FicWad

Hello all, I hope you are enjoying the story,

Xyverz brought to my attention that I was switching suit with suite, this has been fixed now. Anything else like that, tell me, so I can fix it. And thanks for the reviews, they give me ideas, like the one at the end of the chapter that was thrown at me from Kin Pandun. I liked the idea, so I tweaked it to fit my needs. I think I'll try to incorporate as much as I can from reviewers now, they have such good ideas...

Alright, always, Read, Review, and Enjoy. (sorta makes me think of the 3 R's of learning. Writing doesn't have an R in it Mrs. Brown, so There! Neither does arithmetic for that mater, I always knew my teachers were idiots...)

-Omnis out
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Chapter 8: Knocturn and a Black Smith



Seraph and Cheleb made their way toward Knocturn Alley. He saw a few interesting stores on his way in, including 'Occhio's eye-care'. With all of his changes his eyesight had improved, but he still needed his glasses if he wanted to read something. He figured they would have some sort of potion, or perhaps advice to improve his eyesight, legal or not. But first, he needed clothes. In this place, everything one did, from speech, to walk, to clothes said something about you. Whether you were an easy mark, how much money you had, how powerful you were, your affiliations, etc. Right now he looked like a street urchin, and would be treated as such. In this place, fear meant respect, and respect meant power. And power, power was how you survived. Most of the people inside of the Alley stayed away from people like Malfoy because of his reputation and ties to the Dark Lord, but they would not have any qualms about ripping into Seraph for all he was worth. The Head of the Black Family, even if the miscreants eyeing him did not know it, would not be taken lightly, even if he was an unknown. A couple of stores past 'Borgin and Burkes' he found 'Clotho's Fine Wizard Apparel est. 589 b.c.' in strangely timeless paint above the door.

Entering the store, you could immediately see the difference from the dingy alley to this impressive, well, warehouse was the closest word Seraph could think. The store was expanded to outrageous proportions, seemingly going on forever. The lights were bright enough to allow you to see the clothes well, but not annoyingly bright like the department stores Aunt Petunia loved so much. The clothes were divided in two, separated by a large isle, Men's and boy's one side, Women's and girl's the other. The sides were then divided further by size, color, material, stitch, style, type, and occasion. How that worked, Seraph did not know, but it was clearly labeled on the floating signs that would critique your decisions every so often, not unlike bathroom mirrors. Oddly enough, especially for a store that catered to 'Purebloods', there was an entire section of muggle clothing, though it was towards the back and slightly obscured by an odd glowing haze.

"I am Mistress Clotho, how may I help you, young sir?" asked a mysterious old women with a curious expression, carrying a pair of archaic scissors in a black sash and a glowing golden thread wrapped around her wrist. The thread seemed to move of its own accord, but stayed put on her wrist for the most part. Seraph then noticed her aura. While she did not appear to be any older then say, Professor McGonagall, her aura said otherwise, just by the feeling it gave off. The golden thread matched perfectly to her shiny goldish aura, with warm brown strands, not unlike the melted chocolate color that matched her eyes.

"Yes," Seraph began, mentally shaking himself from his musings, "I'm in need of a full wardrobe, best of the best. I want them tailored to my measurements. I am curious though, as to why you have a muggle clothing section in the store?" Seraph asked.

"You see that, do you? That is very interesting. Much like the entrance to the 'Leaky Cauldron' that has muggle repelling wards, that end of the store has a sort of 'wizard' repelling ward on it. There is an entrance at the other end to the muggle world, where this store is known as 'Mystique Apparel', where you can find high end clothing for good prices. And, for some of my best costumers, I allow them to use it as an entrance to this part of the store, or to go directly into Knocturn. I realized after some years that muggles were an untapped source of profit in my type of business, and once I knew how to incorporate muggle clothing into my store, I doubled my revenue and have never regretted it. You, sir, are either very talented, or my wards are weakening." She said, her aura outline changing to a yellowy color that felt like caution. She continued, however.

