Chapter 6
"Well, well, well. This is quite strange. I haven't had a child come into my shop in years. Well it was bound to happen again I suppose." A voice came from every direction. The shop was a small place. Dimly lit with around four large bookshelves, and a front desk. If she looked closer there was a door hidden behind the dark book ridden shelves.
"Something called to me." Etta spoke quietly. A man that was old enough to be an older brother came from one of the shelves.
"Well of course something called to you. You would not be here otherwise." The man/boy came over to her. Taller than her, though most would be, around maybe 6 feet, long silver hair, but not in an old man way and piercing golden eyes. He looked to be around 20 years old. "Can you still hear it?"
"A little bit. Is this a book store sir?" Etta asked. The man/boy scrunched his face.
"None of that sir stuff. You may call me Nico. And pray tell what may I call you?"
"Etta is fine."
"Well Etta have you come alone? Is there someone outside the door waiting for you. Or have you come to Shadow Alley on your own?" He asked.
"The professor is waiting for me outside." She replied. Nico nodded.
"Well then lets not keep him waiting. What direction do you hear the voices? Close you eyes and listen carefully." She did what was told. The whispers were still there.
"Find us. We are here. Closer." She moved toward the voices. "Closer. Closer. CLOSER." She stopped in front of the book case. Opening her eyes there was a large thick green leathered book. She pulled the heavy book out and found a large snake on the cover. Touching the snake it had felt real with real scales, its eyes were ruby's. The name on the bottom was Salazar Slytherin.
"Strange. This book called to you?" Nico said. His voice making an echo in the silence. Etta turned to him.
"Yes it called to me. Why do you have Salazar Slytherin's book here?" She asked him.
"I don't." Nico said with a smile. He looked at the book. Opening it he turned his head, confusion on his face. "Squiggly lines." He turned to the small girl. "Can you read this?"
"Yes. I can read it. It is in english." She told him. He smiled again and patted her curly red hair.
"Parselscript. Only those descendent from old Sal can read it. It's been decades since a blood descendent of Sal came in here." She looked at him confused.
"You don't look very old Nico." Etta told him. He ruffled his hair and smirked.
"I am a lot older than I look little red. Far older than you can imagine. Would you like to know who the last descendant that came into my shop was?" She nodded. "The same person who gave you that scar. Tom Marvolo Riddle. Now that boy was smart. Just about your age when he found his way into my shop just as you did."
"Did he find what he was looking for?" Etta asked. Nico smiled widely, his perfectly white teeth all showing.
"Maybe, maybe not, who's to say he did or didn't. The things in this shop are confidential and the darkest of the dark. You know very hush hush. Now then you have what you came here for. Out you go little darling. I hope to see you again have a nice time at that school and maybe you'll get some letters." He spun her around and opened the door giving her a little push out. Etta turned to say something when she found the door and sign gone. She placed the book in her bag before the professor could ask about it.
"Well it has been a productive day lets get you back and fed. What do you say Ms. Potter?" She nodded and left the alley, the shadows that were once there now gone.
Getting back to the Cauldron she ate her dinner, bathed and settled into bed. She could not wait to read the book and find out about her ancestor. Though before she could she felt her eyes droop at the tiredness of the day that she had. So instead she opted for sleeping instead.
Her dreams through the night starred the shop owner Nico, a hooded figure, and her mothers screams. The hooded figure and the scream were nothing new, but Nico definitely was. She had been to young to think about boys, and the emotions that should have come with that kind of thinking, she doubted she would ever have them. She didn't know if she even could. In all the potions of amortencia she found that the emotions were altered, almost psychopath like. Unable to process emotions. She had reread the letter multiple times. The part about Dumbledore telling James Potter that a child conceived under the potion would make her magically more powerful was almost definitely true, but she doubted that Dumbledore had told him about the side effects.
The next morning Nyx had come pecking at the window to be let in. In the sunlight Etta had been able to see the under side of her wings glisten like the abalone shells she had once seen on a trip to the beach with her class. Etta pulled out a treat and gave it to the owl.
"Well, I hope you slept well Nyx, because I sure didn't." She told the owl rubbing her neck cracking it side to side.
This is Nyx how pretty right.