章 12: Two years(part 2)
The ride on the Knight Bus was short this time, and Ted got lucky, as another passenger who had been picked up before him also wanted to go to Charing Cross. The Knight Bus didn't prioritize destinations or give preferential treatment to those traveling short distances.
This meant that even if you were heading only 100 meters away, you had to wait for all the passengers picked up before you, as well as for any pickups that occurred between other rides, if there were any.
Now, passing through the Leaky Cauldron, Ted covered his head with the cape, doing his best to remain inconspicuous. Over the years, he had avoided this place like fire. After his first trip, he had come to understand some of the reactions he encountered on Diagon Alley and tried to make the best out of the situation.
A child wandering the streets of London might strike some people as odd, but that happened every day. No one would even notice it as long as the kid dressed normally. While wandering the streets, they would probably think he was part of a passing family, while in a shop, they would think his family is nearby or something.
But the magical world, although quite similar, had one striking difference: many people knew each other. Sure, not everybody knew everybody, but eventually, almost all British wizards and witches went to the same school and shopped on the same street.
This meant that, unlike London, where the chance of encountering a familiar face while wandering the streets was nonexistent, here they ran into someone they knew almost every time. And the Leaky Cauldron, being the main gathering place for a large part of the British magical community, was at the top of this phenomenon.
Meaning everyone knew everyone, and that also meant that people would notice outsiders. That's why many went there with their capes hiding their faces, trying to avoid being seen, because once they were seen, there was a high chance that rumors would start, and rumors were a powerful thing.
He was very lucky to pick the Selwyn name that day while introducing himself. Selwyn, being a prominent magical family, seemed to have quite a few offspring that traveled overseas to the USA.
And so, with the lack of knowledge over the departed family, when the rumors over him started, he got himself a perfect cover identity. The son of the traveling Lord Selwyn who got lost. Simple, but he could use it in the future, that is, as long as he hid his face for now.
If someone saw him again in the Leaky Cauldron, he would either use this identity, hoping it would be okay, or lose it, trying his best to convince them over why he lied. Either way, this would be a loss for him since he would lose the mysterious aspect of this identity.
Anyway, he wasn't interested in the old pub. It was a nice place, but it didn't offer anything important, other than information, maybe. Anyway, not many people saw him, so this made avoiding them easy. Tom, the owner, was the main problem, but the old man didn't see very well, so as long as he passed through fast, no one would notice a thing.
Reaching the backroom, Ted once again tapped the bricks in the same sequence, walking into the familiar busy street.
Like always, the place was full of people, all dressed in their vibrant robes, hopping along the streets, from shop to shop. Like every summer, kids and teenagers seemed to walk the streets with their parents, following a piece of paper that described the items needed for the upcoming year.
There were hundreds of students attending Hogwarts, and most would prefer finishing their shopping at the earlier part of the summer so they could read ahead before the year started. For the later years, even this small advantage relieved the pressure put on them by a lot.
Ted's expression didn't change much at the sight of this, but internally, he was full of smiles. The more magic he learned, the easier keeping his emotions under control seemed to be. It was quite weird, but he deduced it was related to his growing knowledge.
Like someone who practices physics would have an easier time improving in other fields that use similar knowledge, such as engineering, both being related heavily to math. Similarly, he, who practiced control over magic, had an easier time in the field of controlling emotions, both being connected to his thoughts and state of mind. He had no other explanation for it.
Removing the hat of the cloak and traveling down the street leisurely, he didn't draw much attention. He didn't look like a first-year, with his height similar to that of a thirteen-year-old. Even those who did bother to give him a second glance, mostly for his impressive looks, would think he was already familiar with the alley through shopping here the years before.
Muggle children weren't rare, and although they mostly did their shopping with their guardian, that wasn't a possibility for all. Those who couldn't go with their guardian would mostly write it off to the school when replying to the letter, and a teacher would come and help them.
But some would still choose to go shopping alone, albeit it was considered dangerous. It was often that a student disappeared over the passing summer, not showing for the starting year.
