Vita Magicis (HP SI-WC)

Chapter 37: Two Worlds Meet

A While Later

About a week and a half had passed since Rose and Harry’s birthday celebration, and it was now finally time to head to Diagon Alley to buy our school supplies for the upcoming year.

After talking with Sirius, Harry, and Rose about Dumbledore now knowing that the twins were no longer living with the Dursleys, we came to the conclusion that—no matter what Dumbledore did now—it was out of his hands.

Since Petunia had signed over guardianship of the twins to Sirius, the final say regarding them fell solely to him. And because they were still underage, there wasn’t really anything Dumbledore could do about it other than be annoying and a nuisance.

We decided that, for now, it would be best to keep Sirius’s legal status, and him still being alive under wraps, only revealing it at the end of the school year if things escalated.

Harry looked a bit uncomfortable at the idea of lying to Dumbledore, but in the end, Sirius and Rose were able to convince him that this was the best course of action. They finally shut him up by joking that if he was so eager to return to the Dursleys, they’d be more than happy to send him back. That got the point across.

I spent the rest of my time setting everything up for Illya, Rin, and Sakura’s entry into Hogwarts this coming September. At their request—particularly after receiving a cute glare from Illya—both she and Rin would be joining me in third year, while Sakura would be starting a year below us.

Illya didn’t want to be seen as older than me (even if she technically was now) and wanted to continue playing the role of the younger sister. As for Sakura, she simply wanted to keep calling me “Senpai.”

“Are you girls ready?” I asked with a smile as I stood beside the fireplace, looking at Rin, Sakura, and Illya, who all looked excited.

“Let’s get going already!” Rin said with an impatient frown, her foot tapping against the floor.

“For once, I agree with the gorilla,” Illya said with a nod, maintaining a mostly calm expression—though her eyes betrayed her true excitement.

“Ready, Senpai,” Sakura added, being the only calm one of the three.

“Hahaha, alright, alright. Let’s go. Now, please pay attention and follow my directions exactly, or you’ll end up in some random location,” I said with a small chuckle before shifting into a more serious tone as I explained the intricacies of Floo Travel.

Once I finished explaining, I stepped back and gestured for Sakura to go first. I watched as she grabbed a pinch of powder, stepped into the fireplace with a slightly nervous expression, and looked to me. I gave her a reassuring smile, and with a deep breath she tossed down the powder and called out clearly:

“Diagon Alley!”

A moment later, green flames engulfed her, and she vanished.

“Alright, next,” I said, turning to Rin and Illya, both of whom were staring at the fireplace with confused yet fascinated expressions.

“She really disappeared,” Rin muttered under her breath. “Could they all be connected somehow?”

Illya, while just as intrigued, snapped out of it faster. A giddy smile broke across her face, and before I could say anything she stepped forward. Another cry of “Diagon Alley!” and she was gone in a swirl of green flame.

“Rin. Hello? Earth to Rin?” I waved my hand in front of her face until she blinked and realized I was calling her, her cheeks immediately turning red as she hurried to step up next.

In her flustered state, however, she accidentally kicked some ash into the air, causing her to cough mid-sentence.

“D-Digon Alle-chu!”

I sighed in fond exasperation, already stepping up to the fireplace. “Of course Rin would find a way to mess this up.”

Grabbing some Floo Powder, I stepped in and repeated her sneeze-ridden attempt.

“Might as well go get her before she causes a mess.”

A moment later, green flames took me too.

=====

Half an Hour Later

“Hihihihihi~ As expected of a gorilla to botch up something as simple as saying two words~”

“Pftt, fufufufu~”

“S-Shut up! Stop laughing, you two! It was an accident! Ash got in my nose!”

Walking behind the trio—two giggling girls and one flustered tsundere—I did my best to stifle my own laugh. Sakura and Illya were clearly enjoying Rin’s embarrassment far more than they should, especially Illya.

I gently guided them through the pub toward the back door, chuckling quietly to myself.

We had finally made it back to the Leaky Cauldron after retrieving Rin from the home of a very startled older witch. Fortunately, after explaining what happened, the woman simply gave Rin an amused smile and let her go—further deepening Rin’s mortification.

Stopping before the hidden entrance, I cleared my throat with a small cough, finally causing the arguing girls to pause and look around—only to realize we had reached a dead end.

“Alright, you three. Please remember this, in case you ever want to come here on your own one day,” I said, amused as they scanned the brick wall in confusion.

“Oh! Is it a hidden entrance, Onii-chan?” Illya asked suddenly, eyes wide in realization, excitement growing even more evident on her face.

“That’s correct, Illya. Now pay close attention.” Seeing that all three were watching now, I pulled out my wand and explained for their benefit, “Three bricks up and two across,” before tapping the spot three times and pocketing my wand.

A moment later, the bricks began to shift and rearrange themselves, forming an archway that led into the bustling heart of wizarding commerce.

The girls gasped in surprise.

“Welcome, you three, to Diagon Alley~” I said with a grin, unable to help myself in uttering those words.

