Harry Potter: Syndicate of Heroes

Harry shook his head, not understanding why someone would want to tear down something with such obvious character.

"And because of its position, this has caused this particular building to be left on the market for a long time, allowing the interior to deteriorate somewhat," Amelia continued. "It was actually one of the first buildings in this area to become protected and, when the family that owns it went out of business quite some time ago, they were restricted in who wanted to buy it."

"I can assure you, Ms Larson, that I have no intention of wanting to tear it down," Harry said.

"That's good, but even if you don't touch the exterior, it's going to need a fair bit of work - that's the other reason that it's been on the market for as many years as it has," she said.

"What kind of work are we talking about?" Harry asked.

Amelia sighed as she opened up the large black folder that she'd been carrying and flipped a couple of pages over.

"The electricals need to be completely ripped out and put back in; the plumbing needs an overhaul; the cellar - which can be accessed through the kitchen - has a tendency to leak and fill with water whenever it rains; and the two upstairs living areas need new interior walls."

"You know, you're not exactly doing a good job of selling me on this place," Harry remarked amusedly.

Amelia smiled slightly. "You seem like a nice young man and I simply wouldn't feel right selling you something without making sure that you knew what you were getting in for. And besides, for the price that the owners of this place are asking, you could get something much more modern and in much better condition than you're seeing right now."

"And how many of them would have the same feel as this place?" Harry asked, and before she could answer, he raised a hand to indicate that he hadn't finished. "I'm an old-fashioned kind of guy, Ms Larson; I like the old-world feel. And this building, even with its list of defects does give me that feel."

"Well, how about we look at the rest of the building and see if that feeling is still there after you've actually seen these defects first-hand, hmm?" Amelia said.

Together they went through the door on the left of the counter that Harry had been aiming towards not long before. There they found a massive kitchen area. One side, the one closest to them, had a large walk-in fridge/freezer that looked as though it needed to be replaced decades ago. The stoves and counters were likewise decades out of date, although the large sinks only looked to need a decent cleaning. There was storage space galore in the form of cupboards, both open and with doors.

On the opposite side of the room were a pair of doors - one which led outside to the alley and one which descended on a spiral staircase to the cellar. As Amelia had noted, the cellar was damp. Mould and mildew grew unchecked on the walls and Harry stopped on the bottom step, unwilling to venture any further into the dark, dank place. By crouching and twisting slightly, he was able to make out a slither of daylight that obviously came in through the trapdoor in the alley - most likely the culprit of the water problem as well.

After re-emerging into the main section of the building that they'd first entered into via the right-hand door to the counter, Amelia and Harry opened the door that was tucked away in the corner behind a pillar. A flight of stairs greeted them that Harry led them up. He paused after the third step, feeling the wood beneath his feet creaking ominously, only to proceed a lot more cautiously from there on up.

The first level that they reached was littered with pieces of broken wall, dust and the evidence of animals - small piles of rubbish, rat droppings everywhere and what looked like an old bird's nest on top of one of the rafters. Apart from the main living area, there was a small kitchen and dining area, a bathroom and three small rooms.

The second level was actually in slightly better repair, although Harry could see that the walls were also in desperate need of replacement, as well as the bathroom and a couple of the windows.

The last level that they reached was actually the roof. It was completely flat, with a low wall - about four feet high - around three of the sides, the last side being the side of the neighbouring building. At the moment, it was completely void of any structures, but Harry could easily imagine adding a small greenhouse or something up there.

After descending back through the building to the main ground floor area, Amelia turned to Harry, asking him what he thought of it.

"So, do you still have the same feeling of old-world charm for this building after seeing its state of disrepair?" she asked. "You wouldn't prefer to have me show you something else?"

Harry looked around the large room once more, taking it all in, despite the limited lighting.

"I think that this place has a lot of potential," he said slowly.

"That's definitely one way of looking at it," Amelia said dryly. "If you don't mind my asking, what is it about this place that has caught your attention?"

"As I said earlier, Ms Larson, I'm an old-world kind of guy. I spent seven years of my schooling in a private boarding school that was housed in a castle and the nearest village could have come straight out of medieval times. I guess that I really grew to love it and I kind of miss it," he explained. "And while I could go home, I don't think that I'm ready for that. I guess spending five years travelling the world has made me outgrow it in some respects and yearn for it in others. This, this could be a way to have the best of both worlds - the old-world charm in amongst the bright new world out there."