Chapter 159: Watson and Prince
Chapter 159: Watson and Prince
London, Leaky Cauldron.
The worn wooden door was pushed open from the outside, and two men dressed in black robes walked in.
Old Tom, who had been tending the bar for several decades, greeted them.
The younger of the two men had long chestnut hair tied back in a ponytail, with a somewhat pale complexion and fairly refined features.
The older man had a hooked nose, a sallow face that looked perpetually ill, and a dark, brooding gaze that made him appear perpetually displeased.
"Two new faces, I see. May I ask your names?"
The young man with the ponytail smiled and introduced himself.
"Ah, we are indeed new to Britain. I am John Watson, and this is my uncle, Tobias Prince. We plan to stay here for a while. Could you tell us about the room rates?"
Tom, looking at this uncle-nephew pair, nodded understandingly.
"How long do you plan to stay?"
"We're not sure exactly, but we're on a journey and our funds are running low. We decided to stay in Britain for a while to earn some galleons to continue our travels. My uncle is a potion master and is quite skilled at brewing potions. He wants to explore Diagon Alley to see if he can find some potion shops to collaborate with, so we'll need to stay for at least three months."
Tom listened to him and gave the potion master, "Prince", a once-over, noting a certain air of mastery about him.
"For at least three months, I can offer you a significant discount on the rent, but you'll need to pay for three months upfront. After that, you'll pay monthly until you leave."
"Two rooms cost seven galleons and four sickles per month. If you pay for three months upfront, that will be twenty-one galleons and twelve sickles."
Watson had no objections to this price. The Leaky Cauldron, strictly speaking, was a property of the Ministry of Magic, and its managers were appointed by the Ministry. While the bar prices could be set by the owner, the room rates were publicly known and transparent throughout the magical world, leaving no room for manipulation.
After paying the rent, Tom led them to rooms 11 and 12 on the second floor.
"John Watson" and "Tobias Prince" were, of course, Sherlock and Snape.
They had each created false identities in Cokeworth. Sherlock insisted on not using their real names because there was already a Sherlock Forrest and a Severus Snape in this world. Using their original names and appearances could lead to complications when dealing with other wizards, so a false identity was safer.
They did not use Polyjuice Potion to change their appearances. While it was effective for short-term use, maintaining the altered appearance required drinking a dose every one to three hours. Not only was this inconvenient, but it also required a constant supply of hair from the person they were imitating, which was impractical.
Snape used a different potion, one that could be applied like putty to create a new appearance and adhere to the face. As for changing the color and length of their hair, Snape had both a hair growth potion and a hair dye potion, which were effective with a single application.
In room 12, Snape and Sherlock sat together.
“Have you always said that history cannot be changed? In the original timeline, did Watson and Prince really visit the Leaky Cauldron?” Snape stared at Sherlock with a faint expression.
Sherlock was flipping through a brochure in the room, which contained introductions and advertisements for almost all the shops in Diagon Alley.
"What I mean is the established, widely known history", Sherlock said, still looking through the brochure. "From now on, we don't need to be too restrained. Just act like we belong to this era. This world isn't that fragile. As long as we don't deliberately go against a specific historical event, things should generally be fine."
Snape remained silent, his face cold and expressionless, offering no response to Sherlock's words.
Only after finishing the brochure and reading about all the shops in Diagon Alley from this era did Sherlock stand up.
"Let's go. We need a stable source of income. The Galleons we have aren't enough to last us long."
He hadn't lied to Tom. Sherlock indeed planned to contact a potion shop in Diagon Alley, intending to leverage Snape's potion-making skills to earn enough money for their living expenses in this time.
Snape had no objections. Sherlock had already returned his wand to him, and he was still very confused. He wanted to change history and save Lily, but he had no idea how to start.
For now, he could only follow Sherlock's advice and cooperate with him to find a way back to their original timeline. Whether they would succeed or not, they could only try and see.
The two of them arrived at Diagon Alley in the summer of 1977.
The place looked much the same as it did sixteen years later. Most of the shop names were familiar, but there were fewer people on the streets, and many wizards had worried expressions on their faces.
Given the current political climate, it was understandable why the largest commercial street in the British magical world would look this way.
Sherlock and Snape quickly found a potion shop—Remarkable Potions.
This shop was one of three potion shops in Diagon Alley that Sherlock had considered. The reason for his choice was simple: it had the shortest operating history, less than five years.
The shop must have a potion maker who could consistently supply finished potions, but they would certainly be lacking in high-end ingredients. Potion Masters were rare and highly valued in the magical world.
The owner of the potion shop was a middle-aged witch with a distinguished air about her. After Sherlock explained their purpose, she showed a clear interest.
"I want to see your finished potions."
Snape, expressionless, pulled a bottle of Clarity Potion from his pocket. It was one of the potions he always carried with him, a potion that could sharpen a wizard's mind.
The recipe for Clarity Potion was common, and the ingredients were ordinary, but it required a high level of skill to brew, making it a good indicator of a potion maker's expertise.
As the owner of a potion shop, the witch was naturally an expert in potions.
She opened the bottle and, just by smelling it and observing its color, could already gauge the brewer's skill.
"If you can ensure that all the potions you produce are of the same quality as this Clarity Potion, I will provide the ingredients, and I can give you fifty percent of the profit after all costs are deducted for each bottle."
(End of Chapter)
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