Hogwarts: I am Snape

Chapter 112 The Gifts of Nature
“No?” Snape interrupted Mr. Borgin, then took out his purse and shook it.

The collision of Galon produced an alluring sound.

“No…” Mr. Bokin said hesitantly, his eyes never leaving the money bag, “just… wait a moment, Mr. Longbottom.”

After saying that, he disappeared behind the curtain at the counter.

A moment later, Mr. Bokin came out carrying a small box.

“I hope these will meet your needs, Mr. Longbottom,” Mr. Bogin said, carefully opening the lid.

The box contained a jumble of wands, some showing signs of rough repairs after cracking, and others with suspicious dark red spots.

"Should I ask where they came from?" Snape asked dismissively, picking up a wand. "How much?"

“You have excellent taste, Mr. Longbottom,” Mr. Borgin said vaguely. “These are all wands that were recovered through legitimate channels and are in perfect working order. The one you have is made of elderberry and unicorn hair; it is very powerful and costs only thirty Galleons.”

“If it were that powerful, it wouldn’t be here,” Snape sneered, tossing the wand back into the box. “Five Galleons each.”

“This is not right, Mr. Longbottom!” Mr. Borgin exclaimed indignantly. “These wands are top-quality, and twenty Galleons is the lowest price I can offer. You know, they cost seventy Galleons each at Ollivanders Wand Shop, and this is less than a third of that price.”

“You think you can sell this mismatched secondhand wand for the price of a custom-made new one?” Snape remained unmoved. “Five Galleons a wand, and I need ten.”

Mr. Borgin's face scrunched up. "Seven Galleons," he said through gritted teeth, "that's the same price Ollivander charges the young wizards, and with all the fees, I'm already losing money."

Snape thought irritably, "Your business is practically risk-free; all the costs are someone else's." But it didn't matter; he wasn't short of money.

“Okay,” he said. “Seventy Galleons in total.”

Then, he picked out eleven wands in good condition from the box and held the one that felt most comfortable in his hand to test it. A comfortable warmth emanated from the wand, creating a subtle resonance with his magic.

"Pack these up for me," he said.

“You took an extra one…” Mr. Bokin reminded him quietly.

"Are you going to sell it or not?" Snape narrowed his eyes.

“Alright,” Mr. Bokin swallowed, “consider it making friends with you!”

He took out a black leather bag and began packing the wand.

Snape placed seventy-seven Galleons on the counter. As Mr. Borgin packed them, he tapped the counter rhythmically with his fingers.

“Mr. Bokin,” he suddenly spoke, “don’t you have any big business here?”

"What big deal are you referring to?" Mr. Bokin paused for a moment.

“For example,” Snape said, “silverware made by fairies.”

Mr. Bokin's eyes lit up immediately behind the counter.

“Oh, that would certainly be a big deal.” He lowered his voice. “You know, since the goblin rebellion in 1612, there have been almost no new goblin silver items falling into the hands of wizards. A single piece of silver is worth at least a thousand gallons.”

Snape was well aware of this as well. In the house-elf Hawthorne's memory, he had personally learned that Karaktakus Burke had tried to buy a goblin-made suit of armor from Madam Hepzba Smith for 500 Galleons, but even so, Mr. Burke had been refused.

"What type of goblin silverware do you need, Mr. Longbottom?" Mr. Borgin's voice pulled Snape back to reality.

“Weapons,” Snape replied curtly.

"For collection purposes?" Mr. Bokin asked curiously.

“Otherwise,” Snape said impatiently, “what use is this thing?”

“Of course it’s very useful,” Mr. Bokin said somewhat displeased, as if his expertise had been offended. “Silverware forged by fairies doesn’t need to be wiped; it repels dust and absorbs things that strengthen it.”

“That just proves they’re excellent collectibles, doesn’t it?” Snape said bluntly. “They don’t even need house-elves to clean them up.”

He didn't care if Mr. Borgin thought he was easy prey. His encounters with Abraxas Malfoy, Fenrir Greyback, and others had confirmed one thing for him: his strength was far greater than he had imagined.

