Chapter 8. A 'Shopping Spree'.
As the meal in the V.I.P. Area of the magical arena neared it's end one of the auror squad leaders, Gwen Taylor from the security detail in Diagon Alley, discretely came to report to the Minister and her direct boss, Harry Potter, that the Alley was now cleared of all but shopkeepers and local residents, nearly all of whom worked in the shops anyway. The portal leading to The Leaky Cauldron having been temporarily sealed for the duration of the forthcoming Royal 'shopping spree' after a final sweep had confirmed that all the day visitors had left, as instructed by the security personnel.
"Thank you Gwen," Harry told her, "Please let the others know that the Royal party will be arriving back in the Alley shortly. Operation Trolley is about to commence, he smiled."
The Senior Auror replied, "Will do Sir," saluted her boss and Minister Weasley, then after curtseying to the Royal trio she headed back through the magical tunnel to Diagon Alley, to inform her colleagues that the next phase of the day's proceedings was about to commence .
About ten minutes later the Royal Party began to head back towards Diagon Alley, with Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny accompanying the Royal trio, Kingsley having decided to remain behind to oversee the dismantling of the arena and the safe shutting down of the magical 'tunnel' linked to it. The Royal 'shopping party' still with their close protection squad of six aurors re-emerged from the tunnel, out through the door of the small warehouse and back into the Alley at the rear of Gringotts, then headed towards the shops. The first place they visited was Madame Malkins, now run by the original shopkeeper's daughter, where the young Princess was measured up for her school robes and other clothing requirements. These would be delivered a few days later to Buckingham Palace, from where getting to King's Cross Station to catch the Hogwarts Express could be done easily. As a result the Royals would be staying there on the night of the 31st of August.
Next everyone proceeded to Flourish and Blotts, which was more or less next door, so that the books on Victoria Jane's curriculum list could be acquired. That is to say the remaining few that she hadn't already had given to her by Hermione, all of which she'd already thoroughly read from cover to cover. Whilst in the bookshop Hermione who was, of course, in her element, picked out a few other books that she thought would help the King and Queen better understand wizarding culture. Meanwhile, a now far more relaxed Ronald Weasley, since the crowds no longer had to be contended with, browsed the sports section of the shop. He was joined by Ginny who, earlier in her life had a very successful, if short, career playing Quidditch professionally.
Ron bought Victoria Jane a beginners guide to Quidditch, explaining, quite sensibly, to the young Princess and the King and Queen that although he realised that it was doubtful that the Princess would ever be permitted to play the game in earnest, because of it's injury dangers, she would at least then be able to understand it and be able to properly support her House Team. The young Princess and her parents thanked him warmly for his thoughtful gift. Ginny also received their thanks as she also had also bought the young Royal a Quidditch book, her present being one about the history to date of the Holyhead Harpies, her old team. The Harpies, an all female side, not to mention the England national team had been sorry to lose Ginny's Chaser skills when she retired to have her family and somewhere in the book she'd given Victoria Jane there was bound to be a section on her illustrious career. The Princess was most excited to learn that Ginny had been a famous sportswoman and that an all female side existed, up 'till then only having found out a little about the sport from a couple of paragraphs in one of her other school books, one about magical history.
The King spoke to Ron and Ginny saying, "Victoria Jane's been telling me about this game of yours, there's a little bit about it in another of her books. From what she told me it sounds most exciting, what with everybody flying about on broomsticks and such, with all those different balls flying about. I'd love to come and see a game one day, if it can be arranged."
"Well Sir," Ron replied, "You'd have to talk to my wife, the Minister about that of course, but I'm sure she can arrange something. I'm certain you'd enjoy Quidditch, there's no other game to rival it, it's brilliant! And Ginny here's always good for getting tickets to Holyhead Harpies matches, shame she can't get Chudley Canons one's though."
Ginny smiled cheekily and said, "And why would I want to get hold of them Ron, I prefer watching teams that can play properly! Not one whose team motto is 'Let's All Keep Our Fingers Crossed And Hope For The Best' ."
"Oi you! Exclaimed Ron, momentarily forgetting he was in the Royal presence, "I'll have you know that we finished nearly half-way up the League last year!"
Ginny smiled sweetly at him and slyly asked, "And who won the League again last year Ronald? I think you know full well who!"
The King, a great rugby fan and also a handy rugby player himself when at University immediately recognised the type of competitive banter he was hearing between the Weasley brother and sister and smiled quietly to himself as Ron and Ginny slightly shamefacedly excused themselves to go and continue their discussion/argument elsewhere . He thought to himself as they walked away, 'We'll they're not so different from us after all, are they, these magical folk.'
