Ron-Weasly book 1. V2

Einar sighed and put down the pen he was about to pack:

"Spring is molting, dear. Then the farmers hand over the feathers in bags, we buy them in bulk, and we lower prices. And now it's summer, there are no fresh supplies, we are working with stocks. Besides, all kinds of travelers take them in the summer, and demand is growing.... Plus, you know, protection from insects, protection from rodents, enchantment for safety — all this is included in the price."

Mom pursed her lips, but didn't argue:

"Okay, okay. Give my youngest three regular pens and one enchanted one for the tests. But then give me more wax for polishing — and a discount for a bulk order, like last time! And four jars of black ink and one blue one. Oh, and parchment for notes and homework.

Einar chuckled:

"For wholesale— of course. And I'll add the wax for free, as regular customers. Here, take the scrolls for homework. And six stitched notebooks."

He carefully packed the feathers in a leather pencil case, handed it to Mom, and winked at Percy and me:

"And for the young students— a lollipop! Today we have an action: `To the pen — a sweetness for inspiration.'"

I happily grabbed a mint ball, and Percy nodded politely:

"Thank you, Master Einar."

Mom, already relenting, put the coins on the counter:

"Well, at least that way. Next time I come in the spring, I'll stock up for the future!"

"A wise decision," Einar nodded. "And if you tell me in advance, I'll reserve the best feathers from the new batch for you."

Mom was about to head for the exit with a pen case, when I, without looking up from looking at the windows, exclaimed:

"Mom, look! The enchanted parchment!"

Percy was also interested and moved closer to the shelf, where sheets of parchment lay in neat piles — thick, slightly golden, with smooth holes along one edge.

"Stitched like notebooks," he remarked. "Convenient for notes."

Master Einar, noticing the boys' interest, came over and took one of the stacks:

"Great choice! This is an enchanted parchment from the western farms of the magical world. It is made from the skin of special magical sheep — it is stronger than usual, the ink on it does not fade for a hundred years, and the edges do not crumble. In addition, the firmware is made with an enchanted thread — notebooks do not fall apart even after hundreds of flips.

I ran my finger along the edge of the notebook:

"Why is it so golden?"

"This is a feature of the sheep breed," the master smiled. "Their wool has a natural golden pigment, which is transferred to the parchment. They say it even slightly enhances magical records — formulas and spells are better preserved."

Percy opened his notebook, flipped through the pages:

"Smooth... And they don't show through. How much per piece?"

"silver for a 50-sheet notebook. If you take two or more — 20% discount."

Mom sighed:

"Prices again..."

"Alas, my dear," Einar spread his hands. "Western farms are far away, shipping is expensive. But this parchment will last you for years! In the fall, prices will be even lower, as farmers will slaughter sheep for meat and magic caravans will go. You can make a pre-order."

Percy looked at me, and I nodded vigorously.

"Let's take two," Percy decided. "One for me for potions, one for Ron for transfiguration."

"And one more," Mom added, relenting, "for the draft calculations on potions. But only at a discount, Master Einar!"

"Of course, of course!" The shopkeeper hastily agreed. "For a total of three notebooks — two silver and ten copper ones instead of three sickles. And here you have a little gift: a bag of wax magic crayons. You can mark pages with them, and the labels will not be erased."

He carefully wrapped the notebooks in a linen cloth, tied them with a ribbon, and handed the package to Percy.

"Keep the parchment away from water and fire — even though it is enchanted, but the elements are stronger. And do not bend the sheets too sharply — creases may remain."

I accepted the package with delight:

"Thank you, Master Einar! Now I will definitely write the best work on golem transfiguration!"

"The main thing is not only the parchment, but also knowledge," the master winked at him. "Good luck with your studies!"

Our family said goodbye and went outside. I held the bag of quills and parchment carefully to myself, and Percy was already mentally making a plan for the semester's notes.

Mom, looking at the enthusiastic faces of her sons, smiled:

"Okay, maybe the prices bite, but at least you'll have everything for real, magically."

"Yes, Mom!" The boys answered in unison, and all three of them went to the playground between the alleys where the twins had gone. Percy and I were discussing which ink would be best suited for the new parchment. The twins had already bought everything while we were walking in the park.

