'One pretzel please', said Sebastian while handing over 2 knuts.

'Here you go', smiled a rotund German man as he complied with Sebastian's request.

Sebastian took the pretzel and sighed in pleasure, the food in Extern Alley really was as good if not better than anything he'd had in Nutrition Alley and it was definitely cheaper. Sebastian had been coming here every day for the past week, constantly checking to see if Mo had acquired the Book of Souls. But unfortunately for Sebastian, the shop owner seemed to be having a hard time in tracking his book down. 'Oh well' Sebastian thought, it really wasn't the end of the world as he'd been using this as an excuse to discover more of the Alley. So far he hadn't really found anything that made it worth the bad reputation that it got. Sure there were a few shady people wearing large dark cloaks that you wouldn't want to meet on your own, and there had been that one time when Sebastian had seen a particularly nasty looking stall that sold human hair and teeth 'for all your polyjuicing needs'. But for the most part Extern Alley just seemed to be a cheaper Rustic Alley, albeit a cheaper version that also sold things with questionable legality like the book Sebastian himself was buying. Though admittedly Sebastian had only seen a small part of the alley so his views could be way off. For all he knew there could be a whole part of the alley that specialized in the sale of Veela slaves.

On the other hand, the people there were nothing like those that frequented Rustic Alley. For a start those in Extern Alley, from what he'd observed so far, tended to be far friendlier than their Rustic counterparts. They seemed to have much more time to chat with each other and give one another a helping hand when they required it, Sebastian had first thought this might have something to do with the fact that people in Rustic Alley usually lived there and were there for not in a rush. But now Sebastian was starting to suspect otherwise as he saw how people went so far and beyond just to help one another, much more than was expected of someone where Sebastian came from. There definitely seemed to be a type of close group spirit which they all shared, and the ten year old had found that it was starting to extend to him as he was spending most of his days there. Just today Sebastian had found himself returning waves and greeting from various people making their way through the alley.

Another interesting difference that the people of Extern Alley seemed to share was there diversity. Because whereas most of the people in the places that were considered to be more respectable were white and European, here Sebastian had seen people from all types of ethnicities such as Arab and Chinese. Just the other day Sebastian had been talking to another boy his age that claimed to be from El Salvador. Also there seemed to be a ton of magical beings like leprechauns and faeries living here, which as far as Sebastian knew were all prohibited from entering Rustic Alley unless the Faerie Market was on.

A last difference was how common scars were on the people in Extern Alley. Where Sebastian came from scars were rare due to the fact that most of them could be removed with magical healing, so much so that he had often caught people staring at him whenever they caught sight of his scar. But here you couldn't walk 10 meters without stumbling upon one. This confused Sebastian but the only real explanation for it was that the people here couldn't afford to pay for a healer, that theory had also had the result of making the raven haired boy hesitant to ask anyone about it. Whatever the reason, Sebastian wasn't unhappy about it. To him, the scars gave him a sense of belonging that he'd rarely felt before. It also had the added effect of making him blend in much better with the locals, due to his scar Sebastian didn't come across as the out of place rich boy that he really was.

Currently, Sebastian was making his way towards Mo's Mart for his daily checkup. Sebastian was torn between whether he wanted this to be the last time. On the one hand, the ten year old really needed that book as soon as possible if he wanted to have any chance of winning his brother's bet. But on the other hand, Sebastian was growing rather fond of the old man who ran the bookshop and knew he might never see him again if he managed to acquire The Book of Souls. In the short time he had known Mo, the shopkeeper had regaled him with fascinating anecdotes of his life, sold him books for amazing prices, given him helpful advice on where and where not to venture in the alley and just been an all-round great guy. And Sebastian knew he'd find it hard to justify his ventures into Extern Alley once he gotten the book, so the boy feared he may never see Mo again.

Sebastian entered Mo's Mart and immediately made his way towards the center of the shop where he knew the tall North African man was likely to be. And he was right.

'Hey Mo, what you up to?', said Sebastian spotting the older man.

'Ah there's my favorite customer, I was wondering when I'd see you today. What can an old man like me do for you today?', asked Mo.

'Nothing much, just checking how you are doing on my order', said the younger boy.

