Chapter Three "Diagon Alley"
"This is it," said Rin as she came to a halt. "The Leaky Cauldron. It's a famous place to wizardkind. Even mages know about it."
Rin pointed to a tiny pub. It was ancient and worn from the elements, giving the sense that it was made centuries ago. No one could spot any modern features until they peered through the windows and saw there was modern lighting inside.
"What are the differences between mages and wizardkind? I sort of know the differences, but I wanted to make sure that I hadn't made the wrong conclusions." Shirou asked.
"Mages embrace the new. You can see that by mages keep up with the latest scientific and technological advances. Accepting and adopting the social and cultural norms of the modern world." Rin proudly described the group of magic-users that she belonged to. "Wizardkind on the other hand are extremely conservative. They are still stuck with a society and culture centuries past."
Shirou didn't comment on Rin holding mages in a higher standard than wizardkind. What he disliked was that Rin seemed very ignorant of wizardkind. She seemed to be recounting only what she had read or heard from others. Her opinions might hold mild bias, but it could turn to discrimination very easily.
The two reincarnated children entered the Leaky Cauldron.
The inside of the Leaky Cauldron was just like its exterior, ancient and worn down. Unlike its exterior, the Leaky Cauldron was well maintained. There was not a single trace of dust or rubbish. People of all ages drank, ate and talked within the room. The low buzz of chatter stopped when everyone noticed Shirou's and Rin's entrance. The Leaky Cauldron became silent.
"Good Lord," said the bartender as he peered at Shirou, "Is this… can this be…? Bless my soul! Harry Potter... what an honor." He hurried out from behind the bar, rushed toward Harry and seized his hand, tears in his eyes. "Welcome back, Mr Potter, welcome back."
Shirou didn't know what to say. Everyone was looking at him with grateful eyes and smiled like he was a beacon of hope. Rin stood on the sidelines and watched. People dropped whatever they were doing and began to flock around Shirou.
"Doris Crockford, Mr Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."
"So proud, Mr Potter, I'm just so proud."
"Always wanted to shake your hand ... I'm all of a flutter."
"Delighted, Mr Potter, just can't tell you, Diggle's the name, Dedalus Diggle."
Soon everyone in the room seemed to want to introduce themselves to Shirou.
"That's strange though, where is his famous thunderbolt scar?"
"Yea, wasn't that the scar that You-Know-Who gave him before he disappeared?"
"A magical scar like that doesn't just disappear."
The room placed an unhealthy amount of attention to the lightning bolt scar that Shirou had once had on his forehead. He didn't know what was so significant about his former scar. It seemed very important as it was related to his newfound fame that he had never known about.
Shirou had removed the magical scar when it was getting him an absurd amount of unwarranted attention from children and adults alike. All sorts of inquiries from the innocent questioning of naïve children to scolding of adults. He had used his magic skills from his past life to remove it but getting rid of the wraith that somehow ended attached to the magical scar.
"Why was there even a powerful wraith in my scar?" Shirou muttered in confusion as he recalled the memories of banishing the rather powerful wraith that was bound to the lightning bolt shaped scar that once adorned his forehead.
Shirou, let's go, Rin's words entered Shirou's mind as she sent him an electronic message.
"I am happy to meet you all." 'Shirou announced in a loud voice. "Unfortunately, I am very busy. Please make way."
Shirou applied Reinforcement magic on his body. This granted him with physical strength surpassing most fully-grown men. He gently used his newfound strength to push aside people and got out from the disappointed crowd. The crowd attempted a last flurry of handshakes with Shirou before they dispersed knowing that their savior was gone.
Rin led Shirou through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, where there was nothing but a trash can and a few weeds.
"Give me a second," said Rin as she wrecked her mind. "What was I supposed to do, again…? Arh!"
If it had been Shirou a day ago, he would have failed to notice what Rin had done. He was still not very familiar with Spirit Hacking, but he detected an electronic transmission.
"Welcome," said Rin as she turned to face Shirou, "to Diagon Alley."
