[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Hogwarts.
...
...
Using a spell that concealed his face, Snape descended to the second floor of his shop. The alley was quite crowded, as the shop would be closing soon. Customers were taking the opportunity to grab potions before heading home.
Snape walked through the shop, observing people of all kinds—whether they were witches of Muggle origin or even nobles—choosing potions from every corner, categorized in all sorts of ways in his store.
He could see shadows lingering in all the corners as well, hidden, and he sensed that some of them even wanted to greet him as soon as they noticed his presence. However, Snape stopped them and simply moved forward.
When he reached the counter, he saw Genini charging customers for the number of potions they brought. It was very unusual to leave a house-elf running a shop alone, and many had tried to deceive Genini because of that.
However, his shadows intervened, and soon the shop gained a reputation for having a type of magical protection never before seen in the wizarding world. This, of course, sparked the interest of many, especially those most fascinated by new magic, who wanted to understand how it worked.
But Genini could not provide any answers. Moreover, she was very good at mathematics, which made it easy for her to ensure that no customer tried to cheat her on the calculations. If someone attempted to hide a few potions, the shadow soldiers would act the very next moment.
Snape approached the counter, but Genini seemed not to notice him. She continued serving a customer, charging him for the potions.
As soon as she finished attending to that customer and thanked him, she watched with satisfaction as he left with his high-quality flasks. It was then that she noticed a piece of paper on the table and frowned.
"Hello, Genini. Keep up the good work. Tomorrow morning, one hour before the store opens, I will leave some bags full of new potions. Do not forget to restock them all in their proper categories."
While she had been serving the customer, Snape had left a note.
As soon as she finished reading, Genini trembled upon realizing that Snape had been right beside her moments ago without her noticing his presence.
Snape had already left the shop, stepping out the front door and into Diagon Alley. People hurried to finish their errands as the stores began to close. Night was already falling, and even the streetlights were beginning to turn on.
At that moment, he walked unnoticed, concealed by a spell powerful enough to elude even the local Aurors.
His destination was Gringotts Bank. Upon arrival, he entered without hesitation, ignoring the "Closed" sign.
"Hey, didn't you see that the bank is already closed?" a goblin immediately complained upon seeing a silhouette approaching. He was preparing to administer a severe punishment to whoever dared intrude.
However, as soon as the goblin saw who it was, his arrogant gaze turned to fear. His expression hardened as he recognized Severus Snape and felt his powerful aura. He swallowed hard, especially as he glanced toward Snape's shadow.
'Did he notice?' Snape raised an eyebrow upon seeing the goblin looking toward where his shadow soldiers were.
"I would like to speak with your manager. Is he available now?" Snape asked coldly, ignoring the goblin's stare.
The goblin nodded cautiously, not daring to question him.
"I will speak with him now, Lord Snape. Please wait a moment."
The goblin spoke as if fully focused on him before advancing toward one of the rooms.
Snape remained in the reception area, alone. It didn't take long before the goblin he knew well came to meet him, showing a certain respect and wearing a suit.
"Mr. Snape, I'm surprised that you have come here. Not that it's a problem, after all, Gringotts Bank will always be open to your presence," he said formally.
"I know I'm imposing on you, but I can't come here every day with my Hogwarts classes. But if you can't attend to me, that's fine." Snape said, considering returning the next day, despite wanting to resolve the matter that very night. However, he also didn't want to seem too insistent.
"No, it's all right. As I said, the bank will always be open for you. Please, follow me. Let's go to a private room where we can talk better."
The goblin said, and Snape followed him inside.
"How is my account?" Snape asked as the goblin quickly opened a book in front of him, showing all the deposits and withdrawals.
"Mr. Snape, we are always collecting the money from your potions shop's register daily to ensure security as you requested. Certainly, we are very pleased. Your shop has truly proven to be a remarkable enterprise," he said with satisfaction.
"That's good. I'd like to cut some of the interest I owe on the account. From now on, you may withdraw 50% of the amount I receive from the shop. Additionally, take 50% of my account balance to pay off the loans and interest," Snape stated directly.
"Are you sure about this, Mr. Snape? You've already secured a substantial profit. We're talking about more than 50,000 Galleons. Are you certain you want to do this?" the goblin asked, surprised by the decision.
"Yes, it's fine," Snape confirmed without hesitation.
"Anyway, I would like to request one more thing," he suddenly said, piquing the goblin's interest.
"Of course. What can we do for you, Mr. Snape?"
"I need two daggers made from goblin metal. Can you craft them for me once again?" Snape asked, while the goblin, slightly surprised, nodded.
"Of course, we will do it."
"Great. I'll pay the same way you handled the sword. With that, I'll be on my way."
Snape said at the end, while the goblin escorted him to the door.
