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Second Hand Books, Northern Diagon Alley, London
Meanwhile, Andromeda, completely unaware of what had happened to Nymphadora in the few minutes they were apart, was haggling with the owner of the second-hand bookshop. "Mr. Herbert… aren't we old acquaintances? I'm in a bit of a bind this time… Couldn't you lower the price a bit more?"
"Mrs. Tonks… 15 Sickles is already a fair price I'm offering," Mr. Herbert said, shaking his head.
Andromeda pressed on, "Come now, sir… we both know that's not quite true. Fifteen Sickles is still too steep. How about 5 Sickles?" She placed five silver coins on the counter, pushing them forward with her fingers.
Mr. Herbert eyed the coins and pushed them back. "Sorry, but that won't do. Selling at that price, I'd be making nothing. The lowest I can go is 13 Sickles."
"Make it 7 then," Andromeda said, pulling out two more silver coins and adding them to the five, pushing all seven towards Herbert.
But once again, Herbert shook his head. "Seven's far too low. I've got a shop to run and a family to feed." He pushed the coins back.
"And what about 9?" Andromeda asked, placing two more coins on the counter and nudging all nine towards him.
Once more, Mr. Herbert shook his head. "Can't do, I'm afraid. Eleven Sickles is my final offer. Any less and I'd be selling at a loss."
Andromeda pursed her lips, hesitating before reluctantly adding another silver coin. "This is all I've got… ten Sickles. Any less and I won't be able to send my daughter to Hogwarts. I really don't want that, and I don't believe that you'd be able to live with yourself either if my daughter couldn't go to Hogwarts just because you didn't decrease the price of books by a sickle… Please, Mr. Herbert, accept these ten Sickles and give me the books, will you?"
Mr. Herbert glanced at her helpless expression and finally relented, accepting the ten sickles. "Alright then, but this is a one-off. I'm practically selling these at a loss this time, but it won't happen again. Next time, no massive discounts—no less than the full price, not a single sickle less."
Andromeda beamed as she picked up the stack of books and tucked them into her sling bag, before bowing lightly to Mr. Herbert, "You're a lifesaver, Mr. Herbert!"
Mr. Herbert waved her off, signalling she should leave quickly. He had other customers waiting and didn't want them catching wind of the bargain he'd given her — it'd be a right nuisance if they started demanding the same deal.
Andromeda, aware of the situation, didn't linger and stepped out of the shop.
While walking down the cobbled street, she glanced over her list of supplies in her hand. "Parchment, quill, ink, books, and other tidbits sorted. Only the Raw Materials for the Potion, the Brass Cauldron, and the robes are left now. I've got twenty sickles — ten for the train ticket, so that leaves ten sickles for the Raw Materials, robes, and Brass Cauldron... Uh… what now…?"
Quite obviously, ten sickles isn't enough to buy all three things… Let alone all three of them… even one can't be bought…
She let out a soft sigh, gently stroking the diamond-studded silver ring on the ring finger of her left hand. After a moment, she muttered, "Looks like I've no other choice…" and headed off to GalleLoans.
…
Gringotts, Southern Diagon Alley, London
Once again, standing outside Gringotts, Rigel extended his hand. "Well then, Mr. Mulligrub… thank you for your time, and I apologise for any inconvenience caused."
"It's alright, Mr. Hemsworth," Mr. Mulligrub replied with mixed feelings, letting out a sigh. "I'll finish vacating the premises by the end of the first week of September."
They'd completed the paperwork, and according to it, he must clear out by then. Only after vacating would he receive the compensation for the contract's annulment.
"Yes, take your time," Rigel nodded in a businesslike manner.
As they spoke, Kreacher suddenly appeared behind Rigel and called out respectfully, "Master…"
"Ah… seems I'm a bit tied up at the moment, Mr. Mulligrub, so I'll take my leave."
"Understandable. I'll be returning to my shop then; my wife's alone there," nodded Mr. Mulligrub.
"Please do," Rigel agreed, watching as the man left Gringotts.
Left alone with Kreacher, Rigel stepped aside and asked, "How's it looking?"
"The filthy half-blood has been taken away as per your orders, Master Rigel," Kreacher replied respectfully.
"Any trouble?" questioned Rigel.
"None," said Kreacher.
"Good. Now keep an eye on them, stay hidden. I'll arrive soon with Aunty. And don't get caught."
"Kreacher remembers," said the old house elf before vanishing.
Rigel smiled beneath his blond beard and set off to find Andromeda. "It's time, my dear Aunt Andromeda…"
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GalleLoans, Northern Diagon Alley, London
"Here you go… that's all it's worth," said the clerk at GalleLoans, plonking three sickles on the counter in exchange for the ring Andromeda handed over.
Andromeda blinked, taken aback, then shot the clerk a sharp look. "Only three sickles? That's a diamond ring!"
The clerk gave her a knowing smirk. "Madam… are you a pure-blood who's never set foot in the Muggle world?"