“Whoa~” Rin murmured, her eyes darting left and right, trying to take in the chaotic wonder of it all.

“Amazing~ Now this is what I call a magical shopping street entrance,” Illya giggled, squeezing my hand gently while never once looking away from the view.

“I’ve never seen so many magi in one place,” Sakura whispered in awe, her gaze wide. “Wait—right, they’re called wizards and witches here, aren’t they?”

“That’s right,” I nodded. “Now come on. First stop: Gringotts, the wizarding world’s magical bank. I think you’ll be surprised by who runs it.”

“Ooh, is it Dwarves? They’re good with money, right?” Illya asked excitedly, swinging our linked hands playfully as her eyes darted from shop to shop.

“Are you sure it’s alright to keep spending money on us, Senpai?” Sakura asked quietly, a hint of concern in her tone. “I’ve heard magical items are expensive, well at least back home they were.”

Rin, notably the only one not holding onto me, walked just beside Sakura with a jealous little pout. Still, her eyes were hungry as she took everything in—particularly when we passed a potion shop. She froze in place when the vendor loudly called out the names of rare magical ingredients.

“Nope, not Dwarves—but close, Illya,” I replied with a chuckle before squeezing Sakura’s hand. “And don’t worry. I’ve said it before—I’m kind of rich. Plus, ingredients here aren’t as expensive as they are in back there. Magical creatures aren’t scarce here.”

Then I turned to Rin and grinned noticing she had fallen behind.

“Hey Rin, you’re drooling.”

True to form, she blinked, snapped out of her trance, and immediately blushed bright red. She quickly wiped her mouth and caught up to us, refusing to meet my eyes.

“I—I was just looking,” she muttered defensively.

“Haha, sure. But we don’t have much wizarding currency on us right now, so there’s not much point. Unless…” I trailed off, watching her closely, “...you’d rather stay here and skip seeing the literal piles upon piles of gold and gems my family’s collected over the centuries?”

At the mention of “piles” and then “gold,” Rin’s head snapped toward me so fast I thought she might get whiplash. Her blush vanished in an instant, replaced by a greedy sparkle in her eye. When I added “gems,” she practically started salivating.

Without warning, she yanked me forward by the hand Illya had been holding—hard—using more strength than necessary (and definitely more than human). Her Divine strength had slipped out just a little.

“What are we just standing around for then!?” she exclaimed, dragging me toward Gringotts with purpose. “Get a move on, Aether-kun~!”

“Tsk, do you even know where we’re going, you rude gorilla?” Illya asked, clearly irritated at having her place beside me yanked away. She hurried to catch up, now matching Rin’s pace with an annoyed look on her face.

“T-That’s right! Slow down, Nee-sama,” Sakura added, flustered and nearly tripping due to Rin’s sudden dash.

Rin shot a glare at Illya, not bothering to dignify the insult with a response, but she did slow down when Sakura chimed in. Her pace eased to something more reasonable, though not without a small huff and the most obvious pout I’d ever seen.

“We have the whole day ahead of us, Rin. Don’t worry,” I said, half-reassuring and half-dreading how much of my day was about to be spent as a glorified bag boy and mobile bank.

Pacified by my words, Rin gave a quick nod, and we all made our way to the large, pristine white building in the distance—Gringotts. Once we arrived, I had to keep Illya from bombarding the armored goblin at the entrance with questions, her eyes practically sparkling with curiosity.

Thankfully, the goblins didn’t bat an eye at Rin and Illya’s wide-eyed wonder. Still, I was starting to feel more like a glorified babysitter than anything else.

Honestly, with how they acted, it really did feel like I was trailing around two cats and a puppy.

Rin and Illya were definitely the cats—demanding my attention at the most random times, full of sass one moment and purring for praise the next. Sakura, on the other hand, was like a loyal little puppy just without ears or a tail. Eager to please, unquestioningly loyal bordering on obsessive and always thrilled with the slightest bit of affection I gave her.

‘Hmm… maybe I should look into a spell to give them animal features…’ I mused silently, the idea becoming way more appealing the more I thought about it.

After a thrilling cart ride—which only Illya and I enjoyed—Rin was clinging to the cart for dear life and Sakura looked like she’d just filed the whole experience under “neutral”—we finally arrived at my vault.

“Key, please,” said the goblin escort, holding out a clawed hand and ignoring an almost sobbing Rin who was hugging the ground and an energetic Illya who was screaming to go again.

Still chuckling at the various reactions, I handed the key over.

The vault’s massive, enchanted door began to creak open, the sound loud and mechanical. Rin and Illya immediately perked up, snapping out of their respective episodes as the gleaming contents inside came into view.

Little by little, the contents of the vault came into view—glittering heaps of gold, stacks of galleons piled so high they nearly touched the ceiling, chests overflowing with gems, and enchanted trinkets that sparkled in the magical torchlight.

I felt Rin come to a halt beside me, her breath catching as her eyes widened, shining with a divine red glow. Her mouth fell slightly open.

