She hadn't planned this out as well as she should have, on the one hand she did not want to drink more Wolfsbane, but she knew that it was better if she did, especially if the Ministry found out it might be...better for her at the end of the day if she had done her best to stop herself from harming others when the full moon came, that should count for something right?.. She hoped.

She had managed to make it into Diagon before anyone was hunting for her, or perhaps she would simply get with it all, her parents might end up not contacting the ministry? She figured she might still have awhile before she needed to be truly careful about hiding from the Ministry, but Knockturn was a good place to turn to if she wanted to stay away from the Aurors and WCU.

But now she needed Wolfsbane, and she didn't want to go that far into Knockturn, she couldn't defend herself that well if anything were to happen, especially with the Trace still on her and alerting everyone to the slightest use of magic.

This shop seemed perfect, she pulled up the hood she had on her jacket to help hide herself, unfortunately she didn't have the money for Wolfsbane...but she needed it so she wouldn't hurt others, so overall it was a good thing she was doing right? Gently smoothing her skirt over her leggings she made her way into the shop...

Glancing about at the shelves, Lucinda began her hunt for Wolfsbane...

3 April 2012
7p on Tuesday
Sellaphix Apothecary, Knockturn

Rafe Sellaphix and his younger son Frank had gone off little while ago to get Frank sorted out for dinner. Zelda held things down at the family apothecary. Business had been good. People seemed to emerge from the soil along with their gardens. They'd recently begun stocking seeds for magical cultivation by magical people, and they'd proved popular. Zelda's background was in Herbology, she was taking particular satisfaction in the venture.

There were several customers in the shop this evening and Zelda counseled one at the front counter, explaining the benefits of growing specific plants in pairs to their mutual benefit.

"...which the gnomes won't like and the stalk makes for a strong scaffold for the vines. You'll want that when they take off. Less loss to moisture on the ground."

 Zelda didn't even look up when the door bell ring so she didn't see the diminutive robed figure scoot in. Neither did she see her poking around the shelves of potion-maker Rafe's various salves and tinctures. Likewise, she'd have no way of knowing that the kid was looking in the wrong place for aconite, which was kept on the balcony directly above her, with the other whole-stalk dried herbs.

She was starting to panic, over time of looking about the store for the potion, did they not sell the potion at all? If not then she was in serious trouble as she would struggle to keep herself together, she glanced about the store, she couldn't ask the shopkeeper, then it would draw attention to herself that she was trying to get it, or worse, that she was a werewolf on the run, neither of those were good.

She continued to panic, if she couldn't grab any Wolfsbane, she would need to try brewing it herself right? How hard could that be?...she managed to get through potions up to this point, she was sure given how important it was...it was something she would learn to make in her fifth year?...right?

So she started to look about for ingredients, she had a rough memory of what was involved, it wouldn't be too hard to take it, she could always get the potions book later and return, it would be trickier but...

She saw the Aconite, and quickly reached to swipe it to store in her hoodie for later. Lint couldn't possibly harm the potion after all.

"Thief..."

There was, behind the counter, a nondescript little brass plaque secured onto the exposed brick wall. It was tarnished and no bigger than your palm. It looked like an gaunt ghostly face. Normally, it hung there cold and solid, unmoving, and silent. But when it sensed ill intent and sticky fingers, it opened one eye and uttered a warning to the Sellaphixes.

"Thief..." it whispered hoarsely, barely audible. Zelda looked up and scanned the shoppers, looking for some sign of suspicion. Her gaze landed on someone small with her hood pulled up. She was up on the balcony among the prepared herbs. Zelda made no move to intercept -  she touched the nose of the Watchful Mary to quiet it, then went back to ringing up the wizard at the counter, Simon Kúzlo

"You're not going to let her go, are you?" Simon asked, having seen the whole thing.

Zelda didn't look up. "Sometimes they think better of it."

"Bet you wish you had the Magical Law Patrol in Knockturn now." Simon smirked.

Zelda looked up then. "Oh, I handle thieves myself. Twelve galleons five knuts."

Lucinda continued, unaware she had been spotted or that there was any magical objects keeping an eye out for her transgressions, she had a little money, she could afford a couple items she was taking, they should understand if it was to be safe after all, she didn't want to steal, but it was for a good reason, so she could justify it, especially they may not be as mad at her if she did pay for something...

It would be bad if she stole everything...they didn't seem like they were that busy after all, and it looked a little run down, and she knew someone related to the shop...faintly, they were in Hogwarts, she might of said Hi to him walking between classes, perhaps one of them bumped elbows into the other in the hallway...that counted as knowing someone.

