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Ford approached the counter with an impatient glare. The line was longer than usual today... of course this would happen on the one day he bothered to stop in. Diagon Alley was all a-bustle with students and adults alike searching the shelves for random ingredients. This was unfortunate, as Ford was hoping not to be seen. He was not technically supposed to be away from campus, though he did have a forged note stating that he was here to buy some potion supplies. It wasn't much of a backup, all things considered. Sure he could probably convince any prying students that he had reason to come to this little shop, but any staff member could take one look at it and know it was a fake. Still he hoped that it wouldn't be too much trouble. It was a weekend, so it wasn't as though he was ditching any classes to be here. And with the Floo network in full operation it would take him less than half an hour to get in, get hat he needed, and get out again.

That is, it would have had it not been for this infernal line. What was going on today? It was a bit into the school year, so the place shouldn't have been overrun with so many people looking to buy potion ingredients. And yet here they were... He tapped his foot- a nervous habit whenever he was doing something he was not supposed to be doing. Finally his turn came up and he approached the counter. Understandably the man behind it looked at him with surprise.

"Hogwarts student?" he inquired. Ford nodded. "Ain't it a bit late to be buying school supplies?"

"I'm just here for some shopping." The boy replied as calmly as possible, used to hiding his emotions. He could lie as easily as he could breathe, and the old shopkeep was no match for that sort of mentality. "I'm here on an errand from my father- Maximus Farquad. You may have heard of him."

"Oh, of course!" the man exclaimed, obviously recognizing the esteemed family name. "What can I help you with." His smile faded a bit and turned to confusion as he looked over the list Ford handed him. "Well I've got a few of these things in stock..." he murmured.

"A few!?" Ford was surprised. He hadn't expected such a setback. What sort of potion shop didn't carry all the basic ingredients?! The boy tried to mask his annoyance as he adressed the man. "Well, which one's don't you have?"

"I'm afraid we're fresh out of cowbane. The man looked genuinely regretful as he said this. Perhaps he was simply not the sort to disappoint his customers. "As for daisies and caterpillars, well..." He looked at young Master Ford a bit sheepishly. "We don't really carry such common things. They can be found in any yard or field so there isn't much of a demand."

This was aggravating. Ford didn't have much time as it was, and it seemed his ingredient hunt would have to extend past this simple shopping trip. "Very well." He stated as calmly as he could. "I'll take what you have." Dropping 16 silver and some change onto the counter, he waited for what remained of his list to be gathered. Now he could only hope to get out of here before somebody important found him.