Before Frick could even open his mouth to offer a price, Maurise cut him off.
"I'm sorry, My Lady, but this dog is my personal pet. He isn't part of the shop's inventory."
Lady Caroline turned her hollow, empty eye sockets toward Maurise. She leaned her jaw elegantly against the back of her hand, her finger bones clicking softly.
"Oh, little wizard, where did you find such a charming creature? I've quite taken a fancy to him. Are you certain you won't part with him for the right price?"
Maurise felt the skeletal dog in his arms squirm with sudden anxiety. He reached down to scratch the dog behind its bony ears, whispering a low reassurance.
"Easy, you silly mutt. I'm not going to sell you."
The skeletal dog stilled instantly. It let out a satisfied rattle and rubbed its skull affectionately against Maurise's cheek. It seemed the beast was convinced of its own worth. After all, it was its master's third favorite pet!
Seeing this display of loyalty, Lady Caroline sighed with a touch of theatrical regret.
"What a shame. I've always wanted a skeletal hound to keep me company. I could see it now: I'd have gems set into its skull so it would glitter with every step. Oh, it would be magnificent."
"He is not for sale," Maurise repeated, his voice firm and unwavering.
"Are you quite sure you won't reconsider?" Lady Caroline leaned in, her perfume smelling faintly of dried roses and ancient dust.
"I could offer a very handsome sum. Two hundred Galleons? That is my final offer. You must realize that the pets of the living usually fetch a mere dozen Galleons at best."
Two hundred Gold Galleons!
Maurise froze. He slowly looked down at the pile of bones in his arms, his eyes suddenly sparkling with a very different kind of light.
The skeletal dog tilted its head, a sense of impending doom suddenly radiating from its empty ribs. The air in the shop went silent for several heartbeats.
Finally, Maurise turned back to Lady Caroline with a bright, professional smile.
"In that case, My Lady, perhaps we should sit down and discuss the finer details of this transaction."
The dog's jaw dropped open, literally clicking as it hit Maurise's arm.
In the end, Maurise didn't actually sell his pet. Despite his practical nature, he did have a shred of sentimentality for the creature. However, once he mentioned that he could craft a skeletal dog of even higher quality, Lady Caroline was practically tripping over her silken hem to place an order.
After some vigorous haggling, the price was settled at two hundred and fifty Galleons for a custom-built hound.
"Two days then, Lady Caroline," Maurise said as he walked her toward the door. "We shall exchange the goods for the gold then. It's only fair."
Lady Caroline nodded gracefully.
"It has been a delight, Mr. Black. I like you. I do hope the hound you bring me is as exquisite as you promise."
She gave a brief, dismissive nod to Frick, who was still standing by the counter like a piece of furniture, and swept out of the shop.
Through the window, Maurise watched as a magnificent silver carriage, which seemed to have appeared out of thin air, blocked the narrow alleyway. Lady Caroline climbed inside, and the carriage took flight immediately, vanishing into the gray sky.
Interestingly, the carriage was pulled by a pair of Thestrals. Maurise watched them with keen interest; it was the first time he had seen the skeletal horses outside the grounds of Hogwarts. He had mistakenly assumed they were a local specialty of the school.
Frick finally snapped out of his trance. He let out a strangled gasp.
"Merlin's beard! Mr. Black, did you just secure a deal for two hundred and fifty Galleons?"
During the entire negotiation, Frick had tried to interject several times, but Lady Caroline had ignored him so thoroughly he might as well have been a ghost.
Maurise set his dog down and turned around.
"It would appear so."
The deal wasn't finished yet, though. He had exactly forty-eight hours to assemble a lively, high-end skeletal dog from scratch if he wanted to see a single coin of that gold.
Frick stood in silence for a moment, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Lady Caroline is quite wealthy, isn't she?" Maurise asked, trying to keep the conversation casual.
"She's terrifyingly rich," Frick nodded.
"Do you truly not know who she is? Lady Caroline is the lead dancer for the Danse Macabre, the most famous undead troupe in the wizarding world."
"That explains it," Maurise mused.
"No wonder her joints are so well-oiled."
At those words, Frick's expression shifted instantly. His face contorted into a mask of pure suspicion and hostility.
"Listen here, Mr. Black! If you think you're going to steal Lady Caroline away from me, you've got another thing coming! Her heart belongs to me alone!"
Maurise's young face went blank. He stared at the shopkeeper in genuine confusion. Was this man under the impression they were in some sort of romantic rivalry? Over a skeleton?
"I just want the money, Frick," Maurise said dryly.
Frick narrowed his eyes, leaning over the counter.
"Is that the truth?"
"I am eleven years old," Maurise replied flatly.
While everyone was entitled to their own peculiar tastes, Maurise silently hoped Frick might consider a visit to St. Mungo's. He had heard they had an excellent ward for those who had spent a bit too much time alone with their inventory.
"I don't believe you," Frick muttered.
He reached under a shelf and hauled out a heavy, brass-bound device that looked like a cross between a grocery scale and a sundial. He gestured for Maurise to stand on it. As soon as Maurise stepped up, glowing runes hissed into the air. They displayed his age, weight, height, and a surprisingly detailed summary of his current health.
Once Frick saw the "11 Years Old" hovering in bright blue light, his demeanor did a complete 180-degree turn. He became incredibly warm, calling Maurise by his first name and agreeing to sell him the necessary bones for the new project. He even threw in a spare toe bone to fix Maurise's pet for free.
Finally, upon learning that Maurise had been sent by his mother, Frick even agreed to let him take the supplies on credit.
There was, of course, a catch. The current skeletal dog had to stay behind as collateral, acting as a temporary shop guard.
As Maurise left the shop, he caught Frick looking at the dog with a look of intense, professional curiosity. It wasn't surprising; a man who spent his life selling bones couldn't help but admire a set that could walk and wag its tail.