A DEAL WITH DIABLO
"Please wait here, Miss McKinnon," said the Secretary, as she offered a chair to the visitor. "Mr. Rookwood will be down in a minute."
Miss Jenkins went back to her work desk in the adjoining room, and gave Lily the privacy that she needed.
The receptionist had been most suspicious when Lily had asked her for an appointment with Augustus Rookwood, the Head of the Analytical Bureau of Investigation. Lily was certain that the receptionist had realized that her entry-pass was a hoax, and that her real name wasn't Olivia McKinnon. Perhaps she'd seen Lily's photograph in one of the magazines, or perhaps she'd thought that Lily was a nosy reporter in disguise….. Rita Skeeter must have scarred her for life!
It hadn't helped either that Augustus had not wished to meet anyone by the name of Olivia McKinnon; he was much too busy to be pestered by Trainee Healers of St. Mungo's. It was only when she'd told the receptionist that she'd brought a very important message from 'Lily Evans' that Augustus had agreed to meet her.
Even though Lily was sure that Augustus had seen through her alias at once, she was inwardly very nervous. What if Augustus didn't like her poking her nose into the Ministry's top-secret matters? What if he didn't help her? What if--
"Hello, Lily," said Augustus, and Lily turned to look behind her at an extremely handsome and tall man dressed in silver-blue robes. His dark brooding eyes looked as haunting as ever, his long brown hair was gelled back into a sleek ponytail, and the roguish smile on his face sent a delightful shiver through her spine.
"Augustus," she said in a breathy voice that reminded her very much of Marka's joke on her. "I see that you are not surprised to see me instead of Olivia McKinnon."
Augustus gave a laugh, and pulled her by the arm to himself.
"No other woman could have battled as long with my minx of a Secretary," said Augustus, bending to breathe in the scent of her hair.
They stood like that for a while, till Lily gently extricated herself from his arms. She did not fail to see the disappointment in his eyes.
"I'm here strictly on business, Augustus," she said in an apologetic tone.
"Ah, yes! That's the problem," said Augustus, sitting down in the chair opposite to her. "You're always thinking about that business of yours. I swear I'll grow jealous of it one day."
"Augustus," she chided.
"Oh, never mind me," he said, smiling. "I'm just a lovesick old fool, wondering whether you'll allow me to kiss you for the first time on our fifteenth date, perhaps. What do you think? Or would even the fifteenth date be too soon?"
Lily's face went a brilliant crimson. Trust Augustus to raise the topic of their relationship every time they met. They'd not yet kissed, though they'd gone out many times. But most of these dates had been to business-parties and public balls, and she could hardly be expected to kiss him in front of ten thousand eyes and four hundred cameras. Lily had had a phobia to publicity ever since her father had taken her to a function of the Foxglove Apothecaries. And was it her fault that old Mrs. Rookwood (for reasons best known only to her) had asked Lily to keep her relationship with Augustus a secret?
Why did men make such a big issue of a kiss anyway?
Couldn't Augustus understand that she was not ready for such a relationship yet? That she wanted her kiss to be out of love and not out of a mere fancy for him?
Was she being too conservative for her times?
"I see I've made you uncomfortable again," said Augustus. "I'm rather good at doing that, aren't I? Perhaps I can apologize by offering you the help you seek from me?"
It was not in the nature of Lily to act coy, or to be artful and manipulative. Naïve as she was in the matters of love, she did not press any re-assurances on Augustus, but cut straight to the point.
"I was hoping you could tell me something about the potion called Morpheus's Mead," she said.
When she looked up, Augustus's expression had changed. It was no longer open and inviting, but closed and clipped. It was circumstances like these that made Lily doubtful about her relationship with Augustus; she often found him far too reserved and mysterious for her tastes.
"How do you know about the potion?" asked Augustus in a cool voice.
"I run a potion-making company, Augustus," said Lily. "It's my business to know these things. I've read reports about it, in Potoscio Paradoxa---"
"What do you want to know about it? Why do you want to know about it?" interrupted Augustus.
"I wish to develop a cure against it," said Lily quickly. "It could be the one golden opportunity for 'The Druid' to achieve my father's dream. And therefore, to be able to develop such a cure, I need information about the potion. Information regarding its ingredients, its effects, its sources, the sites of its proliferation…. "
"This is highly confidential information," said Augustus, taking a deep breath. "I could get into serious trouble, if news got out of my helping you."
Lily was quiet as she peered into Augustus's troubled face.
"However, that doesn't mean that I won't help you," said Augustus, an odd light flitting about his face. He smiled softly at the wonder on Lily's face.
"There is an ancient poem, written by a Chinese witch named Mushika Tse Tung," said Augustus. "Mushika is believed to be the inventor of Morpheus' Mead in the 17th century. Her poem is a sort of a riddle, and it talks of how she made both the potion and its cure, all by herself. I can give you the translated version of the poem, and you can try to crack the answers hidden between its lines. In this way, I'll neither be helping you, nor will I be refusing to help you. Good trick, is it not?"
"Have you been able to decipher the poem?" asked Lily.
"My research-team has already cracked the first part, which speaks of how the potion was made," said Augustus. "We still have to decipher the second part of the poem, which speaks of a possible cure. The first part is fairly easy to understand, which is how so many bottles of Morpheus's Mead have been fabricated by the Dark forces…. But the part about the cure is extremely complicated and twisted. That's why the cure hasn't been developed yet."
"And you'll give me that poem?" asked Lily, still doubtful of Augustus's intentions. She had a feeling that he had something more on his mind.
"There is a condition attached, of course, as I'm sure you've already guessed…. I'll give you the poem," said Augustus, "if you promise to kiss me on my upcoming 23rd birthday party, in front of all my guests."
Lily stared at him. His look of very obvious desire was not lost on her this time.
"But…but…" she began, "Mrs. Rookwood thinks that such an open-ness might affect your career. After all, you are an Unspeakable, and any affairs of the Unspeakables must be kept a secret. And if I kiss you on your birthday---"
"--It will be the best birthday of my life," completed Augustus. "Lily, I'm very serious about this relationship, I feel it's the one good thing that I've done in this life. Yet somehow, I feel as though you're not as serious about it as I am—"
"But I am!" protested Lily, even though she knew he was speaking the truth.
"Then this is your chance to prove it," said Augustus firmly. "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid of the world, that the world will say you could have chosen better?"
"I'm afraid they will call me a gold-digger," said Lily quietly. "I'm afraid they will say that you could have chosen better."
"I want the world to know that you belong to me," said Augustus, taking her hand in his own. "Come on, Lily. Don't think about what Mother says; she worries far too much…. Do what your heart tells you. Let the world know that we're together, now. Let the whole world know that we're in love with each other. Prove to me that you are sincere in your love for me…. "
But I'm not in love with you, thought Lily.
"…. And I'll give you that poem," said Augustus.
…
…
…
The deal was signed, sealed and delivered.