Maurise and Lupin entered the shop one after the other.
"Frick, where are you?" Maurise called out, glancing around the gloomy interior. "I need to borrow your kitchen." It was getting late, and he needed something to eat.
Footsteps echoed from the dim corridor before Frick strolled out at a leisurely pace.
"Ah, Maurise, you are here," he greeted. His gaze then drifted past the boy and landed on Lupin standing by the door. A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face. "Lupin? It has been a long time. How have you been?"
"Not too bad," Lupin replied with a mild smile. "Your place looks exactly the same as it did five years ago."
Just as Maurise suspected, the two of them knew each other.
Maurise had absolutely no interest in listening to them catch up. He walked straight toward the kitchen.
"Do not touch my preservation cabinet!" Frick shouted at his back.
Maurise just waved a hand dismissively without bothering to turn around.
Pushing the kitchen door open, the very first thing he did was yank the preservation cabinet wide open. The shelves were stuffed with unidentified, long black objects. Were those not the dried Grindylow fingers sold by the neighboring shops?
Maurise's mouth twitched. He distinctly remembered Frick being utterly repulsed by the things not too long ago. However, he had zero interest in sampling such bizarre delicacies right now. After rummaging around for a bit, Maurise settled for pulling out a simple loaf of bread.
By the time he returned to the storefront, Lupin had already vanished. Only Frick remained, standing behind the counter and humming a tune while polishing a human skull.
Maurise walked over and asked, "Where did Lupin go?"
Frick did not even look up, continuing to polish the bone. "He left."
"That fast? What did he come here for?"
"He was looking for a job," Frick said casually, turning the skull to inspect it under the dim light. "As a Hogwarts student, you surely know he resigned. But unfortunately, I am not short on staff at the moment."
So that was it. Maurise nodded in understanding and asked another question. "Are the two of you close?"
Frick stopped what he was doing and looked at Maurise, an unreadable smile playing on his lips. "I suppose you could say that. We are just old acquaintances."
Maurise did not press the issue further. He took a bite of the bread. It was terribly hard and bone-dry. He immediately decided he would swing by the Leaky Cauldron later to buy a proper sandwich.
Frick set the prophetic skull aside and began rummaging beneath the counter.
"What about you?" the shopkeeper asked without looking up. "What brings you here? Surely you did not come all this way just to mooch a free meal?"
"I did, actually," Maurise replied with perfect honesty.
Frick's hands paused for a few seconds before he spoke slowly. "I highly recommend the Grindylow fingers. They are absolutely delicious."
"I will have to politely decline."
A dozen seconds later, Frick pulled a small cloth pouch from beneath the counter and casually tossed it to Maurise.
"Catch."
Maurise reached out and snatched it from the air. Just from the sheer weight and feel of it, he knew exactly what was inside. Golden Galleons.
"We managed to sell a few of those stones of yours," Frick explained. "That is your cut of the profits."
Maurise pocketed the gold with a bright smile. "Now that is the kind of news I like to hear."
For the next little while, the two of them chatted idly. Maurise naturally brought up the previous burglary at Frick's warehouse.
Frick's face instantly darkened.
"Do not even remind me." He waved his hand in deep annoyance. "I already figured it out. It was that absolute scumbag, Mundungus."
Maurise raised an eyebrow. "Mundungus Fletcher? It really was him?"
"Who else could it be?" Frick let out a cold snort. "I managed to recover the vast majority of the stolen goods, and I gave him a thorough beating for his trouble."
"That is good to hear," Maurise said. "Did you manage to get my Shadow Stones back as well?"
"Unfortunately not," Frick shook his head regretfully. "I found out too late. He had already fenced the stones. Sold the whole lot for a measly fifty Galleons... that utter bastard!"
Maurise shook his head helplessly. Since the damage was already done, there was no point in complaining about it.
"Oh, right," Frick suddenly recalled something. "Maurise, remember that stolen skeleton you were so interested in before? It is back. Even a seasoned thief like Mundungus had absolutely no idea how to fence something like that."
Maurise's eyes lit up immediately. "Really?"
That specific skeleton held immense significance for him. After all, back when he was merely dipping his toes into the world of magic, he had instinctively sensed that the skeleton was profoundly unique.
Frick chuckled and stood up. "Give me a moment."
He turned and disappeared behind a back door.
Maurise remained where he stood, forcing down the rest of the dry bread.
A few minutes later, the rhythmic squeaking of rusty wheels grew closer. Frick emerged pushing a battered trolley. Resting right on top of it was the exact human skeleton Maurise had been dreaming about.
Frick wheeled it up to the counter and patted the cart. "Take a look. Is this the one?"
Maurise stepped forward, staring at it with utter fascination. The skeleton lying on the trolley seemed to emit a hauntingly beautiful luster under the dim shop lights. Even now, he simply could not tear his eyes away from it.
"That is the one!" Maurise confirmed with absolute certainty.
Seeing his rare loss of composure, Frick could not help but ask, "What exactly is so special about these bones?"
"I have no idea," Maurise shook his head. "But my subconscious is screaming at me that I need to have it."
Frick was briefly rendered speechless. What kind of nonsensical answer was that?
In reality, however, Maurise was not lying in the slightest. He was merely expressing his truest gut feeling.
"Will you sell this skeleton to me?" Maurise asked eagerly.
Frick leaned heavily against the counter and waved a hand dismissively. "Just take it."
Maurise was utterly taken aback. "You mean, you are just giving it to me?"
He remembered vividly that during their very first meeting, Frick had absolutely refused to sell this pile of bones for any price.
"Yes." Frick dropped his casual demeanor and looked at Maurise quite seriously. "I have studied this skeleton for over a decade and have utterly failed to discover what makes it so special. The only thing I can confirm is that it completely resists all magical spells. If I give it to you, perhaps you can finally unlock its true potential."
So that was it. Maurise understood completely. Frick was now a genuine friend. Knowing how desperately Maurise wanted the skeleton, the man was willing to part with it. In that case, he would not bother with false modesty.
"Thank you."
Maurise carefully levitated the skeleton and placed it securely inside his magically expanded suitcase.
Frick chuckled softly. "I sincerely hope it helps you."
---
Leaving Knockturn Alley behind, Maurise did not even bother grabbing dinner. He rushed straight back to his Ship in a Bottle.
The very first thing he did upon returning was extract the skeleton, lay it gently on his table, and examine it closely.
According to Frick, absolutely no magic had any effect on it.
Maurise immediately drew his wand and fired a Severing Charm directly at its ribcage.
The spell ricocheted instantly. It shot sideways and struck Tin, who was lounging nearby, neatly slicing off a small tuft of hair from the top of the cat's head.
Completely ignoring Tin's furious, indignant yowling, Maurise fired off several more spells. Without a single exception, they either bounced right off or simply fizzled out on contact.
It seemed Frick was absolutely correct. This thing was completely immune to magic.
He tucked his wand away and fell into deep contemplation.
So, what exactly was the reason behind this?