章 105: Chapter 105: Turned Away at The Door

After returning to the familiar surroundings of her home, Fleur seemed to unwind considerably. She picked an apple from a bowl brought by the house elf, joining Gabrielle while gesturing to the fruit. As she crunched into her apple, she casually informed them, "Father will most likely be late; he often stays back at the Ministry, so we don't need to wait for him to have lunch."

Sherlock, having taken the opportunity to detail their plans for the next day, declared, "We shall be visiting Nicolas Flamel in the afternoon. Followed by that, we will make our way to La Rue de la... It seems to be the French equivalent of our own Diagon Alley in London."

"Indeed, it is something of a bustling hub of magic here in France," Gabrielle validated.

Sherlock moved a map of France onto the coffee table, scanning it intently as he thoughtfully stroked his chin. "Perhaps we can also venture to some of the renowned Muggle locations while we're here: the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, even Notre-Dame."

"Let's not forget to stock up on film rolls as well," Harry recommended.

"Certainly," agreed Sherlock, "It would be prudent to have a good supply of film rolls."

During their decadent lunch at the Delacour residence, Fleur finally confessed to her mother about her misplaced wand. Rather than scolding Fleur for the lost wand, Mrs. Delacour instead focussed her concern on the thief, inquiring, "Are you sure that it was indeed a goblin who took your wand?"

In response, Fleur simply nodded, affirming, "I'm positive. The goblin in question was the only one to brush past me around that time."

Unruffled, Mrs. Delacour expressed her insights about the situation, "Of course, the loss of the wand is unfortunate, but it's not the end of the world. However, the fact that a goblin might have stolen it makes the matter quite serious. We need to inform the Ministry about this at once."

With memories of the goblin rebellion fresh in mind, the idea of any goblin touching a wand was a situation of high sensitivity, considering they were stripped of their wand rights. It was even more significant if the wand had been stolen straight from a wizard.

"I'll contact your father. He should be home soon."

Fleur 's father, Mr. Delacour, was employed at the French Ministry of Magic. His role did not directly oversee the Auror Department, but he was well-versed in the enforcement of magical law.

Upon receiving the distressing news at the office of the Ministry of Magic, Mr. Delacour hastily left to rejoin his family. Understated compared to his glamorous wife and daughter, Fleur's father seemed quite plain in contrast, bearing all the traits of an everyday wizard, even slightly shorter than Mrs. Delacour.

After reciprocating Sherlock's greeting and sharing his gratitude for his assistance in the matter of Fleur's missing wand, Mr. Delacour shifted his attention to getting every detail about the theft. Unfortunately, Fleur herself didn't have much to offer. She was unable to recall any notable characteristics about the guilty fairy. Left disheartened by the lack of substantial information, Mr. Delacour prepared himself to report the unsettling incident to the Ministry of Magic.

Leaving Mr. Delacour to his duties, Sherlock and Harry began their journey to visit Nicolas Flamel that afternoon, accompanied by Fleur who needed to visit the Place Cachée to procure a new wand.

Guided by the local wizard, Fleur, Sherlock navigated through the unfamiliar streets, barely glancing at Dumbledore's letter bearing the instructions.

"When they are in Paris, Mr. and Mrs. Flamel prefer to stay at their quaint little house near the Garnier Opera House as they possess a fondness for opera," Fleur informed.

Guided by Fleur's information, they located the Flamels' unassuming Parisian residence, remarkable only in its utter normality. It was a fittingly ordinary Muggle house for the Flamels' famed affinity for Muggles and their culture. This was confirmed by the sight of a postman nonchalantly slipping a letter into the mailbox.

Upon arriving, they found the place to be locked up. Sherlock articulated his doubts, "Did we come too late? Dumbledore had specifically mentioned visiting before the end of August, and today is only the 25th of July." Fleur herself had been advised by Madam Maxine to meet Nicolas Flamel soon, as he would be leaving Paris by August.

Lost amidst their speculations, Harry pointed out a note left at the gate. It had been left by Nicolas Flamel himself: "Out at the opera, to return on the 26th."

