Knockturn Alley, filled with Dark Magic items, was adjacent to Diagon Alley, the British wizarding trade center. They were only a few steps apart, yet it was astonishing how it could operate under the Ministry of Magic's watchful eye. It was so suspicious that even Peeves wouldn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on.
After entering Knockturn Alley with Roger, Harry found it wasn't as exaggerated as Professor Snape had described, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant place.
Smugglers from all over the world, Dark wizards whose minds had been eroded by Dark Magic, and buyers who furtively purchased contraband with their heads covered and faces hidden...
"Hey, kids~ Are you lost?" A bald wizard with a scarred face and a witch with a gaunt face hidden by a black robe blocked Roger and Harry from front and back.
"Do you want us to help you find your way home?" Although their words were polite, their expressions suggested no kindness.
"We're not lost. I'm just looking for a place to exchange Galleons for Pounds and Euros. Could you please show me the way... Ms. Taylor." The light in Knockturn Alley was dim. It wasn't until Roger looked up and met her eyes that she clearly saw his face.
Her name being called out, she was startled. A second later, she felt Roger looked very familiar.
Two more seconds, and she froze completely, not even noticing her bald companion's questioning look.
All she wanted now was to turn and run, but she didn't dare.
"Is that not possible?"
"...Of course, it's my honor to guide you," the witch said with difficulty, her voice hoarse and strained through gritted teeth.
At this moment, the bald wizard also realized something was wrong. Although he could only see her back from his angle, he knew this was the same reaction the witch had when she accidentally offended someone she couldn't afford to offend.
He didn't run. Facing a stronger opponent, losing composure would only make things worse.
"Then let's go." Roger's past-divination abilities weren't very strong, but he could get a general idea of the past of someone much weaker than himself. When he was at school, Roger had warned Draco Malfoy by digging up his childhood dark history.
He took a glance and verified it twice. The witch before him had only engaged in petty theft, extortion, and blackmail. She had never killed anyone for money, not even robbed a shop. So, he didn't dwell on it too much.
As the saying goes, the enforcement of different crimes varies. These people who skirted the edges of the law wouldn't dare break every law.
The witch walked ahead, her legs weak.
Knockturn Alley wasn't exactly deserted. As they went deeper, more and more people noticed the strange combination.
"Is that..."
"Oh, Merlin's beard." If they had encountered a Seer and The Boy Who Lived elsewhere, people would have swarmed them for handshakes and autographs.
But this was Knockturn Alley, a black market for illegal transactions.
And Roger was still employed by the Ministry of Magic.
For a moment, everyone avoided them as if they were fleeing from Aurors during a raid! No, this was even more terrifying than Aurors, because Aurors couldn't see through your past and future.
Roger didn't pay attention to those who fled in panic with guilty consciences. His past-divination wasn't strong enough to divine everyone present instantly; it took him several seconds of preparation time to divine just one person, and even then, it wasn't 100% accurate.
He simply continued to follow the gaunt witch.
Black markets generally had two types of transactions: one was a one-off deal between complete strangers.
The other was long-term shop operations. Without an introduction from a regular customer, it was difficult to get truly good merchandise from merchants, and one could only buy the superficial odds and ends displayed.
...Dark Magic items were inherently dangerous. If they caused major casualties, the shops couldn't just disappear. Therefore, they usually only did business with regular customers.
Before Voldemort's return, during Dumbledore's era, everyone was more restrained.
"You want to exchange this much?" the currency exchange black market dealer asked with some surprise.
"What, is that not allowed?" Roger was quite well-off after mastering Alchemy. To avoid the hassle of doing this frequently in the future, he wanted to exchange a larger sum at once.
The travel expenses were only a small part. The rest he planned to invest in some Muggle industries to make money from money.
The dealer stared at Roger for a few seconds, then glanced at the gaunt witch who had brought them over. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, I'll give you the best deal."
On one hand, he didn't dare offend this Seer, who had various terrifying legends surrounding him, was employed by the Ministry, and was rumored to have a good relationship with Dumbledore.