If he could successfully purchase the goblin silverware through Mr. Borgin, that would be ideal, but if Mr. Borgin had any ulterior motives, Snape wouldn't mind making some extra money. After all, a thousand Galleons was no small sum.

“Weapons are very rare, sir, and very expensive,” Mr. Bokin said. “If you need armor, I can find you a piece or two that are not complete.”

“I have goblin-made armor at home, but I’m missing weapons,” Snape replied casually. “Well, if I don’t have any, then forget it.”

He picked up the bag containing the wand and prepared to leave, but was stopped by Mr. Borgin.

“If you really need a weapon made by a goblin, Mr. Longbottom,” Mr. Borgin said, “you might want to check out number 135 Knockturn Alley, where a goblin named Felix lives.”

“Understood, thank you, Mr. Borgin.” Snape nodded and said, “If I find satisfactory silverware, I will return to thank you.”

“You don’t need to be so polite,” Mr. Bokin said with a polite bow. “If you are satisfied, Felix will also give me a commission.”

Snape pushed open the shop door and strode out of Borgin-Bock, the bell on the door ringing softly once more.

As you walk deeper into the alley, the buildings on both sides of the street become even more dilapidated, with strange symbols painted all over the dark walls.

Several cloaked figures hurried past, deliberately avoiding each other's gaze. Snape could feel a few eyes lingering on him for a moment, but when his sharp gaze swept over them, the onlookers immediately retreated into the shadows.

Number 135 Fandao Lane is a crooked two-story building, as unremarkable as its neighboring buildings, with badly peeling paint on the door.

Standing at the door, Snape raised his wrist to check the time, only to find that the white clouds on the watch face of the one Irene had given him as a coming-of-age gift had turned into dark clouds, and several small birds were shivering at the bottom of the watch face.

This was the first time he had discovered that the watch face could change.

“Interesting,” he muttered to himself, glancing up at the narrow patch of sky. Although the streets of Knockturn Alley were mostly in the shadows of the buildings on either side, the patch of blue sky that peeked through indicated that it was still a bright, sunny day outside.

The change in the watch was undoubtedly a warning sign. Snape's lips curled into a cold smile as he revealed his newly purchased wand from his robe sleeve.

He didn't knock, but pointed directly at the rickety wooden door and silently chanted a powerful blasting spell.

"boom!"

A flash of light, followed by a deafening roar that shook half the street.

The wooden door shattered, and several cracks even appeared on the wall, making the entire building seem to have sunk a bit.

As the exclamations came from inside the door, Snape was already standing in the doorway under the cover of the Ironclad Charm, his wand pointed directly at the source of the sound.

"Petrify them all!" he muttered to himself. A goblin with a large head, grayish-yellow skin, and long arms and legs was coughing amidst the ruins. Before it could react, its legs and arms snapped together, and it fell forward, landing stiffly face down on the ground with a thud.

Snape quickly turned to look outside the door, where several curious heads peeked out from a nearby window.

"Anyone want to come in and play?" he asked coldly.

The spying people immediately retreated, and the window slammed shut.

After confirming there were no other threats, Snape used a restoration charm to restore the damaged door to its original state. Within seconds, the house was restored to its dilapidated but intact appearance.

He then walked over to the fallen fairy and flipped him over with his toe.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Felix.” Snape looked down into the goblin’s terrified eyes. “Mr. Borgin referred me here. I heard you have goblin silverware?”

The fairy's nose was broken when she fell, and dark green blood flowed to her mouth.

“Oh, your nose is broken.” Snape frowned. “It’s completely healed!”

A flash of blue light, and the fairy's nose healed.

“See how friendly I am?” Snape raised his wrist and glanced at his watch again, which now showed a clear sky once more.

“It seems you’re more sensible than before.” He tapped his wand lightly, and the binding ropes of the spell tightly bound the fairy, then released Felix from the petrification spell.

"You have insulted me!" the fairy shrieked as soon as she could speak, her dark eyes glaring menacingly. "I will not sell you silverware!"

"Really?" Snape dragged over a chair, forced the goblin to sit down, and then sat opposite him. "So you really do have goblin silverware?"

The fairy shut her mouth and refused to answer.

