The Lure of Money ~open~

[eric]

During his winter break Eric had visited Gringott's Bank. His vault held many treasures, some expensive trinkets, some mundane. Trunks of sparkling gold almost fell over at the edges of the vault. The labors of hard work past. He had selected several of the trunks, two small and one medium sized to be delivered to his contact in London. His idea was simple, but he was sure no one had even thought of it before. In fact, he felt superior in the moment as he smiled to his American counterpart, and handed over the three trunks. The man was gone in a wisp, and Eric had returned to the Leaky Cauldron for a quick lunch. It was rare that he spent the holidays with his family. Honestly, he could care less for the festivities missed. It was not Eric's cup of tea.

Many months had passed since he had made the exchange with the American student. Although Eric was not at all apprehensive about the deal, he did have a tendency to grow impatient when it came to dealing with Americans. They always seemed so damned rushed, never stopping to enjoy the process. He figured that was fine in this instance. After all, he stood to gain a ton of money in this transaction. The American's fee was a small sum compared to the rewards that could be gained once Eric graduated this insufferable school. His eyes sparkled as he unrolled the parchment. Hazel orbs danced across each line under the lowlight, and he nodded with every word. Things had gone exactly as planned, and the package had been delivered and inserted into his vault.

The current market value of gold overseas had sky rocketed in the last several months. Eric knew that there had to be a way to take advantage of this. His mind crawled over idea after idea until it struck him. His plan was simple, and delicious at the same time. A simple exchange could bring him more than he would give. The profits could be mind blowing, all he had to do was make contact with the right person. The right person turned out to be a long distance cousin of his mother's family. The male had some small amount of talent in magic and was going to a private school in the states. The tuition had to be hefty, and the con job Eric sent into motion was complete in a short period. His smirk moved across his lips as he rolled the parchment up and dipped the end into the flame from the torch on the wall. The parchment burnt to ash, and Eric began to move down the corridor.

He had talked his cousin into coming to London during the holidays and picking up three trunks of gold coins. These coins held the standard value in the wizarding world; however, melted down and turned into bars the same gold could be turned into mountains of muggle dollars. Muggle dollars were worthless in the wizarding cities, but they were a good thing to have when traveling abroad. With muggle money Eric could buy no end of muggle luxuries. He could rent a flat, buy anything he wanted or needed. He could use the money to bribe other muggles into his bidding without using a drop of his magical talent. Not to mention the fact that having muggle money could gain him access to more things those poor creatures produced that could turn a profit while inside the castle. Eric almost giggled at the thought.

He felt sure he was on an never ending cycle of profit and gain. Use muggle dollars to buy things that the other students would pay top gold to acquire. Smuggle in more items, and sell them at a premium price for gold. Then, take half the gold gained and turn it into muggle money to keep the cycle going for as long as his heart desired. Pretty soon he could make enough to employ someone else to do all the grunt work for him. He could sit back and watch his money roll in by the owl-load. Easy as taking candy from a first year Hufflepuff, not that he would bother to do such a thing. He never much cared for candy in the first place.

However, now was the time to consider who he could bring in on his little project. He would not mind having someone in charge of selling the stock to the other willing students. His mind played over many possible ideas, but he could not think of a single person at the moment. His own trust level was really low, and no one would ever be allowed to meet with his contacts, or know where the muggle items came from. No, all he needed was someone to sell items at the school, and collect their small cut while bringing the rest to Eric. Nothing less, nothing more. It would help if said person was attractive. Being attractive drove prices up, and made for pleasant business meetings. He leaned back against the wall and considered his plan a little more. Time slowly ticked by.

Tagg; Open Thread
Notes: Feel free to join.

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[ashlin o'mara]

It's been a while since she has wandered the grounds and her heavy yellow boots hit the stone floor hard. Ashlin wasn't one for silence particularly the sort in echoy hallways. Instead she liked the sound that bounced off of the walls and vibrated into her ears. No, Ashlin didn't care what people thought of her, and only if they were nice would they get her attenion. She wasn't the stereotypical Irish girl, long blonde hair, no freckles, bright eyes, she actually had something against red heads, but she wasn't sure where she got that from.

Her mother was born in Victoria, BC Canada, and from what she remembered her father was one hundred percent pureblood Irish. Always she would ask how they met and they would tell her the same story. 'Oh little Ashi, your mum and I met through a real good friend, he's the sort of fellow no one would ever wish to double cross. He was helpin' me cope through my drunk life and finally when I decided to sober up, along came yer mother!' The curiousity followed and she wanted to know more about her Da's friend, but whenever it was mentioned he would shy away. Though she never blamed him, the O'Mara's didn't talk to many people, but she had to know who this man was, if it was a man?