Mo's face immediately grew more serious and he responded: 'Don't worry about it Bas, these things can take time. But if you must know, I've asked my cousin Brahim in Sweden to track it down and he says he should have it for me in a few days. Until then, all we can do is wait.'

Sebastian sighed, he'd really be cutting it fine with the deadline for the bet.

'Oh don't look so glum kiddo', said the shopkeeper, 'I've got something that may cheer you up.'

'Oh?', answered a curious Sebastian.

'Yes well I've been thinking for a while about taking you to meet all the guys back at the Ghastly Goblet', said Mo.

'The Ghastly Goblet', stated Sebastian with his arms folded, 'that place sounds… interesting.'

'Oh don't be so suspicious', said a chuckling Mo, 'I'm not going to harvest your organs or something, it's just a name. The Ghastly Goblet is the social hub of our part of Extern Alley, it's pub where we all meet up with each other. Come on Bas, it'll be fun! I've been telling the guys all about the kid who keeps coming to my store and there dying to meet you.'

'Are you sure I'll be welcome there? I'm not exactly a local, am I?', asked the ten year old.

'Sure you're welcome kiddo, if you're with me you won't even be conned', reassured Mo with a massive grin.

'Ah your words fill me with such confidence', muttered Sebastian dryly, not able to keep the smile off his face, 'fine lets visit your pub, but you're dead if anything happens to me while I'm there.'

The older man roared with laughter and gasped out: 'Ooooh I'm so scared Bas.'

Sebastian glared but still followed Mo out of the shop. The pair walked down the streets in a direction where the ten year old hadn't ventured before. Sebastian soaked in his surroundings with greedy eyes and occasionally asked Mo questions like 'Are those real fingers?' and 'What the hell is Ectoplasm and why do I feel an irrational desire to buy some'. To those questions Mo unhelpfully supplied answers like 'yes' and 'don't worry about it kiddo, that's just Wilbur's watch influencing you'.

Eventually the pair arrived at a small building with a sign saying: 'Welcome to the Ghastly Goblet, don't make yourself at home!'

'Charming'

Sebastian followed the older man into the bar and quite frankly, he was shocked. The inside looked nothing like what you'd expect after seeing the outside. The exterior of the pub could be compared to that of a rundown shack, but on the inside it was huge. At the center of the establishment there was a large fire place surrounded by tables filled with laughing people. On the right there was a bar being served by a grumpy looking bald man and 2 leprechauns, and on the left there was a dance floor of sorts. But what interested Sebastian the most was located at the back, it wasn't currently in use but it seemed to be an arena of sorts.

Mo came to a stop at one of the tables and gestured to the black haired boy to sit down.

'Lads, this is Bas, the kid I've been telling you all about', Mo said to the people sitting at the table who all returned a greeting.

'Alright introductions', there were four people sitting at the table that Sebastian didn't know. First Mo pointed at a dark skinned man and said: 'This man here is called Jeremy, he's the only wand crafter in the world who doesn't like wands and will swear staffs are better. He's from Congo but more importantly, he's terrible with the ladies.'

'That is not true!', Jeremy interjected with a surprisingly high pitched voice.

'Next we have Saladin', Mo said pointing at the second man, 'he sells flying carpets, not many, but mostly seems to spend his time drinking honeybeer in this pub. He's from Tunisian descent and is a descent fighter, not quite my level but then again who is?'

'I could take you with my eyes closed, old man', Saladin said much to the amusement of the others.

'Last but certainly not least we have Lina and Nina', Mo continued as he gestured towards two pretty women, 'these beautiful women own a bread shop over in Nutrition Alley, filthy traitors, called 'Delizia Italiana'. They're both Italian and twins so you know not to mess with them.'

'You butchered the pronunciation of our shop, it's not that hard!', shouted the twin on the left though she seemed mostly amused.

'And that's everyone I think', said Mo after thinking for a second.

'You forgot Ruben', the twin on the right interjected.

'Ah of course Ruben, don't tell him I forgot or he'll kill me', Mo winked, 'Ruben is the bald man working at the bar. He may look grumpy but he's a barrel of laughs really. He makes a delicious drink called Dragon Rum which you should definitely try sometime. Did I forget anything else?'

