Ep. 16

"Holy shit! Ahem- I meant, 'wow'!" she would've spit out her drink if we were drinking. "And… What can I do for someone as… Distinguished(?) as yourself?"

We started walking towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Nothing. I just wanted to have lunch with you. And talk about the possibility of opening a bookstore together. You see, I have come in possession of some interesting books that have been 'lost in time', and I wanted to sell some copies. I'd say that our goals more or less align."

"A bookstore?! Together?!" then she got the important part. She lowered her voice and asked: "Wait, how old are the books?"

"I got Merlin's, Le Fay's, Pendragon's, and a few other important families' collections. I just need to set up a few enchantments and I can make unlimited copies of the books."

"Holy shit!"

"Ah, the French are more liberal, I see." I snickered a little. "But, yes. Holy shit, the books are old and almost priceless. However, I have much better books. I have grimoires, but those are not for sale."

"Grimoires? Weren't those only in Muggle fantasy stories?"

"Nope, very real." I said, while showing her the grimoires I always hang at my hip. They are small, so I can put several of them there.

She pointed at them and I nodded.

"What kind?"

"Merlin's personal, Hecate's personal, and François Prelati's personal. Enchantment, wards, theory, illusions. I also have a couple on necromancy, puppeteering, and healing." I felt like I could be honest with her. If anything sketchy happens, I can always erase her memory with my eyes.

"Are you kidding?! You're going around with those things just hanging around?!" she asked in a hushed voice.

"Yup, I do. But let's not talk about me." I said. Just as I finished saying that, we arrived at the pub. "Let's talk about you."

"Hm… You know what? Sure. So, I am Risa Banfield, 18 years old, Beauxbatons graduate. I had my best grades in Charms and Runes, I don't like Quidditch, I love books, my dream is opening a bookstore, and I'm talking with a rich weirdo about my life."

"Huh, you should present this weirdo to me, he sounds like a fun guy. Well, my turn. Azagareth Maleficarum, 14 years old, student at Hogwarts, about to start my fourth year. I am a Vampire and Veela hybrid, specialize in Runes, among other things. I don't like Quidditch, I love books, peace, and quiet areas. Ah, let's add the Sun and garlic to my dislikes. My dream… I don't know what my dream is. However, I am having a good time talking to a cute girl right now."

"You should present this cute girl to me, I can't see her anywhere… Wait, a Vampire and 14 years old?!"

"Yup, Vampires mature early, so I will look like this for the foreseeable future. As for meeting the cute girl..." I took my phone and snapped a photo of her. "Here she is." Cha-cha real smooth.

"Real funny. Then tell me why no one ever hit on me."

"Have you always been cooped up in the library?" she nodded. "Well, there you have it. Well, it's better for me, so I can be the first to flirt with you."

"Just how cliché can Vampires be? You seriously just met me in a bookstore and want to flirt with me? At this point I could very well imagine you kidnapping me and bringing me in some cold forest and stuff." Can she seriously not realize just how cute she is?

"Very cliché for some people. And I won't kidnap you. Also, I live near Kensington, so no dark forest for you." We stepped onto the Muggle street. "Come on, otherwise your break will end." I said, then took her hand and led her to a restaurant I had scouted previously. Why did I scout it? Because I wanted a mental map of Diagon Alley and its surroundings.

Risa didn't speak while walking, but she was blushing and looking at her hand. Is this too lewd? Nah, it's perfectly normal, unprotected hand-holding.

Soon enough, we arrived at the restaurant and took our seat. I didn't have a reservation, but a quick Genjutsu on the waiters solved it. I also applied a genjutsu on me and Risa, so that we wouldn't attract too much attention.

"So why did you take me here?"

"You've asked similar questions already, Risa. I want to open a bookstore and offer you some lunch."

"I know I already asked, but it just doesn't make sense to me. Apparently, you're rich, young, good looking, why would you ever choose me?"

"Dunno. I just felt like it. Like we would make good partners. Other than that, I seriously wanted to offer you lunch and get to know you better."

"... Fine, but you first have to answer my questions."

"Fire away. I have a Time-Turner with me, so don't worry about the time."

