"Of course, sir. Please excuse us," Tracy said quickly, before she and Daphne almost tripped over themselves retreating from the scene.
Julian watched them go, then turned back to Snape with a calm expression. "I am going to assume this is not about my swim in the lake. You hardly seem the sort to bother with something that pointless, am I right?" he asked casually.
Something flickered at the corner of Snape's mouth, the tiniest twitch upward that might have been approval.
"Correct," Snape replied. "I have been informed of your talent in the creation of enchanted objects. My understanding is that you claim to be capable of adding any form of enchantment, provided you possess sufficient knowledge of the subject. Is that accurate?"
Julian would have been lying if he claimed he had expected Snape to approach him about his ring crafting, even if gossip about it was almost certainly circulating around the school by now.
Still, he nodded. "Yes. Though it should be noted, if you want a very specific effect out of several possible ones that fall under a particular topic, I require more detailed information than I would if you simply wanted a ring that reacts to all effects indiscriminately within that topic."
"I see." Snape's eyes narrowed slightly, weighing his words. "I require a ring capable of detecting falsehoods. Illusions, if you prefer."
Julian fell silent, mind already breaking the request down into practical components.
"Do you wish to see through a specific type of falsehood, or only to detect the presence of that type?" he asked a moment later. "Otherwise, this would be an enchantment that demands knowledge from multiple branches of magic, as I imagine you understand."
That answer seemed to surprise Snape, and impress him as well. Apparently he had not expected Julian to approach the request with that level of thought.
"Glamour spells. Detection only," Snape clarified in a calm, measured tone.
Julian nodded, understanding. "In that case, I will need information on the types of spells that fall under that category. The more thorough the description, the better. Assuming they share enough similarities, I can create a detection ring that reacts to their presence. Do you have a particular range in mind?"
"Within four meters," Snape said succinctly.
Julian took out his notepad and began jotting each specification down with neat, precise strokes. "Any preferred metal or design for the ring itself?" he asked without looking up.
Snape shook his head once.
"Very well. It will take me about a month to fully familiarize myself with that class of spellwork. Then I will require an entire day to forge the ring, followed by another day for the enchantment process. Add the cost of materials, and the total price comes to fifteen Galleons and twelve Knuts. Is that acceptable?" Julian asked.
Snape considered the figure for a brief moment, then gave a short nod.
"Will that be all, sir?" Julian asked.
Another nod, and Snape turned on his heel and strode away without another word, black robes swirling behind him.
At least he has some sense of professional courtesy, even if he is still an unpleasant person to deal with, Julian thought as he slid the notepad away and walked toward the two Slytherin girls who were waiting some distance off.
...
"What was that about?" Tracy asked as soon as he got close enough, curiosity written all over her face.
"Nothing particularly dramatic. Just a bit of business, that is all," Julian said honestly with a shrug.
"He wanted a ring?" she pressed, surprised.
"He did," Julian confirmed. "But I will not be telling you what kind he requested. Somehow I doubt he would appreciate having his private dealings handed around as gossip."
Tracy huffed, but she could not exactly argue with that.
"So, you dragged us out of the common room. What now?" she asked, changing the topic.
"No grand plan, I am afraid. I am going to do some serious reading in the library while I wait for my furnace to arrive. Originally, I meant to swim all day, but that idea was thoroughly ruined," he said wryly.
"Oh?" Tracy's eyes brightened with interest. "Do you have a spell in mind that you want to modify?"
Julian grinned. "Something like that. But you will have to wait with everyone else to see what it is."
"Ugh. What is the point of being friends with you if I do not get special treatment?" Tracy complained, exasperated. Daphne let out a quiet giggle beside her.
"Well, first, you do get special treatment," Julian said, putting on his best arrogant Draco impression. "Second, being friends with me is already a benefit on its own."
"Rather full of yourself, are you not?" Tracy teased, though she was smiling.
"Oh, please. At this point the entire school knows I am brilliant," Julian said, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"They probably also think you are completely mad for swimming in the Black Lake," Daphne pointed out, a hint of amusement in her tone.
Julian winced, embarrassed. "In my defense, the lake is perfectly safe as long as you do not deliberately anger anything that lives in it," he said, only somewhat defending himself.
"Is that why you looked like you had just seen You Know Who when the squid showed up?" Tracy asked, smirking.
Julian scoffed. "Whoever started the rumor that that thing is a squid deserves to be haunted by Peeves. It is clearly a Kraken. No squid gets that large."
The girls burst out laughing, assuming he was only joking.