Chapter Twenty-Nine

Thirty Sickles

Laughter rang in the streets as the bus dropped off the students from Hogwarts. They took off in the snow in different directions, some in groups while others running straight for their homes.

"Are you coming over?" Natalie asked Ambrose as they walked down the street.

"No, I'm going to check in with Minerva and then I'm going over to my father's shop to make sure it's ready to open up tomorrow," Ambrose said.

"But he hasn't been back! How could you possibly open the shop when he hasn't finished restocking it yet?" Hope asked.

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's more than enough merchandise to sell. Christmas just isn't the same to me without that shop open," Ambrose said. "Besides, we sold a splendid amount of gift certificates, and it wouldn't be right if we didn't honor them. It'd be a breach of faith."

"I understand," Natalie said. "I think I'll ask Father if I can come help you for a bit tomorrow."

"We can take turns, just like we do at the apothecary," Hope said enthusiastically.

"I don't want you both to be stuck working all holiday…" Ambrose said, shaking his head.

"And what will you be doing then?" Hope challenged him.

"That's different. I'm a seventh year!"

"You may be a seventh year, but I'm still older than you. We're going to help you whether you like it or not," Natalie declared. Ambrose grinned in resignation.

"All right, you win, but I still think you'd be better off spending the time enjoying the snow and visiting your brother and sisters," Ambrose said.

"Fighting with them, you mean," Hope said.

"You're the only one with fights with everyone, Hope," Natalie protested. "Let's walk Ambrose to the shop! I want to see what sort of work we have in store for us tomorrow."

"Good idea," Hope agreed, just as curious as Natalie.

But the shop seemed no different than when they last left it; empty and barren of items with a thick dust settling on the shelves. When the door opened Halcyon and Archimedes flew in, perching on the shelves while the three of them investigated the handful of boxes packed behind the counter.

"Not much here," Hope said glumly, pulling open one of the boxes. "This one is filled with your father's wooden toys, though, and they're always a hit." She took out a toy tiger that growled when she yanked its tail.

"I found a box of those House Elf music boxes," Natalie said. "I love these as well, but there certainly isn't enough here to fill all of those shelves."

"Let me dust a bit so we can unpack those boxes," Ambrose suggested, making sure he dusted off the music box stand first. "And while you're doing that, maybe you can tell me what you want for your birthday, Natalie."

"What I want for my birthday?" Natalie said, her face immediately aglow. Hope groaned loudly. "Oh, practically anything, really! I'm not very picky, you know. I could use some new shoes and ties and I would never turn down a new necklace," she began.

"You realize you opened a can of worms, don't you?" Hope said flatly, but Natalie continued as if she hadn't heard her.

"- and games are always nice as well, anything easy to share, really, but of course we usually get games for Christmas. I suppose I could ask for something for school, not that I really need anything but I'm sure mother and father would want me to. Perhaps a new book bag would suffice? One with those gold clamps that are charmed never to break… oh, and perhaps something to keep my hair out of my face… when I'm doing homework, you know." Hope rolled her eyes.

"And what do you want for Christmas, Hope?" Ambrose asked.

"Maybe a new Bludger Bat to hit my sister with," Hope said, Natalie sticking her tongue out at her.

"Oh, come on, you can do better than that," Ambrose prodded.

"Well, I really would like a new broom this year, and I am also hoping for some sparring gloves or maybe one of those folding wooden chess sets so I can take to school," Hope explained. "I wonder if there are any dragons in here?"

"Chuck doesn't do dragons anymore. He says he's grown out of them," Natalie reminded her.

"He says, but I know better. I've seen his room," Hope snorted.

"Well, I don't know if that's a good idea, but I bet Amber would like one, perhaps that tiger. What do you suppose we should get Mum this year?"

"Another plant?"

"We always get her a plant," Hope protested. "Let's get her something else. Maybe something like this?" she said, picking up a pair of silky silver gloves with silver rose clasps. She felt something inside and realized there was a handwritten card attached. "What's this? It reads, 'These gloves are made of a type of Sidhe silk that is very strong. Despite appearances, they will not stain or tear and the sharpest of thorns cannot penetrate them. Suitable for every occasion from gardening to dinner engagements.' Why! It's almost as if these were made for her!"

