The slacker professor at Hogwarts

016 Crystal Bird Snake Skull and Magic Eyeball

After buying the wand, Lockhart told Ron to go back to school first.

He sent Ron back directly through the fireplace in Ollivander's shop, and cautiously checked with Professor Sprout across the street through the fireplace to confirm that Ron had arrived safely.

After all, taking a second-year wizard off campus is not exactly against the rules, and if you take him to Knockturn Alley, which is full of dark wizards, Professor McGonagall would have a problem with it.

I bought a black wizard's robe with a large hood at the "Madame Malkin's Robes Shop" in Diagon Alley, and then casually picked up a funny mask with the publisher's name printed on it from the entrance of "Wizard Publishing House" on their anniversary before heading to the "Leaky Cauldron" at the alley entrance.

Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, offers some little-known services, such as temporarily using guest rooms to change clothes. This is quite common at this bar, located at the intersection of Knockturn Alley, Diagon Alley, and the Muggle world outside.

Lockhart simply nodded subtly to his boss, Tom, who then expertly led him up the dark corridor of the back guest rooms with an oil lamp. They booked a small private room on the second floor, and after changing clothes, they went directly down a staircase into the back alley.

Many people know the internationally renowned author Lockhart, and some desperate and down-on-their-luck dark wizards might not mind trying to find a way to make money from him. Besides, his identity is not suitable for him to come here directly, so he often disguises himself as a dark wizard.

Covering themselves completely, this furtive appearance is quite common in Flip-Flop Alley.

He arrived at the Boginbock store quickly.

It's easy to find. This shop is the best and largest in Knockturn Alley. It's a standalone building with two bright, domed floor-to-ceiling windows, so you don't have to worry about being robbed of your space to display your precious magical items to the evil dark wizards on the street.

When they arrived, a beautiful young noblewoman was selecting antique jewelry. She was none other than the fervent fan from a pure-blooded family who had previously sent Lockhart swimsuit photos.

Receiving this letter on the day he transmigrated greatly stimulated him, instantly igniting his longing for the wizarding world.

Lockhart didn't go up to greet him, but patiently stood aside and waited.

Reaching into the wizard's robe, he suppressed the restless little golden retriever. It had been unusually excited to be in this shop full of jewels, like a dog entering a cesspool. Powerful as it was, it was completely unafraid of the protective curses Mr. Borgin had cast on the merchandise, but this was inappropriate.

Finally, after the young noblewoman left satisfied with the jewelry, he walked from the shelf to the counter.

Before they even reached the counter, a gilded mummy coffin placed beside it suddenly began to shake violently. Mr. Borgin's expression changed, and he warily drew his wand, pointing it at Lockhart. "Halt! What are you doing?!"

Lockhart's expression hardened as he looked at the wand aimed at him.

This is different from facing Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, and others; the dark wizards in Knockturn Alley might actually launch an attack spell right from the start.

With his current strength, he is completely incapable of facing any battle. Well, he has absolutely no strength; he's just like a Muggle.

Even when faced with some probing magic, they would be exposed immediately!

It's like an unarmed person running into a gang's hideout full of armed thugs—it makes one feel panicked.

But the more this is the case, the more we must not be weak!

Pointing your wand at me is hardly polite!

Lockhart snorted and deliberately patted the pocket of his wizard's robe to soothe the little golden retriever. This dark magic creature had obviously alerted the shop's defensive magical items. "It's me, Mr. Borgin."

As he spoke, he turned his back to the shop entrance, took off his mask, and then put it back on after Mr. Bokin looked bewildered.

"I don't know what's in your pocket, but keep an eye on it!" Mr. Borgin tapped the mummy coffin with his wand to quiet it down before taking a box off the shelf behind him. When he opened it, he found a crystal skull with a long, pointed snout inside.

Excluding the pointed beak, it is slightly larger than the skull of an adult human.

