NOVEL NEXT chapter -022.
Chapter 22
"Is this everything you need?" The old man asked, placing a stack of books on the table in front of Theodore. He had spotted a golden opportunity and didn't want them to leave just yet. "There are plenty of other fascinating items that might catch your eye—or perhaps your wife's!"
Theodore couldn't help but smile at the old man's suggestion. He could tell the old fellow thought it was Bellatrix who was really interested in all these books, hoping to use her name to encourage him to buy even more. But that was exactly Theodore's plan from the start! The old man didn't need to sugarcoat his words; Theodore was already on board.
His main goal in buying those books was to build a connection with this old chap, who had a treasure trove of items that could change the wizarding world in the future. So, tossing a few galleons under Bellatrix's watchful eye didn't bother him at all.
...
"Please do visit Borgin and Burkes again, Mr. and Mrs. Green!" the old man beamed, his smile as bright as gold, as he walked them to the door. They had just spent over three hundred galleons in his quaint little shop, which, despite being the talk of the town, had seen better days financially.
As the old man enthusiastically waved them off, Theodore and Bellatrix didn't say a word and continued on their way, leaving behind a trail of mystery.
"Here," Theodore said, now feeling satisfied with his purchases, as he handed a pouch full of galleons to Bellatrix. "You mentioned wanting to buy something in Diagon Alley? There's still plenty left!"
Bellatrix, now used to Theodore's ever-changing ways of treating her, looked at him and replied, "No need! I found some galleons at home thanks to Kreacher. But more importantly, we need to talk about that kiss."
At the mention of "kiss," Theodore paused for a moment, but then quickly resumed his playful demeanor. "What's there to discuss about that kiss? Since you kissed me that day, I figured I had the green light to do the same!" Even as he said this, he felt a twinge of worry that she might take it the wrong way and decide to ignore him for a few days.
but contrary to his concern, what he heard next made him smile genuinely.
Bellatrix, remembering the moment she had kissed Theodore's cheek, murmured slowly, "You can kiss me if you want." but then realizing she also had a say in this, she raised her voice slightly and added, "But there has to be a specific place or time; you can't just kiss me out of the blue."
After saying that, for a moment Bellatrix thought she had expressed her thoughts, but then realizing what she had actually said, her slightly puffy cheeks began to turn red.
To add to her embarrassment, Theodore, not wanting to miss this chance, immediately jumped in and said, "Then I'll definitely oblige and think of a few times during the day and places where I definitely want to kiss you."
"N-No that's not what I meant..." Bellatrix tried to step back from what she had said, but it was already too late, as Theodore was not interested in letting go of such a good opportunity; moreover, his attention at that moment was on an owl that was approaching him at quite a speed.
"Are you even listening?" Bellatrix, whose cheeks were still flushed behind her mask, felt even more embarrassed seeing Theodore ignore her and focus on the owl, which she wanted to blast away for a moment, but then realizing that might backfire on her, she discarded that thought.
Meanwhile, Theodore allowed the owl to perch on his hand, turned back to Bellatrix with a smile, and said, "Of course I'm listening to you; I was just curious to see who sent me this?" as he retrieved the letter from the owl's grasp.
Seeing the small letter in Theodore's hands, Bellatrix finally calmed down, and as this was a good opportunity to divert from the embarrassing topic, she asked, "Who is it from?" with her voice laced with genuine curiosity.
"Let me see?" Theodore, whose nostrils were now filled with the captivating scent of Bellatrix as she leaned forward to check the letter, felt a great sense of pressure weighing on him as he opened the letter, which only had his name written on it.
"Dear Theo, I hope this old man is not disturbing your time of experimenting and studying in the Muggle world; however, there is something I wanted you to do for me while you're there, so I hope you'll take some time off and meet this old man in the same place where we met for the interview, yours truly, Albus."
Opening the letter with great pressure, Theodore read the contents inside and was met with great surprise, as the letter was actually from that senile old man, but what could he possibly want from him all of a sudden by sending a letter like this? Theodore couldn't help but ponder for a moment, but then noticing Bellatrix's still confused gaze, he said while tucking the letter into his robe and allowing the owl to fly back to its place, "It's from Dumbledore."
Hearing the name, Bellatrix's heart skipped a beat in fright, but what Theodore did next somehow calmed her heart.
"Don't worry, it's not what you think; and anyway, even if it was about you, there's probably no one in this world who could harm you while I'm here, except for yourself, to be exact." Sensing the panic in Bellatrix's eyes, Theodore extended his hand and placed it on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him; to his surprise, Bellatrix showed no resistance to his advances.
'Huh? Did I unknowingly increase my favorability again?' Theodore thought, but seeing that no system notification appeared in front of him even after a few seconds had passed, he just considered it a slight development toward his end goal, and then with Bellatrix now even closer to him than before, both of them made their way toward Diagon Alley to help his beautiful maybe future wife shop to her heart's content.