Great Minds Think Alike

Zada had chosen a crocheted black dress, and the tall black heels for today. Summer heat rarely bothered her. Cheerful people bothered her far more. And today it had come from Slugs and Jiggers. Zada had gone there, looking for some particular potions ingredients and wasn't finding what she was looking for. Besides that, the "little boy" who worked there was prying. He asked far too many questions for her liking. He made her wand hand itch to dispatch him beyond the veil. In the end, though, what saved him was that she had threatened to immobilize him and then remove whatever appendage pleased her at the moment. It had made him sufficiently nervous enough to give her what she did buy "on the house."

Her next thought was to go torture the wenches in the illegal potions operations below the nightclub in Knockturn Alley. Surely illegal potions makers might have a few illegal ingredients. She left the bright sunshine of Diagon Alley to revert back towards Knockturn Alley. She wanted a glass of decent vodka, served icy cold, after that.

Zerekiah saw Zada and walked towards her, he was carrying a jar with full of Fanged Geranium in it, he bought these biting plants as ingredients for his dark potions. He desired a talk with her, not for any specific reason, just for the thrill of joining the Death Eaters, if they still exist .

"Hiya Zada. Looking for someone?" Zerekiah said as he walked with Zada.

Zerek looked at Zada with a quizzical look, he wondered what she was doing traveling the Knockturn Alley alone.

Zerekiah was thinking if Zara had connections with the notorious gang of witches and wizards. He was looking forward to joining the Death Eaters, but he knew he would need to pass an initiation test, to prove his loyalties to the deceased Dark Lord. Even if that meant he would have to do what other Death Eaters did, slaughter muggles and blood traitors. Well that would be no problem for the old evil man.

"Hello, Zerek," Zada said, still feeling agitated that she had let the apothecary clerk live. " That little snot that Doyle hired to work Slugs and Jiggers for him nearly met the end of my wand just now. I know Doyle is no saint, but I was told they specialized in rare potions ingredients. Nice Fanged Geranium, by the way. Anyway, I was looking for some Carnivorous Tiger Rosehips, and Doyle's lackey said he couldn't get them because they were Dark Arts ingredients. I know the minister's daughter has an illegal potions lab in a basement here. Well, it belongs to her husband. So, I thought I would go torture his potionswenches and get some out of them. The last I found any Carnivorous Tiger Rosehips was in Siberia, and I have no desire to travel that far if I can help it." She was in the process of making a very rare potion for Grindlewald, and she did not like obstacles. Not ones that should be so simple to resolve. She looked at Zerek.

"Care to go threaten or kill some illegal potionswenches with me?" she asked casually, just as casually as if she were asking him for tea.

OOC: the "potionswenches" are NPC's, just FYI.

" Hmmm... Why dont you come into my shop and lets talk about that interesting plan of yours!" Zerekiah exclaimed.

The long rectangular table sat centred in a cavernous rectangular room with sombre greyish-green walls. A dozen dyspeptic paints of witches and wizards sneered down at the two magicians. With only four feet between his smelly boiling potions Zerekiah hunched over his plate and tried to breathe through his mouth and chew at the same time. Clutching his knife and fork he glanced at the noxious lady seated opposite; Zerekiah didt know if Zada Forbes was uncomfortable about the foul odor or she was accustomed with itt.

"Want a glass of decent vodka?" Zerekiah asked Zada trying to divert her attention into the interrupted conversation and no to the stinky smell of potions.

Zerekiah asked his shopkeeper to serve an icy cold vodka. As the shopkeeper offer the drink, Zara looked up and saw Zerek's hag assistant named " Charon", she stifled a groan as she averted her gaze in disgust. The man was picking his teeth with a dirty fingernail. The next time she glanced up he was rubbing his nose on his filthy sleeve. It was only a matter of time before he lifted half his rump off the chair and loudly gassed the room with another ration of ill smelling wind. She’d paralysed his attempts to draw her into a conversation with silence, but Zara’s hope of escaping a grilling was crushed by Zerekiah's curiosity.

“Zara, so why are you fond of killing the illegal potionswenches?”

"It's a habit of mine to just get rid of anyone who gets in my way. You know that. You know that most of my work has been assassinations or Dark Arts potions in the last few years," Zada shrugged. "Thank you," she said to the vodka server. She tasted it. "Good quality. You know your vodka. This is one of the better Russian ones, is it not? And perfectly chilled. You are a fine host, Zerek. Send your lackeys away for a moment, though. We may have some serious business to discuss." Actually, she was accustomed to the smell of Dark Arts potions, so the odor that would have offended some mighty Gryffindor did not bother Zada at all. The smell was actually the trademark of fine potions work.

"These are your work, I presume?" she asked Zerek. "I take it you are quite an advanced potionsmaker. Some of these potions are extremely difficult to make and to get them to the quality that these clearly are. I might have use for your work--or rather, your services, if you might be interested. I apologize I did not think of you earlier. I presume you understand that the Carnivorous Tiger Rosehips have limited use because the Carnivorous Tiger Rose is so temperamental to work with. I did find, several years ago in Beijing, an ancient Dark Arts potion formula." She neglected to mention what she had had to do to procure it. That had been a rather grisly tale in itself. "At any rate, the potion claims to sort out, when mixed into a standard beeswax candle and is ignited, who is a dark arts practitioner and who is a white lighter. It claims to cast a different aura around them. My employer, I thought, might indeed have use for it in the near future. And he might have use for you, if you're interested."

She knew that Zerek knew her to always work alone, so she expected some degree of surprise from him when he learned that she had actually agreed to work on behalf of someone else and not her own ends. Not this time. This was almost unprecidented for her.

Zerekiah appeared to pause as if the statement of the assassination of dark potioneers required deep thought.