Her concentration was lost when she spotted a wrapper on the ground, this was the end of the line. Falling to the ground she lay flat on the stone floor and stared at it. "This, this be amazin'!" She nearly hollered to no one but herself. Sprawling across the floor she lifted her feet in the air and giggled. Her mind wandered to Zeke and she was curious as to how he was doing, thoughts like this tore through her mind every second. She had an amazing time at the Valentine's Dance, but this month was hers.

"How'd ya get 'ere lil' guy?" Holdig the wrapper in both hands pinched between her thumbs and index fingers she smiled. High long pigtails curled down her shoulders and she gasped. "I've a friend fer ya!" Dragging her hefty yellow purse forward she opened her bag and dug to the very bottom. It was amazing what could be found in this bag of goods. All sorts of sweets from licorice wands, chocolate frogs and so on, even her wand was in there some where. "Now now, 'ere we are!" Pulling her legs foward she sat, feet out and legs in the shape of a 'v' the wrapper found it's home in her purse and it wasn't long until she noticed feet to her right.

Ashlin didn't care baout house rivalries, infact that was what was last on her list. The knowledge of people in the school drove her to believe that there was a little bit of good to be found in anyone, through perseverance and annoyance. People always show their true colors once in a blue moon, so why not push them to find out how they work? Her thoughts staggered and she closed her eyes, hands making little balled fists and she giggled. "I knew it'd happen today!" Hollering she looked up at the man leaning agains the wall.

"Sir!" She called out from the floor. "In divination today I saw tha' I'd meet a new person I've not seen before in me life, an here you be standin' all importan' n' such!" A squee escaped her lips and she looked up at him. Slytherin, she noted just incase, never to careful, but always carefree. As always she started her introduction to the man before her.

"Me name is Ashlin O'Mara, I'm be in the house o' Hufflepuff an' I've a knack for makin' people smile. Would ya like a peice o' candy?" Arms out stretched up toward him, purse wide open ans grinned. "If no' I've got some other things, little muggle slide puzzles to keep ya preoccupied, me mum sent em' to me last nigh', told her I was bored an low n' behold. They're from me grandda, an' he be pretty awesome." Perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing to say to a guy she had just met, in the hallway, of the dungeons, but she didn't care. If he really wanted to hurt her he'd of done it by now.

Again her mind wandered as she continued to hold her purse up the Slytherin, arms trembling from being so tired she huffed and lowered it. "Sorry, I can' hold it up fer to long, me arm, they get a wee bit sleepy." It was the truth, Ashlin carried the bag with her where ever she went and it was a heavy bag, which seemed to be filled with endless treats. In fact you could sometimes find her sprinting through the halls tossing candy into the air during busy hours of school. Sweets were good for everyone, perhaps not the teeth, but it made moral rise by drastic measures.

{word count} 866
{comments} yay!

[eric]

He was pulled from his thoughts of money and a freedom beyond the large gates of Hogwart's by an odd voice. He turned his attention to a newcomer, a girl around his own age though smaller than him. With a tilt of his head -and an added charming smile- he tried to follow along with what she was saying. Her manner of speech was quick, and her accent was somewhat heavy. He tried to put a finger on it, and decided she might just be English though her accent was sharper than his own. It was highly plea sent to listen to her, even if he struggled to catch each word. He found himself constantly replaying what she said over in his head to understand and follow along. While she spoke, and rambled on, he looked her over without outwardly showing a sign of his movements.

She was a blond, obviously, and it was the first thing he noticed beyond her speech. Her eyes were carefree, but warm. Her lips moved quickly, but were formed perfectly on her flushed face. She was attractive, and he had to pause to think of if he had seen her around before. He thought he might, but had never spoke to her. He found he did not know her name until she offered it to him. He opened his mouth to reply but did not get the chance as she went on and offered him some candy. His own analysis of taking candy from a Huffle puff danced back into his mind and he lifted an eyebrow. His smile was warm, sincere as he reached for the candy and took it from her tiring hand. Without pausing, he unwrapped it and shoved it in his mouth. The taste sensation was wonderful, and he took his time to play over all she had mentioned.

