Hogwarts Legacy: Shades of Silver Lining

Ch. 1: Lord Gaunt and Officer Sallow

A/N: The loudest applause to asallowgrave and accio-bagel at tumblr for beta reading 🙂‍↕️👏🏻 Thank you a million times for your help!

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~ approximately two months earlier

Amberlyn pulled the armchair closer to the fireplace. This way, she could rest her back on it while sitting on the rug, which she always preferred. The fire cast a soft glow around the room, slowly bringing warmth to the air. She hadn't set foot in the shop since Christmas, and the new year had arrived with freezing cold. The room needed to be warmed to prevent the damp from settling in. She had no desire to ask Penny about it, especially now that the elf was mainly at Hogwarts per Alyn's request. This fact also gave her an excuse to come here herself today.

The girl's gaze drifted back to the books on the rug beside her, the ones Sebastian had asked her to borrow from the library. This was already the second time he had made such a request within the first few weeks of the new term. One of the books, a rather thin volume with a faded cover, had come from the Restricted Section. Now that Alyn had permission to enter, there was no need to slip past the prefects in the middle of the night anymore. She smiled faintly at the memory, though everything linked to Sebastian still carried a tinge of pain.

She noticed her fingers were gripping the notebook tightly, and made an effort to loosen them. Earlier, she had been turning one of the tiny plant pots in her hands, trying to memorise the texture of the leaves. A few of these cold-resistant plants had recently been arranged on the broad windowsill. Poppy promised to bring more in spring.

Alyn would frequently sketch plants when anxiety took over her mind. The repetitive details and intricate patterns always had a soothing effect on her. She smiled again as she traced fine pencil strokes onto the paper, this time remembering Ominis, or rather, his Herbology essay. Yesterday, she had been absentmindedly drawing Tentacula leaves on the back of his parchment instead of her own and didn't notice it before the professor had started collecting their works... Anyway, it was unlikely that Professor Garlick would scold anyone for such a thing. Knowing her, she'd probably find it quite adorable.

The bell's familiar chime echoed through the room, causing Alyn's pencil to halt midair. It was far too soon for Sebastian to arrive, which stirred a sense of annoyance as she turned to look. At this point, she had no clue how large the "CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" sign had to be for people to pay attention to it.

A young man stood in the shop, not much older than her. Alyn quickly took note of his polished and expensive look. With a dressmaker for a mother, one can't help but learn about clothes and the materials they're crafted from. Something about this man felt familiar, but Alyn was confident she remembered faces well and had definitely never seen him before.

"Well..." The man halted, a step from the door, casting a slightly surprised look around the room. His dark eyes finally settled on Alyn. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Evening, sir. This shop belongs to me," Alyn replied, putting down her notebook and hurrying to her feet.

The man squinted as he gave her a measuring look, slowly stepping a few paces closer. Any charm he might have had was confined to his clothes. His movements and words were sharp, and his expression was unsettling, almost sinister, making it uncomfortable to even look at him for long. She felt the calming presence of her wand in a garter against her leg and knew she could draw it instantly should the situation call for it.

"Is this a joke?" he asked, his voice dripping with hostility.

"No. And we're closed. Just as the sign says," she added quietly, tired of repeating it every time she came by.