Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 81: Closing the Deal
"Ah, welcome back, my dear customer." Lady Rose had a warm smile on her face from the moment she saw him enter her shop.
Harry returned the look, but there was no smile on his face.
Lady Rose tilted her head. "What's wrong, Mister Potter? Were you unable to fulfill my little request?"
"Little?" Harry was now sure that this woman was messing with him. "You knew what was down there, didn't you?"
Lady Rose pretended to be shocked. "How could I?! No one has been inside that tomb for several centuries. The last people I sent never came back to tell the tale, so I assumed they failed… I have been waiting for a long time for someone like you to arrive at my shop, Mister Potter."
"Several centuries...How old were you again?" V asked.
Lady Rose snapped her blue eyes at the hat. "Don't be rude, Mister Hat. You don't ask something like that of a lady." She glanced back at Harry. "As I was saying… I knew you would be coming back when I sent you there, Mister Potter. I have a good eye for people."
"You sure do." Harry pulled the conjured box containing the crown and placed it on the counter. "Be careful with this. I don't recommend touching it."
"Let's see…" She opened it up, licked her lips, and, completely ignoring Harry's warning, grabbed the golden crown and brought it closer to her face to examine it.
"Oh… how curious. There is a soul inside it," Lady Rose said.
"You didn't know about that?" V asked.
"Then why would you want it?" Harry had looked at the crown before, and other than being a container for a powerful soul, he didn't find anything special about it.
Lady Rose placed the crown on the counter and smiled softly. The look in her eyes, as she stared at the object before her, showed hints of nostalgia and something else.
Something that Harry couldn't quite understand.
"I wanted this crown… because it is mine," Lady Rose said in a soft tone.
"Yours?" Harry found it hard to believe.
He didn't know how long ago Amenhotep had been sealed inside that tomb, but it must have been at least five thousand years ago.
It should be impossible for a human being to exist for that long, even while resorting to the darkest of magics.
Lady Rose ran her fingers across the crown's golden surface. "Amenhotep had always been a madman when he was alive, but he was also a very talented sorcerer. I won't bore you with my past, Mister Potter, but let's just say that the last time I saw him, he stole this crown from me. To think that he would use it to create a phylactery… no doubt it was his poor attempt to insult me one last time."
"I won't pry into your past. However, you should consider destroying that thing. Amenhotep won't completely die until you do. And if he ever escapes the prison I placed him in… a lot of innocent people will be in danger," Harry told her.
Lady Rose remained silent for a moment, looking at him with her intense blue eyes. "You have a good heart, Mister Potter. Don't you worry. I will not let that bastard harm anyone." She took the crown and placed it on a shelf behind her.
Then, she knelt down and picked something from beneath the counter. It was a brown leather bag.
"As per our agreement… here is my part of the deal."
Harry opened the bag and found several individual parcels inside. Twelve in total.
He opened one of them to find a white crystal inside. Its shimmer was enough to illuminate the interior of the leather bag.
It was a medium-sized arkstone, one big enough to serve as a power source for the protection of a wizard's house.
With twelve of them, he could create a ward array capable of protecting a castle the size of Hogwarts.
And even at first glance, Harry could tell that this crystal was of very high quality, given how few impurities could be seen on its surface and the potency of its light.
"Satisfied?" Lady Rose already knew the answer to that.
"Satisfied." Harry grabbed the bag and hung it over his shoulder. "I will be taking my leave now. Don't forget to deal with that soul inside the crown."
"I will make sure to do that, Mister Potter." There was a glimmer of cruelty in her eyes. "I already have plans for that soul."
Something told Harry that he didn't want to ask about the details.
"If you ever need anything else, be sure to come find me. I always find the best products," Lady Rose said.
Harry gave her a nod before turning around and leaving the shop.
She was not lying about having the best products, but her prices were also high, and she would not accept his stolen gold.
Harry was in no hurry to get himself inside another tomb.
"Expecto Patronum." A tiny stag appeared on the palm of his hand. Harry whispered something to it, and it flew away.
"A message?" V asked. "I guess we are not going back home yet."
"We still have one more job to do before that," Harry said, made a circular motion with his hand, and opened a portal.
"Mmm… I see. Make sure to get a good night's rest after this is over." V had guessed what Harry wanted to do now that he had all the materials he needed.
It was time to finally fix the Weasleys' property.
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