There was never a time he took much account of divination. In fact, he hated the class and considered it a real waste of time. He would not tell this girl that though, he did not want to insult someone before he knew if they could have a purpose. She seemed really odd, but he had dealt with odd people before. His eyes dropped to her bag a moment and his ears perked up. What sort of things could she hold in that little sack? Would her items be a perfect addition to the things he currently smuggled in to sell? And how did such a perfect prospect show up out of nowhere when he had just been thinking about finding someone new to help him sell off his current stock. A Hufflepuff would be perfect. No one would expect one of that house to scam someone. And her looks was a bonus, for Eric knew how well females could make the world go round. He realized he had not said a thing, and did not want to seem rude.

He pushed the candy to the side of his mouth and tucked it into his cheek. "It seems your divination came true, unless there is someone else you might meet today." He added a smile smile, and moved a little closer to her so he did not have to talk too loud. Eric dropped down to sit next to her, but not invade her personal space. It would never do to scare someone before he had a chance to scratch the surface of who they might be, and how he could put them to some sort of use. He had already assessed her looks, speech, and the curiosity of what she carried peaked his attention. It was now time to turn on the charm, and get a little closer to her. He had done this countless times before, and would time after time in the future. He looked to her, smile in place, and found it odd to know that he almost instantly liked her. Eric does not really ever like anyone, but there was something about her that was refreshing. He did not know if it was her in general, or if it might be the potential he saw in her.

He leaned over and whispered as a group of student walked by. "Eric, Eric Strobe, Slytherin. Thank you ever so much for the candy. It was really delicious. Where did you find it? I used to love candy, but lately I have grown bored with the same old stuff you find in Hogsmead. If only there was a way to get better candy and treats into this school without every prefect in the castle sniffing down your robes." He rolled his eyes as he searched her face for some sort of nonverbal response. His light conversation was his way of digging into the girl, to see if she would open up about what she carried. He called it fishing, he would throw his line, work the spindle, and drag the waters to see what bites. Each facial movement of hers could be a bite, and all he needed to do was sit back and wait for the right nibble to hook on and go for the ride.

There was little to no hesitation as he laughed a little at his own comment. "Of course, I never had one really sniff down my robes, but I had a friend once send me something as simple as gum from America once. It was taken away by that Ravenclaw prefect, and I lost points for Slytherin. No clue why that would happen, unless of course they just wanted the gum for themselves. Could've asked, I would have shared. Oh well..." He looked sad for a moment while watching her from the corner of his eyes. The candy was rolled around in his mouth again and he rubbed his stomach. He looked back to the girl and smiled as if he was enjoying the best product in the entire world. In all honesty, he was.

Tagg; Open/Ashlin
Notes: She is going to be fun.

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[ashlin o'mara]

Eyes gleamed as he joined her on the floor. She had no qualms with anyone at the moment, yea there were people that thought she was wierd, but those were the people she didn't mind, if they had a problem with her the better. Ashlin didn't like to tolerate people that had no idea about who she was, and if they didn't want to know, then she didn't want to know them. He spoke and her ears lit up, she loved it when people talked to her, since she was usually the one to do it all, but in the end she would seriously talk your ears off.

"I know!" Ashlin exclaimed raising her arms into the air. "I was worried tha' it wouldn' 'appen, I was readin' tea leaves and tha information I go' from 'em was extraordinary! When I was readin' tha' book it told me tha' there was goin' ta be a man I'd meet today, bu' then I started to think one who I've not met in the school yet, then tha' led me ta wander down random hallways, an you be the only one tha' 'as managed ta gain me attention fer long enough time, or even take me inta consideration. Tis a sad thing when no one cares ta notice other people, tis also rude ta be blatantly ignorin' someone even if they be talkin' ta ya." She stayed on the floor but put her hands on her hips looking out over the hallway. "Hello Eric Strobe of Slytherin! You are most welcome fer tha candy, I've loads more in 'ere, me mum sends it ta me in packages twice a month, she knows tha' if I do not 'ave tha supply ta meet tha demand she will 'ave angry customers, which really is only me!" She smiled widely at him and then opened her bag once more. "Tha stuff ya find in Hogsmeade is borin', yea I do agree, but I 'ave me favorites 'ere and there, always orderin' in bulk ya know, sometimes they're not so fresh on those shelves an' then ya 'ave ta complain to the owner and I'm not the type so I always special order. "

Leaning back she fell into the middle of the walk way and rolled over so she was laying on her stomach, propping her chin in her hands and lifting her feet into the air she giggled. "I'd rather no' 'ave prefects sniffing down me robes, I'm usually on real good terms with the lot of 'em an' it 'as proven worth while in me means, but then again I provide them with ample amounts of delicious delicacies they don' bother with me. The Hufflepuff prefect loves me ta all 'igh heavens an' back, an' I think tha' tha Ravenclaw one loves me too. We all 'ave tha same taste in deliciousness." Grinning from ear to ear her pigtails bounced as she tilted her head better to look at him. "Perhaps they were jus' 'aving a bad day an' 'ad ta take it out on someone, it 'appens ta the best o' us no matter 'ow nice or understanding we can be. Tis only human nature ta act out in irrational ways."

