From Azkaban

"Rodolphus, let me confirm with you that the Ministry of Magic has indeed not issued a wanted order, right?"

In the dim room, Locke sat on the only clean wooden chair and looked at Rodolphus standing in front of him with eyes full of uncertainty and doubt.

"Yes, sir. I was also surprised at first, and I asked Lucius to check. The Ministry of Magic indeed did not issue a wanted order for us."

Rodolfo bent down slightly while answering, and seeing him do so, Lucius, who was nervous beside him, quickly followed suit.

"That's right, sir. I have already investigated. It seems that that jerk Fudge has blocked the news. Now not many people even in the Ministry of Magic know about it."

After hearing what Lucius said, Locke directly asked the old man on the subway to look at his phone. To be honest, Fudge's move was indeed something Locke had not expected.

"Tsk, I can only say that it is indeed diverse." With a simple sigh, Locke looked up at Lucius and said, "Come forward and hold out your hand."

Hearing Locke's words, Lucius lowered his head slightly and walked forward. He bent down, raised his hand and rolled up his sleeves, revealing the Dark Mark on his arm.

"Sneer~~"

Unlike before, it was easier for Locke to erase the Dark Mark now. He just casually brushed his fingers and erased the Dark Mark on Lucius's hand in less than a second.

"That's fine. Since our wise and brave Minister Fudge has such good intentions, we can't be so tactful and tell everyone not to waste Minister Fudge's good intentions and cooperate with him."

Raising his hand and handing a stone ring to Lucius, Locke chuckled and looked up at Rodolphus who was also laughing.

"Your will," Rodolphus bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you," Lucius lowered his upper body and respectfully raised his hands to take the stone ring.

Volume 1: Chapter 48 Knockturn Alley (I am the Deadline Warrior!)

After a brief meeting, the three people who walked out of the room separated again, still two and one, but now the two people have become Locke and Lucius.

As for Rodolphus, he left with Locke's arrangements.

Since Minister Fudge has not issued a wanted order for all of them, they are not considered to have made an appointment. Naturally, there are fewer restrictions on many things, such as the property of each family.

Most of the Death Eaters who followed Locke were the only sons of their families. Some had non-direct elders in their families, and some, like Sirius, were the last.

So basically, everyone actually has a considerable fortune waiting for them to inherit.

Originally, such behavior would be difficult to do with a wanted warrant, after all, a large portion of the wealth of many families is stored in Gringotts.

But now, thanks to Minister Fudge's manipulation, they are not wanted criminals on the surface, so naturally, there are more places for manipulation.

Of course, Locke didn't want their wealth. What really mattered to him was the knowledge passed down from generation to generation in the family.

But change requires not only the use of force, but also sufficient financial support.

After all, Locke can't just let people rob whatever he needs. Money still needs to be spent in many places.

...............................................

After Rodolphus used Apparation to leave, Locke took Lucius and walked on the dark and damp path of Knockturn Alley. The passing dark wizards and witches took the initiative to avoid Lucius when they saw him.

"Lucius, tell me, are dark corners like these really necessary, or are they simply unnecessary?"

The two of them strolled to an uninhabited place and crossed a dark puddle. Locke smelled a foul odor, but the smile on his face did not diminish at all.

"This... Sir..."

Lucius, who was following behind him, didn't expect Locke to suddenly ask him a question, especially such an ambiguous one.

To be honest, this was the kind of question that Lucius hated the most. His experience of serving Voldemort made him very clear that the personalities of such superiors were always capricious, and their thoughts were difficult to guess, and could not be guessed.

"Don't worry. Rodolphus must have said something to you. Just treat this as a casual question and answer according to your true thoughts."

Hearing the hesitation and nervousness in Lucius's tone, Locke knew that this guy had been with Voldemort for too long and had a trauma in his heart.

This won't work. Locke is different from Voldemort. What he needs is not a yes-man, but someone who can walk with him forward.

"........................"

After hearing Locke's words, Lucius fell silent. Seeing him like this, Locke was not in a hurry and still moved forward at a leisurely pace. Lucius could remain silent, but the deadline was before he walked out of Knockturn Alley.

Behind Locke, the silence was actually just a simple test or confirmation by Lucius.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Locke did not urge him to keep silent, and did not stop to put pressure on him as he had expected.

"It seems that what Rodolphus said is not nonsense, at least......"

Just as Locke said, Rodolphus did say a lot to Lucius, which is normal. Otherwise, why would Lucius come? He must have been persuaded by Rodolphus.

From Rodolphus, Lucius learned a lot of information about Locke, but of course, he didn't believe it all.

After all, those were all what Rodolphus said himself. Looking at the fanatical expression on Rodolphus' face when he talked about Locke, Lucius had no idea whether what he said had been embellished.

And the most important point is that Lucius is very clear that many things have beautiful appearances, including people.

Just like Voldemort in the past, that person never showed his true side in the early days of his rise, and always presented himself in a beautiful and perfect disguise.

