Lorcan had found an unusual surge in the demand for potions of all sorts. It was good for business, but he didn't understand it. Customers were being tightlipped, and he was getting customers he'd never seen before. It didn't make sense. He was happy to supply them, but it also meant he had to work some overtime in trying to make batches of standard potions just to supply the demand. In fact, Zada had worked through the night, making some batches too, in order to restock some of the shop's stores.
He had come in and taken over for her, finishing a large batch of glamour potion, and was bottling and labeling it. He'd changed the bottle to something that was, perhaps, a bit more feminine and fetching. The customers, so far, had liked it.
The next task, between customers, was surely taking an inventory of his herbs and spices in order to be sure that he didn't run out. He had a cup of straight, black Earl Grey. It wasn't the way any decent person drank Earl Grey, but he just didn't have time to fiddle with milk and sugar.
He took a large basket and put his finished bottles of glamour potion in it and took it to the front of the store to stock the shelves. He made a mental note that he had to do more love potion as well. He was beginning to wonder if there was some connection to some of the other odd bits of seemingly unrelated news.
His illegal's labs had picked up its traffic significantly. He'd heard a couple independent illegals were actually struggling when they'd been doing well prior. Street potions sellers were finding it almost impossible to sell anything, and that was almost a first, so far as Lorcan knew.
And then there was some of the intel that he'd gotten. Lupin had a bodyguard? What was with that? Did it connect with a couple of random customers that had come in to Slugs and Jiggers? They'd come in bandaged and injured, and that wasn't something Lorcan traditionally saw. Those folks usually got their need filled at St. Mungos when they were there for treatment.
He clearly wasn't connecting the dots in the way they needed to be, and he felt like he was missing something important.