Chapter 50: The Dress Robes
Chapter 50: The Dress Robes
On Christmas Day, the Grey family enjoyed a sumptuous feast, watched musicals, and took numerous photographs with an antique camera that Ferdinand had given to Ved as a Christmas gift. Fiona's present was a bottle of Revelaso Developer, a potion used for developing photographs.
"This camera is from Diagon Alley, and they assured me it will work just fine at Hogwarts," Ferdinand smiled as he explained, "So you can capture your school life and memories with it."
"The owner of the ice cream shop in Diagon Alley told me that if you use the right kind of developing potion, the people in the photos will come to life!" Fiona exclaimed excitedly, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's take some photos today!"
However, after the photo session, they realized that even something as simple as developing photos required the use of a wand, and Ved couldn't perform magic at home.
Seeing Fiona's disappointment, Ved suggested, "We could actually spend the night at the Leaky Cauldron. There are plenty of adult wizards there, and even if someone does use magic, the Ministry won't be able to pinpoint who did it, so we won't get any warning letters."
Fiona was tempted, but she shook her head. "Never mind, what if we're found out? It could have a bad impact on you. Anyway, you're going back to school in a few days..."
As she spoke, her voice trailed off and she became melancholy. Ved hadn't even left yet, and she was already missing him.
Ferdinand frowned. "Ved, is the Ministry of Magic's enforcement really that lacking in precision?"
"When it comes to monitoring underage wizards using magic, they can only detect a general area. As for other things..." Ved thought about how the Ministry had become increasingly incompetent in the story, "...they don't seem to be doing too well in other areas either."
"Don't underestimate the Ministry of Magic, Ved," Ferdinand warned, "All law enforcement agencies are inherently violent, and if you don't acknowledge their power, you may make erroneous judgments."
Ved's expression turned serious. "I understand, Dad."
Indeed, the very same Ministry of Magic that he currently looked down upon had the power to imprison Dumbledore's professors in Azkaban and expel students from Hogwarts. This power had not diminished significantly due to the Ministry's bloated, corrupt, and incompetent nature—on the contrary, it was often those who were incompetent and corrupt who were more inclined to abuse their power.
The next day, the Grey family rose early as they were planning to go shopping in Diagon Alley, an endeavor that would undoubtedly take a significant amount of time.
They started their day by exchanging Muggle money for wizarding currency at Gringotts, as Ferdinand had prepared a hefty bag of cash for this purpose.
"The goblins don't like paper money," he explained to Ved, "With banknotes, you can only exchange up to 20 galleons. The limit is higher for coins, but if you use gold, there's no restriction. Goblins have a fondness for gold."
"I don't need that much money, Dad," Ved tried to persuade him, "Hogwarts provides food and lodging, and some students get by with just 10 galleons for the entire year."
"That's because they have to buy second-hand goods and can't afford snacks or even extra ink for their quills," Ferdinand said as he ruffled Ved's hair affectionately, "Your flaw, Ved, is that you're too considerate. Sometimes it's perfectly fine to be a little selfish."
"And aren't you learning alchemy?" Fiona chimed in, wagging her finger at him, "Don't try to pull the wool over my eyes! Even without magic, I know that alchemy must be an expensive pursuit, and Hogwarts can't possibly provide you with unlimited materials for practice, can they?"
Ved pressed his lips together before softly saying, "Thank you, Mom and Dad—I love you."
He had always been reserved by nature, and simple expressions of affection like "I love you" had been difficult for him to utter. Hearing this now, the Grey couple exchanged a surprised glance, unable to hide their delight.
"I love you too, sweetheart," Fiona replied gently, her voice as soft as flowing water.
For the rest of the journey, Fiona held Ved's hand tightly.
After exchanging their money for galleons, Ferdinand stepped away for a while, and Fiona accompanied Ved to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.
The Hogwarts uniform consisted of loose-fitting robes, so even with Ved's recent growth spurt of three centimeters, his current robes still fit him well. However, considering that he would most likely continue to grow in the upcoming semester, Fiona decided to order two more sets of uniforms for him.
