Author's notes: I do not own Harry Potter nor associates. Please review. Explanations for new term/spells/magical item are at post-fic author's notes. Thank you.
The duo went back to the cryptex, Harry picking it up gingerly. He turned the dials carefully, forming "I love you". His fingers trembled slightly, for he was unsure what to expect when the cryptex is opened. Draco watched the marble cylinder slide out, a rolled up piece of parchment curled up around a glass tube in the centre. The glass tube must contain vinegar, thought Draco. Harry motioned Draco to pick up the papyrus- it was meant to be his. Draco reached out for the papyrus, which was far more hardy and rigid than the parchment they use. He tugged at the papyrus and unrolled it, revealing characters that were foreign to both.
"What are these?" Harry asked, staring hard at the black strokes on the paper, clueless about what they meant.
"I think it's Chinese of some sort. I recall seeing something alike at Mortfare." Draco replied, as he fingered the complex Chinese characters on the paper, remembering it from Mortfare, the Chinese apothecary in Knockturn Alley. Draco used to go to Knockturn Alley a lot with his father, weaving through the various shops dealing in the dark Arts, they had their private supplies of potions and ingredients that has been banned by the Ministry of Magic, or at least Hogwarts. Lucius even held some of the shops in the dingy alley, leasing it out to the tenants. This enabled young Draco to be able to run around the otherwise dangerous place without much harm coming to him.
"Mortfare?" Harry had not the slightest idea where, or what Mortfare is.
"It's in Knockturn alley. Owned by this Chinese wizard. Used to go there a lot to buy those Chinese herbs," explained Draco. "We should go there one day to ask him about this." He rolled up the parchment and slotted it back into the marble cylinder. He disposed the vinegar and kept the cryptex in his cloak.
"Go to Knockturn alley? Are you out of your mind?" Harry can never forget that incident at Knockturn alley in year two, how he got to Knockturn alley by accident. How the dark wizards and witches glared at him, some spat in sight of him. These mental images alone gave him the shudders.
"Harry Potter. Do not step over the line. Don't think that just because I trust you, you can insult me. I am Draco Malfoy. I have my connections, don't you think I'm daft. As for now, I shall go back to my dormitory and you shall not breathe a word about tonight." With that, Draco left the room and went back to the Slytherin dungeon. Feigning anger in front of Harry was certainly more difficult than he thought. Draco stormed out of the Gryffindor dungeon, the voice of the Fat Lady cursing trailing behind him. Suddenly, a cloak covered him and Harry appeared beside him.
"Filch is somewhere nearby," warned Harry as he pointed to the Marauder's Map. The cloak was big enough for the two, but Harry still stuck close to Draco, the two bodies at dangerous proximity from each other. Harry, being slightly taller than Draco, was literally breathing down his neck, his warm breath encircling Draco's neck. Harry catches a wift of the shampoo Draco used, as well as his cologne. Who on earth would wear cologne to sleep? Harry wondered. Draco could feel Harry's warm breath on his neck, but continued to walk under the invisibility cloak.
The two reached the Slytherin dungeon sooner than they thought. Draco had wanted to turn around to thank Harry for sending him back, but he did not want to fear another lip-brushing with him. This just was not the time to get touchy.
The two had arranged to go down to Knockturn alley during the Hogsmeade weekend, to use the Floo powder at the fire place at the Shrieking Shack. The Shrieking Shack has been restored after the Sirius Black incident at Year 3, and being turned into an inn, where wizarding folks could stay all. The fireplace was registered on the Floo network, but students were not allowed to use it. "Rules are meant to be broken," Draco volunteered and dragged Harry along on this.
Draco had brought along only the papyrus and not the accostrome, lest he brought too much attention to himself. He led Harry through the winding alley, by passing many dark wizards and witches who scorned them. Some gave due respect to Draco, for they were tenants of the Malfoys' buildings. The two soon stopped outside this tiny shop, its meek signboard hanging dangerously above the narrow doorway. The door was made of hard wood, and a big brass knocker a quarter height from the top. The knocker was a figure of a lion, with big bulging eyes, its mouth wide open, biting on to a big ring. Draco lifted the other end of the ring, and knocked it against the door a few times. The ring hinged on the lion's mouth, and for a moment, Harry thought he heard the lion roar.
