#the teasing from hugo and you can tell that frank is trying not to smile when he says shut up

[gottagobackintime]

"It's not possible… this. Why can't you see that?" "We just brought a stag-headed girl to an orphanage to be looked after by a woman with fire for hands and a… debutante giantess! I think what is possible is very much up for debate."

[15001700tt]

Gray’s B&C Shop

Story cover!   

Word count: 4,016

Masterlist

It was a quiet day at the bookstore; only a few customers coming in and out. It was a cold November night and so not many people were out and about. Lucy sighed as she felt the cold breeze drift through the store and reach her small desk. She had a cozy ivory cardigan and some light jeans. her reading glasses perched low on her nose as she continued reading the encyclopedia of magical creatures of the wizarding world.

Shivering as a breeze caressed her warm body, she bookmarked her book and got up to close the door completely. It was an old building - she had to push on it a certain way for it to click correctly and seal the cold air outside. The bookstore was called ‘Gray’s BookStore’ and was founded in 1579 and is holding on strong in the new age of technology. Unlike many bookstores on Diagon Alley that were being shut down because they couldn't keep up with the trends of the ebook, Gray’s was able to integrate it in their store, they have a built-in coffee shop on one side that’s run by the bookstore as well as a business of renting Ipads to do some light reading if physical books aren’t your thing. Gray’s also is one of the only few bookstores to have the original printing of many books that are displayed like artifacts.

As you can see the owners (the Gray’s) have managed to successfully capitalize on the industry without ruining the joys of reading as well as browsing. Lucy works there as she attends college to pursue a career in the Ministry of Magic as a Mazigoologist. Lucy and her sister; Molly run the shop for the Grays’. Molly usually tends to the coffee shop while Lucy runs the bookshop. It was a very popular place to come wind down in after shopping all day in Diagon Alley.

The bookstore is huge, no lie. It has two entrances one from the coffee shop and one from the bookstore. It was actually a few hours before closing and Molly was just cleaning the cups and putting them back on the shelves. Molly was wearing high waisted light jeans similar to Lucy’s and an olive green shirt with an oversized brown flannel, a dark brown apron covering her front, and a white stained rag tucked in. Molly studies History of Magic and Education, she hopes to become a professor at Hogwarts. She was in her last year of College, unlike Lucy who still had one more year before she can start training for her career in the Ministry of Magic.

“Do you have anything to do when we get off?” Molly called out in the empty store.

“A hot date with my bed and hot chocolate” Lucy winked at her sister from like 15 feet away.

“Haha funny, c’mon hang out with me and Frank tonight” Molly suggested while laughing sarcastically.

“I really don’t want to third wheel,” Lucy responded, shrugging. She didn't hate hanging out with her sister and her boyfriend she just felt like she was intruding. Frank was a great guy and he’s also a great friend, she just felt awkward being the single one.

“I’ll think about it. I have some books I still need to finish reading so maybe another day?” Lucy excused softly trying to not seem like she didn't want to hang out with her sister but at the same time, she didn't want to spend her evening this way.

“It’s up to you, you haven’t socialized in weeks, I worry,” Molly yelled as she laughed. Lucy rolled her eyes at her sister.

“I am fine!” Lucy chuckled as she picked up her book once again and started reading again.

A few hours pass this way, in silence as the soft music plays. People come in hang around for a while then they leave with either a hot coffee or a new book. The silence is broken when a group of boys stumbled in laughing and shoving each other.

“Frank?” Molly’s soft voice drifted to Lucy’s desk. Lucy lifted her head to look at the group of boys, containing Frank; Molly’s boyfriend. Frank was wearing black jeans a tan jacket with a black long sleeve and a mustard yellow scarf.

“Hi love, we might need a raincheck on our evening” Frank grinned a childlike grin at his girlfriend.

