Chapter 3 : Turmoil in Knockturn Alley

Overall, Macka didn't have much interest in the Weasley family, as mentioned before; he never really enjoyed such lively scenes.

However, being a member of the future trio, Ron had too many stories attached to him. Although Macka couldn't remember many details, it didn't stop him from wanting to get to know Ron. In his opinion, this was a way to befriend Harry, Hermione, and others, the closest point of contact.

Of course, there was no need to delve too deeply.

That day, Macka and Luna had lunch at the Weasley's house, then spent the afternoon playing at the cottage before returning to the Lovegood home.

It's worth mentioning that he had already made an appointment with Mrs. Weasley, and they would go to Diagon Alley together at the end of next month to buy the necessary items for school—Ron had also received his Hogwarts acceptance letter.

The days at the Lovegood home passed quickly. Macka and Luna spent every day chatting together. Sometimes the topics of conversation seemed mismatched, but most of the time they got along quite well.

However, happy days always seemed fleeting, and time flew by quickly. It was soon the date agreed upon with Mrs. Weasley. That morning, Macka bid farewell to Luna and her father, then crossed the Lovegood home's fireplace once again with his luggage.

Having lived in Luna's house for almost a month, even Macka, with his thick skin, felt it was about time to say goodbye. Of course, before leaving, Macka repaired Mr. Lovegood's broken fence, leaving a good impression.

At the final parting, Luna showed a somewhat reluctant expression for the first time. Macka wondered if this counted as a good start? To be honest, he had some goodwill towards this occasionally clever and sometimes eccentric girl, although it hadn't reached the level of liking yet.

"Boom!"

Just as Macka arrived at Diagon Alley, Luna and her father were staring blankly at the empty fireplace. Obviously, they finally noticed something strange when Macka used the Floo Powder—they were startled.

The high green flames leapt past them, almost licking Mr. Lovegood's tattered robes. If he had been a little closer, he probably would have gone to Diagon Alley with Macka.

...

Macka and Mrs. Weasley had arranged to meet at Potage's Cauldron Shop, located behind the Leaky Cauldron. According to Ron, he didn't need to buy anything because he would be using Charlie's hand-me-downs.

"Except for a new cauldron because Charlie's leaks." Ron didn't seem too happy when he said this, "I'd rather have a leaky copy of 'Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1'; it's more expensive and doesn't make me look stupid."

But when Macka stood at the entrance of the Cauldron Shop and looked inside, he realized he might have arrived a bit too early.

"Anyway, let's go to Gringotts Bank first!" Macka looked around and decided to stick to the original plan.

Gringotts was the only bank in the wizarding world, operated by goblins with branches all over the world. They provided services such as depositing money, renting vaults, and currency exchange.

Guided by a few goblins at the entrance, Macka entered the grand marble hall of Gringotts. As soon as he entered, he was impressed by the bustling yet orderly scene inside.

About a hundred goblins sat on high stools behind a row of long counters. Some were weighing coins on brass scales, others were inspecting gems with magnifying glasses, while jotting down notes in large ledgers. There were countless doors in the hall, leading to different places, and many goblins were directing customers in and out of these doors.

To be honest, such a scene was quite rare. Macka stood by the door and watched for a while, then walked towards the counter labeled "Muggle Currency Exchange."

"Time is money, my friend," Macka said to a young goblin sitting on a high stool, unable to help himself quoting a famous saying, then asked, "What's the exchange rate for pounds?"

"Oh—yes, yes," the goblin's eyes lit up at the words, as if he had heard some profound wisdom. He scrutinized Macka carefully before answering, "The exchange rate for pounds today is 5.01, esteemed customer. Do you need to exchange? The fee is 1.5 points."

Macka quickly took out most of his money from his suitcase, exchanged it, and deposited it all in Gringotts, leaving only 100 galleons for himself as pocket money.

"Pleased to serve you, sir. May your fortune multiply!" Finally, the goblin cheerfully bid him farewell in his sharp voice.

As Macka walked to the exit, he vaguely heard a familiar shout behind him.

"Time is money, my friend!"

"Touching," Macka smirked, shaking his head slightly, and walked away briskly.

"Well, where to next? Shall we wander around?"

