Shopping in Slanted Alley

Sasuke had been waiting impatiently since the morning. Today he and Itachi were supposed to shop for everything they needed to study at Hogwarts.

"I'm a shinobi who fought in the Fourth World War, I fought Madara and Kaguya. And now I'm shaking with impatience like a seven year old boy before entering the Academy," he tried to reassure himself.

Itachi, who had been watching him fidget, only chuckled. Something never changes. He remembered his brother waking him up at six in the morning on the day he entered the Academy, asking if it was time to go. Even though Sasuke had become calmer and more sedate since the war, he sometimes showed an energetic and rambunctious child in him. As such, he was reminded of a saying circulated in the past world that the stronger a shinobi was, the more of an awl he had in his heel.

Noticing his brother's smile, the younger twin frowned.

- Don't sulk like a mouse on a stick, Otto! - Itachi said through laughter.

- Why are you laughing at me, Ni-san? Which department do you want to get into?

- Different options have their own advantages. If we get into Slytherin, we can communicate with Dad without arousing suspicion. At Ravenclaw, we will be able to find many people to discuss various issues we may have during our studies, and their Dean is a Master of Charms. At Hufflepuff, we can get lost and, without attracting attention, get the information we need. The only thing is that we should go to something other than Gryffindor. Students in that department, according to Dad, are too keen on seeking adventure. However, if we go there, we can warn Dad if they are thinking of getting into trouble, making it easier for him to guard the students.

- Hmmm...

Sasuke said thoughtfully, trying to think of different scenarios as they went to breakfast.

- Hurry up, you sleepy flies. Lucius and Draco will be here in half an hour to pick you up," Severus said when he saw them.

The children hurried to the table. Even though Itachi tried not to show it, he was impatient to get a wand. It had been decided that the children would receive two rods, one custom-made and one bought from Olivandar. As their father explained, bespoke wands worked much better than ready-made ones because their core could be made up of several components, and the length of the rod was adjusted to the owner's hand, as was the handle, which balanced each other out, whereas ready-made wands contained only one component. Severus also said Olivander's rods had unique charms that alerted if its underage owner wished to conjure outside the school. The information about who was sold and which wand went straight to a particular department. Admittedly, the Mayor's charms prevented the Ministry from keeping track of the information, but Arnold and Severus decided to keep the children safe.

The shinobi, who understood the advantage of being able to possess an unregistered wand, were happy with this outcome. It gave them leeway. They were glad their father's espionage paranoia led to this decision. The only downside was that the wands ordered had to arrive the day before they left.

It was decided that Severus would go with them without the illusion of his aged appearance and wear lenses so that the resemblance to the Princes would not be conspicuous since Lord Prince had informed everyone about the death of their parents. In case anyone asks, he will introduce himself as their homeschooler. Aristocrats often hired teachers for their children to teach them etiquette, manners, traditions, and history.

The brothers had finished their breakfast when the housekeeper announced the arrival of the guests. Draco immediately rushed over to his friends. He reminded him a lot of Itachi Sasuke as a child when Sasuke used to follow him around. Admittedly, being the only child of a wealthy and noble family, he tended to get cocky, consider himself superior to others, and act like a snob. He took his father's example, so Itachi couldn't blame him. Itachi's brothers had to work hard to get him to reconsider his views on blood issues and get him involved in Muggle technology. The boy adopted much of the calm and confident demeanour of the twins, who reeked of noble parentage from afar, even though they seemed to make no effort to do so. However, when the boy was alone with his friends, he often showed impulsiveness and a certain lack of restraint. As their great-grandfather had told the brothers, these qualities were peculiar to the Blacks, and Narcissa was descended from that family. Itachi and Sasuke agreed that the Blacks were the Uzumaki of the area, though without their fiery red hair.

- Hello," the boy said, a little out of breath.

- Hello," the twins answered him simultaneously, then greeted Lord Malfoy.

