When Shadow Golem House had first been taken over, it was as crooked and lopsided as many wizard-built shops in Diagon Alley, with walls leaning at odd angles as if the whole place had grown by accident. In his letters, Roger had insisted again and again that it be repaired properly, made upright, clean, and respectable. A shop could be magical without looking as though one strong gust would send it tumbling into Knockturn Alley.
When he arrived, the result was better than he had expected. The shop was now a quaint, elegant two-storey building with dark red brick walls and pale yellow paper flowers decorating the corners and windowsills. The side facing Gringotts had been fitted with a huge glass display case, though for now it remained covered with cloth, hiding the goods from curious eyes.
Above the oak door, an arched lintel held a shimmering sign that read Shadow Golem House. Pairs of carved owls flanked the name, their wooden eyes occasionally blinking at passers-by. Above the sign gleamed a large lightning-bolt emblem, bright enough to catch the attention of nearly every wizard walking past.
Since the product's selling point was instant photography, Roger had decided the logo needed to suggest speed and flash. Lightning was the obvious choice, though he had taken great care to make sure the bolt faced a completely different direction from Harry Potter's famous scar. The last thing he needed was some overexcited customer accusing him of borrowing the Boy Who Lived's face for advertising.
Roger pushed open the door and stepped into a spacious, brightly lit storefront. The centre had been left open as an activity area, while tall merchandise shelves stood neatly along both sides. Everything looked warm, orderly, and polished, a sharp contrast to the cluttered chaos common in most wizarding shops.
The most eye-catching section was on the left. Five or six wooden shelves displayed magical instant cameras in black, silver, and brown, each small, elegant, and carefully finished. Every camera carried a red circular logo engraved with a golden lightning bolt, making the whole display look both unified and expensive.
On the right was the photography supplies area. The top shelves held black-and-white magical photo paper printed with adorable panda patterns, while the lower shelves were lined with bottles of flash developer tincture. Toward the back, different lenses rested in elegant boxes, ready to be taken out and tested by customers.
At Roger's request, Jessica had installed several layers of protective magic throughout the shop. There were alarm spells, anti-theft charms, and an anti-Apparition field, all neatly woven into the walls and floor. By the time she finished, she felt her little shop's security was second only to Gringotts across the street.
"The decor is really nice," Roger said with genuine approval. He liked the clean, bright environment, and the contrast alone made Shadow Golem House stand out from the surrounding wizarding shops.
"Of course it is. I put a lot of effort into it," Jessica said proudly. "Diana even came to help with the opening."
At the sound of her name, Diana chirped from her perch as if answering the compliment. The owl fluffed her feathers, looking every bit as satisfied as if she had personally laid every brick in the building.
"Mrs. Jessica, Merry Christmas!" A young woman hurried out from the storeroom, her golden hair slightly wavy and her bright blue eyes full of energy. "Oh, and what a lovely boy. Hello, I'm Sophie, the shop assistant."
She wore the store uniform neatly, which made her look lively, pretty, and very suitable for receiving customers. Her smile was warm enough to make even a cautious customer relax.
"Mrs. Jessica said you're a true magical genius," Sophie added.
"That's a little exaggerated," Roger said with a polite smile. "I'm just more diligent than most people."
His mother's new shop assistant was far too enthusiastic. Still, enthusiasm was not a bad thing in a store, especially on opening day.
"Sophie, take Roger to the joke shop and buy fireworks," Jessica said, instantly shifting into work mode. Her tone became brisk, efficient, and impossible to refuse. "We need everything ready before two o'clock. Hurry, hurry, let's get moving."
"Yes, Mrs. Jessica. We'll go right away." Sophie's eyes lit up at once, and she grabbed her coat before leading Roger toward the door.
"Roger, Jerry Giggs's Joke Shop has everything," Sophie said as they stepped into the snowy street. Her pace quickened with every sentence. "Candy that makes you spit sparks, fake wands, magical fireworks, prank badges, screaming teacups—everything."
"Sophie, we're only buying fireworks," Roger reminded her. "What happens if we get back late?"
"Don't worry. It'll be fine." Sophie flashed him a sly smile. "Roger, have you never been to a proper joke shop before?"
Roger did not answer quickly enough, and Sophie took that as permission to continue. She clasped her hands together and put on a pitiful expression that was clearly practised.
"I'll buy you a toy, as long as you don't tell Mrs. Jessica," she said.
Roger glanced at her and eventually nodded. Sophie immediately cheered up, her earlier pitiful look vanishing so quickly that it had obviously been fake.
"My parents are both Muggle actors, so I didn't have many Galleons when I was at school," Sophie said with a sigh. "Now that I have a job and can earn my own money, I can finally buy whatever I want."
The entrance to Jerry Giggs's Joke Shop was already crowded with young witches and wizards spending their Christmas pocket money. Sophie squeezed through with Roger close behind, moving with the practised skill of someone who had once fought her way through busy school corridors.
