CHAPTER NINETEEN

For a guy with no surname, Magnus thought he should probably consider Luck as his second name.

The haggling battle and pleas he had been mentally preparing to unleash on the aged innkeeper proved to be unnecessary.

In his mind, Magnus had expected Tom to ask a train of questions before giving him a room.

He had therefore come up with a story about visiting a relative and finding they had already left town, leaving him in need of a room.

"Two galleons a night, for bed and breakfast," Tom had said, barely looking at him.

Magnus was surprised by the lack of interrogation, but then maybe Tom had already seen him in the company of the Weasleys and decided he was alright.

Also, it wasn't as if minors weren't allowed to lodge alone. After all, Harry had stayed here for almost the same period after blowing up his aunt...

Of course one could argue the Minister of Magic himself had brought him in, but that was only because Sirius Black had escaped Azkaban.

The direct nature with which Tom stated the price immediately put Magnus at ease—which really was not so good for Tom.

The seasoned survival instincts in him were immediately aroused.

The haggling that followed was one the old innkeeper had never encountered since he began running the Leaky Cauldron.

By the time they reached a consensus, the price had come down to fifteen galleons for two weeks, inclusive of breakfast and dinner, in return for Magnus helping Tom clean up during the mornings and evenings.

"You are every businessman's nightmare, kid," Tom said as he reached for a key from a bunch hanging behind the counter and handed it over to him.

"Third door, right after the landing."

"And a hot bath?"

"Yes… and a hot bath," Tom shook his head as he conceded yet another demand.

Magnus grabbed the keys, thanking the old man profusely before turning and running up the stairs.

Had he turned at that moment, he might have caught a gleeful smile on the innkeeper's wrinkled face. With the conclusion of the league, business would take a nosedive for a while, and rooms wouldn't be in such high demand. The bargain was therefore a win for both of them.

Magnus had always been a hustler. The streets hardly gave you alternatives. The following two weeks, however, were the busiest he had ever had.

The inn wasn't half as busy as he had expected. By six in the morning, he was usually finished with minor arrangements and cleaning. Most things were taken care of by Tom, who, with the use of several useful spells, made it look like he had a dozen helpers.

By 7 a.m., Magnus was done with breakfast and already in Diagon Alley.

With his deal with Tom, he had managed to save quite a lot of galleons. However, he was now down to forty-eight and had 13 days to find a way to earn enough to handle his school requirements.

That first Monday, as he stepped into the cobbled street, Magnus's mind was too preoccupied to even worry about the various Pokémon he came across every once in a while. His eyes hovered on the various shops and carts, trying to spot someone like Mr. Galloway, his first benefactor.

He was really down to doing any sort of work—provided no magic was required and the pay was reasonable.

Within half an hour, he had crisscrossed almost the entire Diagon Alley without success. Most of the people he asked either looked disapproving or reluctant, or downright unsure of him.

 Those he managed to engage in a decent conversation either had no job at the moment or needed help during times he had commitments with Tom.

He was beginning to lose hope when he heard a familiar voice calling from one of the shops in a corner.

"Hey... Merlin, ahhh, my old brains—I mean Morgan!"

Turning, Magnus was astounded to see Mr. Galloway jogging from the corner shop, waving for him to stop.

He obliged, beaming at the older man.

"It's Magnus," he said, already deducing that the man had forgotten his name.

"Of course it is, my lad... Bless my brains, they're becoming quite a wreck."

"Oh, it's fine, Mr. Galloway. Most people confuse it with Morgan."

"They do, don't they? By Jove, they sound quite alike," Mr. Galloway beamed at him, pausing to gather his breath.

Looking at the corner shop where Mr. Galloway had come from, Magnus began to feel his excitement building at the sight of a cart full of crates loaded with ripe berries.

"But Mr. Galloway, I thought you only brought them on Wednesdays and Saturdays," Magnus asked, indicating the loaded cart.

"That I do, good lad, but I've been receiving crazy orders for this week. You know, with the schools about to open and all… Most shops need enough stock to handle the expected demand."

"Ooh," Magnus exclaimed in earnest curiosity. As weird as it sounded, he hadn't yet checked the list of requirements. Last night had been quite packed, and after his dinner, he had showered and almost fallen asleep the moment his body touched the comfort of the bed.

"Hogwarts students shop for berries?" he asked, beginning to think he might have already knocked one thing off his list.

"Course they do… The whole lot of them have starter Pokémon, don't they?"

Well, that was news to Magnus. He hadn't learned that yet. So that meant Fred, George, and Lee all had Pokémon? But why hadn't they mentioned it when they'd spent an entire evening discussing them?

"Tell you what, lad… I'm lucky I ran across you. Been wondering how the hell I'd find you. It's going to be hell of a week, you know. Still up to making some galleons?"

Magnus could have hugged the guy from excitement. He was literally his savior.

"Of course I am, sir. Can I start right away?"

Mr. Galloway smiled at his enthusiasm.

"That's the spirit, good lad. I do have to warn you—it will be quite a busy day," he said, patting him on the back as they headed toward the cart.

Busy was a problem Magnus would rather have, as long as the end meant more galleons.

Shop after shop they hopped, and Magnus carried in crate after crate. Mr. Galloway's warning turned out to be an understatement.

Almost every shop they entered seemed to want more and more berries. It didn't take long for them to realize that what they had fell quite short of the demand.

Mr. Galloway had to resort to rationing what was available among the customers. Even then, they ran out before they could supply bigger shops like the Owl Emporium, which shared space with a Pokémon daycare.

"See what I meant?" the older man said as he handed Magnus ten galleons.

"I know it's more than our bargain, but it's still midday," Mr. Galloway began as they loaded the empty crates on the cart.

"What say you we go and load the lot I have ready at the farm?"

Magnus didn't have to think twice. What the hell was he going to do with an entire half-day?

"Sure."

If the entire week was going to be like today… Well, he might just have solved his financial woes.