'I'm also the best looking man in the group', Mo added, appearing from behind Sebastian, 'Now what can I get you two the drink?'

'I wouldn't touch that if I were you'.

Sebastian was reaching for an interesting book called 'The Life of Ulrich the Ugly' when suddenly someone had appeared from behind him.

'Why not?', asked a very confused Sebastian.

'It's cursed, by Ulrich's daughter supposedly, she didn't appreciate what the book said about her father.', answered the voice which he could now tell belonged to the girl behind him.

'What does it say?', asked Sebastian curiously.

'Well I haven't read it, have I? How would I know?', responded the girl with raised eyebrows. The girl had long black hair, onyx eyes and looked to be from south-east Asian descent.

'Why should I believe you? Why would Mo even sell a cursed book?', asked the 10 year old suspicious.

The girl glared at him and said: 'A certain type of customer would pay a lot for a cursed book. As for why you should believe me, what reason do you have not to?

Sebastian grudgingly had to agree that the girl had a point, but stubborn as he was he responded : 'Maybe you want to read it yourself', suddenly the blue eyed boy realised who she was, 'or steal it.'

A few days prior, the first time that Sebastian had visited the shop, he had overheard a conversation between Mo and this particular girl. From there he had discovered that she had a habit of taking books without paying for them.

The Asian girl gasped and practically screamed: 'I do not steal books!' and in a much quieter tone she added that she only borrowed them.

Borrowing books from a bookshop? That sounded like stealing chuckled Sebastian to himself thinking it best not to challenge the girl any farther, who knows how she would react. She was an alley kid after all so she was probably more dangerous than she looked and could pull out a knife at any moment or worse, she could start crying. From the corner of his eyes Sebastian could see Mo approaching the pair.

'I thought I heard your dulcet tones, Mia', said the shop owner as he came to a halt, 'and I see you've met Bas as well. Don't you two make an adorable couple?

Both of the kids went red after that last sentence and stammered out words of denial.

'Mo', shouted the newly dubbed Mia, 'I don't know what you're talking about but could you please tell your little friend that I am not a thief!'

'Ah of course', chuckled Mo merrily,' wouldn't want to give you a bad reputation, eh Mia? Well Bas the girl is right really she doesn't really steal any books, she always ends up returning them. Sometimes I think she has me confused for a librarian. But she always makes it up to me with chores, I'll give her that. Speaking of chores, I've got another errand for you.

Sebastian could hear Mia groan even though she responded that she would do it.

'I want you to deliver this package to old Xerxes. Be extremely careful and whatever you do don't open the package! Am I clear?', asked the tall shopkeeper, 'and you can take Bas with you to help you carry it.'

'Where are we?', asked Sebastian as the pair walked through a rundown area he'd never seen before. They'd been walking for at least 30 minutes through different streets which al looked worse than the last.

'The Scrims', answered Mia with look as if that should answer all his questions.

It didn't though as the boy followed it up with a confused, 'And that means?'

Mia came to a halt and looked at him as if he'd just declared that he couldn't tie his shoe laces or ate charcoal for breakfast. 'You know, the place where all the fights happen. The place we've been at war over for more than 20 years'

'Err no', replied Sebastian. War? That didn't sound very good. 'I'm not from here'.

'That much is clear yes', scoffed the Asian girl, 'Whatever is a Wrinkler doing here?'

'A Wrinkler?', exclaimed the thoroughly confused 10 year old.

'Yes a Wrinkler', said Mia, 'it's what we call people from outside of Extern. So what are you doing here? Buying potions ingredients? Looking for dark creatures? Shady Polyjuice erotica?

'NO', exclaimed Sebastian a little took loud judging by the looks he was now receiving, 'I'm just trying to buy a book.'

'A book you say', drawled Mia, 'yet you come here to buy it? Are there no bookstores where you are from? Of course there are, they just don't sell the book you're looking for. Must be a very illegal book huh? Please do tell.'

'It's nothing really', mumbled Sebastian.

'Aw c'mon Bas, don't be like that', complained the dark haired girl, 'I love everything to do with books, you simply have to tell me.'