Lucy once again closed her book and peered at the group talking to Molly, she knew them. She knew them from Hogwarts, where she spent 7 years with them, and… one of them is her very own cousin; Hugo Weasley. Percy Wood, Frank Longbottom, Hugo Weasley, Lorcan, and Lysander Scamander were standing in a circle around Molly; who had left her post behind the counter next to the coffee machines to greet the boys. These boys were her family per se, they spent every Christmas with her huge family as well as any other family event that was hosted.

Nevertheless, she had only exchanged a few words with the Scamander twins. But everyone else? Basically her siblings. Frank’s always at her house, and Percy is her best friend’s older brother; Annabelle Wood. Although they never interacted much due to being in different social circles, he was nice and polite to her so she didn't have any opinion of him.

Hugo was a very close friend/cousin, they were in the same department and share a love for creatures. So when she approached the group, he was the first one to notice her. Hugo was wearing black skinny jeans with a hazelnut brown long sleeve with an army green varsity jacket he was wearing a red beanie to fend off the cold air.

“Lu! How are you?” he grinned at her with rosy cheeks.

“I am good. how about you?” Lucy hugged Percy, Frank, and Hugo and nodded at the boys in acknowledgment. Percy was the only one that was a year older than everyone else, making him two years older than Lucy. He was wearing dark jeans and combat boots with a black sweater with the Hogwarts crest on it and the year he graduated on it, 2023. She greeted the twins.

“Hello,” Lorcan smirked at the girl. Lucy’s cheeks flushed. Lorcan and Lysander were dressed as if they were trying to make a statement against being related. Lorcan was sporting black skinny jeans and a black leather jacket as well as a white long sleeve. He had many necklaces and bracelets, if Lucy looked closer she could tell that they were probably little souvenirs from places he’d been or maybe sentimental pieces.

Lysander was dressed in a beige pullover with some dark skinny jeans and a black overcoat, and a black fedora. He was wearing one necklace and it seems to have some type of animal tooth on it. He smiled gently at her and tipped his head in a greeting as she made eye contact with her.

“So what brings you guys here?” Molly broke Lucy and Lysander’s eye contact. Lucy’s face flushed as she realized that they were both equally attractive and that she had been staring at them.

“We were all getting off from St. Mungo’s and we found this journal that had all these entries that talk about treasures and riddles that would lead to it” Frank started explaining, looking very excited.

“We’ve been following it for the last two hours,” Hugo finished off looking around the place.

“There’s one more cipher that we need that should lead us to the treasure” Lysander added, pulling out a pocket journal. It looked worn out and ancient.

“But we can’t figure out what language its in, so we thought that maybe you’d have a book that could help us” Frank smiled sheepishly at Molly. Molly looked at the boys with amusement. As she wiped her hands on her apron, she looked at Lucy trying to see whether that would be doable. Lucy pondered for a second, the flow of customers has been really sparse today so they could close an hour early.

“I guess the bookstore is closing at 10 tonight,” Lucy chuckled at the hopeful looks the boys were giving her. Molly clapped her hands and told the boys to take a seat as they closed the shop. Molly and Lucy only had to close the registers from the coffee shop and the bookstore and put them in the office and lock it, and maybe sweep but Molly had already done so before the guys came in.

Within thirty minutes, the boys had taken off their jackets and were lounging comfortably on of the tables, each with a cup of hot drinks in them. Lucy and Molly were in the office counting the money when Molly bumped her shoulder against Lucy’s and smirked.

“So, you fancy one of the Scamanders?” Molly teased, slightly pausing waiting to see Lucy’s reaction.

“Molly, Lorcan has been dating Lily since 6th year,” Lucy refuted, pointing out a very obvious fact. Lorcan is the type to have a very coy attitude. That wasn’t her type but it was amusing to witness.

“What about Lysander? He hasn’t dated anyone in a while” Molly responded, punching in numbers in the calculator.

“We are not having this conversation when they are only a few feet away from us!” Lucy whisper-yelled.

“It’s not hurting anyone! Besides I think he’s taking a fancy to you,” Molly voiced out with a little giggle.

