This is your pretty standard shopping chapter, the only relevant bits are
- The shift to 3rd person POV
- A few house-elves are purchased and sent to set up Merlin's Loft for living in
-Myrrdin's wand had to be custom made, from acacia and ice phoenix feather, 9 inches, rigid. Suited to strong defensive spellwork and subtly powerful mages
Myrrdin, and boy what a name that was, left Gringotts with her identity in this world secured, and a pouch of gold in her pocket, with a signet ring on her right ring finger capable of being her signature for large purchases.
Kronos and Myrrdin had planned out many things, one being that her first impression on the leaders of this world must be a good one. While she must attend Hogwarts, grow up with the wizards and witches she would rule, the adults must take her seriously enough to deal with her. So the first places she would visit were the House elf Emporium, and Twilfitt and Tattings.
When Myrrdin walked into the Emporium, every elf in the store tensed. The uncertainty roiled off of them in waves, and they watched from their pens closely as she approached the counter.
The store itself looked like a pet store with most of the floor space being small pens, each with an elf or two. In the back, near the counter, one elf had his arm straining to reach over the barrier, holding hands with another elf, who herself had a child at her feet. In all the store held seven elves, and Myrrdin felt a bit sick at the sight of them.
The door had rung a bell when she entered, and the shopkeeper, a man in his late thirties, looked up with a bored look on his face. "How may I assist you in your shopping today?"
His tone kept up the boring image.
"I'm looking to purchase an elf or two to upkeep a house for me, what can you tell me about these here?" She waved to the store in general.
"Ah, well we are actually low on stock, the last pair to have a kid is those two," He waved towards the separated elves. "He's good with gardens, while she is trained for childcare. We also have these four,"
He gestured at the remaining elves. "Which include a cook, librarian, and two general maintenance trained elves. What kind of work are you looking for your elf to do?"
Myrrdin looked at the six elves, plus the little one, and reached a decision. "I'll take the lot."
"What, all of them?! Miss, I don't know if your parents would be okay with you spending so much..."
"Not to worry, I have full authority to spend whatever I deem needed. Just sell me the elves."
The shopkeeper sighed and opened the gates to each pen. The elves filed out and formed a line before her, looking up at her with huge eyes full of curiosity and wariness.
"Sign here. You get the name of each elf, and say "I claim elf's name, for my house and home."
Myrrdin was happy to sign and turned to the elves with an expectant look.
Each elf stepped up and gave its name, the mother giving her child's name as well. They were Bertle, Pep, Tipper, Poppy, Dyn, Whimsy, and Skip.
Bertle, Poppy, and Skip were the family.
"Alright, rule one, no punishing yourselves. If you feel you've done wrong, come to me and we will discuss it. I will be providing a uniform for each of you, and expect you to represent our house well. For now, I would like Whimsy to stay with me while I shop, and the rest of you head to Merlin's Loft to get it cleaned up and ready to live in. Pep, you are in charge of stocking the pantry and having a light dinner ready when I return. Any questions?"
They all shook their heads, and popped away, while Whimsy took up a place just behind Myrrdin to her left, ready to help with the shopping.
House elf purchase done, Myrrdin headed for Twilfitt and Tattings.
Again, the bell rang as she opened the door, and a matronly woman bustled over.
"I am in need of robes fit for royalty, as soon as they can be done. I'm to go before the Wizengamot in the next few days and require suitable clothes."
If she didn't act like an adult, this woman was going to infantize her so bad.
"Yes, ma'am. Do you have any color preference?" Rolls of fabric floated down from the racks as a tape measure began flitting about in front of her face.
"Nothing that suggests a preference as to Hogwarts houses. perhaps a purple, with copper as an accent color?"
The lady nodded. "We can do that. A lavender would suit your skin, the lovely caramel color that it is. Although an emerald green would also look well on you."
Myrrdin gave a thoughtful look. "I do need a full wardrobe as well, though not as rushed. Do what you think best. Does this store provide Hogwarts robes as well?"
"I'm afraid we don't dear, you'll have to head up to Madam Malkin's, she has an arrangement with the headmaster." The woman made it quite clear what she thought of that.
"Very well, thank you. This is my house elf Whimsy, and she will be the one collecting my robes, both these purple ones and the full wardrobe."
Myrrdin paid and was on her way.
The stop in Madam Malkins was quick, as was the collection of most of her Hogwarts equipment. At Flourish and Blotts however, Myrrdin spent a lot more time. Books on wizard history, politics, culture, as well as a book on the basics of most every branch of magic. Books on education systems, teaching styles, and business. Law books and copies of the charters for Hogwarts, the Wizengamot, and the Ministry of Magic. Whimsy was happy to make herself useful, popping the purchases to the house so Myrrdin did not have to carry them. Finally, the only thing left to buy was a wand.
Ollivander's was empty when she stepped inside, but she knew better than to trust the appearance of solitude. Her instinct proved right when an old man appeared from seemingly nowhere.
"Miss Burke. How lovely to see you. Here for a wand, I suppose?"
"Why else?" She asked.
"Right let's see," Ollivander reached behind the counter to grasp a box, but it scooted away from his reach. "Clearly not that one." He mumbled with a huff.
But the problem continued. each box he reached for skittered away from his hands, backing away into the depths of the back room. Finally, the old man threw up his hands. "Custom job it is!"
Bustling around behind the counter, he pulled up multiple pieces of wood, as well as three crystal jars. "I haven't made a custom wand in centuries-ah I mean decades. Not even for Dumbledore himself. Now reach out and touch each jar, and we will determine your wand core."
Myrrdin reached for the jars, and one jumped away from her hand completely, just like the premade wands had from Ollivander.
The other two, she picked up and felt a subtle humming coming from the jar in her left hand.
"Ah, phoenix feather. That particular feather is from an ice phoenix, makes for strong defensive spellwork."
He had her repeat the process with the woods, and when she chose one, "Acacia. Suited to subtle and powerful mages. Well then, I think we can expect great things from you, Miss Burke."
He then took the two items and his own wand and began to cast several spells, muttering as the wand core began to glow, and the wood seemed to release a cloud of black smoke.
She lost sight of them for less than a second, and suddenly there was a fully formed wand being presented to her handle first. Seemingly impatient, the wand jumped into her hand and let out a thrum so loud the shop seemed filled with the sound.
"Acacia and ice phoenix feather, 9 inches, rigid."
Myrrdin turned the wand over in her hands. It was an orangy red wood, straight, with a spiral that raised out of the handle, looping around in larger circles the further up the wand it went. etched into the base was a series of runes, which Ollivander explained were to amplify control until she had trained with it sufficiently.
"That there is one of the most powerful wands I've made, I'd rather it not backfire on you while you're learning. The runes will fade when the wand deems you ready to handle its full power."
Myrrdin left the shop pleased and ready for the last of her shopping.
Wizard shopping done, Myrrdin exchanged some money for pounds and applied a newly learned age glamour. It would not fool wizards, but muggles? Certainly.
Whimsy was told to wait for her call, and Myrrdin headed for muggle clothing shops. If she was to be royalty, she couldn't get away with basic jeans and tee shirts, not in 1971 anyway, so she picked up some dress slacks and shirts suited to a young lady, then called it a day. "Whimsy? Take me home."