"And we'll need a set of dress robes as well," Fiona requested as she discussed the lining style with Madam Malkin, "Something simple and not too flashy, as Ved doesn't like attention."
"We'll have it ready by this afternoon at the latest, and if we're running late, we can always provide a ready-made option."
"Dress robes?" Ved asked, serving as a living clothes rack.
"That's a silly question, Ved," Fiona replied gently, as if speaking to a child. "Are you planning to wear your school uniform to Professor Moriarity's party tomorrow? Oh, you really should've told me earlier, so I could have a proper custom-made set prepared for you."
Ved actually quite liked the Hogwarts robes, and the dress robes on display at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions resembled his school robes quite a bit.
Of course, he couldn't say that out loud, or Fiona would use at least a thousand words to prove how vastly different they were.
Ved could only obediently shut his mouth and listen as Madam Malkin said to his mother, "Don't worry, Mrs. Grey. I assure you that Ved's new robes will be ready by three o'clock this afternoon at the latest. Let's take a look at the robe styles first... What color do you prefer? Oh, this color would complement his skin tone beautifully; you have excellent taste... Are there any specific requirements for accessories? For boys, it's best to keep it simple and not too flashy—elegant and noble is the way to go..."
"Mom!" Ved couldn't help but interject.
Fiona turned to look at her son, letting out a regretful sigh at his protesting gaze. She put down the bejeweled necklace, bracelet, and ring—shiny yet useless trinkets—and said, "Let's just pick some cufflinks then, nothing else is needed."
Madam Malkin smiled and put the other items away, not showing the slightest hint of impatience. She spent quite some time helping Fiona select cufflinks. Just as they finally decided on the robes, Madam Malkin suddenly remembered something and said, "Dear, young Master Grey can't possibly wear his old shoes with his new dress robes, can he? Would you like to take a look at our latest dragon-hide boots?"
Ved stared blankly at the ceiling with unfocused eyes, regretting that he hadn't brought a book along—he was now wishing for another customer to walk in and keep Madam Malkin busy. Otherwise, Fiona could easily spend the entire day here.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Ved turned his head to see Ferdinand walking in with a newspaper in hand.
Ferdinand nodded at Ved and asked, "Haven't finished shopping yet?"
"No, not yet," Ved sighed. "We're picking out shoes now."
He struggled to suppress the urge to complain to his father.
"Have they taken your measurements already?"
"Yes, right when we came in."
"Good." Ferdinand said to his wife, "Take your time, Fiona. I'll take Ved to buy some other things. We'll wait for you here once we're done."
Fiona waved her hand and said, "Alright. Don't make me wait too long, you two!"
The Grey father and son stepped out, and Ferdinand said to his son, "I've subscribed to the Daily Prophet—I got you a subscription as well. They'll deliver it to school by owl. Starting now, you need to get used to keeping up with current affairs."
Ved nodded.
The two wandered around Diagon Alley, completing their purchases in less than half an hour. Ved even took note of the names of some shop owners and their product catalogs so that he could continue to purchase necessary items via owl once he was back at school.
This was especially true for potion ingredients—Hogwarts only provided the most basic ones for free. Rare and expensive ingredients were only supplied in small quantities when they formally studied the relevant courses, and it was unlikely that they would be given free rein to practice with such costly materials.
When they returned to the robe shop, Fiona had just finished selecting the shoes and was sitting down, sipping tea and flipping through a magazine called The Wizarding Weekly. Hearing the doorbell, she turned her head and immediately broke into a brilliant smile.
Ved smiled back but before he could say anything, Ferdinand, who had been walking behind him, strode forward and asked gently, "Are you done shopping? You must be tired."
Without taking a single step out of the robe shop, Fiona stretched her arms and said, "Yes, shopping is exhausting. What are we having for lunch?"
"How about we go to that nice French restaurant nearby? We can order goose liver steak and grilled cod..."
(End of Chapter)
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