Despite their enchanted Siren sign, singing lovely soft tunes to every passerby, business was slow. A few days into being open Crystal sat lazily behind the bar, slumped over with her elbows on the Formica and her head in her hands. There had only been three customers since they had opened at six that morning, and there was very little to do.
"You're moping again," Corvus said, nudging her with her elbow. "Are you going for the 'angsty barista' look?"
"Am I a barista if I am not making espresso?" Crystal said, throwing her hand against her forehead in a fainting pose, face distraught. A small smile cracked through her forced look of pain. "How is this?"
"Positively existential." Corvus grinned. "Look, why don't you go walk around and do some market research for us? We need to figure out why people aren't coming in to get coffee."
Corvus didn't need to ask twice. Crystal jumped on the opportunity to stretch her legs and do something useful. She made herself a mocha and took it with her, hoping it would be a conversation starter as she wandered the streets.
A few things stood out to her as she roamed the streets. While there were a handful of people wearing jeans or t-shirts, most people wore robes and old-fashioned Wizarding attire. Unlike back in America, very little influence from the non-magical world had creeped into wizarding London.
Eventually her wandering brought her to the most impressive bookstore she had ever seen: Fourish and Blotts. For a moment Crystal forgot her marketing mission and instead became totally immersed in the joy one feels when they discover a treasure trove of books. She wandered through the many shelves and displays, gently running her fingers over the spines of books as she walked. One display in the middle of the shop caught her eye. It was covered in a new edition of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Her mind went to the strange, noisy creature in their attic and walls that was keeping her up at night.
Every student at Ilvermorny had a gotten a copy of the book when they began school. In an attempt to travel light, Crystal had left hers in the States. She regretted it now, and picked up the crisp new copy of the book before walking to the counter to pay.
"Picking this up for a new Hogwarts student?" The cashier asked as she handed him the required sickles and knuts.
"Oh, no, I just needed a copy," Crystal said. "Are a lot of Hogwarts students coming in?"
The cashier shrugged. "Not yet, but they're starting to trickle in. They're getting their Hogwarts letters right now. In a few weeks we'll be overrun with kids and tired parents."
This gave Crystal an idea. She thanked the cashier and left, book tucked under her arm as she headed back to the coffee shop. When she entered, she was pleased to see a couple more people sitting around the shop, sipping on cups of coffee.
"I've got a plan," Crystal said to Corvus. Corvus raised an eyebrow at Crystal from where she was cleaning the steam wand, and Crystal told her the idea.
The next day, they hung up a large sign in the window: "Free Grande coffee for parents of new students! Show us your Hogwarts letter for one free coffee."
A week later, the line was out of the door.