A New Wardrobe - Part One
Hadrian stared at the shiny gold Gringotts Credit Card. Instead of numbers, it had runes. A single line of runes at the front under the Gringotts's logo. Hadrian stared at his name. He had to decide what name was going to be put on the card when he was filling out the forms, but it felt more like looking at the name engraved into the gold card. He felt that he was finally someone, maybe even someone important.
Hadrian Lillian Potter the first few years of his life, he thought his name was freak or boy, then when he got to school, it was Harry James Potter. It never felt like him, but Hadrian Lillian Potter, looking at the name carved into the card. It felt for the first time in his life a name he could be, that it was his.
Hadrian held the gold card to his chest, trying not to cry. He was already tired, and if not for the pepper-up potion Ragnok had given him, he would have been falling asleep.
Looking towards the table, he picked up the lists and map, tucking them into his trouser pocket. He stared sadly at his holly wand, it no longer called to him, or hum as he used it. The wand was no longer his perfect fit...He would have to get a new wand.
Looking down, Hadrian frowned at his clothes, they were baggy and short. His decision to get clothes first was a relief. He couldn't wait to get clothes that fit him, for the first time in his life, he would be getting things that were just for him. Not Dudley's castoffs, not for school, just him. What he wanted. What he liked.
Leaving Ragnok's office was harder than he expected, but he knew he could come back. He was part of the Gringotts Clan, he was family. Merlin, he had a family. A real family, not one that abused and hated him but one that encouraged and helped and maybe one day loved him.
When he left the office, he noticed two guards, he nodded to both with a closed smile. Hadrian turned to the goblin on his left. He was pretty sure his name was Furguss, he remembered Ragnok talking to him.
"Hello, Furguss, right?" Hadrian asked. The goblin nodded black eyes wide and surprised. Hadrian guessed he didn't get many wixen remembering his name.
"Would you be able to take me back to the bank entrance? I don't know the way and would appreciate it." Hadrian asked, his palm starting to sweat as the goblin took his time to answer. After a few more moments, the goblin nodded and turned, striding down the hallway. Hadrian had to jog to keep up with him.
When they reached the bank, Hadrian smiled at Furguss, waving goodbye as he quickly exited the bank.
When he stepped out into the sun, he took a deep breath of air, his first breath of air free from the Dursleys. He was still only thirteen but in the eyes of the law, he was a man. The thought sent a chill of fear down his spine, but then he remembered that Ragnok would help him.
Looking around only a few people were looking, most had looks of disdain. Hadrian blushed as he remembered his clothing, but then he smiled. They weren't looking at him because he was Harry Potter they were looking at him because of his clothing, whispers of wixen complaining about his outfit. Hadrian all but skipped left of Gringotts's to head to Twilfitt and Tattings.
He wasn't sure how to feel about Twilfitt and Tattings. He had heard Draco brag about getting his clothes from the expensive shop, and Ragnok had told him that he now had to dress like the Lord he was. Hadrian appreciated Ragnok's honesty and encouragement. He wanted people to take him seriously. He wanted to make a change for the better.
When he opened the door to Twilfitt and Tattings, he flinched slightly at the loud bell announcing his entrance. He stilled before he realized it was just the bell above the door. He still had to get used to his enhanced hearing. He wasn't sure how enhanced it was yet. Still, the bell had been quite loud.
"Are you alright, young man?" a man in a dark charcoal suit asked, his accent slightly French. He sounded like his French teacher from primary school.
"Um—I need a new wardrobe?" Hadrian asked. Could you go into a shop and ask for a full wardrobe? The man's eyes widened before lighting up, suggesting that it wasn't common but welcomed. The man smiled warmly, and Hadrian relaxed.
Hadrian had learned a long time ago to trust his instincts. Between his instincts and knowledge of how to read people, he was pretty good at seeing if people were trustworthy, and he felt this man was good.
"Why don't you come in? Would you like to rent a private room, Hmm?" the man asked. Hadrian nodded, and the man smiled even brighter before heading towards a door.
Looking around for the first time, Hadrian noticed it looked a bit like Madam Malkin's, at the end of the shop were three raised platforms with floor-to-wall mirrors. However, that's where the resemblance ended.
The shop was done in whites and browns, bits of blues in rugs and cushions. To the right were changing rooms and to the left were tables and chairs. In the middle of the shop were two long tables with stools that held books on mini stands filled with buttons and ribbons. Hadrian was confused until he saw a witch browsing a book of fabric.
Behind him was a bronze antique cash register.
Hadrian followed the man and gasped in surprise at the room they entered.
The room had the same colours as the front of the shop, but what surprised him was the size. It was nearly as big as the main shop.
There was a single platform with three mirrors, just like the main shop, and a large rug over dark wooden flooring. A single large table with three chairs. To the left was a tall table and to the right were two dressing rooms and a door that he wasn't sure what was behind.
"Let us start with introductions. Hmm? I am Bellamy Twilfitt, the co-owner of this establishment, and I am delighted to welcome a new customer!" the man, Bellamy Twilfitt, said. Mr. Twilfitt seemed kind and almost giddy. Hadrian opened his mouth to tell his name but froze.
Should he tell his name? Would he tell others? He didn't want people to look at him like they did when he was Harry Potter. He wanted to explore the alley without people gawking at him.
"You need not worry about your identity leaving this room if that is your concern." Mr. Twilfitt stated, his voice serious. Reassured, Hadrian decided to trust his judgment and believe Mr. Twilfitt.
"I am Hadrian Potter," Hadrian responded, a slight blush rushing to his cheeks. It was the first time he told someone his name and actually felt like himself. Mr. Twilfitt's eyes widened just a fraction before he smiled at him.
