Chapter 7: Among The Shadows.

After getting the cape, the mask was the most complicated thing to get since most of the masks were very festive, except for one, which was the right one for this kind of situation, a cat mask, a simple design but perfect to go unnoticed. It was also her favorite...

Now that I have what I need to hide my identity there are only two things left, one is to find the entrance to the place, and two, to get rid of the map for a moment, so Alphonse cannot discover that I am in a place that the map does not indicate. 

My teacher said that although they were illegal stores that were in secret locations in Diagon Alley, they were places that were not on maps, so their entrance could only be achieved with code words, I never thought this would work for me in this situation.

Once I put on all my clothes, I took advantage of the fact that some children were passing by me and I put my map in one of the backpacks of one of them and proceeded to enter one of the oldest stores where there were only destroyed or collectible gadgets, a junkyard where you could say that no one enters due to its little use because they are mostly rare decorative things.

The objects are full of dust and some of them have cockroaches and rodents crawling over them, as I go deeper into the store I can see a desk where the only living light rested, a candle, and a book in a language I had never seen before. 

"Something of your interest or are you looking for something specific?"-sounds a voice behind me and I feel how the tip of a wand is positioned on my back. 

"I'm just observing, I found it quite an interesting place"- before entering I used a spell called sonport which allows to change the voice to thicker or higher-pitched tones depending on the person's need without damaging or affecting the vocal cords. 

"I see, next time call if you need something before snooping through a person's things"- exclaims a stooped old woman walking by my side after unclipping the wand from my back. 

The old woman after taking a seat at the desk begins to read in a strange language the book that was on the desk, when I look better from the front, I can see her gray hair and her rotten teeth that look like they will fall at any moment from her mouth, you can also see in her hands that the tips of her fingers have a completely dark shade, unlike the rest of her pale and lifeless skin tone, on her fingers there were also rings with skulls and some with a kind of black pearls.

This woman seems to have enough knowledge to show the entrance to the darkest parts of the alley, but first I will have to gain her trust, the most difficult part of this...

"Excuse me, ma'am, I didn't mean to be rash, I'll take a few things from this place, so I'll take a walk around the place."

"Buy quickly and get out of here if you don't want me to throw you out myself"- says the old woman with a tone full of disgust. 

As I turn around I start to take a better look at the place, it is evident that he is watching me from different places in the store, I feel how different looks are pointing at me, so I have to be very careful. 

In this place there are different creatures stuffed and put on display, creatures that I had not seen before, some I would say that seem artificial and fake, there are also different variants of wendigos, mandrakes, and some types of similar plants, prik would be very curious, there are even carnivorous plants and spiders that have flowers on their body as a method of camouflage for hunting insects. There is jewelry with bones similar to what the old woman has, potions, old books, and rare magical items, although all of this is cool it is not what I am looking for....

"watch out!!!"- shouts a man running out of the basement of the place chasing a small black cat that runs past me running at high speed. 

As I turn to look at the cat it stops dead in its tracks and proceeds to look me straight in the eye, its eyes change color from a shade of blue to a shade of purple and proceeds to jump on me and stand on my head. 

The old woman stands up angrily from her seat and proceeds to walk towards me in a threatening manner, ignoring the man who was desperately begging the old woman for forgiveness. 

"Interesting... I've never seen this before, tell me midget... what are you really looking for?" 

I don't know what's going on, this is weird, the old lady's attitude suddenly changed to a more curious tone about me, does this all have to do with the cat? 

"I am looking for metallic, red gold, and some other materials that I was told I could find here." 

"Who gave you that information dwarf?"- says the old woman a bit annoyed and holding her wand pointed at my neck. 

"Between us, we can't sell out, I'm sorry I can't tell you, old lady." 

"You are a rather strange man...and your creature should not be here" The old woman lowered her wand and proceeds to grab the cat above my head, though it clings tightly to my cloak so as not to be separated from me. 

"It's definitely something very strange"- says the old woman as she resigns herself to putting the cat down and proceeds to turn her back and walk towards the basement-"what are you waiting for dwarf, follow me before I regret it, Philip take care of the store, later I'll take care of reprimanding you for what happened." 

As the old woman descends the stairs, she lights another candle that opens a path through the thick darkness of the place. 

After walking a few steps we hit one of the 4 basement walls. 

"Here you will find what you need dwarf, you better not be long and not talk about this place or I'll look for you myself." 

The old woman lifts the candle with her right hand and the next step with her other hand she proceeds to cross the wall as if nothing, when she took out her hand again she managed to see something that she has not noticed before due to the old woman's clothing. On her forearm was the spitting image of the same skull and serpent I saw before I died, the familiar dark mark, the mark that is engraved with fire on the left forearm... the symbol of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. 

No wonder these people live here, in these underworlds... but I never thought I'd run into one of them so quickly.

That must be the access key to this place, besides now I understand the fear of that man and why he begged the old woman for forgiveness, these people are cruel and merciless, and a mistake can cost you your life or the life of something you love. 

"Well old lady, I'll buy what I need and retire." 

The old woman takes a few steps back and doesn't take her eyes off me, so I take one step away from the wall and without thinking twice I close my eyes and walk through the wall. 

When I opened my eyes again I was in an alley similar to Diagon Alley but this one was different, its dark shades and disgusting smells flooded the whole place, it was literally the opposite of Diagon Alley, in the premises there are different illegal creatures, fairies, and mermaids exposed as if they were trophies, some still alive and chained by their limbs.

There are also heads of different creatures in containers with a green liquid in them, eyes of different shapes and sizes, and strange food of dubious origin, people do not get off my back.

Just by looking at the people, I realize that it is a really dangerous place, although there are people like me with masks and robes that cover them in their entirety, there are others who simply walk the dark streets, some that with only their clothes you can tell that they are of high class, and on the other hand there are those who were consumed by the place and live in it, people full of dirt, consumed by drugs or potions that gives them a little happiness in their filthy life in the streets. 

It's a very similar environment to the one I used to live in after the tragedy, it was like being back in my own time... right now I'm on my own turf. 

Walking through these streets is easier, there are no crowds of people anywhere, the stores are not collapsed, the only problem for a person who does not know this world is not knowing how to negotiate. 

"You damned midget, what are you doing with my creature?"- shouted a man in front of me limping due to his peg leg, resembling a pirate by his dirty and unkempt appearance. 

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