Forbidden Knowledge? || Julia + Open

[Ren Al-Sayeed]

Ren stumbled out of the Floo network, brushing soot from his cloak. This wasn’t Diagon Alley. The cobblestones were too dark, the air too heavy. A cold, unsettling chill clung to everything, seeping into his bones. He glanced around, taking in the narrow, winding street lined with shadows. Knockturn Alley. Swallowing hard, he clutched his bag a little tighter.

"Smart, Ren," he muttered to himself, nerves prickling down his spine. "Definitely not the plan."

Still, he reminded himself why he was here. He needed a book, something that could push his Advanced Pompion potion theory forward, something Hogwarts’ restricted section wouldn't give him access to. He was desperate to complete his work, and if that meant sneaking around Knockturn Alley, so be it. Maybe he took a little too much of Rae's example in this.

A flicker of green caught his eye. An olive-painted door with a single dusty window. The name Muspell was barely visible through the grime. Taking a shaky breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Inside, he found a narrow hallway lined with cloaks and jackets hanging like dark sentinels. A note on the wall asked for shoes to be removed. After a moment’s hesitation, he slipped them off and moved forward, passing through a deep blue door into the main shop.

The room was much larger than he expected, every wall lined with towering bookshelves that seemed to stretch upward forever. Some shifted and creaked, moving on their own like they were alive. The titles were as dark and foreboding as the alley outside: 'Advanced Potions Theory', 'Alchemy and the Soul', 'The Darker Side of Potion-Making'. He scanned the shelves, searching for anything that might hold the answers he needed.

A chill ran down his spine, the air thick with an unsettling silence. Every now and then, he thought he saw a glint in the shadows between the shelves, like eyes watching him from the darkness. He wished he’d brought someone with him...Rae, Benji, anyone. But he was alone, the only sound the soft creak of a shifting shelf.

"Come on," he whispered to himself. "Just... find the book and get out." But even as he said it, he couldn't shake the feeling that something in the shop was watching him, biding its time.

[Julia Laurence]

Julia didn't enjoy visiting the less desirable areas of magical London. The clientele and behaviors one would often observe in such boroughs often left much to be desired by polite company, or anyone who wasn't missing half a row of teeth. Knockturn Alley - for it truly was just a dingy little alley filled with miscreants and those who thought themselves intimidating - was one such place. Dirty, cold, dark. And the smell.

Merlin, the smell.

It wasn't the place for anybody that didn't have some sort of shady business. Whether it was a dealing done in the shadows, under the tone of murmured voices, or it was the search for an item not usually attainable by legal means, nothing here was on the up and up. Still, Julia wasn't one to be dissuaded by aesthetics or less-desirables in her quest for more knowledge.

Her department at the British Museum was currently in the research and development stages of a new exhibit, exploring the facets of Norse mythologies and religions and their influence on the modern magical world. There was a rumor, one of her more reliable sources had told her, that there was a scroll here she needed to try and obtain. A scroll, reportedly written in the very hand of the legendary Jafnhár Dahl, detailing his ability to transmute his very form into that of a raven. There had been stories for centuries of course that the man was an animagus, the descendant of the mythological god, Odin. But these were just that. Stories.

However, if this certain artifact could be found and authenticated, then Julia and her team would have made the greatest modern discovery in recent Nordic history. It would prove that Jafnhár had not only possessed magical capabilities, as did his descendants, but that he may be one of the earliest-known animaguses recorded.

Why would a vagabond gnashing his teeth at her for a sickle stop her?

A SNAP filled the cool air as Julia apparated into the middle of the alley. She wore only a pair of jeans and black jumper with trainers. Her hair was pulled back, and she held her wand tightly in her hand. Knowing better than to carry a purse or handbag in the likes of this place, everything she needed was in her denim pockets, and she glanced around quickly to ensure there was no immediate threat.

Sensing nothing other than a foul odor, she moved swiftly towards the door her colleague had pointed her to. Muspell. Hardly legible. Julia shook her head slightly. Did no one even care to try and clean the grime around here, or was it a futile effort to even hope for a clean door? Professionalism sure was on the downward trend around here, wasn't it?

Julia flicked her wand, and the door swung open easily. After removing her shoes, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why that was a necessity, she moved into the main shop, and headed directly for the main counter. Of course, no one was standing there ready to assist. This was going to be a long morning.

Julia searched the store with her eyes for whoever was supposed to be manning the till, but the room seemed completely deserted. She walked around the side of the counter to the other end of the room, searching up and down for the owner, finding only a few other patrons perusing the shelf. She pursed her lips in annoyance as she turned and went back in the opposite direction. Row after row of no one - wait. A boy.

