*Fushh*
A column of green fire rose for a brief moment from an ugly, dilapidated fireplace in a dark alley before quickly disappearing. In its place appeared a somewhat disheveled young man wearing a cheap suit with a few patches here and there.
His appearance drew a few glances from the people nearby, but after taking in his appearance, they quickly lost interest and went back to their own business.
Stepping onto the dusty floor of the fireplace, the young man brushed the dust that had fallen onto his coat as he stepped out. It was a simple action, but it was carried out with refined manners that did not fit his appearance at all.
After casting a quick glance around the gloomy alley he found himself in, he began walking at a measured pace with a cautious look, just like the other people passing through. Before long, he emerged onto another street that was much brighter and livelier by comparison.
The contrast was so stark that it felt like stepping into an entirely different world. However, the young man did not seem fazed by the abrupt change and simply joined the crowd, choosing a direction.
After walking for several minutes and turning down a few streets, he finally stopped in front of a shop whose fresh paint and lively atmosphere stood out from the establishments around it. It was obvious that it had not been open for long.
"Why did Snaglok decide to put the office in a place like this?" the young man murmured aloud, a clear note of confusion in his voice.
Curiously, his face remained completely devoid of the emotion, creating a strange incongruity between his words and his expression.
The shop was neither too far from nor too close to the main commercial district of Diagon Alley. Even so, the area was so unremarkable that it hardly seemed like the sort of place that would attract attention, let alone customers.
The only obvious advantage was that there was a public fireplace nearby, and even that did not seem like enough.
Taking a few steps forward, the young man pushed the door open and entered the establishment.
The first thing to catch his attention was a beautiful reception area, with several display tables occupying the center and paintings on the walls showing various house and interior designs, both before and after being remodeled.
The interior had a lively yet formal atmosphere, while at the same time feeling strangely welcoming. It was a combination that briefly captivated his attention.
And the effect was clear, as a hint of pleasant surprise appeared on the young man's face. His scrutinizing gaze swept over every corner of the place with apparent amusement, lingering especially on the models displayed on some of the tables, which built and rebuilt themselves every few seconds.
After observing the place for what seemed like five minutes, he noticed that no one had come to attend to him. Without giving it much thought, he walked over to the reception desk, where a young man sat reading the newspaper.
"Ahem. Excuse me, could you show me what you offer in this shop?"
The receptionist barely lifted his eyes from the newspaper in his hands. He gave the visitor a quick glance before returning his attention to his reading.
?: "Don't bother me. If you want to know, just read that magazine over there."
Blinking slightly, the disheveled young man stared at the receptionist in confusion. Even so, he reached out and picked up the magazine resting on the counter.
It contained all the relevant information about the shop. It began with a catchy slogan, followed by a brief summary of the services they offered and, finally, a catalog that was not particularly large but was quite varied, featuring different housing models along with their possible improvements and transformations.
Upon seeing its contents, a faint smile of satisfaction appeared on the young man's face.
'I have to give it to Snaglok. He really put a lot of effort into all of this. Giving him a share really motivated him to do his job properly and, in turn, saved me from a lot of tedious work.'
** Tiling **
As he thought contentedly, the bell above the door rang and a pair of wizards entered the shop.
Surprisingly, before he even had time to turn around, he noticed that the receptionist had disappeared and, at some point, had appeared in front of the couple.
?: "Welcome, esteemed customers. How may I assist you today?"
The receptionist's voice was brimming with energy and friendliness, completely contrasting with his earlier attitude.
?: "Good day. We saw the shop while passing by, and the pictures caught our attention. Do you sell furniture here?"
?: "Ho, ho, ho! Sir, no, we do not sell furniture here. However, we have something much better. If you could spare me a moment of your time, allow me to show you."
The receptionist skillfully guided the couple over to one of the moving models and, with a flick of his wand, brought its continuous animation to a halt. The model then began reshaping itself according to the receptionist's words, displaying a clear mastery born of practice.
The young man—or rather, Extimum—watched the demonstration intently as he listened to the receptionist explain the shop's services. The receptionist constantly used the model to illustrate and demonstrate his words, making the presentation far more impressive and convincing.
After a few minutes of talking and throwing questions back and forth, the couple seemed quite interested and attracted by the receptionist's words, ending up signing a contract before leaving the store with smiles.
The receptionist seemed even more excited than them as he watched them leave and looked at the contract on the table or that was at least until his gaze fell on Extimum who was still standing there looking at him.
?: "Tsk, you're still here? Haven't you finished looking around?"
Extimum's left eyebrow rose slightly at his attitude.
"What skill! You change your attitude so quickly. Why is that?"