Just as Macka was considering which way to go, his attention was drawn to another alleyway opposite Gringotts.

Diagon Alley's shops were already crowded enough, but that side looked even narrower, with most of the light blocked by the peculiar buildings, giving it a rather eerie atmosphere.

After hesitating for a moment at the crossroads, Macka decided to head in that direction.

The three shops at the intersection were tightly closed, with thick velvet curtains covering the windows, making it impossible to see the shop names clearly. Obviously, they had been abandoned for some time.

A few steps further, a small shop named "Acromantula" had its door wide open. Inside, it seemed that many strange creatures were locked in cages, reminding him of one item on the shopping list—students could bring a cat, an owl, or a toad.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to take a look inside, especially since he had come too early today and had plenty of time.

"Welcome, young customer." At the far end of the shop, an old witch with a broad-brimmed hat spoke in a sinister, hoarse voice, "...Feel free to look around."

Macka glanced around and then started looking at the creatures in the cages on either side.

To be honest, he was just browsing. He didn't recognize most of the creatures inside, but that didn't stop his curiosity.

Suddenly, he saw a black owl in one of the cages. It looked quite large, at least two sizes larger than the ones he had seen at the "Eeylops Owl Emporium" he passed by earlier.

"What breed of owl is this?" Macka turned to the old witch inside and asked.

"It's a Long-eared Owl (xiao), native to Sumatra, skilled in hunting and vigilance, adept at predicting earthquakes and tsunamis." The old witch said in a sinister tone, her dry, cracked lips moving, revealing the yellow teeth clearly visible.

Macka looked at the owl in the cage, which was staring quietly at him, and couldn't help but ask, "How much?"

The old witch grinned, a stiff smile that sent shivers down one's spine, "Twenty galleons, sir."

Macka glanced at the old witch, his expression unchanged, "Come on, madam, I'm not one of those Hogwarts brats."

The old witch hesitated, looked Macka up and down, then straightened up a bit and spoke a little louder, "Alright, sir, fifteen galleons, no less."

This time, Macka didn't even look at her. He turned and started to leave, walking away briskly as if escaping from something filthy.

"Wait, wait, sir, eight galleons, at least!" The old witch suddenly shouted as she realized Macka was leaving.

Macka turned back, but didn't haggle any further. He estimated that while this price surely had some profit margin, it was also reasonable. Trying to negotiate further probably wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Deal." Macka took out eight galleons and placed them on the counter, then picked up the cage and walked out of the shop.

"Wait! The price of the cage is extra!" The old witch chased after him to the door, only to find that Macka had already disappeared into the crowd on the street.

At this moment, she stood at the door and was surprised to find that this old witch was actually two meters tall!

"Damn it! What a damned little dwarf, just like those vampires in America!" The old witch couldn't find her target left and right, so she cursed and went back.

Macka hadn't run far, though. He had only taken a few steps and then ducked into a shop called "Borgin and Burkes."

"Welcome to Borgin and Burkes, where we have everything you need. Feel free to browse!" A smaller wizard than Macka suddenly popped out from behind a shelf, his sharp voice half a tone higher than the goblins at Gringotts.

"I'm just looking."

Macka said casually, pulling out a... oh no, half a wand from a large basket next to him. This half-wand was covered with scars, with several deep scratches on the wand body, and even the dirty wand core could be seen leaking out from the broken end.

"Is this a rare item?" Macka looked at the half-stick in his hand with a strange expression.

But the dwarf wizard seemed to think it was a treasure. He waved his hands excitedly and exclaimed, "Oh, yes! A wand used by Gellert Grindelwald during his time at Durmstrang, made of purpleheart wood, dragon heartstring core, fourteen and three-quarters inches... I mean, it used to be."

Macka sighed and put the half-wand back into the basket.

Afterwards, Macka picked up a few trinkets from the shelf to look at, while the dwarf wizard danced around him, telling a series of seemingly fake stories, seemingly hoping to catch Macka's attention.

Just as Macka was about to leave after putting down what he was holding, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a faint blue light flashing through the gap in the shelf!

Macka immediately averted his gaze, pretending to squat down and check other goods, but he was already calculating in his mind.