Julia hesitated, wondering why such a small child was here, in this shady store, and by the looks of it, alone? Where were his parents? Why wasn't he at school? None of these were any of her business of course, and she took a few more steps to continue her search for the shopkeep when she heard the boy whisper.

He was scared. She stopped and thought for a moment, and then turned down the aisle and headed straight for the boy. He looked about eleven or twelve and he seemed to be looking at some rather intense books for his age. She crouched down next to him, and looked directly at the books in front of him.

"The Darker Side of Potion Making," Julia's soft voice read, and she reached forward to pull the book out. She scanned its leather cover quickly, grimacing at the purple smoke that slinked from its binding. "If I were you," she said, turning her eyes to the boy with a small smile. "I'd go for 'The Gray Apothecary'. It's what I read when I was about your age." Julia was not one to hamper anyone's interest in the dark or lighter side of magic. To her, they went hand-in-hand, and it was important for children to understand both if they were to wield either successfully.

Placing the first book back in its spot, she looked quickly around the shelves, and spotting a copy, pulled it out and handed it to the young man. "There you are," she said. She smiled at him, "All the good stuff, and some of the other."

"Now tell me why a nervous little thing like you is in here all alone?" Her voice was gentle, kind. Once she found his parents and returned him, she'd have a different tone for them.

[Ren Al-Sayeed]

Ren was still searching, eyes darting over titles that seemed to grow darker and more sinister the longer he looked, when he heard a soft, melodic voice beside him.

"The Darker Side of Potion Making."

The voice had a warmth to it, smooth and soothing, and for a moment, Ren found himself frozen in place, as if caught in a spell, like he imagined the sailors of old felt when they heard the sirens song. It was almost comforting, a strange contrast to the cold weight that had settled in his chest since he'd stepped foot in Knockturn Alley. His heart skipped a beat. It wasn’t his imagination, was it? There was someone beside him, and it wasn't just the creeping shadows.

He turned his head, his eyes meeting a pair of sharp brown ones that seemed to see straight through him. His cheeks flushed, and he stumbled back, nearly knocking into a stack of dusty old tomes behind him. She had a small, knowing smile on her face, her expression soft and calm, as if she belonged in a painting instead of this dark, eerie shop.

"Uh... sorry!" he stammered, his voice wavering as he tried to hold her gaze. She was... pretty. More than pretty, actually. He’d never seen someone like her, especially here in the dim corners of Knockturn Alley. There was something powerful about her, a confidence that made him feel even smaller and more out of place.

"If I were you, I'd go for 'The Gray Apothecary'. It's what I read when I was about your age."

Ren was stunned into silence as the woman reached for the book with a pondering glance, and decided to take a few more as well. As the books piled on, Ren hovered his hands over each book cover, wondering how his luck had taken such a turn.

"There you are, all the good stuff, and some of the other. Now tell me why a nervous little thing like you is in here all alone?"

"Thank you, ma’am. I-I was... uh, looking for... potion...things..," he managed, his voice almost a whisper as he glanced down, unable to hold her gaze for long. "I’m... working on something... for school. They, um, won’t let me in the restricted section, so... so I thought I’d find what I needed here."

But as he glanced down at the small sack of coins in his pocket, his heart sank. He had no idea if he could afford it. Let alone the others she’d handed him. He swallowed, trying to keep his face steady, though the nervousness in his eyes betrayed him.

The weight of his own ambition suddenly felt foolish in the presence of someone who seemed so effortlessly assured. He knew not the title of the book he wanted, nor did he have the money to afford more than a single book, if even that. He wasn't even sure if the rest of the floo powder he'd procured to go back was enough. "I didn’t mean to... I just... wanted to make something good," he gritted his teeth, holding back his tears of frustration and fear. His voice barely a whisper, as if confessing a secret.

[Julia Laurence]

The poor thing was as jumpy and jittery as an abused house elf. Upset dust filled the air as the boy stumbled backward from her, and she waved her hand, letting out a small cough. She drew her wand, and with a quick flick of it, the air seemed to purify itself, relocating the dust to another part of the unfortunate-looking shop.

"Potion things, hm?" she asked with a smile. Manners even, the sweet thing. Well, his parents had done something right, at least. Even if they did allow their boy to venture into questionable boroughs and bookshops unaccompanied. Didn't they know what could happen to a child in a place like this?

Julia paused. Maybe they didn't. Maybe the boy was a muggleborn. 