"You do not ask with contempt, like many who come to this store would. This leads me to believe that you do not hold disdain for them, or you also see the benefit from their interaction. Anyway, if you would like any of the muggle clothing, they come in all the same material that the robes do, plus a few others like denim and corduroy. The same charms can be applied that are standard on the robes, such as stain repellent, odor reducer, anti-wrinkle charms and the like, but they will cost extra, as well as the special charms I can place on any other product I make. The other materials are cotton, velvet, corduroy, Asian silkworm silk, flubberworm silk (they are more durable, and of better quality then the regular silk), fur, jute, organza (a muggle material I use for dress robes, mind), canvas, and Acromantula silk. If you are interested, and I have a feeling you will be, my husband runs a dragon hide shop a few doors down. If you want, I can give him your measurements and have some samples ready for you. The canvas is used for work-robes and industrial potion robes, as they are cheap, durable, and highly resistant to potion stains and effects. However, the Acromantula silk is by far the best of all the materials. Light as the wind and as soft as a lover's caress, they are durable, and have a natural resistance to some lower level hexes, jinxes, and curses, not unlike the great spiders themselves. They come in mostly darker colors, the less tampering with color, the better quality it is. It is also the most expensive material I use. So what exactly do you want?" She asked, after listing what the robes and clothes were made of.

"Like I said before, a full wardrobe. Acromantula silk for everything applicable, and the best material that can be used for everything else." He told her. The lady looked at him for a moment, taking in his appearance. He would have looked at home in one of the many muggle slums or allies that littered the city. Two things, however made her reevaluate this man before her. One, the silver rim around his intense, emerald green eyes, eyes that would resemble the Avada Kedavra curse when angered, she imagined, and the second was the ring he wore. Rings like those were only given to the head of some old families, meaning that if he wasn't a Weasley, and he did not look like one, he had money. Though she could not see the crest to discern what house he headed. Making her decision, she walked to the front door and locked it.

If you have the gold for a new wardrobe, then I do believe that you have officially become my number one customer." She told him happily as she walked back from the doors. "We need no interruptions now, do we? Now, I have some questions. There is a special technique that I know that will allow one to lace certain materials into clothing. One of my best examples is that I can lace demiguise hair into the material. The demiguise hair will not make you, nor the material invisible, there is not enough laced through to do that, but it will allow you to better blend into the shadows, if you wish. They also lend a slight spectral illusion to the one who wears it. This is for an extra fee, of course, if you are interested. I also must ask if you are interested in any dragon hide? I believe that I mentioned my husband runs a shop."

"Yes, I am definitely going to want dragon hide, and. What does your husband create out of the hide?" Seraph asked.

"I'm not entirely sure any more. You would have to ask him. But I do know that he makes dragon hide cloaks, vests, and some new pant he keeps going on about. I also know he was experimenting with manticore hide, but it was terribly hard to come by. But if you think that I'll be expensive, you try to buy a dragon hide wardrobe from him. Huh! That would clean out any family's coffers. Not even the Ministry will buy too much from him; Aurors are not worth that much apparently. Though he did mention a few Unspeakables came to see him for something or other though, can't quite remember when though. He is the best however, after all these years he had better be..." She chuckled to herself, as if laughing at a private joke. "Once you're measured, I'll send him your dimensions. On second thought, I'll have him come and speak with you. But first, the measurements!" She said, her speech shifting from somber and professional to high pitched and energetic, it was slightly unnerving.

"Measure!" she command her wrist. The golden thread slowly unwound itself and actually stood at attention, Seraph thought that it would have saluted her if it had the appendages to do so, before becoming a weird sort of whirlwind, wrapping itself around his head, length of his legs, inseam, throat (which, had he seen any ill intentions in the women's aura, pulled out his dagger and killed the demented string), hair, and finally attempted to insert itself into his head via his ears before the Mistress told it to stop. All in all, he would take Ollivander's measuring tape over that damn frenzied twine any day.