She only needed one more item it seemed, the most expensive she believed also, Black Quicksilver, which she couldn't just shove in a pocket, not to mention she needed the special Myrrh.

Gently Lucinda walked up to the counter, her face draining in colour the closer she got to the counter, before she placed the quicksilver down on it and drew on her money.

"Can I have some Myrrh, pickled in Carrow Spider Ichor also please." She said with over-pronunciation on the C, making it Ick Or. She hoped she had enough money as she fumbled through the coins she had for potion ingredients, if she didn't for these she could just try to...run?

Simon overcame his nosiness and went on his way. He'd have loved to have stuck around to see Zelda murder a child, but he had to get on with his day.  He gave his farewells and Zelda returned to her record-keeping, all the while keeping half an eye on the girl. For a shoplifter, she certainly was taking her time. Perhaps she was losing her nerve.

Zelda was, nonetheless, surprised when the girl approached the counter. She had a jar of black quicksilver and an unusual request. Zelda didn't immediately make any move other than to give the girl a long look - which the girl had to expect being of Hogwarts age roaming around Knockturn. Zelda's career was important to her, but she was, at the beginning and end of the day, a mother. The girl looked in poor shape.

"Carrow spider myrrh is only used in one or two very difficult brews," she said, sliding the quicksilver to herself. "And you'd want the pulverized black quicksilver. This liquid won't work. Burn a hole in your cauldron."

"Oh uh...who says...I'm not..." Her eyes darted at the ingredient as she thought of an excuse as to why she was buying it, she must know she's getting it for Wolfsbane right? What was the other potion? Was it even good? She needed to come up with something quickly as to why she would be getting it. What other reason would someone have as to why they're buying these ingredients? She acted on the first thought she could.

"Going...to eat it?"

Shit, that was the dumbest thing she'd said and the other woman would know it. The entire thing looked disgusting and besides, who liked pickles? Let alone pickled spider thingies with myrrh. Why would she ever want that? Why would anyone? Unless...

"Its a pregnancy thing, I doubt you'd understand." She flat out, terribly lied to the woman, having no confidence in her own tone from the audacity.

Lucinda nervously shifted, her feet moving as if preparing to run, a make for it, she didn't think she could handle the situation after saying that, her heart pounded in her chest as she looked down at the counter, her hands nervously dug her own nails into her palms, hard enough she might almost break the skin, her teeth sunk into her lip as she tried her best to not find a pillow, jar, or vase to scream into.

[content note: mention of abortion]

Before Zelda's eyes the girl transformed from a thief trying to summon nerve to someone truly afraid, twitching to run. The story about pregnancy was likely a cover, but young witches had done stupider things to induce an abortion.

Looking at her here, the girl couldn't have been much older than her own son Frank. And then Zelda recalled the Prophet from last winter and the letters from Hogwarts.[1] Merlin return, was this the Grant girl, the werewolf whose parents had kept her hidden only to cause a disaster. Zelda herself was struck by a change in her demeanor, although she tried to cover: she had to do something.

"I think I do understand. Come upstairs with me and we'll sort you out," Zelda said, trying on her more motherly tone, hoping not to spook the girl. She set a small sign on the counter that said, 'will return', and came out from behind to the foot of the metal staircase that led up to the balcony but also a few small Employee Only rooms.

"Come on, then."

1.	17 Dec 2011 - Grants Sentenced in Werewolf Attacks

Lucinda was startled by the sudden change in the situation, she thought she was over, that she was to call the Aurors knowing what she was onto, but no, it wasn't to be...unless this was to trap lure her further in, reducing the ability for herself to escape as she's now stuck upstairs and needing to run out of the front door, where Aurors would be. But she had no choice, it wasn't as if Lucinda could just bolt towards the door, could she? She'd be caught easily with a simple flick of the wand grabbing her.

So she slowly approached, the woman, her head down as she shifted, almost dragging her feet before starting to move properly, heading up the stairs as she was instructed to, she had no choice in the matter, at the very least if she moved upstairs as told then all she'd get is being scolded for the theft and might be allowed let off without anything...major happening.

"W-wha..." She cleared her throat to try to sound more confident as she looked down at the woman, her own hands moving into the pockets of her hoodie to make sure she kept the stuff she grabbed in there, along with to hide her hands and give her something to fidget with. "What are you...going to do to me?" She asked in a guilty tone, there was no chance the woman didn't know she had finched the ingredients if she was asking her to come upstairs.

Zelda took the girl to the office, a small room on the second level. It had a dormer window, desk, and hearth which was just big enough for a small cauldron. It might have seemed cluttered, but everything was very well organized. There were two chairs. Zelda directed the girl to the nicer one and then sat down opposite.

