Avoidance

[Ezra Reed]

Reed was usually more discreet in his comings-and-goings concerning the purchasing and allocation of dark magic artifacts. Although, he knew it was certainly no secret he was involved in such things. He had, after all, been expelled from Hogwarts for attempting a forbidden spell. Even still, it was only a book he had wrapped neatly in a parcel under his arm. A book, he knew, that would only be housed in the forbidden section of the Hogwarts library. He always found it a little comical they even maintained such a section at all. Like dangling candy in front of babies, tsk tsking them when they made any sort of movement to snatch it. Why have the section at all?

It had, of course, only served to fuel Reed’s curiosity, leading to the fated incident that left him with a limp and an expulsion on his permanent record.

He moved through the dark winding streets of Knockturn Alley now, his cloak barely holding off the cold seeping in. His cane – forever concealing his illegal wand – struck the stones rhythmically, reverberating down the narrow streets where the houses and shops seemed to lean in as if exhausted under a great weight.
He had spent a large sum of Galleons to find this particular book. And many letters of correspondence halfway across the world. The book itself had originated in Mongolia. He’d been communicating with a Japanese man over the transaction, and they had finally settled on a price. The book was then sent along to his associate in London. Reed had, of course, hired a discreet gentleman to validate the man’s claims to the authenticity of the book. In the end, money changed hand, and Reed now had yet another rare book in his possession, one he was more than a little excited to peruse when he arrived back at his home in Hogsmeade.

He turned the corner and paused, suddenly aware that someone was following him. Or, at least, he thought someone was. It was plausible they just happened to be walking in the same direction, but he wasn’t taking any chances. He was about to wait for the person to turn the corner when it occurred to him that if he were to end up in a confrontation, there would be little he could do. He tried to use his wand outside of the home as little as possible, not wanting to be caught with it. Instead, he ducked into The Jinxed Jackrabbit, playing as if he was seeking out warmth and whiskey rather than a hiding spot. He entered casually, striding directly toward the bar, giving the room a once over as he went.

At the bar he unwound the scarf from his neck and removed his hat, setting both on top of the wrapped book, hoping to conceal it. He took a seat at the bar and spoke to the bartender with a curt nod, “Whiskey, please. None of that bottom-shelf nonsense.” He turned to look at the door, just as someone entered.