A ruined Hogwarts

This is a dirty alley, and the messy black buildings around it cast dark shadows here, making it difficult for the sunlight from outside to shine in. Pedestrians came and went in a hurry on the road, many of them covered their faces with hoods, and even more sneaky figures crouched behind dark doorways, staring maliciously at the passing pedestrians and whispering.

An old wooden street sign hung outside a shop selling poisonous candles, with "Knockturn Alley" written in crooked fonts. The shops on both sides of the alley look eerie. There are withered human heads, dried hand bones, ferocious snake and spider specimens and other items in the windows, which are enough to give little wizards nightmares.

It is only separated from the bustling Diagon Alley by a wall, but it is a completely different world. Most of the shops on both sides of the street are related to black magic, and the crowds are mixed with thieves, robbers, dark wizards and wanted criminals, and even some non-human creatures, such as werewolves, vampires and ghouls.

Knockturn Alley is an area that the Ministry of Magic does not want to interfere with, or turns a blind eye to. Because most of the shops here have complicated backgrounds, and there are also many difficult dark wizard organizations entrenched here. I don’t know which one is the black glove of a pure-blood family, specializing in handling some unseen matters for powerful people. Light thing.

Every year, there are many enthusiastic Aurors who want to inspect this place, but they are always rejected or even warned by the higher-ups. Everyone knows that crime thrives here. Throwing a stone on the street will basically not hit an innocent person. Just like what parents warn their children, no serious person will come to Knockturn Alley. However, this lawless place has remained for a long time and has become a place where filth and evil gather together.

Walking along the dirty road for a while deeper into the alley, the ground suddenly became a little cleaner. On the right side of the street stood a retro two-story building with a wooden sign hanging outside. The words "Mysterious Guidance Bookstore" were written in the font. Soft light shines from the clean and tidy display windows, casting dim yellow spots in the dark alley.

The layout of the bookstore is very simple, with several retro oil lamps hanging on the walls, illuminating the rows of large bookshelves around it. The bookshelves are filled with books, many of them about black magic, with all kinds of disturbing patterns painted on the covers.

"Ding dong——"

The door of the bookstore opened from the inside, and the bronze bell hanging on the door frame made a low sound. A man in a thick black cloak walked out of the bookstore, his hood pulled down low, and a pale, wrinkled hand was stuffing a heavy book into the cloak.

In the store, a red-haired woman sat on a chair behind the counter. She watched the customers go away through the window, and then stretched out. Her long, curly crimson hair is casually draped over her shoulders, her crimson eyes are lazy and seductive, and her slightly pale cheeks are beautiful and yet heroic.

She closed a book in her hand, inserted the latch on the bookstore door from the inside, then passed through the large bookshelves lined with books and climbed up the wooden stairs to the second floor. There are five rooms on both sides of the corridor on the second floor, a simple living room, a utility room, a study room, and two empty rooms.

She walked straight to the study. The door of the room was not closed, but left a crack for pets to enter and exit. She pushed the door slightly open with her right hand and peeked inside through the crack in the door. There was a soft warm light in the medium-sized study room. A stack of thick books was placed on a black wooden desk. A somewhat thin figure lay quietly on the table, seeming to have fallen into a deep sleep.

The woman opened the door lightly, walked in quietly, and walked closer to the desk step by step on the carpet. Mao Lizi, who was lying on the desk with his eyes closed, instantly raised his small head and moved his hazel body covered with dark spots gracefully. His round golden eyes stared straight at the man who was walking slowly. woman.

"Shh-" The woman pointed a finger on her lips, and then pointed at the boy who was sleeping with his arms pillowed on his head. The boy's pale side face has delicate and soft contours, his pale white lips are lightly pursed, and his shiny black hair casts a deep shadow on his cheeks.

She glanced helplessly at a thick book pressed under the boy's palm. The yellowed pages were painted with hideous human patterns, and the twisted human face seemed to be still howling in pain and despair. She frowned, a hint of worry flashed in her eyes, then carefully reached out and pulled out the book, then silently closed the pages. The big words "Darkest Magic" on the cover looked a little blurry.

The boy seemed to be awakened all of a sudden and opened his eyes in an instant. He slowly sat up straight and stared at her clearly with his dark eyes.

"Are you okay, Natasha?" There was a trace of lazy hoarseness in his clear voice, and he looked at the other party with a half-smile as he hurriedly hid the book behind his back.

"It's getting dark, Owen, I think you should go home." Natasha coughed lightly and glanced at the small patch of sky outside the window that was gradually darkening.

"Yes." Owen held Melete in his arms and stroked her gently, and extended his right hand to Natasha with a calm expression.

Natasha looked at Owen's slender and pale hand with a solemn expression, felt in her pocket, took out a candy and placed it on the palm of her hand.

"..." Owen looked at the candy in his hand and said speechlessly: "My book."

"You are still young, it is not good for you to be exposed too deeply to black magic." Natasha's bright crimson eyes had a sincere look. She didn't want the child to become paranoid and depraved, and become as violent and cruel as the father she hated.

