This file is a translation of "La Rue des soupirs". Many thanks to wabun-ahnung for the corrections !
Since the beginning of time, the Sighs Street had been part of the unsavory neighborhood between the Diagon Alley and the Knockturn Alley. The street meandered sensually all along the neighborhood as if it sought to embrace all the good and bad corners of the shady little world.
Right in the center of the district, the Sighs Street had always shone quite bright. They never fail to build the most beautiful brothels in wizard London century after century. Depending on the ages, they had either been honored or burned down to the ground, but there was still an air of charm and grace in this place of lust. So much so, that you could always find wealthy gentlemen and the prettiest ladies roaming down the Sighs Street.
As one moved away from the center, the beauty of the ladies faded accordingly. Gorgeous at first, frightful at the borders. It had always been like that and there was no doubt that it would ever change.
Even the clean-up operation after He-who-must-not-be-named had failed to change these provisions. The Ministry combed the whole neighborhood, detained all the girls, and closed all the brothels. All authorities had gained was that the sidewalks had bloomed. Orchids in the center, thistles at the ends.
Since the disappearance of the dark wizards, the brothels timidly reopened their doors to a chosen clientele but even today, fifteen years later, most of the beauty had to fish outside hoping for better days.
That evening, London was showing its icy side and those who had the courage to go out were shivering under capes that they only opened when rare customers passed by.
Like many others Pearl would have been delighted to pass her turn but her purse wasn't going to fill up by itself and it was high time to get to work. She crossed the Knockturn Alley, turned into the Sighs Street, passed the more or less fresh girls of the bottom of the hill and reached the end of the sidewalk reserved for girls of "medium-good" caliber that it was pointless to ogle unless you had at least one galleon in your pocket. She pressed herself against the wall with the other street witches.
- Hey, Pearl, how are you? Greeted Dora.
- Not bad, but I hate this weather.
- Come on, it gives you a peachy complexion, said the witch dressed in blue.
Pearl pretended to agree, avoiding to point out that her colleague's greenish complexion indicated that serious abuse had taken place the day before and that no amount of ice fog could change that.
A fat, chubby wizard walked by pretending to be in the street by mistake, a newspaper under his arm with «TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT! The arrival of the students from Beauxbâtons and Durmstrang is imminent!" on the front page. His well-made dress and impeccable that earned him the most charming smiles from the ladies but despite her withered complexion, it soon became clear that Dora was his favorite. She walked towards him with a charming smile and took his arm. They disappeared a little further at the Merry Harpy.
After ten minutes waiting in vain in the rain, Pearl sighed.
- Damn, customers are scarce tonight.
- On a rainy Sunday. What did you expect? Maria said, bagged in a fluorescent pink dress that made her love handles pop out like a sausage.
- What? It's Sunday? Holy crap! I thought it was Saturday.
- Big difference as you can see, said Maria, smiling amused.
What a pity ... She'd spend an hour powdering a sweet, innocent young girl's freshly landed face. A decoy obviously since she was over twenty-three years old but who cared. Here, we were in the middle of a mirage and only fools could ignore the obvious.
A skinny wizard with long black hair sticking to his forehead walked down the alley like a shadow. As everyone else, Pearl turned her head to detail him. Pfft, there wasn't much to say about him. Some poor guy, obviously. A few girls stared at him but his indifference cooled what his appearance had already accomplished.
Pearl didn't even bother to smile at him and thought she'd better go home.
However, the dripping wizard stopped so suddenly in front of her that Pearl was startled. Behind the curtain of black hair, his eyes were glistening while his jaw was contracting, causing her temples to swell.
Damn it, that's just my luck, she thought to herself before the unattractive look of her catch. But of course, the freezing weather was not the best time to be picky.
- Hi, she said teasingly. Would you like to come for a ride?
He stared at her with a strange gaze and then nodded his head. Pearl walked towards him as if she was delighted to have been chosen.
She wanted to train him to the Harpy but the wizard pointed to a dark alley. She glanced at Maria who nodded her head. She didn't trust this guy and if she didn't come back, her colleague could at least testify that she saw her leave with him.
- What's your name? She asked, following him.
- It doesn't matter, he said in a sharp voice.
Pearl sighed. Well, that was a good start. This was going to be fun.
The sorcerer was giving him strange glances every two seconds. She smiled at him, but he quickly looked away with a gruff look.
