Chapter 7 — A Grand Shopping Spree
Next, they went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
When Madam Malkin and her enchanted measuring tape began taking Fern's measurements, the tape also attempted to measure Stark's chest, startling him so badly that he yelped and nearly swung the battle axe on his back.
In the end, it was only a single calm look from Fern that froze him in place and made him endure the measuring tape's wild fluttering for a few moments.
Frieren showed interest in the self-threading sewing magic and tried to secretly memorize the spell, only to be kindly reminded by Madam Malkin that it was "a family technique, dear."
Almost immediately afterward, Frieren became intensely interested in a cloak that was said to change color according to the wearer's mood, only to have it mercilessly vetoed by Fern on the grounds that it was "impractical and too likely to reveal your emotions."
Frieren instantly puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away, muttering under her breath, "But it's obviously fun."
At last, they arrived at Flourish and Blotts, the shop that had made Frieren look back three times for every step she took away from it.
The moment she entered, the thousand-year-old elf's eyes lit up as though the brightest stars in the heavens had been set inside them. She vanished between the towering bookshelves in an instant, moving so fast she stirred up a gust of wind.
"Mistress Frieren, please don't wander off…"
Fern's reminder was swallowed by the silence of the sea of books. With a helpless sigh, she began seriously searching for first-year textbooks such as The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1.
Stark, meanwhile, curiously looked around. Most of the thick theoretical books did not interest him, until a strange rustling sound and faint growling from a corner caught his attention.
He walked over and saw a pile of books tightly bound with belts, yet still struggling violently. Written across the fastening strap were the words: The Monster Book of Monsters.
"Whoa, the books move? They even growl?" Stark's curiosity was completely hooked. He naturally liked animals, and this book, full of restless energy, seemed fascinating to him.
He cautiously stretched out a finger, intending to touch the Monster Book's fangs.
"Hello? Are you hungry?"
"Mr. Stark! Don't—"
Fern, who was looking for books not far away, caught sight of what he was doing and hurriedly tried to stop him, but she was too late.
The moment Stark's finger touched the spine, the strap happened to loosen slightly from the book's struggling.
In the next instant, the book sprang open, baring its fang-filled pages, and snapped shut with astonishing speed, biting down precisely on Stark's finger!
"Aaaagh! It hurts! It hurts! It bit me! The book bit me!"
Stark's scream instantly shattered the bookstore's quiet.
He shook his hand frantically, but the vicious book clamped stubbornly onto his finger and refused to let go, all the while making threatening grinding noises.
Tears nearly sprang to his eyes—partly from the pain, and partly from the shock and indignity of being attacked by a book.
Fern ran over at once. When she saw the scene, she froze for a moment, and then the calm expression she usually wore vanished instantly. She did not shout, but the pressure around her seemed to drop several degrees.
Expressionless, she raised her brand-new wand and pointed it at the Monster Book. In an extremely calm voice that somehow sounded terrifyingly cold, she said:
"Let go. Immediately."
The Monster Book seemed to sense that it was facing something far more frightening than itself. Its fangs released at once. With a thump, it dropped to the floor, then even shut itself and wriggled its strap back into place, pretending that nothing had happened.
Stark cradled his finger, now marked with deep bite impressions and faintly bleeding, blowing on it with watery eyes as he looked at Fern.
"Fern… it really hurts…"
Fern lowered her wand, walked over, picked up the now docile Monster Book, and placed it back into its basket. Only then did she take Stark's hand to inspect it. Her voice was flat, but her movements were very gentle.
"Mr. Stark, you are a warrior, not a pet keeper.
Please do not put your fingers into the mouths of unknown creatures."
As she spoke, she took a clean strip of cloth and a small jar of medicine from her bag and carefully bandaged his wound.
"I… I was just curious…" Stark muttered in a small voice.
As he watched Fern lower her lashes and focus intently on tending to his injury, he suddenly felt that his finger did not seem to hurt quite as much anymore. The tips of his ears turned faintly red.
At that moment, Frieren came wobbling over, carrying a towering stack of books that nearly hid her entire body. The topmost title was, astonishingly, 100 Useless Spells You Overlooked.
Seeing Stark's bandaged finger and the obedient Monster Book in the basket, she blinked.