This made the boy think. On the one hand, Sebastian really didn't want to broadcast his very illegal project to the world. On the other hand, how much harm could telling one insignificant alley girl do? Plus she also had information that he wanted to know.

'Alright, let's make a deal,' said Sebastian once he'd organized his thoughts, 'I'll tell you what book I'm trying to acquire in exchange for you telling me about this area and the supposed war you're having.'

'Deal', responded Mia without a second of thought.

'Okay then', replied the ten year old, suddenly stressed, 'I'm not sure if you've heard of it but I'm buying the Book of Souls.'

'WHAT', exclaimed the girl loudly, 'are you talking about the highly illegal alchemy book? The one which means a one way ticket to wizard prison if the aurors find you in possession of it?'

'That's the one', chuckled Sebastian dryly.

'Damn', replied Mia , 'I've always wanted to read it.'

'You know alchemy?', asked Sebastian with a slightly disbelieving look. Later when he looked upon this moment, the boy would realize he was being quite arrogant with that question.

'No', sighed Mia wistfully, 'But I'd love to see the book, you know? Must be special if governments across the entire world felt so threatened by it, they decided to ban it until the end of time. Allegedly the ICW's magical research department studied the book but were so appalled by what they had read, they all burned their eyes and quit their jobs.

Sebastian felt uncomfortable with that last topic because of his mother being Chancellor and all, even though he didn't really believe Mia, and quickly changed the subject: 'You promised to tell me about the scrims.'

'Right the Scrims', started the girl beside him, 'Let me set a scene first. So it's 20 years ago and Extern Alley's territory all falls under 3 gangs. At the entrance there the Lupines, that's us, they're the friendliest gang by far and are ran mostly by werewolves. To the east of them there's the Malkavian, our sworn enemies, they're ran mostly by vampires and their subjugates. The main thing you need to know about them is that they're assholes, like real pieces of work. They don't consider anyone outside of their clan to be actual people, just cattle to eat and steal from. And to the south of those two are the Liberati, a monarchy of sorts whose king or queen is decided in battels to the death. They mostly keep to themselves but are by far the most feared, you do not want to cross the Liberati, trust me.

Anyways at the borders between the Lupines and the Malkavian is an area that at that point was called Lower Cobham, now the Scrims. Now Lower Cobham was nothing special, just another area of Extern Alley which housed both residents and businesses, but then 20 years ago they discovered that 2 ley lines crossed in that area. And boom, less than a year later, Lower Cobham is the place to be in Extern. Everybody who's anyone in the business world has moved their stores there to make use of all the raw magic coming out of the ley lines. It's one of the richest places in Europe, never mind just Extern, and suddenly both the Lupines and the Malkavian realize something: if they can tax Lower Cobham, they'll be rich as well.

Now here's the problem, Lower Cobham's area stretched over both gang's territories making it so neither gang can claim the whole area to themselves. The logical solution was for both of them to only be able to tax the parts which fall under their own territory. But being sworn enemies and all, neither gang was interested in the logical solution. The Malkavian, arrogant pricks that they are, strike first. Their leader, a vampire called Nyx, and his inner court all move to Lower Cobham and declare the entire borough to be under their jurisdiction. They started taxing the area like hell which led to a lot of angry residents, who in an act of rebellion contacted the Lupines and asked for their support in removing the Malkavian from their power.

The Lupines, given a legitimate reason to attack, did just that. All of this led to a 20 year on and off war which has led to many casualties and the complete ruination of what was once a beautiful area.

'If it's so dangerous, why are we here?', asked Sebastian, not feeling totally safe.

'Well were delivering this package to Xerxes of course', responded Mia, 'he's an interesting old man, bit creepy but he's certainly not boring. Back in the day, he used to be a renown potions master but he retired about 15 years ago due to the war. He's one of the few who still lives around here, most moved away.'

'Err Mia,' interrupted Sebastian, 'those 2 dudes have been behind us for quite a while, haven't they.'

Mia narrowed her eyes suspiciously and subtly looked behind her.

'They have', she responded and started quickening her pace. In response their pursuers did the same and suddenly people started appearing all around them.