"Kill Dark Potioneers? I know you are aware that I am one of those folks that study the dark aspects of mixing and brewing. And making dark potions is one of my vocation. Are you here to kill me?" Zerekiah’s impulsive look of wonder was rewarded with a wink as Zara shovelled another spoonful of Chipolata into her mouth.

“Aaaah,,, I know I am exempted, I am your friend! " Zerekiah stated even though he didnt know whats on Zara's mind.

"Anyway you are telling Zada about my potions collection. I have a particular fondness for making them, but about these tiger rosehips... Well, honestly I am not familiar with them. I think you too is a remarkable potioneer. Aren't you?”

Zara merely smiled and Zerekiah enthusiastically pointed at her with his empty spoon. “ Would you be my business partner in my shop?” Zerekiah nodded as he used his spoon to point at himself. “This potioneer in front of you knows a rare valuable potion when he sees one. And you lady, has some incredible intelligence about the rare magical properties of herbs for potion making !”

"Thank you. Yes, that would interest me. I am quite certain we could perhaps put a significant loss of profit in Rob Dent's illegal potions operations. Most of his potions are not Dark Arts ones, just illegals. They're not bad, but of course, some of them don't have the shelf stability of the legal ones. And his have some unfortunate side effects sometimes--like death. That can sometimes be unfortunate. He makes millions of galleons worldwide in his little business. But I think we could do better. What do you think?

"However, we might do better still, if you're a gambling man," she said. "I am quite sure someone as learned as yourself has seen in the newspapers that there may well be another wizarding war on the horizon. And my employer is one of those who is keenly interested in promoting the Dark Arts and its superiority. You may have heard of him. On this assignment I am working for Gellert Grindlewald. He will be interested in capable practitioners of the Dark Arts that might support him. Could that be a business venture that might interest you as well?" she asked, sipping again on her vodka.

Zerekiah smiled and mentally sneering congratulations at himself. He’d won the perfect business partner. The thought left Zerekiah unmoved. The excitedly throbbing that occurred every time he looked at Zara Forbes had suddenly become a joyful event for him as if her willingness to help him had somehow unsettled the flow of his blood. Everything was unfolding just as he’d planned.

There were many logical reason why he should feel glad and excited and he wasn’t used to simultaneously processing two emotions. He felt like a veela charmed his soul. He’d asked a witch to be his partner and she agreed immediately. He wanted to join the Death Eaters and the way to them is before him. That should have produced a feeling of completion.

Zerekiah looked the witch in the eyes and briefly wondered how grateful he is, she met this lady.

“You’re like a fairy in disguise granting my wishes Zara. I am certain you will be a lucky charm in our business! "His words seemed to shroud the lady in proud and happiness.

“ Words cannot express how grateful I am Zara” The old man’s knife and fork chinked loudly in the silent room as he politely set them down on his plate together and stood up removing the napkin tucked into his waistcoat then said, " So how can I join Grindelwald's company?"

"I'm glad to be of service," she smiled at him. "As far as Gellert Grindlewald goes, I will talk to him about you and lay the groundwork for you with him," Zada said. "It will all be well. There is a meeting, but you'll need a portkey to get there." She opened her bag and got out a silver muggle style ballpoint pen. She quickly cast the portkey spell and then laid the new portkey on the table. "This should do for you. There is a meeting. Come alone. Tomorrow--at midday. And be prepared to meet him then." She looked at Zerek and smiled. "I think you will work out well with him. I don't know exactly what he has on his mind, but I am quite sure we will find out.

"In the meantime, how about showing me around a bit and showing me what potions you particularly specialize in or are interested in. A fellow potions maker is always interested in what someone else is working on."



OOC: The thread to join grindlewald is here:

https://www.pottersarmy.net/t12048-a-whisper-on-the-wind

Just have Zerek come and join the meeting here. People are still arriving.

Zara stood up and Zerek lead the way to his magical laboratory. On the way to the chamber of potions he ordered Charon to open the door. Since Zara was his business partner, he knew he had to introduce first his potions before he went mad and jumped and tumbled to show his excitement meeting Grindelwald. As soon as the chamber door was closed behind them. Candle lights opened by themselves. Then he started telling the name of the potions:

"These are the Ageing Potions. Well I know you already know its effect. It just simply causes the person drinking it to grow older. The more Ageing Potion one drinks, the more one ages!" the old wizard said while he gazed into the cauldron of the magical liquid.

"Next in line is the Amortentia. The most powerful love potion ever made. Ooops...Please dont sip it unless you want to fall in love with me! Hahaha...just kidding" Zerekiah laughed as he smelled the aroma of the love potion.

Fifteen minutes later he was pulling off his hat as he stepped out into the Dark Potions Area. The floor crunched under his boots as he approached the closet full of potions.

"These are the potions I personally made, These potion is combined with dragon's blood and acromantula's venom while this potion is the latest of them all. This the opposite of Felix Felicis. It is made from Azalea's root, Boxwood's stem, and Columbine leaves. This potion potently works by providing the drinker with the worst negative scenario in their life." Zerekiah explained.

After his long speaking, from his rucksack he removed his battered water bottle. After slaking his thirst he capped the bottle and considered his next move.

"So, here we go. I’ll just browse through these grimoires to get my latest experiment. This first part deals with the magical bugs and insect. Their physical appearance and properties is covered here in great detail. But their subtle properties are not written in here." Zerekiah noticed Zara that she was was completely surprised and amazed on what the old wizard was saying so Zerek continued.

"Me too,I didn’t know these insects was so special. They are not just crawling creatures or something; certainly they have been used for thousands of years by Native Asian witches both medicinally and ritually. Every insect has its own unique characteristics, and these properties are what makes them special. Can you help me do these new project Zara?" Zerekiah asked.