"So!" She about jumped up, but it would of been rather difficult so she ended up on her side and laughed. "Is there any particular candy ya would prefer? I could 'ave me mum provide me with many different flavors, some wizarding, some muggle, and some useless muggle boredom toys, like SLIDE PUZZLES! They be me favorite, if ya dis the slide puzzles I will see 'hat as an open attack on me. Lemme see if I 'ave somethin' in 'ere fer ya that may be useful, but if ya do a slide puzzle usin' magic or poppin' those lil' plastic pieces out, tha' be cheatin' and makes 'em even less entertainin." Sitting upright again she hoisted her purse up and dumped it out all over the stone floor, luckily everything she had was wrapped.

It was as if a waterfall exploded and out came everything, a huge smile spread across her face as she watched many things roll around and empty wrappers fluttered to the floor. "So I 'ave, butterscotch, jelly beans, bertie botts, Drooble's Best blowing Gum, lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, those be muggle an' they're delicious, Kinder Surprise, 'ow else can ya get two types o' chocolate AN' a toy, so this be tha only type I'll carry, did ya know tha' Kinder Surprise were first invented in Italy? They were called Kinder Sorpresa back then, granted tha' wasn't so long ago, but still tis an interestin' fact. Hmm let us see 'ere, there be so many other flavors within me stachel of goodness. I've rock candy an' miscellanious hard candies, peppermint an' others. There are also licorice wands, an' standard red licorice, Necco, Smarties, Pez, Cow-Tails, Chik-O-Sticks, Mike and Ikes, ya name it I'm sure tha' I 'ave whate'er will sate your palate!"

{word count} 903
{comments} xD!!! You asked for it talking about candy and such!

[eric]

There was no hiding his smile as she spoke. Her speech was rambling, and her accent made it almost difficult for him to understand, but her charm was amazing. It was sincere, there was no way anyone could fake a personality like that. And, if there was she should win some sort of award for acting. He tried to follow along, and nodded in all the right places.he could only blink and nod when she began talking about her aimless wandering, and encounters. He tried to think of something to say but before he had three words strung together to form a sentence she had gone on to the next topic. His ears perked up when she mentioned her mom sending her packages, but then she was off to agree with his assessment of Hogsmeade's inferior candies, and delectable. Again, Eric tried to think of something to say, but the cute blond was soon off on another ramble about a new topic. Prefects.

Many times during her talking he wondered how someone so cute could be so off track. Not that he considered her slow, or even remotely boring; she just had a way of going on and keeping the conversation flowing so that it almost overloaded his senses. Having her move to lay on her tummy was something he had not expected. Perhaps it was her way of keeping control of the conversation, but he could not help allow a small giggle to escape his lips. Soon, as unexpected as her movements, Eric found himself laying on his side, head propped onto his palm, as he listened to her continue. He was baffled by the amount of words that could pour from her small face, it was like a waterfall of information. He was constantly fighting to keep up, storing away bits and pieces that he found useful, and trying to remain interested as his head began to twirl with the sheer size of her sentences. If she wold just shut up for a second, Eric thought he might be able to befriend her and pull her into his web of business. Still, as she spoke he could not help but finding himself liking her. She was odd, yes... but it was not entirely a bad sort of 'i-eat-the-chalk' odd. It was more a tender girl looking to be friends with everyone who would talk to her. Eric almost felt touched, but he swallowed that quickly while retaining a pleasant look on his face.

The conversation flowed, as he found most of her talk did. Subject dropped into topic as he nodded, smiled, and played with a strain of his own hair in concentration. He had not twirled his hair on his finger since his third year, and only did so now absently as he watched her mouth move. He sudden movement took him by surprise and he sat up, and leaned back against the wall, his hand moving to his pocket in an act of defense. He did not expect her to attack him, but it was a natural response when someone moved so quickly. She only ended up on her side, and he allowed his own hand to move from his pocket. Eric circled his arms around his legs, and laid his head on his knees. At first she spoke of candy, then before he knew it the conversation was on puzzles, magic pops, or something, and plastic. He filed it all away to replay back so when he could get a word in, he might be able to make some sense of all she said. She began to sit up, and then the contents of her purse was spilled all over the floor.