She frowned in confusion. "What's that got to do with you trying to rip me off? Three sickles for a diamond ring?"
Andromeda's reaction only confirmed the employee's thoughts, making him chuckle as he said, "Those three sickles? That's just for the silver." He paused, then added, "The diamond? Completely worthless, really…"
"Worth… worthless? What do you mean by worthless? That's a diamond—how could it be worthless?" Andromeda asked, anger rising. Then, a sudden thought struck her and she pressed further, "Are you saying I'm trying to pawn off a transmuted diamond?"
The employee shook his head. "No, no… It's not transmuted. I can see that clearly…"
"Then… what's the problem?" she asked.
"But just 'cause it's not transmuted doesn't mean it's genuine… It's still a fake diamond," he replied.
"What… what do you mean?" Andromeda asked, bewildered.
"That's why I asked if you've been to the Muggle world," he shrugged. "They've long mastered creating diamonds in labs, just like we transmute things or brew potions. That diamond on your ring? It's one of those lab-grown ones… artificially made, so it's practically worthless."
"How… how can that be?" she murmured in disbelief.
"That's just how it is," he said with a shrug. "Lately, this sort of thing's been on the rise… plenty of Muggle-born wizards bringing in artificial diamonds and other artificial and fake jewels to pawn, gift to acquaintances, or flog to wealthy pure-blood families—all to cosy up and make connections in high wizarding society. But honestly, they're just trying to rip people off—it's become a proper nuisance." He paused, then added, "Anyway, if you want to pawn the ring, go ahead. But don't expect anyone to give you a Knut more than three sickles for it."
"You're lying… this was my engagement ring… Ted gave it to me. He said it wasn't stolen or anything… he worked hard for it," Andromeda protested.
The clerk sighed helplessly. "I've no reason to lie, madam. And I'm sorry to say, whoever this Ted is, he's the one who's had you on. This sort of thing doesn't take hard graft. It's as cheap as chips." He bent down, pulling out a medium-sized bowl from a drawer, and placed it before her. "If you still don't believe me, take a look at these. All jewelleries studded with 'diamonds' quite like the one on your ring—worthless, every last one."
Andromeda eyed the lot—bracelets, tiaras, earrings, watches, necklaces, rings, and more. She ran her hand over the bowl, picking up a few pieces, and asked, "All of these… worthless?"
"Yes," the clerk confirmed without batting an eye.
"How can this be...?" Andromeda murmured, taken aback. She gently placed the jewellery back into the bowl, reached for her engagement ring, and quietly left the shop.
The clerk watched her go, shrugged, and put the bowl away, then picked up the three sickles from the counter.
At that moment, a fellow employee who'd been observing the whole scene walked over and asked, "Another one with those fake diamonds, eh?"
"Yeah," the first clerk nodded. "That woman's engagement ring was a fake. Some Muggle-born probably tricked her into marrying him, promising a happy life and all that, and now this..." He added, "The bloke likely thought marrying a pure-blood witch would give him a better life, more opportunities, and maybe even a slice of the family fortune she might inherit."
After all, some wizarding families are quite keen on Muggle-borns marrying in—especially now that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's regime is over. Some Muggle-born wizards are trying to take advantage of that and cheat the witches and wizards of rich and pure-blood families into becoming part of them.
"I do pity those poor wizards and witches caught up in these scams," said the second employee.
…
"How… how could Ted lie to me…?" she murmured, her voice thick with sadness.
What stung wasn't just that the diamond on the ring was fake—it was the lie, the betrayal. He'd told her he'd worked day and night to earn it for their wedding… and now, it turned out to be a lie. He hadn't worked hard at all, he'd only deceived her with a fake!
Of course, she understands that, in the end, it's the feelings that count… and she wouldn't have minded if the diamond on the ring was a fake, so long as he'd been honest about it… But he wasn't. Instead, he kept the truth to himself and lied, saying it was a real diamond.
Heartbroken, she slipped the ring back into her sling bag.
Earlier, she'd been reluctant to take it off and pawn it in the first place. Just walking into GalleLoans with the thought of pawning off her precious wedding ring had left her feeling distraught and terribly guilty. But now, having removed it and learned it was fake—tied to a lie he'd told on their wedding day—she simply couldn't bear to wear it again.
A relationship, a marriage, is built on trust. When deceit creeps in, that trust shatters. Even a small lie, when told to your partner, is a betrayal. If confessed, it can be forgiven, but if kept hidden and later uncovered by other means, that's when trust vanishes.
And that's exactly what started happening with Andromeda.
Having found out Ted had lied about the ring, she began to wonder what else he'd deceived her about. Was their entire relationship—a marriage they'd built together—just a lie?
'Did he only marry me because I was from a pure-blood family and for the advantages that came with it?'
'Was that all he cared about?'
'Was he bitter that my family disowned me for marrying him, and he lost all the advantages that he could have had if the Blacks didn't disown me?'
'Is that why our marriage became dry after Nymphadora was born?'
