InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "I would prefer not to."

George Weasley (wheazley) wrote in refreshrpg,
@ 2015-01-30 21:06:00

Entry tags:

! log, 1998-january, character: george weasley, character: severus snape

Who: George Weasley and Severus Snape
What: George needs supplies. And someone to talk shop with!
Where: Arsenic and Old Lace
When: Friday, January 30
Rating: Presumably low
Status: In progress.

George had been in every one of the Diagon Alley shops at one time or another, but to be honest, he generally got his potion supplies by owl order catalogue--it was easiest just to mark up an order form and send it off so he could get back to inventing things. In the past he'd only stopped into the potions shop when he'd run out of something and needed it in a pinch.

Still, you couldn't beat a real live human being for ingredients advice. And supposedly, Arsenic employed the best. He'd been meaning to pop in for awhile now, but seeing one of their potionmasters write in the journals had brought it back to mind--and said potionmaster complimenting some of his products, however reservedly, had further cemented his intention.

The shop bell chimed as he entered, armed with a sheaf of notes and a messy to-do list.

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tomyselfbetrue
2015-01-31 01:41 pm UTC (link)

There were many things Severus enjoyed bout the shoppe - the ability to be in control of what he ordered (and from who), his workroom to which no one was permitted entry, having someone else to do the bookkeeping, but dealing with customers was not his favourite. It was true, however, that he knew the qualities of the ingredients better than anyone else there, but he preferred to spend his time in his workroom. That was, after all, why they had hired Ethan, the shopboy. (Though Severus had learned his name, to be fair, and did not simply call him 'boy' like he had the last one.) But Ethan had the day off which meant Severus was in the front of the shop, ingredients laid out behind the counter as he investigated them, looking up when the bell rang in interruption.

"May I help you?"

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wheazley
2015-01-31 03:27 pm UTC (link)

"Are you the potionmaster?" He wasn't the usual face in the shop front, George knew that much, though he looked a little younger than he would have expected for a master. Then again, it was probably silly to expect every expert to be old and grey.

Either way, it didn't hurt to be friendly. George stuck out his hand and smiled. "George Weasley, of the annoying-down-the-road-neighbor Weasleys. If you hear any explosions outside, it's probably our fault, but they're mostly harmless. I'm looking for some advice."

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tomyselfbetrue
2015-01-31 04:11 pm UTC (link)

"I am," Severus answered, eyeing the young man curiously. He knew of the shop, of course, it was impossible not to, and he had sampled some of their wares.

"Severus Snape," he said as he returned the handshake.He was, of course, familiar with their shop and inspired by the skill and ingenuity that went into some of their products. "And I believe everyone in Diagon Alley is aware of your shop. What can I help you with?"

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wheazley
2015-01-31 04:39 pm UTC (link)

George grinned. "I have a list, I'm afraid." He shuffled it to the top of his parchment stack. "For starters, I'm working a lot with alihotsy. I'd like to order it in bulk--can you do that, by the way?--and just have it on hand, but I know it loses some of its potency when it's dried. I couldn't find any information on how much, though."

He flipped through his notes again, tugging out a scribbled note about ratios. "We mostly test everything on ourselves, so I don't want to overcompensate and add too much. I mean, there would be a kind of black humour in me laughing myself to death from alihotsy poisoning, but obviously I wouldn't get to appreciate the joke."

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tomyselfbetrue
2015-02-03 07:37 pm UTC (link)

"Alihosty?" It was unusual, to be sure, and Severus hadn't considered it much. But then, he was the type who believed that almost every ingredient had potential uses and if you ignored one, it was to the detriment of research. "Almost anything can be ordered in bulk, Mister Weasley and I can manage it."

Severus thought for a moment, bringing to mind what he knew of alihosty.

"It shouldn't effect the potency, but the dried leaves would be more fragile than fresh - and its properties can be damaged if handled to vigorously. If you're thinking you'll be using a lot long term, it may be worth getting a tree, then you can control the growing environment and possibly modify its properties."

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wheazley
2015-02-04 06:34 pm UTC (link)

"I hadn't even thought of that!" Herbology wasn't George's forte, but he figured there were enough gardeners in the family that it might be worth a go. "I'm not too worried about the handling the dried stuff, but I'd be worried about storing it...we don't have a lot of space and it might end up crushed under something. A live plant would probably be safer, and I could use the formulas I've already got. But while I figure that out, can I have you order me a half-bushel? That much I can use on the first run..."

George glanced at his list again, his mouth running on. "Which brings me to the next thing. I have a cauldron large enough for big batches of things, and it mostly works fine, but I'm having trouble keeping the temperature consistent throughout the mix and for this recipe it matters. The outside's scalding before the middle is heated through, and I can't seem to bring the heat up slowly the way I can with a smaller cauldron." He made a face. "I could do it in smaller batches, but it's fiddly enough that I could only do one at a time. Any ideas?"

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