Harry entered the dimly lit shop, the faint scent of dust and old parchment hanging in the air.
The entire shop was a single room, or so it showed. It was filled with odd haphazard stacks of books creating small towers all across the room.
On a first look basics you would say that it was a mess were you couldn't even know where to place your steps, but as you walked further in, you see the how a road of sorts forms from one end to another to each corner of the room. You realize that it was build more like a maze.
And in the center of this maze like structure was a single table, and a skinny man reclining in a creaky wooden chair.
The man's eyes were closed, his head resting back, seemingly lost in a nap.
However, the moment Harry stepped inside, the man's eyes snapped open. Without a moment's hesitation, he drew his wand and pointed it directly at Harry.
Harry raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk playing on his lips. "Is this how you treat your customers?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement.
The man, Chun, squinted at Harry with a mixture of suspicion and disdain. "Customers? What are you talking about?, do you even know what our services are." he retorted, his voice dripping with skepticism.
Harry's smirk widened. "Well, I do," he said confidently.
Harry then gestured to his bag he was carrying, when chun tai nodded he brought it to front and opened it, showing its contents.
The bag was well filled with cash, bundles or money.
"you exchange money don't you not."
Chun's expression shifted instantly, the suspicion melting away as if it had never been there. His wand disappeared so quickly it was as if it had never existed.
But harry didn't miss the flashing confusion he had before replacing it with a flattering expression.
Like a cliché merchant from a storybook, Chun rubbed his hands together like a flee. "Welcome, welcome," he said, his demeanor completely transformed.
Walking through the maze like structure, harry sat opposite to chun, placing the money on the table.
"before we start, I would like to check the authenticity or the money." Chun said, still with the business smile, "you see, there are a lot of magic people use to fool us honest merchants here."
Harry held back the urge to snort, 'there is no such thing as honest merchant in knocturn alley.' He knew of such and also of the fact that this shop he was in was a front.
With the business to do, harry shelved away his thoughts, nodding to chun, "go ahead." He said.
When he chun took out his wand once more, harry kept a straight face and not changing his expression, but internally he had to stop himself from flinching.
As he still had to get comfertable with the fact that, the magical carry what was equivalent to a arms warehouse inside there pockets.
'does it poke them, when they keep such long sticks in there pockets.' Harrys thoughts the shifted to contemplate how deep the pockets of wizards were.
Harry and Chun began haggling over the rates of exchange. Chun's initial offers were outrageously low, a clear attempt to take advantage of someone unfamiliar with the intricacies of magical currency.
"Forty pounds for one Galleon," Chun proposed, his eyes glinting with a hint of mischief.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You must be joking. Fifteen pounds for two Galleons."
Chun feigned innocence. "Really? I must have gotten my calculations wrong. How about thirty-nine pounds?"
Harry shook his head, his expression firm. "Sixteen pounds for two Galleons."
They continued back-and-forth, the rates shifting ever so slightly.
not long they were scream at each other with sweet glistening there foreheads.
while chun couldn't let go of his greed for the large amount of cash in Harrys bag, harry had the reason for being a poper to continue the negotiation.
"Thirty-two pounds," Chun insisted, his voice resolute.
"Seventeen pounds," Harry countered, equally adamant.
"Wait," Chun suddenly said. He snapped his fingers, and an elf appeared by his side holding a glass of water. Harry eyed the elf greedily.
Chun ordered, "Bring one more." The elf popped out and then back again with another glass of water.
Taking the glass from the elf, who had his head bowed down, Harry took a long sip before speaking again. "See, I know that the correct rate is ten pounds for two Galleons."
Chun smirked. "If you wanted legal rates, you would have gone to Gringotts. Since you're here, you have to follow my rules."
After more intense haggling, they finally settled on twenty-two pounds for two Galleons as the final rate.
Harry handed over his Muggle money and received a hefty sum of magical currency in return.
Keeping the sack of coins in his back, harry with a big smile, "nice doing business with you, "said harry, towards chun who was smelling a stack of notes.
As Harry turned to leave, he was surprised when Chun held out a card. It depicted a golden toad on a pile of golden coins, its eyes red, and it held yet another golden coin in his mouth.
To Harry's astonishment, the toad moved, blinking slowly and giving a subtle nod, revealing its nature as a magical card.
Chun said nothing, only smiled mysteriously. Harry mirrored the smile, pocketing the card and walking out of the shop.
He was surprised that he would get the invite so soon, 'whatever' said harry as he walked back into the darkened alley, with the weight of the magical money on his back, and the sensation of the card on his hand.
From the moment he had entered the alley, he had his hand in his hodie pockets.
He didn't have a wand yet, but that doesn't mean he wanted to parade about that to everyone, and surely not to anyone in knocturn alley.
It already was a great risk on his part to venture into the depths of the underbelly of the magical Britain.
'not that this is the worst place out there.' Harry knew so, from the scattered memories of the dark lord.
Yet the dangers of knocturn alley are not to be undermined.
'tsk..' harry clicked his tongue, feeling a prickling sensation crept over him.
It was something new to him, yet he knew what it was. An intuitive feeling.
He had an intuitive feeling that he was being followed.
Harry took long turns into the alleys, as he tried to get the people of his tale, but the streets here were not even sparsely populated for him to blend into.
So harry lead his followers into an alley, where he felt an advantage on.
Taking a sharp turn, harry took of to a run.
Standing at the far end, with the exit to his left, harry willed the magic to clock his presence.
Another magic of Voldemort's collection he had inherited.
From the dark, five figures emerged, their expressions hidden by the shadowy hoods of their cloaks, there hands clutching there wands like claws, "we know you're there. Show yourselves."