The Half-Blood Rose

Chapter Two: An Evening at Knockturn Alley

It was half an hour til 8 pm, and Beatrice was getting dressed in a smart but casual robe, rimming her eyes in black kohl, and brushing her long, straight dark hair. She studied her eyebrows closely, making sure they were nicely groomed and applied blush to her very fair skin. Her full lips were plump in a shade of rose. She felt nervous, but excited, as she completed her look by putting on a pointy black hat. What exactly were Lucius' intentions? She would've originally sought ingredients from the Apothecary, but they never would've stocked vampire fangs. She knew that. The list for the potion went as follows:

Draught for the Banishment of Strigoi's Malaise

1 vampire fang
A small braid of Veela hair
A jug of Blessed water
2 unicorn horns
1 moonstone
1 bunch of Nettles
3 Scarab beetles

Still, her excitement to see him was too much. But he was married . . . And she still didn't understand what was going on in his personal life. Why had Lucius been so distant in excluding his wife? She had so many questions.

Anyways, she decided to take his invitation and go. Clearly, there many things to discuss from both sides, and she couldn't deny the opportunity.

She threw floo powder into the furnace, where bright green flames rose up, stepped inside, and clearly enunciated, "Knockturn Alley."

She braced herself for the whirling, bizarre ride that was always through the floo network. She spun around and hovered into darkness until she reappeared in Dystyl Phaelanges in Knockturn Alley. Dystyl Phaelanges was a shop that specialized in selling bones and fangs. This would do the trick, surprisingly enough. It was coincidental that she appeared in a place that would have the number one ingredient she sought. She stepped away from the chimney, and looked at herself. Thankfully, she always had a charm on her that prevented her clothes from getting sooty through the floo network.

Dystyl Phaelanges was large, cavernous shop. There was every bone imaginable, from almost every creature in the world. Dragon bones, unicorn bones, centaur, human, pixie, thestral bones, you name it, it was there. It was ran by a group of menacing-looking older wizards who were triplets. They were short but shady men, looking exactly alike, with only differences in eye color. They stared at her as she climbed out of the chimney. She suppressed her will to smile, creating a very serious face, and said, "evening", knowing that she wouldn't fit in if she was too nice. Thankfully she was wearing dark clothing and a mean-looking hat, and the makeup made her eyes look more intense. The men grumbled a response back, and she made solid eye contact before heading out of the shop to look for Lucius. She looked left and right, down the winding, dark alley. And there was Lucius, poised gracefully, leaning against the wall of a shop.

"It's about high time you showed up," he said, but she knew it was his way of teasing.

"I appreciate your concern," she shot back sarcastically.

"The vampire fang. Let's get it here," Lucius said.

He opened the door for her and showed her back inside. Once the triplets saw Lucius, their demeanors became more attentive. They knew who he was.

"Sir Malfoy, what brings ye 'ere t'day?"

"I am looking for a single vampire fang. The best and finest only."

Lucius and Beatrice stood at the counter, and she briefly examined the bones on display while he took care of the interactions. He was always gifted with words.

"Oh, ye won't find that 'ere," the more extroverted of the triplets, one with yellow eyes said. He still looked menacing, with brown skin and plenty of scars all over his face. Beatrice began thinking he must've been part goblin or something. He seemed like he had been a vicious duelist for most of his life. His voice was a deep rumble. "But I may have something in the back." He turned his back on Lucius and Beatrice and made his way into a door that led into the back of the shop. Meanwhile, the other two twins didn't say anything, they just stared at them while they waited for the main one to return. It was honestly a bit creepy and unsettling. Lucius and Beatrice glanced at each other curiously at the whole peculiarity of the moment.