"Well now, I'll call my husband, Vulcan, and you can look through the styles." She told him, before going to a back room. Now alone, Seraph looked around. 'Styles indeed' he thought to himself, 'Only Malfoy would go for some of this.' As he picked up a Flubberworm silk Dress Robe with actual Topaz stone studs threaded through the material and large gaudy pieces of white gold hanging off of silver ropes from the deep purple Robe. Continuing to look, he saw the outline of Cheleb sniffing at the door that Mistress Clotho had gone into, before disappearing completely and coming into view just to the side of Seraph. A moment later, a large man came out carrying a few pieces of leather of various colors and a hammer on his belt. He was a gruff looking man, apparently made of muscle. This image was ruined by the fact that he looked to be older than even Dumbledore, except he had an oddly chalky black goatee that extended down to his waist, instead of the full beard. Seraph was just about to say something when he noticed this mans aura. It was a royal purple with intermingling shades of light grey, and brilliant red strands capped in black. If the man looked old, then it was nothing compared to how his aura felt. It was even more ancient then his wife's.

"My, my. Never again did I think that I would see another Black heir." He began in a raspy baritone, like hearing a wheeze in a deep cave. "Not after the death of the last Black, Sirius I believe. I was not aware, however, that he had produced an heir. How interesting. I have not been in the presence of a true Grim since young Phineas, he never felt that it was time for the old Guild to return, and I suppose he was right. But now, and I think you would agree, it is a time for change, or will be soon. And change is what we do best." The old man said, as if remembering old times.

"What do you know of the Blacks?" Seraph asked icily, wand immediately in hand, his other resting on his blade, eyes narrowed and pulsing slowly. Cheleb became visible instantly and began growling menacingly at the man in a position not unlike a cat getting ready to pounce, the fur on his neck spiking slightly.

"I, young master Black, am Smith Vulcan, or Smithy, or to perhaps to better explain the significance of my name to you, Black's Smith, more commonly referred to at this time as a Black Smith. My father and his father before him have always served the Grims Guild. The first Black, after having served him for many years, granted me a gift for my loyalty and service. He performed a ritual that he had created on my wife and I that increased our life force, allowing us much longer lives then even some of the most powerful of wizards or witches, though we are probably less powerful then some, and can die just as easily as any other, that event will most likely not be by natural causes. It was, and remains, my duty to provide my services to the Black's, and most recently, those that can pay! Beyond making dragon hide, weapons, and other items of interest, I can point you into the right direction for what you might need; after all living this long helps in making connections." The man said, stepping into the light further. Seraph saw then his shining bald head and darkened features of a man who has worked too close to fire for too long a time, and that his goatee was not actually all black, but a dark grey that looked black from ash. His eyes held the wisdom of his years and his trade inside daunting black and scarlet eyes that literally looked as if they were on fire, which were gazing fixedly on Seraph.

"Sorry to have taken so long, another customer just came in through the back..." Mistress Clotho trailed off, sensing the tense atmosphere. She looked from Seraph, to her husband, and back again. She saw the young man's hand resting on the handle of a blade and was able to see the crest. A grim. Confusion could be seen in her eyes, before understanding the curiously, fear flashed across her face for a moment. Then she noticed Cheleb, and her eyes took on a Dumbledoreish twinkle.

"Ohhhh..." The old woman cooed, in a decidedly childish and undignified way, as she plopped down on to her knees. "Such a cute puppy! Come here puppy, puppy, puppy!" She said, in that manner in which women use on babies and small animals alike. Cheleb hesitated only a second before bolting for the woman. "Yes, such a good baby..." She continued, as she began scratching behind Cheleb's ears.

Seraph stood there, slightly amused, and slightly annoyed that the dog had left his side so easily. Vulcan, however, was trying to wipe his face off with his unhindered hand. "Why me?" he mumbled. "Maybe we should have had kids... damn woman could never make up her mind... I'll have to buy her a damn dog now too." Vulcan pulled his hand away from his face. "Come on, we will go to my shop and you can get outfitted for hide there. Just tell her what you want. She'll here ya'." He told Seraph, as he began walking to the backdoor he came out of.

Heading the old man's advice, he began listing what he wanted. "Mistress, I will need 8 pairs of pants, all black, stitched with silver thread, double Acramantula silk grade. Assorted boxers, socks, undershirts, in cotton and flubberworm silk. 14 Button up Acromantula silk shirts, 4 silver, 2 emerald green, 2 blue, 2 deep blood red, 4 black. 12 open daily wear robes, Silver, blue, green, red, and black. I want all of those to be made to be worn open. I want a few muggle suit jackets and vests, all black with ties in the same colors of the shirts. All of those are to be in laced with demiguise hair. I want 4 winter cloaks, and 2 hooded cloaks, all black, lined in Acromantula silk inside and laced with as much demiguise hair as you can on the outside. I want the usual charms, plus distortion charms on the hooded cloaks. I will pay extra for everything to be charmed to accommodate sudden growth or body change." Seraph added, thinking of his newfound skill. "I will also need 8 pairs of school robes. I want a pair of pants, shirt and cloak ready for me by the time I return from your husband's shop." He finished, not believing that she had heard him, let alone that she would remember what he said. She nodded absently, now rubbing the dog's stomach.