"You go to Hogwarts then? The only school I know of that has a 'restricted section'." Beauxbatons hadn't had any sort of restrictions on what books the students could access; they just didn't have the forbidden books. It hadn't affected Julia at the time. Her library at home was full of them, gifts from her tutors mostly. Anytime she wanted one, an owl was dispatched. It was obvious this boy hadn't the same privilege.

And then, just as quickly, the boy was fighting back tears, barely able to get the words out. The change in his demeanor startled Julia and she quickly put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed gently with her thumb. "You're okay," she said softly. The woman didn't have much experience with children, but she knew enough to know when one needed comfort. It wasn't something she offered often, but something about this boy being here alone moved her.

"I'm Julia," she smiled, looking at the heavy load in the boy's arms. "What sort of 'good'? 'Good' as in works well, or 'good' as in powerful?" There was a difference, and the boy's answer would help her decipher exactly what he was trying to accomplish. She stood again and gave another flick of her wand. The books rose out of the boy's arms and floated gently in the air beside him. Without the weight of the books in his arms, he might be able to tell her what it was he was trying to do.

"If you're looking for the former, I'd defer you to your potions professor," she said with a smirk as she beckoned the boy with a little nod for him to follow her, and she led him to the main part of the shop. They came to one of the reading tables, and she indicated for him to sit. The books followed and flopped heavily onto the table, and she took a seat beside him.

She held open her palm, and made a circular motion with her wand. A small glass bauble appeared, clear and unremarkable. She leaned forward, and with the smallest blow from her lips, the bauble rose a few inches from her hand and began alternating colors. Pinks, blues, greens and yellows. All soft and muted, but it cast a warm light and cleansed the atmosphere around them of that foreboding feeling. The bauble chimed gently, reminiscent of a wind chime.

"Witch's protection bauble," she grinned at the boy. "The early pagans used to fill them with herbs and flowers to ward off evil. Now we'll be left alone by anything we don't care to interact with." The child was frightened enough. She'd never be able to figure out what he wanted if he was a chattering mess in his chair. The bauble floated gently above the table and remained there, its chime and lights calming the air around them.

"Alright, out with it." She crossed her arms over the table and nodded her head towards him gently. "Tell me what you're really looking for."

[Ren Al-Sayeed]

The bauble’s soft, glowing colors washed over Ren like a wave of calm, instantly soothing the tight coil of nerves in his chest. He watched, wide-eyed, as it floated gently above the table, casting warm hues of pink, blue, and green over the dark wood and spilling soft, muted light onto the pages of the old tomes. The gentle chime it emitted was like the distant sound of wind chimes, delicate and reassuring, as if whispering that he was safe here, if only for a moment.

Ren couldn’t help but marvel at the scene before him. Julia’s every motion, her precise gestures, the way she conjured magic as effortlessly as breathing, it all seemed to radiate a sense of grace and control that felt otherworldly. He realized with a pang that this was what he’d always imagined magic to be before he’d ever set foot in Hogwarts. Not the careless charms that made messes in the dorms, or the spells sloppily wielded in duels. This... this was true magic. The kind that inspired awe, the kind that held power and elegance and purpose.

He drew in a slow, deep breath, the warmth of the bauble’s light filling his lungs. He wanted so badly to capture this feeling, to put it in a bottle, to somehow recreate it in his own potions. For all his tinkering, all his attempts to make his creations memorable, he had never managed to capture a feeling quite like this.

After a few calming breaths, Ren nodded, feeling the warmth steady him. "Sorry... I’m okay now," he murmured, offering Julia a small, grateful smile. He fished his notebook out of his bag, fumbling slightly as he jotted down her questions so he wouldn’t forget. When he finally put the notebook down and looked up, his cheeks flushed faintly. He made a mental note to brace himself before looking directly at an angel next time.

“Hello, Miss Julia. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Ren, Ren Al-Sayeed.” His voice was softer, more respectful, as he introduced himself properly. “I... I’m a first-year at Hogwarts.” He hesitated, glancing down at the table, his fingers tracing the edge of one of the books she’d picked out for him. “Truth be told, I’ve been trying to extend the effects of a potion... the Pompion Potion, actually. I wanted to find a way to make its effects last longer, to hold onto the altered state without needing a second dose.”

He swallowed, gathering his thoughts as he continued, “I tried using fluxweed... tried grinding it, even reducing it into a syrup, but nothing’s really worked. It’s like potions don’t want to be... changed after they’re finished.” He looked up, meeting her gaze again, feeling the warmth in her eyes as she listened. “My potions teacher... he’s very good, very proper, but I think he’d disapprove. I already got in trouble once for experimenting... for trying to make something calming for people in the dorms.” His words tumbled out faster, the memory of that accusation still sharp. "They thought I was trying to..." he stopped himself, memories of the tongue-lashing due to the misunderstanding still fresh in his mind. "Well, they didn’t like it."