When all had been purchased from the bookshop Harry Potter then spoke up, and grinning said to the Royals, "Your Majesties, now for the fun part! I'd like to take you over to see my brother-in-law George's shop, if I may. I think you'll like it Princess." he winked at her. "
So next the Royal Party went a little further up Diagon Alley on the opposite side, to visit the garish yellow painted joke shop, with it's large animated sign saying Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. George, of course, had done nothing to tone down the 'normal', (if you could call it that), 'décor' of the shop or gentrify it in any way for the Royal Visit. The signs were still up for U-No-Poo and many other less than 'dignified' products and George Weasley was wearing his most repulsive, explosion in a paint factory, tie and his flashing, fluorescent multi-colour changing waistcoat. All those in the Royal Party could not help but grin at seeing him. Despite his appearance he most respectfully greeted the Royals and he then gave them a thorough tour of his own 'little kingdom', answering their many questions about his fascinating and sometimes slightly perilous sounding stock items.
When the tour of his shop came to an end George Weasley then presented Victoria Jane with a truly enormous selection box of novelties and prank material, all tied up with a big pink bow. The Royal Party had with them a uniformed Ministry porter, whom Hermione had the foresight to ensure would be waiting in the alley to transport the Royal's purchases on a small hand cart, (hence Harry's slightly humorous naming of this phase of the day's proceedings as Operation Trolley). The porter eyed up the huge box and then gingerly, doubting he'd even be able to lift it, reached down to pick it up with both hands to take it out to his cart, but soon as he touched it the massive cardboard edifice shrunk down to barely the size of a shoe box, causing the porter to stagger back in alarm. However as he himself had been a customer of George's shop in his school-days he saw the funny side of 'the incredible shrinking box', as George named it and he, along with the entire Royal Party burst out laughing. Upon actually picking it up the porter was also relieved to find it had been magically rendered nearly weightless as well, despite the mass of 'goodies' it contained and so it was not going to prove too much of a burden. George then told the Royals that the box would automatically return to it's usual size and weight upon reaching it's destination, as long as it was left on the floor undisturbed for twelve hours. The Royals thanked George for his gift and prepared to leave.
But just before George could usher them to the door of his shop Harry took him aside and added, smiling at him, "It's not that I don't trust you George mate, but just to let you know I will personally be taking a look through what's in that box later, as I know that you have a somewhat 'warped' sense of what is and what is not safe for young kids. I know you'd not deliberately endanger any child but I still think I'd better take a look and make sure nothing too extreme or 'experimental' might have 'accidentally' slipped into the box when it was packed."
"Don't you trust me then Harry," George said, and smiled slyly.
"Oh I do trust you mate," Harry replied, still smiling, " Believe me, I trust you to do something sneaky, you just can't help yourself Georgie, it's in your nature. I know you too well. So I will just check it out to make sure there's no booby traps or whatever, thanks all the same."
On the way out of the shop Victoria Jane spotted something she'd missed as she'd entered. It was a glass fronted vivarium, which contained lots of multi coloured, fluffy Pygmy Puffs. They were bouncing around on their short legs, which were totally invisible amongst their fluffy coats and flicking out their long tongues, their bright little eyes darting about, watching what the humans in the shop were up to. Seeing them Victoria Jane was instantly enchanted. She grabbed her mother The Queen by her hand and almost dragged her over to look at the creatures saying, "Look Mummy, aren't they lovely I'd love one of those. I've read about them in that book of magical animals that Minister Hermione gave me. They're called Pygmy Puffs and they make excellent pets, they've even been known to sing on Boxing Day."
Knowing that she also desperately wanted an owl and, despite the privileged position she'd been born into, not wanting to spoil her daughter The Queen smiled down at the young Princess saying, " Perhaps we'll get you one the next time you come to the Alley, to shop for next years school bits and pieces. But this trip I think we'd better just get that owl you want. I understand they are very useful and can carry letters. I'd love to get a letter from you carried by an owl my dear. Is that a deal?"
"Sighing, but seeing the justice and sense in what her mother had said Victoria Jane gave the Pygmy Puffs one last longing look and then the Royal Party left Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, heading next for what was the most important part of their entire 'shopping spree', because the Princess was about to get her first wand.