Giving an understanding nod, Sherlock consoled, "It's not an issue. We can always come back tomorrow." It was then he noticed a strange sensation emanating from the note. It may have been a consequence of his heightened sensitivity to magic due to his fusion with Voldemort's soul shard, or perhaps it was merely a magically conjured ink.

Not able to meet with the renowned wizard, they proceeded to their next destination, heart of Parisian magical society, Place Cachée.

Like Platform 9 ¾, its entrance was a nondescript alleyway leading to a wall. However, upon reaching the end of the path and seemingly encountering a cul-de-sac, one could walk right through the obstruction and find themselves in the magical marketplace of Paris.

Among the whimsically Gallic architectural styles lay shops selling goods very similar to those back in London. Comparatively, Sherlock and Harry found La Rue de la... to be more aesthetically pleasing than Diagon Alley. Some shops were even identical, like Maison Capenoir, a clothing store and Magillard: Plumes et Tome, which, it seemed, were chain stores.

After a brief exploration around the street, they accompanied Fleur to the wand shop, where she would purchase her replacement wand.

There were three preeminent wand makers in Europe: the Ollivanders of Great Britain, the Gregorovitch family in Germany, and the French Acajor family. All families had their respective wand-manufacturing businesses. Unlike the other two families, the Acajor Wandshop aimed to create custom wands based on the wand-bearer's unique qualities. The Wandmaker, Mr. Acajor, believed in utilizing the magical substance the wizard shared an affinity with as the wand core, thus increasing its compatibility. That was how Fleur's grandmother's hair ended up being used as her wand core.

Despite offering unique and highly personalized wands, Baguettes Magiques de Cosme Acajor also sold standard wands. This is what Fleur opted for, choosing an Aspen wand with a unicorn tail hair core, nine inches long.

Once Fleur procured her replacement wand, a wave of sentiment overcame her at the thought of the lost wand. The wand was a memento that connected her with her deceased grandmother.

As they planned to celebrate the purchase with a drink at the Griffon Buveur, a pub on Place Cachée, a distinct voice called out, "Fleur!"

They spun around to see a handsome male wizard. Sherlock remembered him from Aspe wizarding village, where they first met Fleur. Fleur seemed to recognize him too, but her expression hardened. She icily reminded him, "I believe we're not well-acquainted enough to be on a first-name basis, Mr. Jonathan." (E/N.: There's no way Jonathan is his last name, but idk his last name soo... Mr. Jonathan it is..)

Jonathan scratched his head, awkwardly smiling as he walked up to them.

"Apologies, Miss Delacour. Seeing you here again suddenly got me excited. Did you catch that thief that day?"

Fleur didn't answer his question; instead, she stared at him, her tone icy as she asked.

"I'm curious whether that day you intentionally gave me the wrong location or you genuinely misheard." Jonathan appeared quite flustered.

"Oh, what! Did you end up at the wrong location? Wait a minute, are you suspecting that I'm in cahoots with the thief who stole your wand? Why would you think that? I thought we had a decent conversation that day..."

Fleur didn't let his words dispel her suspicion; she gazed at him coldly.

"It's best if this matter has nothing to do with you, but if you're truly involved, I suggest you hand over my wand immediately. That way, I can ask my father to withdraw the Ministry of Magic's investigation. Yes, I've already reported this matter to the Ministry."

Jonathan stared wide-eyed, looking extremely innocent.

"Why would you suspect me? Have I done something wrong?"

"You'd better not have done anything wrong."

With that said, Fleur grabbed Sherlock and Harry's arms separately and left, never once indicating an intention to introduce them.

Even though she seemed to suspect his involvement, she revealed to Harry and Sherlock that she didn't need to deal with him herself. "I've already told my father all about that douche. There's probably a few Aurors looking into him as we speak." Being wise and shrewd, Fleur knew that providing the Ministry ample information and leaving it up to Aurors would be the best course of action.

Before walking away, Sherlock caught a glimpse of a familiar symbol on the necklace adorning Jonathan's chest: a triangle enclosing a vertical lined circle. While this sighting piqued his curiosity, he dismissed it for the moment, attributing the familiarity to some book he had previously read.