Hogwarts: I Am Such a Model Wizard

Chapter 865: Deep in Knockturn Alley

After some time and effort, Kyle had nearly finished renovating his shop in Diagon Alley. Several shelves had already been placed in prominent positions, and a House-elf was busily arranging the goods piled on the floor, placing them one by one onto the shelves.

“Thanks for your help, Dobby.” Kyle stepped inside, handing over an ice cream cone topped with chopped nuts and cookie crumbs. “Helping me sort stock even during your holiday.”

“Dobby doesn’t feel it’s hard work at all!” the House-elf said excitedly as he took the ice cream. “Dobby asked for a holiday, but Dobby would much rather be helping you, sir.”

Even though Dobby was an oddity among House-elves—having requested both time off and a salary—it was more symbolic than anything else. Deep down, he still retained the usual traits of his kind.

Like being unable to sit still.

When Dobby heard Kyle needed help sorting stock, he immediately volunteered, despite today being his one day off a week.

“I was wondering why I kept seeing you in Diagon Alley lately. Didn’t expect you were opening a shop here,” came a surprised voice from outside the door.

Kyle turned to see Florean Fortescue, the owner of the ice cream shop next door—where Kyle had just stopped by earlier.

The two had met during the Death Eater attack on Diagon Alley. Back then, Fortescue had been one of their targets, but Kyle had saved him.

“Welcome, Mr. Fortescue,” Kyle greeted him warmly.

“I was just curious,” Fortescue said, stepping in. “This place has been sitting empty for at least thirty years. Itʼs been closed since I first opened my own shop. Didn’t expect it to be yours.”

“Just a lucky chance,” Kyle replied.

Fortescue walked in, curiously scanning the items on the shelves. He finally paused in front of something that looked like a bunch of grapes.

“Are you open for business yet?”

“Of course,” Kyle said. “As the shop’s very first customer, you get fifty percent off your purchase.”

“No need,” Fortescue waved it off. “I can afford it, and besides, I’ve been meaning to thank you properly for saving my life.”

“What’s this?” he asked, holding up the grape-like bunch.

“Oh, excellent taste. Those are Kingsvine pods—one of the sweetest fruits in the magical world. They’d be perfect for ice cream. You’d sell out in no time,” Kyle said.

“Kingsvine ... Isn’t that native to North America?” Fortescue blinked. “Didn’t the local Ministry of Magic start tightly regulating it about fifty years ago?”

“Yes,” Kyle sighed. “Grindelwald and his Dark wizards ruined the environment there. The areas where the vine could grow shrank to barely a tenth of what they were. The plant became endangered overnight.”

“And you actually got your hands on some?” Fortescue looked genuinely stunned.

He didn’t doubt Kyle for a second. Even just holding it, he could smell a rich, sweet fragrance—it was clearly the real deal.

And with Kyle’s connections to Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, there was no way he’d be peddling fakes.

“Just another lucky chance,” Kyle said with a smile.

“How much?” Fortescue asked, swallowing hard, still holding the pod in both hands.

Even the smell alone was enough to make his mouth water—he couldn’t wait to try it.

“Not expensive. Only ten Galleons.”

Fortescue’s hands visibly trembled.

“By Merlin’s beard—ten Galleons for a bunch? That’s outrageous!”

“No, no, not a bunch. That’s per pod,” Kyle said with a grin. “As you know, it’s impossible to buy this on the open market. Naturally, it doesn’t come cheap.”

Fortescue’s hands trembled even more. Holding his breath, he gently placed the pod back on the shelf.

Definitely couldn’t afford that.

He earned maybe five Galleons a day. If he dropped that pod, it would cost him two months of hard work.

“What about this one...” He turned his attention to a bottle of ink nearby.

He didn’t understand why ink would be shelved next to something like Kingsvine pods, but hey—it was just ink. Surely it would be affordable... right?

“Moby Cuttlefish ink,” Kyle said, glancing over. “That one’s cheap. Just fifty Galleons... though it can’t be sold without Ministry approval. So not available yet.”

Cheap...?

Fortescue suddenly felt a phantom pain in his teeth.

“What a shame. I was really... fond of it,” he muttered, shuffling away from that shelf like it might bite.

After another round through the shop, and asking the price of a few other items that caught his interest, Fortescue started feeling like maybe there was no rush to repay Kyle’s life-saving favor after all.

The stuff in here was just too expensive. That ten-Galleon pod? Turned out that was one of the cheaper items. Who knew where Kyle had managed to source all this rare merchandise?

Still, he made a purchase.

One Galleon bought him a box of candy.

