Chapter 186: Changes in Knockturn Alley
Diagon Alley, Alia Manor.
It was the second day of Christmas, and Arthur sat bored by the window, admiring the snow outside. With a cup of hot tea in his hands, his thoughts wander aimlessly.
He suddenly realized how boring life had become after leaving Hogwarts.
There were no more playful Weasley brothers or his little girls around, and life had suddenly become ordinary.
Especially now that Alia's matters were well taken care of and there was nothing for him to do. This made him feel even more empty.
At that moment, Alia pushed open the door and entered the room.
"You've been watching the snow for the whole morning, don't you think it's boring?"
Alia teased Arthur while pouring herself a cup of tea.
Stretching lazily, Arthur stands up and says, "What can I do? You're just too capable. I feel like there's nothing I can do here."
When she heard Arthur's praise, Alia was happy.
Everyone wants their efforts to be recognized by someone they value, and Arthur's words were the greatest compliment to her.
Although she thinks this way in her heart, Alia remains humble in her speech.
"You flatter me, I still have a long way to go. There are still some dark corners in England that we haven't touched."
Arthur was speechless. He had never expected that the witch standing in front of him would be so ambitious.
Alia's family now dominates Diagon Alley to the point where many pure-blood families must consider her opinions when doing business there.
The most obvious example was Borgin and Burkes.
As a member of the twenty-eight pure-blood families, Borgin had to seek Alia's permission and share some of his profits if he wanted to continue doing business in Diagon Alley.
But Arthur didn't care about all this. Regardless of Alia's achievements, in the end, the power was still in his hands.
Seeing Arthur's bored look, Alia invited him, "Since you have nothing important to do now, why not accompany me to inspect Diagon Alley?"
Alia visits each shop in Diagon Alley every month to check on their operations and see if they have violated any rules.
Of course, this invitation was also a way for Alia to show off her accomplishments to Arthur.
Since Arthur helped her subdue the other two families, he has not interfered in her affairs.
Although Alia had dreamed of having a boss like him, Arthur's indifferent attitude left her feeling a bit frustrated.
This was a great opportunity to show Arthur how well she managed Diagon Alley.
When hearing Alia's invitation, Arthur nods in agreement.
It's the holiday season, and it is better to go out for a walk than to stay at Manor.
After changing into a black robe, Arthur and Alia left the Manor.
Walking along the streets of Diagon Alley, the situation here was completely different from when Arthur first arrived.
The streets were no longer full of trash and homeless wizards. Instead, there were clean streets and walls.
If it weren't for the cautious pedestrians and the lesser foot traffic compared to Diagon Alley, Arthur would almost mistake this place for Diagon Alley.
"These people respect you a lot,"
Arthur comments as they encounter shopkeepers or persons of authority who see Arthur and Alia would respectfully greet them.
"It's not respect, it's fear,"
Alia responds by making fun of herself.
There were complex parts to the group of wizards in Diagon Alley, and they were well-managed.
Respect from others alone was not enough to achieve that.
Blood and fire were also necessary on this journey.
Arthur naturally understood what she meant, but he didn't say anything. Alia wasn't a weak woman who needed comfort from others.
"Has the Ministry of Magic noticed the changes here?" Arthur asks.
The changes in Diagon Alley should have been noticed by anyone, but the Ministry of Magic hadn't taken any action.
This puzzled Arthur. When hearing Arthur asks about this, Alia's expression becomes strange.
"Actually... the Ministry of Magic has sent someone before."
Huh?
Arthur is surprised to hear this.
Why didn't she mention it before?
Afraid of being misunderstood, Alia quickly explains the situation.
"Actually, I wanted to tell you earlier, but the person sent by the Ministry of Magic to investigate was Lockhart."
What?
Is it a coincidence that the person sent to investigate me is Lockhart?
Seeing Arthur's surprised expression, Alia nodded to confirm.
"I was also surprised at first, but it turned out to be a good thing. Lockhart informed us in advance, and we met among the three major families to deceive the Ministry of Magic."
"After that, it was simple. We gave Fudge some galleons and assured him that there would be no trouble. And that was the end of it."
Nodding, Arthur understood everything and said with confidence.
"Lockhart's quick promotion is also related to this, right?"
"You're right, That's exactly how it is. It's a blessing in disguise."
Indeed, it was such a waste for Lockhart to go and teach at Hogwarts or something like that. He was born to be a politician.
As they walked and talked, Arthur suddenly felt the Resurrection Stone he was wearing as a pendant becoming warmer.
Taking out the resurrection stone, he saw that the color of the Stone hadn't changed, but it was flickering with a weird red light.
"What is this?" Alia asked curiously.
Arthur didn't answer. It was the first time he had seen the resurrection stone in this state as well.
He looked around, but Arthur didn't notice anything special.
He tried walking around and noticed that the temperature of the resurrection stone was changing too.
Finally, after walking a certain distance, he arrived in front of an abandoned house.
The temperature of the resurrection stone stopped changing once he got closer to the house.
Arthur could roughly determine that the cause of the Stone's change was inside.
But when Alia saw the house, her expression changed.
Pushing open the door, Arthur entered directly.
A faint and supernatural ghot is absorbed by the Resurrection Stone at a speed that leaves him unable to react.
...
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