his hand to lower the brim of his hat, his expression indifferent on his face shrouded in black mist, but the only thing visible on his face to the outside world was a mocking, curved mouth—a mask of scorn. Following his will, his feet left the ground, and he silently soared into the sky.

Voldemort's black mist form flew swiftly ahead, far faster than Owen. Owen followed at a leisurely pace, his cloak billowing wildly in the wind.

After flying for about three minutes, Owen landed on the ground, following the figure ahead. The two walked through a small grove of trees and arrived at a huge cave.

The cave entrance was an irregular oval shape, and several wizards cloaked in black stood guard outside, wands in hand. Owen also keenly noticed that many wizards were patrolling the surrounding woods, and every now and then, similarly dressed individuals would arrive from different directions, silently and orderly entering the cave.

Voldemort strode into the cave entrance, and Owen could only follow closely behind. He felt that the guards around him were all looking at him with ill intent, as if he would be devoured alive if he stayed there alone for a while.

"It feels like I've been led into a den of thieves..." Owen's eyes, hidden under his hood, darted around slightly. The malice from the Black Demon Guard hadn't completely faded, but he wasn't panicking at all; in fact, he was a little tempted to have some fun.

After passing through a rugged mountain cave passage, the view suddenly opened up. A huge space was hidden here, as if the entire mountain had been hollowed out. Green candles were lit around it, and stalls were scattered on both sides, displaying all sorts of strange and bizarre things, such as white skulls, bluish infant corpses, and hideous animal carcasses.

Wizards cloaked in black moved about, picking and choosing from the stalls. Some were furtive and suspicious; some exuded a terrifying aura, keeping strangers at bay; some behaved strangely, seemingly not human...

"Is this the wizarding black market?" Owen raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice. He knew there were such places in the wizarding world, but he had never been here before.

The black market sells many contraband items, such as dangerous dark magic items, live rare and magical creatures and their materials, and stolen goods of dubious origin. These items are very popular with dark wizards, but they are also closely monitored by the Aurors of the Ministry of Magic. Even Knockturn Alley does not dare to sell these things.

Take unicorn blood, for example. It's absolutely impossible to find it in the outside world. But in the black market, if you're lucky, you might come across it, and it's not impossible to even find a unicorn carcass. The world will never lack desperate people chasing after profit.

"Yes, the black market..." Voldemort seemed to feel a little pleased after arriving here. He hissed softly, "A place that keeps resurfacing even after being tracked down by the Ministry of Magic countless times. Every time it opens once or twice in a new location, the wizarding black market moves to another one. I put in quite a bit of effort to find this place."

"Is the professor here to buy something?" Owen asked in a very considerate manner. "If the professor needs it, I do have some money on me, but not much..." Who would carry so many Galleons around for no reason?

"Who said I'm here to buy things?" Voldemort said jokingly, then his tone was full of reminiscence. "Quite the opposite, back in the day, whenever I was short of money, I would come here for a stroll."

Robbery...? Who would have thought that the mighty Dark Lord would also be a fan of freebies?

Owen glanced around at the menacing-looking dark wizards and couldn't help but groan inwardly. "But you're using Quirrell's body right now, you're not at your peak at all. Don't drag me down with you if you come here looking for death! Oh, right, you won't die, but I will. If I die, your plans will fall through!"

"Professor, can your body handle this?" he asked directly, his tone sincere, almost as if he wanted to grab the other man's sleeve and drag him out. "Actually, there's no need to take too much risk. If you really need anything, I can try to contact my family. My parents have many connections... Besides, we're not short of money; I can go back and get it."

"No need. I'm not so weak that I can't do this, and I won't have to wait much longer," Voldemort said lazily, fiddling with his wand as he walked deeper into the area.

Irving twitched his lips and immediately gave up: "Then how can I help you? I'm just a first-year student."

"I've told you, you need to be more confident," Voldemort said calmly. "I'm stretched thin and need you to serve me. Or are you unwilling to dedicate your power to the Dark Lord?"

"I just feel I should die with more value," Owen rolled his eyes under his hood, "instead of getting instantly killed by a bunch of wizards here."

"Execute my plan. As long as you're not a brain-dead idiot, you won't be in any danger." Voldemort waved his hand, speaking with an unquestionable tone, his voice already carrying a warning.

Hearing that you have a plan makes me even more insecure... Irving was speechless, his eyes darting around, searching for possible escape routes.

I was so stupid, really. I only knew that Voldemort was a scoundrel, but I never imagined that he was also a ruthless scoundrel who would kill people!

However, Voldemort probably didn't want his hard-won spare body to die, so this is probably good news.

Irving followed behind the other person, his thoughts wandering, silently navigating the narrow passages between the stalls, brushing past the shoulders of passersby, and heading towards the deepest part of the cave.

(End of this chapter)