Shirou watched as he took in every change. From behind the wall that was folding itself away to the sides, he saw a large town right in the center of what should be London. Thousands of people were walking the streets, scores of shops of all sorts and everything else that made a bustling downtown. While the physical beauty was a marvel to stare at, he had seen more impressive sights from the forgotten and abandoned ruins of lost civilizations to futuristic super-cities of the 2040s.
Rin grabbed Shirou's arm and gently pulled as she led the way. They stepped through the archway and into the street.
"Why are we even here? Zelretch had Waver prepare everything I need for Hogwarts." Shirou asked as he followed Rin.
"Try using your new sense," said Rin.
He remained puzzled about Rin's words. Shirou felt a still unfamiliar world open to him. Looking at Rin, Shirou saw something straight out of a video game. She had her name appearing above her head in green alongside with several suggestions such as sending an electronic file, voice call and etc.
"Now try looking around." Rin recommended.
Shirou was shocked by what he found next. There were several people around him that had grey words appearing above their names and some with question marks. The gray words above people's heads meant two things. Gray words represented people that were willing to reveal that they were mages. People with names meant that they were not afraid to announce their names. Those with question marks meant that they wanted to keep their identity a secret. He even detected people with gray outlines meaning. This meant that his nanomachines believed that the individual was a potential mage.
"I thought mages despised wizardkind?" Shirou asked curiously as he thought about his recent discovery.
"It's like saying every white american hates their fellow black americans ," said Rin. "Don't think that I didn't notice that you thought that I hated wizards!" She glared at Shirou. "As I was saying before… Most mages might have slight to mild bias against wizardkind. Mages that have an extreme prejudice and hatred against wizardkind make a very small percentage of our population."
He sighed. No matter how much things changed, there were somethings that never changed. Be it in his past life or his current one, humanity still remained the same. Shirou found that disappointing and relieving at the same time.
"I am seeing mages peacefully going on with their daily lives and interacting with wizardkind despite the prejudice that mages and wizardkind have for each other. So why? Why would mages hide their true identity?" Shirou asked.
"How wizardkind as a society considers mages as is a reverse from mage society. Most of wizardkind are either ignorant or have mild level of bias against mages. A large number of wizardkind despise us. Those that like mages are a minority and they have to hide their true opinions in fear of persecution." Rin replied.
"What a strange difference in society," said Shirou. "I am starting to become interested. What are the origins of the prejudice?"
"The 'mages' that you know today split off from wizardkind right around the end of World War II," said Rin. "This happened when the Global wizarding war came to an end. A war that started by a radical revolutionary, Gellert Grindelwald, who foresaw the rise of Muggles's technology to overcome magic. I mean literally with a vision of the future. The rapid rise of technology and its destructive power wrought on the world because of WWI and WWII only confirmed wizardkind's fear of technology. This war's legacy saw split of the magical world as you current see it. There are mages on one side and wizardkind on the other."
Shirou disagreed with how wizardkind viewed technology, but he could understand why they might do so. Before World War I, it could be said magic might have been superior than technology. The rapid technological advancement of weapons such as firearms, armed vehicles and the nuclear weapon upturned that notion that magic was superior than technology.
"I understand why wizardkind hates mages," said Shirou, "but why must mages interact with wizardkind? The information I learned about this world from the Magenet (the mages version of the Internet) reported that mage society was more than a hundred-fold more populous and influential than wizardkind. Mage society is large and wealthy enough to never need to interact with wizardkind."
"Many old traditions and ways of living have been abandoned by mages, but wizardkind still practice them," said Rin. "Due to this, many objects and services that no longer exist in mage society can only be found exclusively with wizardkind. It doesn't help that wizardkind has made it both illegal and culturally unacceptable for wizardkind and mages to interact with each other. Hence, mages can only conduct themselves in secrecy to interact with wizardkind."
"Interesting," said Shirou as he took in Rin's words. "So, where in particular are you taking me?"
"Just wait," said Rin as she led Shirou into a store with the sign, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
What Shirou found in the store did not surprise him. He saw clothes that stereotypical wizard and witches would wear like and clothing styles that were popular a century and more back. The store was filled with a very friendly and lively atmosphere. A perfect mood for both the store employee and customer to offer excellent service and fostering the desire to buy lots of goods.