"I think that's my father's handwriting," Ambrose said with a smile when he looked over her shoulder.

"But where did they come from? I didn't see them in either of the boxes," Hope said.

Just then they heard the door rattle and turned around to see their father poke his head in the door.

"I had a feeling you'd be here. You were supposed to go straight home," Corey scolded them lightly.

"We were just helping Ambrose put out some things…" Natalie began, and then couldn't help but stare when she noticed that most of the shelves were filled with items from bludger bats to fishing bait.

"They did a good job," Ambrose said supportively.

"Can I get these for Mum while I'm here? They're gardening gloves!" Hope explained, showing them to Corey.

"They don't look like gardening gloves…"
"They are. Here read the label!"

"Ack, no!" Corey chuckled, putting up his hands in protest. "I believe you, I believe you! Go put your money in the jar so I can get the two of you home. Ambrose, you should be heading home as well. You can always be back bright and early tomorrow after you've unpacked and gotten some rest."

"Yes, and us! We're going to help him with the shop!" Hope declared. "Holiday rush, you know."

"Then who is going to help me?" Corey protested.

"We'll do both!" Natalie said. "It'll be fun."

"Fun," Corey repeated skeptically. "Well, it's your holiday, I suppose. Personally, if anyone had told me I had to work all Christmas holiday when I was your age, I would have run for the hills. Come on, Ambrose."

"Let's go, Archimedes, Halcyon. We'll be back first thing in the morning," Ambrose promised. But Halcyon had just gotten comfortable on his old perch and apparently had no intention of leaving. "All right, have it your way. See you in the morning!"

It was a quiet evening. No wolves howled in the distance, and the rooms in the back of his mother's shop seemed warm, cozy, and secure. He felt like a little boy again, waking up to the smell of breakfast, snuggly slippers for his feet, and all the toys he had played with when he was younger surrounding him as if they were trophies that should be dusted but never thrown away.

"Such a splendid morning, isn't it?" Ashley greeted cheerfully when he shuffled into the kitchen. The moment he sat down, there was food sliding out of the skillet and onto his plate. "Snow fell again last night while we were sleeping. It really does feel like Yule and Christmas is around the corner! What would you like for Christmas, Ambrose?"

"I want my father to come home," Ambrose admitted. Ashley sighed, gazing at him in understanding before she began to prepare her own plate.

"Yes, I miss him terribly as well," Ashley said. "He said he would try to make it back before Christmas, but we both know just how important his work is. Terribly important… two universes rely on his meddling, even if they don't realize he's doing it. And honestly, he isn't the sort of person to be tied down. It goes against his very nature…"

"I know," Ambrose said. "But I would still like him to be home for Christmas."

"Yes, me too," Ashley agreed with a sympathetic smile. "How about something a bit more tangible for a present?"

"Will a hug work?" Ambrose said with a smile.

"Oh, Ambrose," Ashley chuckled, accepting the hug. "You're such a good boy! I don't know what I'd do without you."

Ambrose sighed softly, glad he didn't hint at what he really wanted to ask for. Now was not the time with his father gone, he decided. Perhaps he'd pick something else and worry about Whitebridge later.

The next morning, he entered the shop to see an Unremarkable Suitcase on one of the shelves. Chuckling to himself, he checked over everything else, let in the familiars, and fixed the sign to reflect when he'd be working. He polished the counter and then grabbed a shovel to clean the entryway. But when he opened the door, he saw five kids waiting out front with folded arms.

"I thought you were going to let us help you," Hope said flatly.

"I wasn't expecting you guys to be out here this early," Ambrose grinned.

"I want to help too!" Destiny said.

"I want to shop!" Amber said.

"Don't look at me, I got ambushed into this," Charles said dourly. "Besides, I have to help in Dad's shop in an hour."

"Then why don't you run around town and let folks know that Toby's Trinkets is now open. You are open, aren't you?" Natalie said, gazing at Ambrose.