"Roger, take whatever you like," Sophie said brightly.
Before he could reply, she disappeared into the shop like a fish vanishing into water.
"Who exactly is the employee here?" Roger muttered.
With no choice left, he went to find the owner himself and hoped Sophie would remember there was an opening event that afternoon. Jerry Giggs stood behind the counter, ringing up purchases with one hand and using his wand with the other to stop a box of hopping rubber eyeballs from escaping.
"Hello, Mr. Jerry," Roger said. "Do you have fireworks?"
"Fireworks?" Jerry glanced down at him. "You mean the magical kind that bloom when they touch water? They're over there."
He pointed toward a shelf without stopping his work. The shop was packed with little wizards who had just received holiday money, and they were throwing themselves at every prank toy they could find.
"Bloom when they touch water?" Roger stopped. "What kind of fireworks are those?"
Jerry blinked at him as if the question itself was strange.
"Mr. Jerry, does your shop have any normal fireworks?" Roger asked.
"Normal fireworks?" Jerry frowned and shook his head. "Kid, this is a joke shop."
"Then I'll go to Muggle London and buy some," Roger said.
"Muggle fireworks?" Jerry immediately straightened, looking offended. "Their fireworks can't compare to mine."
Roger looked back at him calmly. "I need them for a business opening."
"You should have said that earlier." Jerry waved his wand, and several boxes floated down from a nearby shelf. "These only need a little water to ignite, which makes them perfect for your requirements."
"Water?" Roger repeated, still doubtful.
"You don't believe me? Watch."
Jerry seemed personally insulted by the idea that a young wizard might doubt his products. He flicked his wand, conjuring a small splash of clear water over one firework. With a loud bang, the firework exploded instantly, and brilliant golden flames bloomed overhead, bathing the entire shop in warm light.
"How about that?" Jerry said smugly. "No little wizard can resist proper magical fireworks."
"Not bad," Roger admitted. "Give me ten."
He had to admit the effect was impressive, though part of him still wondered whether this really counted as fireworks. It seemed more like a theatrical explosion disguised as a product.
Roger had expected Sophie to vanish for at least half an hour, but she returned in less than five minutes looking unexpectedly dejected. Her hands were empty, and her bright expression had collapsed into confusion.
"Sold out?" Roger asked.
"No…"
"Then why do you look so gloomy?"
"Roger, I suddenly found all those things meaningless," Sophie said, sounding genuinely distressed. "I loved them so much before graduation."
"Maybe they're only fun when you're still at school," Roger said. "Once you're not using them to annoy classmates, the charm fades."
Sophie thought about that and slowly forced a smile. "That actually makes a lot of sense."
She took the fireworks from Roger's arms and recovered some of her earlier energy. Then she pointed back into the shop with great determination.
"All right, even if I can no longer enjoy the thrill of pranks, you're still young," Sophie said. "Go pick a magical toy. Anything you like."
"I don't—"
"Hurry up. We still have to get back for the opening."
Sophie pushed him inside before he could explain. Roger glanced around, surrendered to the situation, and finally chose an imitation charm toy from a shelf near the counter.
It was a huge scarlet mouth, like a circus clown's grin magnified ten times. The lips were thick, bright, and exaggerated, while the stark white front teeth gleamed between them in a way that was both ridiculous and faintly terrifying. Whenever someone spoke near it, the mouth acted like an enormous megaphone, amplifying the words and repeating them in exactly the same tone and voice.
Roger looked at the toy and had to admit that the owner understood mischief very well. It was simple, loud, irritating, and almost guaranteed to start arguments.
"Huh? You only picked this?" Sophie protested when she saw his choice. "An echo mouth is so boring."
"Huh? You only picked this? An echo mouth is so boring," the scarlet mouth repeated at ten times the volume, perfectly imitating her tone.
"All right," Sophie said at once, wincing. "At least it can make people angry."
She quickly gestured for Roger to turn it off. Hearing her own voice amplified like that was apparently less amusing than she had expected.
When they returned, the curtain outside Shadow Golem House had already been removed. Winter sunlight shone across the smooth glass windows, revealing the displays inside to every passer-by. Sophie hurried over to help with the small stage at the entrance, where the lucky draw prizes were being arranged.
On the gleaming stands sat prizes bright enough to stop people in the street. There was a complete set of photography lenses priced at ten thousand Galleons, a Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick, and an Invisibility Cloak made from Demiguise hair. Lockhart's complete works gleamed with bright golden spines in the sunlight, while small pouches held shining Galleons, and the lower shelves displayed gold pocket watches and music boxes.
Spend more than ten Galleons in the shop, and you could draw a numbered ball from the velvet box beside the counter for a chance to win one of these excellent prizes.
.....
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