Gilderoy Lockhart was truly a generous man. Not only had he treated Robert to a hearty meal, but he also handed him 135 Galleons without hesitation. Robert hadn't encountered someone so easy to deceive—ahem—so kind-hearted in quite a long time.
Well, perhaps it was actually 130 Galleons. Robert hadn't exaggerated earlier. The so-called "legendary golden wizard sticker" really did contain gold powder. Producing fifty of them probably cost about five Galleons in total.
But Lockhart was wealthy, and he likely wouldn't mind if one of his admirers made a modest profit, right?
Robert continued down the cobbled streets toward the wand shop, passing the entrance of Knockturn Alley again.
Same time, same place.
Knockturn Alley was still as eerie and silent as ever—deep, shadowy, and utterly devoid of light. The whole alley resembled a crouching beast, jaws agape, waiting for its next lost prey.
But Robert had no interest in stepping into that place today. He passed by without hesitation.
Over the past few days, he'd kept an eye on the alley, watching for any signs of disruption. But there was nothing—no disturbance, no investigation by Hit Wizards or Aurors. Everything was unnervingly quiet.
Old Borgin had kept his word.
The six Death Eaters who had died that night had disappeared like stones dropped into a bottomless abyss—vanishing without causing even the faintest ripple.
Speaking of Death Eaters, Robert suddenly remembered the transforming lizard he'd taken as a trophy.
That lizard had been the bait in the trap he'd walked into. After dismantling the entire array of traps, he would have regretted leaving it behind.
Still, it was the only thing he took. Though Old Borgin had offered him any trophies he wanted, Robert had looked around and found that nothing else was worth much—or at least, nothing had a clean enough origin. So he had simply fulfilled his promise and left the rest for Borgin.
The old man had seemed quite pleased with the gesture and had even taken care of the cleanup without complaint.
As expected of a Knockturn Alley native—his business acumen was impeccable.
The next morning, Robert arrived at Flourish and Blotts before noon, delivering the stickers he had stayed up all night to produce.
In return, he received the complete set of Lockhart's signed books, including the much-anticipated first signed edition of Magical Me.
The bookstore wasn't scheduled to sell the autobiography for another two hours, during the official signing event. But Lockhart, in his usual carefree manner, handed over the books ahead of time.
A complete set naturally meant none could be missing. In addition to Magical Me, the set included Gilderoy Lockhart Teaches You How to Clear Your Home of Pests and How to Dance Gracefully with Veela.
Lockhart must have realized those last two books had nothing to do with Defense Against the Dark Arts. That was likely why he hadn't shamelessly added them to Hogwarts' textbook list.
Before leaving, Robert asked Lockhart to include an extra line in Magical Me confirming it was the very first officially sold copy.
Lockhart agreed without hesitation, no doubt influenced by the good impression Robert had left the previous day.
Robert planned to sell the book later at a high price. With Lockhart's current popularity, he was confident someone would be willing to pay a premium for such a rare and commemorative edition.
Back at the wand shop, Robert found a winding queue already stretching down the street. As he stepped behind the counter, Garrick Ollivander watched him with a strange, unreadable expression.
"Is something wrong?" Robert asked, puzzled.
"They're all here for you," Garrick replied, his tone a mixture of surprise and something harder to place.
The old wandmaker, who had spent decades in a quiet, uneventful shop, had never imagined a line like this—two days in a row, no less.
And the large bag stuffed with silver Sickles hidden beneath the counter didn't feel real.
The earnings from the past two days selling wand accessories likely surpassed the profit Garrick had made selling actual wands in weeks. While he had never placed much value on money, even he couldn't help but feel the weight of those coins.
Was it really possible that stickers and trinkets could be this popular? It felt a bit absurd.
Well… it was absurd.
If Garrick had been more observant, he might have noticed that many people in the line were familiar faces.
That's because Robert had hired a group of professional queue standers from the Leaky Cauldron. For five Sickles a day, Old Tom had rounded up a fair number of willing participants. The tavern was full of drunks whose pockets were emptier than their mugs. Five silver Sickles could buy five large glasses of malt whiskey—and the work was easy.
Tom himself had been happy to help. After all, the money they earned would be spent right back at his bar the next day.
The long line outside the wand shop also drew more real customers. Everyone benefited. The only drawback was that the tactic was most effective on the first day.
There were only so many wizards in Diagon Alley, and even fewer who were interested in wand decorations. By the afternoon, though the queue remained long, Robert could tell the number of genuine customers was dwindling.
Most people just walked in, took a glance around, and walked right back out.
And this was all riding on the back of Lockhart's signing event. Without it, there might not have been a morning rush at all.
"Oh, we finally made it in," a familiar voice said cheerfully.
"It's unbelievable. Since when did the wand shop become so popular?"
"Or did we miss something? Wand stickers?"
Fred and George Weasley grinned as they leaned on the counter.
"Long time no see, Robert."
"We came by once before, but the shop was locked."
"I was away on a long trip," Robert replied. "So, are you two here specifically to see me today?"
"Of course… not," Fred smirked.
"We're here to get a new wand for Ginny," George said, stepping aside to reveal their younger sister standing behind him—a red-haired girl with a shy expression.
"Ginny Weasley. Our youngest sister."
"She's starting at Hogwarts this year."
"Mum wanted to come with her."
"But we volunteered to help."
"And we also wanted to check out your new… wand stickers. That's what they're called, right?" Fred asked, scratching his head.
"And the dyeing spray and maintenance kits," Robert added, for what felt like the hundredth time. "Those exist too, you know."
Just because those items were pricier didn't mean people should pretend they didn't exist.
Still, Robert had no plans to lower their price. In fact, the higher price tags made the stickers seem like an even better deal by comparison. That psychological trick worked in his favor.
"Robert, come on, show us the goods," Fred said eagerly.
At their urging, Robert brought out the full set of Fantastic Beasts stickers. As the twins browsed, they started chatting about everything that had happened recently.
They launched into an animated retelling of how they rescued Harry Potter from his relatives.
"You wouldn't believe what that poor guy went through," George said, making a dramatic face. "They barely fed him!"
"Good thing we got there in time."
"And brought him to the Burrow."
"He came with us to Diagon Alley today."
"But he messed up the Floo Powder and came out in Knockturn Alley."
"Why didn't we think of that?" George slapped his thigh. "If we'd messed up the fireplace too, we could have explored Knockturn Alley without getting scolded!"
"Fred!" Ginny scolded sharply as she tested a wand. "Mum said we're not allowed near there! Don't even think about it."
"I'm George, Ginny," George corrected her. "And I don't think Knockturn Alley's that dangerous. Even Harry said it was fine—just that the things they sell there are a bit creepy."
"Dad said Harry was lucky to run into Hagrid," Ginny said firmly. "And he didn't go there on purpose!"
"Yeah, yeah, maybe," Fred said with a shrug, clearly unconvinced.
The conversation shifted back to wand accessories, and before long, the Weasleys were walking out with their purchases, leaving Robert once again manning the counter.
As he watched the dwindling line outside, Robert couldn't help but feel both pride and uncertainty.
Business was booming—for now.
But in Diagon Alley, success was as fleeting as Floo smoke.
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