That Friday around noon, I straightened my dark blue tie and ran a hand over my dress robes, smoothing out any wrinkles it might have gained since it'd been laid out for me to wear. Not that I expected there to be any after Inky had cleaned them.
Instead of meeting the head of House Greengrass at his home to discuss business, we were doing so at a different location. That place happened to be the Ruby Unicornrestaurant of Vertic Alley, the more expensive and upper crust part of Magical London, the posh counterpart to the more middle-class Diagon Alley.
I knew very little about the Ruby Unicorn, aside from the fact it was the most distinguished restaurant in Magical Britain. I wasn't worried about not blending in, my Acromantula silk robes would pass muster after all, but I wanted to impress Cyrus Greengrass, so I made sure to add a couple runic rings to my hands and was wearing my best rune-weave tie. I was dressed to impress, and so when Inky popped me over, I was pleased to see that I did not look out of place amongst the other diners when I walked in.
"Mr. Hunch? Mr. Greengrass is waiting for you," a waiter said, before escorting me to a table. The interior of the restaurant was impressive. It had that distinct pseudo-Victorian style on display, and had burnished gold platters and utensils on tables that had been Transfigured to look like animals. Eating off the back of a lion, horse, or dragon was apparently what high-class dining considered to be in good taste.
Cyrus Greengrass greeted me with a polite nod which I returned, and I sat down across from him at a table that'd been Transfigured into a large Runespoor, the plates balancing on their heads.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Greengrass," I said. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
"Of course. I was quite intrigued by your letter. Fire Whiskey, Nolden Thriftwood's brew, 1901," Cyrus said, tapping his goblet with his wand, and in an instant, it filled with the requested beverage.
Copying him, I tapped my own goblet with one of my rings, saying, "Red wine, Soleil Rouge." A moment later, a fine red wine filled it. I hadn't specified the date as I'd been unsure of what sort of stock they had of this particular wine, so I would accept whatever vintage they had in their cellars.
"An interesting choice," Cyrus noted.
"Yes, I tasted it while in France and found I rather liked it," I replied. "Mr. Flamel got me hooked on it."
"Flamel?" the merchant inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"I met Nicholas Flamel and his wife over the summer. He was a gracious host. I was sorry to hear of his passing over Halloween," I said, and the Greengrass patriarch blinked at me in surprise.
"I am surprised," Cyrus admitted. "I had no idea House Hunch had connections with the Flamels."
"One of my great-grandfathers was a student of his," I replied, waving it off as if it was no big deal. And it was technically true, an ancestor of mine had studied under Nicholas Flamel for a few weeks and gotten an autographed book out of it. Though in truth my ancestor had merely attended a multi-week lecture the famous alchemist had held, and gotten the book autographed afterwards.
"I see. Has your family's fortunes changed in the years since your father passed away?" Cyrus inquired. "It is not cheap to start a new business, after all."
"My family's fortunes are doing well, thank you for asking," I said. "And this business is under my own name."
Cyrus simply nodded slowly, digesting my words. By now, he'd probably figured out that House Hunch was as poor as ever, and that my business proposal had nothing to do with my mother or brother. Sink or swim, it was all on my shoulders.
Further talks were put to the side for the moment, as Cyrus tapped his plate with his wand and ordered his lunch. I did the same, rapping my rings against the golden tableware and saying aloud what I wanted to eat. Whoever was working in the kitchen was good at their job, as it wasn't long before the food appeared on our plates.
We both ate, making small talk all the while. We discussed recent Ministry policies, who was taking bribes in the different departments, and which Quidditch teams we hoped would win their upcoming matches. I personally wanted to see the Hollyhead Harpies go all the way. I do love me some sporty women, after all!
"Now that we've eaten and gotten a measure of each other, I believe we can talk about why we're really here," Cyrus suggested as he wiped his mouth with a napkin, plate empty, and I nodded in agreement, my own plate clear of food.
"Mr. Hunch, your letter you sent me was quite curious. I get many requests for materials, and of course, many requests for a discount on them. Yet I've never had anyone order a literal ton of powdered Wiggentree bark, nor so much salamander's blood and other potion ingredients," Cyrus informed me. "Was it perhaps an error in the requisition form?"
"Please, call me Edward Rose. My old name is of little matter," I requested. "And there's no mistake. I need all of that. And more. As soon as possible."
"That is quite a large order," Cyrus said. "How exactly do you plan on using up so many ingredients?"
"I assure you, my customers will pay for what I'm making. And even more than that, this is not the first large-scale order I've made with your business," I informed him.
"I wasn't aware you'd opened up your store already," Cyrus replied. "I was under the impression you were buying in bulk to stock up on supplies."
...
....
Join my P*atreon for 100 premium chapters ahead of the public release.
Link: pa*treon.com/MysticVerse (Remove the *)
Free members also get 2 advanced chapters for free.