Nott Your Usual Sorta Customer

Things have sure slowed down since Hogwarts started back up. Now we only get the post-hogwart crowd during the day, and the little primaries in the late afternoons, whining for Mum and Dad to get 'em stuff. We give Miles the later shifts, he's better with them ickles--more patience. We would be gettin ready for orders to come in, only Miles' uncle wound up in Mungos today and 'e wanted to go see 'im. So I'm coverin' his shift while the Clone's in the back countin' stock of our owl-order boxes.

I glance up as the door opens and a tall wizard with dark hair and eyes comes in looking as if he couldn't be more out of his depth if he tried. Though he hides it well with a body language that keeps everyone at a distance. He seems vaguely familiar though I couldn't say where from.

I see Trudes notice him and smirk to 'erself. She starts toward 'im. "Well, Theo. Has certainly been a while, eh?"

He narrows his eyes at her, crossing his arms over his chest. "I expect you're mistaken Miss," He says cooly stepping around her easily.

Her eyebrows raise in an amused smile. "Well, if I'm mistaken, so was the rest of Hogwarts."

Ah, so that's it, eh? I laugh. "Trudes, need a surly reg ringer. Could ya oblige us?"

"Right boss." She looks about ready to laugh.

"Well, I am much mistaken, indeed," I say as I walk up to 'im. "Was a right pleasure receivin' your owl, it was."

"Right, though I'm not here for silly childs play now. You sell Miss Lovegood's chocolate here," he smirks, eyeing Trudes cautiously.

"We does indeed," I confirm. "And maybe not silly or childs, but it's fantastic play. Which chocolate you lookin' for, eh?"

"What do you have?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at my comment though not looking at me still.

"Well, she's got two kinds now, not your basic one. 'Course we still got the Purely Educational, that aphrodesiac. But this one here's different. Heightens touch sensitivity 'stead o' libido."

He raises an eyebrow at me, "The second one I believe. With a witch as intelligent and sexy as mine aphrodesiac's are not necessary."

"Right-o," I say, walking up to the chocolates. "Now this particular one comes in Home and Travel. Home is just your basic chocolate sauce. Travel, the sauce is in a hard candy shell ya gotta crack open."

He smirks, "I think the travel would be more appropriate for a weekend in Paris." He glances back at Trudes, "Who is she? How does she know me?"

"Ravenclaw, year ahead o' you," I answer. "Incredible memory for faces. Name's Gertrude, we call 'er Trudes."

He relaxes visibly and drops his arms back by his sides, straightening his robes as he does so. "Very well...what is the expiry time on the chocolate products?"

"Year and a half for the travel," I reply. "Since they're sorta double packaged."

"I was refering more to the home version. I decided to buy the travel ones already, but there's no point buying a home jar if it's going to expire before we return from Paris."

"Unless you're gonna be in Paris a whole year," I say, "you're good."

"I'll take a jar of the home chocolate as well then," he nods, reaching into his robes for his money.

"Nothing else for ya?" I ask and reach for a package of gummy bonds. "Don't wanna play Tie The Nott with your snuggly?" I just couldn't resist.

His reaction is somewhat unexpected for a Slytherin. He laughs, "Gummy bonds? Are these what I think they are? They're not really appropriate for a children's joke shop."

"They are what you think we are. And only inappropriate for children under seventeen," I smirk. "After all, some people just don't grow up. We wanna make sure they got toys, too!"

"I think we'll pass for now," he says with a smirk. "I intend for a certain degree of sight seeing in Paris."

"Don't fancy all your time bein' tied to one place?" I chuckle as I replace the package on the shelf. "Alright then, something to keep in mind for the future. Skip on over here, I'll ring ya up."

"I've been tied up before, it wasn't an exactly pleasant memory," he shrugs following me over to the over register.

"Prob'ly not by the right person," I say as I ring the two chocolates and then anounce the price.

"Probably not, but it's not an experience I plan to repeat anytime soon," he says with a frown. He counts out the right money and places it on the counter. "If you're interested in customer feedback, the products I ordered before were a big hit."

"Excellent! Glad to hear it. We're always interested in customer feedback," I tell 'im. "Can't be successful if ya don't know what the consumer wants, eh?"

"Well the consumer is a four year old boy with a twenty year old sister to torment...I'm pretty sure your goods did the trick," he chuckles, picking up the chocolate and turning for the door.

"Here," I say, pulling out a catalogue and handing it to him. "Newly expanded with recent product additions."

"Thanks...I'll look through it," he nods, tucking it under one arm, most likely to hide the cover as he walks down Diagon Alley.

I chuckle and turn to the next customers. Well, will wonders never cease; Theo Nott in the Wheazes.