Disclaimer: I do not own anything, any and all influences from other books/stories belong to their prospective owners, and I just twist them to make it fit!
A/N: Kind of short, but hey, it's an update! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Building the New
"The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." –Socrates
When you wake up in the very early morning in winter, what do you hear? The birds and insects have long sense vacated the region, the neighbors have the common sense to sleep in, the house may make the occasional 'pop' as it settles into its foundation. But if you really listen, you can hear the blood rushing in your ears, and possibly the clock on the main floor slowly ticking away the darkness.
The proprietor liked to work in these pre-dawn hours. I was when more ideas became a reality. Displays were put together in an eye catching fashion. Careful planning was sketched out with a timeline. Packages are wrapped and awaiting delivery to the red head down the road. It was in these hours that the proprietor would visit the shop in person. The idea to remain anonymous came about on a whim. At first the owner wanted to come out into the open about the idea of opening such a shop, but did not like the idea of the attention it would draw. So the idea to remain behind the curtain became crucial.
The hiring of employees proved to be quite the challenge. When the ad was placed in the Daily Prophet, all it required was for the individual to have some experience in retail, and the opportunity to make their own hours. Of course there were plenty of applicants, but the proprietor had the ability to read people that would prove most beneficial to the cause.
When Mary first came in, the owner knew that she would be hired by the time she sat down. Mary was a mother with two children at Hogwarts, her son was a fourth year Ravenclaw and her daughter a second year Hufflepuff. After sitting around at home the last year with an empty nest, Mary decided she needed something to keep her days from being long and boring. Making a little money would help as well, the textbooks required this year had raised in price. The idea of working for a small shop with the option of picking your hours, seemed an ideal choice.
When Mary entered, she sat across a small black table from a man with dirty blond short hair. He seemed nicely dressed in a blue button down shirt and muggle jeans. It was not someone she recognized in the wizarding community. It was when he came right out and explained his appearance was hidden by polyjuice, that Mary became concerned. What type of person did not want to be recognized? He went on to explain that the shop was more about the products than the person trying to sell them. It was more about the product bringing life, hope and intrigue in magic back. It was more about making people smile.
After a tour of the products in the back storage room, that Mary knew she wanted to be a part of this project. She wanted to be there when customers would come in and see a spark of wonder in their face as they too investigated these brilliant ideas.
She was hired…on a few conditions. She would never try to dig into the owner's real identity, and to ensure that a one Mr. George Weasley was given every comfort the shop had at his request. Odd requests, yes, but Mary could handle a few weird happenings, she was a witch after all. She was to begin in a week, helping set the store front and hire any other additional help. She was given a black and silver card with which she could communicate with her boss about any needs for the shop.
Mary became an essential person to the shop. Running it during the shop hours, and spending time afterwards cleaning, and rearranging products to drive sales. She knew the products as if she herself had designed them.
The proprietor, now in the empty shop, sat at the bench in the back of the shop slowly waving the wand to allow small cogs and wheels to fall into the precise places. The beautiful silver framework shining under the lone desk lamp. As the owner twisted the last of the screws into the back and placed the small metal device on the table, the wand was waved above it in intricate designs. When there was once the silence, a slow progressive ticking filled the air.
The proprietor smirked. The countdown had begun.
There were few things in this new world that angered George Weasley. Running out of tea when the shop was closed, new products that don't sell, Ron eating the last slice of mum's apple cake, and Draco Malfoy. The git seemed to be everywhere these days. It started with small articles in the Prophet. Then the cover of that blasted magazine Verity reads when business is slow. And now in the Alley.
Bad things always seem to happen on his lunch break, the opening of a rival shop, longtime customers going into the rival shop, and now the blond ferret leaving said rival shop and making his way towards his own.
'I really should just start eating in the workshop." He sighed.
He followed the former death eater back towards his store. He watched as the blond seemed to stop and stare at the ostentatious shop before him, as if he never noticed it before. He watched as Malfoy took a deep breath and walked up the front stairs and into the shop.
George decided to keep his distance, no interaction with a Malfoy, is a good interaction. And he didn't want his lunch break to be completely ruined. George slide along the side of the building and pretended to inspect the display in the windows as he watched Malfoy make his way through the aisles. As he tried to get close to the register where Verity was bagging a purchase, he saw Malfoy avoid touching anything in the store as if he would catch Dragon Pox at the mere glance. When Verity finally had a second to breathe, Malfoy moved in. George watched as Verity apologetically answered the first of his questions. Then seemed to listen in surprise as Draco gave a long explanation, and handed her a black and silver package from his briefcase, along with a black card. Malfoy adjusted his jacket and firm grip of his case, gave Verity a sharp nod, and immediately left the shop.
George waited until Malfoy was out of sight before he entered his shop from the backdoor. He went to check on the scar fading potion he was simmering before he made his way to the front of the store. Verity has placed the black and silver package on the back counter. She pointed at it when she saw George approach.
"You'll never guess who just came into the store!" she squealed.
"Well, judging by the business card, I would say we were graced with the presence of one Draco Malfoy." George replied as he read the green lettering. "And to what did we owe the pleasure of his company?"
"Oh, he wanted to talk to you about a business opportunity, but wouldn't go into detail. He just left the card and the package. Do you think it's him?" she asked.
"What do I think is him?" George asked as he flicked the card towards the garbage bin and missed. He reached for the package. It was a sizable weight, rectangular in shape, but not a box.
George ripped off the silver ribboning and tore through the paper. It was a book. No title, no author, and blank pages within.
"Do you think he's the owner of DD?" Verity asked as she looked at the book.
George flipped through the pages, until he found lettering on one.
"You were unsure which pain is worse, the shock of what happened, or the ache for what never will."
He slammed it shut.
"I don't know." He whispered.