What really moved Lucius and made him follow Rodolphus was not the great goal or the perfect leader that Rodolphus talked about.

There were two real reasons why Lucius chose to come. One was because Rodolphus showed him that his Dark Mark had been removed.

The second was that Lucius knew that he was doomed to not escape. The damn Dark Mark was like an ever-present bomb, and now, it had exploded.

He has entered the sight of others and can no longer hide or escape. He must make a choice, either surrender or be destroyed.

Lucius's experience of serving Voldemort made him come to this conclusion as a matter of course. He felt that since Rodolphus had come to him, if he did not know what was good for him, destruction would surely await him.

This is of course not possible. Lucius loves his family very much, and he cannot let anything happen to them even if he dies.

So Lucius knew that he had no choice and escape was impossible. He couldn't escape. Rodolphus told him explicitly and implicitly that they had people in the surrounding countries, which was basically a naked threat.

So in the end Lucius chose to compromise and chose to bet again, placing his chips on Locke, the dark lord who suddenly appeared.

Lucius was still very nervous when he first made the decision, but what happened next made Lucius feel much more relieved.

That was what he had done when he went to the Ministry of Magic to investigate as requested by Rodolphus. Through the feedback from this matter, Lucius at least confirmed that he, the new boss, was indeed strong enough.

And now, Locke's performance confirmed what Rodolphus said, that Locke was completely different from Voldemort, not crazy at all, and certainly not violent.

At least from the time they met until now, Lucius felt the vague respect and stable and peaceful emotions that only Locke showed.

These two points are difficult to fake. Thinking of this, Lucius made up his mind and decided to make a bold attempt. He would not be ambiguous but speak out his true thoughts.

Of course, Lucius was not being reckless. He had thought it through. It was just a small question, and even if he answered it wrong, the worst result could not be that bad.

But if he is lucky, Lucius will be able to use this incident to directly determine how to deal with Locke in the future. Even if he is unlucky and Locke does not give any clear response, he will not suffer any loss.

Volume 1: Chapter 49: Order and Harley

"My Lord, I think that the existence of Knockturn Alley is actually necessary. After all, many things or objects require such a place. Moreover, Knockturn Alley is just a collection of things. It is not there at all. Even if it is destroyed, the second and third Knockturn Alleys will soon appear."

Lucius expressed his views to Locke in a concise and clear manner. Hearing his answer, Locke nodded slightly as if he was being taught.

"Well, Lucius, you are right. Indeed, existence is reasonable. The reason why Knockturn Alley exists is because it is indeed indispensable. And as you said, the real 'Knockturn Alley' is not this street, but the wizards in it. I have learned my lesson."

Lucius lowered his head in fear after hearing Locke's answer. "You are too modest, sir. I only have a few opinions. How can I call them teachings?"

Lucius' heart sank slightly. This was the worst case scenario. Locke's answer was flawless. Lucius didn't believe that Locke couldn't see this. If he couldn't see it, why would he ask?

But Locke's answer perfectly foiled Lucius' plan. Lucius couldn't figure out anything from this answer.

Lucius knew very well that this kind of superior was actually the most terrifying, because he could never guess what Locke was thinking or planning to do.

"You are the one who is being modest, Lucius. Don't suppress yourself. You are actually very smart, aren't you? After all, your Malfoy family was able to wake up before other wizards were still immersed in fantasy, understand the benefits of the Muggle world, choose to contact the Muggle world, and make huge fortunes. Even until now, you still haven't completely given up your connection with Muggles, right?"

Locke's voice slowly reached Lucius' ears. The huge amount of information contained in it stunned him and a layer of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

"Sir...sir...I..."

Lucius stopped and raised his head to argue, but found that Locke had stopped without him knowing, and was now half turned around, looking at him with a smile on his face.

Looking at the smile on Locke's face, Lucius' heartbeat suddenly quickened, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and he couldn't utter the excuse that was on the tip of his tongue.

Locke was right. Even since the Statute of Secrecy was enacted, the Malfoy family had always claimed that they had no connection with Muggles and had actually cut off all ties with Muggles.

But that was just the beginning. As time passed, seeing that the situation was right and having built up a deep network of relationships in the wizarding world, the Malfoy family once again turned their attention to the Muggle world.

"Don't be nervous, Lucius. I won't do anything to you because of this. I don't discriminate against or hate Muggles. Moreover, compared to the slowness of the wizarding world, your behavior is a change and progress."

After taking in all of Lucius' reactions, Locke withdrew his gaze and looked around.

"This is a good place, but it's too disorderly."

Locke suddenly changed the subject without any reason, which made Lucius completely unable to understand what he meant, but also made Lucius even more nervous.

"Too much disorder is not a good thing, Lucius."

Hearing Locke's words, Lucius quickly bent down slightly and asked, "My Lord, what do you mean?"