?: "Is it really necessary to explain? Don't you have any mirrors wherever you live? You should be grateful for my patience in not kicking you out of the shop. Just by looking at the way you're dressed, I can tell you don't even have a single Galleon to your name. There's nothing wrong with coming in to look around, but wasting my time and, on top of that, hurting the shop's image with your presence is too much. We don't do charity here. Besides, do you even have a home where you could make use of our services?"
"Oh…"
Extimum was left somewhat speechless by the receptionist's entire tirade. He briefly looked down at himself before turning his gaze back to the receptionist and realized that, indeed, he had gone a little too far with his appearance this time. He was even somewhat dirty from the fireplace he had emerged from. At a glance, he looked little different from a vagrant.
Although the outfit had been deliberately chosen by him to practice his transformation with a different style, he had not accounted for the random fireplace he had chosen leaving him in such a state.
He had actually bought the clothes during one of his many visits to Knockturn Alley. Constantly transfiguring his clothing was inconvenient when visiting certain places with high levels of security. Besides, much of his usual clothing was too conspicuous or unsuitable for some of the roles he took on.
After all, if he always used the same appearance, the practice would hardly pose much of a challenge to his transformation ability. And repeatedly showing the same face in Knockturn Alley would eventually attract attention, something he had already experienced in the past.
This time, however, while trying to stay in character despite his discomfort, he had overlooked something as simple as the place he was heading to.
That said, he had not expected such a reaction either, although from the receptionist's perspective, it was quite understandable.
"Hehekekeke."
And with that realization, a soft, restrained laugh escaped between his teeth as he thought about how ridiculous the situation was.
An almost emotionless laugh, but it made the receptionist take a step back, his hair standing on end and an unpleasant feeling running through his body.
?: "I-I'll ask you to leave the store, this place is for customers only!"
"Haaa You know what? I like you."
Stopping his haunting laughter suddenly upon seeing the receptionist grip his wand tightly, Extimum composed himself in the blink of an eye.
However, his actions only seemed more strange to the receptionist.
?:"You are crazy! Get out of here or I'll call the aurors."
"I think I had read about a situation like this before, yes, somewhat blurry, but I didn't think I would experience it myself..."
?: "Enough, I-!"
"Okay, that's enough."
Extimum cut short and was about to explain himself, when from the back room, the short figure of Snaglok came out angrily.
Snaglok: "What's this commotion in the store, Jerry?"
Jerry: "Mr. Snaglok, it's not what you think, it's that this homeless man"
Snaglok: "Oh, Mr. Izorim, you're here, I've been waiting for you"
Jerry: "Mr Izorim?!"
Turning his head so fast that Extimum almost thought he would twist his neck, Jerry looked at him excitedly, only for surprise and confusion to grow in his eyes.
Blinking twice, he noticed that there was nothing where he expected to see the homeless man, but when he lowered his gaze a few millimeters he noticed a completely different figure.
A teenager of no more than 13 years old, with platinum white hair with purple rays and piercing and intimidating purple eyes with sharp pupils. His figure emitted a cold and distant aura, with that special touch that he only observed in members of renowned magical families.
Not caring about Jerry's thoughts, Extimum approached Snaglok as he spoke.
"Yes, I must say, I'm impressed. The shop's presentation has exceeded my initial expectations, especially the model. That was a charming touch I wouldn't have thought of."
Snaglok: "Hohoho, certainly, the model has attracted a lot of attention. In fact, the idea for the model was Jerry's. Even though it looks youn-*cough*"—Suddenly remembering that Extimum was even younger than Jerry , he interrupted himself awkwardly—"new... in this, his skills as a salesman are excellent, plus he seems somewhat capable in the use of runes and enchantments."
"I've certainly already had the opportunity to see his skills in action."
Jerry, still dazed, finally snapped out of it at that moment, sensing that Extimum had placed particular emphasis on the word skills .
Snaglok: "Yes, that being said, what was the reason for the previous scandal?"
"Oh, about that..."
Jerry broke out in a cold sweat at this point. He was no idiot, his boss, Snaglok, had told him that the owner of the store would come earlier today, however, he had not given him any description, arguing that almost always when he met him he seemed different and difficult to recognize.
He had not given much importance to that comment thinking that it simply referred to the usual extravagance of most wizards, but only now did he realize that Snaglok meant it in a literal sense. The store owner was a metamorphmagus.
And now, in his eagerness to keep the store as good as possible while awaiting his arrival, he had undoubtedly shown his worst face in front of his real boss.
"Jerry, right?" Moving his sight, Extimum adjusted his body to look at the stiff Jerry not far away from him.
Jerry: "Yes, Lord."