Upon leaving the bank, he cast a spell to conceal his face and began walking through Diagon Alley. It was now nighttime.
"Manager…"
One of the goblins murmured, looking at his superior, who sighed in relief in front of the door.
"Don't even say anything… I could barely breathe in his presence."
"So you saw it too? What was that, manager?" Another goblin asked, visibly uneasy.
"I don't know, but all those shadowy things… they were in his shadow. I could feel them all watching me, assessing whether I was a threat, ready to kill me... I could barely keep my composure…" the manager replied, his gaze still lost as he wiped the sweat from his face—something Snape had noticed the entire time but chose not to comment on.
"We were wise never to confront him or make him our enemy. He is like death itself walking in this world," the goblin concluded, while the other, who always stayed at the reception, could not agree more with those words.
A phoenix burst into flames in the middle of the black market, drawing the attention of a few nearby. Some men, searching for illegal work or rare items, were stunned to see someone appearing out of nowhere, enveloped by the black flames of the creature.
As soon as the phoenix disappeared, Snape began walking swiftly through the area, making everyone move aside for him.
There were all kinds of people there: creatures like werewolves and vampires, Death Eaters, mercenaries, and criminals who did not fit into any other group. However, Snape paid no mind to any of them and moved forward, wearing a dark cloak that made him resemble a true Dark Lord.
He walked up to a specific shop and knocked a few times before someone opened the door.
"A customer?" The person on the other side of the door seemed excited as they opened it, but as soon as they saw the man standing before them, face hidden, their eyes narrowed. Their excitement was quickly replaced by a growl.
"You…?!"
"Why such a reception?" Snape asked, his voice distorted by magic.
"Why wouldn't I be angry?! You sold me 15,000 potions before opening that damned shop in the main area of Diagon Alley. Because of that, my sales have plummeted! My stock is full, and I spent a fortune on you! Now, I don't even know what to do with these potions!"
He complained immediately, his tone heavy with frustration.
"Besides, I know you're the owner of that shop, you bastard!" The middle-aged man couldn't hide his resentment.
In the end, Snape had put him in a difficult situation. At first, he thought he had made a great deal, but in the end, he ended up at a disadvantage. Although the prices remained almost the same, the potions from Snape's shop were much more accessible and easier to obtain for most people. Now, the only customers this black-market merchant had were those who couldn't legally purchase potions or appear in public.
"Don't be so upset. I'm here for business," Snape spoke calmly. "If you really have an overstock, we can solve that."
The man wanted to throw him out, slam the door in his face, but he hesitated. Maybe Snape really could help him get out of this tricky situation.
"Fine... Come in." The man grumbled and stepped aside, allowing Snape to enter the shop. He walked to the center of the establishment, observing the products scattered on the shelves.
"You want these ingredients?" A moment later, the merchant looked at him, intrigued, reading the list of items Snape wanted for his next potions.
"What kind of potion are you planning? You already have almost every potion in England at your disposal!" he muttered suspiciously.
"No, it's not that," Snape replied coldly. "What I want is for a specific potion. Can you get some of these ingredients?"
"Maybe I can get something," the man murmured, crossing his arms. "But I doubt I want to do business with you again," he grumbled in the end, still irritated by the situation.
"Well, it's no secret now that I have a shop in Diagon Alley," Snape said calmly. "And I must say that, thanks to the money you gave me, along with a bank loan, I managed to establish an excellent business."
The man looked at him accusingly, clearly uncomfortable with how Snape had taken advantage of the situation. But Severus wasn't done.
"If you really want to sell your stock, we can form a partnership," Snape continued. "I want to sell them at the same price as the other potions, but the profit will be split. After deducting what you spent, the profit will be 50% for you and 50% for me. What do you think?"
Snape's logic was clear: if a potion cost 4 Galleons to produce and was sold for 8 Galleons, he would reimburse the merchant the 4 Galleons of cost and split the remaining 4 in profit, keeping 2 and giving the other 2 to the man.
"You really are a bastard, whoever you are," the man growled, annoyed at being forced into an unfavorable deal. However, he saw no other choice. "But fine, we'll do it your way. At least I'll get rid of this junk soon enough."
Snape nodded, satisfied.
"Very well. It was good doing business with you. Now, let's talk about the ingredients I requested."
"Fine. But I'm warning you now, I won't be able to get them all," the merchant said, casting a wary glance. "I can get some, but they are far from cheap."
He spoke cautiously, watching Snape's reaction, who merely narrowed his eyes, signaling for him to continue.
-------------Nexts Chapters ----------------
Chapter 181 - Dealing with the Arrogant Nott Family
Chapter 186 - Alliance.
Chapter 196 - Heading to the dueling tournament!
Chapter 205 - Severus Is Dead ?
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