He moved his hand to catch a rolling gumball that had bounced off his foot. The wrapper crinkled in his fingers, and several other little odds and ends moved closer to him. His quick eyes made note of everything that had escaped her, and then he looked back up to the attractive Hufflepuff. He was almost dizzy in his short amount of dealings he had with her, but behind her eyes, smile, and almost perfect manners; Eric saw gold coins dancing on every word. She had no idea the worth of these things she was simply giving away. It was a small treasury in her purse. The little puzzles alone would bring a knut or two to the first years. And the candy, Dark Lord save us how did one person get -or need- so much sugar. Then a little click went off inside his mind. A small bolt shot through him and it all made sense. No wonder she was talking so fast, and appeared so hyper. She was hording a treasure trove of candy... she must have a sugar rush. Ashlin was high on her own product, well her own stock at least. There could be no other explanation for all the words she poured all over his ears. There had to be a reason, and now he knew what it was.

Here was the perfect girl for the job he had only just thought about. She had everything in her purse that would make a candy store owner jealous. His eyes darted from her face to the odd assortment of sugary items. He had to wonder again how she could fit so much junk in her purse. Probably the same way she fit so many words in her head. He looked back to the pile seeing mostly gold profit, and then paused. "What the hell is a Jolly Rancher?" His trembling hands picked up a pink looking hard candy with a green edged wrapper. He sniffed it, and then unwrapped the small piece. His curious eyes moved from the candy to the girl and then back. It smelled fruity, and there could only be one conclusion to his question. He popped it into his mouth and smiled. It was not his normal charming fake smile, it was actual delight that showed on his features. The flavor of watermelon exploded in his mouth, and it was so refreshing that he almost sighed out loud. What magic could produce such a gold mine in flavor? He knew if he could turn on the population of the castle to this little candy, they would both be rich in a matter of days. It was amazing.

He looked at her and reached out to take her hand. "Where have you been all my life? This is amazing." He almost sounded like a dullard in his own head. Still, he had to admit that running into this Hufflepuff might have been the luckiest thing that had happened to him in a long, long time. He let her hand go, almost surprised that he had been holding it. "Oh sorry. But, these are amazing you know. I have not seen this much... stuff outside a candy store in my life. And you just g-give this away to whomever bothers to ask? Do you know how much this is all worth? I mean, you could almost pay for a year in University with what you could make off selling this to others." He thought for a moment, and then smiled to her. He had no idea if she cared about money, profit, or even university. He did know what he thought she cared about the most. After all, she had only said it a little bit ago. Amidst her many ramblings, she talked about wandering the halls and bumping into others, being ignored... Eric clued in on that and smiled again. With a shake of his head he added, "Do you know how many people would want to talk to you if you were selling this stuff to others? You would have more friends than... well more than the amount of candy you have here in front of us!" He looked into her eyes, and could not feel but be happy.

Tagg; Ash
Notes: She is a trip. I can see many, many threads between the two with him scratching his head trying to figure her out. And, Word Count: 1468!

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[ashlin o'mara]

Ashlin smiled staying where she was carefully watching him, all sorts of good scattered across the floor. Tilting her head she let out a small girlish giggle and continued to think about all the different flavors this world had to offer. "I've na tried candies from the East, but I would be delighted ta find ou'." Nodding, it didn't have anything to do with the conversation but she was super curious about it all. Think of her as a connoisseur of sugar, she knew what was good and what wasn't. She could tell you now that trickle tarts were sub-par to a pumpkin scone if cooked correctly. She knew her stuff and it was surprising that she wasn't over sized. Patting her tummy she looked at Eric with bright gleaming eyes.

His hand outstretched to grab a Jolly Rancher and she held her hands in front of her face with excitement. It had always brought her glee when someone tried something new, even if they were Slytherin, muggle Sweets were not as insane was wizarding sweets, but they were that much more tasty. Falling backward into the middle of the floor once more she laughed. "Yer face! I've na seen a Slytherin smile the way ya are!" In a flash she was on her hands and knees staring directly at him inches from his face. "Good no?"