Extending his hand for a shake, Extimum continued—"You're good, just make sure to moderate your character a little and especially… your eyes ." This time, there was a real special and sharp emphasis in the last words.
Jerry accepted the squeeze as he hurried to respond—"Y-yes, yes, don't worry Mr, something like this won't happen again."
Sweat was still running down his back, with a few drops escaping from his forehead, at least he knew he had been forgiven and hadn't lost this job. It was difficult to find a job with such good pay and benefits without having any experience or personal references. He had barely managed to get the job by sheer luck in making a good impression on Snaglok.
"Would be the best…"
A sudden and somewhat painful chill ran through Jerry's body, making his posture stiff again. His gaze stayed on the deep purple eyes that were staring at him and for a moment he felt fear, a deep fear inside him that seemed to want to drag him into the darkness, however, the next moment it disappeared.
When he came to, Extimum's figure had already disappeared into the back room along with Snaglok.
** Gulp **
.-.
In a simple, but elegant office.
While Extimum reviewed the account books and Snaglok's observations on the market over the past few months from the main chair that Snaglok voluntarily gave up, Snaglok watched him from another seat.
--Snaglok Pov--
The business was doing quite well. In fact, much better than Snaglok himself had anticipated.
His expertise lay in doing business and managing money, not in being a merchant. So, at first, he did not particularly care whether the business succeeded or not. After all, even if it failed, he would not lose much. What really mattered to him was establishing a good relationship with the heir of the Izorim family.
After all, any goblin worth his salt knew just how deep that family's coffers ran. Normally, there would be no way to get a piece of such a lucrative pie. Goblins could manage vaults and finances for generations and, given the secrecy and loyalty surrounding such positions, it was entirely possible for certain posts to be passed down from generation to generation within goblin families, leaving no opportunity for outsiders like him.
However, not many years ago, word had spread among the goblins of Gringotts that the account manager for the British branch of the Izorim family had no descendants and was nearing retirement.
So, when he confirmed that the boy was indeed the heir to the Izorim family, he had almost felt as though a pie had fallen from the sky.
And it had not merely fallen from the sky.
It had fallen straight into his hands.
As long as he could make a good impression and gradually build a trusting relationship with Extimum, there was a good chance that, in the future, that coveted position would end up in his hands.
That said, by this point, the situation had changed.
The business he had barely cared about at first had received an excellent and unexpected reception from a large part of the British magical community. And as someone who placed great importance on money, he had found himself compelled to commit seriously to the venture.
Like a snowball, the more effort he put into it, the more involved he became. So much so that, with the business in its current state, pulling out now would be disastrous for his finances. On the other hand, the profits from his share were already providing him with a rather pleasant income.
Not a particularly large one, of course. The business was still relatively small in scale. But no Galleon was to be sneezed at, especially when he had his own money invested in it.
On top of that, he could not forget that this unexpected success had come from a young wizard...
He did not know whether it was a good thing for such talent to appear among wizards at such a young age. Wizards were already difficult enough to deal with by nature, but intelligent ones could become a real pain in the arse for goblins.
Even so, he did not have any particularly negative thoughts about it. He already had enough to keep him occupied without wasting time worrying about grudges from the past that did not even involve him directly.
What truly concerned him was Extimum himself.
From where he stood, it was obvious that Extimum was not merely taking a superficial look at the accounts and making the occasional comment. He actually understood them.
He analyzed them.
Normal? Talent?
Nonsense!
There was a fundamental difference here.
He did not resemble a thirteen-year-old boy in the slightest. Even if a child that age could read and understand those records, they would hardly be capable of getting much out of them. But...
"Snaglok, change the supplier for the polished marble used in the luxury sets. The current one is charging us far too much, and according to the records, that wasn't the case before. I suspect..."
This did not seem natural.
Aside from the first time, when Extimum had seemed somewhat passive due to his lack of knowledge, the rest of the time it did not feel like he was dealing with a child at all. Instead, it felt as though he were dealing with a proper wizard, someone who was no stranger to the intricacies of society or business.
But the reality was that he wasn't...
He had done a little investigating.
Nothing too intrusive, of course. He did not want to cause any misunderstandings should it come to light. He simply wanted to learn a little more about the life of his client and business partner at school.
There, from what he had been able to discover, Extimum seemed more like a normal child, capable of making the occasional mistake or doing some foolish, youthful thing.
Puzzling.
Unsettling.
Not even young wizards who began studying Occlumency at an unusually early age behaved like this.
It was as though he were himself and, at the same time, not.
Multiple personalities?
With wizards, you never knew.
Whatever the case, he would have to keep it in mind so he could figure out how best to deal with him.