"Since there is no order here, let us bring order to it, in the way of...Dark wizards."

"Get ready Lucius. Including today, the first round table meeting will be held in three days. This matter will be scheduled by then. After that, this place will be handed over to you for management. I hope you won't let me down."

Locke's tone was so matter-of-fact, as if this had already been done, and Lucius, as the only listener, did not have any doubts in his heart.

But Lucius didn't expect to get such an answer. He looked up in disbelief. At this moment, Locke was looking at Lucius with a smile again.

Compared with the previous time, this time when Lucius looked at Locke's smile, he no longer felt scared. At this moment, he only felt excitement and excitement in his heart.

"Please rest assured, sir. I will do my best and will not let you down."

Lucius bowed deeply, and at this moment he suddenly understood why Rodolphus respected Locke so much, and why he said that Locke was completely different from Voldemort, and that Voldemort was no match for Locke.

How could Lucius compare with this guy Voldemort? After just a brief contact, he had already deeply felt the all-round and huge gap between the two sides.

"Then I'll wait and see."

Without saying anything more, Locke took another step and walked towards the entrance of Knockturn Alley. Seeing this, Lucius hurried to follow.

In fact, Locke already had some ideas about Knockturn Alley before he came here.

Because this is undoubtedly a good place for Locke and the people behind him.

It hides in dark corners, emitting a dangerous and foul smell, driving away every wizard who doesn't belong here, and attracting every mouse that should belong here.

It is the dark side of the magical world, a corner deliberately forgotten by wizards living in the light.

All kinds of sins and evils are intertwined here every day, filled with countless grays and blacks, layered on top of each other, burying everything that happens in it.

In such an environment, Sirius and others will undoubtedly be able to do things more freely. Relying on the cover of the Knockturn Alley black market, many things that cannot be done openly for the time being will become unimpeded.

In addition to this, all kinds of things flow in and out of Knockturn Alley every day, and there must be a lot of good things in it that Locke can use. At the same time, this is also a well-informed place, after all, it gathers dark wizards from all over the world.

Not to mention that there are countless channels and relationships of all sizes in Knockturn Alley, which can bring a lot of help and benefits. This is also the main reason why Lucius was so excited just now. After all, who wouldn't be happy to make a lot of money safely?

As for why Locke promised to hand over Knockturn Alley to Lucius for management, it was mainly because he considered that he would probably have to exploit him for a long time in the future, so this could be regarded as a way of repaying him.

Anyway, Locke doesn't have any feelings about money. What he needs is a useful tool. He doesn't care how much money the tool can make. He only cares about whether it is useful.

This can be considered as Locke's first step in unifying the magic world. From this step on, he is completely on the right track.

..........................................

After a while, Locke and Lucius walked out of Knockturn Alley one after another and paused for a second at the entrance of the alley. Just as Locke was about to turn around and go to Ollivander's Wand Shop to buy himself a new wand, a female voice suddenly came to his ears.

"Slow down, Harry, be careful not to fall."

"Harley?"

Locke paused. The difference between male and female characters in English is very clear. Male is male and female is female.

Locke stopped and looked in the direction of the sound. At first glance, he saw a girl having fun in the crowd. She had a delicate face, soft and beautiful red hair, and bright and lively emerald green eyes. Behind her, there was a woman who looked similar to her and a man who looked very fat.

"That should be it. Girl, it seems that the world I travel to is not orthodox. But it's better this way. I was originally thinking about what to do, but now it seems that I don't have to think about it."

Silently using magic to replicate the girl's face, Locke withdrew his gaze and continued on his way to Ollivander's Wand Shop.

Volume 1: Chapter 50: The Red-haired

Thirteen and one-half inches, acacia wood, phoenix tail feathers.

This is Locke's new wand. To be honest, he didn't expect his wand would be this. After all, in the memory of his previous life, the wand he used was twelve inches, made of cherry wood, and made of dragon heart tendon.

From this, it is obvious that it is correct that the wands in the Harry Potter world will choose their masters, and after using the wands, Locke also used his powerful magical perception to detect the magic fluctuations active on each wand.

It is also because of this that Locke's wand was not chosen by Ollivander, but he relied on his own perception to accurately find the wand that best suits him.

Ollivander's eyes widened at Locke's ability. After confirming that Locke had really chosen the right one, he did not hide his envy and said bluntly that Locke might have a good talent for wand making.

After all, for someone in his profession, being able to perceive magic so keenly and accurately is a talent that only dreams can come true.

Locke himself didn't mind talking to Ollivander, the master wand maker, but before he could communicate with him too much, he heard the sounds of commotion and fighting outside the wand shop. Listening carefully, Locke also heard Lucius's somewhat exasperated screams.

"I'm sorry Mr. Ollivander, I think this conversation ends here. Something seems to have happened outside, and I think I need to go out and deal with it."

In the wand shop, Locke stood up from the chair brought by Ollivander and bowed slightly to Ollivander to express his apology.