The instant he took her hand she panicked a tiny bit, no she was Zeke's girlfriend, or rather she assumed she was and she was always right. Leaning back she looked at Eric and shook her head. "It was always in tha cards, ya know if ya have faith an' ya believe in divination it'll work, ya jus' 'ave ta 'ave tha soul ta do it an' the fearlessness ta embrace it. Don't judge people by wha' they believe in, especially one who can see tha future. Tha' is where I've been all yer life, or were ya talkin' ta the candy, I mean it's a great thing ta 'ave. When I get inta trouble me Da always takes away me stash when I'm at 'ome, an I suffer a great deal, knowin' where he has 'idden it, but the sad thing 'bout tha' is tha' I can na reach."

He let go and she smiled, good she didn't have to worry about him hitting on her, she would not give in there was no way his boyish charms would work on her, afterall, she was with Zeke and she was a one man girl. "Thank ya for lettin' go, me boyfrien' wouldna be to happy if he came 'round tha corner an saw ya holdin' me 'and." Gathering up the sweets that lay across the floor she shoveled them in the bag and heard the small click and she gasped. "I've found it!" Jumping up onto her two feet she rose her wand high into the air, until it slowly drooped. "Damn, not it at all, jus' another licorice wand, blasted things." Falling to the ground again she stared at Eric some more.

"Well o'course I jus' 'and it all out. What am I s'pposed to do ya know? There be kids out there tha' need a bit o' happiness an' candy brings tha' to em. Sadness is na an option when I be 'round. Me brother use ta pass out sweets an' I'm jus' keepin the legacy alive." She laughed and looked around. "Also, I am na' in need o' money," she put her hands on her hips and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Truth was she needed it more than she let on. Her father couldn't even hold a job because of some ailment and that hurt the family. She lived in a small two bedroom home in Moyross, Limerick. She had always shared her room with her older brother and her mom and dad did the best they could to get by. Luckily Patty was working for the ministry and they were working on getting out of that area.

The introduction of friends caught her off guard, her mind was ticking away and she was looking up at the ceiling now taking a breath she shook her head. "Then they would'na be real friends." Her eyes locked with his completely for a moment and she lowered the tone in her voice. She wasn't mad at him, there was a very large gap and it was extremely difficult to make her out right angry, but she didn't want to sell things to have friends. "At the same time, I s'ppose it'd be a good bargain an' if ya like them many more migh' like 'em as well."She lowered her head and let it rest on her knees, lost in thought. "Per'aps it'd be fer the best ya know, it's na like Ma 'an Da 'ave lots o' money an' they need all the 'elp they can get."

The cogs were ticking and she thought about it. She could help get the family out of the hole but something seemed unethical in a whole, this didn't seem right and she looked over at him. "Ya would'na be tellin' me all this if there was'na a hitch ta it. Tell me, what's in it fer ya?" Her eyes moved to his face looking for any sign of trouble, but she couldn't see anything, was he actually being civil and really nice, he had a nice smile and she took in a breath. There was nothing wrong with selling candy through the school, was there?

[eric]

He nodded as she acted surprised that he could smile. His concentration at the moment was directly on the candy, and how a small piece of pulled sugar could make him feel so good about things. It was not often that something could have that effect on him. She was on her hands and knees to look at him as if it might be some trick, which confused him a little more. Then she was off on a tangent about a boyfriend, and this took Eric aback slightly. He had no idea what she was on about until she mentioned him letting go. Eric, as much as he disliked being touched, had a bad habit of touching someone's hands to emphasize a point he was trying to make. She must have mistaken his touch to mean something else, which was far from his actual intentions.

Beyond the amount she tossed in regarding divination, Eric was a little lost as she spoke. Then the subject came around back to business. He smiled and swallowed the expanding juice in his mouth. So making friends was not as important as having a little extra money to help out her family? Well, Eric could help out on the end as easily as he could grab an owl and send a message to his American contact. His admiration for her rose as she mentioned a hitch, and that there had to be something in it for Eric. Of course there was something in it for Eric, why would he bother doing business if there was not a certain amount of personal gain? It did not matter if he was a Slytherin or not, this part of business had little to nothing to do with houses. It was human nature to want to get something positive out of your work, and Eric was a little more humanistic than anyone would know.

He screwed up his face when she tried to use a long stick of licorice as a wand, and this small bit that he played back in his head was what he landed on when he decided to continue the conversation. "Um, did you lose your wand or something? You should consider practicing some nonverbal magic, just in case, you know?"

[/color] He offered her a smile as he considered how to continue on with the important topic at hand. He sat back and let his head rest on the cold stone behind him as his hand moved into an inner pocket of his robe. He always kept many such hiding places when he went out beyond the safety of the common room, or his own home. It was a habit to be so secretive. However, this time it was not a defensive movement, it was simply something he thought would sweeten what he needed to tell her next. Ashlin, and her family, was in need; Eric had the cure.

