Looking around with a wandering gaze, Loki finally spotted the building he was looking for.
Above its door from the patio cover hung a dirty sign that looked like it had been very poorly cleaned recently, it said, "R.O.B's Warehouse."
On its door was the number twelve engraved in gold and silver which matched the address on the business card in Loki's hands.
'R.O.B?'
'What a strange name for a shop.'
"That will be all, for now, Kreacher, I will call you when you have to pick me up after my meeting with Elane and Mrs. Trelawney."
"Yes, master."
With a low *pop* like someone had popped their lips, Kreacher vanished with a spin, his body getting absorbed into a point, a feeling that Loki had come to hate very much.
Walking out of the alley he was in and to the door that Loki had matched with the business card, Loki held the knocker on the door and gave it a small thrust to *knock* on the door.
Dust rose up and entered Loki's nostrils, prompting him to release the knocker and sneeze but he held it back with determination just waiting for the door to open.
Loki soon heard loud *creaks* and *thuds* approach the door.
The door opened with a crawl, letting in what felt to be the first rays of light in a very long time.
What appeared in front of Loki surprised him.
It was a person wearing a long robe that covered them from their head to the toe, and where there should've been a hole for the face was a plague mask that appeared stitched to the robe making it impossible to discern any qualities about the person inside.
Loki didn't find it rude since he was also using an item from the basement to conceal his face but he did find it strange, 'Why would the shop owner need to conceal their face? To avoid angry customers from finding more about them?'
"Hello." The person said in a muffled tone as the thick leather of their mask blocked the sounds from fully escaping.
"Greetings." Loki said and then he asked, "I was recommended this place, may I know your business?"
But instead of facing a response, he was asked a question, "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" the voice asked in a low tone and Loki barely made it out because of the jingle.
"Spongebob Square Pants." Loki said in the same rhythmic fashion he was asked the question in.
There was a pause in between that threatened to turn awkward but Loki kept a straight face behind his mask trying not to burst out laughing at the code that had been developed.
"Come in." The person said, moving aside while holding the door so Loki could enter.
Loki stepped in with caution and found himself looking at a large room filled with chairs like the ones outside a dentist's office, with various magazines strewn about for those patiently waiting.
It looked surprisingly modern for a store in Diagon Alley.
Although the several chairs and tables indicated that this place was busy, apart from Loki and the person dressed in a gown there was no one else.
The person closed the door behind Loki with a dull *thud* capturing Loki's attention.
"You are?" Loki asked.
"I am a Rob and this is my warehouse." The person, Rob responded.
Rob's voice was muffled and unclear, making it hard to even discern if it was feminine or masculine.
Rob carried on ahead, walking behind the counter with clear steady steps that appeared to tap the floor with practised ease.
"What do you need Mr.?" The voice asked from behind the counter.
"I need five drops of Leprechaun blood."
"That is a strange request Mr.?"
"Ah, you can call me bug."
"Mr. Bug? And here I thought I had stranger things in my shop."
"So do you have Leprachaun Blood?" Loki asked impatiently, wondering if he would have to go to the gathering of the Aurora Order after all.
"Yes, I do, but this store doesn't work like that Mr. Bug."
"How does it work then?"
"I only point my customers in the direction of where they can earn the potion ingredients on their own. I don't sell them things I have."
"So you will give me the location where I will find Leprechauns? I have to get the blood on my own?"
"Something like that, but you are lucky, I already have some Leprechaun blood that should work."
"So what do I do now?"
"Do you have five galleons Mr. Bug?"
"Five Galleons!? Are you trying to rob me!? Oh! That's why your name's rob!! You're a robber!"
"Why don't you find some elsewhere if you think I am robbing you.", Rob said with what Loki felt was some anger since it folded its hands across its chest and looked at Loki with a raised head.
"I have a recommendation and might become a repeat customer if you just-"
"I am not lowering my price and this is final."
Loki handed over five galleons reluctantly and Rob pulled out from underneath the counter a vial with exactly five drops of Leprechaun blood.
Loki stored the vial in his satchel and exited the store begrudgingly while thinking, 'Damn warehouse! I should've known from the name! It was going to rob me blind!'
Walking aimlessly, window shopping for a while, Loki came across a broom store where all the children were pressing their noses against the window and looking at the broom on display.
"Nimbus two thousand one." Loki read the plaque on the window.
"Hmm…maybe I can buy it and study the runes on it?"
"Perhaps I should start small with other alchemical items in Diagon Alley? What can I start with? Zonko's jokes shop products?"
It didn't take Loki a long time and he had scoured through the entire catalogue of Zonko's jokes shop, buying things like fake wands, boxing telescopes, and boggart in the box. He wanted to gift a few to Elane while keeping the others to study them.
Loki even visited a few more stores and bought a few more items like a wand holster, a Sneakoscope and a few common potion ingredients so that Loki could try out various potions over the summer.
He even visited the spirit pet store he'd visited with Walburga to get himself an owl spirit. He felt rather uneasy using the school's owl spirit for that.
Of course, he did all this shopping without the disguise on him so that people wouldn't think he was strange.
With nothing more to do, Loki left towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour where he had promised to meet Elane and Cassandra Trelawney.
Once there, Loki waited for less than fifteen minutes when he found a little girl who was smiling running up to him by slipping through the crowd.
Loki bent low and as soon as Elane ran into his arm, he picked her up and spun her around.
"Elane!!!!!! You've grown quite a bit!" Loki said pulling Elane into a warm hug.
"You too Big Bwother!!"
'Hehe~ I already feel better. Let Rob's warehouse be dammed!' Loki thought, 'Maybe I'll be the one to Rob them in the future.'
He then made good use of his time by continuing to speak with Elane for as long as he could while Cassandra sat down silently, patiently watching the brother and sister talk about everything that had happened to them the last year even though they spoke to each other nearly every day using two way mirrors.
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A/N : Extra chapter because you guys crossed two hundred powerstones last week! Great Job!
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