With plenty of time before the scheduled meeting, Lys decided to visit a materials shop. There, she unexpectedly encountered Malfoy and Snape engaged in business negotiations. Interestingly, their meeting spot was right next to a pile of fresh field mouse livers and Kneazle dung.
Lucius Malfoy, who prided himself on his noble elegance, was utterly repulsed by the field mouse livers and the particularly foul-smelling Kneazle dung, which made him feel queasy. Yet, he had to carefully examine the contract, which only worsened his mood.
Lys discreetly used her wand to move the tray of innards to a less visible spot, ignoring the shopkeeper's angry expression as his little scheme was exposed. She also moved the dung aside before continuing her browsing.
She picked up some materials but noticed traces of a drying spell on the Mandrake roots, which disgusted her, prompting her to toss the materials back.
Taking the opportunity to get some fresh air, Malfoy led Snape out of the shop and quietly asked, "Is there a problem?"
"Quite a significant one. Lys Black has always been sensitive to potion ingredients. I believe her actions are a warning to us. The other materials are fine, but the Mandrake roots are not. If you need me to be absolutely sure, you'd better let me see the goods," Snape replied.
The shopkeeper had been preventing Snape from examining the store since they entered, showing only prepared materials and urging them to sign the contract, which was very unusual.
This was one of the countless times Lucius Malfoy had handled family business since taking over the Malfoy estate two years ago, but he still had to be extremely cautious to avoid being underestimated and deceived. His father's sudden departure had left him without much support.
Lucius Malfoy thought to himself that he needed a stronger team and more allies.
As expected, the most valuable Mandrake roots in this batch had significant issues. When the shopkeeper saw that things were exposed, he threatened them, "I'm doing this for the higher-ups. The Thomas family is not to be trifled with. You'd better view this transaction positively."
But in the end, the deal fell through. When the shopkeeper went to find the wizard who moved the tray and disrupted his plans, he couldn't recall what they looked like. "Damn it, Confundus Charm and Disillusionment Charm!"
After stirring up trouble, Lys went to a pet shop, a place she hadn't visited much.
Gabon perked up a bit, and the shopkeeper surprisingly remembered Gabon. "Oh, I remember this little guy. I made the contract for it. Let me see. Hmm, very healthy!" The shopkeeper waved his wand lightly, casting a diagnostic spell.
Lys suddenly remembered what Professor Flitwick had told her about ordinary pets awakening magical bloodlines and asked the shopkeeper to check.
The other party frowned and asked, "Who told you that?"
"Professor Flitwick at Hogwarts."
"Oh, my little Ravenclaw junior. Alright, alright, if he told you this, you must be a smart kid from Ravenclaw, right?"
"Uh, I'm a Slytherin student," Lys didn't know what to say. From Hagrid to Snape to El, everyone had a different impression of her, but none said she was a Slytherin.
Except for that silly dog from Gryffindor, only in his eyes was she a true Slytherin.
Though a bit surprised, the pet shop owner was clearly not someone with house bias and explained Gabon's situation to Lys. Gabon seemed to have a faint magical bloodline.
Through the contract and the wizard's long-term magical influence, it was normal for it to react to magic, but it didn't mean it had become a magical creature.
However, seeing the magic bottle under Gabon's neck, the owner hesitated and checked Gabon again.
"Congratulations, if this trend continues, although I'm not sure if it will eventually become a magical creature, it can live many more years thanks to the nourishment of magic," the owner pointed to the collar and then to the small magic bottle. "You see, this little snake is very clever. It's consciously cutting off some magic to prevent it from supplementing something."
"I must say, it's an interesting design. The person who made this collar is very clever..." Hesitating for a moment, the owner asked, "Which shop's product is this? It must be expensive, right?"
Lys smiled without answering.
She checked with her wand tip, then smacked her head, realizing she hadn't turned off the warmth charm on the collar as summer approached.
But clearly, Gabon had solved the problem itself, and that was why Gabon was so fond of the magic bottle. It was like its wand, allowing it to control its comfort.
"Gabon, you're really smart. To celebrate, let's buy some snacks!" Gabon didn't know if it understood, but since entering, its snake head had been staring at a pile of frozen Ashwinder eggs.
In the end, Lys counted out galleons and bought those eggs. The pet shop owner was very surprised. Ashwinder eggs, once the magic wrapping dissipated, would quickly ignite and hatch, burning everything around them.
Confident that he had explained the preservation of these eggs required a lot of magic, the owner promptly sold the eggs.
Originally intended to be sold over a year, they were gone in a day. The owner thought it seemed like he needed to restock.
Lys happily carried Gabon and a bag of eggs to the bookstore, where she sat and read for two hours. With the remaining ten or so silver Sickles, she bought a book on making candies. The spells in it were interesting, and her mom liked sweets.
Sitting in an ice cream shop, she dug into her suitcase. With only ten Knuts left, Lys simply bought two banana boats and started eating.
A few minutes later, Senna and Noah appeared from one side of the street.
Both seemed a bit down.
After sitting next to Lys, Senna cast a soundproofing charm, not perfect, so Lys added another.
"The good news is we have a shop in Diagon Alley. The bad news is we don't know what to sell," Noah spoke in a joking tone, but it couldn't hide the sadness in the next sentence.
"And, we may never fulfill my mom's wish. We can't return to the Black family."
To hide her expression, Lys stuffed a large scoop of ice cream into her mouth, freezing her brain. She grimaced and pushed the other two portions towards Senna.
Lys buried her head in eating, and to avoid hindering her casting, she took Gabon off her shoulder and placed it on the table.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
"9 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.
Support for 350 + advance chapters:
patreon.com/DarkGolds"