"I'm not going to anything to you," Zelda said firmly. "I only plan to help. My name is Mrs. Sellaphix. What's your name?"

Lucinda gulped a little at the sight of the office, this was seeming more like going to the headmasters office for something wrong, or just...whenever he got panicky over something with her, but this was feeling worse then it, as here she had actual consequences for her actions, this wasn't for punching some annoying boy or for sneaking out of class to go hang outside.

Slowly she looked at the seat and listened to the woman, she wasn't going to do anything to her, she hoped it was true, but she thought it would be a good idea to come clean...she was busted after all.

Lucinda went to the desk and placed the objects she had grabbed down on the surface, emptying her pockets of the stolen ingredients before she went over to the seat and sat down on it, hugging herself and curling her legs defensively.

"Please don't call the Aurors."

Zelda smiled tightly - just a pinching at the corners of her mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her? Call the Aurors? Not likely.

"I won't." She said it firmly but without insistence. The girl would believe her or not.

"What's your name?" Zelda asked again. "Do you go to Hogwarts? Maybe you know my son. Frank?"

Aurors were out of the deck, but Zelda would need to know something in order to do her best by the girl. Frank was likable, Zelda knew this. Non-controversial. Figaro had snuffed out any hinting of an early inclination to be a tattle-tale and neither of her boys had a mean streak. She thought he might be a safe bet to introduce to the conversation, to draw out something other than those knobby knees.

Lucinda wasn't sure when the woman said she wouldn't involve Aurors, it didn't seem...ordinary? Unless she was going to get a stern talking to as the woman used to be a troublemaker when she was younger...some....thirty odd years ago maybe? She couldn't quite tell. Or worse, it was like that really old movie she had snuck a watch at when her parents were away, what was it...Pulp Fiction? And the shopkeepers in that.

Was there a man in the basement? She couldn't quite say.

"Um...Je-" She shook her head, the woman would know she was lying so she just sighed and kept in her protective ball. "Lucinda Temple." The name Frank did ring a bell but he might not be from her year, maybe from SAWS? There were alot at SAWS however so it didn't help, or just in her panicked state she wouldn't be able to connect any name to a person. She fidgeted her hands as she looked over at the woman and shook her head a little. "I think I may know a Frank, but I can't recall at the moment."

"I may possibly know from SAWS...its um...a werewolf support group at school, he's more likely to know me from it...as one of the two werewolves in the group." She didn't like using the description of herself as one, but surely if she told her, she might be forgiving as to why she tried stealing Wolfsbane ingredients?

There we go. Zelda relaxed her posture some when this Lucinda Temple become more forthcoming. She remembered the name from Frank's letters, although he hadn't mentioned she was a werewolf, the sweet boy.

"If you are looking for Wolfsbane Potion," Zelda said, cutting directly to the point, "you can't get it here."

The red tape was thick for an independent potion-maker to become licensed to brew Wolfsbane Potion. Frequent scrutiny and inspections, for not as good a pay as one might hope. Rafe, the brewer to Zelda's herbologist, had never bothered. And with his record, it wasn't likely they'd be allowed if they tried.[1]

"And if you think you can brew it yourself - what are you, thirteen? Fourteen? I don't think so. And even then, you don't have enough time."

It was only three days until the full moon, Zelda knew. That meant Lucinda should be in the middle of the seven-day course that needed to precede the event. If she was without...

"Are you alone?" Zelda tried. Her voice was a little quieter, a little less intent.

1.	Rafe Sellaphix was convicted of charges related to smuggling dangerous potion-making ingredients.

"I'm fifteen." She gave an annoyed grunt to correct her of her age, why did adults always get the ages of students wrong? It wasn't that hard, she isn't a child or anything she knew potions! Besides she obviously didn't think they sold Wolfsbane or she wouldn't be trying to get the ingredients would she now?

She looked down at the comment, giving a small sigh as she nodded reluctantly in her little ball of self preservation, she was by herself, although she wondered briefly if the woman meant with friends or her parents, after all she could just be the distraction for some other kid to try to steal stuff? But she doubted it was what she meant by the question ultimately.

"Y-....yes...I'm alone...I-i can't stay at home or my parents will be in danger..." She says quietly before looking away, her hands nervously stroked over her own legs and knees as if to calm herself from panicking with the other woman watching her, she didn't think she was going to do anything bad as she continued to talk to her but she still wasn't sure how much to share.

"B-besides why can't I make my own Wolfsbane?" She knew it was likely too difficult to make, but surely trying meant something right?