章節 1: Chapter 1
A black Audi was cruising down the road in Las Vegas. The driver, Happy, was cheerfully humming to himself while his hands rested on the steering wheel.
"Ever heard of that mysterious shop in Manhattan called 'The Enchantress?' Rumor has it that the shop can disappear at random and sell all sorts of magical items. They say it can even turn your wishes into reality."
"Can't say I have, and where the hell did you even hear that?" Seated at the back of the car and casually flipping through a fashion magazine was Tony Stark. He was a man in his late thirties, with a sharp jawline and slicked-back jet black hair.
"It's just a rumor I heard from a friend. Some say that the shop is run by a powerful witch." Happy said, keeping his eyes on the road ahead as he drove Tony to his next appointment.
Tony snorted. "Sounds like a scam to me. Who would fall for that?"
Happy shrugged and responded, "Believe it or not, there are people who've actually found success there. I figured, why not try it out?"
"Anything specific in mind? Like a girlfriend for example?" Tony asked.
"Something like that. How about you boss? Anything you'd want to wish for?"
Tossing the magazine next to him, Tony looked out of the car window. "There's nothing I couldn't possibly wish for that I don't already have. Money, fame, power, women. I've got it all. What more could a man want?"
Happy chuckled at Tony's response and got back to concentrating on the road ahead. Within a short while, the Audi smoothly pulled to a stop in front of a grand casino. Stepping out of the car, Tony saw his personal assistant, Pepper Potts, already waiting for him.
"Mr. Stark, you're not thinking of skipping out on the award again, are you? You can't just leave Colonel Rhodes hanging." Pepper was dressed in a navy blue dress with her blonde hair elegantly pinned up.
Tony adjusted his white suit and flashed a smile her way, "I've already received more awards than I can count on both hands, Ms. Potts. Besides, I've got better things to do than sit through another boring ceremony."
With his arms around two pretty women in tight dresses, Tony sauntered towards the entrance of the casino.
Pepper sighed, directing her gaze at Happy, who immediately raised his hand in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, don't give me that look. You know how he is."
Another sigh left her as she walked away, leaving Happy to watch over the car and wait for Tony to return.
* * *
In the late hours of the night, a man found himself wandering through the streets of Manhattan without a clear destination in mind. Just a month ago, he used to be a singer. Unfortunately, due to an illness, he couldn't sing anymore. His vocal cords were damaged. Even with a surgical procedure, he would never regain his voice.
Over the past month, he had been to countless doctors, yet they all told him the same thing, that his singing career was over. Adding insult to injury, nearly everyone close to him had abandoned him: his manager, his bandmates, and even his girlfriend. He felt utterly lost and devoid of hope.
The streetlight next to the road was flickering, and he saw it went out. Soon after, his attention was captured by something else; a shop that he's fairly certain didn't exist earlier. The sign hanging above it said, "The Enchantress."
Acting on a strange impulse, he lightly pushed the entrance to the shop and entered. The interior was softly illuminated by candles along the walls, and a simple wooden table and chair occupied the center of the room.
The ink bottles, quill, and an empty sheet of parchment arranged on the table drew his eye. Without even realizing it, he found himself gravitating towards the chair and settled into it. When he reached for the quill, letters began showing up on the parchment, much to his astonishment.
Welcome to The Enchantress, where we make your wishes come true! Simply write down your wish on the parchment and let us know what you're willing to offer in return. Also, make sure to include your name and address! Please note that we only accept US dollars and gold as forms of payment. A word to the wise: Those who fail to pay shall face dire consequences.
The final sentence was highlighted in bold. After he finished reading it, the writing disappeared, leaving only a blank piece of parchment. Without delay, he dipped the quill into the ink and started to write. He made a few mistakes at first since he wasn't accustomed to writing with a quill, but he somehow managed it, even if his writing looked a little messy.
"I really want to sing again. Please help me." Pausing for a moment, he eventually penned down his name, address, and the amount he's willing to pay. Even if there was only a slim chance to recover his voice, he was willing to take it.
Daniel put the quill aside and lay the parchment flat on the table to allow it to dry. He was wiping away the tears from his eyes, when all of a sudden, the chair beneath him vanished, and he plopped onto his rear. He looked around in confusion, finding himself back on the empty street with no sign of the strange shop.
He must have been dreaming. That's what he thought at first, but then he saw the black smudge on his hand. It was definitely ink. So, he wasn't just imagining it?
* * *
"Mistress, come take a look! There's a new request that's just arrived. The pay this time is quite generous!" A small creature popped into view. It stood at about three and a half feet tall, boasting large round eyes and ears that flapped up and down with the movement of its head. Its attire resembled a small white toga of sorts.
The creature offered a piece of parchment to a fair-skinned girl in a black dress. She had long, disheveled dark hair with bangs framing her small, delicate face, her eyes, a cool gray hue, seemed capable of seeing right through you. A cauldron in front of her was bubbling away with a viscous green liquid, emitting a pungent odor.
"How much are we talking about, Koby?" The girl asked while stirring the mysterious liquid inside the cauldron.
"Three million!" Koby said, brimming with excitement. "If only Mistress Jamie hadn't left Hogwarts, then we wouldn't be stuck in this terrible situation. Poor Mistress, born into the noble House Black, now living among muggles. Koby shudders to think what Koby's fate would be if Kreacher ever finds out about this." The house-elf was practically losing it by now.
The girl engaged in the conversation with the house-elf was none other than Jamie Black, the only child of Sirius Black following a one-night affair. At present, she was just a month away from turning fifteen. Throughout her life, her unique qualities set her apart from her peers, and many considered her a prodigy akin to Albus Dumbledore.
She attended Hogwarts, the premier school of magical education in Britain, until certain circumstances pushed her to leave. At Hogwarts, she was sorted into Slytherin and, much like her father Sirius, she had a penchant for making trouble.
She got quite a reputation for her not-so-great deeds, like that time she almost lit up the Forbidden Forest on fire. And, she had this habit of sneaking out at night from the castle to wander around the nearby villages and towns.
The most recent thing she did was to use the killing curse out in the open. A wild Acromantula had managed to get onto the castle grounds and was about to kill a girl, but Jamie cast the killing curse to stop it. While she did save her classmates, it didn't excuse her for using dark magic while still in school.
Just before her guardian, Harry Potter, showed up, Jamie packed her stuff and took off for the United States, bringing her personal house-elf along. In her rush, she didn't stop to withdraw some money from the bank, which she probably should have done in hindsight.
While she could have gone to Gringotts to withdraw the stipend she got from the Black family estate, she feared that doing so could give away her location. Setting up a business in New York City was her solution to her living expenses, even though it was clearly against the regulations of the Ministry, or whatever they go by here.
"Be quiet Koby!" Jamie snapped, then she noticed the parchment being held by the house-elf. "And pass that over!"
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