Rin led him to a secluded corner of the store. They soon found themselves staring at a wall. He was baffled until Shirou detected an electronic transmission. It pinged his nanomachines and Shirou saw Rin accept the hand-shake signal. The air around him seemed to shift and he found himself in a very different place.
"Welcome to Malkin's Special Clothing Procurements," said Rin as she twirled around. "We have just entered a secret place that mages can buy some of the most well-made and famed clothing in the British Isles."
He was about to ask what was so special about his new surroundings. One quick glance around made Shirou's eyes widened. The clothing around him were incredible. The material and craftsmanship were superb. Some articles of clothing were close to matching the lowest defensive Noble Phantasms that Shirou had within Unlimited Blade Works. That spoke a lot as a Noble Phantasms even the lowest quality empowered by the legends of their owners far surpassed what most mortals could ever hope to create in their lives.
"This place sells really good equipment," said Shirou in amazement. "I can see many pieces of clothing that could rival or even surpass the Holy Mantle I possess."
"Oh, this is very interesting," said a woman as she entered Rin's and Shirou's vision. "We haven't had any new customers for a decade. There is a very extremely high standard that must be met before anyone can become a customer of this exclusive store."
"Lord Waver Valvet and Wizard Marshal Zelretch acted as our sponsors," said Rin and she held out two electronic cards. "These are to authenticate our identities."
"May I please?" The woman asked as she took the electronic cards with Rin's permission. "Everything seems to be in order. Welcome, new customers!" She bowed to Shirou and Rin. "My name is Elizabeth. I shall be your exclusive agent for today."
"We are looking for two sets of soul-binding clothing," said Rin. "One for the each of us."
"Soul-binding clothing?" Elizabeth repeated in surprise. "Are you sure, Miss? It is cheaper to buy and maintain multiple protective gear than to buy a single Soul-binding clothing."
"Price is not a problem," said Rin as light glowed from underneath her shirt. "I am one of the two Edelfelt successors. This proof of my Magic Crest should meet the monetary standards for buying soul-binding clothing."
Shirou still found it hard to accept Rin being an Edelfelt after an entire life knowing her as a Tohsaka and her intense rivalry with Luvia. Still, the fact that Rin seemed so happy and prideful of having immense wealth made him pleased.
"If that is what you wish," said Elizabeth. "Please follow me, Miss and Sir."
"What is a soul-binding clothing?" Shirou asked as he followed Elizabeth.
"You remember the clothing and armor worn by Servants?" Rin responded as she too followed Elizabeth. Shirou nodded his head. "Well they are basically the same. Soul-binding clothing and armor work with the same concept. They are spiritual objects that very few objects and magic will affect. Most of the time they are invincible. Their physical forms might be destroyed, but they can always be re-summoned if the wearer has enough magical energy. Their name comes from the fact that they bound to the soul of its wearer."
Shirou's eyes lit up. That was like having infinite protective gear. Unlike his Projections, a soul-binding equipment would not be destroyed by anti-magic weapons. He would no longer have to be concerned with his protective equipment being destroyed or dispelled under most circumstances.
"Here is the soul-binding clothing," said Elizabeth as she brought Rin and Shirou to a section of the store. "Please look around at what you wish to choose."
"Why are they all bodysuits…?" Shirou asked with a twitching brow as he saw bodysuit clad mannequins.
"The current fashion trend for mage's protective soul-bound gear are bodysuits." Rin explained.
Shirou just shrugged. Bodysuits first made him think about fictional superheroes. After thinking about it for a while, bodysuits didn't seem too strange from a realistic point of view. Unlike some crazy and bizarre fashions of battle clothing that Shirou had seen in the past, Bodysuits seemed like a good idea. Bodysuits covered most of the body, reducing the chances of injury. There was also the fact that given the body-confirming nature of bodysuits that additional armor could easily be worn over it.