His long fingers moved from his robe and he began to walk a gold coin on his knuckles. The disk moved and danced across his hand to disappear back into his palm as he closed his hand around it only to make it reappear back on top of his index finger to make the rotation all over. Eric was not normally in the habit of playing with galleons, but this little trick had served him well as a distraction in the past. If his mind was caught searching for some solution he could pass a coin over his hand and twirl it until he figured out what he needed to do. At this moment, Eric wanted to show her that he was not discussing this with her about play money. He was talking about cold hard coin, real money, money that could make her life easier. And all he was asking in return was for her to reconsider her own practices of giving away her goodies for free.

Then it clicked in his mind. He smiled to her and continued to allow the coin to move on his hand, forcing the galleon to disappear in his grasp and reappear on the other side of his hand. He flipped the coin into the air, caught it, opened his hand, and showed her it was gone. With a small movement he made the coin seem to reappear coming out of her ear. He laughed lightly, and nodded in her direction. Once again he took her hand, but this time he placed the coin in her palm. He quickly moved his hands away so that there were no mistaken intentions on either part. He then leaned back and wrapped his arms around his legs and looked at her. He knew what he was going to say, and soon had no problem saying it.

"Of course there is something for me to gain. I would not do business unless everyone involved profited. That is the anti-business policy, shall we say?"[/color] His lips curled into a charming smile, this one completely sincere as he spoke to her. "I would gain from the profit, of course. You see, after listening to you talk about it, I think if I bought the candy, and other goodies directly from you I could in turn sell them to others around the castle. Instead of you giving away candy for free, you could always give away free candy with each purchase made. Still hand out some to make people happy, but save the really quality stuff to sell to others. Say for instance, the licorice wands could be sold for a few knuts, while you toss in a gumball for free to continue to make others happy. As for the hitch, well I would of course buy from you but then sell it a little higher to others to continue making a profit."[/color] He hoped to keep the concept simply so he would not have to explain the complete business model to her. He knew she would understand, it was obvious she is not stupid. In fact, he felt she was much more intelligent than she might let on.

"I will give you three galleons to get started, for all this lot. The one in your hand, and two to match it. Then, with your help, I would price the individual candy and sell them accordingly. After the first three galleons of profit is made, I would split the rest of the profits from my sells with you at a seventy-five to twenty-five percent ratio. And, you would share your part of your sells with me at the same ratio, only you would get the seventy-five percent of your profits. We both make money, and I cover the initial cost of supply to give you bonus money with each shipment you receive. Make sense?"[/color] This arrangement would actually make her a ton more profit than him, but his cut was going to be converted into muggle money through his gold laundering and selling business with his American counterpart. It was a win-win situation for all involved. If only she saw the deal as helpful to her, and would agree. Eric knew she would make more money than her own father in a matter of a few short months.

He moved two more gold coins from his robe, and laid them on the ground in front of her. His eyes moved from the money to the candy then up to rest on her own. Again he was taken back by her attractiveness, and knew that this combined with her personality would play a strong part in her ability to sell candy to strangers. Eric would not be surprised if she out sold him in no time at all. This did not matter to him, it was all a small cog in the bigger business picture for him. The art of the deal was only part of the excitement for him. He thrived on this part of the game, and he was positive that once she thought it out she would see that she could help her family a great deal. Now, all he could do was wait and see if she agreed, or had more questions. Either way, Eric was prepared for what came next.

Tagg: Ash
Notes: Sorry about the formating. I was in a rush this morning and did not have time to make it look all pretty. I did change the speaking font so the conversation did not get lost when Eric spoke. Might be easier to read that way. [/size][/blockquote]

[ashlin o'mara]

Popping her knuckles she smiled at him and stayed sat in the middle of the floor smiling at him one hundred percent. There was nothing that this girl couldn't do if she had enough motivation and that was all she needed. Staring at the licorice wand in her hand she laughed quietly. There was not a time when he wand was actually found, during class she always had to dig for it, or she left it in her dorm room, but she always was able to find it quickly. With the amount of sugar running through her veins, she was a quick little monster.

"Yes, I always happen to lose my wand even in the most dire of times, though it's not always that bad. Most of the time it is stuck up in my hair." With that her hand moved to the back of her head and sighed. No, it wasn't there but it was still a good thought. At least that was what she was hoping. Sifting through the candy, she pulled up licorice wand after licorice wand, Ashlin about gave up on the search, she didn't need it now anyway. It may not even be in this purse, it could be in her green one back in her dorm so she shrugged it off and leaned back on her hands after looking over the flavors and wrappers that littered the stone floor.

