Well believe it or not the updates are back. Yes that's right. I hope we havent lost our entire fan base due to my computer dying. So here we are, the beginning of chapter 25.
Chapter 25: Part One: Shopping...Malfoy Style.
The next morning Ivy and Osanna were up early again, once again dressed to perfection. This time however, before heading to the Ministry they were going shopping beforehand, Christmas was after all coming up.... and there were gifts to be bought. Ivy wore a pair of black, pinstriped pants and a black leather vest over the matching pinstriped shirt and tie, upon her head was a black fedora hat, and heavy boots on her feet. As always in her right hand, was the pimp cane. Osanna wore an amethyst purple, vinyl dress, which hugged her skin, matched both her hair, and the black vinyl boots on her feet.
"So, to Knockturn alley then?" Osanna asked. Ivy nodded but shook her head as Osanna picked up the portkey.
"That won't do us any good, could be traced and would look quite suspicious...better apparate."
Osanna reluctantly nodded. "Good thinking, let's go then!"
Ivy nodded and disappeared with a loud "POP" a second later and Osanna was gone as well.
The two appeared side by side in Knockturn alley, people quickly skirted their path as they appeared quite randomly in the middle of the street.
"Well then, what do we do first?" Osanna asked, giving a menacing glare to someone who stepped a bit to close.
"Well, other than you, I'm only buying presents for Draco...." Ivy muttered, conveniently leaving her cane out a ways for people to trip over.
"Same here, just you and...."
"Snape" Ivy finished with a smirk. "Let's do that first then, he shouldn�t be to terribly difficult to shop for..."
Osanna grinned at Ivy and nodded. "I know just the place, Malignant Mandrakes!"
The two women turned the corner and made their way past the menagerie of shops until they reached the forbidden and rare plants and herb shop...Ivy opened the door, ushering Osanna in with a sweep of her cane.
A fat, rather ugly, greasy-haired hag came out from the back room, rubbing her hands on a black apron. "Hello Ladies! How can I help ye?"
Osanna was busy gazing around the store when Ivy poked her sharply in the leg with her cane.
"Oh.... yes.... something rare, a very rare plant."
"Have anything in mind do ye?" The hag asked, coming from around the counter, Ivy tried not to grimace, the women was even more enormous and slovenly than she had thought.
"Errr, no, just something very rare" Osanna stated, obviously not impressed with the woman�s appearance either.
"That I�ve got a lot of...depends on how much ye're willin te pay" the woman stated, eyeing Ivy and Osanna.
"Money really isn�t a object...." Osanna stated, anxious to find something and leave.
"Well then, this may interest ye...." the woman ushered them behind the counter and towards the back room, where musty, musk-like smell invaded their nostrils.
"Only got one of em ye see, got it just this morning, Dragon's Blood tree it is, so rare that people died bringing this one back" the hag giggled. "But the leaves turn red on a Lunar Eclipse, then ye can gather em and brew nearly anything ye want.........it's just a baby, and until it matures ye only need te feed it the blood of small animals, gets bigger and ye feed it the animals whole...."
The tree sat on a table, it looked rather inconspicuous until one inspected it closer and saw the small barbs on each leaf, designed to hold prey, and the pores on each leaf as well which absorbed the blood. The leaves were a soft copper color, once mature they would turn burgundy, then on the eclipse, blood red. Osanna bent down and inspected the plant, poking at it; it rustled its leaves as if acknowledging her.
"I'll take it!"