Ollivander's wand shop had been fully restored and repaired after the war, but it was now being run by his nephew, Eustace Ollivander, as his Uncle had retired some years back, and unfortunately had not long since passed on. Sadly he had never fully recovered from the lingering effects of his long incarceration and torture by Lord Voldermort, but for a couple of years prior to his retirement he had been relatively fit and had taught his Nephew the 'front of house' skills needed to run the shop. Eustace already knew how to actually make good wands, having served his apprenticeship and learned all that his Uncle had known of Wand Lore, whilst training in his workshop. All he'd still needed to learn to take over the business was the 'people skills' he'd need for working behind the counter and his famous Uncle taught him these before becoming to ill to carry on working. As a result Eustace Ollivander was himself now rated as one of the foremost wand makers in the magical world.
As the Royal party approached Ollivander's shop Hermione, putting on her 'Minister's Hat' called them all to a halt, explaining it was best that only one other person actually go into the shop with the Princess to get her wand, since the process of a witch or wizard being selected by a wand was one of the most mysterious aspects of magic, and might well be subject to being disturbed by too many people being present.
Hearing this Victoria Jane asked her parents, timidly, "Mummy, Daddy, can Minister Hermione come in with me please? She knows all about what goes on in there and she can explain to me what's happening if I'm not sure or scared about anything."
Seeing the sense in this, but feeling a bit sad as they'd miss their daughter actually getting her first wand, the Royal couple agreed that it would be best that only Hermione go into the shop with Victoria Jane. So holding tightly to Hermione's hand the Princess and the Minister stepped into Ollivander's.
Inside the old shop things were laid out exactly the same as when Hermione had first gone there many years earlier to get her first wand. However, it was, she noticed, a lot less dusty and the stock on the shelves was a bit more tidily laid out than it had been then. She'd also noticed on the way in that the window display of a solitary wand on a purple velvet cushion was much newer, less dusty and the cushion fabric less faded than before.
As seemed to be inevitably the case whenever anyone entered Ollivander's, even on a 'special night' like tonight, there was nobody behind the counter. Hermione suspected this was down to the new owner having the same liking for a 'theatrical entrance' as his late Uncle. She cleared her throat, and sure enough Eustace Ollivander, who was a somewhat pudgier, or let's be kind and say more 'rounded' individual than his late Uncle had been, slid into view on the wheeled ladder that let him reach the top shelves of the shop. Hermione looked him over and saw a man probably in his mid fifties, an age still fairly young for a wizard, with dark short hair and a chubby, 'jolly' face, in which were set the oddly shimmering silver/grey eyes that unmistakeably marked him out as an Ollivander. He was shorter than his Uncle had been and in his black ' 'shop robes' he gave the appearance of being nearly as wide as he was tall.
"Ah, Minister Weasley and our new Magical Princess, I knew of course that you'd be coming, I'm sorry, I was just sorting out some stock. Welcome to Ollivander's."
Speaking directly to Victoria Jane he said, "It is an honour to be able to serve you here this evening Princess. I was interested and looked it up earlier, our archive records show that the last time our little shop was able to serve a British Royal with their requirement for a wand was over a thousand years ago. Even then it was not a wand for the Royal Personage himself, but for his Court Druid. I'm glad to say that the parchment tells us that when King Arthur and Merlin came here they both left well satisfied with the replacement wand my ancestor was able to supply, in place of the one the King had accidentally sat on and broken. Anyway, shall we see if we can get you sorted out with a good serviceable wand as well, Your Highness. I'll just get you measured up if I may?"
Coming around the counter of the shop Ollivander took out a strange looking tape measure from his robe pocket and held it up in the palm of his hand in front of the Princess. The strange tape then began to take a great many esoteric measurements of Victoria Jane all by itself, which Ollivander wrote down using a pencil on a small notepad. After a while he said, "I think that'll be enough, I'll just pop into the back of the shop and see what might suit you. With that the magical tape measure floated back into his pocket and he disappeared into the rows of shelves at the rear of the shop. Hermione and Victoria Jane could hear him mumbling to himself faintly, amongst the stacks.
Whilst Ollivander was away the Princess asked, quietly, "Was that true what Mr Ollivander said Minister Hermione? Did his ancestor really sell King Arthur a wand for Merlin?
"Well," Hermione replied, "Who can tell for sure from that far back, but did you see the sign on the way in? Ollivander's has been a family business since 382 BC, so it's certainly possible. In any case I'd love to take a look at those business archives he mentioned."
Mr Ollivander soon returned carrying a small pile of boxes in his arms. He smiled at them and said, "Well hopefully, according to your measurements, amongst this lot there should be a wand that will take a liking to you Your Highness."
