It didn't take long for Louis and Ollivander to finalize the deal for selling the Acromantula venom.
Louis would get ten shares.
Ollivander—zero.
Not because Louis was being overly harsh, but because Ollivander had asked for it himself.
"I've no use for Galleons. If you come across good wand materials, just bring me some."
Ollivander explained, "Acromantula fangs, or the fine hairs from their legs, for instance. That benefits you as well, since I've never crafted the sort of black mist wand you're asking for. It obviously won't work with phoenix feathers or unicorn tail hair."
"I'll keep that in mind." Louis couldn't really say much—after all, his subordinate didn't even want a salary. "Oh, by the way, do you have any Galleons on hand? Advance me a little. When the venom's sold, just deduct it from my share."
He couldn't show up with a shabby gift—those few coins he had probably wouldn't be enough. Originally, he'd planned to sell the venom in Knockturn Alley for some quick cash, but now that Ollivander had taken it all, he could only borrow from him.
Thud!
A large pouch of Galleons landed in front of Louis.
"That's all I've got," Ollivander said, with the air of a man who regarded gold as dirt. "Take it. I don't need it."
Well, that worked out perfectly.
Louis had been worried about not having enough money for a decent gift, but with this hefty pile of Galleons, he could buy with confidence.
He pushed open the door and stepped out of Ollivander's shop, still sensing the complex mix of emotions in the wandmaker's heart.
A Dark Assassin had no secrets before their master. Any thought of betraying Louis would instantly set off alarms in his mind.
And besides, Louis had his clairvoyant sight into possible futures. Not once among countless visions had he seen Ollivander betray him.
"Garrick Ollivander is a clever man. He isn't greedy, all his passion lies in wandcraft. He's safe."
Louis was very satisfied with this new subordinate.
"Now to pick a gift."
With money in hand and no more unease, Louis planned to find something suitable for Hermione.
For Hermione… a book was still the best choice.
With that thought, Louis headed straight for Flourish and Blotts.
Diagon Alley had two famous bookshops. One was Flourish and Blotts, known for its complete collection, mostly new editions, and the most popular choice among first-years.
The other was a purely second-hand bookshop, selling only used or damaged books. The quality was often lacking, but the prices were cheap, and with some luck one might stumble upon rare old editions.
Though the odds were slim.
Still, when buying a gift, Flourish and Blotts was the place to go. Otherwise, it would look half-hearted. A careless gift was worse than no gift at all.
Compared to the last time Louis had visited, the shop looked slightly tidier—but only just. Books were stacked in rough categories rather than neatly placed on shelves.
The owner was a woman who clearly didn't care much about appearances. She glanced up at Louis, saw it was just a child, and returned to her reading without a word.
Louis didn't mind. He walked up and tapped the counter.
"Excuse me, do you have any books suitable as Christmas gifts?"
Realizing he was actually a paying customer, the shopkeeper grew a touch more enthusiastic—though only slightly.
"If it's for a gift, I'd recommend the works of Gilderoy Lockhart. All rare masterpieces."
Gilderoy Lockhart?
Louis's expression twisted. That fraud?
Still, though Lockhart was a fraud, the knowledge in his books wasn't fake. And he was a decent writer—at least in fiction. He had a talent for cleverly grafting other people's experiences onto himself.
It was just a pity for those wizards who could have contributed so much to wizarding society—their life's work ruined in Lockhart's hands. That fraud was a bungling wizard no better than a Squib, utterly incapable of making use of such precious knowledge.
Of course, Louis couldn't use it either, so he decided to ignore the charlatan.
"Hello, please wrap up a full set of Mr. Lockhart's books for me," Louis said casually, with the air of someone with money to burn.
Now that was a big order!
The owner of Flourish and Blotts instantly brightened, hurrying over with genuine enthusiasm to package the books.
Lockhart's books weren't cheap. His adventure series—covering "Werewolves," "Witches," "Yetis," "Banshees," "Ghouls," "Vampires," and "Giants"—all cost five Galleons each.
A sign in the shop even advertised Lockhart's upcoming release: Magical Me, scheduled for next summer, which would be even pricier at ten Galleons.
The total came to thirty-five Galleons—a considerable sum, nearly as much as a Hogwarts professor's weekly salary.
Louis paid without batting an eye. The shopkeeper, delighted, even tossed in a freebie.
"This is The Invisible Book of Invisibility. Consider it a bonus," she said brightly, setting down… thin air on top of Louis's stack of gifts.
Louis: ???
What in Merlin's name was this? The Emperor's New Book?
He studied the shopkeeper, who didn't look like she was joking. Tentatively, he reached out.
Sure enough—there was a book there. Completely invisible, under a powerful invisibility charm.
"Whoever wrote this must've been seriously ill in the head," Louis muttered as he flipped through the see-through pages. Only the sound of paper turning and the faint breeze of the pages moving gave it away. No letters, not even a sheet was visible.
At the moment, he looked like a clown pretending to perform a comedy act without props.
"This book is very rare," the shopkeeper explained earnestly. "It contains advanced knowledge of the Disillusionment Charm. Read it through, and you'll become a master of the spell."
She gave a big thumbs-up.
"Of course… first you have to see through the invisibility charm on the book itself."
"If someone could see through that, they probably wouldn't need the book's knowledge in the first place," Louis shot back with an eye roll.
Sure enough, the author had to be insane.
"…Fair point," the shopkeeper admitted awkwardly. "This book doesn't sell well, and it's hard to keep track of. I originally stocked three copies—this is the last one left."
"What? You sold two of them?" Louis was stunned, wondering if the buyers were equally deranged.
"Not exactly," the owner sighed. "The problem is I just couldn't find them. I don't even remember where I put them."
Incredible.
Louis could only respect the twisted genius behind this book. It was truly absurd—and truly entertaining. He resolved to play tricks like this himself one day.
After buying the books, Louis headed for the Owl Post Office to mail his packages.
The Owl Post Office specialized in mail delivery and home delivery of goods—that is, owl rentals.
But on the way, Louis caught sight of the Quidditch supply shop. After a moment's thought, he decided he ought to show Harry Potter a bit of goodwill. After all, he had promised Dumbledore to look out for him.
So he went inside and bought a broomstick maintenance kit to send Harry as a gift.
Since he was already mailing something to Harry, Louis figured he might as well include something for Ron too. He casually grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, had them wrapped, and sent them along as well.
Just a little pity gift, really.
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