“He’s known me since we were children, I am sure if he likes me he would’ve had a chance to say so in the last 20 years or so,” Lucy rolled her eyes at her sister.

“Hey! Frank and I didn't start dating until 7th year and we’ve known each other since we were babies, maybe it’s your time!” Molly suggested, putting a wad of cash in the safe.

“Oh my god, is this about not wanting to hang out tonight with you and Frank?” Lucy stopped abruptly to stare at her sister.

“What? No! This is about him not taking his eyes off of you that whole time we were closing the shop!” Molly shook her head and scoffed at her sister’s assumption.

Lucy just flushed at the thought of him just watching her, so she wasn't going crazy, he was watching her. She felt eyes following her around but she shook it off as she was being paranoid.

Lucy opened the checkbook and wrote down the total number of sales while Molly finished putting the rest of the money in the safe before locking it. They both high fived quietly and turned off the lights to the office and closed the door.

“Alright, tell me everything,” Molly tossed herself into one of the chairs, running her hands through her hair.

“Well, I found it in one of the old lockers that the residents can use. It was empty except for that” Frank started, pointing at the frayed journal.

“So there are three riddles, and two of them to two different places of Diagon Alley while the third one is in a different language” Lysander responded, furrowing his eyebrows.

“What were the two places?” Lucy asked, she was doodling in her notepad as she listened to them.

“Slug and Jiggers Apothecary and Borgin & Burkes,” he responded.

“A potion shop and an antique shop” Lucy reiterated.

“Maybe that’s the link, it’s an old book about potions?” Molly guessed as silence overtook the group, Frank looked at her with wide eyes.

“You’re brilliant!” he said with admiration. Molly rolled her eyes, getting up from her chair and walking over to Lucy and holding out her hand with fake politeness.

“After you, my lady” Molly said with a posh accent, Lucy laughed and grasped her sister’s hand.

“The potion section is at the end of the bookstore and should start in alphabetical order,” Lucy said, as the group moved from the front of the store to the back.

“The oldest book we have that is in another language is right...here,” Lucy paused as she squatted and reached in the bottom shelf somewhere almost hidden.

“How did you-” Lorcan started before getting interrupted by Hugo.

“If it’s a book then Lucy knows where it would be,” he chuckled at his shocked friend and Lucy’s grinning face. Lucy handed the book to Lysander, who brushed off the layer of dust that formed on the book frame.

“παρασκευή φίλτρων” Lysander read out loud.

“You can read that?” Lucy asked with surprise in her voice.

“I had to take Greek as an elective for a year.” Lysander shrugged, he propped the book up on the shelf and started flipping through it.

Lucy backed away from the shelf to stand next to Molly and Frank. Molly smirked as she saw Lucy look flabbergasted.

“Now you have someone to bother about your Greek class other than me,” Molly said with mirth in her voice. Lysander paused, before continuing to flip through the book, a small smile playing on his lips as Lorcan smirked at Lucy and winked.

“Guys, focus. Is there anything that can help with the riddle?” Hugo grinned catching Lucy’s look for help.

“What is the riddle anyway?” Molly asked as Lysander flipped through the pages, one by one. There would probably be a written message in there that could help. Gray’s Bookstore was also known for selling second-hand books, usually, there are some witty remarks written in the pages waiting for a reader.

‘Habeo tamen illa idiomata praeambula tamen exitum non sitim aquae sed vigent. Quld?’ Percy showed Molly the book, while Lysander finally got the middle of the book.

“So it’s all in Greek, no surprise there, but some of the words are randomly translated into another language,” Lysander stated. He paused and looked off into the distance.

“Wait, give me the book for a moment,” Lucy spoke as she peered over Lysander’s shoulder. She eyed one of the doodles before turning to the page of the journal the riddle was written on.

“This is Latin, it’s a dead language but someone was translating Latin words to Greek.” Lucy explained as she pointed out two identical words.