It puzzled Shirou that there were no tags or signs normally shown to give the buyer some kind of information of the product they wanted to buy. That all changed when the bodysuits became highlighted in his vision. The information that he wanted began to appear. What he saw made him wince. The prize seemed outrageous. His view quickly changed when he saw what kind of material and enchantments were used.
"Each design is made out of different material and enchantments," said Elizabeth. "We make and sell two types of soul-bound protective gear; standard and specialized. Standard being pre-made goods that meet the needs of most mages. Specialized products are individually tailored to the specifications of the buyer."
"Specialized," said Rin without hesitation. "I want my protective gear to be made out the finest material and enchantments. Have your best craftsman on it. My order must prioritize stat bonus over protection."
"Of course, Miss," said Elizabeth as she took note. She soon turned her attention to Shirou. "What about you, Sir?"
Shirou remained a bit confused. He didn't understand what Rin meant by "stat bonus." His question quickly answered when he remembered the game-like conventions that he had discovered that this world's mages seemed to like to use.
"I prefer protection over stat bonuses," said Shirou as he was confident in his own ability and he didn't lack items that could provide "stat bonuses". I have Noble Phantasms for heaven's sake! What I really lack is armor as Unlimited Blade Works is lacking in that department.
"Understood," Elizabeth nodded. "Please make way to the scanning room so we can take your measurements."
Rin nodded her head and made her way to a room that had the sign, scanning room. By the time Shirou had made his way after Rin, she had already had her body scanned.
"It's your turn, Shirou," said Rin as she exited the scanning room.
Shirou nodded his head and made his way into the room to be scanned. It didn't take any longer than a couple of seconds before Shirou exited to find Elizabeth waiting for him.
"The order will take about an hour," said Elizabeth as she offered a tablet to Shirou. "Here is a detailed information about what you should expect. Please review the specifications of your order."
"I will take that," said Rin as she snatched the tablet. "My friend will not understand the specs."
Peering over Rin's shoulder, Shirou was shocked to find what he found. Shirou found a tablet screen filled with information that wouldn't be out of a video game. A screen that showed an item description. He should have expected it, but his mind was still having a hard time adjusting to the fact that many aspects of gaming culture was treated as if it was part of everyday life by mages.
"Can't you offer better?" Rin asked as she looked at Elizabeth. "These specs are good for Grade 0 items, but not enough in my eyes."
"Miss Edelfelt, the Mage's Association strictly forbids children possessing or using Grade 1 or above items." Elizabeth replied in a polite tone. "I cannot and will not provide anything better than what is currently offered."
"Do you know who I am…?" Rin asked in a threatening tone. "I am Rin Edelfelt, one of the twin succ…" She yelped in pain as Rin felt something hit her head. "Who did that?"
"It was me," said Shirou. "Rin, do you know how you are acting? Stop being a rich spoilt brat."
"Why can't I be a rich spoilt brat? I am only eleven and I always wanted to able to act like one…" Rin grumbled as she nursed her head.
Shirou sighed. He didn't have a problem with Rin acting like a rich spoilt brat. She was after all an eleven-year-old right now. It was alright if she wanted to act like that, but it was a whole different story when blackmail was involved. There were times that Shirou could turn a blind eye to such evils like when he was saving a life. The current situation didn't involve doing a minor evil for the greater good. So, he couldn't turn a blind eye to what Rin was trying to do.
"We are happy with what we see," said Shirou. "We will come back to pick up our order later. Do we need to pay right now or can that be done later?"
"There is no need to pay right now, Mr Emiya." Elizabeth replied.
"Then goodbye for now," said Shirou as he dragged Rin away. "Come on, show me where else I need to go to buy my gear."
- O -
Shirou Emiya found himself standing in front of a small and shabby shop. Peeling gold letters over the door that read, "Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BCE." A single wand lay on a faded purple cushion in the dusty window. It looked more like a worn down store that were in financially troubles.
"Don't look down at this store because of its appearance," said Rin. "The sign is also not a fabricated story. The Ollivanders are unsurpassed in the British Isles, few in Europe are their match, and they always rank amongst the top ten in the world. Be it a wizardkind wand or a mage's Mystic Code, this is the best place for us to get the last thing we need."
