Rowan raised an eyebrow.
"In that case, forget it. I'm only interested in Apparition."
He turned without hesitation and headed for the door.
From the state of the shop and the witch's worn clothes, he had already guessed the truth. This place was broke. A tiny tutoring shop like this could only attract real students during the summer. The rest of the year, it survived by stringing along Squibs and gullible adult wizards who didn't know better. Even then, those people usually chose larger, better-known academies.
Small operations like this one survived precisely because they were willing to do what bigger institutions wouldn't.
Rowan wasn't actually leaving. He was applying pressure.
As he turned, the pouch at his waist shifted just enough to reveal a glimpse of tightly packed gold Galleons.
"Wait—please, wait!"
The witch vanished with a crack and reappeared directly in front of him, blocking the door.
"It's not impossible," she said quickly. "We can… discuss it. But the price would be higher."
She hadn't had a single paying student in two months. Rent was coming due, and even during peak season she barely scraped by. If this one client paid more than an entire summer's income, the risk might be worth it.
"Aren't you worried about getting fined?" Rowan asked, studying her with new interest.
He hadn't missed it. Her Apparition had been clean. Fast. Less than a second from disappearance to reappearance.
That wasn't normal.
Apparition varied wildly by skill. True masters could cross national borders in a single jump. A rare few could move between cities. Most wizards struggled to go farther than a few miles at a time.
Speed mattered even more. Most wizards needed two or three seconds to Apparate. In a fight, that was suicide. Only skilled practitioners could reduce it to under a second, fast enough to dodge spells and counterattack. Newt Scamander's duel with Grindelwald came to mind.
This witch had done it effortlessly.
"I can deal with the fines," she said. "But the tuition is one hundred Galleons. No refunds if you quit because you can't handle splinching."
She hesitated, then added, "And for the record, I used to be an Auror."
Rowan's eyes lit up.
"One hundred Galleons is fine," he said, loosening the pouch and letting the gold gleam. "If you can teach me Apparition this summer, you'll get every coin."
He wasn't worried about being cheated. He was worried about incompetence. And she had just proven she wasn't incompetent.
If she tried anything, she wouldn't enjoy the consequences.
"Deal," the witch said instantly. "Get your affairs in order. We leave for Paris tomorrow."
Rowan blinked. "Paris?"
"French magical law is looser on Apparition," she explained. "Worst case, you get a warning. The U.S. is even more relaxed, but New York's expensive. Paris is cheaper, and I know people there."
Rowan nodded after a moment. "Fine. I don't have family. No need to inform anyone."
Paris sounded useful anyway. The magical district there was said to be larger than Diagon Alley. Rare books alone made it worth the trip.
"I'm Rowan," he said.
"Amy," she replied, shaking his hand. "Twenty Galleons up front. The rest after you succeed."
"No problem."
He counted out the gold, set the terms, and left the shop.
After he was gone, Amy frowned slightly.
"Since when are orphans this rich?" she muttered. "And why does that kid look familiar…?"
She shrugged it off.
Then she weighed the gold in her hand, grinned, locked the door, and headed straight for the Leaky Cauldron.
At least for a while, she wouldn't be running out of drinks.