"I know what I'm doing." Owen shook his head in amusement and put his left hand on the arm of the armchair. Looking at the other party's still disapproving expression, he said slowly: "I have taken the necessary measures, and it will not be affected much... Well, at least it won't get worse."

He stretched out his right hand again and took the book from Natasha who looked hesitant.

"You haven't encountered anyone causing trouble in the past few days?" Owen asked with a calm expression as he gently touched the gold font on the dark black cover of the book with his fingertips.

"No, it doesn't matter if you come. I have experience in this kind of thing." Natasha raised her eyebrows and said confidently and decisively, "As long as we let them suffer a little, let those guys know that we are not easy to mess with, and they will also I won’t hold on to an insignificant bookstore.”

The days of living in this bookstore were something she had never experienced in her life. It was also the peaceful and peaceful time she dreamed of. She had to protect this place no matter what. If she couldn't even do this, she deserved not to have a good life.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, there was a "bang bang bang" banging on the door downstairs. Then there was a loud "bang", which must have been the door of the bookstore being kicked open.

Natasha's heroic eyebrows rose. She cursed an inaudible curse under her breath, then showed a standard smile to Owen and said, "It seems there are guests downstairs. I'll go down and take a look."

She turned around and walked out of the study, closing the door gently. Then the expression on her face changed, and she fiercely pulled out her wand, cracking the knuckles of her fingers.

She ran down the stairs with a "dong dong dong" sound. She looked coldly at the two figures who were walking around in the bookstore and throwing the books on the bookshelves everywhere. She said in a cold tone: "What are you doing?"

"Read a book." A burly wizard threw a book to the ground and said in an arrogant tone, "You won't let me?"

"After reading a book, you have to put it back in its original place. Didn't your parents teach you this, bastard?" Natasha mocked with a smile.

"Natasha, I didn't expect you to come here." Another tall and thin wizard said in a hoarse voice that sounded like it had been burned by fire. "It seems that you are rich? But your backer seems to have given up on you recently. ah."

"Riley?" Natasha raised her left eyebrow and looked the wizard up and down, "I didn't expect you were not dead yet. What, you want to cause trouble for me, an old neighbor?"

"It's just following orders." Riley said, "I think you need a new supporter, Natasha. Join us so that you can gain a foothold here."

"Oh? Then what do I have to pay?" Natasha sneered, "It's a huge monthly protection fee, and the books in the bookstore are free for you. Do you still need me to play with your boss?"

"It's good that you know." Riley looked at her and hesitated, and finally just said indifferently, "Your conditions are very good, and they are very optimistic about you."

"Go away!" Natasha pointed her wand at the two wizards and said with an expression of disgust, "Don't let me say it a second time."

"You are ignorant..." Another burly wizard roared angrily, raising his hand to tear up a book.

Natasha raised her hand and shot a red spell at him, but it was intercepted by Riley waving his wand in mid-air. Two beams of light, one red and one blue, collided in mid-air and were eventually destroyed.

In an instant, the three people were fighting in the small space of the bookstore, shooting magic spells at each other under the cover of the bookshelf. Various colored beams of light lit up like fireworks, accompanied by a crackling sound.

Several shops around the bookstore skillfully closed their doors and windows, and pedestrians passing by turned around and left. No one looked at it curiously or helped enthusiastically.

Natasha watched with distress and annoyance as a book was destroyed. She gritted her teeth and shot a bright white light at Riley. Riley blocked it very quickly, but his body was still violently thrown out. Outside the door, he rolled around twice in the alley in embarrassment before getting up feeling dizzy.

The burly wizard obviously couldn't manage his emotions well. There were dense bloodshot eyes in his glaring protruding eyes, and he roared angrily: "Thunderbolt..."

Before he could finish reciting the spell, a dark shadow filled with mist suddenly appeared in the shadow at his feet. The figure made of a top hat and a black cloak was as elegant and mysterious as a gentleman in the dark night, with the corners of his white mouth raised playfully, He quickly lifted up a corner of his cloak and hooked it around the wizard's ankle.

"What?" The wizard was interrupted by the sudden coldness and pain. He suddenly kicked his right foot, trying to throw the strange thing away, but his move had no effect, and instead it was suddenly brought closer.

Riley, who happened to run in from outside, witnessed this strange and terrifying scene. He watched his companions launch magic spells in vain, but failed to harm the figure in the slightest. He could only yell randomly, and finally he was completely wrapped in the open cloak, as if being swallowed into his belly, and turned into a A large cocoon that exudes an ominous aura.

He raised his wand and wanted to rescue him, but he didn't know where to start. He could only watch helplessly as the evil shadow detached from his companion and pulled out a milky white shadow. The phantom howling in terror and despair in the black mist of the cloak was exactly what his companion looked like.

The wand in Riley's hand trembled, and his body suddenly retreated out of the bookstore door, looking at Natasha on the other side with pupils that shrank to the size of a needle tip. The other party's expression looked a little annoyed, but not surprised.

His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just remained silent.

"I can't let you destroy my bookstore." The dark guard did not directly kill people like before, but made a low male voice, and then suddenly got close to Riley standing outside the door, scaring him. The queen must retreat.

