Borgin and Burkes

"All he could tell was that he was standing in the stone fireplace of what looked like a large, dimly lit wizard's shop — but nothing in here was ever likely to be on a Hogwarts school list. A glass case nearby held a withered hand on a cushion, a blood-stained pack of cards, and a staring glass eye. Evil-looking masks stared down from the walls, an assortment of human bones lay upon the counter, and rusty, spiked instruments hung from the ceiling. Even worse, the dark, narrow street Harry could see through the dusty shop window was definitely not Diagon Alley."

- Harry's first experience in Borgin and Burkes.

Borgin and Burkes is an antique shop located at 13B, Knockturn Alley, owned by Mr. Borgin and Mr. Burke, and the shop owners are known to deal with unusual and ancient wizarding artefacts, and, due to the sinister intents of many of its dodgy customers as well as the greedy and money-minded nature of its founders, it also at some point was used to carry out otherwise shady business and to sell objects of Dark magic and other dangerous magical items, including the Hand of Glory, an assortment of human bones, a pack of bloody cards, a glass eye, spiked instruments, a hangman's rope, a cursed necklace, and an array of leering masks that line the walls.

Early history
Established in 1863, by Messrs. Caractacus Burke and Borgin, Borgin and Burkes offers "confidential valuation service for unusual and ancient wizarding artefacts, such as may have been inherited by the best wizarding families".

1926
When Merope Gaunt eloped with Tom Riddle Sr., probably in late 1925 or early 1926, Tom abandoned her and their unborn son a short while later, leaving Merope alone and destitute. Her only possession of worth was a heavy golden locket engraved with a serpentine 'S', which was once the property of Salazar Slytherin, her direct ancestor. Mr Burke was a shrewd businessman, but not exactly a kind human being. According to Hepzibah Smith, Burke purchased the necklace from Merope for "a pittance"; meaning he bought the necklace sometime in 1926, before Voldemort's birth, for a very small amount of money or something equally as worthless. Burke admitted to purchasing the necklace for a mere ten Galleons, taking advantage of Merope's ignorance and desperation. Sometime later, Burke sold the necklace to Hepzibah Smith. She paid "an arm and a leg for it", claiming that she could not let a "real treasure" like that pass. Burke turned a tidy profit on the necklace at Merope's expense, but he could not have imagined the importance of that particular heirloom, or how it would impact his business years later.

1945
Roughly eighteen years after purchasing Slytherin's locket, Burke, without realising it, hired the son of the woman he had bought it from. Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort, started working at Borgin and Burkes directly after graduating from Hogwarts in 1945. A handsome and charismatic young man, it was his job to persuade people to part with their wizardly artefacts, something he was very good at doing. It was Lord Voldemort who went to visit Hepzibah Smith, charming her with his pleasant demeanour and good looks. She trusted him enough to show him Slytherin's locket, the locket that should have rightfully been his. Soon after seeing this locket, Voldemort killed Hepzibah, framing Smith's house-elf Hokey for the murder and taking the locket. Once the locket was in his possession, Voldemort quit his job at Borgin and Burkes and disappeared, taking it and a cup once owned by Helga Hufflepuff with him.

1992
On occasion, Mr. Borgin would purchase items of interest from others; Lucius Malfoy had on numerous occasions sold things to Mr. Borgin to avoid trouble before a Ministry raid on his mansion. In 1992, just before starting his second year at Hogwarts, Harry found himself in the shop, after accidentally exiting the Floo Network one stop beyond his intended destination of Diagon Alley. When Mr. Malfoy entered the shop to sell "some poisons", Harry hid in a Crushing Cabinet. Upon seeing Tom Riddle's Diary, Borgin wanted to buy it because of its "magical qualities". Malfoy, however refrained from selling it, having other plans for it.

1996-1997
Draco Malfoy visited this shop again in early August of 1996 to force Borgin to help him repair a broken Vanishing Cabinet, the partner of which was in the shop. Draco also bought the Hand of Glory and a cursed opal necklace. When Draco left, Borgin was visibly shaken, though when Hermione Granger entered minutes later with a poor attempt to investigate Draco's doings, Borgin angrily expelled her from the store. The Vanishing Cabinet Draco wanted to repair was located at Hogwarts Castle. A group of Death Eaters used the Vanishing Cabinet at Borgin and Burkes to enter Hogwarts Castle at the end of the same school year.

Known employees

 * Mr. Borgin (owner)
 * Caractacus Burke (owner)
 * Tom Riddle (assistant, collector of the items sold at the shop)

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
 * Harry Potter LEGO Sets
 * Pottermore
 * The Wizarding World of Harry Potter- Diagon Alley

Notes and references
Borgin & Burke's Barjow et Beurk Borgin & Burke Горбин и Бэрк Odius & Oorlof