“Well, Mr. Felix,” Snape sighed, pulling a small vial of purple liquid from his pocket. “Not going to talk, huh? Then allow me to ask you a question—”

"Are you prepared to drown, fall to your death from the sky, or," he shook the potion bottle, "be poisoned? Oh, by the way, I have a half-giant friend who loves to bake and eat goblins in pies. Would you be interested?"

"Let me go!" The fairy struggled, finally speaking, "This is against the dignity of my race!"

“It’s still early, not time to dream, Mr. Felix,” Snape said with a smile. “What wizard doesn’t know that you goblins can cast spells without a wand?”

“Fine, I'll do it myself.” He raised his wand and pointed it at the fairy. “I was doing this for your own good, worried about messing with your brain. Divine Intervention—”

"Wait, sir!" the fairy shrieked immediately. "The silverware is in the cupboard in the basement!"

“Yes, yes, thank you, Mr. Felix. It should have been done sooner.” Snape put down his wand. “Where is the basement?”

Felix reluctantly gestured with his chin towards a dirty carpet.

Lifting the rug, Snape tapped the floor beneath it and said, "Reveal your true form!"

A trapdoor with a pull ring appears.

With a gentle pull upwards, a cloud of dust dissipated, revealing a staircase leading into the darkness beneath the trapdoor.

Snape casually turned a chair into a torch, lit it, and let Felix float in front of him.

“Come down with me,” he said, ignoring the fairy’s protests.

The basement was even more cluttered than the upper floors, filled with all sorts of strange objects. The air was thick with the smells of mildew and oxidized metal.

“The silverware is right there,” Felix pointed to a cabinet in the corner. “Just open it and you’ll see it.”

Snape keenly noticed an animal horn hanging on the wall above the cabinet, with distinct grooves at its base. He had read about it in *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them*—it was the horn of a venomous horn that would explode at the slightest touch.

“It’s in there, take it,” Felix said urgently, “just please let me go.”

“In that case, I’ll trouble you to go and retrieve it for me again,” Snape said gently. “With the help of the Imperius Curse, I believe we can achieve the best possible cooperation.”

"No!" Felix struggled in terror. "I'm sorry, sir. You need to first break the spell on that horn with a spell to stop it, and then cut the spider silk connecting the horn and the box to the giant spider."

“Very good.” Snape said, moving Felix closer to the cabinet, then walking to the other end of the basement and aiming his wand at the horn of the venomous beast.

“Be careful, sir,” Felix shifted his body slightly, “make sure you don’t miss.”

The spell struck the beast's horn, a ripple of orange-red light flashed, then turned blue, and finally disappeared.

Then, Snape cut the almost transparent spider silk.

"Phew—" Felix let out a long breath. "Take it, it would be even better if you would give me some money."

“Don’t rush, Mr. Felix,” Snape smiled. “I still need to trouble you with something—astral projection!”

Fear flashed across the fairy's face, then quickly gave her a light, carefree, and joyful expression.

A strange sensation quickly spread through Snape's arm; a tingling, warm current seemed to flow from his mind, connecting him to the wand and the spell he had just cast, running through his muscles and veins.

He then pointed his wand at the goblin and untied Felix's ropes. At his command, the goblin obediently went to the cabinet and opened it.

Beside a few small piles of Galleons and some small bottles lay a long, thin, gleaming silver dagger. Felix took it out and respectfully handed it to Snape.

The dagger was cold to the touch, but it immediately began to warm up, as if it were adapting to its new owner's body temperature.

Snape brandished the dagger a few times, feeling somewhat disappointed. He wasn't sure how effective it would be at stabbing the basilisk. But something was better than nothing.

He tucked the dagger into a hidden pocket inside his robe and gave the fairy a bright smile: "Sweet dreams, Mr. Felix. Thank you for your gift."

"Everything is forgotten!"

Felix's eyes immediately became blank and vacant. Then, he slumped to the ground and fell into a deep sleep.

Snape counted out five hundred Galleons and sprinkled them around Felix.

"I'm such a good man," he thought, "I just don't know if Felix will still give Mr. Borgin his commission."

　Thanks to Yikun, Momowuwen1111, Shoumingyutian, Jishouyongchang, BC, and Book Friend 20181002103944887 for their monthly tickets.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)