"Yes, after I clear the entryway…"

"I've got that!" Hope said, yanking the shovel out of his hands.

"I'll spread the word, then," Charles said, taking off down the street.

"I want to help! I want to help!" Destiny declared. Natalie picked her up.

"You can help by watching over these two familiars so they don't get into trouble. You know how familiars can be," Natalie said, putting the little girl on the stool. Destiny nodded sagely at her, then began eyeing Archimedes and Halcyon, who then stared back at her in confusion.

"Does she really buy that?" Ambrose said dubiously.

"Sure, it works at home all the time," Hope said, clearing a path.

It didn't take long for word to spread, and soon the shop was filled with chattering customers, perusing the shelves and talking excitedly about the approaching holiday. Ambrose smiled privately to himself, watching from behind the counter. It was curious how effectively the counter seemed to distance him from the customers… or was it something else? Despite the bustle, he felt strangely alone with his thoughts as if the rest of the goings on was just background noise, or perhaps music that one put on when one was trying to think. Does his father often feel like that, he wondered? It was like watching an orchestra but not playing an instrument and yet… somehow Ambrose was quite sure he wasn't watching the performance so much as he was watching a dress rehearsal. They didn't seem ready to play…

"Are you all feeling all right, Ambrose?"

Ambrose shook himself out of it to see Nancy Parker standing near the counter, gazing at him with open concern.

"Yes, I was just… feeling a bit profound for a moment," Ambrose said, realizing after the fact just how odd that sounded. But Nancy grinned at him.

"You sound like Toby," she said with a chuckle. "I had a friend give me one of these certificates. Is it true that I can pick out anything that I want?"

"Oh, sure. Anything that isn't nailed down or hasn't been already claimed by someone, at any rate," Ambrose said. Archimedes hooted pointedly, as if to remind everyone he fit into that category.

"That's great! Now I just have to pick something. I guess that's the hard part," Nancy said, looking around at the chaos.

"Mittens!" Destiny suggested.

"Pickles!" said Amber, holding up a jar she had found on the shelf.

"Why is there a single puzzle piece on this shelf?" Hope asked in confusion.

"I'm fairly sure I don't need that," Nancy decided.

"Well, what do you need?" Ambrose asked.

"Nothing that I can think of," Nancy said, and began going over the shelves with a frown. "Well, nothing except…"

"What?" Ambrose prompted.

"No, it's nothing," Nancy said with an apologetic smile before she began wandering about again.

"How about a pumpkin butter sandwich?" Hope suggested, taking one off the shelf. But before she could take a bite out of it, Natalie smacked her hand away and pointed her to the jar.

"I think the shop is trying to tell you it's time you went home for lunch," Ambrose said with a grin.

"I want to go too!" Destiny decided. Before long they were all saying their goodbyes, and Ambrose waved and breathed a sigh of relief when they finally left.

Nancy decided to walk back with them, leaving empty handed. What could it have been she was really wanting, Ambrose wondered, and began going through the shelves himself to try and figure out which of the items had been meant for her. Whatever it was, it must have been quite personal if she hadn't wanted to talk about it. She had always been very open to Ambrose in the past. Suddenly, a book caught his eye; a book of Shakespeare, it seemed, with Romeo and Juliet being one of three plays featured. Was this what she was after? Perhaps not intentionally, Ambrose decided. What she really wanted was some way to keep her relationship with Dirk from becoming a tragedy.

Ambrose sighed softly, wishing could figure out some way to help. If only his father would get back… surely he'd have some ideas on how to help them. Then again, it would be just as likely for him to withhold giving any advice on the subject; in hopes they somehow worked it out for themselves. Trying to predict just what Merlin's reaction would be to any given situation could be just as unpredictable as his comings and goings. But he himself knew what advice he would give, no matter how dangerous it could be; Dirk was going to have to tell his father the truth.

A question from Corey Martin about the puzzle piece interrupted his thoughts, and soon he was too busy working to think about it anymore. It was always fun to work in the shop, but it was also quite hectic; practically everyone local who could get away from their own stores and homes stopped buy either to shop or to make sure it would be open the next day as if they were all afraid it'd disappear again.