“Can’t believe you found this,” Fortescue said, watching the candies buzz around his head like little bees. “I remember loving these in first year. They stopped production not long after. I heard Honeydukes changed owners.”

“As long as you like them,” Kyle said with a smile. “Want something to drink? Right now the shop only stocks black tea and Butterbeer.”

“Oh? You serve free drinks?” Fortescue asked, surprised.

“Not free—but friends are an exception,” Kyle replied, setting a bottle of Butterbeer on the table.

Anyone who spent money in the shop was a friend. If not—even Fred and George wouldn’t get so much as a sip of tap water.

Granted, Mr. Fortescue’s spending had been modest, but as the first customer, a bit of extra courtesy was well deserved.

Besides, Kyle had a feeling there might be some business potential between them.

“If you ask me, you should buy two Kingsvine fruits.” Kyle pulled out another bottle of Butterbeer and sat down beside Mr. Fortescue.

“No way, I can’t afford that stuff.” Fortescue shook his head repeatedly.

Unless he’d gone mad, there was no way he’d spend two days’ profit on a single fruit.

“You’re not buying it for yourself. Use it as an ingredient to develop a brand-new, special flavor,” Kyle said softly. “The flavors in your shop haven’t changed in years, and the most expensive one only costs eight Sickles. It’s about time you launched a premium product.”

“One Kingsvine fruit should yield enough juice for at least ten servings. Even if you sell each one for a Galleon, you’ll still turn a profit.”

“A Galleon... Would anyone buy it at that price?” Fortescue looked hesitant.

“Just give it a try. If it doesn’t work, split it into twenty servings. Or fifty...” Kyle waved a hand dismissively.

Dobby immediately caught on and trotted off to pick a pod, then brought it over.

Kyle handed it to Fortescue.

“Same deal as before—half price. I’ll sell you this fruit for five Galleons. What do you think? And I’ll throw in a box of old-fashioned milk candy, just as a personal gift.”

“Well... alright then.” Fortescue hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Five Galleons for a single fruit was still a steep price, but if he grit his teeth, he could just about afford it.

He decided to go back and try using half of it as a test batch. If it didn’t sell... at least he’d get to try something new.

Like Kyle had said, Kingsvine Pod fruits were rare—worth indulging in once in a while.

...

After seeing Mr. Fortescue off, a familiar face suddenly appeared at the corner of the street.

Draco Malfoy?

Kyle paused in surprise, then quickly ducked out of sight.

But Malfoy seemed preoccupied and didn’t notice the newly opened shop, walking straight past without a glance.

Kyle hesitated for a moment, then turned and said,

“Dobby, I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll leave the shop to you. We’re closed for now, so make sure to lock up later.”

“No problem, sir,” Dobby nodded.

Once that was settled, Kyle tapped his wand to his head. The light around him shimmered and twisted—then he vanished.

...

Kyle stepped outside and began to tail Malfoy. He was curious—why was this ex-Death Eater, expelled from Hogwarts, wandering Diagon Alley now?

Since term had already started at Hogwarts, the streets were nearly empty.

As expected, Malfoy soon turned down Knockturn Alley.

These Death Eaters were unbelievable—whatever they were doing, they always ended up in Knockturn Alley, as if they wanted to broadcast to the world that they were dark wizards.

Kyle didn’t hesitate and followed him in.

Knockturn Alley looked the same as ever. The street, deeply tied to dark magic, was practically deserted. Even though it was technically a prime spot near the entrance, the shops on either side were empty. Not even the owners bothered to show themselves.

Which made sense. Anywhere else, this might be a desirable location, but not in Knockturn Alley. People who came here to do business didn’t want to be seen—so they usually avoided the spots closest to the main street.

...

As they went farther in, a few more people began to appear.

Several tightly cloaked wizards were sitting on the ground, with piles of foul-looking objects spread out in front of them.

Malfoy wrinkled his nose and quickened his pace.

Though the locals of Knockturn Alley were clearly curious about the young wizard who’d wandered in, no one dared make a move—thanks to Draco Malfoy’s unmistakable platinum blonde hair.

Everyone knew the Malfoys were favored by Voldemort, and that platinum hair was their signature look.

No one wanted to mess with that.

So Draco Malfoy passed through the perilous alley without incident.

And none of them noticed the person silently following behind him.

...

Knockturn Alley was even deeper than Kyle had expected. Malfoy walked for over twenty minutes without stopping, and Kyle began to wonder if they were still technically in Diagon Alley.

He also saw a pack of werewolves—the same ones he’d seen last time he came here. As they passed, Kyle noticed Malfoy visibly tense up, but he didn’t hesitate and kept walking.

Kyle followed closely behind.