The kids both looked panicked at each other and started running, though they weren't going too fast due to the heavy package that they were carrying.

As they had been talking the kids hadn't noticed they were being surrounded until it was too late. They ran as fast as they could through narrow alleys and streets. Mia even led them up a ladder and climbed over several walls. But just when they though they had escaped, they discovered a group waiting for them right in front of them.

'What are you two children doing in our territorie', said the leader of the group with a smirk. He, like the rest of them, was wearing a large black cloak which protected his skin from the sunlight. Only his face was visible to the two kids. The man had bloodshot eyes, deathly pale skin and very large fangs poking out of his mouth. In other words, the man was a vampire.

'This isn't your territory', replied Mia bravely, 'you have no claim over the Scrims.'

The vampires smirk disappeared as he responded: 'Even if that were true child, you are not in the Scrims.'

As the duo had been running away from their pursuers, they had unknowingly entered Malkavian territory.

'That is our mistake and we apologize sincerely to you', said Mia with a mounting amount of dread, 'please let us leave and rectify our mistake.'

At that the vampires looked at each other and seemed to have discussion with only their eyes. Eventually their leader replied: 'Not so fast. One does not simply enter another's territory without gifts, you know it's only common curtesy Lupine girl. So we shall let you leave but first you must give us the package you are holding.'

At this the two children looked at each other, both undoubtedly remembering Mo's words about not opening the package.

For the first time in this conversation Sebastian spoke up: 'I'm afraid we cannot give you the package good sir. Unfortunately we are meeting others late and we cannot show up there without a gift, it is as you so kindly explained "common curtesy". Instead give us a day's time to return with a more adequate gift for you.'

The vampire locked eyes with Sebastian and responded: 'Ah, but you were here first so etiquette dictates you must give us the gift and get another one for your latter company. Now hand over the package before I grow tired of this conversation.'

As he said that, the man and his companions closed in on the duo making it so their was no way for them to escape. Resigned Sebastian was ready to hand over the package, Mia however had other plans. Taking the package from Sebastian as if she was about to give it to them, she approached the leader slowly and just as he was about to grab it off her, Mia kicked him where it hurt and made a break for it leaving Sebastian to hastily catch up to her.

And shockingly it seemed to work. It's unclear whether that was due to how fast they were running or if it was due to how shocked the vampires were that somebody would have the audacity to do that, but they put a fair amount of distance in between themselves and the group.

Unfortunately however, they may have been fast but few people could hope to outrun a group of very pissed of vampires over a long distance.

So from here it was sprint. If the kids managed to make it to Xerxes' house before the vampires could catch up to them, they'd be safe because no man who was still living in the Scrims didn't have any protection wards to keep them safe. If however the vampires managed to catch up to them, they would soon be dead.

Sebastian could feel his entire body aching, he felt his lungs vibrating and his limbs were threatening to give up. He was forcing his body to it's limits just to keep running. Mia led them through a series of narrow passage ways with the thought that the Malkavian would be faster in open ground and she was correct but they were still catching up.

At this point the kids had reached the Scrims and were only a street away from their safe haven but it was still unclear whether they'd reach it.

The leader of the Malkavian led out an enormous roar and started accelerating. For every meter the kids ran, the vampire ran 5. For every step the kids took, the vampire took 3. For every gasp of exhaustion the children let out, the Vampire stayed silent.

In the end the children never really stood a chance. Even though they could both see Xerxes' brick house, their pursuer was simply too close. He was nearly in touching distance of their robes and all Sebastian could really do was brace himself for the worst. He wondered whether dying was painful and what happened after death. Would he go to a land of greatness with no flaws or to the fiery pits of doom where he'd undergo near constant torture, that was what the muggles believed at least. Maybe he'd get another chance at life in the form of a cow or dolphin. Or maybe he'd return in the form of a dementor as he'd heard some of the more radical wizards believed.

But just as the vampire was about to grab them by the back of their throats, a massive beast jumped on top of him. The vampire had a brief scuffle with it and won eventually but at that point the hairy creature had done enough, Sebastian and Mia had managed to get to the house.

