"That'd take a huge weight off my mind if yeh could manage it, thanks," Hagrid said eagerly.
"I should be able to have it finished shortly after I get the workshop set up," Julian replied, pulling out a small notepad and jotting down the details of the order and its specifications so he would not forget.
"How much d'yeh reckon it'll cost me?" Hagrid asked, curiosity and a bit of concern in his voice.
"That depends on whether you want it made from a specific material, or with any extra effects built in," Julian explained. "If you are fine with a simple dragon steel band, with only the slug repellent enchantment, it will cost one Galleon and four Sickles. The enchantment will not wear out either, so you will not need to recharge it, unlike most artifacts." He paused for a moment, doing a quick calculation in his head before giving the figure.
...
"If it works like you say, that sounds like a real bargain. You sure you don't want more for it?" Hagrid asked, sounding worried that Julian was shortchanging himself.
Julian scoffed softly. "I am a proud craftsman. I will only ever charge what I believe my work is worth. Do not forget that," he said, tone firm and unyielding.
Everyone present found themselves nodding along without quite meaning to, agreeing with his seriousness.
"Got it, did not mean any offense, lad," Hagrid said sincerely as he reached into one of his many coat pockets and rummaged around.
"Here, I'll pay yeh now so I don't have ter remember it later," he added, finally pulling out a slightly tarnished golden coin and four silver ones. "I'm not so good with numbers, yeh see."
Julian accepted the coins, made a quick note beside Hagrid's order on his notepad: {Payment given upfront, deliver as soon as possible}, then slid the money into Greed for safekeeping.
"I will have the finished ring sent to you as soon as it is completed," Julian said seriously, meeting the half giant's eyes.
"That's fine, no need to bother walkin' it all the way down. An owl'll do just fine," Hagrid replied with a nod.
...
"Could I commission a ring as well?" Daphne spoke up suddenly.
Everyone turned to look at her, surprised, since she was usually the quiet one in the group.
"What did you have in mind?" Julian asked at once. "I need the subject of the enchantment to study, and if it is a difficult field, creating the ring could take longer."
"Could you make a ring that protects the mind?" she asked quietly, but the room was silent enough that all of them heard it.
"That falls into mind arts territory. There's no way he could…" Hagrid began sternly, then trailed off when Julian cut across him.
"I can," Julian said evenly, "but it will not be cheap, and it will take at least a month. I will need to research the topic properly if we want the best possible result."
Hagrid simply gaped at him, stunned.
Julian, however, did not find Daphne's request mysterious at all. From what he remembered from the books, the mind arts were something of an open secret among pureblood families. Many of them practiced Occlumency, or at the very least knew it existed and valued it.
As the heiress of one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Daphne was almost certainly being pushed to learn Occlumency by her family. That training carried an unfortunate downside, since it tended to deaden or bottle up a person's emotions. With a ring that shielded her mind, she could ease the constant pressure of magic on her thoughts and feelings and live more like an ordinary girl.
"How expensive are we talking?" she asked, her expression clearly nervous.
"I cannot give an exact number until the finished product is in my hands," Julian answered honestly. "But it will be at least one hundred Galleons, because of how difficult and obscure the subject is."
Everyone who heard that figure flinched a little.
Hagrid did not object to the price either. The reasons Julian gave made sense. Those who truly understood the mind arts either hoarded that knowledge or demanded a heavy price for sharing it.
Ron felt particularly uneasy at the mention of such a sum. His family barely had twice that amount stored away for emergencies. Among the pureblood wizarding families, the Weasleys were considered painfully poor. It showed in everything Ron owned. All of his school supplies were either secondhand or hand me downs, even his wand.
Harry, on the other hand, did not yet have a firm sense of what counted as a reasonable price for anything in the wizarding world and usually just paid what was written. Even so, he could tell that one hundred Galleons was no small amount.
"You are in luck, though," Julian added. "I should be able to find a couple of books on the subject in the library. Otherwise it would take much longer."
"I understand. I will need to speak with my family before I can make a decision," Daphne said after a thoughtful pause.
Julian nodded. "That is the wise thing to do."
...
The rest of their visit drifted into light, meaningless chatter, the sort of small talk that came easily when people were warm, full of tea, and slightly tired. That continued until Harry's eyes fell on a copy of the Daily Prophet lying on Hagrid's table, folded open to an article about the robbery at Gringotts.
"Was it the vault we went to that day, Hagrid?" Harry asked suddenly, his question making the half giant stiffen.
"It does not matter. Leave it alone, Harry," Hagrid said, his tone firm and warning.
"But what if the thief goes after it again? Will it be safe?" Harry pressed, frowning.
"Course it will be!" Hagrid huffed. "Nicolas Flammel would never have given it to Dumbledore if it weren't."
He froze as the name left his mouth, eyes going wide.
"You never heard that," he said quickly, voice turning serious as he ushered them toward the door and sent the group on their way.