"Wow! This spell is amazing. I must learn it."
Harry Potter, sensing goodwill from Regulus Black's actions, happily promised that he would definitely learn the spell.
"Do you know where you've ended up, Harry? This is no place for a child."
Regulus Black began leading Harry Potter through the shop, showing him the items on display.
The dark magical artifacts around them were far too eerie for Harry. He was already regretting not clearly stating his destination.
"Wizards originally started out using dark magic. Hundreds and thousands of years ago, they experimented with all kinds of methods to explore magic, hoping to find the right path. Many primitive spells were created in that process, some of which required very evil means to achieve their effects."
Regulus Black led Harry Potter out of Borgin and Burkes.
"Over time, wizards sorted and refined many useful spells. After all, magic can make life more comfortable, right? The four founders of Hogwarts were among the most successful. They categorized and recorded numerous well-developed spells, laying the foundation for the school and passing magic down through the generations."
The same pet shop, the same robe shop, the same magical tools store—but everything here radiated a strange and dark aura. The items sold were vastly different from those in Diagon Alley—dangerous and highly potent.
"You can buy things here that you won't find in Diagon Alley—but those are things you'll only ever need after graduation."
As they passed one particular shop, Regulus Black raised his hand to block Harry's view.
It was a store that sold human body parts—its goods were even more gruesome than those in Borgin and Burkes.
"There are several types of people who frequent this place. The Fallen: penniless, talentless wizards who are willing to do anything just to survive. The Failures: wizards abandoned by the magical world for various reasons, or cursed and unable to undo the effects. The Traders: they come here to buy and resell various magical materials, some of which can't be found in Diagon Alley. The Adventurers: they come to Knockturn Alley hoping to find something interesting—arguably the most innocent of the bunch. And lastly, there are the Customers: regular folk who only come here because they need a specific item."
Regulus led Harry down winding alleys; just a few steps ahead was the exit to Diagon Alley.
"And today, Knockturn Alley has welcomed a new type of visitor—a lost child like you. A minor wizard caught in danger, helpless to resist."
Regulus Black had already spotted a towering figure near the exit—Hagrid had indeed come to Knockturn Alley today.
"I believe you can manage the last few steps on your own. Hagrid's here."
He pointed in the direction, and when Harry looked up, he saw Hagrid's large figure just as he was about to leave.
When Harry turned back—Regulus Black had vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
Harry spun around to search, but couldn't find him anywhere. Even Hagrid had disappeared from sight.
The people around him wore strange expressions. Some witches passing by even gave Harry an eerie smile.
Harry ran toward where Hagrid had been—but he didn't get far before being stopped. A sinister-looking witch and a butcher-like wizard grabbed his arms.
"Lost, are you, child? Don't worry—we'll take you home," the witch said, reaching for Harry's face.
The moment she touched him, Harry found himself unable to even cry out. Clearly, the witch had cast a spell on him.
"Harry! What are you doing here?"
Hagrid's massive figure reappeared. At that moment, his towering shadow blocking the sun became Harry's beacon of hope.
With just a few strides, Hagrid reached them and waved his arms to shove the witch and wizard aside. They recognized him and, even though they were thrown to the ground, dared not utter a word in protest.
Hagrid grabbed Harry by the collar and carried him toward Diagon Alley.
Sure enough, just a dozen meters away was a different world—sunlight bathed the cobbled road of Diagon Alley, while the shadows of Knockturn Alley behind him looked like the stuff of nightmares.
"You've got guts, but no sense."
Regulus Black intercepted the two wizards from earlier.
"Is there something you need, noble sir?"
The two seasoned scoundrels of Knockturn Alley clearly understood what Regulus Black's attire represented.
What they'd just done was essentially an assault on a new Hogwarts student—and now, they'd drawn the attention of a noble wizard.
"I just happen to need two servants. What are your names?"
Regulus Black didn't even mention the incident. Even if he wanted to kill them, the Aurors from the Ministry would come after him—no matter how low these two were in the wizarding world's social ladder.
Unexpectedly, the two wizards saw this as a stroke of good fortune and immediately pledged their loyalty.
"Jacob Jones, at your service, sir," the bald wizard announced first.
"My name is Katie Raven, sir," the witch said, lifting her ragged skirt and curtsying like a lady.
The etiquette of the two fallen ones was as poor as it could possibly be, but that was to be expected—had they been well-mannered, they wouldn't be lingering in Knockturn Alley in the first place.
"I need you to come with me. Is there anything you need to prepare? Like making arrangements for your family?"
"We have no family."
The two fallen ones exchanged a glance before answering in unison.
Clearly, they had stories of their own, but Regulus Black had no interest in hearing them.
"I am Regulus Black. I believe you've heard of the Black family."
Regulus Black introduced himself, wearing a proud and haughty expression.
"Since there's nothing you need to bring, hold my hand—we're Apparating."
Seeing they had nothing to hold onto in this world, Regulus Black directly took them back to the ancestral home of the Black family.
Inside the old house at Number 12 Grimmauld Place, Kreacher was busy cleaning. Ever since Regulus Black had returned, Kreacher had been ordered to clean the house every day. Given the house-elf's magical capabilities, he could easily complete all the chores with a snap of his fingers. Yet Kreacher still insisted on using traditional tools to meticulously clean everything again.
"Kreacher, prepare two sets of servant uniforms."
As soon as Regulus Black stepped into the house, he ordered Kreacher to get to work. Kreacher, who had been cleaning at a leisurely pace, instantly perked up as if injected with adrenaline—he was excited to serve his master once more.
As for the two wizards Regulus had brought back, Kreacher immediately recognized them as such. Just a glance was enough for him to determine their sizes. The house hadn't originally stocked fabric, but ever since Regulus Black took over, some supplies had been kept ready.
Kreacher hurried to the storeroom to pick out cloth for making Gothic-style servant uniforms for both a man and a woman.
"You two, please come in. Head to the basement—that will be your workplace from now on."
Jacob Jones and Katie Raven first looked around in astonishment at the décor of the mansion. This was clearly the ancestral home of a dark wizard family. From the decorations reminiscent of Knockturn Alley to the black magic artifacts strewn about, even the wall at the staircase corner was lined with the heads of house-elves. All of it spoke of a deep and dark history.
Upon reaching the basement, Regulus Black was ready to begin.
"Bone Cage!"
Without hesitation, Regulus trapped the two wizards he had brought back in a cage.
"Personally, I don't trust people easily. But I do have a way to place absolute trust in someone—someone who will become wholly mine…"
As they struggled and wailed, pleading for mercy from within the cage, Regulus continued his work.
"Soul Domination!"
The souls of the two wizards drifted out of their bodies, gazing blankly at Regulus Black.
"Wailing Spirits!"
He forged them into Wailing Spirits. From this moment on, they would obey Regulus Black completely. It was a far more thorough control than any spell could provide.
Pushing their continuously moaning, tormented souls back into their bodies, Regulus turned just as Kreacher arrived, carrying two sets of servant uniforms.
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