It was a cloudy Saturday, she still wasn't used to the weather here, it was cold, dark and gloomy, she used to be used to it, but she supposed having warm and hot weather anywhere for long enough makes you forget how horrible it is here. Well, atleast it wasn't raining, that was a benefit. Just not a good weather option for your day off, it was a very...meh weather option for your day off. As such it was probably better for shopping then going to relax somewhere, which probably explains why so many had the same plans and all took to visiting Diagon Alley on the same day.

Ultimately Tara probably didn't need to do this at all, she was running low on a few items but it wasn't essential, if anything it was just a good distraction and nice way to spend the day really. She believed people called it...retail therapy? Admittedly she didn't need a good amount so she wasn't sure if it was working too well at all. Perhaps because she didn't want to buy anything she saw? She had money, that was good, just nothing stuck out to her, other then a few solid Brooms, one shop had a quality Nimbus 2000 waiting for someone to buy it, that was incredibly tempting to her but the price hadn't really changed since its release.

The shopping spree led her into the opening of Knockturn Alley, she was told of there being a good potion seller there, she was also told of them not entirely being friendly towards the DMLE, it was understandable she assumed, its not like the Aurors were that great, stuck up and arrogant mostly. She half hoped that she wouldn't be too recognizable, although she figured the scars over herself might be a giveaway as to something. She wasn't wearing a uniform luckily so that might sway favour, it was her day off so she swapped the blue and black for...actually mostly black, from cargo trousers, trainers, shirt and then a khakhi jacket on top.

The shop was...interesting. It looked better then what she assumed a place in Knockturn would be, even if it was just at the corner of it.

Gently she opened the door and walked in, her hands unfolded a list from her pocket of what she needed. As she made her way to the counter she sighed internally that there really wasn't much she needed, that was good.

"Hello, I was recommended here for good potions?" She said in a dried half scratched tone, she wasn't entirely sure what to say, how did one just enter a potion shop and ask?

It was cold and wet outside, but warm and fragrant on the inside. No surface of Sellaphix Apothecary was wasted, every inch of the place put to use storing and displaying one of the most diverse inventories in London. Most of it was raw or prepared ingredients but there was a fair selection of both retail and store-made potions. At the back counter, a young blonde wizard was flipping slowly through the Daily Prophet. It was Figaro Sellaphix, son of the owners Rafe and Zelda, and he was giving them a Sunday off, though he suspected his mother would be in at some point to do some bookkeeping - a duty she never delegated.

It had been as busy as any other Sunday but there'd been a lull in the last hour. He glanced up when a dark-haired witch entered. He hadn't seen her before, but most patrons at Sellaphix preferred not to be bothered, so he let her be. Of course, when she approached, Figaro slid the newspaper away, straightened and gave her his best customer service smile.

"Best there is," Figaro replied. "What sort you looking for? We've got all kinds."

Ah good, they did do good potions, that was useful.

Tara flipped open her shopping list and looked over in it, giving a slight nod as she looked over the contents of it. A small potion run was good, she had enough to fill a week still but if she topped up now she can get a few weeks extra or even hopefully a further month of potions if she rationed it enough.

"I'll need..." She took a small breath. "Two girding potions, a wiggenweld potion, a bottle of dittany, three dreamless sleeping draughts, two bottles of sleeping potions. A blood replenishing potion, burn healing salves and some star grass salve." She let the remaining breath out and sighed.

She placed the list down on the counter, realizing that it might be easier for them to get the potions if they had the list available. Although it wasn't that many she needed so it wasn't like the order would be lost at all was it?

"Oh and if you any salves that can mask smells like ash."

Now done with her list she took a look over the person, it was...a kid. She supposed he might of been in 20's, but he looked young, or maybe she was just getting old. That was a terrifying thought, she didn't like being the older person. It meant for a start that she was old, in her lifetime people could of been born, gone through Hogwarts, gotten a job, had kids of their own who are nearing end of Hogwarts. That was...mortifying. This person infront of her right now could have kids, or be someone who just graduated Hogwarts from someone who graduated in her lifetime. No wonder alot of older people develop love for alcohol.

She had a list. And such a list it was. Figaro blinked a few times and muttered something under his breath. "Merlin's bits..."

He'd only heard of half of it. Having the list in hand didn't really help clarify things for Figaro who had never been good in Potions and was a family disappointment in this area. But he was so experienced at being bad at Potions that he was unfazed by the experience. He smiled.

"Right then. We've probably got a few of these. Upstairs probably."

He came out from behind the counter and headed up the iron staircase to the second level, a balcony overlooking the main floor. He knew they had loads of dittany and if she was asking for a bottle of it, he figured she needed a tincture preparation.

"Here's that." Figaro handed her a bottle of Tincture of Dittany simply labeled with a small scarab stamp.

"I know we've got the wiggenwald somwhere. Are you restocking St. Mungo's?" he asked as he moved along the shelves.

He didn't seem entirely sure, judging by his age, if he was that much younger then her. He was likely a temp hire, or the child of the owners. As it didn't make sense for a potion shop owner to not know potions, unless then they made enough to always have hired help and the employees were the ones who knew potions. But she'd settle with they were likely just an employee here.

