Capítulo 240: Diagon Alley Infiltration - Success!
Characters and their Occupations to be remembered:
Ms. Clutterbuck Crispe - Owner/Chef, Brews and Stews
Mr. Pigplanter Hillam - Manager, Flourish and Blotts Bookseller
Ms. Florine Villanelle - Assistant Manager, Flourish and Blotts Bookseller
Ms. Darcie Malfoy - Page, Flourish and Blotts Bookseller
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Monday, 1 December 1986
07:10 am
Darcie readied herself for her 1st day in the Bookshop.
Brews and Stews had three floors, including the ground floor, and as one went up, the building became narrower to such a degree that there was a place for only three rooms on the 2nd floor, despite the use of Extension Charm.
The Malfoys had rented the entire 2nd floor. Yet, the way Ms. Crispe had greeted Darcie in the morning when she had come to deliver the morning tea, it almost seemed they had bought the floor instead.
The three rooms were arranged in the shape of a three-petaled flower around a central point.
Darcie had a room of her own, with Madam Villanelle occupying the room next to her, and the third room for visits from Darcie's parents. Out of the three rooms, only Darcie's room had windows that pointed toward Diagon Alley.
After patting down her coat and hat, Darcie went to the table near the fireplace and picked up the large folded parchment.
This was Diagon Alley's map with every shop numbered as per the street. Darcie had already memorized it, but the knock on the door had yet to come, and there was no other thing to do. So she sat down and unfolded the map on the table.
According to the map, Diagon Alley had three sister alleys, the parent alley being named the Diagon Alley itself.
One was Carkitt Market. It ran behind the establishment where she was right now, and it shared its entrance with the Diagon Alley just after leaving the Leaky Cauldron (2).
The second was the Horizont Alley, the longest alley after the Diagon Alley. Its entrance lay between Quality Quidditch Supplies (15) and the Flower Vendor (16).
The last was the Knockturn Alley, most famous for its black market and shady business. Its entrance lay down the Diagon Alley, way past the Gringotts Wizarding Bank (19).
Darcie sighed. She was looking forward to a visit to the bank and the Malfoys' vault under the bank with her father yesterday. But it turned out that her father had already taken out enough coins to last her for months. Not to mention, her food and other necessities in the hotel itself were already taken care of.
Her mother had wanted to stay with her, what with this being her first night away from the family.
However, Madam Villanelle had convinced her mother against it. How? Darcie couldn't fathom. Perhaps the off-handed remark passed by her father to her mother that Darcie happened to hear had played some role in it.
At least the minister was sentient enough to hire a pure-blood, her father had whispered in her mother's ears. But this witch has the worm as well.
What worm? Her mother had asked, puzzled.
The same worm that Dumbledore and his likes have, her father had replied, his lips twitching in disgust.
Darcie cared little about the worms, despite knowing well how her father hated those who had any distant liking for muggles and half-bloods.
The knocks came suddenly.
Knock-Knock!
Darcie neatly folded the map and went to the door. Behind it, Madam Villanelle was waiting for her, dressed in a plain yellow woolen coat and a red scarf.
"Good morning, mentor," Darcie greeted, giving her a curtsy. "I am looking forward to our first lessons."
"Oh, my!" Madam Villanelle exclaimed, bending her waist. "You look adorable, Darcie. Quite eager, huh? Well, let us break our fast first. You must be hungry, right?"
Darcie nodded. She walked out, and the doors locked by themselves. As the hotel was an old and prestigious establishment, there were dozens of charms placed around the rooms, preventing anyone other than the owners themselves from accessing them.
Forget entering; even peeking inside would be a thing that would require an unimaginable magical prowess.
Or that's how the owner of the establishment had described it to her parents, Darcie recalled.
They stepped down the spiral stairs.
The 1st floor housed 10 rooms. A corridor was running down opposite the stairs, with 5 rooms on either side. Because of the space constraint, there was a legal Extension Charm placed on the rooms and corridor itself.
These rooms served the purpose of a temporary stay for the traveling wizards, who wanted to stay out of the hubbub of the Leaky Cauldron.
