Exiting Gringotts with his newly acquired Lordship and money pouch, Gabriel stood at the base of the bank's steps, his head turned up as he glanced at the sun in the sky, his mind a whirl of thoughts.
'Looks like I don't need to worry about money now. I thought the generosity ended with these literal world-shattering powers, but having enough money to live in comfort is a nice bonus.'
Glancing at the street ahead of him, Gabriel watched as people milled around Diagon Alley, their clothing reminiscent of an era that had already passed, a stark reminder of how backward the current magical population of Britain was.
Noticing a particular shop, Gabriel almost slapped himself. He'd nearly forgotten the second most crucial thing he needed in this new life: a wand.
'You're an idiot, Gabe. You wanna go around flexing wandless magic and let everyone know about your concept-shattering powers?'
Shaking his head in annoyance, Gabriel walked with confidence through the street, weaving through the crowd as he made a beeline for Ollivanders, the most prominent and renowned wand maker in all of Europe.
Standing in front of the dilapidated shop, he spied through the window, hoping the wand maker was free to help him. Seeing no one inside, he quickly pushed open the old wooden door before briskly entering. The faint chime of a rusted bell above the door signaled his arrival.
"Oh, I've never seen you before. A traveler?" An old voice whispered out from between the long, chaotic aisles filled with black boxes.
Gabriel watched as the elderly man moved through the darkness, before emerging from the aisles into the illuminated front section of the store. White hair that shot out like an electric storm, hollow silver eyes, wrinkled skin, and a skinny body—Ollivander was the very definition of an eccentric man.
"No, fortunately not anymore," Gabriel spoke smoothly. "Recently moved back to Britain, and I'm in need of a new wand; my old one is... not performing as it used to," he said, his mind quickly fabricating an easily legitimized story.
"Ah, magical maturity, possibly?" Ollivander said, his eyes curiously looking at the robust teen that stood before him.
"Something like that; all I know is that it won't work anymore. I was told to come and see you for a new one."
Nodding, Ollivander pulled out a tape measure and quickly sent the animated tool to begin its work.
"What is your dominant hand?"
"I'm ambidextrous," Gabriel said truthfully. Since devouring the five Death Eaters, his Adaptive Body, in conjunction with Great Sage, had optimized the way his body moved, allowing the free use of both hands.
Ollivander hummed as he jotted down notes, his eyes watching the measurements the tape measure made across Gabriel's body.
Disappearing into the back for a moment, the wand maker appeared with a box, placing it on the table.
"Willow with Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches, flexible," he said, opening the box and displaying the pale, thin piece of wood.
Picking it up, Gabriel flicked it in the air. A few sparks erupted before the wand stopped producing magic.
"Curious, very curious," Ollivander mumbled before placing another box down. "Phoenix feather, Hawthorn, 13 inches, rigid."
Gabriel once again picked up the wand, but as soon as it was in his palm, Ollivander snatched it away, shaking his head. "Definitely not; I don't want the shop being blown apart."
The duo continued to work through a plethora of wands, Gabriel slowly growing frustrated as each wand was more volatile than the next, while Ollivander seemed to thrive in the chaotic moments.
"Please, we've gone through 56 wands; isn't there anything else?" Gabriel asked, his voice carrying a hint of begging.
Sighing, Ollivander packed away the boxes before pausing and staring at Gabriel with an intensity he hadn't seen before.
"You carry many magical qualities in your aura. Tempestuous and dangerous, like the ocean in a storm. Yet underneath everything, there is a quiet, controlled, and deadly nature hidden. One moment, I think I may have a wand for you."
Gabriel's mouth hung slightly agape at the description the wand maker spoke about his magic.
'It makes sense, really. I've got enough magic inside me to already dominate the higher echelons of the wizarding world. Great Sage is continuously optimizing how my body interacts with magic, and continues improving my core, while my body is always evolving.'
Lost in his internal thoughts, Gabriel missed Ollivander returning with an old-looking box. Coughing lightly, the old wand maker snapped Gabriel's attention back to the present.
"Sorry, lost in thought," he said sheepishly.
"Not a problem, young man." Placing the box down, Ollivander gently opened it before blowing away dust that had accumulated.
"Ah, yes... a most unusual piece. Fifteen inches of gnarled, dark Storm-Wracked Cedar, found in a location my great-great-grandfather mentioned; this wood has soaked in ambient magic of chaotic leylines for who knows how long. Its core, the calcified eye of a fully matured Basilisk—a one-of-a-kind core, more experimental, something that shouldn't work in a wand. To top it off, the wand is completely rigid and unyielding to anyone that cannot handle it."
Gabriel looked at the beautiful piece of woodwork, his throat dry as he struggled to comprehend the effort it took to source the material and eventually find the perfect way to fuse the wand to a compatible level.
Reaching forward, Gabriel softly picked up the wand and placed it in the palm of his hand.
Power thrummed through his arm, extending through the slender piece of wood as Gabriel felt his whole body vibrate. Flicking the wand lightly, storm clouds appeared in the dilapidated shop, as the windows began to rattle, a faint hum of electricity sounding in his ears.
Quickly reeling back his magic that flowed through the wand, he grinned widely at the wand maker before nodding.
"This is the one."
"I daresay it must be; I've never seen a connection form so quickly with such power before. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for myself," Ollivander said, his voice sounding excited as he packed away the boxes and ducked under the counter before popping back up and placing a wand holster down.
"That will be 100 Galleons: 95 for the wand, and 5 for the holster. Unfortunately, there's no discount for you, as you're not a first-year student."
Gabriel quickly opened his money pouch, pulling out 150 Galleons and placing it on the counter. "For your troubles, and for finding me the perfect wand."
Equipping his holster and wand to his forearm, Gabriel gave one more smile to the wand maker before he exited the store.
His next destination was the Thorne Manor.
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A/N - Last chapter for this evening, next one will drop in 9 hours. Send some powerstones and add the novel to your collection so I know to keep writing.