Tomarry One Shots

| Devil's Trill PT. 2

Tom smiled at the old woman pleasantly. The day was going well. He had successfully convinced her to purchase an amethyst necklace way above the valued price. Caractacus would be pleased, and Tom could use this opportunity to get closer to the woman and finally get invited into her home since the real treasure was hidden somewhere within the walls of Mrs. Smith's lavish townhouse.

The customers at Borgin and Burkes were generally unpleasant, but Tom was already accustomed to their behaviour and knew how to handle them. He skillfully sweet-talked these snobby purebloods, persuading them to part ways with their valuables at a favourable price and then resell them at a substantial profit. Mr. Borgin always entrusted Tom with selling their most exclusive items, as he consistently achieved success in upselling ancient artifacts.

"And you think you will get Alice's tea set?" she asked coquettishly, brushing back her graying curls behind her ear.

"I have it on good authority that it will be here this coming week, and I will reserve it for you, Mrs. Smith," he told her politely, continuing to grace her with his radiant smile.

The doors to Borgin and Burkes swung open gently, and a new customer walked in. Tom turned his gaze towards the newcomer briefly as he nodded in response to Mrs. Smith's incessant chatter. The old woman seemed to have no regard for the subtleties of silence.

"Thank you, Tom," the woman said, caressing him with her chubby fingers. Tom wanted to break her bloody fingers, but he simply smiled at her, the perfect picture of courteousness.

"I hope to see you soon, Mrs. Smith," he said, pulling his head back to give her the friendliest smile he could muster.

He watched her move towards the door and internally groaned that he had to put up with her the whole morning. A new customer approached the counter and Tom turned his head to take a look at him with a pleasant smile on his face. His eyes raked over the newcomer's body as he assessed him. His occupation at Borgin and Burkes taught him to carefully watch and evaluate potential buyers and sellers. Taking note of their appearance often helped him assess their worth and if they deserved his time.

There were rich purebloods with money to throw around who would easily be convinced to buy all kinds of rubbish if Tom wanted to talk them into it and then there were conmen, liars and thieves who wanted to sell him some kind of rubbish by making outlandish declarations about the worth of the trinkets they brought.

All of these people were so easy to spot and tell apart. All Tom needed to do was just stare at them, and he could learn their story from the bits and pieces they presented. Tom blinked, taking in the man's appearance. He was slim and willowy, like a petite, starved heroine from the ridiculous novels Mrs. Cole liked to read that Tom had the displeasure of getting himself acquainted with in his search for books to read.

His hair, soft and smooth, was elegantly styled, complemented by his impeccable attire. Tom stared at his perfectly trimmed nails and admired his polite demeanour. He was clean and neat unlike many purebloods, but someone Tom had never seen before. Judging by his attire and appearance, he was a pureblood coming from an older, wealthier family. He seemed young. The most notable thing though, was the strange scarf covering the man's eyes.

Did he have some kind of recent injury? Most eye-related illnesses could be cured with magic, so why was the man covering his eyes? Was he blind in both eyes? Were his eyes missing from his eye sockets? And if that was the case, Tom was curious; eager to know what might have caused his eyes to be gauged out.

He wanted to reach forward and pull down the fabric and see what was hiding behind the layer of cloth.

"Welcome to Borgin and Burkes," he said politely. "Are you seeking anything?"