Mom shook her head, listening to our conversations, but a smile flashed in her eyes.

* * *

They did not enter the bookstore. They bought me a titanium student boiler. It's a bit expensive, of course, normal potions are not brewed in tin and copper cauldrons. But it's the most important thing for children to go to school. I need a cauldron to make my own potions. As a future golem-controlling magician, I must be able to assemble and use a first-aid kit. It's still pretty dangerous in the magical world. About the cathedral on our continent, where Hyperborea used to be located.

Then we bought a worn scale with a set of weights at a junk shop, and also bought a folding copper telescope with good lenses. The following enchantments were cast on him:

Image stabilization — to keep the stars from flickering;

Smooth change of the multiplicity — for the convenience of the student focusing on the object;

Lens protection — for durability — protects against scratches and dust from raindrops;

Object illumination is used to quickly search for unknown objects.

And a stack of old textbooks. Yes, they looked ugly and were old, but what can you do.

* * *

Then we visited a pharmacy, where everything was so magical that I didn't even notice the terrible smell — it smelled of rotten eggs and rotten zucchini.

Barrels of some kind of bubontuber slime stood on the floor, glass jars with dried plants, crushed roots and colorful powders lined the walls, and bundles of feathers, fangs and curved claws hung from the ceiling. While Mom was talking to the apothecary-we needed to buy all the ingredients for making magic potions and sell the potions mom had made-I was studying silver unicorn horns worth twenty-one galleons each and beetle shells, shiny and red (six knuts per ladle).

The pharmacist will send the ingredients for classes to the school. Plus, I was given a standard set of ingredients for personal purposes. The brothers Fred and George used their pocket money to buy themselves an extended potion kit. They said they sold some of their jokes at the Fireworks store. Percy also bought himself an extended set with an addition for the honey wing. He boasted that Professor Snape had allowed him to help with brewing medicinal potions for a small fee.

I'm going to study at the guild and continue to mine ingredients and explore the magical world. It looks like you'll have to assemble a small team to do this. Or use golems? No, we need people anyway. I need a healer, and I should invite a couple more rangers. I think it will be possible to assemble a small group while still studying at the guild. After all, there are quite often tasks to extract ingredients in a magical forest or search for artifacts in destroyed cities.

"Well, that's it, you can walk down the alley and go home."

It was already afternoon, and the sun was sinking lower, when we walked back through Diagon Alley, then through the wall and entered the Leaky Cauldron, which no longer had a single customer. After moving home, we went to our rooms. I packed my purchases in a suitcase with an expansion of the space. I also leafed through my textbooks. I should at least read them before the school year. Especially transfiguration — I'm interested in it.

"Ron, Percy, go to dinner." Mom called us downstairs. The twins were already downstairs, and Ginny was helping her mom prepare a festive dinner. "Yes, Mom," I shouted and rushed downstairs.

There is a linen tablecloth on the kitchen table, candles and magic lamps flicker, and the smell of fresh pastries and stewed meat. The family got together after a busy day of shopping — everyone is sharing their impressions, laughing and enjoying the food. Even Dad came home from work early, and not as usual in the middle of the night.

I helped myself to fried potatoes with herbs and a piece of lamb with bay sauce. A portion of caul was already steaming in a plate nearby. Then, after thinking about it, I helped myself to some more fish baked with fennel. I caught a fish myself yesterday in Rattlesnake. The sandwiches eaten at lunch have long been digested. The twins were bustling happily nearby. They were constantly hungry too.

In the middle of the table was a platter of pancakes and next to the Welsh cakes. We talked casually about the day, and Ginny boasted about how well she had spent half the day at Grandma Lucrezia's. I ate heavily, listening to the conversations.

Mom brought a steamed jug of berry juice and another with homemade cider from the pantry. Fred and George cheered. Well, they can already have cider. Ginny and I will drink mors. Like Dad, by the way, he is generally opposed to alcohol.

We stayed up late at the table. We went to our rooms after midnight.

Interlude 2. The first bridges

The living room of the Dursleys' house on Privet Drive. The day after the purchases. New Hogwarts robes, bought at Madame Malkin's store, are laid out on the coffee table. Petunia Dursley stands next to the table, fastidiously lifting the edges of the fabric with two fingers. Harry stands awkwardly at the door, trying not to attract attention.