"Traitor." Seraph growled in an undertone. Cheleb just gave him that Black grin. Seraph walked through the door in the back to be met with a huge fire place made of some sort of stone.

"Well, come on young Black. Address is 'Vulcan's Armory, Knocturn Alley'. Got it? Good. Follow along in a moment" Vulcan told him as he went through the grayish pink stone hearth.

"Alright," Seraph said to himself a couple of minutes later. "Vulcan's Armory, Knocturn Alley" he commanded the fire, as he threw down the emerald powder and walked through.


OoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooO


"There you are, come in, come in." The elder man told him, as he walked out of the fire place, amazingly on two feet and into a show room seemingly made of leather or metal. Yellowish-green torches lent to the medieval atmosphere. A dragon's head, a Swedish Short-Snout, if Seraph was correct, was attached to the back wall, teeth and all. Piles of dragon hide were stacked on large, sturdy tables spread throughout the store. The granite stone floor reflected the torch light onto the weapons held inside large cases attached to the walls. Glass windows on the cases allowed you to see inside.

"Welcome to my humble shop. As you can see, I work mostly with weapons and dragon hide. A few hundred years back, I had a lot of call for charmed mail, as many wizards needed protection from muggle arrows and such. I still have some, but, with dragon hide, you get protection and comfort for a quarter of the weight and much more durable, and..." he paused for effect, it seemed. "stylish." He deadpanned, and then grinned. Seraph thought that it was a bit anti climatic, but did not comment as he looked at a mannequin that Vulcan was looking at proudly.

"Now, having worked with dragon hide, and armor in general for as long as I have, you learn the ways that it can be manipulated, and ways it can't, and improve on what is out there and hopefully come up with something revolutionary. Take this dummy here. Well, not so much the dummy, but what it's wearing'. Dragon hide cloak, Horntail and Ironbelly mix to be precise, a particularly strong mix that I have discovered, hood has some special features too. But more about that later. Two arm holsters, for wand or dagger, better then even Auror grade. I had some Unspeakables come through a while back and contracted me to supply them with holsters with specific functions; they were the best I had ever made at the time. They have been improved upon since, and I added some extras of course. Personal security blood measures, plus anti theft, summoning, and removal charms, a little redundant, I know, but you can't be too careful. Once they have bonded, you can make them invisible, so as not to draw attention. They are summoned into your hand through a wrist movement by default, but they can also be made to release into your hands with a chosen movement, ranging from a twirl of your finger to the flex of a muscle if you're skilled enough for it or even thoughts. That will cost you extra though, mighty piece of rune work, that. I am working on a permeability enchantment so that they cannot be seen or felt when used with the invisibility function. I'm not making much progress though.

Moving on, we have the under vest and over vest. The under vest, as the name implies, is worn close to the skin, under a shirt to provide protection that is not readily seen and is usually made of a thin piece of hide. After being worn for a few hours, it will resize itself to your body and can withstand sudden body changes to a point. The over vest is worn over a shirt or the under vest and resembles the short mail shirts of old.

Many hide armorers believe that close skin contact is the best way for protection, hence the under vest. While this is one of the best ways for protection, it is not the only way. Layering is also good way, which is why I make over vests as well. There is another way though, that combines the protection of layering with much more comfort. This brings me to the pants. Instead of being the usual tight pants that are made, if they are made at all, I have devised a way to turn the dragon hide into a type of mesh like material that still holds the same protection, while being far more comfortable and less impeding in movement. This also allows me to mix together hides much easier, which is how the cloak is made of Horntail and Ironbelly. Being of this mesh, the pants and cloak will resist cutting curses much better and will resist most, if not all spells created to impede movement. A bludgeoning or bone shattering curse may get through partially, leaving bruises, but that is a hell of a lot better then crushed bones. And as for the unforgivables, well, just don't get hit.