“W-Whoa… You weren’t kidding,” she whispered, voice full of awe. “Actually, I think you underplayed just how rich you are. I’ve never seen this much gold in my entire life—not even in old photographs or the newspaper!” She said unknowingly revealing how uncultured she was.

Her lips were parted now, and she actually started salivating a little before quickly wiping it away.

“As expected of Onii-chan~” Illya said proudly as she joined me on the other side, arms crossed beneath her considerably puffed-up chest, a smug grin on her face. “Unlike poor Rin here, this isn’t my first time seeing such vast amounts of wealth~” she added, smugly tossing her hair.

“I suppose there was never really a reason to worry then,” Sakura murmured softly, stepping up beside me as well. But unlike the others, her gaze wasn’t fixed on the piles of treasure—it was on me. As if I was the impressive one.

I chuckled, amused and just a little touched. “Thanks, girls. Alright—come on. We’ve got a full day of shopping ahead. Feel free to pick out anything that catches your fancy,” I offered with a grin.

At the corner of my eye, the goblin guide opened his mouth to protest, no doubt about the vault protocol regarding who was allowed inside. I met his gaze with a single, flat look—one that shut him up instantly.

Satisfied, I gestured the girls inside.

“Try not to bankrupt me in one go, yeah?” I joked.

=====

An hour later, we now found ourselves in Flourish and Blotts, with me and Sakura standing a bit off to the side, watching with amused and embarrassed looks as Illya and Rin tore through the place, practically buying a copy of every book in the bookstore.

They had been at it for the past half hour—this being our first destination after putting a small dent in my vault. The poor shopkeeper was all but tearing his hair out trying to contain those two while Sakura and I watched from the sidelines.

“Hmhmhm, I think it’s about time I go and save the owner before he actually bans Rin and Illya from ever stepping foot inside here again—and they end up cursing him for getting in their way,” I muttered with a small chuckle, getting an embarrassed smile from Sakura.

“Y-Yeah, I don’t think nee-sama or Illya-san would take that too well if they ended up getting banned,” Sakura said nervously, knowing how Rin tended to have a short temper and usually punched first before asking questions.

“That would be funny to see, I’m sure,” I said, walking up to the two little hellions and, much like a pair of cubs, gently but firmly grabbed them by the back of their shirts and lifted them off the floor.

“Alright, that’s enough, you two. If there’s anything else you want, I’m sure the owner will be more than kind enough to give you two an owl order, where you can order the rest later,” I said calmly, getting a frantic nod from the owner, who slumped in relief.

“Yes, that can definitely be arranged,” he said and then quickly stepped behind the counter to get that done, clearly wanting them out of his store.

With the owner preoccupied, I finally let my gaze fall on the two still-silent girls, who were pouting up at me with crossed arms and annoyed expressions.

“Really? Would you two have preferred to be banned forever?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

The two had the decency to blush in embarrassment before looking away in unison with a small huff.

Ten minutes later, all of our purchases were safely tucked away in small pouches enchanted with the Extension Charm that we had retrieved from my vault. I had given one to each of the girls with the sole purpose of not being stuck carrying their bags, since I didn’t want to reveal the existence of my inventory here, surrounded on all sides by magicals.

“I think we should head to Madam Malkin’s next so you can be fitted for your school robes,” I said, already leading us in that direction.

“Uggh! I still can’t believe people in this era are still wearing robes of all things. And here I was hoping to wear a cute witch’s outfit that would catch Onii-chan’s gaze,” Illya pouted cutely beside me, not looking very enthused at the idea of wearing baggy clothing.

“Robes aren’t too bad. I wonder if they have any enchantments in them?” Rin said with a shrug, not minding it too much.

Before I could comment on what they said, I heard a shout calling my name—just before I was forced to brace myself as a brown missile crashed into my chest.

“Oof!”

I stumbled back a step, instinctively catching the small figure that had just tackled me in a full-body hug.

Looking down, I met a familiar pair of warm brown eyes filled with joy and a wide, genuine smile that radiated excitement.

“Hermione?” I blinked, still steadying her in my arms.

“You’re finally here!” she said happily, squeezing me one more time before pulling back with a red face. “A-Ah! S-Sorry, I just—um—got excited…”

I chuckled softly, amused and a little touched by her reaction. “No need to apologize. It’s good to see you again too, Hermione.”

She beamed, tucking a strand of bushy hair behind her ear and finally stepped aside—only to notice the girls standing behind me.

“Oh! Are these…?”

I was suddenly yanked away from Hermione by three different arms as Illya, Rin, and even Sakura stepped in front of me, forming what could only be described as a protective barrier.

“Hoh? And who would this girl be, Onii-chan?” Illya asked sweetly, a wide smile on her face—though her eyes told a very different story.

“Indeed. From the way she hugged you, she definitely seems to know you very well.” Rin added, her blank smile twitching at the corners, one eyebrow beginning to rise.

“Is she one of your school friends, Senpai?” Sakura asked last, her grip on my arm tightening just a bit too much to be casual.

‘Crap. There goes my peaceful day.’