A few days later, Harry found himself back in Knockturn Alley. Many of the open shops had Ministry wizards standing guard outside, and Uncle Crispy's shop was completely shut down. Harry noticed the Ministry's emblem on their robes.
While Borgin and Burkes didn't have any Ministry wizards out front, the opal necklace that usually sat on the shelf was gone. As Harry stepped inside, Borgin was busy stashing away some rather dangerous-looking items.
"My sincerest apologies," Borgin said, a hint of exasperation in his voice. "Those Ministry chaps have gone absolutely mad with their raids, and I can't seem to get hold of Burke at the moment. Perhaps you could wait a bit longer, or perhaps you'd be interested in this Hand of Glory…?"
Harry left Borgin and Burkes feeling a bit down. He'd seen reports in the Daily Prophet about the Ministry's widespread searches, but he hadn't expected them to reach even Knockturn Alley.
Over the next few days, the Daily Prophet continued to publish articles about the Ministry raiding various pure-blood family estates, only to find a few insignificant dark artifacts.
It seemed quite obvious that someone within the Ministry was tipping off the pure-blood families, and those carrying out the searches knew perfectly well they wouldn't find anything. "Ah, the dirty game of politics," Harry mused to himself.
After a moment of reflection, Harry pushed the thought aside. He'd promised Hermione he'd have dinner at her place today.
After dinner, Mrs. Granger quietly pulled Harry aside and asked about the whereabouts of the Anti-Tracking Ring. Harry found it difficult to explain the current situation in the wizarding world to her, so he simply said he was making progress.
---
A week later, Harry was sprawled in a chair, reading the day's Daily Prophet. The headline announced yet another Ministry raid on Malfoy Manor, which, predictably, yielded nothing. Harry recalled this was the fourth raid on the Malfoys' estate this month alone.
Many people were starting to realize the Ministry's actions were rather peculiar. Someone had even penned an article for the Daily Prophet, fiercely criticizing the Ministry's corruption. It depicted the raids on pure-blood estates as nothing more than officials retaliating after failed bribery attempts, practically calling the Malfoys good people and the Ministry bad. The author of this scathing piece was none other than the esteemed editor, Rita Skeeter.
Harry suspected Rita had undoubtedly been paid by the Malfoys. However, the fact that such an article could be published suggested the Ministry's search operations were likely coming to an end.
"It looks like I can probably go to Borgin and Burkes for that Anti-Tracking Ring soon," Harry thought to himself.
Just then, an unfamiliar owl swooped in, dropping a letter at Harry's feet before making itself comfortable in Hedwig's cage and helping itself to her food. Harry thought, "Good thing Hedwig's out, or those two would definitely be brawling!"
Harry, grumbling to himself, opened the letter. It was from Snape!
The letter read (in terribly messy handwriting): "Potter, Dumbledore asked me to inform you that the item was not found at the Malfoys'. I shall pick you up for Hogwarts tomorrow (there was a hole poked through the paper here)."
The letter seemed a bit disjointed, but Harry immediately understood what Snape was talking about. The house-elf named Dobby belonged to the Malfoys, and he knew there was an item connected to Voldemort in their home. That's why Dumbledore had pressured the Ministry to raid Malfoy Manor, but they found nothing.
"This item must be incredibly dangerous, otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't send Snape to fetch me," Harry mused, looking at the letter.
Just then, Hedwig returned. Seeing another bird eating her food, she squawked loudly and charged at the intruder. Harry, both amused and exasperated, scooped up the defeated Hedwig. She let out a few mournful hoots, as if to say, "You just stood there and watched?"
"Your master can't even beat its master, so it's perfectly normal that you couldn't beat it either," Harry comforted her.
That afternoon, Harry entered Knockturn Alley and found that the Ministry wizards were gone. Many shops had reopened their doors.
Inside Borgin and Burkes, Borgin took Harry's gold and handed him a ring.
"My apologies for the delay. The shop can offer you a discount coupon as compensation. You'll get 1% off your next purchase."
As Harry reached the street corner, he suddenly spotted the Malfoy father and son entering Borgin and Burkes through a side door. He promptly turned back.
Inside the shop, Draco was excitedly eyeing the Hand of Glory on a shelf, while Lucius spoke to Borgin with an air of haughty disdain.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Borgin asked, surprised to see Harry return.
"Didn't you say you'd give me a discount coupon? I'm looking to buy something right now," Harry said, lowering his voice.
Hearing someone was about to make a purchase, Draco looked up at Lucius.
"Father, this hand—"
"Absolutely not, Draco. Only the most unsavory sorts would buy such a thing," Lucius interrupted his son coldly.
Hearing his master being mocked, Humphrey, the runic snake on Harry's arm, bared its fangs threateningly at Lucius.
"How dare you threaten my master..."
"Master, let me bite him to death..."
"Isn't that the hair gel kid?"
Harry said nothing, allowing Humphrey to hiss away.
"Customer, please control your pet. If you'd like to browse, I'll be with you in a moment," Borgin quickly interjected, sensing the tense atmosphere.
Lucius eyed the runic snake on Harry's arm warily, shielding Draco behind him. Harry, meanwhile, calmly walked over to inspect the items on a different shelf.
Borgin then produced a crystal skull and placed it on the counter. Immediately, a dark mist enveloped him and Lucius. A short while later, the Malfoy father and son departed Borgin and Burkes via the Floo network.
"Customer, have you found anything you like?" Borgin asked with a smile.
"How much is that crystal skull?"
"Ah, customer, that one's not for sale. Perhaps you'd be interested in this one instead..."
In the end, Harry bought a golden skull for 49 Galleons. Borgin explained that if you placed your hand on the skull, conversations wouldn't be overheard.
---
Hermione was in the kitchen, making creamy mushroom soup with a whole chicken.
"Hermione, Harry will absolutely adore your soup," Mrs. Granger said, smiling.
"Mum, I'm not making it for him! Couldn't it be for you and Dad?"
"Oh, I see! Look, Hermione, Harry's sent another letter."
Hedwig flew in through the window. Mrs. Granger skillfully offered her a biscuit before handing the letter to Hermione. Hermione opened the envelope to find a piece of paper, some Muggle pounds, and a ring.
The note read: "Hermione, remember that house-elf...? The Ministry...? Anyway, Dumbledore's sending Snape to pick me up for school, so I'll see you at Hogwarts. Oh, and you can keep Hedwig for a bit, in case you want to write and don't have a messenger. P.S., Auntie gave me some pounds to buy the Anti-Tracking Ring. Here's your money back, don't tell Auntie."
---
Meanwhile, Snape had Apparated with Harry to Hogsmeade. Once they were steady, Harry began to take in the only all-wizard village in Britain. Even though it was the holidays, the shops were all open.
"Perhaps Potter believes a humble Potions Master should stand idly by while he admires this 'beautiful' scenery," Snape drawled, "but my time is quite precious." With that, he strode purposefully towards the castle.