"It just popped in my mind, but how do you even have a Time-Turner? Those are regulated by the Ministry." she asked as a waiter came for our orders.

I placed my order and started explaining. "In Hogwarts, there's a room called Room of Hidden Things where all the objects that have passed through the castle are stored. Well, the ones without an owner. There are quite a few broken gimmicks there, so it's just a matter of fixing them."

"What about your race? A hybrid?"

"Vampire-Veela hybrid. My mother is a full Veela while my father is- was a full Vampire. Don't ask me more, I don't know much. Just know that I am mainly a peaceful person and don't snack on human blood."

"Ok, I am done with my first questions. Now tell me why you wanted those books. Why would the genius inventor, candidate to the 'Order of Merlin', need books on diseases and healing?"

"Simple. I plan on releasing a few medicines that will cure previously incurable or difficult to cure diseases. I will make a pretty penny and the people will benefit. I call that a balanced exchange."

"Materialistic as hell. Where did you get those 'rare' books?"

"Simple as well. Lying around the places I visited. You wouldn't imagine how much stuff there is lying around in old castles or wizard hideouts." I said, obviously lying. Well, there is a lot of stuff lying around, but not those priceless books.

"Hm… Fine. Your turn to ask."

"Okay, why did you study in Beauxbatons?"

"My mother is partly French and my grandma lived closer to the school. In the end, my grandmother needed almost constant medical attention, so we moved there."

"Sorry to hear that. How was life there?"

"Pretty nice actually. The campus is very nice, plus there's Mr. Flamel that is basically an enormous cash cow as long as it's about books and teaching. I always had new books to read. Would you believe me if I told you that I read almost every single book in our library?" She said excitedly. I think that as soon as the topic shifts to books she gets hyped.

"Any previous boyfriends? An overprotective father or brother I should worry about?"

"Not something you should be asking."

"Hm… Then how about your glasses? They're fake, right?"

"These were grandma's. I don't need prescription glasses, but I wanted something to remember her by and so…"

We continued to chat about various things. Our likes, our dislikes, favorite book, favorite band, food, and so on. I didn't even notice when the food arrived. I enjoyed talking with Risa and it seems she enjoyed our chat as well. Well, in the beginning it looked more like an interrogation, but we got in the groove after a few minutes. It's not easy just talking to a complete stranger all of a sudden. I don't know how I managed to hold a conversation while walking…

She told me that she's been staying in the Leaky Cauldron for the past two weeks since her family is still in France. Those rooms shouldn't be too comfortable, so I had a daring idea.

"Why don't you live in my house?"

"What?"

"My house. I will soon have to go back to Hogwarts, so you would have the house to yourself. You wouldn't have to worry about safety as it's under Fidelius. It also has a functioning fireplace connected to the Floo network, though me and my mother haven't used it in the past fourteen years."

"What about your mother then? Even if I accepted, which I still have to decide, I can't just barge in and say: 'Hey, your son told me to crash at your place!'"

"Pfft! That would be quite an amusing sight. Don't worry, we have several guest bedrooms and my mother will be coming with me to Hogwarts, probably. I have an enchanted suitcase with a perfectly habitable house."

"Ooh, that's so retro! I remember reading that those were quite diffused in the '20's and '30's. Newton Scamander had one, right?"

"Yup, he had a walking magizoologist's paradise. So many different species of rare animals. I have a small 'zoo' as well, but I don't have nearly as many species as he did."

"Oh? What animals do you have?"

"A Basilisk, a few Dragons, two Phoenixes, an Occamy, an Amphiptere, and a Quetzalcoatl."

"I am just going to ignore the fact that you have an army of lethal magical creatures in your suitcase… We went off topic. Can I seriously live in your house?"

"It's fine for me, I made the offer. You can stay there until you find a place for yourself or just get rooted there. In any case, do you accept?"

"Hm… Know what? Sure. I am either going to regret this after you plunge your teeth in my neck, or I am going to live in a real house after staying in those crappy rooms for two weeks."

"Perfect. I will introduce you to my mother then. I am sure that she will like you. At least enough to not kill you straight away."

"Wait, what?!"