"No, I don't work at St. Mungos. I've been there several times, once due to my jaw almost being knocked off and broom crashing by a Bludger." She missed that, not the injury, that was horrific and incredibly painful, it was a miracle she had teeth left at all from that. But Quidditch she missed alot, she needed to see about visiting the team again, she wouldn't be able to get back into the team, but it would be nice to watch them play again.

"Personal use for hopefully rest of the month." She raised her left hand. "The creams are for a fiendfyre burn." She showed the burn mark on the back of her left hand. "And for the claw scars over me." She put her hand down again. "Otherwise rest is for potential need and to help with my sleep."

She shifted her position, trying not to look impatient, she was perfectly fine with waiting, its just...she wasn't sure entirely how she should stand as she waits for them without looking rude. Especially when they didn't seem to exactly know what they were doing.

Figaro didn't notice the customer's fidgeting, or if he did, it didn't bother him. She'd opted to ask him rather than look around herself and Figaro was keen for something to do. He wasn't used to customers being so forthcoming - rarely anybody was in Knockturn Ally. And damn, did she have some stories. One of those risk-junkies who loved having a tale to tell at the bar, probably. He knew the type.

"We have loads of sleep potions over there," he provided and nodded to a nearby shelf. There were probably a half-dozen varieties of different strengths and qualities.

"Fiendfyre, though. Last time I heard of that one was a few years ago when a fourth year managed to cast it, destroying the Infirmary at Hogwarts. I'm Figaro, by the way. This is my parents' place. My little brother re-arranged everything over Christmas so no idea where anything is anymore."

She gave a smirk as she looked at him, not a mean one, more amused then anything. A fourth year learning it is one thing, to try it in the infirmary, atleast they could tend to the burns there if nothing else. She was half right in that the boy was not the owner, the idea of his brother moving everything two months ago and still not learning it was interesting, but if he had his own life it made sense.

"Mine was about three back now? Raiding a guy trying to breed Basilisks. It hit my hand along where the mark is. Rest of my arm was caught in the heat but we got it quick enough. Just the hit part hasn't healed and still burns." She softly rubbed over the burned area with her free hand as she spoke, idly soothing it while she was remembering the incident. "Guy was an idiot, turned out he kept it under a frog so never would of worked."

She looked over at the shelf he gestured and started to head there before she realized he had introduced himself. "Oh, sorry. I'm Tara, I've been away for..." She quickly did the math in her head. "Fourteen years." Yup that was long enough for anyone she knew to have had kids and sent them to Hogwarts. An even more terrifying thought then before, its a good thing she never got social media she supposed or that would be a nightmare.

"Is it safe to assume you were a Gryffindor?" She asks softly as she looked over the potions pointed out to her, her fingers wandered as she read them over as to what she would need to get. "Or maybe a fellow Slythie. Luckily not from my time however, most of them were assholes." She could name a good few, alot of them younger then her, she was glad she graduated when she did so she didn't have to experience further years of the school locking down due to believed serial killers, or Basilisks roaming the corridors. Or trolls in the dungeons, that bathroom was out of order for weeks and it was incredibly inconvenient for everyone involved.

"Hufflepuff," Figaro answered. A lot of people said school houses had nothing to do with real life, that hanging onto what many suspected to be the random mumblings of a malfunctioning magical hand-me-down was nothing to form your personality over, but ... loads of Fig's current friends were from Hufflepuff days so who was he to wave of his membership's significance.

"Hufflepuff turns up," he added, citing one of their mottos. To class, to Quidditch, to parties.

Something she'd said though. Figaro finished his searching at that shelf and squeezed by her to walk around the balcony to the other side. On the way he posed his question over his shoulder, casual-like.

"You an Auror or something?"

Disgusting. He thought she was an Auror. She would never be that high and pretentious, flaunting about in a wand measuring contest of who is the best fan of Sherlock Holmes. She had an actual job, she didn't spend three years fetching coffee for some snotty man in an office. She didn't wear those oh so fancy robes, screw Aurors, screw their superiority complex. She was the one they would just hand off their real work to once they figured they may need to some labour into their money.

"Or something. Aurors are posh arses. But don't worry, unless you straight up attack me, tell me you have a bomb, or I see you attacking someone. I'm not really that interested when I'm off duty. I heard you may not be that friendly to the something. So consider my job as former pro Seeker." She said calmly as she stood up, taking a few bottles of dreamless sleeping potions with her. They seemed like enough for a couple weeks maybe.

She glanced over him again. "If I was an Auror then I'd probably of gotten your house right." She did her best to shoot a smirk at him. Eyes quickly going to investigate the other shelves for potions. "I guess they really do turn up, I can name a few from my time, it was mostly Gryffindors in the spotlight. Barring Cedric." Except Cedric, poor Cedric...He was a great kid, its a shame he never got to grow up with her.