A magic trick that wasn't wizardly happened before her eyes and she stared at him until the galleon was placed in the palm of her hand. Eye glittering, it was true, she had rarely held one of these, they were rather heavy and her jaw clenched. Ears perking up she listened to him while she just stared at the wizarding money that was placed in her hand. So he wanted to be a reseller? Isn't that what private shops do? Yes, yes that is definitely what private shops do, but isn't it against school policy to sell things within the walls? She shook her head as she thought to herself and took in a breath. I don't think there is a policy against it, and if I could continue making students happy and possibly cut the poorer of the lot a deal on some of the better candies they would definitely be happy about it all.

Without thinking about it she began chewing on the inside of her lip. Something she got from the Murphy side of her family, her mother's side. After a small break he continued and she stared at the floor some more thinking it over. The money she could make, especially given her personality, would be phenomenal. Carefully watching his movements after what he had revealed to her she chewed on her lip some more mulling over the situation and thinking about it a bit more.

"What you're saying is, you will purchase what I have here for three galleons and resell them to students, even though they know that they can get them from me for free. Wouldn't that damage your sales, unless I go along with what you have planned?" Tapping her foot on the ground she looked at him carefully some more. The money she gained would definitely help her parents out back home and she would become closer to her dream of opening a shop better than Honeydukes, not necessarily in Hogsmeade or even Diagon Alley. She had this brilliant idea of opening a store that was open to both types of customers.

Though she wasn't to positive about the twenty-five to seventy-five ratio she looked at him. Perhaps her skills would be of use here, Ashlin was surprisingly well when it came to math and other things that didn't include magic. She had a business mind and that was what came in handy when he offered this idea to him. "No," with a shake of the head she leaned over the candy and looked through what she had, quickly grouping likes items together and pulling out the empty wrappers and candies that had become unwrapped and cast them all aside in their own little pile. "Most of the muggle candies I have are quite expensive, I will make a list of what I can obtain with prices next to each item. I will cut you a deal and offer my services at thirty percent cost. In other words, you get thirty percent off of each piece, most items that come in bulk will be even cheaper."

Holding up her hand she grabbed a small bag. "Since these come in packages of ten, I will list the price as such, and you would get thirty percent off of this entire package. My mom gets most of these candies at low prices anyway, if we inflate the cost to consumers then I offer you a deal as a reseller so you're making profit as well. I want a seventy thirty ratio and I also want all prices to stay what I list them as. I will not gouge out students of this school, some of which I know can hardly afford anything as it is sold in Hogsmeade."

Her brain was ticking, she wanted to do this, but along her terms. "We will undercut Honeydukes and Sugarplum's Sweets Shop in Diagon Alley, but not to the point to force them out of business, confectionery geniuses must stick together you know. Without them we wouldn't have these products. If we're going to do this I also want to know I can trust you. No secrets no lies, and definitely no deceit. If I find out you're using me the deal is off, and you can keep what ever it is you're doing. At that point I will be selling my own product and you can get it elsewhere. I will undercut you and diminish your supply. Am I understood?"

[eric]

His admireation of her continued to grow as she made her demands, and laid down what she expected of their business relationship. If nothing else was gained this day, he knew he would have gained a very successful business partner, so to speak. He had no qaulms with any of her choice demands, and in fact thought that this way would work out better for both of them. At least he knew he would not have to hold her hand through every twist and turn, and headache that came with making a new business partner. He was pleased with these results, and nodded his head lightly. He had no worries aobut her threats, in fact he had expected something along that line coming from her. He was not in the least intimidated, but she did not need to know this. Eric was up for the challenge, and if allowing her to think she had the upper hand in this matter, then he would do so with a smile.

"I agree, completely."

[/color] His eyes touched hers and he began to move from his position into one where he was now standing over the product in question. His eyes never left her, "Fair enough, when will it be good for you to get started with all this new venture?"[/color] A smile accompanied his words, a charming smile that was genuine. If he did not make one thin cooper from this meeting he would still walk out ahead. Watching her turn from mild mannered candy giver, to sugar mogual would be a pleasure in itself. He would remember that this was where it all began.

---

I am so sorry this is so short. I was not up for writing as much as I thought I might be. I hope this will stand alone as the beginning of the end, I am not sure what else we can do with this thread at the moment. Would you like to close it out?[/size][/blockquote]