"What is this?" Even the well-informed Lockhart hadn't seen everything before, and he looked at the thing in front of him with some doubt.

"Buddy, you've come at a very bad time. The family that makes the Pensieve is currently embroiled in a bitter family feud, and nobody has time to make Pensieves. The Aurors have also targeted the distribution channels in the Americas, so they can't deliver over for the time being."

Mr. Borgin took the skull out of the box, turned it over and placed it on the table. Then, holding the pointed jawbone, he lifted the entire skull, making it look somewhat like the ancient bronze wine vessel from Lockhart's past life.

"This thing has been used, but I've already had someone use a potion to clear away the residual memories inside. If you don't mind, you can use it as a brand new Pensieve."

Mr. Bogin did not conceal this information from Lockhart, a regular customer and supplier.

"This design is really unique." Lockhart picked up the crystal skull and weighed it in his hand, finding that it wasn't very heavy.

"Made from the skull of a bird-serpent, it's the oldest bone crystal meditation basin crafted in Egypt, and its value is extremely high..." Mr. Bokin said with a regretful sigh, "Making such a meditation basin using the characteristics of a bird-serpent is simply the pinnacle of craftsmanship. Unfortunately, it is said that there was an accident during the transaction, and the previous owner who possessed the control code died."

Something went wrong?

They probably didn't just rob it. If it was murder and robbery, of course they wouldn't know the safe's combination in the dead person's memory.

The bird-snake is a fascinating and magical creature that can change its size at will. At its largest, it is larger than a dragon, and at its smallest, it can easily squeeze into a small teapot.

Clearly, the artisans and wizards who created it utilized this characteristic to achieve portability.

Unfortunately, no one knows the secret code to control size, so it's useless now.

"Fortunately, this works too." Mr. Bokin pulled a small cloth bag from under the counter. It was made of coarse linen and the craftsmanship didn't look very good.

He carried the cloth bag in one hand and struggled to stuff the crystal bird-snake skull into it with the other. The enormous magical artifact was thus easily stuffed into the palm-sized bag.

"A bag that has been enchanted with the Unseen Stretching Charm..." Lockhart was intrigued. This kind of thing was not common. Under the instructions of the International Confederation of Wizards, the Ministry of Magic strictly restricted the use of this spell. The Aurors were very strict in their investigations, and it was extremely difficult to find such an item even on the black market.

But he didn't show it. He just glanced at the bag with some disdain, pursed his lips, and said, "Mr. Bokin, do you think this is the same?"

Mr. Bokin tossed the bag onto the table, shrugged, and said, "I think it's about right."

Huh~

Lockhart didn't bother arguing with him, and simply asked, "How much?"

Mr. Bokin narrowed his eyes, revealing the greasy smile typical of a shrewd businessman, and rubbed his hands together. "The prices for those things you asked me to handle last time are exactly right, so we're even."

Wow!

Lockhart hadn't expected that he had a shipment in Borgin's possession. He quickly searched his memory for information, and his expression immediately darkened. "It matches perfectly? Mr. Borgin, this is inappropriate!"

MMP!

You swindler!

At this point, he no longer cared about his strength. He slammed his hand on the table, braced himself on the counter, and looked down at the old man with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Mr. Bokin was clearly intimidated by his imposing manner. He had no idea that the person opposite him was bluffing. In his memory, Lockhart was a ruthless man who could always get his hands on some extremely high-quality smuggled goods. He couldn't help but shrink back, swallow hard, and explain weakly.

"A regular meditation basin would be cheaper, but this is a top-tier one. It's not the kind made of mud or stone; it's made from the ossified crystal of a serpent skull, a highly sophisticated alchemical technique that is extremely rare, and it used very expensive..."

Lockhart listened to his rambling with a cold laugh, then simply said, "It's secondhand!"

"Hey, you can use it like brand new, it won't affect anything at all!" Mr. Bokin exclaimed anxiously.

