The Price of Gold | tom riddle

Chapter 2 - Knockturn Alley

As she peered around the entrance to the shop for a closer view, there was a young boy standing at the counter. He had floppy hair which was a mix between brown and orange and light freckles which covered his pale cheeks. He was dressed nicely, almost too nice to be in an area as dodgy as this. Ostara listened closer.

The boy kicked the side on a cabinet, causing tens of bottles to rattle together and edge closer to the tip of the shelf, threatening to fall. "You will give it to me!" he yelled.

"Isidore, I cannot do that. We don't have anymore left. Besides, even if we did it is highly illegal to sell such potion," the nervous shopkeeper said, fiddling with his round glasses.

"You didn't seem to care about that before!" the boy yelled.

"That was before the ministry started sniffing around down here. Since Grindelwald's activity has been more prominent, they're sending ministry workers in every other week to check our shelves. Getting caught with such potion is, well, it's not worth the risk."

"You don't get it do you!" He pushed three small vials onto the floor, their contents splattering onto the wooden floorboards burning small holes in the wood. "I need that potion! I start school in two days! I'll pay you double, triple even!"

Ostara thought she may be about to hear him offer the man four times the amount of money. But the owner spoke. "I'm sorry Mr. Rosier. There's nothing that can be done."

He took a breath in, and ran his fingers through his hair. "I will remember this, Nopine. And my family will too."

As he turned to exit the store, his eyes landed on a curious Ostara and Sebastian, hunched around the corner like spying rodents. He shot Star a look of poison. "Can I help you? If you're looking for the beauty parlour it's down that way." He pointed back towards the streets of Diagon Alley. "Although I don't think even they would have enough spells to fix your face," he spat.

"Hey! Watch it!" Sebastian yelled, standing up to meet the boy. Sebastian was taller, but Star had never actually seen him fight anybody.

"You. You reek of muggle," the boy hissed in Sebastian's face. "I don't even need to deal with you. Keep hanging around in Knockturn Alley long enough and you'll meet your unpleasant fate." He looked at Star once more as if capturing a mental picture of the girl before taking off deeper into the dark alley.

"Are you okay?" Star asked.

"Fine. What's a muggle?"

"I can only assume it means non-magic folk."

"They're prejudice about that stuff here?" Seb asked.

"Must be. But you need to leave. Go back and grab a table at the pub. It's not safe for you to be here, you heard him," Ostara said.

"I'm not leaving you here!"

"Sebastian please."

There was a pause.

"You're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble one day Star. Curiosity killed the cat." He shook his head, but began to make his way out of the dark alley.

Star however etched closer in, in through the broken door of the potion shop.

"Hello!" She greeted the man.