"Absolutely not! Under no circumstances are you permitted to leave."

Eric felt his shoulders gather to his head defensively. He had spent the morning considering his options. Taking up employment with one of the other shops seemed the most sensible solution. The catch was that he couldn't possibly afford the rent he was currently paying. "Please, Mrs. Peal; it's not like I wish to. I just can't afford living downstairs anymore."

Eric's landlady turned to him, staring directly into his eyes with piercing precision. "I simply refuse to allow you to fend for yourself without supervision. Quite frankly, you have too much of a disposition towards getting into trouble and there's far too much trouble in the neighborhood for you to get into."

The jovial presence of Mister Peal shuffled into the room. Seeing the two of them squared off, he took the expression of being extremely embarrassed. "Oh, dreadfully sorry – I didn't mean to interrupt."

Mrs. Peal turned to her husband. "Lymeon, explain to this young man that he is to remain in the shop downstairs, and is forbidden to make any attempt to pursue some foolish and dangerous search for some rat-infested communal lodging." Turning on her heel, she strutted out of the room with a regal bearing.

Eric turned to Mr. Peal. "Can she do that?"

Lymeon smiled warmly. "Over the years, I've found it best not to find out. If she's set on keeping you here, trying to leave may be fraught with more dangers than the roommates." He winked mischievously, then turned to the kitchen.

Eric followed him in, quietly hoping for a nice cup of tea. "Mr. Peal, I appreciate that you all are concerned, and It's not like I wish to move. It's just that I can't make money fast enough with just the carpentry work. If I don't find a job and reduce my expenses, how can I possibly afford Hogwarts this year?"

"Well, Clareone and I have spoken at length, and we've decided to finance your schooling."

Eric backed out of his chair. "You can't be serious!"

"We are quite serious. Clareone and I have become rather fond of you: we believe that you are a young man of character, and you're far too young to be worrying about how to obtain a proper education without starving to death. We will keep track of expenses, for in time I expect you will be able to pay us back. However, I wouldn't worry about that just now."

Eric started to back his way towards the door. "Look, this is getting out of hand. I'll talk with Professor Dumbledore – maybe I can work with Filch to keep the place clean or something..." He had just about made it to the door when he backed into someone.

Turning about, he found that he had backed into Mrs. Peal, who was clearly determined that he would not be leaving any time soon. As he cautiously sank back into the kitchen to slump into a chair, she stepped forward, setting her hands on his shoulders. "Lymeon, I trust you have explained the situation to Mister Sable, and he understands that he is in no position to refuse?"

Lymeon patted his arm. "Well, now that you're out of the thicket, I've always fancied running a coffee shop..."