"The bird-snake skull is indeed precious, but it has lost the effects that the bird-snake skull brings. Without control, the secret language is meaningless!" Lockhart's voice was full of disdain.

Those who disdain the goods are the real buyers; those who don't intend to buy have already turned and left. Mr. Bokin knew this. He braced his hands on the counter, stood on tiptoe, craned his neck, and strained his aged eyes, "You need to know how to appreciate quality!"

Know your stuff?

Lockhart, of course, knew his stuff. His eyes quickly scanned the store, and he recognized many of the items.

The withered hand in the glass case is called the "Hand of Glory." It was made from the hand of a greedy gambler. If a lit candle is placed on this hand, only the person holding the Hand of Glory can see the light of the candle.

The grotesque wooden masks hanging on the wall are nameless and are typically used by priests in African witchcraft tribes. They possess an evil, twisted power that can instill fear and mental distortion in others who see them.

The large black cabinet was the same vanishing cabinet that matched another vanishing cabinet in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which Ridlaco Malfoy repaired in the original story.

The opal necklace bears a malevolent curse. The cursed, ornate jewelry itself has a fairytale-like style. The reason Mr. Borgin solemnly displays this item in his cabinet is mainly because it has killed nineteen Muggles, making it an object imbued with mysterious legends.

Too much.

Lockhart could tell you something about many things in the Borginbock shop.

He quickly recalled Lockhart's memories and his own memories of the original work. After thinking for a moment, he picked up a glass jar from the shelf, inside which was a constantly rolling eyeball.

He placed it next to the cloth bag, saying, "Add this too, and we're even!"

Mr. Boggin shouted, "This won't do!"

"I know you can still make a profit, you damn greedy swindler!" Lockhart retorted. "I risked my life to get that shipment, you need to know that!"

"You damned writer, you're even greedier than me!" Mr. Borgin slammed his fist on the table in anger. "Do you know how precious this magic eye is? Mad-Eye Moody had one, and it was thanks to it that he achieved such great feats!"

"Oh, really?"

Lockhart crossed his arms, looking down at the other man with a cold laugh. "I think Moody should know where his Mystic Eye came from, but I don't know the origin of this eyeball!"

"It is said that such a demonic eye may be made in pairs. I have no idea whether the other eyeball was damaged and lost, or whether it is in the possession of some malicious person who is ready to use it to curse the current holder of the demonic eye."

Mr. Bokin stared at him with a forced, sinister smile, "Since you know that, you still dare to take it?"

He quickly stopped laughing.

Lockhart grabbed the little golden retriever by the scruff of its neck from the pocket of his wizard's robe. Even though it kept its promise and didn't attack anyone, humans still felt an overwhelming sense of fear when they looked at it closely.

Mr. Bogin screamed in terror, "Three hands? Get that monster away from me, damn it, get it away!"

Lockhart chuckled. "Of course I want it. This Magic Eye is a toy I bought for it."

The little golden retriever stared at the eyeball in the glass jar with shining eyes, barking pleadingly at him.

"Look, it likes it very much." Lockhart raised an eyebrow at Mr. Bogin.

"I'm going to lose a fortune." Mr. Borgin instinctively moved away from the powerful dark magic creature, pressing his back against the mummy coffin, but this still didn't give him any sense of security.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded, waving his hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly. "Take it, take it. If you bring this monster with you again, you're not allowed to step into my shop!"

The two parties reached a satisfactory agreement.

Lockhart's reason for showing the little blond was naturally to let Mr. Borgin know that the Demon Eye would be in the little blond's hands. Heh, if he dared to hold onto the other possible cursed eye, he wouldn't be so lenient if he suffered a backlash.

Of course, this is not just a toy for the little golden retriever.

Lockhart clearly remembered what would happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that year—the appearance of the Basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets!

This magic eye will grant him the ability to look directly at the basilisk.

When danger is imminent, it is natural to take precautions.