A soft knock sounded on Aurelian's bedroom door.
"Co in," he replied, putting aside the book he was reading.
The door opened to reveal Professor Flitwick, dressed in casual dark green robes and without his usual stern expression that he wore during training sessions.
"Good morning, Aurelian," he smiled with a carefree air that he rarely showed. "I think we deserve a break after yesterday."
Aurelian raised an eyebrow, curious.
"A break? Weren't we going to train today too?"
"Oh, yes, we will train..." Flitwick entered and closed the door behind him. "But I thought it would be a good idea to show you a special place. It's in Paris, but it's not a place any wizard can get to without knowing how."
Aurelian leaned back in his chair, intrigued.
"A special place?"
"La Place Cachée," said Flitwick with a certain solemnity, as if pronouncing the na of a well-kept secret. "It is, so to speak, the Parisian equivalent of Diagon Alley... although it is considerably larger, older, I would say, even more elegant. You will find everything from wandmakers to shops selling extrely rare magical items."
Aurelian couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Sounds... interesting."
"You'll love it. Besides, it will be a good opportunity for you to observe how wizards in other parts of the world go about their business." Flitwick gestured toward the window. "I think we'll be back in ti for dinner, but I warn you, we could easily spend several hours there."
The young man stood up, his mind already calculating what he could learn or get in a place like that.
"In that case, let's not waste any ti."
Flitwick nodded with a twinkle in his eyes.
"Excellent. We'll apparate directly to the main entrance... although you won't recognize it at first glance."
Aurelian grabbed his cloak and a leather bag, ready for what promised to be a trip unlike any tourist outing.
Flitwick led him to a small square, seemingly ordinary in a quiet neighborhood of Paris. The air slled of freshly baked bread and coffee, and Muggle people passed by without paying any attention to them. The professor stopped in front of an old bakery with display cases full of baguettes and croissants.
"Here we are," he said with a knowing smile.
Aurelian raised an eyebrow; he didn't rember this being the entrance.
"Here?"
"Oh, yes, there is another one... but I think this one would suit us better." Flitwick tapped the doorfra three tis discreetly, and the wood grain began to contract as if it were liquid. Then he pushed gently, and the fra stretched, revealing a narrow passageway that seed impossible to exist there.
As they crossed, the world changed.
La Place Cachée opened up before them like an amphitheater of white stone and marble, with balconies filled with flowers that never wilted. Cobblestone streets ran between tall buildings, many with facades covered in golden glyphs that glimred faintly in the sunlight.
In the center, a crystal-clear fountain displayed animated figures of magical creatures: a phoenix erging from the water in blue flas, a Chinese dragon curling in the air before diving back in. The bustle was intense but not chaotic: vendors offered hippogriff feathers, hand-engraved talismans, and relics that looked very old... though Aurelian didn't believe they were real.
They walked slowly, taking in every detail. He noticed that, unlike Diagon Alley, here magic was mixed with a much more refined aesthetic. There were no hand-painted, poorly placed signs; each shop looked like a work of art, each window display a careful exhibition.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Flitwick comnted, with obvious pride.
"Much more organized than Diagon... more dangerous, if you don't know where to look," replied Aurelian, observing a stall where a man was selling potions that gave off a very suspicious silver smoke.
Flitwick laughed softly.
"Indeed. Here you can find everything from wonders to traps, so you must always be careful."
As they walked on, they passed a shop displaying combat wands, another specializing in clothing with protective runes embroidered in gold thread, and a small shop where an old woman offered scrolls of forgotten spells.
Aurelian and Flitwick continued their tour of the Place Cachée, stopping at the shops that most caught young Gaunt's attention. He soon entered a defensive magic boutique, where a display window showed cloaks that seed to absorb light.
"Woven from thestral hair and treated with resistance charms," explained the salesman, a tall wizard with a well-grood mustache. "They block most minor spells and partially disperse the more powerful ones."
Aurelian tried one on, assessing its weight and soft yet firm texture.
"I'll take it," he said without hesitation. "Also pack two more, but with a more elegant design."
Flitwick raised an amused eyebrow.
