[July 9th] Presents for the family (Victoire/Rose/Nikolaus)

Home sweet home. She would be the second Hogwarts student to visit their store this summer, and by no mere coincidence, both had been Ravenclaw. Although they were allowed to go there, most students avoided Knockturn Alley like the plague; its reputation was well-earned, and even most adult wizards who weren't there for a specific reason kept their wands close when wandering through its dark alleys, no pun intended. But anyone who would have looked twice at the two Tremere knew better. Nikolaus and Rose had long since established themselves in this part of town as people not to be trifled with. So long as Victoire was with them, nobody with any sort of nefarious intention would so much as look in her general direction.

Compared to the rest of Knockturn Alley, As Black As Ink was quite comfortable, classy even. Rows of bookshelves that, despite the obvious age of some of the books, didn't have a speck of dust in sight. Leather furniture could be found around a polished oak table, and the floors were immaculately cleaned. And in the back, behind the checkout counter, was a door that only read 'Employees Only.'

Nikolaus followed the two women inside the store, closing the door behind himself. He would have held the door open for the two ladies, but this time Rose beat him to it this time. She must have been excited to show victoire her book shop. "Can I get you anything?" he'd ask Victoire. "Coffee? Tea?"

He and Rose may not drink it (regrettably; coffee was one of the few things Nikolaus genuinely missed from his days as kine), but the twins did, and they've been known to offer drinks to special customers or guests. Victoire, obvously, being one of them.

Rose let Victoire wander a bit in the shop. She'd been a shopkeeper for quite a while now and thus, she could tell whenever a customer was looking for books for themselves or if they were looking for a gift. Although, Victoire had told them she was looking for presents for two of her relatives, right then it was clear to the Tremere that the young witch was looking for a book for herself. Her request only confirmed that.

"Fae?" Rose pondered this a bit. "What about 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' by Newt Scamander? Or do you think your teacher would find that too easy an answer?" After all, the Tremere knew Albus Dumblebore himself had written the preface of the book. "If so, I can suggest this one instead." She walked to one of the shelves with the practice ease of the person who owns the place. "Here." She handed out to Victoire a book which title simply read 'Faeries'. The book was dated 1978, an original edition without a doubt, but still looked brand new, the elegant hard cover and beautiful illustrations adding to the value of the tome.