He then took one of the wands out of it's box and handed it to Victoria Jane, asking her to wave it gently, but absolutely nothing happened, the wand might as well have been a teaspoon, for all the magical potential it seemed to hold.
"Ah well," said Ollivander philosophically, "It very rarely works out that we get the right one first time and he went on to take back the first wand and offer the Princess another. That reacted only a little better, a few feeble red sparks emerging from the tip when Victoria Jane waved it. A few more she subsequently tried also reacted in fairly feeble and inadequate ways, but the last from the pile he'd brought out was at least different, just not in that good a way. When Victoria Jane waved the wand it caused it to rain copiously inside the shop, it was like an indoor monsoon! Mr Ollivander stopped it however by grabbing his own wand from under the pile of boxes on the shop counter and skilfully applying a Meteolojinx Recanto spell. Hermione then magically dried off Victoria Jane and herself, then with Ollivander's permission, also dried his soaking wet robes too.
"Oho," said Ollivander, "So Your Highness is one of those types of witches are you."
"What type do you mean?" Victoria Jane asked, sounding a bit hurt and thinking Ollivander had been criticising her magical abilities.
"Oh don't worry Your Highness, I meant no offence, it just that a certain type of witch, usually ones who are destined to grow up very powerful and able to focus their magic particularly well, are also often difficult to match up with a first wand. Don't worry though. I think I've got you sized up now. I'll just put these back and get a couple more, as it's certain now that none of these I brought out will ever work right for you as a first wand."
Whilst he was out at the back of the shop Victoria Jane held Hermione's hand and said, in a very worried tone, "I really hope he can find a wand that will work for me, I must have one or I won't ever get to be a proper witch."
Hermione squeezed her hand in return and smiled to reassure her saying, "Don't worry Victoria Jane, you heard what Mr. Ollivander said, he thinks you're going to be a great witch and thinks that he now knows the right wand for you."
Ollivander returned carrying just a single red wand box, and smiling said. "I've been having a bit of a further think and believe I've cracked it. Now don't be disappointed if this one doesn't work first time Princess, if I'm right in fact it certainly won't, it's just an experiment to try and prove my hypothesis. With that he handed the young Royal the wand he'd brought out."
Victoria Jane waved it but again nothing happened, nothing at all, however Ollivander smiled and mumbled what sounded a bit like "Gotcha."
He then turned to Hermione saying, "Minister, would you mind stepping outside and leaving Her Highness and myself alone for just one minute to try this one out again. I'm certain I now know what the problem has been."
Hermione let go of Victoria Jane's hand and with a smile of encouragement to the worried looking young Princess she somewhat reluctantly stepped out of the shop's front door. She immediately headed across to the small café more or less opposite, at whose outside tables the rest of the Royal Party were seated, expecting the emergence from the shop of both herself and the Princess. But, before she could even begin giving an explanation of her solitary appearance, an intense golden glow lit up the interior of the wand shop behind her, shining out through it's front window onto the darkening cobbles of Diagon Alley. Hermione then said, calling across the road, "I'm sorry about the delay, apparently Princess Victoria Jane has found her wand Your Majesties, I'll just pop back in and find out what the problem was, I won't be a moment." She then re-entered the shop to find the beaming Princess trying to encompass the portly figure of Eustace Ollivander in a hug, which her arms were too short to administer properly.
Ollivander was also smiling broadly at the child, but then turned to Hermione as she re-entered his shop, and said. "Well that's a turn up for the books, I've never had that happen before but I suppose it was bound to happen sometime, I don't think even my Uncle ever experienced such a thing. Minister Weasley, would you care to closely examine the wand that has chosen our young Royal here. Let the Minister have a look now, there's a dear," Ollivander said to Victoria Jane, who happily and proudly showed her wand to Hermione.
Taking the wand in her hand Hermione examined it closely then recognition dawned on her. It was a 10¾" Vine Wood wand, which felt incredibly familiar! Looking at Ollivander in amazement she said, "I think I see it too, this wand, does it have a dragon heartstring core?"
"Well done Minister, Ollivander said, beaming at Hermione. My late Uncle was right, you really are 'The Brightest Witch of your Age' to be able to work that out without any formal Wand Lore training. Yes, you're right, the wand you hold is almost an exact twin of the very first one you got from my Uncle. By that I mean the one that got confiscated by the Snatchers back in 1998 and which you were never able to recover. I believe you used Bellatrix Lestrange's wand for a while, before finding another that better suited you, yes?"
