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Southern Diagon Alley, London
Walking down the twisting, cobbled streets of Diagon Alley, Rigel, wearing the disguise of Christopher Hemsworth AM, passed a mix of magical and quirky shops on either side as he slowly made his way towards the south side of the alley, to the herbalist shop, Mulligrubs Materia Medica.
Some of the very famous shops he passed by are the Eeylops Owl Emporium, Flourish & Blotts, Potage's Cauldron Shop, and more before arriving at the Southern side of the alley, where he noticed the Daily Prophet's Office, Twilfitt & Tattlings, and so on until finally stopping at the gate of Mulligrubs Materia Medica.
Behind him stood probably the oldest shop in Diagon Alley: Ollivanders, crafting wands for European wizards for over two millennia. Of course, the shop itself likely wasn't quite that old, probably opening after Gringotts was founded.
'Or maybe it did exist before the Gringotts were founded… who knows?' Rigel thought with a shrug, not really fussed either way.
After casting one last glance at Ollivanders behind him, Rigel turned his attention fully to Mulligrubs Materia Medica ahead.
The shop had a charming, rustic frontage, with a faded blue piece of cloth being used as a sign and hung above the entrance. The sign bore the name 'Mulligrubs' in slightly weathered, hand-painted, bold, and big white letters, accompanied by the small Latin words 'Materia Medica' on both sides.
A narrow doorway, framed by wooden pillars, was shaded by bundles of dried herbs hanging overhead, gently swaying in the breeze. Baskets overflowing with mushrooms, pumpkins, and other natural oddities sat on the stone steps, making it clear this was a herbalist's shop.
A few small chalkboards, scrawled with handwritten notes, leaned casually against the posts, offering glimpses of the herbal wares inside.
Overall, the shop felt cozy and welcoming.
Noticing the 'OPEN' sign hanging on the front door, Rigel stepped forward and pushed it open.
Ting-a-ling!
A bell chimed as he walked in and closed the door behind him. The shop already had a few customers inside, and a plump, middle-aged English woman with a round white face, a headscarf, and a robe with an apron was busily helping some young wizards with their purchases.
She, along with the two young students, a witch and a wizard, both likely in their senior years, glanced at Rigel as he entered, then quickly looked away, unfamiliar with the man. The plump woman, however, offered a warm smile and said, "Could you wait a moment, sir? I'll be finished here shortly, and then I'll help you with your purchase."
Rigel shook his head. "That wouldn't be necessary as I'm not here to make a purchase," he said, which made the plump witch pause and look at him curiously, wondering what else he might want if not to buy something from their shop.
Even the pair of witch and wizard in their senior years turned their heads out of curiosity…
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Mulligrub," Rigel said, explaining his reason for visiting the shop.
An elderly man, sitting behind the counter with his body mostly hidden, paused his writing on some parchments about today's sales. He put down his quill, stood up, and said, "That'd be me… Ellwood Mulligrub. And who might you be, sir?"
"Please call me Christopher Hemsworth," Rigel replied, stepping closer to the man. "I'm here on behalf of the House Black."
At that, a number of eyes widened, whether it was the plump witch, the young witch and wizard, or the elderly man. Everyone looked at Rigel with a hint of fear. The reputation of House Black wasn't exactly favourable among the common folks of the British Magic Communities, and seeing the blonde, middle-aged, bearded man show up on their behalf certainly didn't suggest anything good.
Of course, even if they had fearful eyes, none of them dared to speak or react in that manner…
Meanwhile, Ellwood Mulligrub, clearly nervous but trying to be as respectful as possible, spoke with a slight stutter, "A… Ah… yes, yes, on behalf of the House Black, is it? Well then… how may I assist you, Mr. Hemsworth?"
Rigel noticed the young wizard and witch sneaking glances his way, but as soon as they caught his eye, they quickly looked away, though their ears remained perked. Ignoring them, Rigel turned back to the elderly man and said, "Mr. Mulligrub, I'd like to speak in private."