A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. Shirou recognized the bell as a simple Bounded Field that activated when someone entered the store to tell their owner that someone had entered their store.
The store was a tiny place. Shirou thought he had entered a very strict library, but instead of books of any sort there were thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling. What was out of place was the sheer amount of magical energy that was drifting in the air. So much magical energy that he could've mistaken thought that he was standing above a minor leyline or being in a place packed with mystical beings.
"Good afternoon," said a soft voice as the speaker revealed himself. An old man, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Hello," Shirou greeted.
"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Garrick moved closer to Shirou, but he didn't react as he detected the old man meant no harm. "Your father, on the other hand, favored a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favored it. Of course, it is really the wand that chooses the wizard."
"He isn't the only customer," said Rin in a slightly annoyed tone. "I am also here, Mr Ollivander."
"Oh, very interesting…" Garrick gazed at Rin. "A mage coming with a wizard. Not just any mage. An Edelfelt successor."
"He isn't a wizard," said Rin. "Shirou Emiya, or Harry Potter as you know him, is a mage."
Garrick walked up to Shirou. He came so close that he and Shirou were almost nose to nose. Shirou could see himself reflected in those misty eyes. It felt like for Shirou that Garrick was peering into his very soul.
"Very interesting… Someone that didn't have their memories of their past life erased from the cycle of reincarnation… No, you are something else! Just what makes you different, I don't recall…" Garrick mused in absentminded tone. "Your soul is vastly different from the rest of humanity…"
"You are correct," said Rin. "I am very impressed that you were able to recognize that Shirou was special. Even more so when you became very close to deducing his true nature."
"You seem to know the answer," said Garrick as he turned to Rin. "Please enlighten me, Miss Edelfelt."
"You are looking at something that most people will never get a chance to see. A Heroic Spirit." Rin replied.
"What?!" Garrick's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Rin," said Shirou in a disapproving tone. "Why are you revealing my true nature to a stranger?"
"Garrick," said Rin as she pointed to the wandmaker, "needs to know that if he is to produce a wand for you."
"This is indeed a very important piece of information," said Garrick as he nodded in agreement with Rin's words. "I would be honored to produce a Mystic Code for a Heroic Spirit. It is delightful that I can produce another masterwork along the likes of Add."
Shirou nearly slipped hearing that Garrick had created Add. The sentient cube-like being that Gray carried was not something that anyone could make. Add was a marvel of engineering. Not only was it sentient, but no one would expect that it would hide Rhongomyniad (King Arthur's spear). The fact that Garrick had made Add placed him amongst the likes of the legendary craftsman capable of producing works that could eventually become Noble Phantasms.
Garrick went flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.
"Before I make a custom Mystic Code from scratch, I want to see if any of my current stock of wands might be suitable for you," said Garrick as he neatly stacked several boxes before Shirou. "That will do." He took out a wand from the small wooden box. "Mr. Emiya. Try this one. Beechwood and dragon heartstring. Nine inches. Nice and flexible. just take it and give it a wave."
Shirou took the wand and waved it around for a moment but there was no response. Garrick snatched it out of his hand before Shirou could try a second attempt.
"Maple and phoenix feather. Seven inches. Quite whippy. Try..."
Shirou tried but he had hardly raised the wand when it, too, was snatched back by Garrick.
"No, no -here, ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy. Go on, go on, try it out."
Shirou tried. And tried. He had no idea what Garrick was waiting for. Some kind of reaction that he knew not of. Minutes passed by as the pile of tried wands grew higher and higher on the wooden floor, but the more wands Garrick pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.
"I am surprised that none of my wands have shown any reaction. What haven't I tried yet…? I wonder, now… yes, why not… unusual combination. Holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."
Shirou took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. He raised the wand above his head, brought it swishing down through the dusty air and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the end like a firework, throwing dancing spots of light on to the walls.
"Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious..." Garrick cried in amazement.
