The Gallows
If one ever diverges off of the commercially shining road of Diagon Alley, they will find various attractions. Chancley Lane is a popular destination for families with their collection of homeware stores. Roddick Road houses some of the best examples of British Wizardry in cooking you will ever find. However if one ventures into the infamous Knockturn Alley, provided they travel deep enough into it's bowels, they will find a domed oddity of a building with oily black stone and enchanted lamps of green flame ominously floating around its perimeter.
Any casual observer will be able to read the glinting silver sign that hangs above the timber doors, thus naming the establishment as 'The Gallows'. Runes are carved into the building so deeply, at most angles they appear to simply have weathered the years poorly. There are no windows other than the arrow line slits in the stone work, and a balcony that runs across the third floor. A large tapestry, soaked in the perpetual rain, hangs alongside it. On a black backdrop, it displays a cracked, stained skull with elongated teeth; crushed up from the base of the skull and out of the very top is the clear visage of a broomstick; innocently hooked onto the serrated edges of the lower jaw was a thin silver wand that glowed ominously with the green lamps.
It is not a building that wards away every living soul that passes; oddly enough despite its ominous appear (as is common in this underworld), there is a seductive cloak that pauses many a creature to slow as they pass by, to linger by the great dragon head door knocker, wandering if entering is worth tempting fate.
Most will overcome temptation. Their greater instinct to stay away from the shadows will push them onwards, even those who consider the darkness of Knockturn Alley to be their home. Only a handful of people enter The Gallows every few months, and only with a strong purpose behind their backs.
One such visitor comes for two reasons, or rather, one of two brothers. The Gallows are Abigor and Daegen Gallow, brothers in both familial and bloodlusting means. A visitor may enter the shop and find themselves in a narrow corridor devout of anything but the barest of lighting and two tall doors. Silver signs will display 'A.G' on the right, and 'D.G' on the left. There is no indication to their purposes for the only customers that are welcome are those that enter knowing exactly which brother can assist them.
If our visitor decides to take the left door, then they are in dire need of a wand.
A thick cloak of incense will greet them before their eyes accustom themselves to the dim bluebell flames that sit in any available bottle. An ornately carved round table lies directly ahead, surrounded by thick layers of velvet drapes. If Daegen Gallow is expecting you, he will join you at this table to discuss your needs and conduct any measurement he requires. Many are quite startled by the appearance of this esteemed wandmaker. Inky black hair on the classic moonstone parlour owned by most other vampires; regal, sharp features with a meticulously shaven jaw; rings on the tips of pointed ears and a pair of scarlet eyes. Our visitor will likely find themselves feeling rather ungrounded around such a being that exudes such a dark and predatorial aura. But if they remain warily respectful and do not waste the time of a Gallow, they will be able to return to collect an exquisite wand like no other.
As expected of a dark race, Daegen has no qualms with using blood magic and old family rituals to determine exactly what type of wand a customer requires, and has a fondness of several very illegal materials. Against an Ollivander wand, in sheer power there is little competition, however as with any wand they are only as strong as those who wield them. Be warned, Daegen has been known to turn away a customer he does not think worthy of his craft.
If our visitor has instead chosen the right door, they will find another brother with similar morals but a rather different disposition.
Abigor Gallow has a habit of letting a customer wander around his end of the shop in confusion, watching them twitter as they walk past hunting trophies, large barrels of live eels and a plethora of weapons and armoured mannequins on display. Often he will leave somewhat lethal traps and let several venomous pets out into the room to observe their reflexes; afterall just as Daegen will not sell wands to an incompetent wizard, Abigor will not be seen selling his coveted broomsticks to anyone unfit to use them. His brooms range from sports to war ready brooms, even specialised ones for extreme environments for exploration. Like his brother, his sources of materials are somewhat questionable. The decorations of Abigor's shop will reveal that he also is a blacksmith, proudly producing enchanted armours and deadly weapons that would terrify any opponent armed with a mere wand (as you can imagine, both brother bicker constantly on the superiority of their works in a duel).
When meeting the man himself, our visitor is likely to experience this with Abigor leaping out at them with a vicious roar, or perhaps he will simply appear in the doorway with a bottle of Odgen's finest and a rather cruel smirk. An onlooker will find both brothers to be obviously related by their faces and rather alarming heights and builds, though perhaps Abigor is the sturdier of the two. He has the same red eyes, in a more crazed fashion; they often appear unusually wet despite his lack of blinking, thus giving the effect that they may be bleeding. Sharp teeth can be seen in a rather terrifyingly stretched grin. While the same black shade as his brother's, Abigor is a sporter of long, wild hair that almost looks sharp and reaches the nape of his back. Several bones and rings have been pressed into both ears at odd angles. Unlike his brother who generally dons dark shirts and high collared cloaks, Abigor prefers distinctly tight breeches and tunics that really do not need to be so open. He rather thinks himself a seductor of the highest degree.
It is questionable in some cases whether those that enter The Gallows will ever exit. Generations of the family have dwelled in the darkest pit of London's wizarding world, keeping to themselves and rarely socialising outside of beast races such as their own. And yet, I wonder what could have been, if two brothers had left their kin to search for a more thrill seeking life, posing as human boys on a rather stupid bet. In this reality, they were caught by their furious father before they even got further than reaching Platform 9 and 3/4. The brothers grew to eventually become masters of their aforementioned crafts and to watch the future Wizarding wars with a detached amusement. They never experienced being in the same classes as a certain Dark Lord to be. But still, I wonder...