Somehow, a chill gradually spread from the surroundings of the alley, covering the ground of Knockturn Alley and the worn glass of the shops with a layer of frost.
Countless tall figures gathered around the alley, encircling it completely and gradually tightening the noose.
The chill spread slowly throughout Knockturn Alley. Apparition requires great concentration. If occasional whispers are heard during that concentration process or if one's most dreaded memories constantly appear in the mind, the chances of failing the Apparition Charm increase significantly.
Consecutive explosions rang out in the air. Although there were several wizards willing to risk and use the Apparition Charm, the vast majority of them failed. Their bodies were split into various parts, and the various components of their bodies floated strangely in the corners of the alley.
"It looks like the Incident Reversion Team will be working overtime." That was Amelia's thought as she looked at the Split figures.
"Are those Dementors?" many wizards exclaimed. Their voices were filled with astonishment and disbelief. They had never imagined that Dementors would attack them in Knockturn Alley one day.
The faces of many shopkeepers paled as the arrival of the Dementors brought back very unpleasant memories.
Soon, the Dementors took over all of Knockturn Alley. As Ministry of Magic officials were closely watching, no wizard dared to use the Patronus Charm for defense. Not all wizards in Knockturn Alley were corrupted by dark magic; there were also ordinary people who could only produce low-quality Patronus Charms.
Seeing that everyone surrendered without resistance, Amelia was greatly relieved. She immediately used an amplification spell to make her voice resonate throughout the alley: "Everyone, leave your shops and gather on the street immediately!"
Upon hearing the order, people who were still hiding in the stores didn't dare to waste time and rushed out onto the dirty street of Knockturn Alley. No one dared to have ill intentions and hide in dark rooms because they knew they weren't like Sirius Black; they couldn't escape the gaze of the Dementors. If they were finally caught, the situation would be very unfavorable for them.
"Let's go," said a hunched man with greasy hair to an elderly man beside him in the spacious, dark shop.
"Hmph, that Amelia girl really convinced the Dementors. Look at this, at least half of Azkaban's Dementors have come." The tall, skinny man responded to the elderly man. He had long, white hair, a long, pointed nose, and his skin was pale and lifeless, sagging.
This elderly wizard was named Torquil Travers, the current head of the Travers family, one of the twenty-eight pure-blood families. In the early 20th century, he was the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. But now, almost at the end of the 20th century, this former wizard who used to dominate the magical scene had aged and lost his former courage.
Both Borgin and Torquil were prominent figures in the wizarding world, but they also understood that the situation was stronger than people, so they obediently left the shop and accepted the Ministry of Magic's inspection.
Aurors and Ministry of Magic enforcement agents led the shop owners into their establishments one by one for suspicious searches and confiscated all questionable items. Meanwhile, the Dementors hovered in the air, intimidating shop owners and customers, preventing them from making any unusual moves.
The faces of the shop owners became increasingly worse, but no one dared to protest. If even the shop owners didn't dare to do so, then the customers certainly wouldn't either.
Torquil remained calm and serene in the middle of the street. He even closed his eyes, appearing like a tired elderly man. Seeing him like this, no one would have imagined that he owned three shops in this alley.
The Dementors in the air didn't care if these people were innocent or not. They indulged without restraint in the misery of these individuals. To them, this was more like a picnic.
"Mr. Borgin, take us to your shop."
Finally, it was Borgin's turn to have his shop inspected. Several enforcement agents surrounded Borgin and entered his shop.
"I'm just an antique dealer," Borgin said with a greasy smile on his face. "I like to collect those little old curiosities..."
"Oh, and is this necklace also a little curiosity?" Tonks, who had followed him inside, asked, pointing to a tag on an opal necklace.
[Extremely dangerous, has cost the lives of more than a dozen Muggles]
"Oh, this is something a brave adventurer found in a ruin, I bought it for research purposes," Borgin explained calmly on his face.
His profession had a great advantage indeed. An antique dealer with some cursed items in his possession, wasn't that normal? Dark magic items? They were valuable research materials!
In reality, those who dared to sell dark magic items on the black market usually had some form of protection: antique dealers, second-hand sellers, scholars...
Those people who didn't act under a legitimate justification didn't need the Ministry of Magic to intervene; their own colleagues took care of them.
"Eloquent," Tonks said disdainfully as she looked at Borgin. "Undoubtedly, this is an item of dark magic and must be confiscated and destroyed."
In front of those who fell between dark wizards and normal wizards, the Ministry of Magic had its own way of dealing with them: if an item was related to dark magic, it was confiscated directly. Owned by a merchant? Owning dark magic items was prohibited, and the property wasn't protected and was confiscated directly. Research material for scholars? Who authorized you to research dark magic? Not only was the item confiscated, but your research notes were also destroyed.
These extreme and radical measures were very effective in curbing the spread of dark magic. In fact, the Ministry of Magic had previously not been so afraid of dark magic, and there were even many wizards who held the opinion that "magic is neither good nor bad; it depends on whether the wizard using it is good or bad." However, after being plagued by two Dark Lords, the Ministry of Magic's tolerance for dark magic was drastically reduced.
Borgin's face changed dramatically. He understood that today he would suffer great losses. Too bad for all the relics he bought at a high price!
Before the previous inspections, Borgin always received information in advance and hid some things that shouldn't be seen. He even had enough time and energy to help other magical families store things. But the Ministry of Magic arrived so suddenly today! He simply didn't have time to react.
He could only lower his head, bow, and secretly grit his teeth.
Tonks didn't even bother with that. She instructed her subordinates to store the necklace in a safe place, as long as they didn't touch it, they wouldn't be cursed.
Then, she moved around Borgin's shop, and her gaze landed on a display case. Inside the display case was a withered hand, a deck of cards stained with blood, and an inert glass eye.
It was that eye that caught Tonks' attention.