Even better, she thought annoyed. Clearly a weirdo. Hopefully, not too insane up there.
She entered while the anonymous man took a counter key held by a man that seemed more or less human given the amount of hair sticking out of his nose. They went up a creaky staircase and went through an old door which she closed behind her.
The room was tiny and the walls were dirty. There was a wooden chair, an iron bed, a rickety bedside table on which was placed a terracotta bowl. That was about it.
Pathetic.
The room was ugly and so was the guy. But she couldn't exactly complain. Some days were like that.
She approached him as if she found him irresistible.
- So? What would you like?
He stepped back.
- Sit down, he ordered.
She smiled as she sat on the wooden chair and began to caress her thigh, lifting her skirt.
The man stared at her with disdain.
- Stop behaving like a bitch in heat, he said dryly.
Pearl looked at him. Shit ... she had picked up a perfect gentleman. She crossed her hands on her lap.
- Very well. As you wish, she said uncomfortable.
Standing in the middle of the room, he looked at her without speaking. Pearl remained seated, unsure of how to handle this bizarre situation.
-I hope you don't find this inappropriate but you do have to pay in advance, she said.
- How much?
- It depends on what you want. That's why I was asking you...
- A galleon, he said, rummaging through his pocket.
He dropped the coin into the bowl on the nightstand and Pearl sighed. A galleon ... it was not much.
- Well. For that I can...
- Take off your makeup, he ordered.
She stared at him surprised.
- Take off my makeup?
He just stared at it.
- Sorry but this takes a lot of work and time so...
-A galleon should be enough to cover your efforts, he said indifferently.
Enough? Who did this weirdo think he was? A fucking galleon was far from "enough".
- Take it all off, he said with a hint of impatience.
- Take off… my clothes?
He rolled his eyes as if he were dealing with the worst idiot he had ever seen in his life.
"Your makeup," he repeated.
Pearl crossed her arms. Really? He wanted to treat her like that? Perfect.
- For that, it will be two galleons.
He looked at the flashy colors smeared on her face.
-A galleon is already more than generous, he said with a condescending tone
She blink with incredulity. Of course he could speak that one! His teeth were as yellow as his complexion. It was necessary to face the obvious, she had lost enough time with this broke piece of shit.
- In that case …
She got up, resumed her rain cape and her umbrella to head for the door.
- Very well. Two galleons, said the wizard grudgingly.
He dropped another coin which tinkled happily in the bowl. While thinking that the evening was getting more and more crappy, Pearl retraced her steps and dropped her umbrella to the ground. She opened the silver bag and drew a small purple handkerchief which she passed carelessly over her face. Cleansed, she put away the handkerchief and dropped the bag on the chair.
She raised her arms as if to present a work of art.
- Happy ?
He didn't look happy but Pearl suspected he wasn't often anyway.
- Turn.
She obeyed with a sigh. Planted next to her, the wizard just stared at her. She stood there for a good five minutes, wondering what that might mean. A makeup hater fetishist maybe...
- Turn, he ordered.
She turned back, facing him and he stared at her long enough for her to feel uncomfortable.
Without warning he stepped forward and the young woman looked at him suspicious, unsure of what was going to happen. He stared at her through the curtain of black hair from which his hooked nose emerged.
- Your card.
She raised an eyebrow.
- Uh ... Sure. If you want...
Her card. Of course. He would need to see her again after having experienced so much pleasure, she told herself sarcastically, rummaging through her glittery bag.
She took out a thin golden box which she opened and grabbed a small pack of cards. She handed it to him. He ignored the chocolate frog card which represented her as a voluptuous evil witch of the 13th century, passed the one from the cabaret FolAmour where she, dressed in blue, was dancing in front of a crimson velvet and the one where she blew out the candles of a cake with a heart-shaped mouth. Only to choose the most boring one out of the pack. A false advertisement where she posed as a vaguely professional saleswitch. The card for married men who had a suspicious wife.
He slipped it into his pocket, turned around and left without saying thank you.
Pffft. No kidding. She had seen some freaks but this one was a pretty good one. She picked up her galleons, took her bag and entered the bathroom to re-do her make-up but she suddenly froze.
- What the …!?
And that's what happened when you picked up a stingy man who took a shabby room. Pearl angrily turned on her heel, leaving behind a filthy sink and above it, a piss-green wall on which no one had bothered to install a single piece of mirror.