Escape for a moment into a other world: Working in Diagon Alley
Imagine you (Emily) have just graduated from Hogwarts and you and your best friend (Maryam) started your own company in Diagon Alley. You sell potion ingredients and ready made potions. You bought the place a week ago, so far you both tried to get as many ingredients as possible together. Today is your grand opening and you invited a lot of people to get the word out.
“What time is the opening party again?”, your mum asked you now for the fifth time this morning.
“Narcissa, please. It starts at 4 p.m., Honey. You shouldn't ask again. Emily already looks annoyed with us. Don’t let her regret that she invited us.”, your dad said and looked apologetically at you.
You rolled your eyes: “It’s alright, dad. I have to go now anyway. Mary is waiting for me.” You grabbed James, your white matagot, patted your little brother Draco on the head, for a good bye and disappareted.
“Good you are finally here.”, said Maryam when you reappeared inside your potion shops office.
There was only a large desk with a oldfashioned lamp on it and two chairs to sit on. A lot of paperwork was laying on the desk, most of it was from the ministry telling you two about the laws owning a own shop.
“What did I miss?”, you asked and sat James down on one of your chairs.
“Rita Skeeter is standing outside and lurking through the windows. I told her, she can’t come in until 4 p. m. at our grand opening party but she refuses to leave.”, Maryam explained to you.
“For how long is she standing outside now?”
“For almost an hour.”, Maryam sounded very annoyed.
“Well I guess, if we want to get rid of her, we have to talk to her.”
“But we can’t let her in! Have you seen the mess we still have? We have to get it all cleaned up before our guests come.”
“I know, I know, calm down. I won’t let her come inside. I have never said to let her in now, i said we have to talk to her. You stay here and start to clean up while I go to Leaky Cauldron and try to talk to her as less as possible. Alright?”, you actually managed to calm her down.
She nodded and said: “Be quick! I don’t want to clean this mess up all alone!”
“Sure”, you said and headed outside.
The front of the shop really has been a total mess. You were hoping to get it all cleaned up in just five hours.
You opened the front door very quietly so that Rita Skeeter jumped when you greeted her.
She pushed her glasses up her nose and pulled down her skirt. You caught her lurking trough the windows. But it wouldn’t do much, as Maryam jinxed them, so no one could see inside.
“You are here for a reason, I suppose.”, you said coldly and you could see that Rita shivered by your emotionless voice.
She caught her self again: “Y-yes indeed.”
“Well then let us go to the Leaky Cauldron, we can talk there.”, you said and led the way there.
There were no more words on your way. Rita was a bit scared off, as to ask you why you wouldn’t just go back inside your own shop whit her.
You sat down in a quiet corner and ordered two butterbeers.
“So what is it you want to know?”, Ritas eyes gleamed at your question.
She took out her Quick-Quotes Quill and asked if you’d mind if she used it. But you knew what awful lies this quill would write.
“Yes, I mind.”, you said coldly and she put it back in her bag.
Whit a normal quill in her hand again she asked: “Miss Malfoy, is it true you and Miss Black are opening your own potion shop today and you have just finished school a week ago?”
“Yes.”
-Two young pure blood witches are opening their own potion shop in Diagon Alley.- she wrote and your butterbeers arrived.
“Is the rumour true that you got most of the ingredients illegally?”
“Absolutely not.”, your voice was plain and scary but your mind was exploding of anger. You swore to find who ever got this rumour out and kill him.
“If you want to see our shop itself you can come by this afternoon, to our grand opening party. If you don’t have anymore questions now, I have to leave. There is still a lot to do today.Thanks for the butterbeer.”, you’ve finished your beer and left her alone sitting at the table.
You and Maryam finished just in time to get the shop ready for your party. You saw many of your guests and some other people, that seemed to be interested in what was going on, outside your shop. You saw your family right in front of the crowd and next to them was Mrs Black, Maryams mother.
“Ready?”, you asked grinning at Maryam and she nodded.
You wanted to make your grand opening to be perfect. You two apparated right to outside the front door. A flash of light and then the people started to applause.
“Welcome to POTION DUCHESS!”, you two said synced.
With a flick of your wands the jinx on your windows disappeared and a grand applause started again.
You looked at your parents. They looked so proud of you.
You opened the door and let them all in.
“So you can smile after all.”, with these words Rita Skeeter stepped in side with her photographer sticking at her heals. You closed the door behind them and looked around.
Thanks to the extendable charm Maryam set on to the shop everyone fitted in perfectly fine. Many people of the ministry were here, Amelia Bones from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Rufus Scrimgeour Head of the Aurors, even Cornelius Fudge the minister was here and some others you couldn’t remember the names of. The two greatest potion masters were here, too, Horace Slughorn and Severus Snape. Maryam was talking to her mother. Your parents were looking around like everyone else and Draco wasn’t to interested in anything except for your matagot.
Rita Skeeter started to ask questions from your guests, but they didn’t seemed to mind to much. They were all to stund by the view they got. The shop looked quiet simple from the outside but its inside looked even better then any room in Hogwarts.
The blue and green lights made the place even more magical and all the little and big bottles reflected the lights like they would be alive.
“I am pleased to see, you have found all the ingredients you asked me for. I will give you my next order for my potion class soon.”, Snape said to you in a low voice and strode of again.
On your way to the other side to the room you got hold up from Horace Slughorn: “It is such a pity, I wasn’t your potion master, I would have loved to teach you and Miss Black. But oh my! My pension is great, too. I’ll have to say you two did a great job. You sell already today?”
“I am afraid, Sir, but we only start selling tomorrow.”
“No need to call me Sir, my dear, you aren’t a student anymore. You shall call me Horace and I would be very pleased if you and Miss Black would accept my invitation for a dinner next week.”
“We happily accept, but please excuse me now I have to be with my family now. Please enjoy yourself as long as you are here, Horace.”
He let you go and you went with a smile on your face to Draco.
Draco was playing with James when he asked you: “What is your matagots name? Mum said you haven’t decided yet. Do you think Dad would get me one, too?”
“His name is James and I don’t think you would get one. Matagots aren’t allowed in Hogwarts. But you can come to visit James before term starts again. But if you come inside potion duchess you are not allowed to tell any of your mates in school. We actually only allow witches and wizards of age.”
The party was great and in the following days there was a lot of advertising in the daily prophet and your shop was never out of costumers.