Finally, we have the dragon hide boots. They are made of Hebredean Black, and self-sizing enchantments come standard. They can be charmed to be silent and not leave foot-prints. These are charms, however, and may need to be recast at some point, years from now, mind, but remember that. What you see before you is the best of the best. No one else can make gear like this; they haven't the skill, or the knowledge for that matter." Vulcan finished, pride evident in his voice.

Seraph could only gaze at the set in awe, amazed by the creation of Vulcan's. The cloak was a deep black that did not seem to reflect any local light, but did turn slightly grey or silver if you looked at it at an angle. The pants and boots looked the same, like they were made for shadows. The under vest was much lighter in color, and allowed you to see the individual scales of the hide. The pants were slightly baggy and had pockets of various sizes running along the sides.

"So, ah... what do ya' think?" Vulcan asked a quietly, sounding almost if he was wondering if the work was worth praise, which brought Seraph out of his stupor.

"They are amazing. I've never seen anything like this, except in a business suit once, or twice technically, I suppose, but they were nothing like this. Your wife said that you were the best, and I truly believe that you are." Seraph told him.

"Good, good." Vulcan said softly, mostly to himself. "Always appreciate praise from a Black. I am glad you like this set though, as I was making it for the next Black who came along. Been in the works for a few years now, I was hoping to meet young Sirius one day, but as it is, it's yours now."

"Really, how much? Your wife said, as I mentioned before, that you were the best, and charged accordingly."

"Nothing, as I believe I said it was 'yours now'." Seraph could see that the man would not take anything from him, so instead, acquiesced.

"All right, I'll take it. I will however give you funding for the permeability enchantment. I believe that it has great potential. I would also like you to be ready to make more suits like these, or at least the cloaks, boots, and holsters, sometime in the next year." Seraph told him.


"I believe that I can agree to that, young master Black. Some advice though. While dragon hide cloaks are relatively common, and not necessarily purchased for combat, people will see the over vest and think that you are going to start something or expect battle at all times. I would suggest not wearing the over vest unless you do¬ expect battle, otherwise, the rest is more then adequate and more subtle. Now, as your were prepared to draw on me earlier, I noticed those fine blades that you carry. Your numerous times great grandfather used those himself, quite effective they were. If you can find his portrait, which I think would be somewhere in your vault, he could teach you a great many things. Now, I told you that I could point you in the right direction for what you want to find, so tell me, what exactly is it that you wish to obtain?" The old man asked him.

"Well, I am going to need some up to date books on a few subjects, and also see about having my eyes fixed. I've gotten, or in the process of getting clothing. I will most definitely need a new wand. I will also need a place to live through the summer and appliances for said place. And power. I need to become more powerful. I know that my ancestors created some enhancement rituals, and I will need the required elements for them." Seraph listed off, remembering the mental list he had made.

"Books are easy. Borgin and Burkes will have your basic borderline legal books out front, and while Borgin may have some Dark Arts items, he doesn't deal too much in serious Dark books, but rather books that teach you what the ministry does not want you to know, or was too hard for them to do, so they banned it. Things like near silent Apparition, a teaching nearly lost by now, Portkey creation, Obliviation, and a few other fun things. There is a place, down the alley, called Ledger's Tomes, you can find just about any book there, on all the subjects, and they are kept up to date. Tell Borgin that the 'Man is keeping me down' after buying something. He'll take you to a back room and tell him that I sent you. Ben Ledger leaves everything out in the open. They are all charmed to look like something else, and if you can't see what they really are, then you probably shouldn't be buying it.

Occhio's is the best place around here for eye enhancements, though you'll have to tell her that you 'Want to see the world in new perspectives'. She'll help you out. This won't affect your scanning ability, but may help in other areas, depending on what she does. For ritual items, go to Flytr Apothecary. It sells all the ingredients you would want up front, and if you twist the broken bezaor to the right, and pull, the wall will open and just about any ingredient you would need for a ritual can be found there, down to heart wax and blood daggers. I would advise you to be careful with those rituals though. One mistake and you end up dead. For you wand, Dexter's is the only place to go. He would beat Ollivander's out of the market, except for the thing about his wands not being exactly legal; you'll get the best results you have ever gotten with a wand. Appliances would best be found in Diagon Alley, at Spinner's Ice box. The old man looked around, for a second, as if trying to see intruders in his obviously empty store. And you say you need somewhere to live?" Vulcan asked. Seeing Seraph's nod, he continued. "Well, keep this in mind 'Black alley can be found at the end of Knocturn Corner'." Vulcan said, with a conspiratory wink.