“I knew taking Ancient Runes would be handy at some point,” Lucy murmured as she found more words that matched with the riddle. Lucy asked someone for a pen, Molly handed her one from her hair, she had a habit of sticking things in her hair to put it up, her wand and many pens being the help she needed.

Lucy started writing down the words that they can translate. Within twenty minutes they had a loosely translated version of the riddle in Greek. Έχω εκφράσεις αλλά όχι ιδιώματα, προοίμιο, αλλά δεν υπάρχει διέξοδος, έχω νερό, αλλά μόνο η δίψα μπορεί να ευδοκιμήσει. τι είμαι εγώ?’ it was written in Lysander’s handwriting. He inhaled and said it out loud, before translating it into English.

“I have expressions but no idioms, a preamble but no way out, I have water but only the thirst can thrive. what am I?” Lysander finished, they all stood (well Lucy had sat down on the ground next to Lysander so that they could write) there to ponder what the riddle could mean.

“Okay ‘I have expressions but no idioms? Could be words, or books?” Molly pondered out loud.

“A ‘preamble’? Like an opening? ‘No way out’ would make sense there is no exit,” Frank continued to think out loud, backpacking onto Molly’s thought.

“‘I have water but the only thirst can thrive’? What does that even mean” Lorcan sighed resting his head against the bookshelf behind him. His head making a thudding sound, before the sound of gears overtook the silent bookstore. He was startled away from the bookshelf as all seven of them watched as the bookshelf against the end of the building starts to shift to the right revealing an opening. Lucy scrambled up and went to take a look at the book Lorcan hit with his head.

“Huh, secret seekers of potion-making,” Lucy mused out loud the title of the book.

“A secret seeker? Seriously?” Hugo scoffed at the easiness of the answer and yet the riddle was in tongues.

“I guess we don’t need to use our brains as long as we have Lorcan to lean against things,” Frank joked as he patted Lorcan’s back. The others chuckled as they all approached the dusty and old secret opening. Lysander and Lucy were the first to step into the hallway.

The hallway was dark, the only light shining through is of the bookstore, so the seven of them pulled out their wands and murmured the charm; ‘Lumos’, and started walking down the hallway in pairs. Lucy and Lysander were leading the group.

There were doors lining the hallway, from what they could see there’s four, two on each side. Lucy and Lysander turned to two different doors and tried to open them, they were both locked.

“Alohomora,” Lucy whispered, a little light coming out of her wand and into the doorknob, she tried again and it was still locked.

“Magic doesn’t work-,” Lucy gasped to the rest of the group, but suddenly the door swung open and she stumbled in, Lysander probably trying to catch her before she fell to the ground holding onto her sleeve but ended up toppling on top of her as the door swung shut behind them shrouding them into complete darkness and entanglement of limbs.

Lucy can only hear their heavy breathing before Lysander rolled off her. He mumbled a quick ‘sorry’ before murmuring ‘Lumos’ again.

“Are you alright?” he asked softly.

“I am okay, it’s like the door was reacting to the spell” Lucy shuddered as she remembered how her wand felt in her hand. Knocks caught their attention. And they both got up to try and open the door once again.

“You guys okay?” Frank asked through the door, his voice sounding muffled.

“We’re fine, we’re just locked in” Lysander responded as he wiggled the doorknob even more.

“Alright, we’ll try to bust you out!” Hugo responded. Lysander only heard some shuffling afterward.

“Lysander…” Lucy’s voice trailed off as she herself had charmed her wand with ‘Lumos’. She was gaping at what was revealed in front of her, while Lysander was facing the door, she was facing the room. Books littered the rooms, some before bars some were laying lifelessly looking old and dusty while others were looking as if they were just off the printing press.

“Wow…” Lysander left the door to stand next to Lucy, she quickly glanced at him. He was so attractive and enamored with books. Lucy flushed as soon as she caught onto the trail of thoughts that were heading in. she mentally shook her head and scolded herself. She needed to focus so that they can get out. Every romantic bone in her body is screaming that this was a scene from a book but Lucy’s logical bone (read: brain) was telling her that magic is of no use in this place so she would try her wits. Lucy exhaled, trying to slow down her breathing, she lowered her wand and tucked it into her back pocket.