"R… right… Please, follow me," Mulligrub nodded, opening the gate behind the counter and motioning for Rigel to come with him to the back of the shop.
Rigel complied, stepping inside and leaving the plump woman to quickly finish serving the two customers before turning the shop's sign to 'CLOSED' and joining them in the back.
…
After the plump woman placed a cup of Oolong tea on the round wooden table for Rigel, Mulligrub began, "Mr. Hemsworth… I'm quite certain I've been paying the rent on time for the past forty years… never once late, and I dare say, always in full… so…"
"There's no need to be so nervous, Mr. Mulligrub. This visit isn't about that," Rigel assured him. "Lord Black has no complaints on that front, so no need to fret."
Still clearly uneasy, the elderly man asked, "Then… may I ask what has prompted this visit?"
Rigel reached into the inner pocket of his robe and pulled out a letter, sliding it across the table to Mulligrub. "I'm here only to deliver this letter. It was penned by Lord Black. You'll understand everything once you read it."
"Is… is that so?" Mulligrub murmured, picking up the letter before turning it around. At a glance, he spotted the sigil of the House Black on the wax seal, one he'd committed to memory long ago, and despite his advancing years, he hadn't forgotten about it, and knew at once the letter was truly from the House Black.
Which also meant that the man named Christopher Hemsworth sitting before him was indeed here on behalf of the House Black and not some fraudulent pretending to have some connection with the House Black and trying to leverage that.
After casting a glance at Rigel for reassurance, Mulligrub broke the wax seal, opened the envelope to take out the letter inside, unfolded the letter, and began to read.
He had only read through a few lines as a frown crept across his face. "I need to… vacate the building?"
The plump woman standing nearby widened her eyes at Mulligrubs' words. "Va… vacate the building?" she echoed, looking to Rigel for confirmation.
Rigel nodded. "That's right, Mr. Mulligrub… Lord Black has requested that you vacate the premises."
Having to leave a place where they'd worked and earned their living for forty years naturally stirred up plenty of reluctance.
"But… but sir…" the plump woman started to protest.
Mulligrub cut her off, turning back to Rigel. "Mr. Hemsworth… We still have an agreement to operate this shop for another fifty-nine years. And as I mentioned earlier, I did make sure to pay the rent on time. So, why do I have to suddenly…?"
"I won't go into too many specifics… but… Lord Black intends to start a business and has decided to make use of this very building for that business…" explained Rigel.
"But… But what of that agreement?" asked Mulligrub with an ugly expression.
Rigel explained calmly, "That agreement was with Lord Pollux Black, who long ago relinquished the role of Patriarch. The current head wishes to annul that contract, so it must be rescinded."
Hearing his words, the faces of both the elderly man and the plump woman fell. "But sir… to cancel the agreement halfway through…"
Rigel nodded, "I know, it's a bit sudden… but since this is what Lord Black wishes, it must be done… the choice is simple: accept or be forced out, with no say in the matter."
A flicker of panic crossed Mulligrub's eyes. "We've built our lives here. This shop is our livelihood, and our home. Where would we go? How are we meant to start over at our age?"
Both were now helpless. If Lord Black truly intends to annul the contract and have them vacate, there's no other choice but to comply. The shop was in a prime spot in Southern Diagon Alley, and they had no idea what they'd do next.
Noticing their despair, Rigel added, "Fear not… there'll be compensation for the early termination of the agreement…"
"Compensation?" Both blinked in surprise, not expecting that.
Rigel nodded. "Lord Black's a generous wizard who understands the struggles of small businesses, finding a new place, setting up shop, all that hassle. So he's decided to offer compensation for the contract's cancellation midway."
The couple exchanged hopeful glances and tentatively asked, "H… how much compensation does Lord Black intend to offer us?"
Rigel paused for a moment before replying coolly, "Eighteen hundred Galleons should be enough, yeah?"
"J-just Eighteen hundred? That's far too little!" Mulligrubs retorted, his face flushed red with disbelief and indignation.