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I hate the fact that every time I put in a page break, FF takes it out. Oh well hopefully (0) will work for the few that I use.

That wraps up this chapter, or at least part one, of this chapter. I said that it would be the longest yet, and it is not. I decided to break it into two and the second should be out sometime soon, barring re-writes like this one went through. Tell me about any mistakes so that I can correct them. Grammatical that is, unless I did something ridiculously off canon and did not explain why. O 'Course, this is all AU, such is the nature of fanfiction, so I suppose it doesn't matter.

So, what do you think? Hope you enjoyed it, review as always, your comments help with the story.

To the reviewers:

UldAses/ Heather/ AzureSky123/ schmanski/feartheturtle35 mauripendragon solar1/Maben00/ AlphaPhi/ Blue Werewolf Boy/ jbfritz/Kai Hiei Sasuke Bankotsu Ray and Matt are so all mine/ HarrygoestoHollywood/ Shadowed Rains/ gaul1/ Salena Snape/bandgsecurtiyaw/fanficfreak35/CirceVisigoth/Kaveman/gaul1/jbfritz/shadowwalker2/superb/Matt101/ThrainTalonwater/hilarydilarydoc/AzureSky123/Voldemortsunderstudy/Zaxxon/alen/bandgsecurtiyaw/RexMeino/SalenaSnape/DarkWolfYingFa/Zevrillion/imgonnadie/snowfox2000/richard a lake/Kazua/firelordeg/OdinMage ApocSM Phntm-Phnx yuiop jabarber69 Kyrissean Angelis Kai Hiei Sasuke Bankotsu Ra... Lady FoxFire prutser bandgsecurtiyaw darkgryffin MatTer79 dumblefck76 Never Odd Or eveN highbrass Heart Mind Soul Digi Bonds imgonnadie Zevrillion Silat'r fallenAngel_2389 Mcshnee the Triscuit Oxygen Kiss Schwinpt rlmess souls Shyposter Just Me Prime Xyverz Fear-of-Real-Life slashslut zafaran Queen of the Storms Helltanz98 Caddy94 WashedOut slayerstoryguy Maxennce
icedragon925 MysterioX Ravenfur TheWiseSirIvanTheShadowLord Eowyn23 ApocSM Barby-Black Anime-Ronin satyr-oh Killer916 Ugly Duckling the dark icon writers Neurotic Cat Goddess bandgsecurtiyaw jbfritz CastusAlbusCor xyvortex Zevrillion gaul1 FairyQilan Maxennce Sky 05 coldfiredragon Shadowed Rains shadow of the black abyss japanesegirl102 PsychoSpiff Marikili68 TenshiZujin Just Me Prime Tree Flower Akira Stridder DragonFoxx Dirbatua Theboss996 wavefunction Shadow King77 Zero Legacy ariachan85 v v Queen Victoria Rkhiara IrishLass6 Syfes Queen of the Storms Alexandria Lily Potter sirius009 WebGuy Caliko zafaran Jensindenial3516

jabarber69: I have an idea for that. Thanks for the review

Kai Hiei Sasuke Bankotsu Ra...: Not sure yet. Still in the works. He will be a force to be reckoned with, but not without work or sacrifice.

MatTer79: I might have to use that. I love the idea. Not sure where it fits though...

MaireadInish: Thanks

GoddessofDestiny419: Which means that I am more original then I thought, or you have not read many of the circulating stories around here. Thanks for the review.

xyvortex: possibly

Maxennce: Glad you liked it. Kinda forgot about Neville... he'll get over it, I guess...

Kalze: Sirius was never properly disowned, only blasted off of the portrait.

Lady FoxFire: Yes, I was waiting for you to review, my lady... thanks for the review