Everyone is Lacking in Creativity Here...

Ch 9, Finishing the Long Day... Not Quite Yet

Well, turns out, I have a twin wand with you-know-who aka Voldemort aka Tom Riddle. So, I'm going to do what I have been doing since I got here... I am going to deal with it when the time comes.

Proceeding with that profound thought I turn to Ollivander, "Right. How long will the wand take? And is it possible to have it sent by post?"

"Oh, it will take longer, I'm sure. Merging the Phoenix feather and Thestral hair is very tricky... yes very tricky indeed. Yes, I'll send it by order. Pay now and give your location." He shoos me out of the back room and towards the counter.

"I would also like a wand holster please. A wrist one." I tell him when I notice the holsters on display by the door.

"Of course. That'll be 15 for the wand and 3 for the holster...so 18 total." He hands me the bill. I pay it with the coin pouch and give him the address of No.11, the same that I gave to Twilfitt, and move out of the shop with thinking – good riddance, because that is one peculiar man.

Mentally checking my list, I move to Magical Menagerie to purchase a normal Barn owl (It will easily blend in among others). Done with the payment and an instruction to the owl to reach No.11, Privet Drive, I move to Flourish and Blotts to purchase beginner's spell books and any others that catch my fancy.

-thirty minutes later- (please insert SpongeBob sound)

At the cash counter my total comes up to a good 270 Galleons. I bought books like; Beginner spells, Household charms, Parenting books, Beginner Potions, some on Magical Law and some on Rituals.

Rounding them up, I ask the salesperson to shrink the package. I pocket it and move to the entrance to the muggle world.

I take a taxi to a nearby mall and continue my shopping. I buy more clothes, nappies (very important), shoes (cause wizarding ones are not practical, and of course, I cannot handle heels) and a nightlight in the shape of a little crescent moon that glows a soft blue. When all that is done, I move to a side alley to try and shrink my purchases. I succeed after a few tries and pocket them up. Next is groceries then finally, No.11.

Having enough money with me this time, we take a taxi home. By the time we reach Privet Drive, its well past 6 in the evening. So, I make a make-ship playpen for Harry by joining the L-shaped sofa and the third couch, making the armchair the fourth wall, removing the table from the middle to make the play zone. I scatter a few stuff toys I bought and place Harry in to keep him busy while I make dinner.

First, I put away the groceries, leaving only baby food for Harry and vegetables to make a puree with bread for me. It's a quick cook, and after 15 minutes I get Harry to eat. When he's eaten, I can see he's sleepy after that long day, so I take a small dose of apple juice to mix the adoption potion in (after placing a drop of my blood in) and feed it to him. I place him on my side to burp him and after, I make my way to our room, while softly rocking him, humming under my breath.

When he's fast asleep, protectively surrounded by pillows and quilts, is the moment I receive all the owl orders. First one to come is when I am cleaning the kitchen, and it's from Gringotts. It's the list of properties and investments I told Gornuk to send me. Finally, I can move away from this bore of a house to somewhere hopefully with a library.

So, I make myself comfortable for a long night of reading. The kitchen island is scattered with all the property papers. They are very meticulous. All questions I could ask are already answered, as everything is listed clearly. The number of house elves (dead and alive – which I don't know what to make of), condition of wards, the square-feet of lands, blue print of the house and if it's habitable or not. I notice that other than the Founder's and LeFay properties, every other one is in need of some serious management. It's a good thing I guess, that all of the houses that need management have no house elves.

I have shortlisted three of the properties that I like for raising a magical kid that won't turn into a snob when he grows up. One is the Rosier Cottage; but the wards are weak, nothing goblin curse-breakers can't solve, I'm sure, but that could take Merlin knows how long. Second is the LeFay Manor; if only for the fact that there is a huge library, a fully functional system of 24 house elves, a huge garden - both inner and outer, a forest connected to the manor only a few meters away- filled with a ton of different types of creatures and finally a torture dungeon (it isn't called that, but why not use it for the few people I have on the red list, right?). Of course, the ancient and still strong wards are a bonus too. The only reason I didn't choose LeFay Castle is that it looks quite big for only two people to be living in (and that's after considering the size of LeFay Manor), but of course I'll make sure to visit that treasure trove too.

The last I chose is the Hufflepuff Cottage, part of the Hufflepuff estate. It appears to be a humble thing with four bedrooms, a living space, kitchen, a huge garden and connecting greenhouse, with a small library/study. The wards are strong, there are 3 house elves and there is a lake not too far from the property that is also part of the Estate. It seems like an obvious choice but I'm still confused, so I'll tell Gornuk I'd like to visit all of those three, and then make a decision. Meanwhile, it would be better to start the work on the wards of Rosier Cottage.

As I am writing a letter to Gornuk stating the same, another owl swoops in the kitchen through the open window. I take the burden from it and notice it's the clothes I purchased from Twilfitt & Tattings. Keeping them aside for now, I finish the letter and send it through Olive (My Barn Owl).