Puffs of Smoke
Note: Welcome to those new readers and welcome back to past readers of mine. As promised, I am creating a whole new series. I know what I want to do with this story from beginning to end so it will go much smoother. Postings of chapters will be frequent as well. Thank you for giving my writing a chance.
Minka gave one final heave to the door and it cracked open with defeat. The hinges had grown so weary from rust that it wined in agony, echoing down the narrow street of Diagon Alley. People turned and watched as Minka took a few steps into the aged store that had been boarded up for years now.
She inhaled deeply from all the stress of practically knocking down the door, only to cough it back out. Dust swirled in the air as Minka continued to disturb the abandoned store.
The realtor had explained how it used to be a potions store. However it was all a front for the owner to sell dark magic. The place was eventually foreclosed on and had been deemed cursed. She had bought it without haste, eager to start her business as well as pounce at the low price of the building. Not that there was any bidding war for it.
She put her bag down on the counter which caused a splash of yet more dust particles to dance in the air. She waved it out of her face as her eyes began to focus on the dark space. The store was long and narrow, the front and the back of the store were the only places with windows, covered by peeling paper. The side walls held old candle holders with old wax completely caked along their rustic metal. At the very back of the store were a set of stairs that led up to a second story which Minka planned to use as an office as well as storage.
In the centre of the room-where Minka stood, there was a counter that stretched from the centre of the room to the one side of the room and curved along the wall for a few feet. An old cash register still sat in the centre of the counter. Minka tapped a few of the keys, and saw that it still seemed to function okay. All it needed was a little dusting.
Her day dreams of fixing the place were snapped shut as a loud bang occurred outside. She ran to the front of the store and ripped off some of the paper covering the window to pear outside. Some boys were out in the street, throwing little pebbles at each other which exploded in mid-air into flashes of sparks. She simply shook her head and continued to rip the paper off the windows. Light now beamed into the store, making it seem much less gloomy and eerie as it had looked before. She made a note that the first thing she would do-after a much needed dusting-was proper lighting.
Minka worked hard over the next two days to get her store ready. It had been a good time to set up since the Alley had closed for the weekend to set up for back to school time, which was always it's most aspiring time.
She managed to clear out all the dust and spiders that crept into every inch of the place and covered the walls with rich purple draping, and a few purple rugs were placed underneath displays. She managed to find some good candles that lit the store quite well. The store was always bright and beautiful in the early morning and in the evening when the sun would shine through either side. During mid-day was when the candles came in handy, as well as of course at night. She managed to set up her displays in the window and organize her stock around the room.
Everything had been set up and she was putting up the new sign of her store over the door, which read in gold cursive 'Minka's Dream Catchers'/ 'Where Dreams Are Designed By You.'
She had sent out an advertisement for it in the newspaper and the man she had spoken to at The Prophet showed great intrigue about the re-opening of the old store that he sought to have an article written. He said the article was to come out the morning of the big school rush of Diagon Alley, so that would hopefully mean a big turnout.
She opened the front door-now with ease-to head back in and grab her bag. It was all she could do before the opening tomorrow, and she felt the excitement swell in her belly as she thought of finally being able to sell her ideas.
.…Next Morning….
Minka stood in her store early the next morning. She had checked over her window display over a hundred times, making sure it looked perfect and eye catching. The sign in the window read 'Need more free time? Study in your sleep!' While the others read 'Tired of pesky nightmares? Make your own dreams!' with all the different Minka Dream Catchers on their own little shrine in the window. There was a thud at the front door and she saw that it was the paper being dropped off. She quickly grabbed it and flipped through to find the article about her store.
Her heart dropped as she read the Title and proceeded through the article.
THE DARK MAGIC OF DIAGON ALLEY OPEN TO THE COMMON WIZARD'S EYE
We all remember the dark days of 'Zelina Zarco's Potion Recipes and Supplies' when perfectly innocent wizards would step in, but dark masters would step out. We all remember the hushed rumours of murders occurring in that very shop for years until the establishment was finally shut down after finding the owner Zelina herself attempting to trick an Auror into drinking a potion that would cause quite a bloody scene. It was then that Zelina was arrested and questioned.
Zelina explained her whole scheme of luring specific victims in and letting them taste some fantastic new potion that was really death in disguise. No other details were given to the public, and no persons allowed into the old building as Aurors feared curses and hexes surrounding it.
But no more do we live in question of the location of so many murders and shaping of dark minds. The store has now been re-opened for business by a young woman named Minka Maye who hopefully has not already felt the curse of the old building.
The article continued, speaking only of the old horrid stories and the thought of was remains in the building. Nowhere did it mention what Minka's shop sold or even looked like now. She threw the paper onto the counter and closed her eyes in frustration.
She just had to hope that maybe people would not have read the article and would come into her shop with intrigue over her merchandise and not the store's haunted past.
Diagon Alley began to fill up as the time grew closer to opening.
Minka tightened her jet black hair into its pony tail once more and straightened out her pastel pink dress. She stared at the big purple eyes looking back at her in her reflection and nodded to herself.
She opened the front door and propped it open with a little wooden wedge. People eyed her as she turned to face them.
"Welcome to Minka's Dream Catcher's where you make your own dreams-" People stepped past her, not listening to her speech which she had prepared all last night. "Uhm," She followed them inside. They all looked around the old building and she watched as one woman gave a gasp as she seemed to spot something.
"Oh! Those are the beach themed Dream Catchers, great for when you need that island get away." Minka stood beside the display of the beach themed Dream Catchers. All the Dream Catchers appeared as little treasure chests. The beach ones were of an aqua coloured glass that gleamed like waves in the sunlight.
"Oh, no not that. Here! This is where they say Harold Collins drank a potion that caused him to fizzle and burn alive! They say an outline of his body still remains! Look you can see it there." The woman pointed to the floor where the wood appeared a bit darker, but in no way looked like the shape of a person.
"Were there any bones in here?" Said a voice from behind her. She turned to see a boy around the age of twelve.
"No…" The boy looked extremely disappointed.
"What about blood?"
Minka opened her mouth, about to yell at all the curious eyes awaiting her answer when a crash happened outside. White smoke emanated from the street and pooled into Minka's store.
"It's the spirits!" Someone yelled.
"No, it's people outside!" Minka shouted over the panic. She stormed outside to find a couple of children laughing as they waved around the smoke. They threw down a purple ball and another puff of smoke filled the air, but this time the shade of purple.
"Can you please stop that?!" Minka shouted over all of their laughing. "You're disrupting my store!" All the children stopped and looked at Minka, their faces turning to shock.
"It's the cursed lady!" They all screamed and ran, but not before one of them threw a yellow ball at her. Yellow smoke exploded all over her, causing her to cough and sputter. Once it cleared, she looked down to see that she was now splattered with yellow. People walked by giggling at her as she growled under her breath. She turned back to her store where the people inside stopped laughing and quickly ducked back into the alley.
She turned back around and looked at the store in front of her. It was large and colourful and looked completely packed inside. Children ran in and out with different toys that seemed to get more and more obnoxious. She slammed the door of her store closed and locked it, and stormed over to Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, ready to give the owner one big complaint.
