(Day 7)

Sarah really didn't know all that much about Knockturn Alley except for the fact that the businesses down there were all the about the Dark Arts. Before taking their first steps down the dark path, Doc pulled his hood up and Sarah automatically did the same, keeping a tight grip on her wand as well as they made their way down the winding street.

"Where exactly are we going?" Sarah asked Doc in a low voice.

"There's a wee shop Ah ken ay doon haur at th' huir uv a end ay th' alley. Ah ken th' owner pure well; he aye manages tae come ben fur me in a pinch withit askin' tay mony questions. It is hoo he diz most ay his business. (There's a little shop I know of down here at the very end of the alley. I know the owner really well. He always manages to come through for me in a pinch without asking too many questions. It is how he does most of his business).

"You mean illegally?" Sarah asked, a bit shocked.

""Somethin' loch 'at, yeah, Doc replied. He did not say anything else though as they reached their destination. The outside of the shop was so dingy looking (but then what shop in Knockturn Alley is not?) that it was hard for Sarah to see what was in any of the display windows. She had a feeling she didn't want to. She tried not to cringe too much at the horrible creaking sound the door made as Doc opened it and gestured for her to go first.

(Day 8)

The walls of the shop were stacked with shelves upon shelves of nothing but potions ingredients. It was a potions master/mistress's dream! There were ingredients in here that were so rare that it was almost illegal to have them in one's possession! Sarah really only had two subjects that she was good at while at Hogwarts: Potions and Defense against the Dark Arts (and in that order). Nothing sounded better to her then a cauldron simmering over an open flame.

"Talk about bewitching the mind and ensnaring the senses," she murmured. "Do you know how much some of this stuff costs just to get?"

As Sarah continued to look around the shop she what appeared to be one of those large freezers like they have in the grocery stores that have the clear doors which you can open and get frozen foods out of. Only, instead of frozen foods these were filled with cases of frozen Ashwinder eggs. For those that might not be in the know, an Ashwinder is a thin grey serpent that comes out of magical fires and lives long enough to lay eggs. These eggs are highly valued as potions ingredients, but if they are not found and frozen in time they can set entire buildings on fire. She also saw several cases, including one that had several parts of the somewhat endangered Erumpet on display. Sarah knew that the fluid contained inside an Erumpet's horn was highly dangerous as it often caused whatever it made contact with to explode. It was one reason why Erumpets are somewhat endangered because the males often compete over females during their mating season.

Ahh, Doc how nice it is to see you in here again. And, you've brought a lady friend with you this time how wonderful. A man who looked to be about in his mid-twenties stepped out from behind a door directly behind the counter. He had dark brown hair that fell just below his ears and chocolate brown eyes. He was about Sarah's height and looked like he kept himself in fairly good shape (when he crossed his arms, Sarah could tell that there was definitely some muscle in those biceps of his).

"I found her in Diagon Alley trying to get some potions ingredients. Unfortunately they were uh..out," Doc told him.

"Oh I see and you think I might be able to help you. Merlin, how did you get all of those wounds all over your face m'dear?"

"The shop owner was not very kind to me, unfortunately. I'm Sarah." She stuck her hand out which the man shook with a firm grip.

I'm John, he introduced himself to her. I'll tell you what, John told her as he disappeared behind the counter for a bit. Sarah could hear the sounds of him moving things around. How 'bout we get you all patched up and while we're doing that you can tell me your story and I'll see what it is I can do for you. When he appeared again he had a bowl in which he poured some Murtlap essence in and a wash cloth. He came around from behind the counter and conjured up a chair for her to sit in and began dabbing the Murtlap essence very gently onto her face. As he did so Sarah told him her story, about how she had been a Lycan since she was ten, how her parents had rejected her and how if it had not been for Dumbledore and Hogwarts she probably would not have been able to survive. She left her current situation out of it however as she felt like it really wasn't important enough for him to know.

You know, one would think that with all of the trouble You-Know-Who caused that people would learn something but apparently not. Doc, you've brought her to the right place.