Petunia unwraps one of the robes, frowning in disbelief.

"And that's... it? Is this what you're going to wear to school? But what about trousers, shirts, sweaters. Have you seen Dudley's wardrobe? I even bought him a sweater and a pair of warm trousers for a warm school like Vaughings.

Harry hesitates, then says shyly. It wouldn't be a big deal to tell him about the fifty galleons the headmaster had given him for the year.

"Yes, Aunt. It's a school uniform. They only sold me robes at the school clothes store. And I'll wear old school trousers and a shirt under my robe. I don't have Muggle money for new things, only the magic money for the year was given by the headmaster."

Petunia throws the robe back on the table, picks up another one, examines the lining. Then he begins to angrily reprimand his nephew.

"But there's nothing warm here! No sweater, no vest, not even a decent lining. You're going to freeze! I'll buy you black trousers and three white shirts at a second-hand store. You already have a normal leather belt, as well as a backpack. You'll work off your clothes this summer. You're going to help me cook and not talk about your school in front of the neighbors. You're going to the Edinburgh School of Fine Feasting in Scotland, it has a culinary bent. My parents said that about Lily, because she studied in Scotland, as Professor McGonagall told us. Lily was really good at making soups, but her porridges sometimes burned, she was used to doing everything with magic. She said girls were taught to cook with a magic wand."

She puts down her robe and starts sorting through the rest of her things, as if hoping to find something more practical among them. My raincoat feels very warm. He sighs.

"Well, at least something warm. Heated, right? And if the spell ends in the middle of winter, have you thought about what you're going to do?"

"The aunt at the store told me the warranty for the charms is ten years. Hagrid took me to a company atelier for school clothes."

His aunt carefully folds her raincoat and lifts her black tie with two fingers, as if it were shining alternately in four colors.

"So the ties are kind of weird. Harry, are they enchanted?"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia, the saleswoman said that at school they will change their colors to the colors of the faculty. But I don't know how to tie ties at all, maybe Uncle Vernon will teach me? Please, Dudley gave me his old school uniform tie."

"So be it. I'll ask Vernon to show you how to tie knots properly. It'll come in handy, because you looked like a scarecrow at your elementary school graduation."

Petunia is grumpy, more to herself than Harry:

"Lily always wore a green hand-knitted sweater. I remember back in elementary school, in any weather — a sweater, a scarf, sometimes even two pairs of socks. And then she kept swearing at this damned Scottish climate: "Petunia, how can you stand this dampness? There are ice corridors at Hogwarts!" I was just learning to cook in Edinburgh and our school was one block away from Vaughings. That's where Vernon and I met."

Harry raises his eyebrows in surprise — this is the first time he's ever heard his aunt speak about his mother in such a... human way. And his aunt wasn't used to telling me much about herself.

Harry asks quietly:

"Was Mom really that creepy?"

"I must have taken after my mom, I'm always cold too," the guy thinks.

His aunt rarely brings up the subject of his parents at all. And here it's an evening of revelations. Aunt Petunia must have vented all her pent-up anger at Harry's mom in the cabin by the sea.

Petunia turns around abruptly.

"What is `true'? Of course it's true! She was always freezing, and I told her, `Lily, put on your coat, you'll catch a cold!' But no, she had to look "elegant," as she put it. They say we only wear raincoats outside, but at school everyone wears robes. And then there were just frosty winters. And as a result, she was always coughing, her nose was red..."

She looks at the robes again, shakes her head.

"And you're just as stupid! Not an ounce of common sense. You'll definitely catch a cold in this... in this hoodie. You'll also get pneumonia, like Lily did in her sophomore year when she was admitted to their hospital wing for a week. After that, her mother forced her to buy herself a sweater and warm trousers with tights for school, as soon as she found out what she was wearing. The first winter was warm. And in the second year, there were frosts in the forties outside."

Harry is shocked by what he has heard and tries to explain to his aunt what Hagrid told him about school.

"Aunt, but it's warm at Hogwarts. Magic keeps the temperature up there, and generally... Hagrid says he wore a shirt and pants at school, and it was so hot...