Chapter 3 - Gift for a Friend
"Welcome! Welcome to my shoppe! And what can..." Harry heard a voice say as he entered through the door of the shoppe.
He looked up to see a tall man, about Cornelius Fudge's age, wearing a dirty, old cloak and a rather fetching looking tie. He looked like a guy out of a cereal box, but what do people care? Harry walked up to the counter to meet the old man. The man looked at him with surprise before it turned into excitement. Harry felt his insides flipping when the old man gave him a rather unusual look. He gulped.
"Ah, I see, Mister Potter, am I right? Do forgive me, but this is quite a surprise. It is not everyday that I am to be visited by a great hero. "The Great Harry Potter" they say. What an amusing name. Quite like the one given to Lockhart, that is, when he was still famous. But now that his knavery had been found out, I doubt if he would ever be able to rise to fame again. He's probably mourning for his lost popularity. I say, but what are you here for, lad?" the old man said.
"Oh, I'm sorry to have surprised you, sir. But I was just wondering, if I may, I would like to see that necklace over there by the window," Harry said, pointing to the direction of the front window, particularly at the necklace.
The man walked towards the window and picked up the necklace off of its display case. He walked back towards Harry bearing the necklace with his two hands. He handed it to Harry and smiled, with both his hands clasp right behind him.
"Why, if I may ask, Mister Potter, do you want this necklace? And this particular necklace, if I may add?" he asked Harry, eagerly awaiting his answer.
"Uh, to tell you the truth, sir, I don't know either. It's like, I was drawn to this necklace by chance. It's caught my eye somehow. I don't understand it myself either, but it just feels so right to see this necklace," Harry answered.
He glanced at the necklace, then back to the old man. He noticed that the old man had a pensive look. Kind of like when Professor Dumbledore usually looked like when he was thinking about the things that Voldemort could do.
I must be in trouble. He must be thinking that I'm making all this up. But, it really is true, I was drawn to this necklace. Even I am wondering why. Oh, what am I going to do? I'm not in the mood for this right now. This is just starting to get weirder by the moment, and it's barely 10 a.m.
Harry continued looking at the old man. He didn't know if he was to leave or say something else. All he could do at that moment was to stay quiet and look at the man. Harry then realized that the man was looking at him directly in the eye. He had the look of seriousness, but a bit of "finally-he-found-it" sort of look mixed in.
"No, Mister Potter, it is not a mystery that you found that necklace," He finally heard the man say. The man walked back to the front counter and took out a velvet box before looking back at Harry's face.
"It is not a mystery, sir? Why? How so?" Harry asked.
"Mister Potter, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Pablo Trialli. I am from Roma, Italia. I came here 50 years ago, expecting nothing more than to create a business of selling jewelry to good wizards and witches. Most of all, to those people who are expecting to find true love," the man says.
"True love? What do you mean?"
"Sit down for a while, Mister Potter and I will tell you a beautiful tale I have witnessed unfold here at my own store. Go on now, take that chair over there."
Harry sat down and waited for the man to begin. I wonder what he's going to tell me. I hope it's not as boring as History of Magic class. I wouldn't want an early Professor Binns lecture right now.
"A few years ago, a group of highly enthusiastic Hogwarts students came here at Diagon Alley to shop. They were young fourth to seventh years who were roaming around the streets trying to find their friends, just like you, Mister Potter. One of those students was a young man by the name of Jay. He was a sturdy young lad with a fine attitude towards life. He and his old buddies entered my shoppe with great curiosity, just like you are now. They looked around the whole store, browsing at every single thing that they encountered. But one particular thing caught his eye, and that thing was the necklace that you're holding right now."
"The necklace? He saw the necklace?"
"He asked me how much I would sell for the necklace. I wasn't really sure if selling him the necklace would be a good idea. He was just a young lad, and that necklace was too expensive for him. But his insistence took me down. I told him that the price was 500 galleons flat. His face fell when he heard me say that. I thought to myself that he had no money, but I had no choice. The necklace was very valuable to me. My father was the one who made it into what it is now."
"So, you didn't sell him the necklace?"
"Actually, that's not the end of the story. Some girls were passing by my shoppe, they were giggling around looking through my window. I looked at the boys and saw them smirking at each other, though not Jay. He looked distraught. I figured that one of those ladies was his girlfriend, or so I thought. I was right, though not entirely; one of the ladies was his secret love. I felt sorry for the lad so I gave him the necklace for free. Of course, he didn't want to accept it without paying, but I insisted. I told him to pay me back when he had the money; but in truth, I wasn't expecting him to pay up. Not because I thought he had no money, but because I thought he got my message."
"What did he do with the necklace?"
"I found out that he gave it to the girl at some sort of ball that they attended together in school. I didn't know what that ball was, so don't ask me. All I heard was that he professed his undying love for her that day he gave her the necklace and she accepted his love wholeheartedly."
"Then what happened?"
"Well, they eventually reached their year's end, but before they left, the lad returned here with his girlfriend. He gave me this same velvet box over here containing the necklace. I asked the boy why he's returning it and he said that he didn't want to steal. He wanted to pay for anything he takes. The truth of his gesture was that he was returning the necklace because he was to buy something else: an engagement ring."
"A ring? He was going to propose?"
"Yes, he did, Mr. Potter. And he told me that before he returned the necklace, he wanted one last favor. He asked me to tell whoever catches the eye of this necklace that it was not a mystery that it is drawn to him. It was destiny. It purely means that something more powerful than anything else in this world is shrouding his heart right now. Just like him when the necklace caught his eye. He realized that it was not magic's doing, but pure love. Bliss that can only be achieved when accepted truthfully."
"I never heard of that story before. So, you mean to tell me, sir, that I'm in love?"
"You could be, Mister Potter; just like the many who have found that necklace over the years. But that is your knowledge only. I do not say that I know you are in love when I do not know if you truly are. I might be mistaken, but I think it is something like that."
"I understand, sir. Please, I'd like to purchase this necklace. It's for a friend."
"As you say so, Mr. Potter. That would be 500 galleons."
"Thank you. Oh, and could I also have that pocket watch over there? Yes, I'd take this one too. Thanks you."
Harry bowed down to Pablo before turning around to leave the store. But before he was able to close the door behind him, Pablo called to him. I wonder what he wants from me now. Harry walked back towards Pablo and stopped just a few steps away from the counter.
"Before you go, Mister Potter, would you want to know who the couple was?"
"Yes, of course, sir. I would be glad if you'd tell me."
Pablo escorted Harry towards the door and opened it. He smiled one last smile at Harry before saying, "The couple, young Harry, is well-known to all here at our world. They are very famous people; including their son."
Harry felt surprised. Could it be…?
"Yes, you are correct, Harry. It was James and Lily Potter."