"Well, Mr. Potter, I am honoured you chose to visit my little shop." Mr. Twilfitt stated. Hadrian blushed harder, taking a deep breath, he calmed down.
"Please, just Hadrian." Hadrian requested looking at Mr. Twilfitt, who smiled and nodded.
"Then you shall call me Bellamy!" Mr. Twilf—Bellamy stated with a wink, his serious voice gone and his cheerful one back.
"Now, what is it you would like to do first, young Hadrian? We can look at cuts of fabric and pre-made selections, or we can call the designer for a consultation. Or would you rather pick colours and go from there?" Bellamy asked, his upbeat voice becoming more excited. Hadrian was overwhelmed with options he didn't understand.
"I see—let's start with colours. Hmm? What is your favourite, and we shall see if it matches your complexion? Yes?" Bellamy asked when he saw how confused he was.
"Umm—I like green, red, and blue," Hadrian said. He has loved green ever since he was a child. Red for Gryffindor and blue for the sky.
"Yes! I can see you in green, a dark blue, but sadly, red will not complement your complexion or hair." Bellamy clapped. Hadrian was sad that he couldn't wear red but trusted Bellamy's advice.
"I think we should have lots of black with white, silver and grey. With touches of green, navy, and maybe a little purple? How does that sound?" Bellamy asked, his wand appearing in his hand, causing Hadrian to freeze. Merlin, he forgot to add a wand to his list! That was next on his to-do list.
"I shall not hurt you, young man," Bellamy promised as he swished his dark wand. Hadrian waited as books from a nearby bookcase flew towards Bellamy's and floated in the air.
"These are catalogues of different types of fabrics. They are organized by everyday, loungewear, and, undergarments." Bellamy explained as he pointed to each book—er catalogue.
"Here is a scanner. Simply tap the fabric you would like with it, and it will add it to a registry," Bellamy said as he showed him a wooden stick, much like a large knitting needle, but it was dark wood and had a small blue glowing stone at the end.
"Would you like to create a registry? It is a database for all your past purchases, and it remembers all the fabrics, colours, and such for faster future purchases!" Bellamy explained. Hadrian thought about it, it seemed worthwhile.
"Alright," Hadrian nodded, getting a big smile and single clap from Bellamy.
The next few minutes were spent filling out forms. He had to get measured and weighed, which Bellamy frowned at, and he had to add a little magic to a blank book. Once they were done, Hadrian watched in fascination as it filled out information. His height, weight, measurements, and colours he'd picked.
"Now that that is done, take your scanner, add a bit of magic to it and start scanning! I will be with you when you are finished, okay? There will be an assistant checking on you regularly, and you may come get me if they are not around," Bellamy stated with a smile.
Hadrian bit his lip but nodded. Bellamy nodded back and walked to the door, turning before leaving and giving Hadrian a wink.
Hadrian frowned at the collection of books, wait no catalogues. He was on his own now. Taking a deep breath he slowly exhaled. Once he was calmer he walked over to the table that held the catalogues. Taking a seat he opens the first catalogue, it was for loungewear.
He looked at the first fabric, which was white. Half the page was dedicated to the fabric, the other half had the name, a short history, and what it was best used for. Hadrian never knew there were certain fabrics for tops and bottoms, or maybe it was just in the wixen world. Then, there was gender, which confused Hadrian. Did that mean that some fabrics were only for men or women?
Confused and slightly weary, Hadrian reached out and felt the fabric that was called Acromantula Silk. He remembered the giant spiders so he was frowning and slightly disgusted when he reached out to feel the silk. Hadrian gasped as he ran a finger over the silk. It was so soft, the softest thing he had ever felt. A smile replaced his frown and he was no longer disgusted, actually kind of giddy.
Hadrian blushed when he realized he was still petting the silk. It just felt so nice. Picking up his scanner from the table he tapped the acromantula silk, watching as the stone's glow turned green before going back to blue. Hadrian beamed, happy with his first choice.
The next two hours were spent with Hadrian just going through the catalogues, picking different types of fabrics. He loved velvet and suede, both feeling soft. He also added all kinds of wools, cotton, different types of cashmere, and even bamboo. The bamboo surprised him, he wasn't expecting it to be so soft.
When he was done, he looked up, and seeing no one in the room, he headed to the door. Walking out, he noticed that Bellamy was talking with a customer. Hadrian waited until he caught Bellamy's eye and smiled, letting him know to take his time. Bellamy nodded, and Hadrian went to check out the tall tables.
Going up to the table, he picked a random catalogue. Looking through it, he saw it was made of buttons. Just buttons, putting the catalogue back, he picked up another one but closed it again when he saw it was different patterns of lace. Hadrian didn't know why he started to blush. Ok, maybe he did...
"Are you ready to continue young man?" Bellamy's voice startled Hadrian making jump. Turning he saw a small smirk on Bellamy. Hadrian blushed even harder. Nodding to Bellamy the both started making their way back to the room that Hadrian had left.
Once inside, Bellamy pulled out his wand and wordlessly assembled the pile of catalogues into a neat stack before they flew to the bookcase, neatly going back to their places. Hadrian smiled at the magic, for the first time in ages, it actually felt and looked magical.
"How did you do that spell wordlessly?" Hadrian asked, wonder could be heard in his voice, but he was so amazed he could hardly care.
"When you do a spell repeatedly, after a few years, you can do it wordlessly, sometimes even wandlessly. Magic is about intent, but most wixen aren't strong enough to channel their magic without a wand or power source" Hadrian's smile became a grimace. It would take years to learn how to learn a spell wordlessly?
"Don't worry, Hadrian, I have a feeling that you will surpass us all" Bellamy beamed confident in his statement. Hadrian could only hope he was right, not just for himself but for everyone who cares for him too.