Exposed

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Exposed



"We don't sell a lot of non-magical zoology books, mind," the shopkeeper at Flourish and Blotts said, dodging 'round a display where a pop-up book sat open, a great big paper orca whale jumping out from it's pages. Charlus Potter followed behind him, pushing the orca aside as he ducked under the outstretched fins. "But the section on non-magical creatures is just over here." He waved to a squat shelf, lined with dusty-looking books. "All by muggles, mind," he added.

"That's fine," Charlus replied, "Muggles probably know better than we do about the non-magical creatures." Charlus knelt beside the shopkeeper as he tugged out a thin purple book. ZooBooks it said across the top, and in the center was a large photograph of a wolf.

"They're technically children's books... but it'll tell you quite a lot about the creatures." The shopkeeper looked the book over a moment, then held it up for Charlus to take.

Charlus flipped through it thoughtfully a moment, then asked, "What about one for stags?"

"Deer?" The shopkeeper dug through the shelf a few more moments, then withdrew another one. This one had a big buck on the cover. "Here we are."

Charlus nodded, "Perfect. I'll take the lot." He took the deer Zoobook and followed the shopkeeper back to the counter till and paid him several silver coins, tucked the books into his pocket, nodded his thank you to the shopkeep and ducked back out into Diagon Alley. He looked about with a sharp eye, pulling a porkpie hat low on his brow as he moved, trying to keep a low profile. Dora had told him not to go to Diagon Alley, to let Kingsley Shacklebolt or Alastor Moody or one of the Prewett brothers to get whatever it was that he needed at the shops for him. But James had specifically asked Charlus to get the books, and it meant a good deal to him to be the one to get the books. Besides, he was getting a bit stir crazy hanging about the Potter house without ever leaving, even if his mates were all visiting almost everyday. He missed going to work and popping about the shops of Diagon Alley to sell the Sleekeazy potion. He missed seeing Madam Malkin and Florean Fortescue and the funny little man who sold toads on the corner by Knockturn Alley. He missed the way it smelled out in the city, and now he stood, disguised as much as was possible to be, taking a deep breath of that scent.

Suddenly, a witch ran into him, scurrying from down the street. She banged into his chest, dropping several vials she held in her arms. They hit the cobblestone ground. One of the three that fell had burst open, sending green stuff spattering across Charlus's robes. She stood there, petrified a moment, staring up at him with wide grey eyes. Charlus didn't know who she was, but he got the feeling she knew exactly who he was by the way she stared at him. He reached for the bottles that hadn't shattered, "Here, let me lend you a hand," he said.

Then there was quite a lot of shouting coming from down the street, and spells being shot through the crowd, a voice that he recognized shouting stunners, and the woman ducked around Charlus and ran on, pulling the hood of her robes up over her head before turning down a side alley and disappearing.

Alastor Moody and Fabian Prewett, both wearing their official Ministry of Magic auror robes, ran up, wands drawn. It had been Fabian's voice that Charlus had heard shouting the stunning spells, and Moody ran on past where Charlus was just getting up, the green vials in his hands and a surprised look on his face. "What's going on?" he asked Fabian Prewett.

Fabian was staring at the vials in Charlus's hands with a peculiar expression on his face. "Oh Potter," he muttered, "Please tell me you didn't touch any of that."

Charlus looked down at the green spattered on his robes and the little bit he'd gotten on his hands in picking up the vial. He looked at Fabian. "What is it?"

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