Disclair:
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 110: Old Things
"That one, huh?" The old witch raised an eyebrow. "That is a very unique to."
"You an expensive," Jas corrected her.
"I an expensive," she agreed. "There were only a few copies made. In fact, that may be the only one left in this country."
Most magical books were protected against any type of duplication spells to prevent illegal copies. But ancient tos like this one took even more precautions. So couldn't even be touched without permission, or the offender would suffer terrible curses.
"The Silent Crypt?" Lily read the title aloud. "Isn't that about ancient tombs as well?" She wondered why the witch hadn't shown her that book as well.
"Forget about it. That book is for true collectors."
The witch simply hadn't expected Jas to be willing to spend so much on a single volu.
And she had no idea of its real value. But Jas did.
Without this to, locating Kilgharrah's Tomb would be almost impossible. The author had only found it by accident while searching for a different site. Not all the clues were written down, but when combined with what Jas already knew, the book would be enough to find the tomb...and, more importantly, survive it.
The to contained invaluable information about the traps inside. Without it, venturing inside would be akin to suicide.
"Na your price," Jas insisted. Now that he had made up his mind, he wasn't leaving without that book. He must have it.
The witch looked him over, taking in his posture and the robes he wore.
"Mmm... what is your na?"
"Draco Malfoy," Jas replied smoothly.
Lily shot him a questioning glance, wondering what he was playing at.
"You don't look like a Malfoy," the witch said slowly. "But you do look like a pureblood heir… Very well. The price for that book is...five hundred galleons. And I won't take a single coin less."
"What?!" Lily blurted out without thinking. That was more money than she had spent in four years at Hogwarts, and likely more than she would spend in the remaining three.
"I'll take it," Jas said without hesitation.
It was an absurd amount of money for a single book. For comparison, the Nimbus 2000, a top-of-the-line broom...had cost around two hundred galleons when it first launched. But this to was far more valuable to him. The cost of this book was closer to that of the Firebolt that his Godfather had once bought for him.
Jas had never cared much about money. For him, it was just a tool to reach his goals. Even if he had to spend every coin he had, it would be worth it, as long as he achieved what he set out to do.
"Hoho!" The witch chuckled.
"What an interesting boy. You are either very foolish with your money, or… you know sothing about this book that I don't."
"Does it matter?" Jas replied coolly. "You're a rchant. Don't you want to make a profit?"
He glanced at the other three books on the table.
"I'll buy those three as well."
He conjured a large bag, reached into his holding container, and pulled out five hundred galleons. He placed them in front of her.
"That's for the old to."
"Wait, she hasn't even said the price yet!" Lily protested.
"These three books…" The witch smiled, handing them to Lily.
"You can keep them. Consider them a gift." The price of the three books was not low, but neglectful compared to that of the book that Jas had just bought.
Giving these away for free was not a big deal if that allowed her to make a connection with a rich client.
"R-Really? I can keep all three?" Lily asked, surprised.
Jas secured the to in his satchel, wary that the witch might change her mind or start asking questions.
"Co on, we should get going."
"Ehm… yes." Lily clutched the three books and followed him downstairs.
From the second-floor balcony, the old witch watched them leave. Her sharp eyes glinted beneath the brim of her oversized hat.
"Mister Malfoy, it was a pleasure doing business with you. I hope you visit again."
Once they were several blocks away from the shop, Lily finally spoke again.
"Jas, how can you spend so much on a single book? I know your family has money, but that seed excessive."
"I only spent my own money. And it wasn't wasted. That to is worth every coin, though I can't explain why...not here, nor now."
He gestured to the books she carried.
"You should put those in a holding bag."
"Oh, right…" She quickly opened her satchel and stored them.
"I should've thanked you first...for the books. I bet they were expensive too."
"No problem. She gave them to after overcharging for the old to," Jas said. "So she still made a big profit." He was convinced that the original price for the book he bought must have been at most half of what the witch asked him for it.
But it was better if the witch thought he was just so foolish rich boy with little sense, rather than soone who knew exactly what he was buying.
"She wasn't sure which family I belonged to, so she probably gave them to gain so favor in return. I assure you that she didn't take a loss at all."
"...Why did you tell her you were a Malfoy? And who's Draco?" The only Malfoy she knew was Lucius.
"I didn't want her to know my real na. She was trying a bit too hard to dig for information." Even more so after her Legilincy attempt on him had failed.
"You seed pretty wary of that old lady. Is she dangerous or sothing?" Lily asked, shivering slightly. "She looked creepy, but… just an old witch, right?"
"Just an old witch? Let ask you sothing... what do you think is the greatest source of power for a witch or wizard?"
"Source of power…?" Lily thought about it. "There are legends about powerful wands that make the user invincible." She recalled an old tale she found at the library about so ancient, powerful wand.
"No one's invincible. A wand can help, but it's not the source of one's power. It's just a tool. Try again."
"Hmm… ah! I know!" she grinned. "Knowledge!" The more one knew, the more one could do. It is thanks to all the knowledge that she had gained reading books and paying attention in class that she was able to beco one of the best students in the school, despite having been born in the muggle world.
Jas nodded. "Correct. You asked if that old witch was dangerous. Her shop has been around for centuries...older than Hogsade itself. Forbidden knowledge, lost artifacts, ancient tos… countless rare and powerful items have passed through her hands. Over many, many years."
He looked at her.
"Now tell , Lily...do you still think she's 'just an old witch'?"
"...No. Not anymore." Lily said quietly.
"Don't underestimate the old folk. In the magical world, knowledge is power. And those who live long enough can accumulate far more than you'd expect."
Lily nodded, thoughtful.
"Well," Jas said, changing the subject, "now that the shopping's out of the way...do you want to visit a coffee shop?"
"Really?" Lily's face lit up. "Yes!"
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