Then the wand exploded spectacularly as if Garrick had jinxed Shirou. The explosion was so powerful that parts of the wand shop caught on fire and the front glass had shattered, frightening passerbyers outside the store, who were screaming or running away in panic.
Shirou himself was unaffected by the explosions as decades of battle-honed instincts guided him to shield his body by covering his exposed skin with his clothes. His clothes and body having reinforced with magic provided protection along the lines of cheap iron armor. He had no injuries. There was the slight pain from the heat of the explosion.
"That was clearly not expected. I had thought that wand was the perfect match for you." Garrick spoke in dismay after seeing the damage to his store and the burning pile of wands that had been discarded after Shirou had tried them.
"Sorry," said Shirou even though he had no real part in causing the wand to explode, "but what was so special about that wand? It was like you were expecting it to match me."
"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr Emiya," said Garrick as he stared at Shirou. "Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather was in the wand that exploded in your hands, gave another feather ... just one other. The brother wand was used to kill your parents and gave you that iconic scar that you no longer bear. I thought maybe by chance that you were destined for that wand but it seems the wand rejected you in a very spectacular manner."
For a moment, anger filled Shirou at the thought while he didn't acknowledge his birth parents as his true parents, that title firmly belonged to the one that had raised him in his past life, Kiritsugu Emiya, that did not mean he didn't feel a connection to them. Two lives had been lost, and from what Garrick was saying it was likely that the owner of the twin wand had been connected or directly involved in the deaths of countless.
The anger quickly dispersed when he recognized that the past couldn't be undone and some fitting way, the brother wand of the one that had killed his biological parents had paid in some fashion for its brother's crime.
"Well, it seems like I will have to create a wand from scratch," said Garrick in a pleased tone as he had been eager to make another masterwork for a famous individual.
"Not from scratch," said Rin as she spoke up for the first time in a while. "Shirou, you should hand him a copy of your Holy Mantle or Kanshou and Bakuya."
"Why should I do that?" Shirou asked as he became interested in what Rin was thinking.
"The most potent wands in the past, with a few exceptions, had generally been ones created with objects that had strong connections with their owner or pieces of the wand-users's body," said Rin. "Any part of your current physical body pales in the level of connection to you when compared to the Noble Phantasms that have come to become associated with your legend."
"Interesting…" Garrick muttered. "Miss Edelfelt is correct in her knowledge of wandlore. Since you are a reincarnated Heroic Spirit, your Noble Phantasms will share the strongest connections to you." He stared at Rin as if she was a future apprentice that he wished to take. "The problem is… Are you willing to hand me fragments of a Noble Phantasm? To my knowledge, once a Noble Phantasm is damaged it takes an incredible amount of skill and material to fix it."
"You need to sign this," said Rin as a thick scroll appeared in her hands. "We have already shown you an incredible amount of trust by revealing Shirou's status as a Heroic Spirit. Something that was only possible as you, Garrick Ollivander, due to your reputation of being trustworthy and keeping secrets. Any more information could be used as a weapon against us. So, we need you to sign this geas before discussing any further regarding Shirou's wand."
"Please let me look," said Garrick as he took Rin's geas and looked at the magic-binding content. "This I can agree to sign. The conditions are fair, and I get more out of this transition than Mr Emiya does." Garrick signed the geas. "Let's us continue where we left off."
"Let me see," said Rin as she took the signed geas and inspected it. "Everything seems to be good in order." She looked at Shirou and beckoned at him. "Hand over your Noble Phantasm."
"What?!" Garrick's eyes bulged. "You don't want me to use fragments of a Noble Phantasm, but the entire thing?!"
"Shirou is a unique Heroic Spirit," said Rin. "His Personal Skill, Tracing, allows him to replicate the skills and Noble Phantasms of other Heroic Spirits."
Garrick Ollivander' eyes widened to the point that his eyes seemed as if they were going to pop out of their sockets. Suddenly he clutched his heart as if he was in pain before he fainted.
"God dammit, Rin!" Shirou shouted in alarm as he rushed to Garrick's side. "You didn't need to tell him that! He is now having a heart attack!"
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