Hogwarts: This professor is too Muggle

"Welcome to the Transformation Ink Stationery Shop, what can I do for you, sir?"

"Do you have developing potion?"

"Of course sir!"

The clerk's eyes lit up when he heard about the developing potion. Who among ordinary wizards would be interested in photography? He quickly pulled out a few bottles of stock. "This one takes two seconds, and it's only 19 knuts per pint. This one takes four seconds, and it's only 1 Sickle and 17 knuts per pint. This one takes 10 seconds, and it's 3 Sickles and 7 knuts per pint!"

"..."

The prices are rounded up or down.

Melvin's eye twitched.

The goblins at Gringotts must have been drunk to come up with such a distorted exchange rate.

"Sir, which one do you need?"

Melvin rubbed his brows and asked, "Is there a longer development time?"

"We need something longer." The clerk showed a surprised expression. "Sir, you should be familiar with the characteristics of developing chemicals. I must explain in advance that the longer the developing time exceeds 10 seconds, the more expensive it is. And the price doubles with each additional second."

"Let me see it first."

Melvin spoke with a lack of confidence. He did a rough calculation. A movie is 90 minutes long. Even if he calculated it carefully and didn't need to edit at all, according to the clerk's calculation method...

While he was calculating how many Diagon Alleys 3 Sickles and 7 Knuts multiplied by 2 to the power of 5400 would buy, the clerk had already taken out the store's highest quality developing potion.

"Handmade by the potion master Damocles Belby, it takes 23 seconds to develop and costs 1600 Galleons." The clerk's smile was particularly friendly.

"..."

Melvin was somewhat touched.

He also gave me zero.

After looking at the clerk in silence for a few seconds, Melvin finally bought a few pints of cheap ones. As for the bottle of potion master Belby's work, it was the store's treasure after all, and Melvin thought it should remain in the store.

"I want to make a two-hour development. Any suggestions?"

The clerk knew that the potion was a difficult sell, so he wasn't too disappointed. "Sir, you're talking about the Muggle videos, right?"

"You actually know?"

"I'm a half-blood wizard, my mother is a Muggle."

The clerk quickly put the potion away and turned around with a smile. "I suggest you use a Muggle camera to record it. It has all the necessary equipment, is cheaper, and will produce clearer results."

Melvin shook his head: "Cameras and projections all require electricity..."

Power generation, transmission, and consumption form an entire industrial system.

By the time the wizarding world gets electricity, wizards and Muggles alike should have entered a new era, which will take at least a decade.

Seeing him frowning, the clerk turned around and looked around. He lowered his voice and said, "If you really need anything, you can go to Borgin and Burke's in Knockturn Alley next door."

"Dark wizards have all electrified Knockturn Alley?" Melvin was very surprised.

"Even if the Ministry of Magic agrees, those pure-bloods won't agree." The clerk showed a speechless expression. "I mean, there might be a modified camera next door."

"..."

Melvin left thoughtfully.

Magically transforming Muggle items, an existence that walks the edge of the Statute of Secrecy.

It falls under the jurisdiction of the Misuse of Magic Office, a branch of the Department of Law Enforcement. Under it is the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, which was once a liberal-minded department that had transformed a number of technological creations, including cars, elevators, and landline telephones...

Since Umbridge took over, the school has become closed and conservative, and has cracked down on related behaviors.

Melvin walked out of the Changing Ink Stationery Store, went into the alley next to it, and walked into the street in a few minutes.

Before the Statute of Secrecy was introduced, wizards' shops were opened in Muggle markets. Wizards did magical business in the shops, and Muggles did ordinary business in the shops. At that time, Diagon Alley was not called Diagon Alley.

London, Britain's most prosperous city, boasts a street nestled in the heart of the city, attracting wizards from across the nation. Solitary wizards occasionally come here to purchase magical materials, while clusters of wizards gather here to buy essentials. If a potion maker brews a rare potion to sell, finding buyers in those days of limited information access is difficult, so selling it to a potion shop here is the best option.

Sometimes Muggle merchants would sell grain, oil, and salt in exchange for exquisitely crafted handicrafts. To Muggles with poor skills, everything here was a precious work of art.

After all, it was made by Transfiguration.

Occasionally, you can even find legendary treasures, such as a sickle that can automatically harvest wheat, or a potion that can cure all diseases...

The transportation is convenient, the information is well-informed, and the cargo channels are stable. Muggle merchants do not have to pay taxes when doing business here, and wizards can exchange Transfiguration products for gold and gems. As the caravans and wizards spread the word, the fame of this place is growing.

At that time, the British royal family was still recruiting court wizards, and the Ministry of Magic and the royal family had a tacit understanding. With such tacit consent, a well-known wizard trading market was born in the center of London.

Many pure-blood families, including the Malfoy family, accumulated astonishing wealth, acquired land, and built up their foundations during that period.

Until the secrecy law was introduced.

In just three hundred years, everything changed. Muggle shops and wizard shops were completely separated. Wizards who once did business with Muggles became pure-blood families who despised Muggles. The prosperous downtown area was disbanded and split into two alleys.

Diagon Alley has wide and open roads and is supervised by the Ministry of Magic. Aurors patrol it regularly to ensure the personal and property safety of customers and merchants. All goods are legal and compliant, and there are no Muggle-related items.

Knockturn Alley was legal and compliant at the beginning, but the roads here were rugged, alleys were intertwined with alleys, corners were connected to corners, the environment was complex and the vision was narrow. Not to mention the safety of merchants and customers, even Aurors could not guarantee their own safety when they were alone. Gradually, the Ministry of Magic ignored this place.

Without strict rules and restrictions, wild growth will always give rise to some strange things.