"Oh, did Stark get defeated by a book? Do you need me to punish it with magic for you? I just saw a spell that can make all the pages stick together…"
"No need, Mistress Frieren!"
Fern and Stark stopped her in unison, both terrified that she might actually start testing some strange spell in the middle of the bookstore.
Right afterward, Frieren leaned closer to the snarling Monster Book still strapped shut, her eyes gleaming with a researcher's light.
"A book with autonomous offensive instincts? Its magical circuit structure must be very interesting…"
She even instinctively reached for her newly bought wand, apparently intending to try removing the Monster Book's binding charm to study its internal structure, which frightened the bookstore attendant so much that he rushed over at once.
"Miss! Please, you mustn't! You mustn't! These books have to stay tied up!"
Cold sweat practically poured down the man's face.
Fern had no choice but to step forward again and pull back the eager Frieren.
"Mistress Frieren, please restrain yourself. We did not come here to purchase experimental materials."
Then, after a brief pause, she added with pointed seriousness:
"Mistress Frieren, our funds are limited. Please do not buy so many magic books."
In the end, under Fern's strict review, Frieren's towering stack of "interesting but possibly completely useless" magic books was reduced to just three.
Once again, Frieren wore her signature wavy cat-mouth expression of grievance.
There was no helping it. Their funds were limited. They simply could not allow Mistress Frieren to spend recklessly.
Dumbledore, like a kindly old grandfather, silently observed the three of them, his thoughts unreadable.
Before they left the bookstore, however, Frieren still could not resist quietly slipping a copy of The Monster Book of Monsters into one of their bags, clearly plotting something in her heart.
Their final stop was Eeylops Owl Emporium.
Fern selected a steady-tempered grey owl with sharp eyes, deciding it was best suited for the important task of delivering letters.
Frieren showed enormous interest in a fluffy snowy owl because it reminded her of some kind of delicious pudding, and Fern had to stop her just in time when she tried to feed pudding to the owl.
Stark, meanwhile, ended up playing with an especially lively barn owl that would not stop flapping about, nearly scattering feathers all over the shop. In the end, under Fern's silent stare, he obediently helped clean everything up.
By the time their shopping was finished, the setting sun had laid a warm golden glow across Diagon Alley. Dumbledore had already tactfully taken his leave, allowing them to explore on their own. Carrying bags and parcels, the three of them returned to the Leaky Cauldron.
Tom the innkeeper had already prepared two adjoining rooms for them according to Dumbledore's instructions.
The moment she entered the room, Frieren threw herself onto the soft bed, let out a deeply satisfied sigh, and almost instantly fell asleep clutching the new magic books she had bought.
Her sleeping posture was as bold as ever—one leg hanging over the edge of the bed, the other half of her body nearly rolling off onto the floor.
Fern let out a helpless sigh and resigned herself to the situation. She walked over, gently moved Frieren back to the center of the bed, tucked her in properly, carefully smoothed out her scattered silver hair, and removed the books from her arms to place them neatly on the bedside table.
Only after finishing all that did she quietly begin organizing everything they had purchased that day, hanging up the robes and sorting the textbooks one by one with meticulous precision.
After setting down his axe and luggage in the next room, Stark poked his head in for a look. Seeing Frieren already asleep and Fern busy at work, he asked softly,
"Fern, do you need help?"
Without even looking up, Fern replied softly,
"No, Mr. Stark. Please get some rest early."
"Oh… okay."
Stark scratched his head.
"Well… thanks for today. For bandaging me, I mean."
After saying that, he grew a little embarrassed and quickly withdrew his head again.
Fern's hands paused ever so slightly in the middle of organizing. The corners of her mouth seemed to lift, just barely, before returning to her usual calm.
She walked to the window and looked out at the starry sky, lightly stroking her fir wand.
Too many new and wondrous things had happened today. An entirely new world, filled with magic, had unfolded before her.
Although there was still a trace of unease about the unknown future, as she held her wand and felt the familiar presence of Mistress Frieren and Mr. Stark nearby—one snoring away, the other apparently having a nightmare in the next room and making quiet distressed noises because of being bitten by a book earlier that day—her heart was filled with calm and steady strength.
She was ready to face her new life at Hogwarts.
Of course, first, tomorrow morning she would need to make sure Mistress Frieren woke up on time, wore the right clothes, and actually ate breakfast.
It was a long road ahead, Fern thought.