[Julia Laurence]

A pompion potion? "That's pretty ambitious for someone your age," she said with amusement, but there was no condescension in her voice or judgment, for that matter. Julia admired ambition and perseverance, especially in someone as young as Ren. From a young age, she too always pushed to reach higher and further than the expectations set for her. She wanted to be the best, the smartest. Some of it came from the natural competition she felt with her brothers as she grew up. Being the only girl in the family gave her a sense of purpose in proving herself as capable, if not more so than them. It was a need to make her father proud of her.

"Well, professors tend to stay within the realms of what the ministry says they can teach. A lot of it's for your own safety." She nodded and gave a little shrug of her shoulder, "Can't have first years accidentally mustard-gassing their housemates." She raised her eyebrows at Ren and sat back in her chair. She looked through the books briefly, setting a few aside before coming back to her original selection.

She set 'The Gray Apothecary' down in front of him. "So that's why, you need to ensure you know what you're doing. Experimenting is well and good when you're not putting others in danger doing it." Now that the boy was settled and calmer, she flicked her wand, and the book's cover flew open, the pages fluttering in front of the boy, sending little tuffs of his hair in different directions.

"Potion-making is an art," she said, "it's the same as an artist carving a statue out of marble. Every etch, every angle, every chisel shapes the image. You have to be precise because if you make a mistake, there's very little room for correction." The pages finally stopped on a list of natural herbs, and she leaned over and ran her finger down the list, skimming the page. "Luckily for the chiseler, his mistakes won't cost him lives or a trip to Azkaban." She said this last bit so casually, as though it was merely a passing thought.

In truth, Julia cared little about consequences when it came to her own experiments and dabbling in the darker arts. But Ren was a child, and she wasn't an irresponsible adult. "Here," she finally settled on a couple of options. "Helichrysum, and surprisingly, Rosemary." She smiled at Ren before explaining, "I tend to lean towards the older ways. Our ancestors seemed to have the right idea about using the flora and natural properties around them. These herbs both have benefits that might help you achieve what you're trying to do."

The bauble above shook and gave a slightly louder chime and Julia looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing a warning at anything untoward that thought it would take a chance in scaring the child. Seeing nothing, but hearing the bauble calm again, she turned back to the boy. "Helichrysum is probably less straightforward. It has amazing regenerating qualities. If you combine it with the right mix, it may amplify the longevity you're trying to cultivate." She moved her finger to the Rosemary. "It seems a simple herb, but there's so much you can do with Rosemary. Ideally, it slows down aging, stimulates growth and things like that. But I'd bet you, used in the right way, it'd be an incredible longevity additive."

She marked the pages with her wand, and closed the book before pushing it back towards Ren. "I'm not guaranteeing these will work, but it gives you an idea of how you should start looking at different ingredients. Sometimes their literal definition and use can be interpreted deeper." She smiled warmly at the boy.

"Don't get yourself so worked up. Learning takes time."

[Ren Al-Sayeed]

Ren sat down and listened to the lady. Talk. Explain. Teach.

There was nothing he could say, although he wanted to respond with all his heart. She had such a way with words. The way she spoke about potion-making as an art, the concept of experimentation, and her talking about herbs.

It was all just so seemless.

The flick of her wand seemed to conduct the world around him. A flick, creating the bauble that had set the mood. A swish, flipping the pages of the book to exactly what she needed. Ren hadn't seen magic like this, ever. She incorporated it so smoothly, as natural as breathing. It was almost like she was dancing, and her music were the note spinning around her in harmony.

Here, Helichrysum, and surprisingly, Rosemary."

Her words snapped Ren out of his trance, as she prounced the complex name for the herb. "Heli...helichry....helichrysum.." Ren thought on that, repeating the difficult sounding herb. Where had he heard it? It had sounded so familiar.

"The everlasting flowers!!" It finally hit him. In the library, when he was looking for herbs, nothing had stood out to him for use in potions. But he had seen the moniker"everlasting flowers" and had thought it was quite a catchy nickname. "I can't believe.... I didn't think about them. I didn't think they could do anything, since they weren't in any greenhouse in the school..."

Ren looked down, clutching both his fists in frustration. The answer had been at the school, just in a roundabout way. He'd overlooked the power that non-magical herbs could have. 'And even rosemary? I could have gotten that in the kitchens anytime!' He never had to make this trip, and without Julia's help, he wouldn't have gotten anything out of it.

"I'm not guaranteeing these will work, but it gives you an idea of how you should start looking at different ingredients. Sometimes their literal definition and use can be interpreted deeper. Don't get yourself so worked up. Learning takes time."