It was fairly late in the afternoon when things began to quiet down; first the town visitors hurried off, then even the locals began to scatter, consciously aware of the approaching sunset.

"I suppose we ought to think about locking up," Ambrose decided, the two familiars twirping and hooting in agreement. "I said five o'clock on the sign, though. I suppose we have about ten minutes, so I'll go restock the music boxes."

As he walked towards the window display, he couldn't help but notice that there was a man standing outside; a bit portly and blonde, well-dressed and carrying a cane. Of course, it hadn't been the first time that Ambrose had seen him standing there, but something was different this time. The man's eyes no longer looked as if he were staring at a wall. In fact, Ambrose was fairly sure that he was reading the sign on the door. The man glanced at his watch and then into the window, looking straight at Ambrose. He nodded then with a thin smile that Ambrose couldn't read, but he really hadn't wanted to. His heart was pounding and his mind was racing. Why could he see the shop? He was quite certain his father didn't want him in here, so why could he see it now? Just then, a second man Apparated beside the first, and it was someone that Ambrose recognized immediately. After a quick word to the first man, the two approached the shop together causing Ambrose to back up and then scramble behind the counter.

The blonde man opened the door, stepping in with an amazed look on his face.

"It worked! It actually worked!" he said in awe. "I never thought I'd ever get back in here again!"

"This is the shop you've been pining over?" Nelson said dubiously, grimacing at the selection of handcuffs, shackles, and flogging whips. "It appears to be nothing more than a pawn shop, and not a very good one at that."

"This isn't a pawn shop," Ambrose said evenly. "And I really don't think my father would want either of you shopping in here."

"We are not shopping so much as we are claiming," Nelson replied, showing him the gift certificate.

"How did you get those?" Ambrose stammered.

"Gifts from a friend, what else?" said the other man.

"Just tell him what you're here for, Amadeus. He doesn't need to know that," Nelson warned.

"I am looking for a potion, and I've heard this is the only place that sells them. A special potion that cures… well, actually what it does is…"

"He is looking for an potion to cure impotency," Nelson interrupted bluntly. Amadeus glared at him. "The same one that Snape bought to increase the size of his already horrendously large family."

"Oh!" Ambrose said, glancing over the shelves thoughtfully and scratching his head. "I don't think I've seen any potions in here all day, come to think of it. You might want to look around to double check, though."

"You are going to keep the shop open while we look, correct?" Amadeus said.

"Well, not for very long. There's a curfew in town, you see, so if I'm not home by five past five, my mother is likely to worry," Ambrose explained.

"You have enough responsibility to run this entire shop by yourself and yet you can't walk home on your own?" Nelson asked, squinting at him slightly.

"Well, it's the law, after all," Ambrose explained. Nelson rolled his eyes. "I will help you look."

"I don't see anything that even remotely looks like a potion bottle. Not even so much as a jar of perfume," Amadeus said with frustration. "Are you certain there aren't any in the back?"

"No, there isn't anything left back there but a few crates of toys," Ambrose admitted.

"Then why bother opening the shop at all if all there is left is a handful of junk? You should have waited until your father came back from his shopping trip. You'll do no business with this sort of thing… shackles, handcuffs, a bit of tying rope, a set of horse blinders…"

"Do you need a set of blinders?" Ambrose asked suddenly.

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm a better horseman than that! Amadeus, I don't see anything that could possibly be… hm, what is in that pouch?" he said, grabbing it off the shelf. "It's a small coin pouch. It even has Sickles in it. Someone must have left it."

"I don't think anyone left it," Ambrose said evenly. "I think it is part of the merchandise." Nelson turned and stared at him.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I have heard of! Who would sell a pouch of Sickles, especially in a shop where you name your own price?" Nelson said. "There must be over a Galleon and a half in here…" he said counting them out.

"Don't you ever think of anything besides money?" Amadeus said with exasperation, still digging through the shelves.