--End Pov--
…
Extimum: "That guy, Jerry, his model is quite interesting, I haven't seen anything similar before"
Snaglok: "Certainly. He is a rune enthusiast, in fact, one of the reasons why he wanted to work here in the first place was because he was greatly attracted and surprised by your product and wanted to meet you."
Extimum: "Hmm, is that so?"
Snaglok: "However, If you want to fire him there won't be any problem and the models were bought so we wouldn't lose them, we don't need it-"
Extimum: "No, it's okay, it's interesting, besides, he's quite capable, runes aside, his skill as a salesman is nothing to sneeze at."
Snaglok: "it's like that..." Snaglok took a deep look at Extimum.
Extimum: "Well, then that would be it Snaglok, until we meet again."
Snaglok: "I'll be looking forward to it, especially the new projects you mention."
The two left the office and arrived at the store's reception again.
Extimum: "May gold accompany your path"
Snaglok: "And let the tinkling of the gold be crisp and clear"
Extimum's figure transformed a second before he passed through the main door, returning to his previous appearance with which he entered.
Watching him leave, Snaglok's razor-sharp smile dimmed a few notches, as he subtly glared at Jerry standing next to him.
Snaglok: "You were lucky today Jerry. I hope you know that. I have given you an opportunity by allowing you to work here, I don't want something like what happened today to be repeated. Remember what I told you when you first came in"
Jerry: "Smile first, judge later." 'Although I've never seen an goblin do it in that order...'
Snaglok: "Exactly. I won't pursue the matter any further, after all, if Mr. Izorim didn't say anything it means he let it go this time. I guess he really liked your model, since he's playing around with novel ideas like that at Hogwarts"
Jerry: "Oh, Hogwarts? He's a teacher maybe?" Jerry's face suddenly showed a touch of respect, although he already admired Extimum quite a bit when he learned of its invention, the status of working at Hogwarts was a different matter.
Giving him a ridiculous look, Snaglok responded before entering the back room.
"Of course not, silly wizard, as a student , didn't you see how young he is? He's only just starting his third year."
Jerry: "Wait, you mean that was his real appearance?"
Snaglok no longer responded from behind the curtain.
Jerry: 'So the genius inventor is a kid who hasn't even graduated?' No, wait... that means... I was afraid of a 13-year-old boy?'
Jerry was stunned for a long time and didn't know how to feel.
.
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
Sitting in a small office recently incorporated into the room, Extimum calmly reviewed some papers on the desk.
Not far away on the desk, Bloom, sitting on the knight piece on the chessboard, stared at him.
Bloom: "Isn't it boring to study all the time?"
Extimum: "No, it's not boring. As long as it's something that interests you, boredom is reduced by a wide margin, besides, I'm not studying, I'm researching, it's different"
Bloom: "Sure...and what's the difference?"
Extimum: "The difference? Hmm, I guess the fact that all the information I look for, I try to apply and it is completely focused on something. When you study you just absorb information, but here I am trying to solve a problem"
Bloom: "That sounds like the same thing to me, *Sigh* I liked the library better, I had more to entertain myself there."
Extimum: "Then go, who is stopping you?"
Bloom: "*Yee* How could I? What if that b-*ahem* woman shows up there...?"
Extimum: "My mother"
Bloom: "Yes, yes, your mother. Why is she even here? I mean, I know this is her house, but..."
Extimum: "I know, she usually doesn't stay here. In fact, it's kind of strange, she usually doesn't stay more than two or three days when I'm here."
Bloom: "Ugh, but I want to go to the library, I don't like playing wizard chess...I prefer to read books"
Extimum: "It's not like she's always there"
Bloom: "I know, but I don't know what happens, whenever I feel like going to the library, I meet her there."
Extimum: "It's just a fortunate coincidence... If you dislike looking at it that much-"
Bloom: "It's not that I dislike it. It's just that..."
Extimum: "It makes you uncomfortable, I understand. Not many people normally feel comfortable with us, I hardly think I could consider myself an anomaly and that's only in recent times... " The last words came out almost in a whisper and Bloom couldn't hear him clearly.
Before she could ask, Extimum spoke again.
"Anyway, if you really want to go, it's fairly simple. She gets up every morning at 6:01 a.m. You could get up early, but I know you wouldn't...
If you don't go any earlier, then there's no point in trying, since she'll make her rounds throughout the entire manor, including the library, until 6:30 a.m., when she'll stop in the dining room for breakfast. She usually doesn't take long, since she likes to eat light. Normally, after that, she'll go to the library to read a book and drink a cup of her favorite tea.
She'll stop and leave at exactly 8:34 a.m. and head to the greenhouse in the manor's back garden, where she'll stay for at least two hours. That might be your best opportunity, whether you want to take whatever book you like or simply stay there and read during that time.