Figaro paused in his motions and for a moment held his gaze on the shelf in front of him. The sudden change in tone, the newly introduced grumpiness into shopping small talk put his stomach in a knot. Sudden talks of 'attacks' made his leg ache.

"We're just talking," he said with what he hoped was a charming grin. He didn't want trouble. "If this is your way of asking me on a date, you're a bit too young for me."

He shrugged and turned back to the shelf thinking he'd seen what he was looking for. "Might make an exception for a pro Seeker, though..."

"Relax, as said, I don't give a crap unless you're about to do something like that." She sighed, he obviously took it as a threat, she hadn't meant it to be, just thought it might calm him to know that she wasn't about to do anything unless he directly did something bad infront of him. But that was fine, he went past it apparently.

The next part was interesting, she was too young for him? He had a type for much older? Was it even a relationship at that point, or caretaking if they were double your age? He made it up with pro seeker however, although she was not after a relationship with a child at the moment.

"You into 40 year olds? I'm 36 on Wednesday." She said with a sly grin in her tone, taking the potion over to the counter as she looked over the list she had placed down. "I used to fly for the Appleby Arrows, only from 94 to 98 though for...obvious reasons." She looked back at him. "I was damned good as well, before that played for Slytherin until I was booted from the team due to nepotism and buying off the team."

She still made sure to fly now and then, of course it was harder to do so in the UK without being high or around Scotland, it sort of took the fun away though when high as you can't have near collisions or show off your skill properly. Maybe she'll see about a way to cloak herself and her broom to fly low in the city.

Figaro was known for a lot of things but a violent temper or malicious bone were not among them. He had to wonder what about his customer service would make anyone feel the need to dissuade him from assault, but eh, people were strange. She wasn't the weirdest patron they'd ever had.

You into 40 year olds? I'm 36 on Wednesday.

Figaro tried to keep a snicker to himself, remembering his bizarre flirtation with Genevieve Garcia-Gamp.[1] It may have been one way, but Figaro hadn't not enjoyed himself. He let the topic lie. At least they were on to quidditch. Quidditch in the nineties. Ha, he was born in the nineties.

"Too bad, that. Friend of mine plays for the Tornadoes. Peyton Wentworth. Chaser, I think."

With that, he left the shelf and started back the way they came past Tara to head downstairs.

"All our dittany is by the window," he said. "Gonna check in the back for the wiggenwald and star balm. Hang on."

With that, he disappeared past the employees only sign.

1.	2 Nov 2011 - Tickling Sleeping Dragons

"I'll have to meet them sometime." She said with a small smile, it would be good to play Quidditch again, she did miss it, she could never go back to pro, and even if she is able, certainly not as Seeker. Which ontop of her age, not playing for years, injuries to her body, entirely different bodyshape now. It would also mean she would have to train into a brand new role. And that was then if she was good in that role, perhaps Beater but even then its a massive change. But if she can join local teams or if the DMLE started its own team...

"Alright, I'll grab it." She said as she went over to the window to find the dittany, it was only just dawning on her that maybe she was buying quite a bit and he was having to wander the store quite a bit, maybe a tip might be worthwhile as both an apology and also just for the amount of work he'd have put into getting the potions, even if it was his job currently by helping out his parents.

With bottle in hand she put it down on the counter and waited for him to come back, with a thought along the way, he seemed fairly laid back, probably wouldn't mind some more...unusual orders would he? It would mean more money to the business regardless.

Although it would require him to be back beforehand so she can ask. Its a good thing he's trusting, if it was someone else they could of stolen so much in this time.

It was then that a crack of Apparition could be could heard far in the back, outside in the alley actually, and then the backdoor opening and closing. Zelda Sellaphix, a wiry woman in her early 50s with a streak of white in her dark brown hair, came out with a stack of envelops in her hand. She was rifling through them. Bills some of them, but mostly mail orders. A fair few of Sellaphix's best customers preferred the privacy of mail order and/or to keep their feet out of Knockturn Alley. Zelda was dressed down today,  in a long well-loved coat, and a loose sweater in the same conditions. She looked up as she came around behind the desk.

A witch in a leather jacket was milling around the shop alone - Zelda's son was nowhere in sight.

"Have you been helped?" Zelda asked dryly, lacking her husband and son's customer service smiles.

Tara turned to the newcomer, an older and more stern looking woman. How much older she couldn't say, perhaps Tara was destined to look so stern in but a couple years, carrying a stack of envelopes with her. She wasn't quite sure if she was a customer herself or one of the parents Figaro had mentioned he was helping out. She didn't want to make any such assumption over if it was the mother, but she didn't want to be rude with if they were just old.

"The dashing boy behind the counter is taking my order. He's just gone for a few items, I'm worried I might of overloaded him." She gave a small smile and lifted up the list. "I didn't think it was that much but it may of been quite a few." She gently sighed.

She turned around fully to the woman and offered the sheet to her if she so deemed to look. "Turns out I may of forgotten a couple of items actually." She shrugged softly. If it was a customer hopefully they weren't scaring them off, if it was one of the parents then hopefully they may be able to help. Although it made it a little more awkward for what she wanted to ask for.