And, yes. Those who could afford to be extravagant, as the rooms in the Brews and Stews, like everything else, promised quality, luxury, and service well in-line with the price it demanded.
When they reached the ground floor, lined with round tables and chairs well spaced apart from each other, they found Ms. Crispe indulged in her tidings behind the counter.
At the sound of their footsteps, Ms. Crispe spun and her brown eyes settled on the two ladies.
"Ah!" she drew a cheery gasp as Darcie greeted her. "Good morning, young lady, Madam Villanelle. Just one second, breakfast is ready. You won't mind if I join you two, would you?"
"Of course not," Madam Villanelle replied for the two.
After they had sat down, Darcie looked around. The place wasn't as empty as it had seemed at first.
A gentleman was having his coffee while reading Daily Prophet in one corner, a witch with bushy hair had her nose touching an issue of the magazine, Witch Weekly, and an old man was having tea, looking at her, his old eyes narrowing.
Darcie didn't recognize him, so she looked away, her eyes landing on the windows looking out at Diagon Alley.
Traffic was less in the chilly morning, with only shop owners running up and down, preparing for the incoming busy day.
Across the alley, she could see lights glittering in the bookshop, and Mr. Hillam's silhouette moving like a ghost here and there.
The breakfast couldn't have arrived at a better time.
"Here we are!" Ms. Crispe said, darting around the table.
Plates, mugs, and pots were hovering around her, and an even larger pot was crawling towards them on four legs, loudly grunting with every next step.
Darcie found it quite amusing. She could break apart the spells used on all these objects, and that was a good morning exercise for her.
"A plate of Savory waffles and crisp smoked salmon for all of us," Ms. Crispe introduced them to the breakfast. "And an extra large mug of juice for the young lady."
"Does it remain like this often?" Madam Villanelle asked as the owner helped herself to a seat. "I had heard quite the contrary to what I am seeing now."
Ms. Crispe let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, you've heard the truth of it, I am afraid," she told them. "The place started with the restaurant, but the principal business these days comes from the travelers, not empty stomachs.
"So, when I took over from my father, I limited the food to dining only. We start at 5 in the evening, and it goes on till 9 to 10 sometimes. As the chief attraction is seafood only, the number of customers remains quite the same throughout the year."
Darcie said little and carried on with her breakfast. If she put aside Dobby's cooking, then this was surely the best breakfast she had in her entire life. Fresh was the only word that came to her mind, with bits of pleasant smell and the sweetness of the juice.
When they were done, and the spoons and forks were down, Darcie couldn't help but say, "The Breakfast was quite good, Ms. Crispe."
Alas! Neither Madam Villanelle nor the owner of the restaurant knew Darcie well enough to know that was the highest praise one could receive from her.
Ms. Crispe gave a polite nod, anyway. "Lunch is served between 12 to 2, but if you get busy, then I can cook up something anytime," she told them, as Darcie and her mentor stood up and made their way to the main entrance.
Darcie once again chanced upon the old man looking at her. So she neared Ms. Crispe and asked, "Who is the old gentleman sitting over there?"
Ms. Crispe looked over Darcie's head and suddenly laughed. "Oh, that's good old Ollivander," she told her. "He comes often for breakfast here. Not to brag, but we do have gained a reputation in the Diagon Alley."
Ollivander… Darcie repeated the name to herself. She looked back, but the wandmaker wasn't looking over at her anymore. Madam Villanelle was waiting for her at the door, and so she had to leave the greeting to some other time.
An icy gust of wind welcomed them once stepping outside.
Darcie so wanted to run amok, despite the wind and the chill, but she knew there would be plenty of time to do that later. With quick steps, they entered the Flourish and Blotts Bookseller, and the bells hung at the door announced their arrival.
Mr. Hillam, the manager, came running over to them. "Ah, you are here," he said, smiling nervously. "A good morning to you as well, Ms. Malfoy. Ready to start your work and studies?"
Darcie stepped forward, looked at the thousands, tens of thousands of books, and nodded.
"I think I have always been ready, Mr. Hillam," she said, turning around to face the wizard and the witch. "My services are at your disposal."
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