Depending on her mood, she'll go to her experimentation tower in the east wing of the manor, where she'll brew some potions until 11:58 a.m. Then she'll head to the dining room for lunch, although, if she's not in the mood, she might go down to the basement to spend some time with Nocturn. No more than ten minutes, after which she'll sit in the library office to take care of some family matters.
There's almost always something that needs dealing with, so it's safe to assume she'll stay there for anywhere between thirty minutes and two hours, but without fail, she'll stop at 11:58 a.m.
Then she'll go have lunch. She'll take her time this time, but I don't think you want to skip lunch, so—"
Bloom: "Wait, wait. That's way too much information. Besides, how do you know all that?"
Lifting his gaze from the papers on the table, Extimum looked at her.
Extimum: "Well, that's always her routine, and she almost never runs late, not even by a minute, so it's highly likely that things will happen exactly as I'm telling you."
Bloom: "But how do you know it in that much detail? Even if you have an eidetic memory, that doesn't explain this level of detail."
Extimum: "..."
** Flutter **
At that moment, a large owl as black as coal flew in through the window overlooking the garden. After a few beats of its wings, it landed steadily and precisely on a clear section of the desk.
Extimum: "Oh, the answer came faster than expected. I didn't think they'd send it directly with you, Nocturn. Do you know the conclusion?"
The owl stared at him, blinked, then extended its beak to take a tube attached to its leg and held it out toward Extimum.
Extimum: "That's good, then. I'll be able to take a little breather." He reached out his hand, and the owl released the tube from its beak, letting it drop directly into his palm.
Opening the cylindrical container, a thin piece of parchment slid out from inside and unfurled perfectly flat and wrinkle-free across the desk.
Bloom paid no attention to the letter. Instead, she watched the owl in front of her closely. Something about it didn't seem quite right.
Extimum: "Draco said we could go in the afternoon. He'll meet us at a café called Taste in Wiltshire."
"Thanks, as always, Nocturn. I'll tell Bob to prepare something special for you for your effort."
With a cheerful flap of its wings, the owl suddenly dissolved into a shadow that slid from the desk onto the floor before disappearing.
Bloom: "I knew there was something wrong with that owl. It was way too quiet."
Extimum: "Nocturn finds this form convenient when delivering letters, since it doesn't draw much attention. Although the flaw is always there. No matter what form it takes, it can't speak normally or produce sounds directly."
"Well, it's 9:36 a.m. There's still some time before the scheduled time. Do you want to do something different?"
Bloom: "Yes! Ahem. Why don't we go to the garden? Bob mentioned last time that we had a maze. I want to try it."
Extimum: "The maze? Are you sure...? You should know that the manor's maze wasn't exactly made for having fun inside it, but rather for appreciating it from the outside..."
Bloom: "It doesn't matter. It's still a maze, and I want to try it."
Extimum: "If you say so..."
.-.
Wiltshire, in a small café just off the main street.
The interior was warm, with a light, sweet aroma of coffee and wood lingering in the air. A slight breeze was blowing outside, so a good number of people occupied the tables.
A nearby radio was also tuned to a station playing soft music, making the whole place feel quite comfortable and peaceful.
An atmosphere like this seemed ideal for rest and relaxation, perfect for sitting down with a newspaper or a book.
And yet, even in such a peaceful setting, there was a strange feeling in the air. Regardless of who they were, from the waiters to the customers seated at the various tables, everyone seemed unable to stop themselves from occasionally glancing toward a particular table, each look carrying a different emotion.
Or, rather, toward the person sitting there.
The reactions varied. Some were curious, others intrigued or puzzled, a few openly displeased, while a final minority, particularly women, showed a certain fascination.
And all of it was because of the young man sitting at one of the tables, calmly drinking his tea and seemingly oblivious to all the attention.
His very aura and mannerisms were enough to make some people raise their eyebrows. His clothes stirred curiosity and caution. His appearance prompted questions and, at the same time, an irresistible urge to keep looking at him.
His mostly pale hair, touched with subtle shades of purple, made some older men and women uncomfortable, as though it tarnished the otherwise respectable image of the place or simply seemed somewhat unacceptable to them. Of course, not everyone reacted the same way.
The looks from some of the younger women were enough to make that clear.
He stood out like a sore thumb in the café.
Bloom: 'Ugh, doesn't all that attention bother you?'
Extimum: 'Not particularly. You get used to it over time.'
The reactions of the people around him were nothing new to him. In fact, they were one of the reasons he usually preferred changing his appearance when visiting the non-magical world. The standards of what was considered ordinary and acceptable were simply too different.
That said, it was not as though he had never experienced something similar in the magical world, though for somewhat different reasons.