"Come in," a husky voice said. Draco pushed the door open and pulled Harry into the shop. The shop was dark, like many others along Knockturn Alley. Bird cages were hanging on poles straddled along the ceiling, each containing a pigeon. Rows and rows of wooden drawers lined the wall, and similarly, Chinese characters were engraved on the drawers, and painted gold. The shop resembled an apothecary, jars of bizarre ingredients can be seen stacked up in the different corners of the shop, strong scent of sandalwood hit the duo like a draft. An old balding man appeared from behind a blind and greeted them. The Chinese had thin moustache as the corners of his mouth. Dressed in a Chinese shirt, the old man scrutinized Harry with his slit-like eyes, but not paying any more attention than that.
"This is Mr. Sun," Draco introduced, taking extra care in pronouncing "Sun" as "Soon", the way the wizard had taught him. Mr. Sun was one of the few wizards Draco truly respected, not only for his extreme wealth of knowledge; he was wise and was considered a sage back in China. "Mr. Sun, this is Harry Potter." The two nodded at each other. Draco fished out the papyrus from his bag and showed it to the sage.
"I found this and I was thinking if you could translate it for me," Draco requested, all polite and nice. The sage took a look at the characters on the paper and knotted his brows.
"Are you sure this is meant for you?" The sage asked, seemingly puzzled by how Draco came into possession of the passage.
"Yes, I was directed to it. What does it say? Is it something vile?" Draco enquired, fearing that the content was of a greater evil.
"No, no, it is not vile, but it is an ingredients list. This is interesting," The sage stood up from his chair and paced around behind his counter. Harry could hear him mumbling to himself in a foreign language, and Harry presumed that it was Chinese. "It seems to be a concoction for a medicine to treat a chronic form of liver disease. This is traditional Chinese medicine, for the muggles. Why would a wizard like you need something like this?" The sage questioned.
On hearing the phrase "chronic liver disease", Harry and Draco looked at each other wide-eyed. There was hope for Lucius. Draco told the sage about his father and his disease, and Harry chipped in by telling him about his suspicion about Lucius contracting hepatic encephalopathy. The sage nodded in agreement and told the two that he would help to concoct the medicine.
"There is an ingredient that I do not have with me. I would have to write to my fellows in China to have them send it over. I would contact you once the medicine is ready. I believe Hogwarts allow my pigeon in?" The sage asked. Harry was puzzled until Draco explained to him that the sage used pigeons instead of owls. Just when the duo was about to leave the shop, a house elf leapt down from the second storey and stopped the duo. Harry and Draco were taken by surprise at such audacity. The house elf then went up to Mr. Sun and started to converse to him in fluent Mandarin. The two did not understand what they were talking about, but something told them it involved them.
"Ah yes, it slipped my mind," Mr. Sun then went down behind his counter and reappeared with a wooden box. "Mr. Malfoy, if you would come over here." Draco went over and the sage handed him the box.
"For a moment I thought this was meant for another Malfoy. Here take it, your great-grandfather told me to give it to you, should one day you come in with a prescription. I sort of forgot about it, my memory is failing me." The sage then smiled at Draco.
"You were around when his great grandfather was still alive?" Harry could not believe his eyes. The person standing in front of him looks no older than eighty years old, and yet his real age could be well over a hundred. The sage shook his head and gave a reply that further shocked Harry.
"I was around when Raghnall's grandfather was around," the sage said and smiled. He was certainly very old. Draco took the box off the counter and thanked the sage. He was not himself. The two left the shop, and along the way back to Hogsmeade and then Hogwarts, Draco remained quiet. Harry sensed this change, but decided not to pursue it until Draco was ready to tell him what the box was.
Mortfare: A Chinese apothecary shop. A matter of interest, "mortfare" is actually Chinese with a little zing for it's a highly stylized form of "mo fa", meaning magic in Chinese. Well, it's just for your information.
It's a cliffhanger, I know. Will try to update soon ok? Please review.