Passing through the crowd, Ted had reached his target: the old shop with the peeling gold letters on top, 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C.'
Buying a wand had many restrictions. First, one needed to be formally accepted into a magic school and have proof of study or graduation. For the first years, Hogwarts had a business relationship with Ollivanders, and so the list of newly accepted students would be sent there on the 1st of July every year.
As part of the agreement, Hogwarts also sponsored said students, paying 95% of the price of the student's first wand. This allowed a lot more freedom for the poor and the Muggle-born, allowing them to buy better equipment.
Another restriction was Ministry approval, though Ted heard rumors that this one had a price. This rule determined that one had to be approved by the local ministry to buy a wand. This was meant to restrict the wizards and witches to buy a wand in their own country.
The problem with that was that not every country created wands with every material as the core. Some people, although very rare, could only connect to a certain creature as their wand core.
He had once read about a family in Germany whose ancestor had some dragon blood in him. He didn't know how much of it was true, but according to the book, they could speak to lizards and couldn't use any wand not of the exact type of dragon as their ancestor.
Taking a deep breath, Ted opened the door. For some reason, the brass bell didn't ring as he entered the small shabby shop.
Ollivanders was exactly as he remembered, same mountains of narrow boxes, stacked neatly near the wall reaching the ceiling, same empty old wooden floor, and even the same wooden chair that stood near the entrance.
The only difference was that this time, Garrick Ollivander seemed to have already been at the front, as he was handing a wand to a girl, probably around Ted's age. The girl took the wand, looking at it with wonder. It was medium in length and light brown in color, and it was slightly curvy at the handle.
The moment she touched it, a smile rose to her face, as she felt the magic naturally drawn to it.
"Great match, I see, 12 inches Maple with a dragon heartstring also slightly bendy. A wand for one of courage and purpose." Garrick smiled as he stacked a few wand cases and levitated them back to their place. "This would be 6 Galleons and 2 Sickles."
Nodding, an older woman who stood by the girl handed her a few coins, the girl giddily passed them to Garrick before running out of the store.
"Don't run alone, Katie!" The woman, following her, called after her loudly. As she hurriedly ran through the open door, trying her best to catch up. Ted's eyes followed his future classmate, giving a judging gaze at her childish behavior.
"I was wondering when I'll get to see you."
The aged voice of Garrick awakened him from his thoughts, making him turn his head. The old man, just like the shop, was exactly as two years ago. Though the man's behavior was much calmer, obviously, he wasn't caught in the same surprise as the last time they met.
"You really do have her eyes." He stated with a welcoming smile. "I'm sorry you didn't get to know her; she was a truly wonderful person."
Ted closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath through his nose. When he opened his eyes, his expression didn't change, but inside, he was on the verge of crying. He looked at the old man and only gave a slight, polite smile.
"I still remember the little time we did have." Ted spoke, making the old man sigh sadly at his behavior. He recognized the young man's successful action of hiding his emotions, a skill he definitely shouldn't have mastered so young.
"Regemency..." Garrick mumbled weakly, though Ted still heard him. He was curious about the man's reaction. But before he could even ask, Ollivander continued. "Elara was a very talented wandmaker, very open-minded, yes... even better than me, some might say."
"She was truly great. (Deep sigh) By the fifth year, she was already creating wands at my level, and her interest filled with far more variety." His silver eyes turned glassy as he recalled old memories, a small photo floated into his hands.
"Her wand was a very rare Silver Lime, made of the stamp of a five-centuries-old tree. She was really thrilled when she found it, hidden in a cave, not too far from Hogwarts. Its core, on the other hand, was a feather of one of the rarest of all creatures, a Unisus, the offspring of a unicorn and a pegasus." He said, deep pride present in his voice, but it soon turned into frustration.
"If not for those Death Eaters... she really could have been the greatest..."
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HIMYM:Barney Stinson... But with a vampire system?!
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