One of the werewolves seemed to sense something and sniffed the air carefully, its cloudy yellow eyes scanning the empty space behind Malfoy.

But after a moment, it looked away.

The deeper they went, the fewer people there were. It seemed even the dark wizards didn’t like venturing too far into Knockturn Alley.

Finally, Malfoy stopped in front of a battered, dilapidated door.

As Kyle approached, he caught the faintest hum in the air.

Malfoy glanced around nervously, and only after making sure no one was nearby did he push the door open and slip inside.

Kyle’s eyes lit up.

He’d seen someone—a familiar face. And at the same time, he realized what that faint humming had been.

The Muffliato Charm—a spell to block eavesdropping.

Before Malfoy could disappear inside, Kyle rushed forward and slipped an ear-shaped device into his robe pocket.

Malfoy seemed to sense something and turned around instinctively—but another voice called out to him, pulling his attention away.

“Come in, dear.”

“Please, Severus. This time, only you can help us.”

Outside the door, Kyle listened through the Extendable Ears as the woman’s tearful voice came through. The corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile.

Severus... So it was Snape.

He hadn’t expected that guy to be meeting Narcissa Malfoy in such a remote place—and even casting a Muffliato Charm to block eavesdropping.

I wonder if Lucius knows about this.

With a grin full of mischief, Kyle glanced around.

Too bad there weren’t any windows—he couldn’t get a photo.

What a shame.

With nothing else to do, Kyle sighed and kept listening through the Extendable Ears.

“I told you, it’s impossible. Even if you beg me, it won’t change anything!” Snape’s voice rang out from inside.

“But Severus, Draco is your godson...” Narcissa sounded like she was on the verge of tears.

“Mum, don’t—”

Draco Malfoy seemed to want to speak, but was cut off.

“Don’t talk, Draco. Stand aside.” Under Narcissa’s sharp reprimand, Draco fell silent.

“I said it already—it’s impossible,” Snape continued. “Yes, I’m Head of Slytherin, but I don’t have the authority to bring Draco back to Hogwarts. You should know—what he’s done would be enough to get him expelled a hundred times over...”

“But it was the Dark Lord’s order! Draco was forced into it—he didn’t have a choice...”

“Shut up, Narcissa!” Snape snapped. “If you want him to live—if you want Lucius to live—then get that idea out of your head. The Dark Lord’s orders are absolute. Our role is to obey. There is no ‘forced’ or ‘willing.’”

“But Severus... Draco will die,” Narcissa choked. “If he’s not a Hogwarts student anymore... Dumbledore won’t protect him... He’ll be killed...

“That Kyle... he killed seventy Death Eaters in Godric’s Hollow... seventy... even Bella is dead. If he finds out Draco once tried to kill him...”

There was a heavy thump through the Extendable Ears—Narcissa had likely collapsed to the floor.

Kyle raised an eyebrow—he hadn’t expected to hear his name come up here.

Then again, the incident at Godric’s Hollow had happened only recently. Among the Death Eaters, his name was probably mud by now. It wasn’t surprising that Narcissa would be terrified.

“You think he doesn’t know?” Snape said coldly. “Or do you think that pathetic little scheme of yours could have fooled him?”

“But I’m still alive,” Malfoy said—his first full sentence since entering the room.

“Even if he suspects me, there’s no proof I was the one who planted the Opal Necklace.”

“Proof? That’s something Dumbledore needs.” Snape let out a cold laugh. “You think someone who can kill seventy Death Eaters without so much as blinking needs proof?”

“He’s not like Dumbledore. Suspicion alone is enough for him.”

“But he didn’t kill me,” Malfoy said, sounding defiant. “If he really is like you say, then why didn’t he kill me?”

“Because you were still at Hogwarts,” Snape said impatiently. “Dumbledore would never allow something so extreme to happen under his nose, in the middle of the school. That’s the only reason you’re still alive.”

Snape, who had witnessed it all firsthand, knew exactly what had gone down—and he also knew that Kyle was fully aware of where that Opal Necklace had come from.

If not for Dumbledore’s intervention, Malfoy might have disappeared into the Forbidden Forest long ago. There’d be no one standing here now making sarcastic remarks.

Of course, Snape didn’t say any of that out loud—if he had, Kyle would have cried injustice on the spot.

He wasn’t some Dark Lord, after all. He’d never lay a hand on a fellow student—especially not Malfoy, who used to be one of his best customers and had handed over plenty of Galleons.

At most, he might give him a little scare and call it even.

As for the Death Eaters in Godric’s Hollow—well, they attacked first. He was just defending himself.

And besides, Voldemort had a hand in what happened too. No sense dumping the entire blame on him.