Giggs hurried over to shut the door and hung up a "Closed" sign. After a moment's thought, he waved his wand and drew all the curtains across the windows and door.
The shop went dark, lit only by candles.
Giggs hurried back inside and cautiously studied Lucius's expression. "Mr. Malfoy, what brings you here today?"
All these inexplicable precautions left Giggs uneasy. Could there have been a problem with that last batch of potions?
The candlelight left Lucius's features somewhat indistinct.
He glanced toward the door and lowered his voice. "I want to know where you bought those two bottles of Hemostatic Healing Potion."
There was a loud clink.
Lucius set a bulging money pouch on the table, its coins jangling loudly.
"Give me the details, from the beginning. You'll be well rewarded, but don't waste my time," Lucius said.
There must be at least a hundred Galleons in there!
Giggs's eyes lit up. He could not help rubbing his hands together beneath the table, his experience allowing him to estimate the number of coins in the pouch at once.
He immediately answered, "A wizard from Scotland sold them to me."
"Who?" Lucius pressed with a frown, the candle flames reflected in his pupils wavering slightly.
"He looked like an old wizard. Long beard, white hair, and a monocle." Giggs's eyes were glued to the money pouch.
That left Lucius in something of a bind.
Old wizards dressed like that were everywhere in England. Tracking him down would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Am I really going to let him slip away like this? Lucius clenched his fists in frustration, yet felt powerless.
He had barely begun investigating, and the trail had already gone cold. Was the Malfoy family truly destined never to regain its former