Owen looked around the bookstore through the pale and distorted perspective of the dark guard, and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised without emotion. He had recited the Disillusionment Curse to himself early, and had been standing on top of the stairs watching the battle in the store with no intention of taking action. He could see that even though Natasha was one against two, she was not at a disadvantage. If nothing else happened, she would be the final winner.

However, that madman who couldn't control his emotions wanted to recite a blasting spell in the bookstore. If he used this spell, the bookstore would probably be destroyed in half.

Owen glanced at the illusory soul that the Dark Demon Guard brought out, curled his lips at the blood-curdling howl, lowered his eyes and suppressed the killing intent that was raging in his heart, and just controlled the Dark Demon Guard to destroy the wizard's soul. Right hand, and then let go of the shadow representing the soul.

The illusory milky white soul returned to the body, and the wizard's body that collapsed motionless on the ground instantly regained its mobility. He was covering his right arm, which had been corroded to the point where the blackened bones were exposed, and he was still letting out a miserable howl that was not human, like a hysterically screaming beast.

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief when she saw this. She was really afraid that Owen would kill someone here, which would really cause trouble. She gritted her teeth and kicked hard on the head of the writhing and whining wizard. After knocking the wizard unconscious, she looked at Riley with a bright smile, who was standing outside the door in fear and did not dare to approach, and said with domineering He said in a tone of voice: "Now you know if I have a backer..."

She grinned at the black devil guard, which was exuding a terrifying chill, and watched it blend into the ground silently. Then she exhaled and calmly rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. She kicked the wizard on the ground bitterly and said to Riley, "Take this garbage away, no thanks."

Riley cautiously walked in with his head lowered, dragging the unconscious wizard out. After giving Natasha a complicated look before going out, he disappeared into the dark alley with his companions.

Several men in black robes hidden in the deep alley saw everything that happened in the bookstore. They communicated quietly and were about to leave temporarily. Then they were surrounded by a cold atmosphere that was frightening and despairing.

The evil shadow in the bookstore poked its head out from the darkness under their feet, facing them with its sarcastic mouth, and the joking magnetic male voice echoed in their ears: "If there are rude guests coming next time, , I will also visit you~"

It slowly sank into the ground. Just when the people in black robes had just breathed a sigh of relief, they suddenly poked their heads out from the wall on the side, leaned into one of them's ears and said with a smile: "I will remember you."

After saying that, it retracted into the wall, and the gloomy chill around it slowly receded. Several people stood in the alley and looked at each other in silence.

Owen controlled the Dark Guard to visit a few guys on the other side, then took it back, walked down the stairs slowly, and looked at Natasha waving her wand to repair things in the store, cleaning and sorting out the mess. shop.

"Boss, I screwed up." Natasha said sternly, "Today's test was not right. Generally speaking, they would not have such great malice if they haven't confirmed our details."

"No matter what their reasons are, I just warned those guys and there should be no more temptations for a long time." Owen said calmly. Melete followed him with graceful cat steps, her tail held high.

"Of course, if they still don't give up, it means there is something they are plotting here." He added lightly.

Natasha nodded, and then looked at the several irreparable books at hand with a distressed expression. One of them was counted: "9 Galleons, 5 Galleons, 12 Galleons, 7 Galleons, these two books too. 5 Galleons... Well, 33 Galleons are just gone..."

Owen's indifferent expression froze. He looked at Natasha who was counting on her hands with a strange expression, and suddenly asked: "Natasha, what is twenty-five plus seventeen?"

Natasha blinked blankly, and then started to count her fingers: "Well, let me do the math..." More than thirty seconds later, she replied: "Forty-two, that's right!"

"Then what is seven times eight?" Owen pursed his pale white lips.

Natasha clasped her fingers seriously, and after a moment she looked at him innocently, with dizzy circles seeming to appear in her crimson eyes.

Owen slapped himself on the forehead. He remembered that the guy in front of him had never gone to school. It was good enough to be literate. He couldn't expect her to memorize the multiplication table...

"Let's do this. You go and hire a more reliable clerk. One who can count and has good fighting ability can help you settle accounts and deal with possible dangers." He muttered, "As for the salary, it should be 50 Galleons per month."

"Fifty Galleons? That's too much!" Natasha exclaimed, "We will lose money!" She quickly covered the money bag in the store, as if she was afraid that Owen would snatch it and scatter it all over the street.

"Fifty galleons for a clerk, accountant and bodyguard is already a small amount. If you want to find someone reliable, it's worth the expense." Owen said nonchalantly that his purpose of opening this bookstore was not to make a profit. The dangers of Knockturn Alley have greatly increased the requirements of this job, but precisely because this is Knockturn Alley, the salary is not much higher.

"Then I have to choose from thousands of people." In the end, Natasha could only say with a sad face, looking at Owen like she was looking at a prodigal.

"Then I'll go home first." Owen glanced at the sky, held Melete in his arms, recited a disguise spell to himself and walked out of the bookstore.

Thank you book friends for the 100 starting coins for the reward. Thank you for your monthly votes and recommendation votes. Thank you~