Borgin and Burke's is such a place. Although it is a place that buys and sells dark magic items, it has won praise from a number of dark wizards because of its own reputation. It has gradually gained fame and become an enduring sign in Knockturn Alley.

Chapter 8 Doing Business

Narrow and cold.

This was Melvin's first impression of Knockturn Alley.

The road is nearly half as narrow as Diagon Alley. Shops are crammed together on both sides of the road, and the eaves are extremely low, so the sunlight cannot shine in. The moment you step into the alley, your vision becomes dim, and a faint chill envelops your whole body.

The corners of the walls were covered with sticky black mud, and mold was spreading freely.

There was a sticky feeling under his feet, and before Melvin could look down, a sharp and piercing sound suddenly rang in his ears.

"Lost, dear?"

An old witch appeared from nowhere and stood before him.

Melvin smelled the odor of rotten fish intestines and looked down. It came from the wicker basket she was carrying. The basket was covered with a layer of linen, so he couldn't see what was inside. He only saw dark red liquid seeping out from the cracks in the wicker, dripping onto the stone slab.

Not knowing the witch's motives, nor caring what business she was in, Melvin threw a few silver Sickles into the basket and said, "Take me to Borgin and Burke's. If we get there safely, the balance will be the same."

"We are happy to help."

The witch forced a bright smile, revealing her mossy teeth. "Come this way. I'll lead the way. Those gutter rats won't bother you."

Melvin was well aware of the principle that guests should follow the host's wishes and had no objection.

Following the witch into an even narrower alley, he felt a sticky sensation under his feet again. He looked down and saw some moss between the cracks in the stones, and some half-dried dark mucus, like the blood of some animal.

The further you go in, the darker the view becomes.

Occasionally, a pedestrian wrapped in a long robe would pass by hurriedly, with his hood pulled down low, revealing only a small part of his chin or scales.

As a commercial street, Knockturn Alley is lined with shops operating on both sides. These shops, with few signs, display only a few items in the windows: neatly arranged shrunken human heads, giant acromantic spiders in black iron cages, troll skins stretched in wooden frames, and brass bells with finger bone clappers.

Some shops even have staff soliciting customers.

A wizard of unknown age was huddled in the doorway, looking up and down with a sinister gaze, and whispers could be heard from inside.

Seeing him frown slightly, the old witch lowered her voice and explained, "Don't be scared by them. Those are not the heads and finger bones of Muggles or wizards, but those of house-elfs."

Melvin looked away: "How far is it?"

"Just past the candle shop."

The candle shop soon came into view. An old wooden street sign hung in front of the shop. The wax that had sealed the dead flies served as a protective layer. The words on it could be vaguely seen: No. 12 Knockturn Alley.

Further ahead is Borgin and Burke's, the only shop in Knockturn Alley with a clear sign.

The old witch received the final payment of seven silver Sickles. She smiled brightly, the moss on her teeth tender and green. "Would you like me to lead the way back, sir? It would only take a few copper knuts."

"no need."

"Have a nice shopping experience."

Melvin watched the figure carrying the wicker basket disappear into the distance, then looked up at the shop sign. The black lacquered wooden sign was bumpy, and the copper-lettered shop name was stained with green rust. The last letter drooped and swayed slightly, as if it would fall and hit passersby at any moment.

The window glass was covered with dirt that looked like scabby eye mucus, with only a light-transmitting area in the middle where someone had wiped it with their palm. Unfortunately, the glass was old and the goods inside could not be seen clearly.

When I pushed open the shop door, the rusty copper bell still sounded crisp.

Hanging from the doorframe were strings of bone ornaments—thin, hollow bones, probably the pubic bones of some bird—that made a hollow clicking sound when they hit the door. Hanging from the ceiling were several kerosene lamps, their shades clogged with insect carcasses, and the room was filled with a faint smell of mold and decay.

A hunched man appeared behind the counter, stroking his shiny hair with his hand. He squinted his eyes and looked Melvin up and down. When he found that it was a new face he had never seen before, he immediately perked up. When his eyes swept across the ring on his left hand, he paused for a moment and showed a flattering smile.

"Welcome, sir from afar, what should I call you?" His tone was even greasier than his hair.

"William."

Melvin remained calm. This was the name of a Pukki in Ilvermorny.

"Dear Mr. William, it's a pleasure to meet you. What can I do for you?"

"I need some things that can't be bought outside."

Melvin spoke in a nonchalant tone, not approaching the counter, but casually walking down the aisles between the shelves, examining the merchandise in the store.

"Borgin and Burke are your wise choice." Mr. Borgin stepped out from the counter and introduced him in a slick voice. "This Hand of Glory before you is called the Hand of Glory. It holds a candle. Only the person holding it can see the light. It is a good friend of thieves and robbers."

It was a withered hand, including the forearm and palm, the skin and flesh were pale and shriveled, the arm was made into a base and handle, the palm was a candlestick, and the five fingers were slightly closed.

Melvin deliberately made a disgusted expression: "It sounds like the despicable stuff of a thief or robber."

“Occasionally, it can have unexpected effects.”

"Then wrap it up for me."

"What?" Mr. Borgin was startled.

"I said wrap it up for me, I want this glorious hand."

"But you haven't asked the price yet..."

"Since this is our first meeting, consider it my sincerity. I believe Mr. Borgin will show the same sincerity." Melvin turned his head and looked him in the eyes. "Isn't that right?"

"My pleasure, sir."

Mr. Borgin looked into those dark, deep eyes and was about to offer a price to make a killing when he suddenly found himself at a loss. He hesitated for a few seconds before saying in a muffled voice, "Forty-three Galleons. That was the price when I took over from the Bulstrode family ten years ago."