Ren looked up, releasing the tension from his fists as the words from Miss Julia struck a chord with him. He started laughing before he realized it.

"I'm sorry," he tried to surpress his chuckle. "I just realized how silly I was to overlook something like that. I really underestimated herbology there." He passed the sleeve of his robe across his eyes, drying the tears of laughter and frustration and giving Julia the sincerest and warmest smile he could muster.

"You've done so much for me today. I don't even know how to thank you. I... oh! Please, wait right there Miss Julia!" He turned around so that she couldn't see him shuffling around his robes. He pulled a few sticks of his incense, the Calming Draught incense he'd brought with him in case he had a panic attack, and took out his wand. "Orchideous rosa" he whispered, pointing a the tip of the incense. He then pulled on the thread of his robe, cutting it with his teeth, to fasten them all together.

He turned around to present her with a bouquet of roses. "This is for you!" The bouquet was a mix of pink and peach, all fully bloomed on which his sticks of incense were tied crudely to the stems. A pointed to the gift within the bouquet.

"This is something I made for when...for when the stress sometimes gets too much. It's an incense with a highly diluted calming draught mixed within. The roses..." He paused and tried to get through his words as his cheeks blushed a bit, "well, I've read that peach and pink roses are supposed to be the flowers of appreciation."

He tried to say more, but just offered her the flowers and buried his head out of embarrasment. 

[Julia Laurence]

Julia smiled at Ren's realization. "Right, exactly. And not everything you can use is going to be found in your school's greenhouse. Go out into the gardens. Look down near the lake. See what you can find." She loved watching his eyes light up as he came to his own conclusions. This must be what teaching felt like. As much as she loved learning, she loved watching others find joy in it as well.

"Hey, it's alright," she said, and gave the boy a friendly pat on his hand, "That's what learning's about. Changing your ideas and thoughts. Realizing they can be something else." She was about to ask him where his parents were so she could pay for his book and corral Ren back to them, when he presented a bundle of incense sticks. Julia blinked in surprise, not sure where this was going. She watched as he waved his wand and roses bloomed from the ends. "Oh!" she said in surprise, as he handed them to her.

"That's so sweet of you," Julia said with a little laugh. "A calming draught. I think you need that more than I do, Ren." She gave him a wink. "No need to thank me. Just happened to be in the right place, at the right time. I'm glad I could help." She held out her palm and beckoned slightly, and the bauble pulsed and floated gently towards her waiting hand. As it landed softly, the colors dissipated and the chime silenced. The air around them returned to how it was before, and she held the bauble out to Ren. "Here, you keep it. Put it over your bed, or use it whenever you're feeling a little scared and need some extra good vibes."

Julia placed the bauble in his hand. "The spell's already active. You just have to blow gently on it, and it'll come to life." She patted his hand. "Now come on. Let's pay for your books and get you out of this place."

Julia had an artifact to find, and the sooner she was out of here the better.

[Ren Al-Sayeed]

"Ohh you don't have to....."

He stopped before finishing the sentiment. From the little he knew about Miss Julia, she was stronger in will than anyone she'd ever met. And that meant that once she made up her mind, it would be pretty hard to change. And Ren, being who he was now, was sure that he couldn't do anything to change it. He lacked power, money, and even the most basic knowledge to ever counter-offer or even pay her back.

Ren stared down at the bauble, nestled softly in his hand, its glass smooth and cool against his skin. The idea of having something like this, something that could calm the air and make even the darkest places feel safe, sent a warm flutter through his chest. He wanted to thank her, to find the right words, but they got stuck somewhere in his throat. Miss Julia had already done so much for him today, more than anyone had in a long time.

As they walked towards the front of the shop to pay, he tried to slip his handful of pocket change out of his pocket and into her bag. It wasn’t much, barely enough for a single book, let alone the ones she'd chosen for him. But he was determined to offer it all the same, his fingers hesitating over the rough, cold coins.

He clutched the bauble tighter, its soft weight grounding him. "Thank you, Miss Julia. I don’t have much to give back… but one day, I’ll find a way to repay you. I promise." His voice was quiet, sincere, and he knew he meant every word. He took a step back, glancing at her one last time before the realization hit him that he needed to hurry, to make it back before anyone noticed he was gone.

With one last look, Ren bolted out of the shop, the bauble clutched close to his chest like a treasure. As he ran through the winding, shadowed alleys of Knockturn, his mind raced with thoughts of everything he’d learned today, of the kindness he’d been shown. And he promised himself that one day, he'd return the favor, no matter what it took.