“This room is protected by magic against magic” Lucy stated, Lysander nodded, being able to feel the lack of magic or the strength of the protection charm.

“Good thing muggles invented mobile flashlights,” Lysander joked as he distinguished his wand light and fished out his cellphone, and turned on the flashlight.

“Nifty,” Lucy responded, mentally smacking herself for saying ’nifty’. She sheepishly smiled at him as she started to look through the books and read their titles.

Lucy raised her eyebrow at some titles, because of how outdated some of these books are, and how some of them are recently published. Some were about muggle medicine, some about their medicinal charms, spells, and potions. Lucy moved some papers that were lying on the floor and squatted down as she spotted a book. It seemed out of space. She glanced up to check on Lysander’s location. He seemed engrossed in a book he was flipping through on the other side of the room. She looks back towards the door, she can hear some sort of noise coming from the other side, probably the boys and Molly trying to get them out. She glanced back towards the small book. She picked it and inspected it, shining the light from her cell phone to the front cover. It was leather-bound and pocket-sized.

“Isn’t this the same notebook that Percy found?” Lucy asked, holding up the journal towards Lysander.

“Yes, it is.”

“Maybe it can help us get out of here” Lucy dusted off her pants and moved back towards the door.

“I found a book that's identical to the one Frank found, maybe-” Lucy didn't even get to finish her sentence when the door clicked open and slowly opened to reveal Hugo on his knees and a hairpin in his mouth and two in the lock.

“Never underestimate the power of lock picking?” Lorcan sarcastically let out with a questioning tone.

“I think we found the treasure” Lysander said from behind Lucy, he was grinning as he held up the book he was looking through.

“There are so many medicinal books here muggle and wizarding alike.” he told the group as they went to look around the room. Molly raised an eyebrow trying to send discreet signals to Lucy to ask about what happened when they were alone. Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head, basically telling her sister nothing had happened.

“So what you’re saying is that we spent three hours looking for a treasure that turned out to be just more books?” Percy asked with disbelief in his voice.

“Books are a treasure! They have unlimited knowledge,” Lucy scolded Percy.

“Frank found this journal at St. Mungo’s. What did you expect?” Lorcan stated, picking up a book and flipping through nonchalantly.

“Unlimited riches?” Percy guessed causing Hugo to punch his arm.

After browsing for a couple of hours, they tried to open the rest of the doors, but they could only get two more doors open and they just had a brick wall behind it. Lucy thinks it’s to form a decoy so that if someone got this far they still wouldn't be able to get very far. It was around one in the morning when they decided to call it a night. Frank was going to take Molly back to her apartment and Lucy was going to walk back to her apartment. It was a 15-minute walk. The boys decided that Lysander was going to walk Lucy back to her apartment. Hugo and Lorcan smirked as Lysander led Lucy out of the store. Frank chuckled as he hugged Molly and she whispered to him, that Lucy has a crush on Lysander.

Lucy felt her cheeks flush as the cold air brushed against her face, “It’s really not that necessary I live very close.”

“I understand but it's one clock in the morning. It's not safe for anyone to be walking alone,” he smiled at her and motioned for them to start their walk. As they walked they talked about different things, books, muggle movies, and Hogwarts. It wasn't as awkward as Lucy thought it would be. He was an extremely nice guy and a very attractive one at that too. They soon reached her apartment building and they had to bid their goodbyes. Lysander smiled, “it was a lot of fun hanging out with you, maybe we can grab a coffee sometime?” he smiled his pearly smile and Lucy can feel butterflies taking flight in her stomach. She blushed a rosy red and nodded.

“I would like that.” Lysander grinned back and nodded. He leaned down to her height and kissed her cheek. His warmth transferring through his lips to her cold red cheeks.

“I look forward to it,” he grinned and put his hands into his pockets and waited for her to make her way up to her home.