Before The Past

Ch. 17

"Aroura dear, I have some things to do in Diagon Alley, would you care to join me?" Narcissa asked. 

"Sure, if you don't mind?" I replied. 

"No not at all, it'd be nice to have some company." She smiled. 

It seemed that Narcissa's mood had changed slightly as we were leaving the manor. Whatever was on the paper must have been important. Whatever it was seemed to cause her to not be in the house anymore, or at least that's what I thought. It wasn't unusual that secrets were being blatantly hidden, but it was discouraging. Being the one left out most diffidently isn't the greatest, especially when you have no way of gaining the trust of being let in. 

There was a bitter wind that day and it seemed like a storm was slowly approaching. Narcissa had put a waterproof charm on us to keep us dry while we walked down the streets. It seemed as though the entire wizarding world was in Diagon Alley, finding last minute gifts and items for the holidays. Narcissa and I had went our seperate ways so she could get a few last minute things. I also got a few thank you gifts for the Malfoys for letting me stay with them over holiday. The last store we stopped in was an all men's store.  The strong scent of musk and cedar flooded our noses as we walked in. It was almost too much, but after a few moments it seemed to tone down. 

"Welcome Mrs. Malfoy, how can I help you today?" A man in a sophisticated vest and tie asked. 

"Just looking for some last minute items for Draco, I'm having a hard time choosing what to get him." Narcissa sighed. 

"Well ma'am we've just received a new order of hand crafted silver and we've got excellent choices on fragrances and men's attire." The man said. 

"Draco has been needing a new suit, but we'll have to do that a day when he can come in and get fitted. Lets have a look at the silver, shall we?" Narcissa asked. 

The man nodded and went into the back, bringing forward a large container with smaller boxes inside. He carefully took the boxes out and presented them with his wand, making sure they were all in a neat formation. There were rings, necklaces, watches, and even earrings. No two items were the same and everything looked as if it was all over thirty galleons. 

"If I may, your son was in her a few days ago looking at this piece." The man walked over to one of the pieces. 

It was a silver ring in the shape of a dragon. There was no lack of detail and everything was in just the right spot. The scale of it wasn't too big or too small, and the darker parts of the etched out pieces gave it more dimension. 

"Draco means dragon, right?" I asked. 

"That's correct, how did you know?" Narcissa questioned. 

"Well, I figured since the Draco constellation is a dragon, that's probably why he was looking at it." I replied. 

"Looks like you've done your research." The man smiled and gave a subtle wink. 

"How much is it?" Narcissa asked. 

"fifty galleons, but since it's the holidays and your all such loyal customers, I'll drop it down to forty." The man answered. 

"We'll take it." She nodded. 

When we got back to the house, Lucius had also gone out to do some business and Draco was in his room. Narcissa had left to wrap presents, leaving me to explore the house a bit more. I was told I was free to explore, but to not any rooms with wards on them. I figured the safest bet would be the library. They had almost every type of book imaginable, children's stories, myths and folk stories, magical evolution, and even science books. There was analogies on different blood status's and many books about spells, histories of different things such as spells, wizards, and events.