As he calmly read the book in his hand and took another sip of tea, the café door opened. There was no loud or abrupt noise, not even the jingle of a bell like there was in some shops. Even so, something strange happened: everyone in the café seemed to shift their attention away from Extimum at the same time.
A beautiful woman entered through the door, dressed in exquisite clothes. A cold, distant aura, accompanied by an air of elegance and nobility, seemed to emanate from every one of her movements.
And yet, despite her appearance, it seemed as though no one could see her.
No. More accurately, it was as though everyone unconsciously avoided looking at her.
Just then, a blond boy stepped out from behind the woman. His haughty gaze swept across the tables in the café before quickly settling on the one that stood out the most.
Draco: "Extimum, here you are. I hope I haven't kept you waiting long?"
Extimum: "Not at all. I haven't even finished my tea yet."
Hearing that, Draco immediately looked at the cup. It was still steaming, and only a quarter of it had been drunk.
Draco: "Good. I'm glad I didn't make you wait."
Extimum: "That said..." —rising from his seat— "It is a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Malfoy. I hope you'll excuse my tardy greeting."
A faint smile appeared on her cold face as Narcissa briefly appraised Extimum, quite pleased with his manners.
Narcissa: "It's quite all right. There's no need to worry. I'm glad you decided to come visit us. Draco has been rather restless waiting for your visit."
Draco: "Mum!"
Narcissa: "Well, let us not linger in this little place any longer..."
With that, Narcissa began leading the way out of the café. Draco and Extimum immediately followed her as they continued talking.
Their departure went unnoticed by everyone else in the café. However, once they had gone far enough, some inevitably glanced back toward a particular table. Finding it empty, they found themselves wondering what they had expected to see there in the first place.
It was not a particularly long walk. They only had to cross a few streets before suddenly arriving in front of the grounds of a large manor.
The grounds were quite extensive, and their style seemed rather out of place compared to everything surrounding them. That said, it only took a glance to notice that there was some kind of magical separation at the boundary, as ordinary people who crossed it would find themselves suddenly walking almost an entire block farther ahead.
As they entered the grounds, they were greeted by the sight of an expansive garden that gave way only to a narrow path leading toward the manor, flanked on either side by neatly trimmed hedges and shrubs.
The walk to the entrance of the manor was neither short nor long. There, large iron gates barred access to the inner grounds. However, just like those at his own manor, the gates opened as they approached.
Soon, they had crossed the gates and followed the narrow path until they reached the manor's front doors, which were opened by a house-elf.
Upon entering, they were greeted by a spacious, dimly lit foyer lavishly decorated, with a large carpet covering most of the floor.
Narcissa removed her light coat and extended her hand into the air, where it was received by another house-elf who had appeared at some point.
Narcissa: "I hope our home is to your liking and that you enjoy our hospitality during your stay. Well, Draco, I will leave you to your visit, if you need anything, you know where to find me."
Extimum: "I appreciate the attention, Mrs Malfoy, I would also like to give you this small gift, nothing too special, just my cordiality." As he spoke, Bloom took out a thin box from inside his expandable bag and handed it to one of the nearby house elves.
Narcissa: "You are very polite Mr. Izorim, in that case I appreciate your intention." Narcissa smiled and nodded slightly, clearly pleased.
With the end of her words, her figure turned and disappeared shortly after behind a door. As soon as she was out of sight, Draco seemed to loosen up a bit and was suddenly a few degrees more cheerful.
Draco: "I'm glad you decided to visit me, although I have fun at home, I don't get visitors very often. I've been thinking about the time before you came and I thought of some interesting things we could do, though before that. Until what time can you stay? Or did your parents give you permission to stay? If I ask my mother, it won't be a problem for you to stay, we have many rooms here."
Extimum blinked briefly to himself, for some reason today's Draco felt more… free? Although his attitude was quite manageable and good when he wasn't around Harry or someone from Gryffindor to begin with, but today's even seemed more natural...
Extimum: "It wouldn't be a problem to stay until before midnight, although I wouldn't want to be a bother either, so I guess when the time is right"
Draco: "Leave that, it's not a bother, on the contrary, my father was quite excited about the idea of you visiting us, unfortunately it turned out to be a last minute matter so he had to leave for the ministry, but let's not talk about that, now come, I'll show you my room."
…
A few hours passed in the blink of an eye, after taking a brief tour and introducing some places of interest in the mansion to Extimum, they didn't really do anything too special, some board games and common chat, until briefly discussing some spells, then It's lunch time.
