Susan sent him the address and Harry immediately apparated away to an old settlement that was Sheffield's wizarding village. Hidden under centuries-old powerful wards, it was one of the minor wizarding settlements in Britain.
Harry had to give it to the Malfoys. He would have never thought they would take their business to a place like this. Alas, desperate times called for desperate measures. The need for money must be dire for them to choose this place since it was less frequented by the wizarding folk, and as such, very unlikely to fetch them a fair price for whatever artifacts they were trying to pawn off.
Their intel suggested that the Malfoys had arranged for the sale to take place at 4 o'clock, and here he was. It was quarter to 4 in the afternoon – enough time for him to get ready to welcome his guests. Donning his Invisibility Cloak, Harry walked into the small village and it took him barely five minutes to reach his destination.
It was a nondescript shop, and like the village, it was dingy and reeked of mold. The rainy season meant the ground was muddy, and Harry wondered which member of the House of Malfoy would agree to sully himself with all this filth. He hoped it was Draco, although he would not mind Lucius either.
He entered the shop and watched as the shopkeeper, a man who looked to be in his sixties, looked up in surprise. The surprise turned to confusion when he saw no one enter.
Harry walked over and got behind the counter, and spoke, "DMLE. Walk with me to the back room."
The old man froze before he gave a discreet nod and turned around as naturally as he could. Harry watched as the man walked through the door and followed him in. The man was still looking around to see who it was when Harry levitated a small vial of clear liquid in front of him.
"Drink it," he commanded, and the old man complied. Harry watched as he uncorked the vial and drank the potion, and once he saw the telltale sign of the potion taking effect, he smirked.
"Are you Nicholas Ackerley who tipped off the DMLE about the Malfoy meeting?"
"I am," the man replied.
"Have you told anyone that the DMLE knows about this meeting?"
"No," came the reply. Harry nodded.
"Are there any traps set for the aurors or anyone else?"
"Only by the DMLE for the Malfoys."
"Do you have any intention of betraying the DMLE or have you already done so?"
"No and no."
Harry nodded and quickly levitated the antidote, telling the man to take it. The man's eyes cleared shortly and Harry emerged from under his cloak.
"Go out and act as if everything's normal. I'll be nearby," Harry instructed, and the man nodded before he walked out. Harry got back under his cloak and leaned against the wall beside the counter. Only a couple of minutes remained until 4.
Right on the clock, he saw the front door open with a creak, and he frowned when he saw who it was. A woman entered, but one he didn't recognize. He watched her as she came closer and looked her up and down.
She was wearing a nondescript witches' robe and the fabric was torn in places. The bottom of her robes were stained with mud and he saw the muddy footprints she left in her wake. She wore a witches' hat over her dark hair and her brown eyes darted around, looking for anything out of the ordinary.
"Peacock," she said as she came over to the counter, and that was when Harry recognized her. The old man looked at her.
"Swan," The old man nodded and waited expectantly.
Harry watched as she started to place a few objects on the counter, and the old man grabbed a pair of gloves and began examining. He ran his wand over the artifacts, humming occasionally before placing them back on the counter. Meanwhile, Harry and the woman watched as the old man went about his job. There were six artifacts in total, and the man examined them all.
"Two hundred and eighty-seven is the best I can do," the old man replied finally.
The woman's eyes widened.
"Only?"
The man nodded, earning a frown from her. She stared at the artifacts for a moment before she sighed helplessly and nodded.
Harry decided he had seen enough and he quickly pulled the cloak off himself. The woman immediately spotted him, and her eyes widened. She made to snatch the artifacts back but Harry quickly flicked his wand, freezing her in place.
"I'll be taking over now," Harry said, flicking his wand and banishing all the artifacts back inside the moleskin pouch the woman had pulled them from. He pulled the pouch off her waist. The woman stared, frozen in place, as he put it in the pocket of his robes.
Turning toward the old man, Harry smiled. "Thank you for your help."
The old man nodded and watched as Harry took the woman's arm and apparated away with a soft pop.
"Aurors. Always bad for business, but can't do anything 'bout them," he sighed and sat back on his chair.