"Let guess... for the Carrow sisters?"
Aurelian smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.
In another shop, specializing in small magical artifacts, he purchased an enchanted pocket watch that not only told the ti but could also pinpoint the approximate location of a person the wearer had in mind within a small range.
Further on, in a bookshop with soaring ceilings and floating staircases, he found a set of three volus bound in red leather with the title engraved in ancient Latin: De Vinculis Magicae. A book on binding spells and magical bonds, a field that could prove extrely useful to him.
As he paid, his mind was already working on another idea.
"Kravix must ensure that GauntCorp has a presence here," he thought. "A well-located premises in the Place Cachée would be invaluable for starting to expand my operations in France."
He made a ntal note to send him a detailed letter that sa evening, with specific instructions to negotiate discreetly with the most influential owners in the square.
They continued walking until they reached a jewelry stand. Small silver necklaces floated on velvet cushions, slowly rotating to show off their details. Two in particular caught his eye: a pair of snake-shaped necklaces with tiny eralds for eyes, which could be synchronized so that whoever wore one could sense the emotional state of the person wearing the other.
He took them without hesitation.
"I'll take these, please."
The jeweler smiled at him as if recognizing a custor who knew exactly what he wanted.
"A great choice, sir."
Aurelian simply nodded and put the pieces away.
As he left, Flitwick watched him with a mixture of curiosity and mild amusent.
"You don't waste any ti, do you, Mr. Gaunt?"
"Never," replied Aurelian. "Not in a market like this, nor in life."
The square was still bustling, filled with murmurs, laughter, and haggling in languages Aurelian did not fully understand. But for him, the visit had been more than a tourist distraction: he had sown seeds for the future, bought tools for the present, and so gifts for important people.
That night, the villa that the French Ministry had arranged for them was completely silent. Flitwick had retired early, perhaps satisfied that his student had enjoyed the walk without thinking about duels and training for a few hours.
Aurelian, on the other hand, was sitting at the desk in his room, with an enchanted lamp illuminating a sheet of parchnt. In front of him was an inkwell with black ink and a smaller one with dark green ink for private notes.
He picked up his pen and began to write:
"Kravix:
During my stay in Paris, I explored the Place Cachée, a magical market of strategic importance in France and probably in much of Western Europe. I strongly recomnd acquiring premises in a pri location within the square. The façade should be discreet but attractive.
Potential uses:.
. Direct distribution of Noxum brooms in France.
. Point of sale for exclusive GauntCorp magical products.
. Information center and networking hub for the local magical community.
Financial update: proceed with the previously discussed investnts in IBM, Microsoft, and Apple, allocating an additional 10% of funds for quick acquisitions if imdiate opportunities arise.
Sincerely, Aurelian Gaunt"
Once he was done, he sealed the letter with black wax marked with the Gaunt family crest and placed it on a silver tray by the window. He would just leave it there, and Stinky would know to pick it up and take it to Kravix before dawn.
Before going to bed, he took the snake-shaped necklaces out of a small enchanted bag and left them on the nightstand. He looked at them for a mont, imagining the expression on Hestia and Flora's faces when he gave them to them. He smiled from ear to ear.
"I'm sure they'll love them... I hope they don't beco even more obsessed with ," he said with a laugh.
The lamp went out with a snap of his fingers, and the room was plunged into darkness, with Paris sleeping in the distance.
I just opened an account on Patreon. If you want to support , I would really appreciate it, as you will be able to read up to 15 more chapters and find images of the characters in the story for free. Thank you very much for reading my story :D
-patreon/Daoistrg
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Author's note:
Hey guys, I hope you're all doing well. Thank you so much for all the support you've given my novel. It's been a month since I started this story... ti definitely flies :)
Thank you very much for everything, from the comnts pointing out errors to those simply thanking for the new chapter.
Now... I wanted to let you know that I won't be posting chapters daily anymore. I'm going back to college, so I'll have less ti to write, but don't worry, I'll keep posting more chapters... I wait every two days.
Once again, thank you very much for your support... your comnts sohow manage to brighten my days :D. Without further ado, I bid you farewell and hope the rest of your week is full of success.
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