One small oversight and his performance at lunch almost became embarrassing, but it couldn't be helped, the last time he had dinner in a house that wasn't his he almost passed out intoxicated, so even if he tried to compose himself, his body seemed extremely alert and cautious making him somewhat rigid when eating, luckily soon after he relaxed as he felt the familiar unique taste of food from the magical world.
After that, he went out with Draco to the back garden, where at his request, they had a small duel to eat lunch since Draco wanted some advice after his failure in the dueling club and seeing Extimum's good performance in his.
After all, Daphne Greengrass had shown great performance in the other classes, raising not only her reputation but also that of Extimum who managed to defeat her that time.
Almost at 5:00 pm Draco stopped dueling practice and took him to the mansion's study.
Of course, during all that time Extimum did not neglect Bloom either, although she could not speak, he tried to subtly include her in some activities, surprising Draco when she defeated him in a game of wizard chess, in addition to reading some books from Draco's collection. and explore the mansion.
Draco: "Your fairy is too strange, she's not normal at all. I still don't understand how she could beat me four times in a row at wizard chess, it almost seems like the first time we played she just let me win. Seriously, 1-4, Is it possible that she really are that smart?"
Extimum: "I'd call it more cunning, that being said, Bloom is pretty special"
Bloom who was sitting on Extimum's shoulder raised her face proudly as she listened to them talk.
Draco: "Yes, I think she's quite particular...which makes her kind of interesting, if she's so smart, you could ask her to do various things for you right?"
Extimum: "Indeed, do you still remember the fangs you grew on Halloween?"
Draco: "Yeah, they were a pain because I still had them the next day and it was a pain to have breakfast, wait, was it her?"
Extimum only smiled slightly in silence.
Draco: "That explains it, you were sitting too far away to have tampered with my drink... We arrive. This is the mansion's study, here there is a good collection of books and other things in case you want to look at something, we also have many antiques, my father likes to collect them."
Looking around, the study was a large room. Half of it was occupied by shelves of books and the other half was an office, further back, several display cases could be seen.
Although the library caught his attention, he didn't think there were many books in it that he didn't already have in his own library, so most of Extimum's attention was caught by the display cases at the back of the room.
The objects presented were a collection of items that were quite varied and unique in their own way. Some hieroglyphs, ancient coins, parts of magical animals, among other things, it was difficult to classify everything due to its variety.
That said, strong dark magic was felt from a good portion of them, although those were in special sealed display cases, while the others were simply displayed on shelves.
In the middle of the exhibition, a display case caught Extimum's attention. Unlike the others, this one was covered with a curtain.
Extimum: "What's in that one? Why is it covered?"
Draco: "Oh, that one, that one is recent, my father brought it just a few days ago from an ancient ruin that was reported to the ministry. Apparently the information was not very reliable... so it was dismissed by the ministry, even so, my father who is an enthusiast went to investigate it personally"
Extimum: "Oh and did they find anything interesting?"
Draco: "Yes, well, more or less. The location was nothing special, it was a simple cave found during a Muggle excavation, my father said that, if it weren't for his persistence, he would have also dismissed the place, since it was just when he reached the end of the cave and explored thoroughly, he found traces of magic, the rest was completely ordinary, that said, the extraordinary is only limited to a very particular magical mural.
Unfortunately, neither my father nor any of his friends could identify any of the inscriptions and the images alone didn't say much, so anyway, although he couldn't get anything out of the mural, he found this."
Speaking up to this point, Draco reached in front of the covered display case and pulled a cord that pulled the curtain open, revealing a receptacle that held a spherical object, similar to an egg, in fact, upon closer inspection It was quite similar to a Fabergé egg.
The egg was metallic black in color, embroidered with intricate inscriptions of pure gold and inlaid with diamonds, on its free faces there were carvings of unclear figures. The design looked extremely detailed, as if its maker had carefully sculpted every little part of it. Furthermore, although from his perception it was clearly an inanimate object, when stared at it it created the illusion as if it were palpitating.
Bloom: 'What an ancient aura'
Extimum: 'Do you feel something or recognize it?'
Bloom: 'No, not specifically and it's not familiar to me, but its aura is even older than the time before it was frozen.'
Extimum: "*Humming* Hmm?"
Draco: "Is something wrong?"
Extimum: "No, it's just that I thought I recognized one of the symbols, but it may just be similar"
Draco: "Really?"—Doubt appeared on his face, since he had seen his father and his friends studying the egg for a long time and even relying on some old books without success—"If you want, you can get closer to see it in detail. There's no problem even if you touch it; my father already inspected it and had a professional curse-breaker clean it."
As if reaffirming his own words, Draco waved his wand opening a compartment in the glass display case and took the egg directly, offering it to Extimum.
Extimum: "Is it really okay for me to take it?"