Xerxes' home wasn't much of an actual 'home'. A better word to describe it may have been warehouse, and even then it was an extremely old one that had seen better days. The brick exterior wore scars of a seasons passed and what had once been a successful potion's factory, was now a ruin without purpose. The inside of the building was filled with half-broken wooden shelves and cauldrons filled with smelly ingredients. Sebastian however felt a sensation he had never felt before, the air was thick with magic and he could hear a beautiful song in the back of his mind that disappeared whenever he tried to focus on it.

Sebastian gave Mia an inquisitive look who nodded as if she understood.

'Ley lines'; she said, 'that's what your feeling. This warehouse was built on the crossing of two of them.'

'Yes it was', a voice behind Sebastian cackled, 'I've always appreciated the melody, myself. The magic sure helped with my potions too, didn't it? Top brewer in Europe I was before that vampire scum came here and ruined Cobham. He called himself a king that twat, he sure wasn't any king of mine. I'm rambling again aren't I?

The man talking to them had long grey hair and an equally long grey beard. He was short and had a shaggy look about him. Most interestingly though was the eyepatch he wore on his left eye.

'Ah don't worry about it Xerxes', said Mia, 'we don't mind.'

'You're too kind', grinned the old man without any teeth, ' anyways I believe you two young'uns have a delivery for me.'

As Sebastian handed over the box he had been carrying, the old man's face light up with anticipation.

'You're sure nobody opened this right? Wouldn't want this little fella escaping, would we? Resourceful little buggers they are, very fast too.'

'Little fella', both of the kids exclaimed at the same time.

'Mo didn't tell you two what was I the package huh?', asked Xerxes, 'never you mind, I'll take you two round back. You deserve as much for coming all the way out here.'

Xerxes led the two children through a small door at the back of the warehouse that looked to be the entrance for a small garden area. Sebastian wasn't expecting much as he walked through as he'd earlier seen that the building only had a small outside area. But boy was he wrong.

The garden, more like jungle, was massive. Enhanced by magic, Xerxes had created a landscape that could house all sorts of creatures be it underwater, on the land or in the air. Everywhere he looked, Sebastian could see various creatures running about like hippogriffs, forest elves, nifflers, gnomes and many more.

They walked for a while as the kids stared around in amazement until they reached a glade. There, Xerxes put down the box and told the kids to gather around.

'Glades, beautiful places aren't they?, asked Xerxes, grinning, 'I've been looking to fill them with one of these for a while. Problem is finding one, they're not very sociable you see. Like to hide when humans are about, don't they? Thankfully Mo knows a guy.'

'What is it?', asked Sebastian hesitantly.

Instead of answering, Xerxes once again cackled and just opened the box.

Immediately a creature came flying out thinking it was their time to shine. It was incredibly fast and had a small stature, so catching it would have been near impossible. If Sebastian were asked to describe it, he'd call it an all blue miniature human with wings. A faerie wasn't the right name but Sebastian wasn't sure what to call it.

'A sprite', said Xerxes as if answering Sebastian's thoughts, 'beautiful little buggers but they have a massive attitude.'

'I can see that', responded Mia dryly, watching as the sprite was attempting to throw a pile of leaves at Sebastian.

Xerxes laughed and said to the sprite: 'Mischievous aren't you my sweet, I think I'll call you Eris.'

Eris responded to that by doing a very rude gesture with her hand that would not be acceptable in polite company.

As the trio walked back towards the warehouse, a thought struck Sebastian.

'The hairy beast', he said, 'that saved us, is he yours too?'

'Hairy beast?', asked Xerxes confused.

'Yeah massive creature, helped us get away from a group of vampires', added Sebastian.

'Oh that's just Kirby, here I'll call him for you.', the old man blew a whistle that was tied around his neck.

The ground around them started roaring as if struck by an earthquake and Sebastian could hear a terrifyingly loud roar. Then out of the ground, he appeared.

'Kirby the Cerberus, how charming'.

3 days later Sebastian once again visited Mo's Mart, only to find Mo standing beside a man who's appearance was so similar he could have been Mo's twin.

'This is my cousin Brahim', Mo said seriously, 'he's got something for you.'

Brahim reached into the pouch he was wearing and pulled out a large black book. It's title?

'The Book of Souls'