Rigel shot the elderly man a cold glance that made him catch his breath, as if he'd just made a blunder. Mulligrubs seemed ready to accept the offer, but before he could, Rigel pressed on, "Then what do you reckon would be a proper compensation, Mr. Mulligrubs?"
"Uh… well…" Mulligrubs faltered, then, measuring his words carefully, ventured, "Fourteen thousand four hundred Galleons should be fair compensation…"
Rigel blinked, momentarily doubting his ears. Seeing that the man was serious, he almost let out a dry chuckle at the audacity. "More than fourteen thousand galleons? Mr. Mulligrubs, you shouldn't bite off more than you can chew. At your age, your teeth are already loose; trying to gnash on something that big would do you no good. Better to take a smaller bite, or else the entire jaw will break, you understand what I mean, don't you?"
The cold edge in his voice was clear, and both Mulligrubs and the plump woman with him swallowed nervously.
Rigel continued nonchalantly, "Right, let's try this again. Tell me what you honestly think is fair compensation for breaking the agreement early."
"The… then how about seven thousand two hundred Galleons? The monthly rent on this shop is six hundred Galleons… so, well, that would mean…" Mulligrubs suggested, lowering the figure a bit, and the plump woman with him gave a nod.
"A year's rent, eh?" murmured Rigel, stroking his chin as he eyed the Mulligrub couple, who shifted uneasily in his chair. After a moment's thought, Rigel offered, "Mr. Mulligrub… how about we settle on thirty-six hundred Galleons? That's six months' rent. I reckon that's fair compensation. I can't offer you more than that. And as I mentioned earlier, be careful about biting too much… lest all your teeth fall…"
For context, a Hit Wizard currently earns about six hundred Galleons a month. Thirty-six hundred Galleons covers half a year's salary, which is quite generous.
Rigel also figures the shop probably pulls in no more than three hundred Galleons in monthly profit, so thirty-six hundred would cover roughly a year's worth of their earnings upfront.
All in all, it's a fair bit of dosh, if you ask him.
"What do the two of you think?" asked Rigel, looking at the changing expressions of the couple.
They glanced at each other before giving a nod to one another as Mr. Mulligrub nodded, "If thirty-six hundred galleons is indeed paid to us as compensation, then we accept to annulment of the agreement."
Rigel nodded with satisfaction. "Very well… everything'll be sorted at Gringotts. Lord Black's already informed the goblin in charge of his finances. So, let's head there and get this all sorted."
"Now?" Mulligrub asked, taken aback.
Rigel shrugged. "If not now, then when?"
The couple looked hesitant to immediately complete the procedure.
Noting their hesitant expressions and understanding the reason behind it, Rigel quickly added, "Don't worry, we're just completing the paperwork for cancelling the contract. You won't have to vacate straight away. You'll have until the end of the first week of September to pack up and fully leave."
"Ah… I see, that's a relief," nodded Mulligrub and his plump wife, visibly eased.
After all, it was still August, the busy season when Hogwarts students come to buy their supplies for the new term, so they dreaded losing out on those last three weeks of trade if they had to pack up and leave straight away. Not to mention, they lived above the shop, so they'd need to find a new place not only for the business but also for their home. Sorting all that out would certainly take a fair bit of time.
"But insist on sorting out the contract annulment today," added Rigel. Today was the only day he was free, and he likely wouldn't have much time until the first of September, when Nymphadora would start at Hogwarts, as he'd be busy training his dearest aunt into his colors. So, he wanted to settle paperwork concerning the shop while Drek William makes his move as per his orders.
Seeing Rigel's insistence, Mulligrub had little choice but to nod, "Very well… let's head to Gringotts."
Since the bank was just a short walk away, they could get things done quickly.
With that, Mulligrub turned to his wife, "Martha, keep an eye on the shop. I should be back within the hour."
The plump woman nodded, and with that, Rigel, disguised as Christopher Hemsworth, once again set off for Gringotts, only this time, he was being accompanied by Ellwood Mulligrub of the Mulligrubs Materia Medica.
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That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this one!
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