Once the formalities were over, the whole group apparated to the Sparsely Lane. The adults led the children to a nearby Market Street, where they entered an inconspicuous but extremely tidy shop. Lucius greeted the owner as an old acquaintance and quietly explained that wands needed to be made to order. The salesman led them into an adjoining room with a work table and a cupboard with a pile of drawers. He suggested that the children listen to their magic and choose the drawers they were drawn to. Itachi selected the feather of a pegasus, the claw of a dragon, the hair of a pedestal and the wood of a cedar. Sasuke stopped by the crates of dragon heart vein, hippogriff feather, pastoral hair and hawthorn wood. Draco was drawn to the unicorn hair, dragon scales, snake scales and elm wood.

As the wizard explained, Itachi's wand was well suited to enchantments and combat spells, Sasuke's to combat spells and transfiguration, and Malfoy's to enchantments and ritualism. The boys regretfully left the shop, where there were so many exciting things, but the thought that now they would buy a ready-made wand, with which, unlike children's, they could do something more complicated than sophomore charms, warmed their hearts. On the way, Severus went out to buy some rare ingredients, and they agreed to meet in half an hour in front of Olivander's shop.

The children were struck by the contrast between the previous shop and Olivander's shop. If the shop was bright and clean, when they entered it, it was as if they were in a cave in search of treasure. It was half-dark, and dust was visible on some of the shelves.

An elderly man emerged from the semi-darkness. He looked around curiously at the visitors and turned to Lucius.

- Hello, Mr. Malfoy. I remember when you came to my shop to choose your first wand. True, you later replaced it with the family wand. The dragon's heart vein, Elm, if I'm not mistaken.

- You are correct. But I'm here to pick out wands for these young men.

- Oh, the first wand, that's so exciting. Well, who shall we start with? How about you, young Malfoy?

- My name is Draco.

Olivander nodded and headed for the shelves. Draco was picked up with a hawthorn wand with a unicorn hair core ten minutes later. Sasuke was next, and Olivander fiddled with him for longer, but in the end, the boy got a blackthorn wand with a dragon's vein inside. Itachi had the most challenging time, but he will get a pear stick with salamander scales inside in the future. All three were pleased that the choice was finally over.

After paying and leaving the shop, the brothers, Lucius and Draco, found Severus and told him about their wands.

- Why don't all wizards make wands to order? I already thought we would grow old in this shop, and I doubt that pre-made ones work as effectively as bespoke ones," Sasuke asked.

- It's just that Muggleborns need to learn about such a possibility, and those who do are slow to share the information. Plus, wands like that cost twice as much. When I first became a teacher, the professors sent for new students still told them about it, but many parents complained that even though tuition was free, it was very expensive to buy everything they needed. On average, it comes out to almost £27,000. So not everyone can afford a custom-made wand. Sometimes it can be difficult for students to buy everything on the list, so they ask for help. True, the Ministry only allocates money for Muggle-borns and orphans.

The children wonder.

- Can't we pay them all from the school's fund? - Itachi asked.

- The school foundation isn't rubber-stamped either. Children, in principle, tend to break things, and little wizards can give Muggles a good head start. You must buy a lot of cauldrons alone because even though the kids buy one, it melts within the first two weeks. After all, not only do the little buggers not bother to look in the book before class, they're often unable to follow the instructions. That's not to mention repairing the lock itself. It used to be more accessible, as members of noble families considered it their duty to contribute to the school fund. Still, gradually some of the families have broken away, and some are impoverished. In some families, they have no memory of this tradition.

Over the course of their conversation, they managed to buy textbooks, everything they needed for potions, and a telescope and headed for ice cream. On the way, the company saw a substantial bearded man carrying a cage with a white owl, but they swerved out of his way. Severus explained that it was Hagrid, and they had better not meet: after all, despite the change in appearance, they had known each other long enough, and the half-giant might recognise him and wonder who the children in Snape's company were.

After eating a satisfying helping of ice cream and procuring a few boxes of dango flavours for Itachi, everyone returned to Prince Manor. The children told their great-grandfather about their trip and then went off to play Quidditch: After all, first-years weren't allowed to participate in team games, so they decided to get their fill.