Draco: "Tsk, you don't have to hesitate so much, you see it's safe and my father won't care as long as you don't break it."
Extimum: "Well, that being so." Without further hesitation, he extended his hand and pulled it closer to take a closer look.
Bloom also flew around the egg, looking at it, clearly intrigued by its intricate design and luxurious composition.
Upon observing him closely, Extimum noticed that he had indeed not made a mistake. Although the inscriptions were somewhat faint and worn by time, as he ran his fingers lightly over them, the outline was clearly an inscription he knew.
Intrigued, he moved his hand, gently tracing the other inscriptions and as he did so, several symbols passed through his head, trying to find coincidences, since it was not strange for different systems to share the same symbols, although with different or similar meanings.
As he concentrated, one symbol finally stood out among the others, but it still wasn't enough, so he moved his hand to the next and then the next. His mind racing and comparing his touch with his memory, it almost seemed like a rain of characters and words in his head.
Soon, all the words and characters disappeared from his mind and a word escaped his mouth.
"Ylluxanty"
Draco: "What?"
A single word, but to Draco's ears it felt like he had heard incoherent gibberish.
Extimum: "The language, what is written here, is #"#$$"%"
Draco: "Wait, repeat that, Ytu#$=2? What? How do you even pronounce that?"
Extimum: "No, what I told you is Yllu#$%#."
Draco: "Yfld&%?"
"Yflux&$%"
"fldsmdfr?" [:v]
Extimum: "Hahaha." A small laugh escaped Extimum's mouth as he heard Draco spout nonsense with an impatient and constipated face.
Draco: "It's not funny, what you say is simply unpronounceable Yllu$%&?, you know what?, forget it, I don't care, the important thing is, do you know what it says there?"
Extimum: "As for that...I'm not entirely sure, at most I can give an approximation."
In fact, saying that he could give a rough idea was saying something.
Ylluxanty, an almost extinct language, if not for its presence in a few books around the world. There were probably no longer any speakers of that language, let alone even reading it. Even mere knowledge of Extimun was limited to having seen him in passing when reading some random information in his family's grimoire.
And other than remembering some of its symbols and their apparent meaning, he hadn't studied or detailed anything about it, the only reason he had even bothered to read it briefly was because it was the first recorded language of the mages.
The nameless language was the most popular among all races, but when it came to the language spoken by the early mages and the humans among them, it was undoubtedly Ylluxanty.
Draco: "That's already incredible, try it, I want to know what it says"
Extimum: "Okay... Here, do you see this face? This is where the text begins. It's only four sentences really.
The first one says something like, at the start, at the beginning? Everyone was alone, but there were…Exceptions? Yes, that's more or less the general meaning.
Let's see, the next sentence says, the star... No, the sun. Like the moon and the sun or... an eclipse? This is too vague and has several interpretations… I will say, like the moon and the sun. Then, like the moon and the sun, an unexpected fusion.
The third is: an unavoidable destiny, change, fall, the battle for the future. This phrase doesn't have many interpretations, so I think that's the correct meaning.
As for the last sentence..."
Extimum's brow furrowed as he looked at the last sentence, there were two symbols right in the middle of the sentence that he had no knowledge of, probably because it was on a page he skipped when he lost interest in the topic.
Draco: "What's wrong? You don't know what that last sentence says?"
Extimum: "Hmm, I roughly understand the beginning and end of the sentence, but I don't know what it says in the middle, so I don't know how to fully make sense of it"
Draco: "Just read it as is, maybe then we'll come up with something."
Extimum: "Good. The fruit of… The untold horror"
Draco: "This... It doesn't really give any clue, anything could go in the middle"
Bloom: 'The sun and the moon... The egg is black as night and the edges are bright gold as day, could it be the fruit of both?'
Extimum: 'It is not a bad assumption, but it cannot be, since if it were so I would recognize the words'
Bloom: 'Or maybe the key is not in what they are but in what they make up'
Extimum: 'What do they make up?'
Extimum handed the egg to Draco while he also struggled, thinking intensely about what might be missing.
Draco: "Ugh, it doesn't occur to me that I could go there and although I have some ideas, it could be so many things. Don't you have a book where you learned the- that language? Maybe we could look up the meaning of those two characters"
Extimum: "Yes, but I won't be able to access that book for a while, so I don't know when I'll be able to review it and give you an answer about it."
Draco: "Hmm, maybe if you write me the name of that language, I can ask my father to look it up, it shouldn't be too difficult to get the name."
Extimum: "It's not- wait... two? sun and moon? day and night? duality? the fruit of duality. The untold horror. That could be, it sounds plausible, what do you think Draco? Dra- "
**Clicking metallic sound** **Deafening screech**
*Pop*