Ollivander went on to say. " However, that wand you hold now, as I believe you also suspect, was cut from the very same branch and uses a heartstring core from the very same dragon as your own first wand! They are complete twins, indeed are even closer than even those of Harry Potter and Tom Riddle once were. However, in your absence the wand was able to become properly imprinted upon Princess Victoria Jane and is no longer confused by the presence of your own, very similar, magic. It now knows it's her wand. But that's why I had to ask you to leave the building before she tried to use it the second time, to allow it to become certain who it's Mistress is. It was having difficulty choosing between you whilst you were present."
"As to the others, the earlier ones we tried that failed, well, The very similar magic of yourself and the Princess may well also have caused some 'magical interference', when she tried to use those as well. But in any case, like I said, our Royal Princess here is, like you, a very powerful and focussed witch, or rather will become so as she grows and learns. Those other wands we tried were perfectly good and serviceable for most witches or wizards, but both you and the Princess do not have 'run of the mill' magic and need a very particular type of wand, in the case of Princess Victoria Jane here, that particular wand you're now holding!
"So give it back to me please Minister Hermione. We don't want it getting all confused again do we." Chimed in Victoria Jane, who'd been listening quite fascinated to what Ollivander had said and who was sounding a bit worried, just in case her wand went wrong again. Hermione had not returned it immediately, since she'd unconsciously been enjoying the feel of such a familiar wand in her hand.
"Don't worry Princess," Ollivander assured her. "Like I said it's now completely imprinted on you alone, it knows your magic and recognises your wand hand. The only way you could ever lose control over it is by losing a magical fight to another witch or wizard and I don't think that's a serious possibility for the foreseeable future. After all you're not going to have to duel our Minister over the ownership of it, now are you?" And he winked as Hermione gave Victoria Jane back her wand. Then thanking Mr Ollivander for all his help the two witches, both old and young left the shop the same way as they had entered it, hand in hand.
As she returned towards her mother and father Victoria Jane proudly held up her brand new wand, and on seeing it all in the Royal Party stood up from where they were seated and loudly applauded.
Hermione said, I'm sorry about the slight delay Your Highnesses and everyone. Wand Lore's a bit tricky but it's all OK now, Ollivander's a genius and sorted it out. Shall we go and get the owl next, I understand that the Princess is very keen to have a good look around Eeylops Owl Emporium to spot one she likes. And with that the Royal Party made their way down to Eeylops, where eventually Victoria Jane chose a female snowy owl, one that poignantly reminded Harry Potter of Hedwig.
With that the Royal Party then re-entered the re-opened courtyard of The Leaky Cauldron, to which the pub door was still barred to keep their departure from Diagon Alley private. The Royals and the trio who would transport them home prepared to disapparate back to Windsor Castle. But first a little time was taken to arrange the transportation of the Royal's purchases, most of them going to Buckingham Palace where they needed to be packed up in Victoria Jane's luggage, for use at Hogwarts, but a few more items, would be going to Windsor, like George's present, which Harry genuinely was going to check over, as he'd said, since some of the items might perhaps not be completely appropriate. Harry would first look over the box's contents at Windsor the next day and, in negotiation along with Victoria Jane's parents and the young Princess herself, they would mutually decide what she would be allowed to take with her for her first term at Hogwarts school. Additionally a few of the new books she wanted to read, plus Victoria Jane's as yet unnamed owl would also be returning with her back to Windsor Castle for a few days, before the train would whisk them both off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ginny had volunteered in addition to act as transporter for all the goods going to Windsor.
The King, Queen and Princes then all thanked their close protection team of aurors and also the Ministry porter, who had been pushing the small cart with their goods on board as they'd progressed along the alley, for all their hard work and for making their day's visit to Diagon Alley so safe and enjoyable. The three Royals then took Harry, Ron and Hermione's arms and disapparated with a triple Crack! on their way back to Windsor Castle, with Victoria Jane also clinging on tightly to her owl cage. Ginny grabbed hold of the several remaining items for Windsor, the books and the, (at least still manageably sized), box of joke shop items and having placed a temporary trace on Harry, so as to be able to follow him, she also disapparated, arriving in the grounds of Windsor Castle in the same area as Harry Ron and Hermione. The very place the trio had left from that same morning, with their three Royal 'passengers' in tow.
The Royals then had their covert magical protection people take the goods they'd acquired into the castle and said a very fond goodnight to Minister Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny. Thanking them again, far less formally than in their earlier speeches, for arranging their wonderful, if tiring, day out in Diagon Alley. The Royal trio then walked into the Castle, leaving Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione, who were all feeling pretty much exhausted, to make their way home, which they did, with a loud quadruple CRACK!