25: Enchanted Emporium

[Alaric's Pov]

Sitting in front of my sister, I confidently placed the documents on the table.

"How much did you have to pay?" she inquired, carefully examining the parchments before her.

"I didn't pay anything," I replied, with a hint of amusement in my voice. Lysandra raised her eyes from the parchment and regarded me skeptically. "You know I have a way with persuasion," I added.

Setting the documents aside, she let out a sigh. "Did you make sure there won't be any traces left behind?"

"Absolutely," I assured her. "When he checks his account, he'll believe the money went to one of his mistresses. And I took great care to cover any potential illegal aspects of the transaction."

"What if he recovers his memory?" Lysandra probed, considering all possibilities.

"I made sure to wipe his memories of our encounter. However, on the off chance he notices any inconsistencies, the Imperius curse I placed on him will activate again," I explained, a grin spreading across my face.

I had implanted a simple command deep within Nikolai's mind. In the unlikely event that he remembers our encounter or detects any irregularities, his memories will be completely erased, leaving behind a hollow vessel that I can manipulate at will.

Normally, I wouldn't resort to such extreme measures with an innocent individual. However, after exploring Mr. Ironwood's mind, I discovered his avid support of Voldemort, as he was deeply involved with the lower echelons of the Death Eaters.

He had shamelessly used the Imperius defense during his trial, so I found it rather fitting to subject him to the true curse as an ironic twist of fate.

My sister let out another sigh, but couldn't stop a smile from forming on her face.

"Should we go see the building?" she asked, getting up from her seat.

"We should," I said, offering my arm to her, which she promptly took hold of.

Walking past the brick wall entry to Diagon Alley, we made our way through the cobblestone street. Passing by the numerous shops, we finally arrived at 92 Diagon Alley.

"Let's get to work,"

__________

[3rd Pov]

The narrow, bustling streets of Diagon Alley were adorned with a myriad of colorful shops, their storefronts boasting an array of whimsical sights. Amongst the vibrant number of buildings, a particular new establishment stood out.

The structure had a dark-green color to it, with high windows on its front. The dark oak door was pristine and clean, complementing the jade hue the building gave.

Yet to be opened, the windows were tinted with a grey hue, so a passerby couldn't see inside.

Right above the door, a golden sign, spotless of any dirt, displayed the words 'Enchanted Emporium'. The letters seemed to dance and shimmer with an enchanting glow.

Behind the door, a tantalizing aroma wafted through the air — a mixture of aged parchment, exotic spices, and a hint of magic.

The interior of the shop unfolded like a labyrinth of wonders.

Shelves lined every inch of the walls, overflowing with peculiar artifacts and gleaming enchanted items. Soft, warm light emanated from numerous crystal orbs suspended above, casting a glow that lent a mystical ambiance to the space.

Behind a meticulously carved wooden counter, adorned with intricate runes and symbols, a girl no older than twelve, was reading the Witch Weekly Magazine.

The girl lifted her gaze from the magazine and observed her brother waving his wand around, giving the final touches to their shop.

His suitcase rested open on the floor, the occasional magical furniture or object coming out of it.

With a final swish, the last piece of furniture gracefully settled into its designated spot, prompting a triumphant smile to appear on the boy's face, his satisfaction radiating through the air.

He turned to his sister, who still sat behind the counter, playing with one of his newly enchanted objects. The artifact was a small white crystal earring, that gave off a musical hum whenever infused with magic.

The sound had a variety of proprieties, from accelerating a wizard's healing to protecting the user from small impacts.

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

Looking around the shop, the girl gave a nod of approval.

"It's really nice," she said, lifting the earring she had on her hand to eye level. "But when did you have time to do stuff like this?"

"Whenever I had free time, instead of studying, I would go into the suitcase," he answered. "Most of the functional artifacts I crafted are on display, but I also have some that won't be available to the general public,"

Saying that Alaric waved his wand again, and a small box came floating from the suitcase.

The box landed gently in his hands, and he approached Lysandra with purpose.

Opening the box, he unveiled a shimmering silver ring, carefully placing it on the table before his sister.

"Put it on," he encouraged, nudging the box closer to her.

"Another ring?" she questioned, a hint of curiosity lacing her words. Both she and Alaric already possessed ring artifacts, bestowed upon them by their mother.

"Trust me, this is even better,"

Shrugging nonchalantly, Lysandra swiftly slid the ring onto her finger. In an instant, the silver band seemed to come alive, melting and wrapping itself around her hand, fusing seamlessly with her existing black ring.

Lysandra looked startled at her hand, the previous black ring now adorning intricate silver details.

"It's beautiful but," she said. "What's it supposed to do?"

Alaric grinned, before lifting his hand for her to see. His ring also had silver runes in it. Willing some magic to his ring, a small 'Hello' appeared on Lysandra's ring, written in shining silver letters.

"If you infuse some magic into it, you can make a short message appear on the other person's ring. Pretty useful when you want to quickly say something to someone. But..." Alaric said, sighing in the end.

"But what?" Lysandra asked. To her, this ring was life-changing, but she knew that it had some downsides, or else her brother wouldn't be looking dejectedly at his hand.

"It has a short range. I would say it can encompass the whole Hogwarts grounds, but I couldn't test it yet, for obvious reasons," he said, conjuring a chair to sit on. "There's also the fact that it's extremely taxing to make. Not only it takes a lot of complex arithmantic formulas and runes, but one also needs a certain magical control to be able to make it,"

"So basically, you can't mass produce it," Lysandra complemented.

