The next morning, Dudley received Dumbledore's reply, agreeing to his request while also reminding him to stay safe, even with Aurors providing protection.
Kingsley also received a letter from Dumbledore, stating that he would explain the situation to the Ministry and asking Kingsley to take excellent care of Dudley.
"It seems Professor Dumbledore truly values you. Honestly, I thought he would refuse your request," Kingsley said to Dudley with genuine surprise.
"Professor Dumbledore understands me," Dudley replied with a knowing wink.
The rest became much easier to arrange. Although Harry was somewhat reluctant, he still returned home with Vernon and Petunia. Kingsley cast a subtle spell on them, making them believe Dudley had an educational activity to attend and would return home later.
After handling these arrangements, Kingsley also gathered some relevant materials, and everything was prepared.
Kingsley selected three colleagues, plus Dudley, making four people total to participate in this investigation.
Calling it an operation was perhaps too formal. They were simply going to Knockturn Alley to assess the situation and see if they could uncover valuable clues.
"How about it, future Auror? Are you ready?" Kingsley looked at Dudley with encouragement.
"Absolutely prepared," Dudley nodded with confidence.
"Then let's depart," Kingsley announced.
"Hold onto my arm," Kingsley instructed Dudley.
"Of course," Dudley gripped Kingsley's arm, already understanding how they would reach Knockturn Alley.
Swoosh!
The next moment, Kingsley waved his wand, and both of them instantly vanished from where they stood.
Dudley felt everything spinning violently around him, as if he'd been thrown into a washing machine and spun around several times, completely unable to breathe properly.
The light shifted dramatically, and Dudley suddenly gasped fresh air as his feet touched solid ground.
"First time experiencing Apparition. How did it feel?" Kingsley asked with interest.
"Not bad at all," Dudley replied honestly.
Although the sensation was somewhat uncomfortable, it remained within tolerable limits.
"You handled that better than most people do after their first Apparition," Cole observed, his figure materializing nearby as he looked at Dudley approvingly.
"Indeed very promising," the other two Aurors agreed as they appeared one after another. They were all impressed by Dudley's composure after his first magical transportation.
"Thank you. It seems I'll have an easier time when I learn this spell myself," Dudley laughed with genuine appreciation.
Kingsley surveyed their surroundings and led Dudley toward a shabby narrow alley not far away.
"This location isn't far from the Leaky Cauldron. You should be able to recognize the area, correct?" Kingsley said.
"Yes," Dudley nodded. He recognized a street nearby. The Leaky Cauldron wasn't far from their current position.
"Actually, Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley are connected, but we usually enter Knockturn Alley directly from this side," Kingsley explained, leading Dudley through several turns into an alley that reeked of decay.
This place was littered with garbage. On the dark, damp ground, sewage flowed freely, and various insects scurried about in panic beneath everyone's feet.
"We've arrived," Kingsley announced.
Soon, he brought Dudley to a manhole cover. He withdrew his wand and waved it lightly, causing the cover to fly up and land to one side, revealing stairs descending into darkness below.
Kingsley descended first, with Dudley following closely behind.
The smell here was absolutely overwhelming. Dudley had to hold his breath to avoid being overcome by the stench.
After entering the underground passage, Kingsley led Dudley through several narrow tunnels before they began ascending again.
"That manhole cover can only be opened with magic. If Muggles attempted to open it, they would only find an ordinary sewer," Cole explained to Dudley from beside him.
"I see," Dudley nodded, really not wanting to open his mouth to speak in this environment.
After walking for approximately twenty minutes, Dudley and the others finally reached the surface.
When he glimpsed daylight, Dudley quickened his pace. After rushing to street level, he immediately took several deep breaths of fresh air.
This was an extremely narrow alley. The air remained murky, but compared to the atmosphere in the sewers, it was considerably better.
Dudley's gaze swept around the area. Not far away, several wizards were gathered. They all wore black wizard robes, and some wore wide-brimmed hats, making their faces nearly impossible to see clearly.
Dudley's eyes narrowed slightly as he activated his spiritual vision.
"There really are quite a few dark wizards here..." As Dudley's enhanced gaze swept around, he detected numerous evil auras.
Based on Dudley's current understanding of the magical world, so-called dark wizards didn't actually have particularly clear defining standards. Strictly speaking, wizards who cast Dark Magic could be considered dark practitioners, but in reality, other wizards would also use Dark Magic in certain necessary situations.
To put it simply, magic itself wasn't inherently good or evil. It mainly depended on how it was applied.
However, some Dark Magic, once used, would leave permanent traces on the wizard's body. These marks would deepen with continued use of Dark Magic. In Dudley's view, these traces left by casting Dark Magic were actually evil auras.
So judging a person's character solely based on the evil aura surrounding their body wasn't entirely accurate. But when a wizard carried very concentrated evil energy, they most likely had nothing to do with being a good person.
Knockturn Alley before him represented Dudley's first direct contact with the dark underbelly of the magical world.
The wizards here almost all bore traces left by Dark Magic on their bodies. No wonder Kingsley had mentioned earlier that Knockturn Alley was a gathering place for dark wizards. This assessment wasn't wrong.
Kingsley glanced at those individuals. The few wizards who had originally been approaching immediately retreated in obvious panic after noticing Kingsley, clearly recognizing his identity as an Auror.
"Stay close to me, Dudley. Don't get separated," Kingsley warned him seriously.
"Understood," Dudley immediately nodded.
Kingsley walked along the alley toward the main street and soon reached the primary thoroughfare of Knockturn Alley.
Compared to the prosperity and spaciousness of Diagon Alley, this place seemed crowded and desolate. Moreover, unlike peaceful emptiness, there were quite a few wizards on both sides of the street here, but they barely spoke a word. The entire street was eerily quiet, and even those walking moved very slowly, creating a distinctly sinister atmosphere.
"Since we brought you here this time, consider it valuable experience. When you're alone, never come to this place," Kingsley instructed firmly.
"I understand completely," Dudley nodded.
He could sense that this location was indeed extremely dangerous. Compared to the fairy-tale-like magical world of Hogwarts, this represented the dark side of wizarding society.
"We've arrived. Borgin and Burkes, Knockturn Alley's largest Dark Magic items establishment," Kingsley announced.
Following Kingsley's gaze, Dudley soon spotted a shop not far away.
This establishment was substantial, at least much larger than the other shops in Knockturn Alley. The glass display windows contained many strange and unusual items. Just with a casual glance while using his spiritual vision, Dudley could identify numerous dangerous objects related to Dark Magic.