"Thirty Sickles, and the person who bought this certificate paid a Galleon for it. I think I'll take it," Nelson decided, putting the certificate in the jar.

"Thirty Sickles? Isn't that supposed to mean something?" Amadeus wondered out loud.

"It means you ought to watch your back," Ambrose said, looking over the shelf beside him. Nelson whirled around in surprise and walked over to Ambrose, pulling him around by the shirt collar.

"Exactly what are you accusing me of, Tinker?" Nelson growled dangerously.

"I'm not accusing you of anything," Ambrose said. "I just think you're the type that would sell anyone out if you thought there was a profit in it."

"Why you little…"

"Would you kindly take your hand off my son?" The stern warning came from directly behind them, and the voice was unmistakably Toby's.

Nelson hadn't meant to actually obey that voice, but somehow he found his arms at his sides, still managing to clench them in anger.

"Father! You're back!" Ambrose said delightedly.

"Yes, and just in time, it would seem. Mr. Nelson, I see you somehow managed to buy something. You had better leave before I lose my temper," Toby said with a flash in his eyes.

"My companion hasn't found what he is looking for yet," Nelson said unconcernedly.

"If he's looking for what I think he is looking for, he may as well stop looking. There are no potions in the shop," Toby said firmly.

"Did you happen to find any more in your travels?" Amadeus asked.

"No, and those potions take a lot of time, energy and personal sacrifice to make. I am not likely to get any more back in this shop for at least another twenty years or so."

"Perhaps the formula is for sale?" Nelson ventured.

"No, sir, it is not," Toby said.

"Are you sure? I could probably make it worth your while," Amadeus said.

"No, sir, you cannot," Toby said. "This shop closes in two minutes, and since neither of you are likely to get in here again, so I suggest you make up your mind quick, Mr. Longbottom."

"Have it your way, then. Pick something, Amadeus," Nelson said.

Amadeus sighed and turned to the shelves in the middle of the room. For a moment it looked as if he was planning to pick up the horse blinders, but after a warning hiss from Nelson, he picked up the shackles instead.

"I'll take that myself, thank you," Toby said when Amadeus was about to put the certificate in the jar. "Kindly be on your way, I need to make some security adjustments before I walk the boy home."

"Add as much as you like," Nelson said. "But we will be back, Mr. Tinker, and we will get that formula, one way or another. Every man has his price."

"Yes, and now we know yours," Toby said, opening the door for them and locking it the moment they were outside. Suddenly both of the men seemed to be tossed forward onto the street, and when they turned they found themselves staring at a brick wall once more. "Shackles. By my Lady, I hope that girl wanders into my shop before he starts to get bored with her," Toby murmured under his breath.

"What girl?" Ambrose asked.

"Never you mind about that, we have something else to discuss. Where did these certificates come from?" Toby asked.

"Oh uh… well, I made them, actually, for a school fundraiser. I didn't think anyone like Nelson would get a hold of one, Father. I certainly didn't know it would let them in the shop!" Ambrose said.

"A gift certificate is sort of like a contract for an exchange of services, Ambrose. Being an honorable boy, you felt honor bound to fulfill them all. You simply didn't think to safeguard against someone having one who shouldn't," Toby said with a sigh.

"I wasn't expecting anyone except students and their families to have them," Ambrose said glumly. "And I'm not sure how I'd have safeguarded them."

"Simply by including the lovely little phrase, 'Void Where Prohibited' along the bottom of the certificate would have sufficed," Toby pointed out.

"Really? Wow, I should have thought of that," Ambrose said sheepishly. "Sorry, Father."

"Oh, it's all right, Ambrose, it was an honest mistake, after all," Toby said, patting the boy's shoulder while looking distractedly around the shop. "How many of those dreaded things are out there, anyway?"

"I don't know… fifty or sixty…"

"Fifty or Sixty!"

"Our shop sold more than practically anybody's," Ambrose explained. "Except for Honeydukes. We're always popular at Christmas."

"Ho ho ho," Toby said without enthusiasm, wondering if he wouldn't have been better off staying in the Otherworld until spring.