As one question after another swirled in her mind, Andromeda sighed and shook her head. "Now's not the time to dwell on that sort of thing… First and foremost, I need to figure out how to get supplies sorted for Dora's third year…"
But she was utterly helpless in the matter…
"Raw materials for potions… Bronze cauldron… robes… and just 20 Sickles…"
Clearly, that small sum wouldn't cover everything.
"Calm down… let's put the raw materials and Bronze cauldron on hold for now. There are still three weeks left—we can figure something out in that time. For now, Dora's robes need sorting; she'll be waiting for me at the Second-Hand Robes. Let's get those done first."
With that in mind, she decided not to dawdle and headed straight for the Second-Hand Robes.
But she'd barely taken a step when someone called out behind her, "Huh? Aunt Andromeda… you're still here? Haven't you finished your shopping and gone home yet?"
Andromeda paused. "Rigel?" Only he ever called her Aunt Andromeda. She turned around—but to her surprise, there was no sign of the small boy she expected. Instead, a blonde-haired, blonde-bearded man she didn't recognise was walking towards her.
"Was I imagining things?" she murmured, ignoring the middle-aged man, and thought that perhaps she was too tired and stressed, and had imagined the voice.
'Is it desperation making me hope I'll bump into him?' she thought, shaking her head as she turned away… but then the very same voice called out again, "Aunt Andromeda… wait a moment…"
This time, she was certain she'd heard it clearly. 'It's not my mind playing tricks… It's definitely him,' she thought.
Turning around, she still didn't see the boy. Instead, the blonde-haired, blonde-bearded man was waving at her.
Confused, she glanced behind herself to see if the man was waving at someone else, but there was no one there. Doubtful, she pointed at herself and looked at the man with a bewildered expression.
The middle-aged man, now almost at her side, said, "Yes… I'm waving at you, Aunty."
"Huh?" Andromeda was utterly confused. But hearing him call her Aunty, she suddenly wondered if this man might be Rigel, and tentatively asked, "Rigel?"
"That's right," Rigel nodded.
"Why're you looking like that?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. "Did you drink Polyjuice Potion or summat?"
"Something like that," Rigel answered vaguely, then shifted back to his true self—black hair, black eyes, and a child's body—and quickly explained, "Had some business with the owner of Mulligrubs Materia Medica… couldn't exactly meet him looking like a child. Wouldn't have been very convincing or intimidating. Might've been underestimated, so I had to do it…" He paused, then switched topics. "Anyway, Aunty… you're still here? Thought you and Cousin Dora would've left by now after completing your shopping."
"We… we were just about to leave," Andromeda replied a bit awkwardly.
"Oh… but where's Cousin Dora then?" he asked, curious, looking around.
"She's at the shop getting her robes ready. I was just about to fetch her and the robes, then we'd head home… It's getting late after all," Andromeda explained before turning the question on him. "And you… What are you still doing about here? It's not safe to be wandering Diagon Alley alone for too long."
"Hahaa… well, I had that guise on, so no one thought I was a kid. Besides, I'm with you now, so no worries, yeah?" Rigel replied with a cheeky smile. "Do you mind if I tag along? I've never actually seen Hogwarts robes properly, and I'd like to take a proper look at them… I'm planning to set up a business soon, and it's a bit related."
Andromeda blinked, intrigued. "Business? What kind of business?"
She'd toyed with the idea of starting something herself, but had quickly dismissed it—didn't think her situation allowed it. Now here was this kid, who seemed a bit too mature for his age, already planning a venture. Naturally, she was curious.
"Curious, are you? How about I explain on the way to fetch Cousin and her robes? Then we can sit down at the Leaky Cauldron and have a proper meal while I tell you all about it and also check out her robes," Rigel offered.
"I… I wouldn't want to impose," Andromeda tried to decline, worried about footing the bill.
"Nonsense, Aunty. I insist. It'd be nice to have company at dinner. Been eating alone for the past year," Rigel said, trying to tug at her heartstrings. "And of course, dinner's on me. Think of it as an apology for the delay I caused you back at Gringotts…"
Andromeda shook her head. "No need to apologise for that; you actually saved us. If it weren't for your interference, we might've been in a right pickle…"
Rigel shrugged it off. "Ah, it's nothing really. Well then, shall we get a move on?"
Seeing the sincerity in his eyes, feeling a pang of sympathy, while also feeling the need to be in some company after what she learned at the GalleLoan, Andromeda relented. "Alright then… let's do that."
She was also genuinely curious to hear about this business he had in mind.
Seeing the scene unfold just as he'd planned, Rigel chuckled to himself, 'Kukuku…'
After all, when she's at her most distraught and vulnerable, he needs to be right there by her side, doesn't he?
How else would she end up begging him to save her daughter's life, willing to sacrifice anything and everything in return?
How else would she feel so indebted to him for dragging him into a mess that wasn't his, leaving her no choice but to accept whatever he offers out of guilt?
And how else would her daughter come to see him as her hero if he isn't there to complete the hero saves the damsel in distress trope?
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That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed reading this one!
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