Fullmetal Wizard | Chapter 82

They entered Gringotts through a set of great bronze doors, and passed through a smaller set of silver. Then Ed saw them, working behind the long counter like bank tellers, and raised his eyebrows. They were certainly shorter than he was, but had great bulbous heads, dark beady eyes, long pointed ears, and long digits on each hand attached to stubby arms. They were far too consistent in form to be what Ed's mind immediately identified them as. He swallowed, and realised he had paused his movements when Hermione looked back at him, concern on her face.

"I know. Goblins..." Ed said softly when he met her brown eyes with his golden gaze.

They approached the counter, and Ed fingered his chain through long habit, then withdrew his wallet from his back pocket and removed the 'Muggle' money. The goblin..whose name tag read "Griphook" dully took the offered paper bills and, in a rather efficient manner, slid back to him a great pile of gold coins. Ed nodded his thanks to the creature, finding himself impressed by its professionalism. The creature looked at him with an odd expression on its face that Ed couldn't read.

Then came the shopping..Ed turned to his task with a grim expression on his face. He saw Hermione and Ron exchange a look, then Ron smiled and led Ed to a stall that displayed many colorful packages.

'Candy' Ed thought, and smirked. 'Has to be.'

He was a bit grossed out by the "Every Flavor Jelly Bean" package Ron had convinced him to try. He wrinkled his nose at the thought but decided to brave his way through anyway.

Ed bit into a white one, and immediately spit it out.

"Whach'rekk'n..vomit?" He heard Ron snicker, chomping on his own package of the things. He too, spit one out, grimmace on his face.

"No..MILK.." Ed said, venomously. "Evil liquid. From cow, yeech!! I felt de stuff flow down my troat..!" He spat bile on the ground.

"You should have chosen something else, Ed." Hermione said.

"Vhat fun vould dhat be?" Ed smirked. "I need to see dhis..magic..for myself, vright?" Wrinkling his nose at the word.

Hermione rolled her eyes, and unwrapped her chocolate frog.

As the stall was in front of "Slug and Jiggers Apothecary", they went in there next. The bad smell aside, Ed looked about the place in wonder. The sheer wierdness and variety of things for sale..from 'beetle eyes' to more ordinary herbs..

"You gotta be kidding me.." Ed said in a low voice to Ron and Hermione, pointing at what looked like snake scales to him, but was clearly labeled as 'maticore'. "Dhat HAS to be snake scales..."

"Um..Actually.... We only need a scale from here." Hermione said. "The measuring kind."

Looking at the scales, the majority of which were made of what looked like brass, and consisted of a pair of precariously balanced cups, Ed shook his head.

"Maybe I should borrow Jon's..vway more precise dhan any of dhese vwill be..."

"Does it run on electricity?" Ron said.

"Um..tink so.."

"Then it's..not going to work out so well. There's no electicity at the school at all."

Raising an eyebrow at the news, Ed made his selection and they went on.

He lingered in the bookstore, called 'Flourish & Blotts', long after he had collected the books for the 6th and 7th year, and wandered back to the dustiest section of the place. He chuckled at the Divination section as he walked past, and shook his head at silliness of the titles.

To his surprise, there were indeed some books that covered his favorite subject in the store. He was picking his way through them, skimming through their contents with practiced ease. When Hermione and Ron found him, he had amassed a significant pile of 'discards' at his feet.

"Anything good...?" Hermione said, and she attempted to read the title of the thick tome's dust covered jacket.

Ed shrugged, and smirked.

"I like dusty books best. But not dhis vone..." He closed it with a snap and looked at the shelf for the next selection.

"We've been here for hours..." Ron whined.

"I vwould love to be spending days here." Ed said. "So many to go trew..."

"Ed..uh..We really should get your wand and robes before the stores close." Hermione said.

"I..vait..vhat time is it?"

"Nearly 3.." Ron said, and sat on stool next to the Divination table. Ed's stomach grumbled loudly, and he sighed. He then collected the school books and headed for the counter.

Ron and Hermione waited outside the door of 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions', but he still absolutely refused to undress for measuring in the robe shop. The shop attendants looked at him with confused eyes, certain the problem was only about 'modesty', Ed supposed. He was the only customer in the shop.

Ed looked at the robes about him and thought that they couldn't be all THAT hard to transmute for himself.

'Not that I WANT to wear a dress' Ed thought with a frown.

"If you can not manage to get my measurings vright vwith my clothes on, I'll just see about going someplace else."

The shop attendants muttered something Ed couldn't understand to themselves and, with great reluctance, measured him with his clothes on..He had been half expecting them to call him short, but overheard nothing that suggested it.

Told to come back in about an hour, Ed walked outside to join his companions.

"Right..Now..that leaves just the wand." Hermione said brightly. "Should be plenty of time left for that."

Ed scowled, and picked up his bags. They soon arrived at a rather run down looking shop with a single purple pillow on display in a dark dusty window. Ed looked in and saw that upon the pillow rested..a wand. The sign above the door read "Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC." in peeling gold letters. Ed let out a breath, and looked to Ron and Hermione.

"Uh..you have to go it alone, mate." Ron said. "It's..uh..how it's done."

Ed released his bags, and scratched the back of his head. His stomach growled louder, and he cringed inwardly at the embarrassing sound.

"Fine. No provlem." Ed said. "Iz just stoopid stick anyvay."

He opened the narrow shabby door, and entered alone.

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