"While I can have some workers, under a magical contract, make most of the stuff we'll be selling, complicated artifacts like these will have an extremely high price, or, with this ring as an example, won't be for sale at all," Alaric said.

Lysandra nodded, her understanding deepening. She recognized that, despite her brother's undeniable genius, artifacts like her ring were extremely complex. If they were simple to replicate, the wizarding world would be swimming in objects possessing identical functionalities.

"Wait!" she said. "'We'?"

Tilting his head to the side, Alaric was slightly confused by his sister's surprised expression.

"Don't you want to sell the potions you make here?" he asked her. "They're far better than most on the market. The only person who comes to mind that can concoct better potions than you is Professor Snape,"

Lysandra was momentarily stunned, her eyes widening. Then, a radiant smile adorned her face, and she sprang to her feet, embracing her brother tightly. His laughter filled the air as he warmly patted her back.

Reluctantly breaking the hug, a curious question formed in the girl's mind. She tapped her finger thoughtfully against her chin before asking, "So, you want to sell enchanted artifacts and potions?"

Alaric shook his head, a glint of excitement dancing in his eyes. "The shop will go beyond that. We'll offer an extensive selection of alchemy components and rare magical herbs and spices, catering to both potion brewing and alchemical endeavors."

Lysandra couldn't help but jest, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes. "Ah, so your master plan is to make every other shop in Diagon Alley go bankrupt, is it?"

Her remark evoked a hearty laugh from her brother, their shared amusement filling the room.

__________

The moon hung high in the velvety sky, illuminating the quaint village of Godric's Hollow. As twilight embraced the landscape, a hushed tranquility settled over the cobbled streets and both new and old buildings.

At the end of a certain street, stood a rather humble cottage. However, if one were to look closely, perhaps one could discern the countless wards that protected the house.

From anti-apparition to spell-resistant, the old structure only looked frail to the eyes of the lesser.

In one of the rooms of the cottage, a silver-haired boy was sleeping. Suddenly, his eyes shot open, and he started to convulse. His pupils were rolled up, only the sclera showing. His body glistened with sweat, his sleeping robes drenched.

Alaric finally broke from his seizure, immediately getting up, and taking a deep breath. His hands were slightly shaking, a migraine assaulting his head.

"Fuck..." he muttered. "I hate visions,"

As the morning came, the Grindelwald family we are all having breakfast together.

In the kitchen, the clattering of the cooking utensils could be heard, and occasionally, a floating platter with food would come floating out of it.

Aunt Bathilda was quietly enjoying her food, while Isadora fed her crippled husband. The twins weren't focusing on the breakfast, as a dozen books about snakes were open on the table.

"You're telling me you've been having visions about snakes the whole month, and only now you thought it would be a good idea to tell us?" said Lysandra with disbelief mixed with concern.

"So what?" Alaric said. "It's just snakes,"

"Even so, it's not normal to have visions every day, especially about the same theme, for OVER A MONTH," continued Lysandra, borderline shouting.

In front of the twins laid a lot of books about different themes, such as 'History of Snakes in Potions', 'Snake-like magical creatures', and even a book that taught Parselmouth.

Isadora, cleaning the twins' father's mouth with a Scourgify, turned to look at her kids.

"Your grandfather always said that repetitions meant premonitions," she said. "Maybe a future event is related to snakes,"

Alaric lifted his gaze from the Parselmouth dictionary and looked at his mother.

"The only snake I can think of is the one in my house's emblem. Don't tell me it's gonna jump from there and kill me in my sleep,"

"Ha ha, so funny. We're trying to be serious here, Al!" Lysandra complained. Her seer blood flowed differently from her brother's, manifesting in unique ways. While Alaric experienced vivid visions, Lysandra's gift took the form of intuitive hunches and an unexplained magnetic pull toward events tied to the future.

Gellert explained to them that both faced their own set of weaknesses. Alaric's visions, though vivid, often lacked context or completeness, leaving him to decipher glimpses of what was to come. Meanwhile, Lysandra grappled with the elusiveness of her own abilities, occasionally struggling to pinpoint the precise source of her feelings.

When Lysandra learned that her brother continued to have visions involving snakes, an uneasy sensation gnawed at the pit of her stomach. It led her to firmly believe that snakes would have a significant part to play in whatever was about to unfold.

"Merlin's beard, how in the world can anyone learn Parseltongue from this?" Alaric grumbled, struggling to comprehend much of the book's contents. He pondered how the Indian healers, who didn't possess the innate ability, managed to acquire the language. It puzzled him, considering they needed to learn it before becoming healing patrons.

As the family delved deeper into their conversation, a sudden ring of the doorbell interrupted their exchange.

"I'll get it," announced Isadora, rising from her chair.

Approaching the door, she swished her wand to remove a series of protective charms before turning the doorknob. Upon catching sight of the figure standing outside, a displeased expression creased her features.

"Dumbledore," Isadora coldly acknowledged, her voice laced with distant familiarity.

"Dear Isadora," the elderly wizard warmly greeted in return, a soft smile gracing his lips. His eyes held a hint of melancholy as they rested upon his estranged niece.

**********

A/N: Do you like the name of the shop? Let me know!

Hope you enjoyed!