On the other hand, looking at the witch, although she was trembling, she hadn't been harmed. It seemed this Seer was someone who played by the rules and wouldn't discard someone after using them. He decided to take the deal.
...
"...I want to be a good person." After Roger left with two full crates of money, the witch Taylor had the idea of quitting her illicit trade.
"Me too." The bald wizard's heart was still pounding faster than if he had just run 3 kilometers.
You never knew what you'd encounter when you walked the dark paths too often.
Goodbye, Knockturn Alley.
There were many people when they arrived, but it was silent when they left.
"Do you feel it? What I told you before?" Roger said to Harry as they walked through the nearly deserted, dark alley.
"The outside world's relationship with you will change as you yourself change," Harry murmured, recalling their recent conversation.
"This is just the beginning. One day, you will also face this situation, admired and feared by everyone. People will admire you to the point of madness and fear you so much they won't even dare to look at you."
"Some will even hate you for inexplicable reasons. As long as you keep getting stronger, you will experience it all one day." Roger was preparing Harry psychologically.
The Three-Dimensional Law had not been made public yet, but it was estimated to be soon, perhaps in two or three years, or even less. When Roger's power broke through to the next level, he would begin to take formal action.
At that time, the world's order would be very different.
Time waited for no one. Roger hoped Harry could mature quickly and not be blinded by the tides of the era. This was also one of the main reasons he had the idea to bring Harry along on this trip.
People's wisdom and ideas change with their experiences and knowledge.
Roger wanted Harry to experience more things he hadn't before.
Without needing a prophecy, Roger could already tell that as fate changed, many of the trials originally destined for Harry would slip through his fingers.
Just like Hermione had experienced.
After that one instance, Roger felt it was best to make up for this part for Harry.
"You should know that the Muggle and Wizarding worlds will become closer and closer as time goes on; this is the general trend of the era."
"Not just the Wizarding world, but one day the Muggle world will be like this too." Roger delivered his second piece of preventative advice.
Harry lowered his head, lost in thought.
"...Where are we going next?" Harry instinctively resisted topics related to the world's changes.
For the young boy in the throes of adolescence, growth was something he looked forward to, but change was something he detested.
For Harry, who had found close friends, a mentor, companions, and whose relationships with his family had also changed anew, this was his most wonderful time.
Aside from the place reserved for his parents, he didn't want any further changes; he wanted all his relationships to be frozen in the present.
Children are not yet grown, but they are not ignorant of growing up. He knew that once everyone became an adult, they would all have their own careers and futures, and they would no longer be able to play together carefree.
Like Professor Snape, who always wore a scowl, or Professor McGonagall, troubled by the mischief of the students, how long had it been since they had let down their guard and laughed heartily with their friends without any reservations?
"To Germany." Roger knew the principle of "too much is as bad as too little" and didn't continue the topic.
Teaching someone a thousand times won't work, but experience teaches you in one go. Rather than lecturing, Roger preferred to let reality speak.
"Germany was one of the focal points of World War II, and Germany today is undergoing drastic social changes."
The privileges of the four occupying powers had been abolished, and the reunification of East and West Germany had occurred the year before last. But reunification was not the end; it was just the beginning.
Conflict was currently happening in Germany.
"At the same time, Grindelwald rose to prominence during World War II in that vicinity."
"There should still be many residual influences left there."
Speaking of this, Roger's gaze became distant: "From both a wizard's and a Muggle's perspective, this place, which has undergone societal change, is worth seeing."
Roger wanted to use the Three-Dimensional Law to cultivate with the power of the masses, which was also a form of change. He believed the trip to Germany might bring him some rewards.
Of course, the time spent traveling couldn't be wasted either.
"Speaking of which, your Time Phantom Shuttle spell seemed to be learned quite well before. Let me teach you a new Time Magic."
"Huh?" Roger's topic shifted too abruptly, and Harry couldn't react immediately.
"I've named it 'Time Phantom Shuttle.' I think if you don't learn this spell while traveling, it's like cutting the fun in half!"
Roger believed that if traveling was just about passively observing the present, it would be too boring. When visiting famous historical sites, one should delve deep into history and experience it firsthand!
That's what makes it interesting.
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